Doin' the Stuff

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (Jas. 1:22).

I believe the North American Evangelical church has been afflicted with a particular malaise. We seem to be obsessed with knowing the Word, but deficient in doing it. 

One of the most common questions I hear from people new to a church is "Do you have a Bible Study I can join?"

Don't get me wrong. I believe in learning more and more about the Bible. It is our only infallible guide for faith and practice. It is the authority upon which the church must build. Neither tradition, nor church hierarchy nor charismatic leadership can substitute for the Word of God. I personally have a regular reading and study routine and I participate in Bible Studies. When I preach, I try to expound God's Word so that people can grasp it and conform their lives to it.

However, with that said, I recall a story of John Wimber's (founder of the Vineyard Movement). When he started attending church, he asked one of the elders, "Where do we go to do the stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"You know, the stuff in the Bible. Healing the sick, raising the dead, preaching the Gospel to the poor."

"Oh, we don't actually do that stuff. We study about it, we hear sermons about it, but we don't actually do it."

"You mean I gave up drugs for this?" (Of course this was said tongue-in-cheek.)

This led to one of John Wimber's most famous pithy Wimberisms, "Doin' the stuff." That is, God wants us to actually go out, just like Jesus and His disciples did, and demonstrate the presence of the Kingdom of God by doing the same stuff that they did.

Are you satisfied with a Christian life that merely listens to the Word but does not actually do it? I must admit that this has been a constant struggle for me. It takes a major effort for me to take what I have received within the safe confines of the church and go into the streets where I might encounter resistance, rejection and failure. But when I do, God meets me there, and I think He is smiling.

It would be nice to hear someone at church ask, "Where do we go to do the stuff?" And it would be even better for us to be able to answer, "Come with me."

Jesus Goes Viral

"Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him" (Matthew 4:23-25).

One of the phenomena of modern social networking is called "going viral," that is, when some kind of online post, video or photo becomes re-posted so quickly that it obtains the holy grail of social networking: a million-plus views. However, it does not seem to matter whether something that goes viral is positive or negative. The goal seems simply to gain the most notoriety, no matter what the issue. Whether it is a recipe using Oreo cookies, a funny cat video, or an ad campaign to rename IHOP to IHOB--you have succeeded if people begin to share your post around the globe.

In Jesus' time, technology had not advanced very far in the area of communications. Word of mouth and the occasional public announcement were the way that news could travel throughout the Roman world. However, in Matthews Gospel, he tells us about the excitement that stirred throughout Palestine, from Syria, Galilee and the Decapolis in the North; all the way to Jerusalem, Judea and even Trans-Jordan in the South. News about Jesus spread quickly. In other words, Jesus went viral.

What made people get so excited about Jesus? What was it that they wanted to share with everyone around them? The answer is: His healing ministry.

Matthew tells us that Jesus was involved in doing three things: teaching, preaching and healing. But if Jesus had only done the first two things, teaching and preaching, and not the third thing, healing, it is very unlikely that news about Him would have spread so fast. Why do I say that? Because in verse 24, it does not tell us that "the curious, the theology students, and the intellectuals" were flocking to hear Jesus. Instead it says that "the people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed..."

In general, people do not flock to great teaching and preaching, they are drawn to great power. And they are drawn, not because they are merely curious, but because they are needy. People who are hurting and have the opportunity to receive a powerful touch from God are usually the ones who will push through barriers and difficulties to get it. Remember the shame and cultural obstacles that the woman with the issue of blood needed to overcome to simply touch the hem of Jesus garment? And what was in her mind? "She said to herself, 'If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed'" (Matt. 9:21).

Even a casual reading of the Gospels reveals that Jesus did not just speak the message of the kingdom of God, but He demonstrated the reality of the presence of the kingdom as well. When the kingdom of God comes, it comes with power.

What happened when people began to bring their sick relatives and friends to see Jesus? "...and he healed them" (Matt. 4:24b).

Even Paul confirms that: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Cor. 2:4-5). And the writer of Hebrews tells us: "This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (Heb. 2:3-4).

