Missio Dei GR

Spiritual Friendships

2007-05-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

Galatians 6:1-10
1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves. 4 Each of you should test your own actions. Then you can take pride in yourself, without comparing yourself to somebody else, 5 for each of you should carry your own load. 6 Nevertheless, those who receive instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow. 8 Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

On Sunday we discussed the preceding passage from Galatians and discussed what it means in the context of a spiritual friendship. So, how do we show friendship to our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Sometimes it means walking with them through a tough situation, sometimes it means we take precautions to make sure we're not unloading too many burdens on them, sometimes it means giving an encouraging word, and sometimes it means confronting a destructive behavior.

Spiritual friendships aren't always easy, but they should always serve to point us towards Christ.

What other ideas about friendship did you pull from Galatians on Sunday? What stories do you have of a friend helping you in your walk with Christ? How have you been a spiritual friend to someone?

As always, feel free to leave your comments.

Cross-Cultural Friendships

2007-04-30T11:11:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we were privileged to have Richard Weston of Friends International come to Missio Dei and speak to us about cross-cultural friendships.

Personally, I was born and raised in Michigan and always lived in the same county until I was 24 years old! On top of that, aside from driving through Canada a couple of times to get to New York, I have only left the country once which was for a week-long mission trip to Honduras. Needless to say, my experience with different cultures is quite limited. Although this past year or so I've learned a lot about this subject from people like Bruce and books like "Serving with Eyes Wide Open" by Dr. David Livermore of GRTS, I still had a ton to learn from Richard's message.

While there are probably a lot of people in Missio Dei that were in similar situation to myself, I was also realizing yesterday that there are many people in Missio Dei who have quite a bit of experience interacting with other cultures. There are many within the group who have spent time studying abroad, serving in foreign missions, or studying cultural diversity, not to mention the fact that several people from Missio Dei were born and raised in other parts of the world. In other words, not only do we stand to learn about from people like Richard Weston, but we can also learn from the experiences of our friends.

All that being said, what did you take out of Richard Weston's message yesterday? Also, what experiences with other cultures, or lack thereof, do you have to share with the group to help us further understand how to bridge the cultural gap to make a path for sharing the message of Jesus?

Missio Dei Spring Retreat 2007!

2007-04-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had an awesome time at our Spring Retreat, and lucky for us the snow melted just in time for it to actually resemble spring!

We had fun hanging out, eating great food (thanks kitchen crew!) playing games, serving together, and discussing what friendship really means (because after all, friends are friends forever, right?)

Of course, rather than have me remind you of what happened this weekend, I'd rather open up the floor for everyone to share their retreat experiences. So if you have a favorite story, hilarious moment, way in which you were impacted, or an encouraging word for someone, please share it. The floor is open...

Happy Easter - HE IS RISEN!

2007-04-10T11:39:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we celebrated the most important event in the history of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We often talk about Christ dying for our sins, which of course is important, but just as important is the fact that He did not stay dead. In rising again, Jesus defeated death not just for Himself but for all who trust in His name.

This weekend I read an article in the newspaper questioning whether or not the resurrection was a physical event. There are some Christians who believe that Jesus rose in spirit only, appearing to His disciples as some kind of ghost, not as a flesh-and-blood human. In the article one pastor said that if someday a tomb were found containing the bodily remains of Jesus Christ, that it would in now way affect his faith.

But is that really true?

In 1st Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul tells us that the core of his message is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Some of the people in the Corinthian church, however, did not believe in a physical resurrection of the dead. They believed that our souls would go to heaven, but our bodies would merely decay and we'd never need them again. Paul had a huge problem with this. He told them that if there is no resurrection, then Christ Himself could not have been raised either.

"So what?" some of them may have thought. Just like the pastor in the article I read this weekend, these believers wouldn't have had a problem with the idea of Christ not physically rising from the dead.

Paul goes on to say in verse 16-17, "For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins."

In a world without sin, death would not be an issue. The power of the resurrection is that in Christ physically rising from the dead, he reversed the consequences of humanity's fall and he defeated death. Without a physical resurrection, death still has the edge and we don't have hope for new life.

As we continue to reflect on Easter, let us remember the transforming power of the resurrection.

Good Friday

2007-04-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

Today Christians around the world recognize Good Friday in honor of Christ's death on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. It is easy for us to call today "good" because we know the end of the story. Yes it pains us to think of Christ being beaten and killed because of our sins, but at the same time, without that act we would have no hope for salvation.

Imagine, however, looking at the crucifixion through the eyes of one of the disciples. They did not know that Christ would rise from the dead on Easter. All they knew was that their leader had been betrayed and was being put to death unjustly. From their perspective all hope was lost.

In the Gospel of John we're told that after the crucifixion the disciples hid out together and locked the doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. They weren't waiting for Jesus to rise from the dead; they were waiting to find out whether or not they would be executed as well. In fact, in Luke we are told that after Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the Mother of James saw that Jesus' tomb was empty and told the disciples what happened, the disciples didn't believe them! They thought that what the women were saying was nonsense.

Without Christ, there is no hope and our faith is nonsense. I think the disciples understood this. Although they didn't understand Jesus' true purpose, to die for our sins, they did understand his central role in their faith. If He were to have remained dead then, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:14, our faith would be useless.

Today let us reflect on the importance of Christ's sacrifice and be thankful for the resurrection that followed.

