Single Minded

"Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." (James 1:8)

  I want to offer my apologies to Mayor Rob Ford.   If you have somehow missed the Rob Ford phenomena, you can look up the current mayor of Toronto on any web browser. There will be plenty of articles and video clips of his antics.  If you do view any of the videos, I would encourage you to make sure the little ones are out of the room.  And probably your Grandmother. And pretty much everyone else. In fact maybe just don't watch the videos at all.

  The Mayor has, in the past few weeks, admitted he smoked crack cocaine, but was probably in a drunken stupor when he did it, been accused of making sexually aggressive remarks to women (which he denied by making a crass and sexually aggressive comment about his wife) gotten in shoving matches, and last week knocked down a 60 year old woman.  Which to him wasn't that big a deal because "I picked her back up."

   I mentioned him in this past weeks sermon.  I brought up the fact that despite all of these things happening, Ford remains fairly unrepentant about his actions and sees no reason as to why he should step down from being the Mayor of Toronto.   He feels he is doing a good job, and his private persona should have no bearing on his public persona.  I mentioned that he probably has a different definition of what it means to be good and effective than many of us do.

  And I don't apologize for what was said.  But I do apologize for making it seem as if Ford is a singular case.  The truth is many of us, perhaps even the majority of people live as Ford does. Hopefully no in a drunken, crack riddled stupor. But many people live two separate lives. There is the life we allow the world to see and the inner life that we hide from everyone.  There is the person we are in front of the world and the person we are when no one sees us.

   We appear one way to the world. good upstanding, kind people. But inside we are ravaged by sinful thoughts, and actions. We say one thing and we do another. There is the person we would like to be, or at least the person we hope everyone thinks we are, and the person we truly are.  At best we hope to keep them in some sort of balanced stasis.

  It would be easy, I suppose to simply say we are hypocrites. but I'm not sure that's a fair labeling.  Most of us truly want to be that good person. We want tobe holy. We don't wish to be controlled by our sins.  We don't like the fact we are dishonest and often selfish and self centered.

  Such a person is, as James says double minded.  The word originally used here could be defined as having two minds or even two souls. I think that hits it pretty well. Ever feel as if you are of two minds. or even two souls? The person you want to be wrestles with the person you don't want to be? How many times have we echoed Paul's anguish from Romans 7 "I do the things I don't want to do, and do the things I don't want to do"? I see no hypocrisy in Paul statement. He truly wants to be good.  But he finds himself unable to do it.

  So if we are all like this, is it that big of a deal? Frankly, yes it is.  Look again at what James says. A person who is of two minds (or souls) is unstable.  Remember when we talk about having that stasis, where we try to keep thw two persons we are balanced? James reminds us we can't do it.  It just doesn't take much to tip us out of balance. And we find yourselves back where we were. We are not nearly as balanced as we think.

  But more importantly it's accepting less than what God wants for us.  When we read Jesus' sermon on the Mount He gives us a great promise that we don't have to live a life of two minds.  We can live with a consistency of inward and outward holiness. We can, in short, live a life of consistency.

  In this day and age I can think of no greater witness to the truth of the claims of the Gospel than living a life so different from everyone else. Not in a "holier than thou" attitude, but living a life so full of God's love and grace that we are of one mind, the mind of Christ.  The church needs a better message than simply "I'm not perfect just forgiven". The world longs for a witness of personal holiness where the church, in all joy and Milty, lives out a consistent faith in the midst of the world.

  The truth of this first warmed my heart to our Wesleyan theological heritage.  It was Wesley's emphasis on a personal holiness that could change the world around us that captured the hearts of the people of Great Britain. It was this promise ,and the evidence of it lived out, that swept like a wildfire though early America. And it is an emphasis on such a life that could capture us again.  Open minds and open hearts makes for a nice advertising campaign. One mind and heart, the mind and heart of Jesus living within us could change the world.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Subcontracting The Church

1 Peter 2:5  You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be  a holy priesthood,  to offer spiritual sacrifices  acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Being a part of a church building program is equal parts joy, excitement, exasperation and stress.   The joy and excitement comes from the fact you are building. You are doing something new. And you are probably doing it because the church is growing.  That's always exciting.

