Stumbling Block: The Command (January 2013)

Being a part of the Christian subculture comes with it's own stock collection of terms and language that can be confusing to those who are not involved in our cultural group. One such phrase is "do not be a stumbling block" to another person. This year we will look at this idea and how we can grow in Christ, and toward holiness, by taking its full teaching to heart (and to hand).

For January, we will be looking at just one aspect of 1 Corinthians 8:9, where Paul addresses the specific problem of Corinthian believers who are divided on the "rightness" of eating meat that has been using in idol worship. In context, some believers do not have a problem with it because they're not gods at all. In fact, Paul says they are nothing at all (8:4). Other believers, on the other hand, believe that eating that meat is wrong because of its use in pagan worship (maybe this has you thinking of the division surrounding Christian holidays with roots in pagan festivities). With this in mind, Paul says...

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

For January, I want us to all focus on the very general practice of not being a stumbling block to someone else. This could mean different things to different people. Maybe as a student it means doing what your parents or teachers or elders to you to do when they ask you to, without complaining (or at least acknowledge that you heard them and intend to presently, if you're unable to stop what you're doing right away), so they don't feel you're ignoring them. As a parent, maybe it involves being more attentive and understanding toward your children so they don't act out. As an employee or boss, maybe it means treating your coworkers fairly, with wisdom, and (when necessary) being judicious when consequences, and growth-inspiring lessons, are needed. In our random interactions with others, maybe it means being gracious and humble with others -- YES, even when we think they don't deserve it! -- and even allowing ourselves to be wronged rather than add sin to sin.

Whatever the event, I am sure that if you take up this challenge, you will find it more difficult than you thought. You will likely recognize the opportunities to avoid being a stumbling block AFTER the fact! Remember these times. Remember how hard it was. Remember what you thought about different circumstances, and why that mattered to you in the moment. Over the next year we will discuss being a stumbling block from numerous angles and hopefully, in the process, avoid the excesses and guilt-laden living that we've been freed from.

Perception Is Key (December 2012)

"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."

1 John 5:11-13

This month we're finishing our series of looking at how our approach to God affects the way others see God as well. The way we see God affects the way we come to God. The way we come to God affects the way others see God and, therefore, come to Him also. 

I'm featuring a couple of videos this month, by the comedic troupe OneTimeBlind, that deal with approaches to God we can sometimes take.

The first one, to the left, deals with our tendency to give God what we think He might want, without getting to know--from the Source--what He actually wants. Getting to know anyone, even God, takes relationship and work on our part. We, as Christians, must get past our tendency to mold a God after our sentiments and reconnect with the God of scripture, the God that stretches and challenges and molds us.

This next video, to the right, deals with the all-too-common tendency followers of Jesus have to become stagnant and comfortable in our walks. We may say all the right words, play the game with (what we imagine to be) amazing skill, but we don't fool God. Our relationship with Jesus, or lack thereof, speaks for itself. 

If perception is key, then it stands to reason that our perception of God is of the utmost importance. Our mission, as followers of Christ, is to continually submit our thoughts and opinions to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), who is the Word (Jn. 1:14), and be transformed by Him through it (Rom. 12:2).

Dave Swanson, Lakeside Christian Church's worship leader, speaks in his newsletter blog for this month about how worship without love is just noise. Not only that, but this "noise" is actually damaging to our interpersonal relationships and our relationship with God. 

Do people perceive through us a God that loves them? Do they see a God that redeems from the the messes we've made of the lives we've been given?

Our worship of God does not begin when we step through the doors of a church, or a home fellowship meetings, but when we wake up. Each moment we breath is worship because it is time spent in the presence of Almighty God! Is this noticeable to others? Does anyone outside our own head--including God--notice that we are lovers of God and lovers of others? 

If they don't, maybe the problem isn't with them but with us. 

And the question deserves asking: if Jesus really is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, what right do we have to run others off by giving others false perceptions of God? 

If people watch us run after everything else in this world, are we inadvertently obstructing their understanding of the Way? If they watch us dissect the Word to fit our opinions, do we inadvertently distort the Truth and encourage them to do the same? And if we act as though we're dead inside, instead of being enlivened by Love, are we inadvertently blocking the transformative power of real Life?

Or it could be worse. Maybe real Life is not in us.

The Holy Ground of Difference (November 2012)

Do you remember not being invited to someone's party, or dinner at someone's place, or to some fun event that you found out about later? Do you remember what it felt like to know others were a part of something that you missed? You might wonder if you were purposefully excluded or just escaped notice somehow, but both of those can be hurtful, can't they? Even if you were invited and chose not to participate, another's enjoyment of what you skipped out on is enough to cue the irrational upset feelings that someone else has to be responsible for your exclusion. And yeah, I'm a youth minister. I see this happen all the time!

Have you ever wondered whether or not God will agree with you on a certain topic when you get to heaven? I mean, when you actually get to talk with God in a way that's beyond our current understanding, will you find yourself (as you see it in your mind) saying what you believe and hearing God say, "Yup, that's what I was getting at?" I ask because we Christians can sometimes come across to others with that attitude, an "I'm right, you're wrong," "Us vs. Them" mentality. When it comes right down to it, it's actually a form of manipulation that we're using. It works on people who are not prepared to question the validity of our argument, but those who are strong enough are not only keen to what's going on, they're also decidedly upset that you would set them up with a childishly controlling "lose-lose" situation (this is similar to the "Can God make a rock too big for Him to lift?" conundrum, where either way, God ceases to be some aspect of who He is, either all knowing or all-powerful in this case). As justified as we feel, and loaded with passages that support our viewpoint as we can be, I think we sometimes stink at acting like human beings in this regard. Somehow we forget what it feels like to not only be on the outside, but feel like we're outsiders, like we've been excluded.

Take a moment to read Joshua 5:13-15. Who are the people involved in the passage? What happens?

Jesus wasn't a fan of the Pharisees, and He said they would block those trying to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus reminds us that humility goes a long way with God, but the pride of self-righteousness is destructive.

"Yeah, but..." we like to say before we dive into the reserve of scriptural knowledge that restores our justification.

"Jesus wasn't..." we begin, as if to remove ourselves from the pool of condemned grubs.

Sometimes I think it's good for us to remind ourselves of our similarity to Joshua. We often come upon people who are a threat to us: to our image, our importance, our self-worth, you name it. We want to know what our response to them should be. Can we count this person as a friend, or are they the enemy? Are we up for a tussle or a self-congratulatory conversation?

It's a good thing Jesus told us how to treat our enemies, because otherwise--left to our own devices--we would revert to displays of showmanship and vying for dominance. Unfortunately we still do. And it affects the way others see God. We learn how to subtly manipulate others, cajole them into a "lose-lose" situation while we stand on the (*supposed) "win-win" ground above them. Even social media allows us a platform to do this, as the picture below would indicate.

There is holy ground here, between God and us, between our being more right than someone else and God being absolutely holy. Sometimes taking off our argumentative shoes in recognition of that is better than drawing our sword in our own defense, only to find that we've squared up against God.

This month, remind yourself daily that God is on God's side, and only when we choose to be on God's side is God on our side. Because God is always on God's side.

Always.

By the way, you need to forward this article on if you love God. If you don't, I'll know that you don't really love God and, more importantly, so will God...

... Sinner.

[I hope the context makes it clear, I'm joking] :)