Maundy Thursday

2007-04-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

Today marks the day of Lent that commemorates Jesus' Last Supper with His disciples. Typically the church refers to this day as Holy or Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word "mandatum" meaning commandment. This comes from the phrase, "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos," or for you English speakers, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you," a phrase Jesus spoke to his disciples during the meal in John 13:34.

It's not really surprising that Jesus chose a meal as the setting for his final address to his disciples; a meal is a very powerful thing. A meal seems to have a way of bringing people together and making us comfortable opening up to each other. It's also a powerful thing to offer a meal to someone who is longing to find community and acceptance.

All too often we exclude people from meals. Many of us probably have experiences from school of either not letting someone sit at our lunch table, or being the one forced away. A meal can be a symbol of status. Yet Jesus openly invited anyone to share a table with him. Everyone from the holier-than-thou Pharisees to tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners ate with Jesus, sometimes even at the same time. At the Last Supper He even shared a table with the man He knew would deny Him, Peter, and the man He knew would betray Him, Judas. I wonder if in the same situation we would be so welcoming.

As we recognize Maundy Thursday, or even whenever we celebrate communion, let us remember the power of a meal and think about who we are inviting to or excluding from our tables.

Spy Wednesday

2007-04-04T14:13:00.000-05:00

As we close in on the end of Lent, Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, the church recognizes several of the important steps in Jesus' journey. The first of these events was Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem which we honor with Palm Sunday. Today we recognize another event, Spy Wednesday, the day Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

For 2,000 years now the church has vilified Judas because of the death of Christ, and rightly so - for a bag of coins he was willing to sell out the man he'd devoted his life to following. At the same time, are we really all that unlike Judas? Perhaps we have not denied our faith and betrayed God for money, but can we say we are always faithful to our savior?

Are there times when, intentional or not, we betray Jesus with our actions? We're all guilty of sin. We all have a part to play in Jesus having to die on the cross. Perhaps instead of pointing the finger at Judas, we should take the time to consider our own blame and thank Christ for removing it from us.

Palm Sunday

2007-04-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

This week is known on the church calendar as "Passion Week," the final week of Lent. The week kicked off with "Palm Sunday," the day we celebrate Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem.

In many ways we treat Palm Sunday like an Easter before Easter, but should we? The reality is that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was on one hand a parade and on the other hand a funeral march. While Jesus was entering Jerusalem as the messiah, the son of David, the promised King, no one really understood that His intention as King was to serve. Luke 19:41 tells us that as Jesus approached the city he wept over it. This wasn’t the reaction of a King who was about to overthrow an oppressive government, it was the reaction of a King who knew His people’s sins, their ultimate consequence, and what needed to be done to save them from it.

As we’ve studied the Servant Songs of the book of Isaiah, we’ve learned that the mission of the Christ, the Servant, was to bring justice to the oppressed, bring God’s people back to Himself and be completely obedient to the will of the Father. On top of that we’ve learned that to do this, Christ had to willingly choose the road of suffering. Though He would ultimately be exalted by the Father, He first had to endure his most intense hour. On Palm Sunday we watch as Jesus begins that journey.

Passion Sunday

2007-03-27T15:19:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday is referred to on older church Calendars as "Passion Sunday," the fifth Sunday of Lent kicking off the final two weeks of the season known as Passiontide. This is the part of Lent when Christians typically begin focusing on Jesus' journey into Jerusalem where he would ultimately be crucified as a sacrifice for our sins.

It's a sobering thought to consider how Jesus, the perfect Son of God, the man Christians look to as our ultimate example, actually suffered and died on behalf of all of us. As Jesus' ministry moved closer to Jerusalem, Christ knew that He was heading toward the most difficult step of His journey, and yet He pressed on in order to (as we've been learning from the servant songs of Isaiah) provide justice to all oppressed people, bring all people back to God, and be obedient to the Father.

The power of this event, however, is not simply that Christ died and rose again but also that through this we are given our mission. In becoming the servant of the Father, Christ challenges us to become servants as well. The culmination of his journey to Jerusalem is that we go out from there to serve others.

So the question for us is, who do we need to serve and what steps do we need to take in order to do so?

Laetare Sunday

2007-03-20T17:05:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday marked the halfway point of Lent and another one of Lent's Holy Days: Laetare Sunday.

The word "Laetare" comes from a Latin word meaning "Oh be joyful." Joyful? During Lent? But isn't Lent supposed to be a time of reflection, fasting, and even mourning? Isn't Lent when we think of Christ's suffering and our own sins?

Well, yes, that is part of Lent. But at the same time we must also live in the tension that while we are sinful and Christ suffered for our sins, He also modeled life as it ought to be lived, and He defeated death, rising again so we all can look forward to the resurrection someday.

Interestingly Laetare Sunday used to be known as "The Sunday of the Five Loaves," honoring the miracle Jesus preformed where he used five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15). While I'm not sure as to why this miracle was honored on the halfway point of Lent, I can make a few guesses:

The account in John says that the loaves and fishes came from a boy. I'm sure we could learn about his selflessness in sharing his food and his faith that such a small amount could be used by Christ.

We could also learn about compassion from this passage. The disciples wanted to turn the people away to get food for themselves, but it was Jesus' idea to feed them all.

Or maybe we are to remember the reason Jesus was with the 5,000 in the first place, to teach them and to heal their sick.