  

But of course new things also cause stress. And if you have ever been a part of a building project you know how hard it can be.  If not, simply take your issues and stress from building or renovating your home and magnify them a hundred times or so. 

I've heard that in 2 years after a building program is completed the pastor usually has to move. I don't know how accurate that is, but it wouldn't surprise me.  Working with different groups., trying to tie everyone together, articulating the vision, trying to figure out how it's all going to be paid for, filtering a hundred voices who have better ideas or complaints is a daily occurrence. And that's tacked on to your daily ministerial duties.

As Rosanne Rosannadanna said "It's always something."  I clearly remember driving into the church parking lot during a church build.  I noticed an odd metal column sticking out of the top of the church.  When I asked the senior minister what it was, he said, in a very glum voice "Its the shaft of the elevator to the second floor."  I pointed out to him that the church had decided not to build the second floor so the elevator would go nowhere. He said, "I know.  But someone failed to let the subcontractor know the plans had changed."

That's the danger when you subcontract a project out. You may no be assured of the working on the same blueprints your build is not going to go well.  This is a rule do thumb that not only works for the building of a church structure, but in the building of the church universal made of of, as Peter says, "the living stones" of the Body of Christ."

One of the current trends I'm seeing in the church in the United States today is the tendency to subcontract our faith away from the local church.  Many Christians are members of a local church and that's where they do their Sunday morning worship. But they subcontract their youth's spiritual formation to local parachurch fellowship groups that have no local church affiliation.  They subcontract out their own discipleship not to small groups in the church  but to small groups or bible studies made up of  people of various faith backgrounds and experiences. We subcontract out or missions to local charities often with a donation given at work.

Before I continue, let me be clear I am NOT anti-bible study or small group or youth fellowship that have no local church affiliation.  It's fine if you wish to participate.  Nor is this a plea to have the local church have control over your life. But I do have a concern if this is the steady diet of one's discipleship.  There are some dangers in the subcontracting of our faith we need to take into account.

1)  Theology matters. Reformed, Catholic, Calvinist and Wesleyan-Armenian, all Christian theologies have  certain accents and emphasis. What one believes and why they believe it affects our daily life and our world view more than you might think.  If you get a United Methodist perspective on Sunday, and a completely opposite view or belief on Monday night, what is one to believe?  

2) A loss of our theological distinctives and heritage. This is sort of a subset for #1.  But most United Methodists can't tell you what the distinctives of their faith are.  Yes, sometimes that's our fault as the local church. But for many, it's a result of subcontracting our their faith.  It does your local church no good to have a class on UM beliefs if you don't attend because you are getting your Bible Study elsewhere.

3) Many will argue that it's good to be exposed to various viewpoints and theologies.  I won't disagree. But I wonder if this is actually happening.  For the most part, we tend to surround ourselves with people who look like us and act like us and have the same thoughts, values and demographics While the church certainly can appear segregated, this is much worse in small parachurch groups.  You tend to get together with people who are just like you.  Again, I'm not saying we should never be a part of these groups but, if it's your steady diet, what will happen? In the church we see a much larger spectrum of backgrounds, demographics, etc. 

4) When it's uncomfortable, there is no reason to stay. It's small group. You are there voluntarily. If you don't like it, you don't have to come. If someone makes you angry or hurts your feelings, you can leave, or tell them off and then leave. We don't have that option in the church. We are a family.  We may disagree, and maybe even tell one another off. But we also have to worship together, send our children to children's choir together. We actually have to practice what we preach about love and forgiveness. 

5.)  We pass on our subcontracting behavior to our youth and children. If you think this is difficult for adults, it's much more difficult for our youth. They haven't formed a strong faith based world view yet. Getting twenty different views is even more difficult for them.  All we mentioned before is magnified for them: the cliquishness, the ability to walk away. And do any of us really believe if our youth aren't guided to be a part of a church Sunday School or youth group that, when they become adults, it will simply magically happen? There is a reason why Proverbs tells us to "train up a child in the way they should go." (Proverbs 22:6)

6) The perpetuation of a consumer mentality. Again you are drawn to what you like, or your kids like. And, if they or you don't like it, you leave and look for something else.  The church teaches us it's not always about our needs. Sometimes we are a part of things because it benefits others -- or we do it to please God. It doesn't always have to be about us. And if our needs aren't being met in the local church, at some point shouldn't we ask why not?  How can I help my church reach more people, or touch more lives, rather than look elsewhere?

