Yesterday I was lucky enough to stumble upon a fellow APU grad on set at Suburgatory. I had seen her around several times before but never talked to her and we got into a conversation I would not have expected to get into with a fellow Christian. It felt very much like talking to a non-believer based on the way she approached spirituality as such a subjective, experiential, individualistic way a deriving one's own beliefs about God and truth in this world. We got into a complex conversation about "good and bad" and whether or not Christians are to make judgements in this world about anything. She majored in Psychology and is getting her masters in Spiritual Psychology but it shocked me how little she knew about theology or scripture. She found me on facebook and sent me a lengthy follow up message to our conversation saying basically that we can't judge people's actions because their actions are so unique to the person experiencing the situation. Here was my response:
I know that when anyone enters APU they walk into a world of scrutiny. A lot of times it hurts to feel like people are constantly expressing disapproval for the way you live life, or for what you believe. Too often, people start to define this inappropriate behavior as "judgement". People go on rants and tirades about how we should have no negative opinions of their actions and scream "don't judge me!" as they walk unknowingly down harmful paths of sin.
First off, I believe that we are called to judge. Most importantly we are called to have GOOD judgement. Jesus says in John 7:24 "Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly". We should judge situations, people's actions and most of all our OWN actions. Judgement in and of itself is not bad. Judgement is what happens after we have analyzed a situation and used discernment to come up with a Godly, Biblical opinion of a situation. IF someone does something we approve of and we say "Good job!" or "Well done good and faithful servant" we are making a Judgement. But, no one ever complains if we make a judgement that ends in a positive opinion of them.
2 Chronicles 19:7 says 7 "Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.” Clearly there are bad things in this world that should be judged accordingly.
The type of judgement that God condemns is when we judge people's salvation. Matthew 7:1 is the famous "Judge not lest you be judged" that people usually quote to advocate against having any negative opinions about other people's actions. But this verse is in the context of damnation. In Luke 6:37 we see this same verse but with more context. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven."
Jesus hung out with the people who received the harshest judgements in society i.e. prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers but he never judged them, in the wrong way that is. John 12:47 says "I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it". Yet we see Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul constantly judging religious leaders and calling them out for being "hypocrites" and calling them "broods of vipers".
We can judge people's actions but not their salvation, and if we do deem their actions as inappropriate than we must still continue to love and forgive them as brothers and sisters in Christ. IF we start condemning people to Hell than we are overstepping our bounds and will receive divine punishment. Ok, that said we should not be spending so much time judging people's actions as we do. It goes back to the whole taking the plank out of our own eye before we complain about the speck in our friend's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). We are called to love people first and foremost (Mark 12:28) and we forget that far too often. Christians should be the least judgmental people with the best judgement. It's a tough paradox to master but that's where I fall in this topic. I hope this helps clarify my position!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mornings With Martha
Some days you wake up and it's like God had an issue waiting for you to deal with as soon as you stepped out of bed. I feel like it normally happens right after you have a great day, this way it comes as a complete surprise. This morning felt like just such an occasion.
It seems like God constantly brings people into my life who have surrounded themselves with "friends" who will never speak into their lives in any meaningful way, nor will they speak out against any serious problems they see in the lives of their "friends". However, I seem to constantly be the one friend who will.
Many people get to a point where they give up trying to deal with those whom they constantly butt heads. It's all too common to hear people say, as they toss their arms up in defeat, "What's the point? They're never gunna change!" I think I've known for quite some time that I will never be able to accept that argument with anyone, no matter how big of a pain in the ass they are. I don't have it in me to allow people in my life to continually wreck themselves and ignore glaring problems in their lives. I don't have it in me to ignore people. But this process of confrontation is so tough to do and it can all too often end in loosing a friendship. I've always had the hope that maybe just a few words will break through from God, just enough to illicit some sort of positive change...This brings me to the topic at hand.
Martha has always bugged me. We read about her in Luke 10:38-42 and she bugs me. I'm pretty sure she bugged Jesus too so I don't feel bad about the fact that she bugs me. Just so it's clear, Martha really bugs me. Ok, now that I've clarified the situation I have to say that God has placed plenty of Marthas in my life at one point or another. They usually become my friend because at first we can relate to one anther's drive, passion for moral/ethical living, and work ethic. However, what we never relate on is how to just live life sometimes.
Martha always has to be doing something and I just want to tell her to shut up, sit down and relax. I just want her to believe already, to feel even an ounce of trust in the Lord. She worries about grades, finances, work, etc. and thinks there is always some book or instruction manual she can study in order to become perfect and in need of nothing when in fact mistakes and trials are the only things that can ever shape you in such a profoundly positive way! Martha worries, a lot. She stresses out so much that it makes me nervous just to be around her sometimes. What is truly tragic about Martha is that she has never lets anyone get close enough to her to speak into her life and show her the error of her ways. Even when Jesus shows up she ignores Him to finish baking a cake for some event instead.
