"Will You Tell Them For Me?"

I was honored with the privilege to speak at the Detroit Church of Christ yesterday. The people there are always so friendly and welcoming to both my family and myself. We enjoyed our visit and look forward to returning in the future.

As I studied for things to speak on last week, it dawned on me that this would be the last sermon that some of the kids would hear there prior to returning to school this week. My wife and I often fear the worldview that is presented to our children at school and I avoid the level of piety to believe that we are the only Christan parents who have these concerns. Long story short, through my studies I realized that a good lesson for both the children returning to school, the adults there, and also myself would be a lesson based around how Christians are given the ability to take Christ anywhere they want with them. We can talk to Christ anytime through prayer and we are shown in scripture how to take full advantage of this precious gift. We looked at Christ's models of prayer given in scripture and how quickly we can recognize our God at anytime.

While I tried to make sure the lesson was aimed at all in attendance, I wanted to make sure the children heard what the Word of God said. So, my first act was to have the school age (college too) children move forward to the front pews. I was able to talk to them and I had some trouble controlling my emotions (nothing new there) as I made eye contact with some of these innocent and beautiful children. Rather the Word of God that I repeated to them made a lasting impression, only God knows. I know that God promises great things if we simply teach the word though so I have faith that those who were there will be the exception when people claim that there is no prayer in school.

This brings me to my reason for posting this entry. After church services last night, I was speaking with one of the mothers whose daughter was to begin her very first day of kindergarten the next day (today). Knowing the emotions that any parent feels over sending their child to school, I asked the mother how she was holding up with this change looming. She expressed some nervousness and we talked about how much faith plays a part in being a parent, no matter what age your child or adult child is. The mother thanked me for the lesson from the morning and asked me if she saw what happened with her daughter during the lesson.

One of the facts that I pointed out during the lesson was that there were going to be children in their school who had never even heard of Jesus just like there are adults in the world who have never heard of Jesus. The mother pointed out to me that after I said this, the little girl tugged on her mom's shoulder and asked, "will you tell them about Jesus for me?" The mother said that this really hit home with her and she realized that while her daughter had been in preschool, it was a Christian pre-school and her daughter has never been around people who did not know of Christ. We then joked about how fun it would be to send a note pinned to her daughter saying, "do you know Jesus?" This sweet little girl and her parents were all in my prayers last night and this morning.

I have thought about the little girl's question several times since hearing it though. "Will you tell them about Jesus for me?" Is this not the same request that Christ made (Matther 28:18-20)? Is our sole purpose as Christians not to tell others about our Savior Christ? Is there a child in my children's school who doesn't know about Christ because I have never sought out the opportunity to tell their parents? We want to complain about the public schools not having Christians in them but then those same complainers are doing absolutely nothing to even try and make one more Christian. Sure, we insulate ourselves with Christian brothers and sisters, relishing in the joy of Christian fellowship, and we care for our very own children, but have you ever thought about what would have happened should God have treated His Son the same way?

What would your answer be if your child, grandchild, or any other loved one who is currently incapable of sharing the gospel came up to you and asked "have you told anyone about Jesus for me?" Would your answer be no? Why?

I see Christ in this dear little girl's question. This little girl represents all the children in the world to me. Both the children and more importantly Christ are asking, "Will you tell them for Me?"

Jesus on Piety

A few months ago I posted a writing on being pious. This writing, for whatever reason, has been the source of some contention in my private life and unpopular to say the least. That being said, in the context to which my posting was written I do not budge or retract what I said. It so happens that a fellow Christian brother has been studying the same issue in his private life and has recently written an article discussing what he believes are Christ's views on piety. As followers of Christ (i.e. Christians), I believe that my brother Jim Nowlin has provided a very concise and scripturally backed article discussing whether or not Jesus Himself would have been considered pious enough to enter heaven based on some Christian's standards. Please read and enjoy the following:

Significant confusion exists in the religious world concerning the Holy Bible. Even among those who understand and appreciate God’s revelation, there is much misunderstanding relative to the application of God’s word to real-life situations. The purpose of this study is to consider the teachings of Jesus to help ensure that we properly apply God’s word both in our teaching and in our lives.As the basis of this study, let’s consider the following questions:

Question #1. Did the religious leaders of Jesus' day consider him “pious” enough to serve as one of the leaders in the first century synagogue?

Answer #1. Based on God’s revelation, the answer given by the honest Bible student must be, “Absolutely Not!”

