-Church Blog Part 3: Broken & Messed Up Together-

One thing I can honestly say is that I know I am loved. And not just by my wife, kids and other family members but also people outside my circle of relatives. And not even just a few life-long friends either. I know. that I know. that I know that I am loved by a lot of people. People older than me, younger than me, smarter than I am and more talented. People better looking with more money and a better sense of who they are. I'm also loved by people who have less money, less education, and less of a sense of who they really are. I'm even loved by people who don't like me. I am loved by a lot of people, and they are loved by me too. Because the "church," is a beautiful idea.

I believe with all that's in me that I would not be as loved as I am were it not for the church. And please know that when I refer to "the church" I'm talking about Christians everywhere and not just the local church that I am a part of. The church has provided me with and endless supply of people to care about. I could rattle off name after name. Some of them I've only met once, some of them I've known for years and some of them I have simply only heard of. It's funny how that works. Yes, the church has provided me with mentors, proteges, and peers alike and I have learned from each one of them.

I think that's one of the main functions God has in place for His church. That we learn from one another. That it doesn't matter who you are, where you came from, what you've done, or how long you've been around. If you here, I can learn from you. You have something to contribute. And your contribution may open up whole new possibilities that I could never imagine without you. The church is a community, an entire Kingdom of people that are committed to loving God by loving each other. Service God by serving each other. Learning from God by learning from each other. Like I said, what a beautiful idea the church is.

So, where do you fit in this Kingdom? Because I promise you, you fit somewhere. And when you find your place or even just begin trying you add value to us all. Your presence and contribution make us better, stronger, and more complete than we were before. And the more people that join God's Kingdom, the closer we become to God's picture of what the church is supposed to be. Now don't get me wrong, I know the church isn't perfect. When you get people involved in something they tend to mess it up a little and the church is made up entirely of people. So naturally, we have our problems. Many outside the church often talk about how the church is full of hypocrites. And you know what? They're right. It absolutely is. So they should fit right in then.

You see the church is filled with broken, messed up people living in the same broken, messed up world that everyone else lives in. We are simply compelled by Christ to be broken and messed up together. And when we are broken and messed up together, we find strength. A strength that only God can provide through His people working in His Spirit to build one another up. To remind one another that we are not alone. To allow God to give us hope, peace, strength, love, joy, laughter, friendship companionship, and comfort through His people. Because when someone else in the church laughs or cries or prays or sings or hopes or celebrates or embraces me, it is not just them that does it. It is God laughing, crying, praying, singing, hoping, celebrating or embracing me through them.

The church is God's way of doing life at our side and not just above our heads. The church is God's way of being with us through life not just after it. The church is God's way of saying to us, "me too." The church is a beautiful idea. It's an idea worth dying for. It's an idea worth living for. If you are already a part of it, I thank you and honor you for your contribution. If you are not, we stand here waiting for you. Anticipating all that we can learn from you and all the ways God can love you through us. We are just broken, messed up people living in a broken, messed up world. But we're doing it together. We hope you'll join us.

-Church Blog Part 2: Don't GO To Church-

My pastor once told a story about a member of the church pulling him aside one Sunday to talk with him. (Note: If it's possible, don't pull your pastor aside on Sunday. His/Her mind is in a million different places and it'll be better for BOTH of you to just call him during the week.) The long time church member proceeded to explain to Pastor Brad that another church member was struggling financially and that she had been assisting her for several weeks now. The well meaning church member went on to say, "I think the church should do something about it." Pastor Brad responded by asking her, "You've been helping her lately?" and the woman reiterated that she had been. "Then the church IS doing something about it," he said. And the conversation ended.

I love this story because it's a real life, flesh and blood example of what "church" actually is. Often times we get confused because of our modern, western understanding of the word "church." So lets explore the origin of the actual word. The word we translate as "church" comes from the Greek work "ekklesia." To understand the significance of this it's important to understand what the word "ekklesia" meant to a First Century person living in the Roman Empire. When a city within the Empire pledged it's loyalty to Cesar and Cesar alone, Rome would formally adopt that city and it's inhabitants would become citizens of Rome. Being a Roman citizen was extremely valuable at the time and came with rights that other were not given. (i.e. Paul's right to appeal his case to Cesar in the book of Acts.) Because of this, many cities were more than happy to give their loyalty to Cesar. They would adopt the currency, styles, rituals and holidays of Rome. They would learn to say things like, "Cesar is Lord." or "There is no name under heaven by which man can be saved than that of Cesar." (Sound familiar?) And for their loyalty, Cesar would declare their city an "ekklesia." You see, First Century Christians hijacked the word church from the Roman Empire.

