Your Christianity is boring

When God exposes himself to us, we become, at that very moment, responsible.. When God reveals himself to us, we are obliged to respond to what has been revealed. Be careful when you pray; “Lord show me your glory!” What if He does? Do you really think you want the responsibility? The Christian life that is devoid of spiritual revelation is also conveniently devoid of spiritual responsibility isn’t it? What life do you want to live? One of ease, comfort and predictability?  Or one of danger, risk and revelation? The choice is yours pilgrim. You can be radically changed by the doctrines of the church, or you can become embalmed by them.

dl

The Church Of The Future…..

Dr. Ted Roberts is an american pastor, and also the founder of Pure Desire Ministries. I have been reading his book and came across this great, straight forward statement on the church…If you are a Pilgrim, well, c’mon and check it out…

“Therefore, the Church of the future, if it is to be effective, must become a place of practical grace. It must be a place where hope is the dominant theme, and denial, especially religious pretending, is nowhere in sight. That’s a challenge for those in leadership, because personal vulnerability is the key issue. Leadership must be characterized by personal honesty that is open and forthright about their own struggles, yet at the same time able to speak from personal experience of the overwhelming victory available in Christ. In other words, servant-leadership will need to be New Testament to the core.”

What do you think the Church of the future should look be like? Leave a comment.

Tithing vs. Giving

Recently I was asked if I could write a controversial post on tithing. Realizing that this is something that could get me in trouble, I’ve decided to take up the challenge.

There are many different perspectives on the Christian responsibility of tithing. Some say it is indeed a New Testament discipline and a command to all believers.  Others affirm that it is strictly an Old Testament ordinance, but must be observed as an essential principle for new covenant believers.  Some Christians  teach, that tithing is strictly an Old testament law and there is NO obligation to observe it in light of the new covenant, and that tithing is actually a form of religious bondage.

Before we look at this matter, let’s get a working definition. What is tithing? Simply, a tithe means: a tenth . A 10% portion of an income, possessions or lands.  Tithing is certainly not only a Judean-Christian practice. The Babylonians, Islamic, as well as Sikhs have tithed since ancient times.

Biblically, the first mention of the concept of tithing is found in Genesis 14:18-19.  Here Abraham meets the mysterious figure: Melchezedek, who is a king of Salem, and a priest of the Most High God. He is also described as having no natural birth. Some scholars propose that this was an angel of God, some say it was Noah’s son Shem. I suspect that it was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Nonetheless. We see Abram offering this priest, a tenth of all of his spoils.

There are also several places in the Pentateuch where tithing is mentioned.

Deuteronomy 14;22-27, Deuteronomy  26:12-14, Numbers 18:13-14

In the context of the Mosaic Law, tithes and offerings were a combination of ceremonial offerings, but a specific percentage essentially served as a type of tax. This tax served two chief purposes. To finance and support the temple and Priesthood, and to provide for the poor among the people.

Later, the early Catholic writer Francis Plowden wrote about tithing as “A divine ordinance and an obligation of conscience.”

Although most modern Biblical scholars agree that tithing IS NOT a direct command given in the New Testament many Catholics church leaders have cited Matthew 23:23, arguing that Jesus in fact instructed that tithing was essential.

Lastly, the common scripture used to define the act of tithing in most protestant churches today comes from Malachi 3:8-10.

This scripture eloquently describes the heart and principle of giving to God. It portrays that the failure of the Jewish people to observe it in the past was a clear sign of their lack of faith, and would now incur a curse upon them. It also showed that those who are faithful in giving to God in tithes and offerings, would be rewarded with divine provision and blessing. This scripture in Malachi is often referred to as command. Although the passage does show a great truth, it is erroneously taught as an Old Testament  command that must be observed. This proposes a doctrinal problem. Why should a New Testament believer, who is supposedly not under the “old law’, observe an obscure principle mentioned in the Prophets, but, be shunned and labeled as a Judaizer or Legalist if they decide to observe the Feasts or Festivals of Yawheh, or observe the levitical dietary laws, let alone the entire Mosaic law. In short, my tough question is: Why do we insist that our congregations obey this single Old Testament law, but encourage them that they are free from all of the other 313 laws? I think we all know the answer to that. Because the church’s need money.