Question #2. Did Jesus concern himself with how this perceived lack of piety would affect the religious leaders who practiced binding both God’s word and the opinions of men as matters of faith?

Answer #2. Again, based on God’s revelation, the answer given by the honest Bible student must be, “Absolutely Not!” To the contrary, Jesus openly condemned those who sinned by binding regulations which were not specified in God’s word. Furthermore, He openly condemned those who acted in such a manner that they would be perceived as pious. Then, He went right on living according to God’s revelation regardless of the consequences. As a result, it is clear that Jesus was not perceived as pious enough by the religious leaders in the first century Jewish world to have been placed in a leadership role in the synagogue. It is also clear that Jesus was not concerned with the religious leaders’ perception of Him.

As evidence of these conclusions, let’s consider the following:

A) Jesus stood firmly against binding man-made regulations and traditions as matters of faith.

1) One of the first century Jewish practices of which Jesus obviously did not approve was the matter of binding man-made regulations such as the “traditions of the elders” as matters of faith. Relative to the matter of “cleanliness,” for example, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day likely referred to passages such as Exodus 19:10-14, Exodus 29:4-17, Exodus 30:18-21, Exodus 40:31-32, Leviticus 1:9-13, Leviticus 6:27, Leviticus 8:6-21, Leviticus 9:14, Leviticus 11:25-40, Leviticus 13:6-58, Leviticus 14:8-47, Leviticus 15:5-27, Leviticus 16:4-28, Leviticus 17:15-16, Leviticus 22:6, Numbers 8:7-21, Numbers 19:7-21, Numbers 31:24, Deuteronomy 21:6, and Deuteronomy 23:11 which require a variety of cleansings and washings in situations prescribed by God’s word, to take the liberty of adding additional required cleansings and washings as matters of faith even though they are not prescribed in Holy Writ. The thought process likely included the rationale that since God’s word indicates the importance of washing in many situations, adding the requirement of additional washings must be even better. One can never be too cautious, they likely surmised, when it comes to making sure one does not sin against God.

The problem lies in the fact that both adding to and taking from God’s word constitute sin (Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, 2 Kings 22:1-2, Revelations 22:18-19). Since Jesus condemned the scribes, Pharisees, and elders of the people for binding more than God’s word binds and openly refused to approve of their practices (Matthew 15:1-20, Mark 7:1-23, Luke 11:37-53, Matthew 23:1-36), He was certainly not considered pious enough to be one of the leaders in the first century synagogue.

2) Another situation in which Jesus encountered the religious leaders’ binding more than God’s word binds is relative to the type of activities in which one could be “lawfully” engaged on the Sabbath. God’s word made it clear that His people were not to “work” on the Sabbath in passages such as Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:14-16, Exodus 35:2-3, Leviticus 23:3, and Numbers 15:32-36. Since God’s word commanded that one not “work” on this specific day of each week, the scribes, Pharisees, and elders of the people devised a list of specific activities in which one could be engaged on the Sabbath along with another list of activities which they considered unlawful on the Sabbath, again just to make sure individuals did not sin against God’s law of the Sabbath. The problem with this thought process is that a proper application of God’s word is the one and only determinant as to what constitutes sin.

Furthermore, God’s revelation itself is the only basis for determining what constitutes “work.” Jesus made a point to effectively condemn their binding more than God binds relative to the Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-8, Luke 6:1-11, and Luke 14:1-6. However, since He violated the traditions of the elders which they considered just as binding as God’s word, He broke God’s law in their eyes. As a result, Jesus was certainly not considered pious enough to be considered for one of the leadership positions in the first century synagogue.

3) Furthermore, the religious leaders in the first century likely considered God’s teaching in such passages as Psalms 1:1-2 and Psalms 26:5 and determined that it was a violation of God’s law for one to associate with “sinners” in any context. Regardless of the fact that this was not God’s teaching in these passages, the religious leaders apparently bound such regulations as matters of faith. Again, their rationale likely included the assumption that it was prudent to be more restrictive than God’s revealed word in order to make sure they did not sin against Him. Furthermore, it clearly does not look good for one of the leaders of God’s people to associate with sinners, right? Jesus condemned these thought processes by disregarding their tradition of binding more than God bound on this subject in passages such as Matthew 9:11, Mark 2:16, Luke 5:27-32, Luke 7:36-50, and Luke 15:1-32. As a result of Jesus’ refusal to abide by man-made laws and traditions as He spent time with the sinners to lead them to the truth of God’s word, He certainly was not considered pious by the religious leaders of His day.