Perhaps this miracle was honored here to remind us that in the midst of suffering we serve a God who is capable of sustaining us in any circumstance (sort of like in the 3rd Servant Song we just studied - look at Isaiah 50:4)

Whatever the reason this story was used, I think it draws parallels to the fact one of the Church's traditions is to look at the midway point of Lent as a time of celebration. Just as I'm sure the 5,000 celebrated the fact the Christ provided them with food, we can celebrate because Christ, through his suffering, has provided us with much, much more.

As always, please feel free to leave your comments about this post and please share your stories of how this Lenten season has affected you.

The Importance of Community

2007-03-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

We're just over a week into the season of Lent. So how have things been going? What does this season really mean? Why do we or should we celebrate it? In what ways has this season affected you? How are you being challenged?

These questions are great for personal reflection, but they're even better if we ask them in community.

Many of you have already stepped up to the challenge of joining a small group to go through the weekly Lent discussion guide. If that's the case, please leave a comment and let us know about it.

For those that have not yet gotten into a discussion group, I would like to challenge you to consider doing so. The Christian faith is one designed to be practiced in community. Meeting with others not only to discuss scripture but also to discuss life will have a huge impact on your spiritual growth.

Again, please leave your comments on how Lent and/or your small group has been affecting you so far.

To join a discussion group email Andrew at akeuer@cc.mi.org

Ash Wednesday: “Remember, Man, That You Are Dust and To Dust You Shall Return”

2007-02-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Ash Wednesday, the official first day of Lent. One of the Christian traditions on this day is to attend an Ash Wednesday service or mass where a minister draws an ash cross on your forehead while saying, “Remember man that you are dust, and to dust you shall return…”

Have you ever wondered the significance of the ashes?

In ancient times ash was a symbol of mourning; much like wearing black is today. If there was a death in the family, a person would put ashes on their head so that anyone who saw them would know they had suffered a loss.

So what are we mourning during Lent? While the death of Jesus might seem like the obvious answer, the truth is that we are mourning our own deaths. Because of sin, each of us will eventually die, but because of Christ we can have life and hope for a resurrection.

Lent is a time to focus on Christ and on His sacrifice for us (not to say we shouldn’t think of this all year!). The irony is that although Christ is our ultimate source of joy, when we focus on Him we’re also made fully aware of our own shortcomings, of our own inevitable death because of sin.

This is why we mourn. But it is not a mourning that brings despair, but rather a mourning that ought to be accompanied by repentance because we know that even in death we have hope in Christ if we submit to Him.

May you remember, honor, and trust in the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to wipe away the ashes, to wipe away your sins, not just today, but every day.

-Steve

Fat Tuesday???

2007-02-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

Today, many people in the church (and maybe more outside of it) celebrate Fat Tuesday (AKA: Paczki Day if you're Polish, or Pancake Day if you're Canadian): the day before Ash Wednesday, the last day before Lent begins, the final day of Mardi Gras, the last chance to party and load up on delicious junk food before we're supposed to start fasting and temporarily giving up some of our favorite treats!

But is this how we really ought to be looking at this day?

If you're celebrating Lent, then you might know that it is a 40 day season (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter where Christians look forward to Christ's death, burial & resurrection, contemplate His suffering, and focus on personal reflection and repentance.

Typically at this time Christians will give up something, be it a favorite food or activity, and will spend various days fasting, in order to aid them in personal reflection. Since this time lasts about a month-and-a-half, I can see why people would want to get one last day of indulgence in first.

What's interesting, though, is that historically, this day was known as Shrove Tuesday, and instead of seeing it as a day of indulgence, it was seen as a day of preparation for Lent. Instead of eating pounds of pastries, people spent time in prayer and confession so their hearts would be ready to focus on Christ.

So how did the focus shift from prayer to partying? While I'm not totally sure, I don't think it's all that hard to imagine a reason. We're human. By nature we don't like to deprive ourselves of the things we want. I'm sure we can all think of times when we've over-indulged on something because we knew we wouldn't have it again for a while (I know I can).

Perhaps the question for us, then, is how should we respond? Can we turn "Fat Tuesday" back into "Shrove Tuesday?" What about the rest of the year? Are we capable of disciplining ourselves when we really want something that we know we ought to stay away from? Can we turn our focus from ourselves to God even when our cravings and desires are saying "no?"

Let's get the discussion going!

-Steve

You've Got To Fight For Your Rights! ... or should you?

2007-01-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we talked about how there are certain areas that God is very clear on what our convictions must be (for example, Acts 15 on gospel beliefs, and 1st Corinthians 5 on moral beliefs). At the same time, there are areas such as how we worship God where we have more freedom in our convictions (Look at Romans 14 for an example).

It probably comes to no surprise to many of you, then, that this final category, where we have more freedom, is the one that often divides many Christians.

So how do we live in the tension of exercising our Christian freedoms while trying not to offend other believers, or worse, make them stumble into sin? What are ways that we can build unity with each other even when our convictions differ?

Be The Blessing

2007-01-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Genesis 12:2-3 (God speaking to Abram)

"I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse,
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

We talked in Missio Dei a few weeks ago about how it is our responsibility as Christians to be a blessing to the rest of the world. But what does this look like? Is it all about preaching to people or does it involve our actions somehow too?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this,

-Steve

Good Intentions

2007-01-03T17:44:00.000-05:00

This year I am going to eat better, exercise more, spend more time with my family, enjoy life more, get out of debt, learn something new, help more people, get organized, and quit smoking and drinking... and ironically I'm not even in debt nor do I drink or smoke!

Above I've listed some of the top New Year's Resolutions. Does the idea of a New Year's Resolution make you cringe? This time of year everyone is asking what yours is - which makes me wonder where this silly tradition came from.