I realize this blog post may run the risk of looking too inward, or whining and complaining about "outside" groups. And that's okay. It's not my intention. My hope is that, at the very least, we will take  a serious look at how our spiritual formation takes place. That we should first look to Christ's established institution, the church, before we look outside. So that, in the end, we, and the future generations of the church, aren't buildings with elevators that go nowhere.

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

You Got To Serve Somebody

He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25)


OK, let's admit it. There are times when you are in line at the supermarket and you glance over at the tabloids.  I'm not saying you buy them, or even pick them up to read. But you glance at the cover. You probably chuckle at the headlines "Mutant Bat Baby found in the Ozarks."

We chuckle at these, shake our heads, and go on.  We don't really believe them.  They are beyond the realm of reality. I can remember being in line with my mother 40 years ago and they were trying to catch the Bat Baby then. Even given a different rate of maturity, surely the Mutant Bat baby would have reached some sort of Bat pubescence by now.  My thought process on this has probably gone much farther than yours. Why? Because we know one cannot believe the things we see on these tabloid fronts.  And, while amusing, we don't read them, even if we want to.

Which is what makes the Internet so convenient. We can, in the privacy of our own homes, read all sorts of fantastic statements purporting to be true. And, for some odd reason, because they come to us in an email, or on a website, we are willing to believe them. Of course most of them end up being no more true than the bat baby.  But every now and then one of those bizarre stories ends up being true.

I was sent this article the other day, stating there is an Atheist MegaChurch out there. Yep, a large church for people to gather and worship who don't believe in God.   Here is the link:
 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ATHEIST_MEGACHURCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-10-17-03-15

When I first read it, it seemed to belong in the bat baby realm. Really? A church full of people who don't believe in God?  At best I thought it a joke, a way to poke fun at the church. And maybe it started out that way. But if you read the article, it's clear the people are sincere in what they do.

I don't want to spend time today talking about atheist vs. Christian. Rather than look at what they are doing, it may be more helpful to ask ourselves why are they doing it?  Why would a group of people who don't believe in God  gather like this?

If we are to believe the Scriptures it makes perfect sense why they do this. We have been created by God for worship.  It's a part of our spiritual DNA. We were created to worship and give God glory.  And it doesn't mater whether we believe in God or not, that need will manifest itself somehow.  Every human will find something to worship. For we Christians it's in the Triune God. For the atheist it's themselves, or humanity,  or some personal moral code.  SO if we were made by a God who is from eternity in community (The Trinity) and made to worship, isn't it the most natural thing for us to wish to gather together and look to something beyond ourselves to help us make sense of the world?

So how then are we more right then they are? We could give a lot of logical arguments as to why we believe in Jesus over a "moral code" or humanism.  But to me the best argument is the argument of  the blind man in our Scripture. Jesus heals the man and when questioned by the Pharisees, the man's answer is in essence this: "Here's all I know. I was blind and now I see. I believe because Jesus changed me."

That's why I worship Jesus. Beyond the logic and reason, such as what we find in C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," I believe because I am different than I was before I met Jesus. My life took a different path. And, while not yet perfect, I have more love than I did before I met Him. I have been changed in my mind and heart in ways I would never have accomplish on my own.

But let's not yet be to harsh on the atheists. At times we have more in common with them then we care to admit.  Sometimes even good church goers forget who they are supposed to worship. We come to church on Sunday. But we worship money, or power or fame. We worship youth or we worship lust.  We worship things and heaven help us at times we worship ourselves. Where we attend church may not be the best indicator of who holds our heart.

Who do you have more in common with, the atheist, or the man given his sight?  Bob Dylan was right when he sang "You Got To Serve Somebody." Everyone is created with a need for worship. Will you worship the things that are empty and will pass away, or worship the One who is eternal? As for me, I choose to worship the One who has changed me and continues to change me. What are you going to do?

