Stop it!

Bob Newhart has a hilarious comedy skit as a psychiatrist. His therapy is a simple, two-word solution for problems—"Stop it!" If you've never seen it, click on the link ("Stop it!") for a good laugh, but keep reading!

If only solving life's problems were that simple! Well, in some ways it is. But, alas, many difficulties in life continue to trouble us. Why? Why don't we just stop doing some things, or start doing other things? The Apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the Roman church (Rom 7:15-19).

Planting or Transplanting?

This past week I shared a couple of posts I saw in Missions Frontiers on social media (http://www.missionfrontiers.org/). The first article speaks of 5 lessons American churches can learn from the Church Planting Movement (CPM) in the rest of the world (http://tw.gs/VbSa0). The second is how these things can be adapted to work in American churches (http://tw.gs/VbSaC). One addresses a need in typical American churches across the board (denominational and non-denominational), while the other gives examples and insights how these changes can be implemented.

God Came to Earth

A few years ago I flew into the modern airport of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I had never met Ayele, the young man who would become my friend and partner over the next couple weeks, as my guide and assistant in ministry. Though we had written back and forth many times, we hadn’t worked out our meeting at the airport. I knew he would greet me as I came out of the terminal, but how would I recognize him? No worries, he would recognize me—I would stand out as a lone Caucasian among the noble and handsome Ethiopians!

The Core of the Gospel

Culture has an amazing impact upon people. It subtly shapes their worldview of everything in life, from birth through adulthood. This impact is strong and resistant to change, but it will change given sufficient cause. The change can be either good or bad depending on one’s worldview, values, or beliefs. For example, the enslavement of Africans, abducted and traded as if they were cattle, was culturally acceptable in European countries and America.

Christian Language and Gospel Ignorance

A growing number of people in North America and Europe have no background or understanding of Christianity. One reason could be the great influx of immigrants from many nations. But an increasing segment of Western society has grown unengaged and uninterested in Christianity, the result of a shift in culture. America’s culture is becoming both post-modern and post-Christian. Many sources discuss this at length, but I won’t here.[i] Europe and Canada have preceded the US in this cultural shift, but America is not far behind. 

Remembrances

This past weekend was an important time of remembrance for Christian believers. Depending on how traditional one is, it can begin with observing Lent (40 days of fasting), Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (Easter). And don't forget Passover, which has great significance for looking at the Gospel story through a Jewish perspective.* It's the precursor to the Christian observance of communion, and gives a greater depth of meaning to Christ's death on the Cross. The most important lens of perspective is celebrating the Lord's resurrection from the dead. I especially love sunrise services!

Altar or Throne? (3)

I hope those who have followed the past two posts have thought about this simple, yet vague question—altar or throne? It is easy to oversimplify and generalize some truth, making it trivial. Yet, I have found simple questions useful in stirring up thought. My basic philosophy of learning is that unless a person (myself included!) struggles to think something through—that is, process it—they won't fully understand it or internalize it.

Let me review a couple main points. The presentation of gospel truth (the good news) is most often given in bits and pieces within a western cultural context. Yet a cursory review of the New Testament (NT) reveals the gospel is presented in five narratives— 4 Gospels and a history of the early church (Acts). The remainder of NT books is the explanation of this gospel narrative for those unfamiliar with the larger narrative of God's Story, as it unfolds throughout the Bible. Even the last book, Revelation, is a heavenly narrative of how God's Story will conclude at the end of the Age.

Altar or Throne? (2)

Last week I started looking at what may seem an anomaly, but is more typical than we'd like to accept. "We" being Christian believers who hold the Bible as authoritative in matters of faith. Over the past few years there's been a cultural shift within the church in America, impacting both beliefs and practices. This has been addressed by many, and in one instance given a term—moralistic therapeautic desim. Here's a link that explains that term— http://goo.gl/RvllH

The real issue is the impact this has on people in the church. What people belive is directly connected to how they live. Not what a person professes as beliefs, but what is held in the heart, that's what affects behavior. You've likely heard the expression, "do as I say, not as I do," but the reality is that actions speak louder than words. Perhaps the question to answer is—Why is there a disconnect between what is believed and how one lives?

Altar or Throne?

Recently I was in So Thailand for some teaching ministry for a couple weeks. If you didn't know already, Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation, and Buddhism breeds and thrives on animistic belief. One look around at all the "spirit houses" and altars (shrines) erected throughout the nation makes this clear. It is difficult to preach the Gospel in Thailand and see genuine conversion.

Being in another culture different than your own helps you see things from a different perspective—one of the values of cross-cultural missions among other things. In a sense, I have two home cultures—American and Filipino. Although they are quite different from each other—one is western and the other eastern philosophically—there is a vast difference between both of them and Thai culture, which is Buddhist. Or is there?