According to my trusty sources at Wikipedia, the tradition started in 153 B.C. when the Romans instituted the Solar Calendar and made January the first month. January is named after the Roman god Janus who had two faces, one on the back of his head to look at the past and the other on the front to look toward the future - thus he served as a New Year's reminder to learn from the past in order to improve in the coming year (this sounds vaguely familiar from Latin class in High School, so I'll take their word for it).

With or without the Roman god's I think that there's something inherent about the New Year that causes us to consider how we can improve and then resolve to change. A New Year just seems to indicate a fresh start, and really there's nothing wrong with that. There's just something disappointing about it when our resolutions never get beyond good intentions.

For example, take another look at the common resolutions listed above. I might know that I need to get into better shape, but does saying I'm going to exercise more burn calories? Of course not, I need to follow through on what I say.

When it comes to exercise, the only consequence to merely having good intentions is a bigger waistline. When our good intentions are of a spiritual nature, however, the consequences can be much more damaging.

For the next several weeks we'll be studying the life of Paul. We'll start with the story in Acts chapter nine of his conversion, which is a lot like a resolution. Can you imagine if he'd merely had good intentions? We would have missed out on half of the New Testament!

As Christians, we all have conversion stories of our own - we've all resolved to follow Christ. How is that resolution going in your life? Has it resulted in change, or is it merely a good intention?

-Steve

Celebrate Advent With Us!

2006-12-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

Prior to Christ’s birth on the first Christmas, the people of Israel eagerly expected the coming Messiah. Times were tough, and they needed help. So Jesus surprised them when he moved into their neighborhood as a little baby, not an overbearing king. The surprises continued - who could have predicted that the One would die...and then rise from the dead!? This was too much to take in.

Of course God still speaks and acts in these days. In fact, he regularly reaches down and causes people to "die" to their life of sin and to "rise" to new life in Jesus. But as we now enter Advent, we remember that we still are in the position of waiting and expecting. We wait for Jesus to finish what he started in the world and in us. We wait for him to come back again and do more and more. This morning we will both celebrate and hope. This is what "the season" is all about!

So what does waiting look like in your life? Do you like to wait or can you not stand it? In what ways is God asking you to slow down and wait right now? How are you waiting for Him?

Please go ahead and share your thoughts.

Live Together, Die Alone

2006-11-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring them back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the way of error will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
~James 5:19-20 (TNIV)

Last Sunday at Missio Dei we wrapped up our study on James which ends with the above words. What struck me about this passage is that while initially salvation is entirely the work of Christ, we as Christians have a huge part to play in helping each other continue in our walk with God.

The fact is that we don't live out our faith in isolation - we live it in community. The sins of one, even sins thought to be private and that seem to not hurt anyone else, eat at the entire community, just as the successes of one benefit the entire community. Allow me to give an example to flesh this out a bit:

I unashamedly admit that I'm a "Lost" fanatic. The show has me totally captivated every week and I'm currently mourning the fact that they're on hiatus until February. One of the mantras of the castaways on Lost has been, "Live together, die alone." It's their way of saying that they know they're in trouble, they're stuck on an island full of deadly hazards, and the only way they will survive is if they rely on each other. Going it alone is a sure recipe for death.

This could me our motto as well. We have not been designed to live in isolation. In Genesis 2:18 God said that it is not good for man to be alone. Instead, we are designed for community, and God's plan for community is the church. As individual Christians succeed, the church succeeds, and as individual Christians fail, the church fails. And when individuals are failing, it is the church's job to try and bring them back.

Of the many functions and benefits of the church, perhaps one of the most important is being there for Christians who need help. We learned on Sunday about two examples of this: 1) praying for those who are in trouble, have a praise, or need healing, and 2) bringing a fellow-believer back to God who has wandered from the truth. What an amazing and yet frightening responsibility that God has trusted each and every one of us to help care for his bride, the church! Together we can accomplish this task - alone we're destined to fail.

So now it's time for you to share your thoughts and your stories. How can God use us to care for the church? What examples do you have of believers helping other believers that might encourage the rest of Missio Dei? Please feel free to share your thoughts.

-Steve

Can your words be trusted?

2006-11-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

"Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned."
~James 5:12 (TNIV)

This past Sunday in Missio Dei as we discussed the above verse, we honed in on the question "Can your words be trusted?" Do you ever feel like you have to add "I swear" after a statement because you don't think saying a simple "yes" or "no" will do? If that's the case, what do you need to do to add integrity to your speech?

We also discussed the flip side of that issue. How should we respond when other people fail to keep their promises to us? How can we show forgiveness to that person without setting ourselves up for getting let down again and again?

We had a lot of good feedback on Sunday, but I'm sure there was much left unsaid. Go ahead and reply with your thoughts on this topic.

-Steve

humility.

2006-11-03T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last week we heard James’ charge to humility: “submit to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you.” God talked to us about the massive blessing (James’ words, “greater grace”) that comes from laying our gifts at His feet instead of insisting on our own way. We heard about the importance of starving sinful desires and about the wholeness that comes from indulging in good ones.

This week James continues with the theme of humility, but this time he gets even more specific. Fill in this little chart below as you walk through James 4:11-17:

Fill: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10)

Overflow: Check your spiritual pulse with these two questions: Do you walk around as a slanderer or judge in your heart? Using James’ definition from 4:13-17, are you arrogant?

where do your motives lie?