So my pickle today is how do I reach Martha? Of all the Marthas I've known I have never witnessed a transformation into a Mary. They usually just get married and pass on their problems to the next generation of "marthitas" as I'll call them. I guess I don't have much else to say about this one. I know I usually have some hope based on a reflection or epiphany I had but this one kind of ends in thoughtful deliberation and lots of prayer.
It seems like God constantly brings people into my life who have surrounded themselves with "friends" who will never speak into their lives in any meaningful way, nor will they speak out against any serious problems they see in the lives of their "friends". However, I seem to constantly be the one friend who will.
Many people get to a point where they give up trying to deal with those whom they constantly butt heads. It's all too common to hear people say, as they toss their arms up in defeat, "What's the point? They're never gunna change!" I think I've known for quite some time that I will never be able to accept that argument with anyone, no matter how big of a pain in the ass they are. I don't have it in me to allow people in my life to continually wreck themselves and ignore glaring problems in their lives. I don't have it in me to ignore people. But this process of confrontation is so tough to do and it can all too often end in loosing a friendship. I've always had the hope that maybe just a few words will break through from God, just enough to illicit some sort of positive change...This brings me to the topic at hand.
Martha has always bugged me. We read about her in Luke 10:38-42 and she bugs me. I'm pretty sure she bugged Jesus too so I don't feel bad about the fact that she bugs me. Just so it's clear, Martha really bugs me. Ok, now that I've clarified the situation I have to say that God has placed plenty of Marthas in my life at one point or another. They usually become my friend because at first we can relate to one anther's drive, passion for moral/ethical living, and work ethic. However, what we never relate on is how to just live life sometimes.
Martha always has to be doing something and I just want to tell her to shut up, sit down and relax. I just want her to believe already, to feel even an ounce of trust in the Lord. She worries about grades, finances, work, etc. and thinks there is always some book or instruction manual she can study in order to become perfect and in need of nothing when in fact mistakes and trials are the only things that can ever shape you in such a profoundly positive way! Martha worries, a lot. She stresses out so much that it makes me nervous just to be around her sometimes. What is truly tragic about Martha is that she has never lets anyone get close enough to her to speak into her life and show her the error of her ways. Even when Jesus shows up she ignores Him to finish baking a cake for some event instead.
So my pickle today is how do I reach Martha? Of all the Marthas I've known I have never witnessed a transformation into a Mary. They usually just get married and pass on their problems to the next generation of "marthitas" as I'll call them. I guess I don't have much else to say about this one. I know I usually have some hope based on a reflection or epiphany I had but this one kind of ends in thoughtful deliberation and lots of prayer.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Just GO
A wise man once told me that 2/3 of God's name is GO. Another wise man then told me "Well, in English it is." Anyway, the phrase has always stuck with me but mostly in terms of doing overseas mission work in the 10/40 and the many "unreached people groups" that reside there. Now I look at this phrase as a means for doing life in general.
I recently went to a retreat with APU's School of Practical Theology. It was for all the Christian Ministry and Youth Ministry majors as well as alumni and faculty. It was a great chance to recharge my ministry battery by being able to fellowship with both the younger and older generations of ministry professionals. During the two day retreat I had multiple opportunities to share my story about where God has brought me these past few months with my passion for ministry and my heart for shaping culture, media and Hollywood especially. The typical response I got was "Wow, that's so cool that you are doing that!" I know that Hollywood is cool, tv is great, and movies are awesome but is it really that cool what I'm doing?
I believe what I am doing should be the standard (meaning lowest possible mark) for ministry professionals. If you want to do ministry you better damn well have a passion for it because, as one of the professors on the retreat stated, "ministry is the front lines." All I am doing is blending my calling with my passions, interests, and skills. I feel like that is basic. Those are the foundational ingredients for creating an effective ministry. I don't have outlines, lesson plans, programs, or any staff yet but I am doing ministry and I am doing it somewhere that is in dire need of divine intervention; of salvation and healing. Sadly, I feel so drawn to Hollywood because I don't see any other Christians flocking there as they should, but that's another issue I'm sure I'll address another day.
Why don't we follow our passions? Usually because they lead down a road with too many unknowns, or at least that's what I have found. I have no idea where I will be in a week and I wouldn't have it any other way. Only God knows, He's the only one who needs to know.
We get so used to planning our lives and if something goes wrong in our plans it becomes a problem instead of a blessing because we don't see it as God course-correcting for us but instead the world interferring with what we projected onto God as "His Plan" for our lives. What all this critique adds up to is that I see far too many people hindering their own futures because they are too afraid to mix their passions with their careers because it seems less "practical" and is much harder to discern. Most importantly, I see ministry professionals compromising their ministries because they do not believe God could call them outside of traditional Church roles or preexisting non-profit organizations. We are so afraid to invent or venture outside the norms of custom/culture and create something as unique as ourselves. There are a myriad of verses I could use to support these arguments but I'll just use one. I'll just use the one that has inspired me the most.
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps."