They did that a lot actually. Hijacking Roman terms and mantras that we still use today. For instance we still say "Jesus is Lord." rather than "Cesar is Lord." And we still call gatherings, "churches" or "ekklesias." Why is this important? Because we should always remember that the very name we use to identify ourselves was meant to fly in the face of human power structures. The term "church" as it was used by First Century Christians was never meant to describe a hierarchical organization with a "top-down" leadership structure. Sure it had, and has, leaders but not in the same sense as we know it. The leadership came along side of it's people, it's didn't rise above them. But over the centuries the church has become domesticated. We began a wild lion and have become a common house-cat. We institutionalized ourselves, segmented ourselves, we fight amongst each other. Sadly, the Kingdom of God has grown more and more like any other kingdom in appearance and function over the last 2 Milena. Somewhere along the line we lost our desire to fly in the face of human power structures and replaced it with a desire to conform to them. We stopped being an insurgent, counter-culture revolution of people who love God and love others. Tragic.

That brings me back to the story my pastor tells. What was he saying to this very well meaning and kind-hearted lady? He was reminding her that "the church" is not a location. It's not a building, it's not staff, it's not service on Sunday. He was reminding her that "the church" is all of us. All of that claim to follow Jesus are the church. The church is alive. Rick Warren recently tweeted "The Church is a Body, not a business; an organism, not an organization." I love this quote because it's a reminder. It's a reminder that church is something we ARE not something we DO. Something we should BE not somewhere we should go. Church is found in people not in places. Today, when we gather as a "church' we call it "going to church." But in doing so, we lose the beauty and honor and wonderful responsibility of BEING the church. Please, don't just GO to church, BE the church. For God, for each other and for the world that needs us to fly in the face of human power structures.

-Church Blog Part 1: Stay Home-

OK I admit it, sometimes church bores me to no end. Sometimes I'll go to a service somewhere and 15 minutes into the service I've checked out mentally and am thinking about what I'm going to order for lunch. And why is it that the most boring churches have the longest services? What is it about the mundane that it somehow always breads an over-consumption of time? We have lives outside of church man! Let us go! I mean, if you can't make your point in 20-25 minutes you're certainly not going to be able to make it 45 minutes. Besides, I've heard all this before. Teach me something I DON'T know, don't just tell me the things I already believe. And another thing... wait I'm getting off topic. I'll cover boring sermons and having a life outside of church in the weeks to come. For now I'll just stick to "checking out" while at church. Because even when church bores me to tears, I never go in with anything but a sincere hope and desire for God to speak to me and invade my life.

I cannot tell you how often I look around in a church and see people who have tuned everything out. They are there physically, but have no real desire to get anything out of church. They're like mannequins in the seats showing you what it "looks like" to be in church but are rigid and unmovable. Please know that I am not talking about MY church. I'm talking about every church I've ever been to, seen or heard of and all the ones I haven't heard of either. This is a serious issue. We have developed routine Christianity in our lives rather than living out real faith. Because truly following Jesus should be anything but routine.

But there they are week after week filling our pews and chairs and occupying a space that may otherwise go to someone who is thirsting for interaction with their Creator and Savior. We do that sometimes as Christians don't we? We get in the way of someones opportunity to have a real encounter with the living God. Maybe we don't mean to. But sometimes, our mere presence is like a fence that keeps out the Holy Spirit. I hate this because we're the ones who are supposed to be the example to show others the joy and fulfillment that comes with interacting with a very real God in a very real way. But what message do we send when we're just sitting there in the seat mindlessly staring at the stage daydreaming about other things? What message do send when church is simply routine instead of real? What message do we send when church is an item on out "To-Do List" rather that one on our "To-Be List."

Sadly, this syndrome seems to be most prevalent in Christians who have been Christians for a while. It seems the longer you're a Christian, the more infected by routine you get. I am absolutely petrified by the idea that this will happen to me. What is even more frightening is that in many ways, it already has. But I still have yet to go to church just to check off my "to-do list." I still have yet to sit in a service without anticipating and longing for a real, powerful, life changing encounter with God. I still hunger and thirst to hear His voice. Do you? When in church do you long for a life changing experience? Do you pray that you would somehow, in some way be different when you walk out the door than you were when you walk in? Because if that's not the attitude you carry into church with you, maybe you should just stay home.

I know that many people wont like that idea. I know that many people think you should always be in church and for the most part I agree. But in this case, I simply don't. I think that if you aren't interested in a real interaction with God when you go; if all you're going to do is sit there with a mind-numbed expression on your face instead of seeking God; then you're just getting in God's way. I know that there are people who will suggest that, "At least if they're in church God may get their attention," but I don't agree. First off, if they don't want God to get there attention then going to church isn't going to make it happen and secondly, God doesn't need them to come and sit in a specific building on a specific day of the week, at a specific time of the day to get there attention. He can do it whenever and where ever He wants.

So please, when you sit in service, seek God. Seek life-change. Seek His voice. If it's time to sing and worship, then sing and worship. Cry out to God as His church with a single unified voice that you are there for Him. To hear from Him what He wants to do in your life. Consider the words and message behind the lyrics to the songs. Let them our out of your heart and soul instead of just reciting them from memory. When it's time for the speaker to teach/preach, listen attentively as if you were hearing the words of God Himself because in many ways, you are. Don't just fill in the blanks and then throw our bulletin away. Consider what God is saying to YOU through the message that day. Encounter God. If you're not interested in that, just say home. Maybe someone who is thirsty for God will use your seat that day.