Do I think it is wrong to tithe? Absolutely not! I encourage it, and practice it myself. Do I think it is a direct command that all Christians have to give ten percent of their income to the local church? No. Hermeneutically, that would be a convenient assumption. I will share my favorite verse that I use to teach my children about Christian giving and provision:

2 Corinthians 9:7 “So let each one give as they purpose in their heart to give. Not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Notice God didn’t say He loves a religious giver, or a punctual giver, or a consistent giver. He said He loves a cheerful giver.

 

Here are my conclusions on tithing, they may sound controversial, and even a little contradictive, but, here they are:

• Why tithe when you can give? When you give 8%, you may feel guilty…. when you give 10%, you may feel satisfied…….. when you give 12%,  You feel “spiritual”.    This is not a good perspective on charity. The law was designed to show sin and act as yoke,(obligation)  leading us to Christ (joy).
• Tithing is good. It is never a sin.
• Give money, give lots, give regularly
• Give to the local Church and give to pastors who bless you
• Finances can be given to increase our faith. Every financial offering is a seed sown.
• If money, and fear of lack has a grip on you, the best way to break that spirit, is to give hilariously.
• Give because you want to
• Give because God has blessed you
• Give because you trust God
• Don’t limit yourself to ten percent. Give in proportion to your faith, and joy.
• Generosity releases revival

I hope you all enjoyed this post. Please let me know if you have any questions..

 

Shalom

Pastor Darrell

St. Peter the Extremist|Part Two

Peter was extreme. I always pictured him as this sort of burly, bushy-headed fisherman turned evangelist. Come to think of it, I think I presently know a couple of men who fit this description!

In Matthews gospel, when Jesus prophesies to his passover meal mates about his future betrayal, Peter pipes up:

“No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.”

 Matt 26:31

Of course we know what really happened:

“Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. “

Matt 26:75

This is the same Peter who was lazily sleeping in the garden of Gethsemane when he should have been fervently praying, and then moments later, hastily draws his sword in anger and cuts of the ear of one of the soldiers threatening Jesus.

This is Peter, who Jesus lovingly restores over the coals of a fire on the beach by the sea:

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

John 21:15

I’ve been on a pilgrimage through the book of Acts again as it accompanies a great text-book I’m reading about church history: The Christians, Their First 2000 Years (Check it on my Reading List and click on the Book to check it out)

It is interesting to notice the theological squabble he and Paul had in Antioch. At this time, Peter was a pillar of the church. Ever since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at pentecost, believers were added to the church in great numbers, largely in response to the fiery preaching of Peter himself, a devout Jew declaring a new covenant of grace available to all nations through Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.

When Paul comes into the place of meeting, he is appalled to see Peter sitting with all of his religious buddies again (Probably devout Aramaic speaking Hebrews, perhaps Judaizers who believed that the Gentiles, and even the Hellenistic Jews were welcome in the church, but still so unclean that one should not even eat with them! And here’s Pete, sitting at the table with only them again!

“When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

Galatians 2:11-13

Flip Flop. Flip Flop. It’s easy to see the inconsistency in Peter’s spiritual life. But the fact that Jesus himself appoints him as a leader in such a special position can encourage us. Despite our inconsistency, despite our hypocrisy, Jesus still chooses and appoints us to be ministers of reconciliation. Praise God for using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise!

I want to leave you with one snapshot of Peter’s life. Although he went on to do many wonderful things for the kingdom, it’s refreshing to know that he chilled out.

While in Joppa, Peter is found (In the book of Acts) living with a man named Simon:

“And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.”

Acts 9:39-43

It is important to know that in those times, a Tanner, was to any Jew (Which Peter was) considered unclean. A tanner worked with the skins of dead animals and handles bodies, and to even shake hands with one was considered a great sin, let alone setting foot in their house! So it is very interesting indeed to find Peter living in the house of a Tanner, when at another time, he would refrain from sitting at the same table as a Hellenistic Jew! Peter was definitely getting it pilgrims! And to top it off, this is the same house in which he was staying when he received the vision from God with unclean foods. This of course was referring to people groups-Jews and Gentiles)

There you have it Pilgrims. I hope this look into Peter’s life was extremely inspiring..