How comforting is that?! We can, we are allowed to, we get to plan a course for ourselves. A course that can be as complex and incomparable as our very own fingerprints. Yet, God is there at every "step" to ensure that His will be done and all things work together for His glory to be reflected upon the entire earth. All we have to do is go. Just go. Pick a path, any path. We start constructing the course of our destiny and then get to be the humble witnesses of God's glorious guidance in our lives as we watch the changes, difficulties and growth that God catalyzes in our lives. That is, if we ever get off the starting line.
This weekend I heard too many of the same stories from future ministers who were paralyzed by fear. I know we plan everything years in advance while we are in school until we are 21 or older, but then real life starts and all that planning goes out the window. Still, I wish we would have built up more confidence in the time we spent inside the world of texts and tests. The one draw back about being in school for so long is that we never fully learn to trust God with the future, unless we are privy to some tougher lessons that take place outside the classroom.
The point of school becomes learning how to control your own future by being prepared, educated and entirely self-sustaining. It seems extremely obvious, to me at least, that ministry is never about having all the answers nor being completely prepared. The only thing you can be prepared for is that you are most likely unprepared to handle the things God will bring your way initially. That is why we have to learn to lean on God and just be willing to walk into the darkness in the direction that seems most appropriate to us at the time. That is why I don't believe what I am doing is special, cool, etc. It should be the standard, and the lowest possible one at that. God expects no less from us than complete obedience and trust. He also expects that we utilize our God-given talents and seek out our innate passions in order to lead us into the most effective ministries possible.
Time to GO? I think so.
I recently went to a retreat with APU's School of Practical Theology. It was for all the Christian Ministry and Youth Ministry majors as well as alumni and faculty. It was a great chance to recharge my ministry battery by being able to fellowship with both the younger and older generations of ministry professionals. During the two day retreat I had multiple opportunities to share my story about where God has brought me these past few months with my passion for ministry and my heart for shaping culture, media and Hollywood especially. The typical response I got was "Wow, that's so cool that you are doing that!" I know that Hollywood is cool, tv is great, and movies are awesome but is it really that cool what I'm doing?
I believe what I am doing should be the standard (meaning lowest possible mark) for ministry professionals. If you want to do ministry you better damn well have a passion for it because, as one of the professors on the retreat stated, "ministry is the front lines." All I am doing is blending my calling with my passions, interests, and skills. I feel like that is basic. Those are the foundational ingredients for creating an effective ministry. I don't have outlines, lesson plans, programs, or any staff yet but I am doing ministry and I am doing it somewhere that is in dire need of divine intervention; of salvation and healing. Sadly, I feel so drawn to Hollywood because I don't see any other Christians flocking there as they should, but that's another issue I'm sure I'll address another day.
Why don't we follow our passions? Usually because they lead down a road with too many unknowns, or at least that's what I have found. I have no idea where I will be in a week and I wouldn't have it any other way. Only God knows, He's the only one who needs to know.
We get so used to planning our lives and if something goes wrong in our plans it becomes a problem instead of a blessing because we don't see it as God course-correcting for us but instead the world interferring with what we projected onto God as "His Plan" for our lives. What all this critique adds up to is that I see far too many people hindering their own futures because they are too afraid to mix their passions with their careers because it seems less "practical" and is much harder to discern. Most importantly, I see ministry professionals compromising their ministries because they do not believe God could call them outside of traditional Church roles or preexisting non-profit organizations. We are so afraid to invent or venture outside the norms of custom/culture and create something as unique as ourselves. There are a myriad of verses I could use to support these arguments but I'll just use one. I'll just use the one that has inspired me the most.
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps."
How comforting is that?! We can, we are allowed to, we get to plan a course for ourselves. A course that can be as complex and incomparable as our very own fingerprints. Yet, God is there at every "step" to ensure that His will be done and all things work together for His glory to be reflected upon the entire earth. All we have to do is go. Just go. Pick a path, any path. We start constructing the course of our destiny and then get to be the humble witnesses of God's glorious guidance in our lives as we watch the changes, difficulties and growth that God catalyzes in our lives. That is, if we ever get off the starting line.
This weekend I heard too many of the same stories from future ministers who were paralyzed by fear. I know we plan everything years in advance while we are in school until we are 21 or older, but then real life starts and all that planning goes out the window. Still, I wish we would have built up more confidence in the time we spent inside the world of texts and tests. The one draw back about being in school for so long is that we never fully learn to trust God with the future, unless we are privy to some tougher lessons that take place outside the classroom.
The point of school becomes learning how to control your own future by being prepared, educated and entirely self-sustaining. It seems extremely obvious, to me at least, that ministry is never about having all the answers nor being completely prepared. The only thing you can be prepared for is that you are most likely unprepared to handle the things God will bring your way initially. That is why we have to learn to lean on God and just be willing to walk into the darkness in the direction that seems most appropriate to us at the time. That is why I don't believe what I am doing is special, cool, etc. It should be the standard, and the lowest possible one at that. God expects no less from us than complete obedience and trust. He also expects that we utilize our God-given talents and seek out our innate passions in order to lead us into the most effective ministries possible.
Time to GO? I think so.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)