  In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Eyes Everywhere

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

"I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me" (Rockwell)

For those of you who remember this song from the '80's or its incessant playing on MTV I apologize that it's now running through your head. A couple of disclaimers. First, to the younger generation, let me explain that at one time MTV played music videos instead of awful reality shows about people showing you how awful they were. Secondly if you don't know the song, be thankful. I pulled it up on Spotify while writing this in order to make sure I remembered it correctly. I did. And there is little wonder why people make fun of the 80's.

But for all of that, who knew that Rockwell, whatever his musical issues, would be something of a prophetic voice? There can be little doubt that many of us could be singing this song today.  If you follow the news you know there is a report of the government always watching someone one, or everyone, or almost no one, depending on who you wish to believe.
 
But this blog isn't intended to point fingers.  Because, truth be told, we might as well say "join the club."  I mean, is there anyone who isn't watching us today? Our grocery stores watch our purchases to help their marketing and send you coupons for things you just happened to be running low on. Our gas stations watch our purchases as well. Facebook and Twitter watch us in order to show us ads of things they think will interest us or people we might wish to follow based on past trends. Netflix makes suggestions of movies we might like based on what we have previously watched.  Just this morning I received an email from Spotify making music suggestions based on what I've listened to recently.  Which of course means I'll be receiving suggestions for Cameo and Was (Not Was) based on my Rockwell excursion a few moments ago. I wonder, if that song were to be played today, would it be "I Always Feel Like Everyone's Watching Me?"

But perhaps being watched isn't such a bad thing.  In our Scripture above, the Author of Hebrews says we are being watched, always being watched, by a great cloud of witnesses. Who are these witnesses? The author ties this to the 11th Chapter of Hebrews which list the great heroes of the faith. Moses, Abraham, Gideon, Samson, David and Samuel.  They are watching you.  These witnesses surround you. Pretty intimidating if you think about it.

But the writer isn't done. He adds to the list those martyred for their faith.  If we look around, we will see Bonehoeffer, Jim Elliott, Hundreds of pastors in China, We see  Latimer, Polycarp. We see the aged and the young who died in the Coliseum for refusing to recant their faith.

Beyond them we can see the other Saints. The saints from your life. Your pastors from your youth who are in Heaven. Your third grade Sunday School teacher who taught you that Jesus loves you. The volunteer at VBS who made sure you could recite John 3:16. Your Youth pastor who led you to the Lord. Your grandmother who gave you your first Bible with a carefully written note on the fly leaf. Your Dad who never failed to pray for you every night before he went to sleep.

Maybe I missed your saints and witnesses. But you have them. They are those who told you of Jesus and lived out a live of faith until God called them to go onto the Great Adventure of Heaven.  And they are all there watching you.

At times, when I read this Scripture, it disquiets me. It even disturbs me a little bit. There are days, more than I care to mention, when I feel as if I have failed that great cloud of  witnesses.  They have passed on to me a great treasure of faith that I didn't take care of that day. They have seen me at my worst. Think for a moment about your most recent sins. Can you imagine that Paul, John and John Wesley saw that? Let alone your Nanna?

If that's you today, I want you to go back and look at the full verse. Very often we stop reading after "the great cloud of witnesses."  When you read this verse in whole, the author sees the great cloud of witnesses, these Saints, not looking in judgement, but cheering you on.  They are not judges but your cheering section. Have you ever seen the footage at the end of a marathon? Or perhaps you've run one yourself.  All those people cheering you on, telling you not to give up. Words of encouragement. Don't give up. That's what those saints are doing. Let go of your sin. Embrace God's holiness.  We know you're tired but don't give up. Keep running.

I hope you hear those voices today. Maybe you've stumbled in your race. Maybe the goal of a Christ-like life seems too far away. Maybe you've been running with a heavy burden.  Please know you are not alone. The great cloud of witness are cheering you on.  Those saints who God put across your path are still cheering you on. And the loudest voice of all is at the Finish Line. He has His arms spread wide and waits to put those nail-scarred hands on your shoulders and say "Well done my good and faithful servant. Come and Join the Saints."

I, for one, am glad they are cheering us on. Listen to their voices this morning. Let's keep running the race that is set before us. We aren't alone. There is a Great Cloud Of Witnesses.

In Christ,
Dr. Brian Jones <><