So why does the church seem to settle for great teaching and preaching, but forget about power ministry? Because they can control the first two. Because they can learn to do the first two using human wisdom and clever marketing techniques. But power ministry is totally dependent on God. If God does not show up, we can feel pretty foolish. So we cling to what we know we can do and avoid what is out of our ability to control.

And yet, God's way of "going viral" is not through "wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power." That is how God penetrates to human hearts and brings conviction. That is how Jesus went from being an obscure Galilean carpenter to the greatest figure in human history with over 2.2 billion followers.

So, are you willing to believe in the power of God? Are you willing to look foolish in the eyes of the wise of this world in order to allow God's power to be manifest? This is God's divine marketing campaign and He has never revoked it. As John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard, used to say: "I'm a fool for Christ: who's fool are you?"

The Manifestation Gifts of the Spirit

In 1 Cor. 12: 7-11, Paul lists nine "manifestation gifts."

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good..." (vs. 7).

These are specifically supernatural endowments by the Spirit that, when given, reveal His presence in our midst. The word used here is phanerosis. The root of the word is phanos, which means "light" or "lamp." So, it is a revealing of something that was hidden.

Imagine it this way: whenever a believer is present, the Holy Spirit is also present but hidden from our senses, like a lamp with a shade that completely covers the light. When the Holy Spirit decides to act through the believer, he imparts a charisma, that is, a gift (or what Dr. Russell Spittler called a grace-let). The believer is like a conduit to impart that grace-let in a way that blesses someone else. When that happens, it is like lifting the lampshade to reveal the light.

Paul never uses the word charismata (gifts) in the technical way we do today. Biblically, the charismata refer to more than just this list and more than just supernatural endowments. For instance, in another part of this same book, Paul refers to the ability to be celibate or married as charismata. "But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that" (1 Cor. 7: 7). However, this list describes a kind of charismata which I refer to as The Manifestation Gifts.

The writer of Hebrews uses another word for gift, doron, which refers to a parcel given to me. "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (Heb. 2:4). But it still supports the same idea of God distributing supernatural impartations.

I organize the nine manifestation gifts in three groups:
1)  The Revelation Gifts--Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, Discerning of Spirits;
2)  The Speaking Gifts--Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues;
3)  The Power Gifts--Gifts of Healings, Workings of Miracles, Gift of Faith.

Notice that through all these gifts, the church is empowered to SEE supernaturally, SPEAK supernaturally and ACT supernaturally.

A survey of the book of Acts shows that these kinds of manifestation gifts were evident through the church throughout its early expansion. Luke, like the writer of Hebrews, loves the term "signs, wonders and miracles." It was the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through believers in the early church that was like the uncovering of a lampshade to reveal the presence of God Himself. The manifestation of God's presence in this way confirmed the validity of the Gospel message and brought conviction. "God also testified to [the Gospel] by signs, wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit..."

"So Paul and Barnabus spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders" (Acts 14:3).

Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal His presence through you
to those around you?

Thank You Martin Luther

I'm in the middle of reading Eric Metaxas' new biography of Martin Luther. Like all of Metaxas' books, it is a great read. I highly recommend it. Reading it during the 500th anniversary year of the Reformation reminded me to be grateful to Martin Luther. Here are three things that I think are key.

1.     Sola Fides
Martin Luther was a very devout monk who, during his early years, struggled with the burden of guilt over his sinfulness. In fact, his superior and confessor, Staupitz, became worn out with his interminable confession of the most picayune sins. Evidently Luther could never get to a place where he felt forgiven.

Luther had an incredible breakthrough of rediscovery that salvation is through the grace of God, that is, through the free gift of forgiveness that we must receive solely through faith, and not through works. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-10).

What is the best Christmas gift you ever received? For me it was a bicycle from my parents. Did I have to pay them for it afterwards? No, because it was a GIFT. Salvation is also a gift. And the way we receive it is through faith in Jesus Christ, and what He has already done for me.