-Sex Blog Part 5: Dirty Alternatives-

Last week we discussed some of the "whys" behind the idea that God thinks it's smart to wait until we are married to have sex. The idea that sex has, quite literally, caused so many problems in our world not unique. Human-beings have often taken something God created to be beautiful and enjoyable, and used it to such an extreme that it becomes distasteful and far from God's original design. But actual physical sex is only part of it. The act of sexual intercourse is very intimate and, quite pleasurable sure, but what about other acts? What is OK to do outside of marriage? You may be surprised to hear the kind of things happening today.

I have always been a fan of technology. Over the last century we have grown leaps and bounds technologically with each step helping to make the world smaller and smaller. It has opened up doors and methods of communication that would seem like "magic" just 75 years ago. But the technologies have also given rise to other types of sex. Phone sex, cyber-sex, webcam-sex, and the newer phenomenon referred to as "sexting" are rampant in our culture. In each of these, the parties involved never actually make physical contact. There is no real "sex" being had. It is simply a means by which people "inspire" themselves and each other during masturbation. But is it OK just because no one is actually having sex? I honestly believe this act is pretty much the same as actual intercourse. Sure there is no exchange of bodily fluids and no opportunity to pass on a disease but it is still a very very intimate scenario. Remember our discussion in Part 1 of this series about discussions of the most intimate details and corners of our minds being a way to draw us closer together as a husband and wife? So phone sex, webcam-sex, cyber-sex, and sexting open these highly intimate discussions up and create a false sense of intimacy which can be very dangerous outside of a fully committed, marriage relationship. It can be detrimental to you in the long run as well.

The same can be said in many ways for pornography which is highly available to pretty much anyone with an Internet connection. In this circumstance, the person using porn is lulled into the idea that "no one is getting hurt," because there is nothing intimate about it. No conversation is happening and there is no exchange of personal information or sexual discussion. But there is something deeper going on here. When you view porn in any form you are supporting the idea that it's OK for a man or woman to give themselves away for money. Let's make no mistake about that porn is a form of prostitution because it's sex in exchange for money. I don't care that they're called "actors" and I don't care if they aren't always having actual intercourse. They are giving a piece of themselves away and by viewing it we support it. By participating in it at any level, we are saying that it is acceptable for you to do this or show that in order to provide stimulation for random people. It's OK for you to become an object rather than an individual. Porn turns people into fantasies that are not real. It takes a human who God created in His image, and turns them into fiction. It dehumanizes them. And just because they were willing to do it or got paid for it doesn't make it OK for us to participate in robbing them of their humanity and removing the image of God in them. That is what porn does.

Finally friends we come to the "where do we draw the line physically" question. What are we allowed to do when we're not married? What if we're "in love" and want to express that physically? What if we're engaged? Please understand, i have asked these questions myself. Every relationship I was in prior to being married came with these questions. For me, I have to examine the the motive behind the questions. For example, there are many "alternatives" to actual intercourse that people think aren't actually sex. Hands can be used on one another to simulate sex. Oral sex has long been viewed as an "alternative." In recent years, many "good Christian girls" are using anal sex as a way to protect their virginity but still keep their boyfriend happy. It's quite sad really. Because in ANY of these cases, you're still giving yourself away. God tells us that a woman should never settle for anything less then a man who is willing to die for her. It tells us that a man should love and respect her enough to put his own agenda aside and give his very life for her. If you're willing to die for her then you should be willing to wait for her. So, once again, what is the motive behind asking how far you can go? the motive is to get as close to the line as we can without actually crossing it. (Which is an exercise in futility) As people who want to live the way of Jesus, we cannot afford to have the philosophy of "get as close as you can to sinning without actually doing it." So when we ask these questions to justify our actions we are creating a false foundation for our faith. Using you hands, mouths or anything else to simulate sex is just as intimate as actual sex and the idea that "The Bible doesn't actually say it wrong," is ridiculous. In the time it was written, the Bible didn't need to clarify what was sex and what wasn't because even seeing a woman you weren't married to let her hair down was very provocative. It doesn't say it's wrong because it assumes you ALREADY know it. Which, in your heart, you do.

Sex, IN ANY FORM, is a deeply personal and intimate expression. God created us as sexual being because He loves us and wants us to experience the ecstasy of that type of intimacy. He wants us to know what it's like to be loved physically an not just emotionally. Sex was created to help us build a stronger bond and deeper connection with our husband or wife. I am saddened that our culture has used it to drive us apart. Porn, phone sex, and justified simulated sex all end up pulling us AWAY from our original design. They destroy the image of God in us and rob us of our actual sexuality as a human. Sex, in any form, should bring you closer and closer to someone you've made a lifelong commitment to. Someone you're willing to set aside your agenda for. Someone you willing to die for.