Shalom  | pastor darrell

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St. Peter the Extremist|Part One

 Unfortunately, many people in ministry can easily fall into the trap of going to unnecessary extremes. Walter Martin said that the truth is always held in balance between two extremes.

 Two examples of this could be legalism and license. The legalism camp could, for instance, camp out on great spiritual truths such as the need for repentance and holiness, and rightly quote scriptures promoting these points. The error, is to go to the extreme that salvation is in no way completely secure, and that salvation depends much on human deeds. This extreme thinking can actually turn into a lie that says God rewards salvation to those who merit it by being holy enough or who are repentant enough. Often people of this extreme camp will be so bound by rules and commands that they will measure how many inches a sleeve could be, or how much ankle skin can be exposed on a women’s body. They will hold so tightly to obeying the letter of the law, and ecclesiastical ordinances that they will be in more bondage than they were in before they came to Christ. People this religious are scared to even fart, lest they scare away the Holy Spirit.

 The other camp is license. Again, this way of thinking can be based on good scriptural principles, but quickly become erroneous when taken to the extreme. The truth is, God loves us, and His grace abounds. His mercy triumphs over judgement and can overpower any sin that stands in its way. The way to appropriate this grace, is to simply ask and receive. While all of this is essentially true, it cannot be the whole truth as revealed in the entire counsel of God’s word. People who camp out solely on this principle, make the mistake of confusing God’s acceptance with His approval of their lifestyles. They lose the sensitivity to sin, and continue on in disobedience as if it is no big deal. They trample the blood of Christ under their feet by treating His grace as something cheap. Morality loses importance quickly. And emotional, spontaneous confessions replace repentance, and the desire for experiential “feel good” blessings replace obedience and submission to the LORD.

 These two gutters lie on either side of the narrow path. The gutter to our left? Licence. The gutter to our right? Legalism. But for those pilgrims who truly walk in relationship with YHWH the loving Father, walk on the perfect law of Liberty.

 Read these scriptures pilgrims, out loud, nice and slowly..and tomorrow I will continue thoughts on this topic by taking a look at the life of St. Peter..

Shalom|pastor darrell     www.darrelllahay.wordpress.com

James 1:25

  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 2:12

So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.

Circle Of Friends

To say I was blessed to play at this service would be an understatement. My friend and fellow Liberty band member, Brian West, told me about this special little church service that takes place in Abbotsford where the space between Heaven and earth is thin. Circle of Friends is a coffee-house style church service geared for people with disabilities and special needs, and their caregivers. This service is a fully operating church, with members serving in different ways. I have to admit, the first time I went to lead worship, I was uncomfortable. I have not spent much time around people with disabilities and it can be intimidating. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Looking back, I’m sure I must have stuck out like a sore thumb. After going a couple of times, I have quickly become at home at Circle Of Friends. There are so many beautiful people. Some of the folks are blind, deaf, bound to wheelchairs, some are able to walk and talk–and steal your microphone if you’re not looking–some have visible limitations and health problems. The great thing to notice however, is that their spirit is not handicapped, not in the least. Some of these folks have such an innocence about them that can bring you to tears. At first, I was tempted to think about how Jesus should just show up, and heal them all, (and of course I do pray for this) but at the end of the service, Jesus had lovingly made me aware of how disabled I am in comparison. Granted some of these men and women have physical ailments and deformities and suffer from different circumstances, but how am I any better off, with my vices, my vain imaginations, my materialism, my pride? I plan on going back to Circle Of Friends any time I can. I have been graciously given an open invitation to come any Monday, and I plan on recruiting the Liberty Band (wwwt.thelibertyband.com) to join me. If you think you can preach or lead worship, I dare you to come and do it here. It’s probably not the type of ‘church” you are used to, but it is joyful, hilariously fun, and humbling to say the least.. Check them out:http://www.bethesdabc.com/coffee_house.htm

Here are some pics: (some taken by residents)

Intellectual

I recently read one authors definition of an intellectual. He defined one as ‘a person who cares more about ideas than people’. This really struck me, and caused me to really examine myself. I constantly can find myself so busy with reading, researching, and personal study. My ministry job also affords me to be in many meetings , and it is tempting to be constantly scheming, strategizing, and even praying about kingdom work. New initiatives, improvements of ministry quality of care, improvement of style and relevance, perfecting doctrine and vision casting, etc.