2006-10-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

By a good manner of life demonstrate your deeds in gentle wisdom.
James 3:13b

Is your life filled with arguments? Are you striving for peace with people or for victory?

Has God answered prayer for you this week? How has what you learned Sunday affected you throughout the week? Share what God is doing in your life with us.

reflect.

2006-10-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

We all stumble in many ways. Those who are never at fault in what they say are perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
James 3:2

Judging solely by the things you say, what kind of person are you? Are you a salt spring or do you produce clean, fresh water? Are you in control of your tongue?

serving with honesty.

2006-10-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, Keuer, Crowder, Kevin, Alan, and I were talking about how Christians and Churches should go about doing acts of service. Believe it or not it got to be a pretty heated discussion. Not that we were angry with each other or anything, we just all had a lot of different ideas.

The debate centered around the idea of whether or not the point of Christian service should be to tell the gospel to the people being served. In other words, if a group of Christians does something like make meals for homeless people and plans to share the gospel message in the process, the Church would tend to applaud their actions. But what if they serve without sharing the gospel? What if they don't even say they're Christians? Is the service as valid? Can the act of service have to do with something where human beings aren't even directly served (i.e. environmental clean-up)?

On one side of the debate is the idea that Christianity is primarily concerned with spreading the gospel and therefore every act of service must somehow center around this. Giving soup to the hungry, taking care of the sick, or building houses for the homeless must be followed up by proclaiming, in some form, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth, lived a perfect life proclaiming the arrival of God's Kingdom, died, was buried, and rose again so that anyone who believes in and follows Him can be saved. I believe this message is true, I believe it must be shared, but is doing good things for others worthless without this message? In fact, won't a lot of people be offended if they realize that the only reason you gave them a cup of soup was so you could try and convert them? Also, are you really humbling yourself to serve someone if the second you're done you elevate yourself to preach at them?

The other side of the debate says that acts of service done without sharing the gospel are definitely as valid as if the gospel is shared. Taking into account the creation mandate in Genesis 1:28 ("God blessed them and said to them, 'be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the first in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'"), acts of service should also include taking care of the environment, even if serving and sharing the gospel with human beings is not involved. The question: does this ignore the importance of sharing the gospel? Does this place physical needs above spiritual needs?

As we discussed this issue, the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25 came up. The story talks about the coming of the Son of Man when all the nations stand before Christ. It says that He will divide "the sheep from the goats" putting the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then He tells those on his right, the sheep, to enter into His kingdom because when He was hungry they fed Him, when He was thirsty they gave Him something to drink, when He was a stranger they invited Him in, when He needed clothes they gave them to Him, when He was sick they looked after Him, and when He was in prison they came to visit Him. They asked when He was in all those situations and He said that anyone they saw someone hungry, thirsty, etc... and they took care of them, that was Him. To the group on His left, the goats, He tells the opposite. When He was hungry, thirsty, sick, etc... they didn't respond, they ignored it, they did nothing. He tells them that all the people they ignored were Him. In other words, Christ is there in the sick, the weak, the hungry, the naked, the oppressed.

I pointed out that when Jesus went around healing the sick, blind, and lame, casting out demons, and in general taking care of the oppressed, He did so without spreading any kind of message. While Jesus does teach on occasion in the gospels, on more occasions He does acts of service, and when He does, He doesn't seem to feel the need to preach to people. In fact, He even tells people to remain quiet about what happened. The point of service, it would seem, would be to meet basic needs. There shouldn't be an ulterior motive of preaching to people afterwards. And while it's true that we should be able to serve without hiding our true intentions from those we're serving, something about this argument didn't sit right with me or anyone else involved in the discussion.

Then it hit me.

Sure, Jesus didn't feel the need to preach any kind of message when He was going around serving people, but He wasn't exactly a stranger to them, was He? According to the gospels Jesus was followed around by mobs of people wherever He went. People knew that He was a great Rabbi. The majority of these people likely heard one or more of the few sermons He spoke that were recorded in the gospels and odds are they went around telling others what they had heard. When Jesus came to town, people knew about it, and they knew who He was. In fact, in most of the incidents where He served people, He was asked to do so.

So what's the implication here? Jesus didn't preach to people after He served them because they'd already been preached to BEFORE He served them. They already knew who He was and what He stood for.

The implication here is that the two sides of the debate my friends and I were standing on were both wrong.

The first side, the side that says to serve people and then follow it up with a gospel message, is wrong because it boarders on manipulation. The people being served quickly realize that you didn't care about their physical problem, you only cared about trying to convert them. (A lot of people really don't like this).

The second side, the side that says you don't need to preach any kind of message at all, is wrong because you're only giving half the story. The people ought to know what you stand for when you serve them. Even if humans aren’t directly being served, those that do know about the service should be aware of why it’s being done.

So what's the third option? Most likely when we go out to serve as Christians, the people we're serving don't know about us in advance. Jesus was known when He came to town. Everyone was talking about Him. The same is not true for us. When He served people they already knew what He stood for because they knew who He was. We can't presuppose they will know the same about us. In other words, before we do any acts of service, we need to be up front about who we are. That's not to say we need to preach a sermon at the start of every service project, but we shouldn't be hiding our intentions either. We should do everything we can to let people know who we are and what we stand for right from the start.

When we start with honesty, we can truly humble ourselves to serve others as Christ did and we earn the right to tell them why.