4) As additional evidence that Jesus was not pious enough for the religious leaders of His day, He not only ate with sinners, he likely even drank unfermented wine (“oinos”) during His associations with these individuals. Even though these sinners may have drunk fermented wine or even wine with some type of additional drug in it from time to time, Jesus refused to concern himself with the possibility that some might accuse Him of sin based on passages such as Proverbs 23:20 and Deuteronomy 21:19-20 as a result of such associations. The religious leaders likely indicated that it just did not look good for one who might be considered one of their leaders to place himself in such situations, especially since some might engage in sin in such contexts.The fact that Jesus was condemned in Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34 for associating with such indicates that Jesus did not refrain from drinking the unfermented juice of the grape just because some might assume the worst in their attempt to find fault. Undoubtedly, this action by Jesus was one of the reasons the religious leaders of His day perceived that He was less than “pious” enough for them. Again, instead of concerning Himself with their perceptions, Jesus simply continued doing what was right and good based on God’s revealed word regardless of the effects on those who set out to condemn everything He did.

5) As the final example of Jesus’ refusal to support the binding of man-made regulations and traditions as matters of faith, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day likely referred to passages such as the following to prove the importance of fasting in the lives of God’s people: Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 7:6, 1 Samuel 31:13, 2 Samuel 1:12, 2 Samuel 12:16-23, 1 Kings 21:9-27, 2 Kings 18:6, 1 Chronicles 10:12, 2 Chronicles 20:3, Ezra 8:21-23, Ezra 9:5, Nehemiah 1:4, Nehemiah 9:1, Esther 4:3-16, Esther 9:31, Psalm 35:13, Psalm 69:10, Psalm 109:24, Jeremiah 36:6-9, and Daniel 6:18. As a result of the obvious importance of fasting in the history of God’s people, surely it makes sense for individuals to let their light shine for God’s glory through the fasting process, as rationalized by the scribes, Pharisees, and elders. To the contrary, Jesus taught openly against the practice of “appearing” to be fasting so that others would realize how pious they were in Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 9:14, and Luke 5:33, regardless of the result. Since Jesus taught against the practice of “putting on a show” so others would see how righteous they were as was the practice of the religious leaders of the day, Jesus was certainly not pious enough in their eyes to ever become one of their leaders.

B) As additional evidence of Jesus’ perceived lack of piety, He stood firmly against the first century practice of teaching one message in public and then espousing contradictory views in private. His teaching was always the same regardless of the audience.

1) Several examples have been provided by the Holy Spirit to indicate that Jesus’ public teaching and private teaching were always one in the same, including Mark 10:2-12 and Luke 12:1-3, and that Jesus condemned individuals who dealt with God’s word in any other manner (Matthew 23:1-36). Please note that since Jesus refused to approve of the scribes’, Pharisees’, and elders’ practice of communicating different “rules” for different audiences, He certainly was not considered pious in their eyes.

C) Furthermore, Jesus refused to even consider the “praise of men” in the process of determining which issues were matters of faith. He made it clear that God’s word is the only determinant of truth regardless of who agrees with it.

1) Jesus made it clear that we should not concern ourselves with the fact that some individuals may agree or disagree with teaching based strictly on God’s revelation. He taught the truth regardless of who might believe or reject it because He understood that God’s word is not determined in the minds of men, but that God’s word is settled in heaven (Psalms 119:89). Jesus did not cater to those who considered the praise of men in the process of determining which issues were matters of faith (Matthew 15:12-14, John 12:42-43). Rather, since He taught simple obedience to God’s word (John 14:15, John 15:14), He was definitely not pious enough to ever become one of the leaders in the first century synagogue.

D) Finally, Jesus clearly refused to even consider the teachings of the religious leaders of His day in His quest to determine the truth based on God’s word.

1) It was clearly the custom of the scribes, Pharisees, and elders of Jesus’ day to quote rabbinic opinions and traditions as an integral part of their public teaching. For example, the thoughts of various rabbis on a given subject were the basis for the most widely respected and utilized scriptural commentary in the first century, the Babylonian Talmud. An example of the Talmud may be found online at

http://www.come-and-hear.com/sotah/sotah_48.html#PARTb.