2.     Sola Scriptura
The church of the 1500's was not the church of the Apostles. A huge organization of rules and rituals and traditions and hierarchy and budget had grown up around the original teaching of the apostles. The authority for faith and practice had moved its center from the teaching of the apostles revealed in the Bible to the church hierarchy itself. In Luther's time, people no longer knew the Bible, but instead, studied Aristotle and Aquinas.

But Martin Luther read the Bible as the Word of God and realized the authority it contained. Whereas the papacy had become a corrupt political seat, the Bible remained a constant--the Word of God from which all authority for faith and practice emanated. "For all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (1 Tim. 3:16-17).

This led to a process of "deconstructing" church practice in light of a fresh reading of the Bible. Thus, the reformation did not just happen 500 years ago, it is a process of reforming that must continually be happening. We must constantly look at our faith and practice while shining the light of the Bible on it with fresh insights.

3.     The Priesthood of All Believers
Finally, Martin Luther realized that the New Testament did not set apart certain people to mediate a relationship with God. Instead, every individual was responsible and empowered to go directly to God. The difference between a Pastor and a Plumber is simply a matter of calling, not holiness. Both professions are holy if they are fulfilling the calling of God.

"I will pour out my Spirit on all people...sons and daughters...young men...old men...servants, both men and women" (Acts 2:16-18). "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Pet. 4:10).

Of course, this introduced a radical democratization of not just the church, but all of society. Each one of us is responsible for our choices. We can't blame it on someone else. We must study and wrestle with the issues and make informed choices. But the great thing is that God's grace is always there to lift us up if we just place our trust in Him.

Happy 500th Anniversary.

Tentmaking in the Kingdom

“And because he was a tentmaker like them [Priscilla and Acquila], he stayed and worked with them” (Acts 18:3).

In Paul’s day, Rabbis were trained in understanding the scriptures and in debating the spiritual and theological issues of their time. But they also learned a trade so that they could make a living wherever they went. Paul was a tentmaker. And Acquila, with his wife Priscilla, were also tentmakers.

 

Now some traveling teachers in the Greco-Roman world would attract followers who would pay to become their disciples. But evidently Paul did not live this way.

In fact, you could say that Paul actually bent over backwards NOT to collect for his services. Instead, he decided to work with his own hands.

In the midst of his argument about why the Corinthians should not eat meat offered to idols, Paul uses his own practice of self-support as an example. Let me summarize his argument from chapter 9 of 1^st Corinthians. “Even though I have the right to be supported materially by those who receive spiritual benefit from my apostolic ministry, and even though other apostles DO receive such support, I have decided not to exercise my rights. Instead, after I’ve finished my day job preaching the Gospel, I work with my own hands to generate the income I need to live. I do this so that no one gets a confusing message from me: ‘Salvation is a free gift that you cannot earn, now give me money for preaching.’ I am guided by the ethical principle that love for my brothers should guide my behavior towards them, not superior knowledge of my rights.”

Notice he hints at this attitude in Philippians 4. To paraphrase his words: “Thanks for sending the gift of monetary support. I don’t ask for money, but have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I find myself. I am more interested in the benefits that your generosity gives to you. May God supply all of your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus!”

As an aside, it’s interesting to think about Paul as tentmaker. Tents were temporary structures that you live in only when traveling through to a more permanent home. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in tents because they were aliens in a foreign country. But the writer of Hebrews tells us that they were “looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11: 9).

In the natural world, we are like “aliens in a foreign country.” We are traveling through to our true home, designed and built by God.

And it is also interesting to note that Paul’s spiritual vocation was “a wise master builder” (1 Cor. 3:10). He laid the spiritual foundations for the church, the structure that will last—all while he made tents by lamp-light to support his work.

Why am I talking about this subject? Because this is exactly where I find myself these days. Notice that it has been since September 2013 since I made my last Blog entry. During that time, God has moved me completely out of paid vocational ministry and into a full-time secular job. And what am I doing? Property development and construction. I am helping to build buildings.

But, in the Spirit, God has been placing me in peoples’ lives for their long-term development. So, my day job is construction, but my all-the-time job is building the Kingdom.

Where has God placed you in your life? Consider it tentmaking in the Kingdom.