Faith and Action

2006-10-03T14:14:00.001-05:00

As we study James it starts to become clear that the question is not, “Does a person need to do good deeds once they have faith?” but rather is, “Is faith without action even faith at all?”

To dive into this further I want to use the classic children’s Sunday School example to describe faith: a chair. The analogy is that you will sit in a chair without thinking about it because you have faith that it will not collapse or that it will provide comfort to your tired body. Typically this example is used to prove that everyone has to have faith in something.

I want to take this analogy in a different direction. Try to imagine a person who walks around making loud, bold claims about his faith in chairs. He has a bumper sticker on his car that says, “Chairs are the answer.” He wears a t-shirt that says, “Yes I believe in the comforting power of chairs.” And he stands on street corners shouting things like, “Be delivered from the sore, achy feet, legs and back your life is spiraling towards! Sit in a chair! I’m here today to tell you that it is possible to sit in a chair! Come talk to me if you’d like to find out how!”

Again, pretending that this person actually exists, let’s say that you follow him around for a couple of days. As you trail him from place to place you start to notice that he never sits in a chair himself, even though he claims he has this incredible faith in them. He’ll stand for hours on end, maybe lie down on a bed or lean against a wall, but you never see him sit in a chair. One night he even goes to a friend’s house for dinner and declines when offered to take a seat. Instead he stands up through the meal and later sits on the floor while everyone else sits in chairs to watch a movie.

At first you might be thinking, “Well, maybe he’s sat in so many chairs that he’s deciding to take a break,” or perhaps you’d think, “He’s such a selfless person! He’s willing to sacrifice his own comfort so other people can sit in chairs.” After a few days or weeks, however, of following him around and seeing him sit on everything from the floor, to boxes, to the hood of a car, anything but a chair, then you’d start to doubt his claims. You wouldn’t say, “He has faith in chairs… he’s just not practicing right now,” or, “He just needs to grow in his faith in chairs.” In fact, it wouldn’t be long before you’d be saying, “This man has no faith in chairs at all!” You wouldn’t believe his claim of faith in chairs because his actions would point out that he’s a fraud!

So why would we believe someone has faith in God just because they claim to?

Digging Deeper into James 1

2006-09-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

The theme of James chapter one is testing. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The rest of the chapter hits on seven specific areas in life where we’re tested and gives insight into how we can persevere. A challenge for you this week would be to read through and meditate on one of these sections each day. Think about how this could be a test for you and pray for the strength and wisdom to persevere. Below are some questions to think about while reading through each section:

Day 1: James 1:5-8 – A Test of Faith in Prayer
Do you ever ask God for wisdom? Do you believe God will provide if you ask, or do you doubt He’ll follow through?
How much faith do you have in prayer?

Day 2: James 1:9-11 – A Test of Faith in Finances
If you don’t have much, do you believe God will provide? Do you thank God for the things you do have?
Is your faith enough?
If you have a lot, do you expect that to carry you? At the end of the day could you do without it all?
Is your faith more important?

Day 3: James 1:12-15 – A Test of Faith in Temptations
How do you deal with sin knocking on your door? Are you angry at God when you can’t kick a sinful habit? Do you recognize how your own motives influence the temptations you face?
What does your faith look like when sin is looking good?

Day 4: James 1:16-18 – A Test of Faith in Blessings
Are you ever tricked into thinking that God is responsible your temptations? Have you been conditioned to think that goodness comes from somewhere other than God? Do you thank Him for the outpouring of grace you receive daily in even the little things?
Is your faith there in the ins and outs of everyday life?

Day 5: James 1:19-21 – A Test of Faith in Morality
Do you ever let yourself get angry? Do you need more patience? Do you take the time to hear people out or are you always flying off the handle? Do you let yourself get surrounded by impure things?
Do you have faith in the truth God has given you?

Day 6: James 1:22-25 – A Test of Faith in Deeds
Do you read or hear the word and then immediately forget what it said or how it challenged you? If you stripped from your life the memory verses, Christian t-shirts and bumper stickers, praise songs, and trite sayings… would anyone have a clue you are a follower of Jesus Christ?
Is your faith simply a belief or is it a continuous action?

Day 7: James 1:26-27 – A Test of Faith in Religion
Do you say you’ll do things that you never get around to doing? Do you worship God but fail to look after His people? What do you consider religion to be… saying or doing?
Is your faith evident not only in how you talk, but in how you love?

Beginning to study James.

2006-09-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

James instructs us to be doers of the word. However, we must first know what it is that God wants us to do. Take up the challenge this week to memorize James 1:2-8.

The letter of James touches on dozens of real-life, ground-level issues. As you read through James, we hope this blog can be a place to share what God has been teaching you.

overcoming fear.

2006-08-15T16:09:00.000-05:00

I find in life that worry gets the best of me and debilitates me from doing or focusing on all the things that I know that I am meant to do. I often wonder how similar or different I am from the people we read about in the Old Testament. We just finished our study in the book of Joshua. Thinking about all they endured, I can’t imagine that they weren’t scared. We read about how they took out their enemies, how they were tricked by some of their enemies, how they almost had a civil war over the very idea of worship and the list goes on. Every time fear overcame people throughout the entire bible they start to take matters into their own hands and they always fail. Every time people trusted in God and remembered all the things that He had done for them, they were blessed.

I find that I have many fears. Fear of man, fear of being manipulated, fear of rejection, fear of hate, fear of not being good enough and I could go on. If we take a page out of the book of Joshua, as we experienced last Sunday, we can remember our past and see the workings of God in our lives.