However, as indicated in Matthew 7:28-29, Mark 1:22, and Matthew 15:7-9, Jesus did not employ this teaching method. He understood that the comments of mere mortals were nothing more than opinions and that God’s word alone is our guide (John 12:48) regardless of human opinions. Since Jesus simply referred to God’s word in His teaching without the confirmation of and agreement with the religious leaders of the day, He certainly was not considered pious by those who might have considered Him for a leadership role in the first century synagogue.

In summary, Jesus was SO not pious enough to be chosen as a leader of God’s people in the first century synagogue that the religious leaders of His day ultimately decided it would be better to have Him killed than to submit to His leadership and authority. Since it is God’s grace in conjunction with our faithful adherence to God’s revelation which keeps us in fellowship with the Creator Of The Universe (1 John 1:7), let’s all continue to pray that today’s religious leaders will stand against binding man-made regulations and traditions as matters of faith, that they will stand against private teaching which contradicts public teaching, that they will refuse to even consider the praise of men in the process of determining which issues constitute matters of faith, and that they will refuse to follow the doctrines and teachings of the religious leaders of the day in the process of determining truth – JUST LIKE JESUS DID. Even though one might consider stating an OPINION in his teaching from time to time, it is our responsibility to make sure we clearly communicate such statements as opinion. We must realize that we cannot bind our opinions as matters of faith and expect to continue in fellowship with our Creator (Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, 2 Kings 22:1-2, Revelations 22:18-19). May God help us simply follow Jesus’ pattern of setting each other apart from the world through the truth of God’s word, since it is God’s word alone which is truth (John 17:17).

The Dragnet

It seems that we often become so caught up in theology, interpretation, and doctrine that we often forget the very force behind our faith. How can we forget Jesus? How can we forget the most missional being in existence? I cringe as I write this, but the answer is: very easily. It seems to me that we get so caught up in being "the" true church that we begin worrying and studying matters that have no bearing on what Jesus commanded. We teach the plan of salvation but we don't teach what Jesus, in his limited words left for us, taught.
I caught myself a few months back allowing my desire to be right and able to defend any doctrinal issue with any member of any denomination to forget the very reason that I wanted to become a Christian in the first place. I found myself trying to figure out how to break this cycle and the next thing I know I was knee deep in a study of Christ's parables. It is in these stories of Jesus that the very essence of what this blog is about is set forth. An overwhelming majority of them contain this message: The church is here to be missional.
In no parable is this message passed on more succinctly than the parable of the dragnet. Found in Matthew 13: 47-51(please read these verses, many of us think these parables are the "milk" discussed in 1 Corinthians but to me they are the "meatiest" parts of the Bible), Jesus tells those listening to his voice at the time that the kingdom of heaven (i.e. THE CHURCH) is like a dragnet thrown into the ocean, picking up anything and everything that it crosses. Could Christ have been more specific regarding what He, not Paul, Peter, James, Alexander Campbell, Calvin, C.S. Lewis, but HE, the Lord and Savior, expected from His true church? Christ is telling us to be missional and bring all to Him. Drag the deepest depths and bring them to the shores that His Father created. This is what being missional is all about but sadly Christ somewhat addresses what happens in the church today as this parable continues.
Christ reminds the listeners that once the the dragnet of the fishermen in his parable is filled and it gets to shore that they then sit down and separate the good from the bad. This makes sense right. The fishermen would keep what they can use and can fulfill and sustain them and cast what is useless away. Sadly, this is where I see a disconnect in too many churches with what Christ is teaching here. To be able to understand what I am trying to say here you have to understand that if we placed ourselves in this parable, we aren't the fishermen or the dragnet. We are the fish. Ask yourself how low did the dragnet of the church have to scrape you to shore? Granted, once to shore, or in the church we do serve a dual role, but in the end, we are still the fish. The church as a whole is the dragnet. This misunderstanding or just refusal to obey Christ is what is keeping many churches from becoming missional.
We want to become the sorters. We want to become the ones who pass judgment on who is worthy to be brought to shore. We want to be selective about who we invite to church or to group Bible studies. We all have our selected "buddies" from church that we go out to dinner with because we have decided to go ahead and deem ourselves worthy to stay ashore but those others still have too much work to do. We want to roll our eyes or sigh when the somewhat special needs individual in our church gets his turn to lead the devo on Wednesday night (assuming the church even thinks that he or she wants to be asked to participate in a leadership role in worship of our Lord). To do these things is wrong and is a direct violation of Jesus' teaching.
How do I know? Verse 49. Jesus tells us when his fish will be separated good from bad and it has nothing to do with mankind. Jesus tells us that His angels will do the separating. The angels will separate the evil from the just. This does not mean there will be a separation of the church from the world. In context, Christ is saying that the wicked IN THE CHURCH, will be removed from the just in THAT SAME CHURCH. That is assuming that we haven't already done such a bang-up job of taking care of the angel's duty that this is even needed.
In conclusion I want to make one last point about this parable. Jesus pointed out that the dragnet was not brought to shore until it was full. Christ then uses one of those great Biblical phrases; so it shall be. The dragnet of the church will not be brought to shore until it too is full. Isn't that what being missional is all about? Are we not commanded to be filling up the dragnet that we are caught in at the same time. How can the dragnet ever become full while we are just lure fishing for the kind of fish we want. How can it become full when we keep scaring off the fish? Then again, maybe some are scared of what will happen when it does become full. I know this, if you are truly following Christ's example and commands to be a missional disciple of His, there should be no doubt which vessel you will fall into.