A suggestion for this week, is to read a passage out of Proverbs every day. There are 31 Proverbs, one for every day of the month. This is just one suggestion, but we want to hear from you. What do you do to follow God and become less fearful?

-Alan-

Challenge

2006-08-01T08:13:00.000-05:00

Picture this: you’re in the desert wandering for water. As you travel mile upon mile upon mile, from time to time will see someone pass you by. You ask them if they know where water is and they say, yes it's just a bit further north and point in the direction you should go. You keep traveling and have no idea if this is the path you should take at all. Finally after a 25 mile hike and when you are at brink of death, going on only faith that the people you saw were telling you the truth, you find the well. Its cool and pure water refresh you, and you are able to get to shelter, fill up your canteens and mark the spot in case you need to get there again.

This past week at Missio Dei we were asked the question, "What would you want on your tombstone after you have passed on?" I can’t imagine anyone saying they would want something negative said about them. But how do we journey on that path? If you’re like me one of the things I want to be said about me, or for people to at least remember about me is that I am a man of wisdom and patience. However I have this tendency to get the facts about something, draw a conclusion and act on something on impulse. It’s tough sometimes to wait, get all the facts and be slow to action. I have to wander through that time and hope that because things are not worked out yet, things will come together the way God wants and not what I want at the time.

My challenge to all of you is this. Think of one area in your life this week in which you struggle and are uncertain as to the effects of your life if you were to give it up. It could be unresolved anger, or lust, or fear of man, or whatever it is. Commit to give it up for the week, and then write about your experience and share it with all of us on the blog site.

-Alan

Do It Yourself Tendencies

2006-07-26T07:52:00.000-05:00

I often think about why people can’t seem to do things right. (When I say right I mean the way I want things done.) As I was listening to Jim preach on Sunday, I thought back to when I was growing up and how many times my dad fixed up our house vs. how many times we had hired professional help do the projects for us. As a result that I think that house that I grew up in was done pretty well, but the joke continues to this day that that house would fall over if we actually had a level board anywhere in the foundation.

God has given us a community in which we live as a blessing and a gift for a reason. Some people are good with physical labor jobs and have an eye for precision and tools, others are gifted by God in areas of emotional support and are the counselors in the world, and others are healers and can work in the realm of medical science and save lives. There are all kinds of people in the world and to believe as I often do that I can do everything myself means I can end up with my life looking ok but my foundation has no level boards. This can be dangerous and makes me unable to use the gifts that I am good at because I am too busy trying to correct my current difficulties.

What are some practical steps to recognizing “do it yourself” tendencies in our life as a community and not just as individuals?

living out our faith.

2006-07-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we had the opportunity to live out our faith through service and sacrifice. We would love to hear some of your stories and experiences in helping to encourage the community.
Have an awesome week and let's be the city of refuge we are called to be, to all that we come into contact with.

Cur Concept of Community.

2006-07-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Do we really have a concept of community and what that is supposed to look like in the kingdom? Some may say yes, others may say no. But in Christianity today I wonder how close we are to actually living out the life we were intended for. Have you ever thought about how the Jews interacted? They had a calling to be a light to the nations around them, a hope that stood in a world in rebellion, an example for all who came through the paths of trade in that day to observe and learn from. They were set in place by God's design to be the center of the known world. In Christianity we have been scattered and now live in different areas throughout the world. Often in many churches coming together for the random event that may come about other than church on Sunday morning. So here is the thought. What are we missing that the Jews had in Israel in the land God gave to them? What kind of community are we to have in the day in which we live? Are things fine the way they are now? Do we have it all together? How should we, as Missio Dei, live out authentic community, the way those in the kingdom should live?

seasons of life

2006-07-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

Seasons are always on the move and with each passing season a new chapter of life begins. Since the beginning of spring until the mid part of fall I continue to be joyous. However after that the cold will take over and winter will make its way into our lives. I know some love winter and for them that’s fine, but for me, I can't wait for the great lion to take back the land in Michigan and for spring to come once again. In our lives we have different seasons that have very little to do with the weather outside. As a community we are to love one another, be there to lift each other when we are down, and celebrate with each other when there is cause for celebration. Where are you in your seasons of life? Let us as a community come around and embrace the good and bad in your life.

So here is what I want us to do this week (time permitting). Find a trusted friend or member of the community.

Go out and have breakfast, lunch, dinner or desert with them. Be open and honest about your life and share the season of life your in right now. Let’s embrace the community that we have and lets be the kind of community we were made for. Feel free to drop a comment on your thoughts or experiences.

Sin We Can't Control

2006-06-27T07:14:00.000-05:00

With the thoughts of last week on sin I have been thinking about what happens with the world around us. We are not in a Jewish Community with Joshua or Moses as our guide to lead the people as to God's leading. With this idea we do still have the church and a community of followers of Christ who are to meet together. How do we protect ourselves from the sins of the non-Christian world and the effects it has on us? If sin affects us within the Christian community when someone is out of fellowship with God then one can assume that all sin affects everyone, Christian or not. So how do we as a community of Christians deal with sin that we as a community can't control? Do you even think that outside sins of the Christian community affect us? I would say yes. But I would love to hear your thoughts.

Missio Dei GR

2006-06-16T23:33:00.000-05:00

First off, I would like to say we are proud to announce that the blog is back on line. And with it, we can have another avenue of great dialogue about this, that or the other thing.