Please check out this post and other similar ones by like-minded Christians at www.missionalconversation.wordpress.com

Why Wait?

Beginning in the last week of June I have seen the power of prayer in my life and other believers’ lives. Needless to say I have thought a great deal recently about the power of prayer and the Christian duty I have to pray. I am going to keep my thoughts here as brief as possible in order to avoid ranting.
I will start this with a question. How often has someone come to you and told you about a problem they are having and your response was, "I will be praying for you." Now, how many times have you followed through with that? How many times have you failed to pray for that person? Do you feel guilty over it? Have you ever even thought about it? I must confess that I am guilty of this. I have told people that I would pray for them and never even thought about it again. I feel safe in thinking that I am not the only one. Oh the excuses we have for this. Either we are too busy and it slipped our mind or they seemed to be fine when you left them. Besides, they may have gotten better so it didn't really matter did it. Why do we do this? What causes us to lie to one another in this way and let each other down? Why do we withhold the mercy that was given to us? It could be because we are only humans but I prefer to think that it is because, as my friend Jason Jarrett says, WE REALLY JUST DON'T CARE. We are too selfish to care for one another enough to remember to pray for each other as we are commanded to do. Jesus Christ Himself took time to pray for His current disciples and those of us to come when he was facing his own death and we can't remember to do it when we are facing nothing but an 8:00am tee time. I can think of no word to describe it other than pathetic.
So, I am resolved to no longer be guilty of this offense. I challenge all of you to join me in this solution as well. First, another question. When faced with a scenario where someone talks to us about a problem and either does or does not ask for prayers, what stops us from dropping whatever it is we are doing at that moment and praying with that person? Admittedly I did not closely study this before posting but I can recall no scenario where Jesus or his disciples put off offering to help someone in need. Never do we read of Jesus saying "I will keep you in My prayers." If someone had the faith to come to Him, Jesus would stop what he was doing and assist that individual. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that we must stop praying for people in private but rather praying with them in public, at that moment. Again, what stops us from doing this? Too busy? Too public? Worried they might not want that at that time? I can guarantee that if you take that individual by the hand and begin to pray, they are not going to stop you. We know the power of prayer, yet we refuse to share it. What merciless individuals have we become?
Some of us may feel too uncomfortable to do this. If so, you have a real problem with God. If you think that people who know you would be really surprised by you doing this, then you have a problem you must resolve with your Lord and Savior. If doing this would be surprising to many because they did not know you have such faith, it's time to make a change. If you just feel too embarrassed to do so, then you are not being a disciple because you are not denying yourself. Instead you are denying the mercy of Christ to someone in need. What better way to show our faith then this? I ask you if you are reading this to pray for me that I will do better in this area and that I will not put people's requests for prayers off and risk not praying for them at all. Just suppose that a miraculous occurrence comes about in a person's life after you pray with them. What a wonderful opportunity for ministry. Or better yet, suppose that your example of faith causes that individual to drop to their knees too at that time or alone and they either make a decision to become a Christian or to restore their walk. Then they tell you later that it was all because of your willingness to share your faith. All because, as my friend Randy Hargett says, you showed them the face of Jesus through your willingness to deny yourself and share your time with God with them. It's time to start caring enough to make a difference. Will you join me in doing this? What a difference we can make if we will just start caring.