So just a quick review what’s going on with Missio Dei right now:

Book Club: come to Missio Dei on Sunday and you can get Searching for God Knows What for $10.00 and then meet a week from this Monday at The B.O.B.

Get a Whitecaps game ticket for $8.50 and don’t forget the beach afternoon on June 24th. (See the finger print for details.)

I was thinking about the idea of being connected to each other whether we like it or not from the topic of last Sunday. The thought of the week here is simply this: in what ways do you deal with sin once it has been recognized? We just learned what it means for a community to deal with sin in Missio Dei last week through the story of Joshua, but if we don’t know how to truly deal with sin then how are we able to get rid of it? So I am asking all of you, how do we deal with sin? How do you deal with sin, and how should we as a community deal with sin together?

Missio Dei GR

2006-03-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

Give to the one who asks...

So its been a while since I have posted anything but this past week was a difficult study/ teaching. I continually find myself being selfish, looking out for number one, and I hate being taken advantage of. Therefore I am terrible at giving to those who ask (or turning the other cheek, or giving my most basic possessions, or going the extra mile...). I know that if I were faced with someone robbing me or public humiliating me I would have a really hard time following Jesus' words and example. I suppose it has a lot to do with the small opportunities I have to follow his words. If I can recognize small times when I'm being taken advantage of or being slightly humbled, (i.e. while I'm driving and someone cuts me off, or when I'm at a restaurant and the service is bad, or whatever...) and I can respond with a kingdom attitude rather than a selfish one, then I will see movement in my heart for the big times. I recognize the balance of Justice but I'm not sure that Christ gives us that luxury. I know I can and should fight for justice for others but should I fight for my own personal justice? Should we live like Jesus lived and if so must we die like he died? I know it seems obvious but... man its hard...
Here's to sacrifice beating the hell out of selfishness...literally

Missio Dei GR

2006-02-11T23:15:00.000-05:00

Blessed are the Meek...
I have always liked the word meek ever since I heard it described as "power under control". I think this world often see's meekness as weakness and yet most of us often admire those who are meek, the Ghandi's, the Mandela's, and Martin Luther King's and Mother Theresa's of this world. They were powerful men who understood that meekness is strength not weakness. Jesus was the ultimate example of this and was the model of all four of these individuals. I wonder why it seems so difficult though to accept meekness, choosing to be last instead of first, choosing to be servant instead of served, choosing to turn the other cheek or walk the extra mile. I know for me it is often rooted in one of my more consistent sins: selfishness. I have such a hard time thinking that selflessness is rooted in strength, remembering that Christ will reward the actions of the meek with an inheritance of this earth. The irony of meekness is that its worth fighting for...

Blessed are those that mourn...

2006-02-07T19:00:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I have never been a big fan of mourning, I prefer happiness, joy, laughter, etc. but there have been some times when God has allowed me to walk through pain, loss, sorrow. I don't think I have ever mourned as much as I did when my little brother Cody passed away. He was the first one in my immediate family to pass away and it just seemed wrong. I have often wondered if Jesus felt the same way when he came face to face with the burial site of his friend Lazurus. I'm sure most of you have heard the verse (shortest verse in the Bible) "Jesus wept." I am prone to think that death, sin, seperation really hit Christ, nested in his heart for the first time. He created us to live forever and to be in relationship with himself but our sin has screwed it all up. I think that is the idea of mourning that Christ is talking about here in the beatitudes... the kind that realizes how screwed up this place is, how screwed up we are and how that leaves us hurt, in mourning. I think that it takes a great deal of discipline to mourn sin and its effects more regularly here in the U.S. I rarely take time to realize how sin realy affects me and the world I live in cuz I have too many things to keep me amused. "Amusing Ourselves to Death"... sounds like a good book title. Here's to a little more mourning... it helps us look forward to the consumation of the kingdom.
Toran

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

2006-02-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of GOD.

As I was reflecting on today’s reflections (Monday) I was most struck by the question: “Tell about a time in your life when you felt physically/emotionally/relationally bankrupt/lost etc. How did it impact your view of God?”

I have a friend named John who is a musician. He was sort of a mentor/older brother to me when I was in college. John recorded his first cd when we had just started our friendship. John lived in a state of need for God. Most of the songs on His cd had a flavor of neediness, brokenness and desperateness. He was completely aware of how self-reliant, prideful, and arrogant he could become. It seemed he walked with a fear of God that I had never seen or felt.

It is interesting that in Luke during the sermon on the mount, Jesus is quoted as saying “Blessed are the poor,” as opposed to “poor in spirit.” It seems that in many ways these things go hand in hand. The poor (materially) understand that they are needy, and that God holds their future in His hands. They are dependent for their next meal, or for clean drinking water. The poor, just like the birds of the air need God to feed them.

However in America we pride ourselves on protection. We have health insurance, car insurance, home owners, renters insurance, nest eggs, and back up plans. Many of these things thrive because we want to be independent. Independent from each other and from God.

So how do we as a community grasp “poor in spirit” in the midst of a culture that believes we aren’t meant to rely on anybody but ourselves? How do we as rich people (If you live in America you are rich compared to the rest of the world, even if you are in college) grasp this idea that we really are poor? How do I live like my friend John?

Micah

Beatitudes

2006-02-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

Hey guys (and gals) I hope that we can start some good blogesque kind of stuff here over the next week (and months and heck...who knows, maybe even years...) Feel free to share with us some of what God is teaching you as you spend time focusing on the beatitudes this week. Looking forward to connecting soon.
Toran