As I read this very short definition, I asked myself the question, and I ask you: “Do you find yourself, investing more time and energy into ideas, rather than people?”

Shalom |pastor darrell

when I grow up

In the past couple of days I’ve been asked to submit a bio of myself for various networks with which I’m involved. One of the questions is:

Q: What is something about yourself that many people wouldn’t know?

A: Most people don’t know that I am bi-lingual. I speak both English and Christianese. It is a passion and dream of mine to one day become an interpreter..

 

shalom|pd

The Great Tradition

What do I think the church is doing right in 2010?

 

This is a question that a WordPress pal of mine asked at the end of one of his posts: http://www.seansabourin.com/?p=871   This is a good question indeed, especially since most take a critical aim at the ‘blushing bride’ of Christ more often than commend it for anything!

At great risk of appearing controversal, I submit that ‘one’ of the good things happening within the Body of Christ is running in the same vein as what has come to be called the: ‘Ecumenical Movement’. This movement brings mixed reviews. Some hailing it as a great pilgrimage of repentance, and others (mostly fundamentalists) accusing it of being a sort of ‘unitarian apostacy’. In terms of the official movement itself, I subscribe to neither review whole heartedly, but i want to highlight some of the characteristics therein that i feel are of great benefit to the Church.

Latley we are seeing a return to liturgy. Christians everywhere are showing signs of a yearning that the post-modern church, or emerging church, can’t quite seem to satisfy. We are seeing a growing interest in The Great Tradition. I see it in the new books being written. I see it in the blogosphere. I hear it in the music and liturgy Sunday mornings…What is this Great tradition of which i speak? Lets back up a bit…

The church that was birthed in the New Testament account of Pentecost enjoyed a relatively schizm-free existence from its inception. this continued right through the Roman persecution (and after the Roman legalization in 313 AD under Constantine),  right up till about 1054 AD. Besides the outbreak of two or three notable splinterings (Nestorians, Mar Tomas) the church remained in relative unity. After nearly half a century, three major fragmentations began to happen. The three major branches are: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Reformed Protestantism.

Western Protestantism (Lutheran, Baptist, Anabaptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Reformed, etc, etc) is what dominates the religious population in North America today. There are well over two thousand denominations within Protestantism alone. And these denominations include sub groups such as fundamentalism, liberalism, post-modernism, liturgical, etc, bla bla bla.

One can look at all of these fragments of the Body of Christ with scrutiny, and rightfully so. I have taught on the subject of denominationalism and I have expanded on its cons, and it’s pros, but, I have a hard time picturing Jesus being thrilled about division that happens every day. don’t get me wrong, i am not being a pluralist in saying that all “religions” should be unified. Not only would that be un-biblical, but a great philosophical impossibility. What i am trying to say can be best elaborated on by a quote from Walter R. Martin, author of the classic Kingdom Of The Cults. On matters of doctrine and practices withing the Church, he said:

“In the essentials; there ought to be unity.

In the non-essentials; liberty.

In all things; love.”

I believe it is time for the church to get back to its roots. There are so many gems found in studying the Great Tradition. But if we are careless, we may miss them. History holds a tutorship quality that will help us prepare for our future. In essence, we can learn about our future by looking to our past. Studying the great traditions of the early church, the lives of the martyrs, and the growth of the church has been a great source of interest to me ltely, as well as a well spring of wisdom. My admonition to the Church is to look to the past as well as the future. What were the early Christians like? what did they value? What did they believe and why? What action did their beliefs influence them to take? How did they live? What did “church’ look like to them?

Food for thought//pastor Darrell

burnt?

Tonnes of stuff can be written on the subject of “burn out”. For those of you in the people business, especially ministry, this is a subject worth investigating.

I meet with a large group of local pastors from my community once a month. This last week, 20 or so pastors and myself were privileged to sit under the teaching of Dr. John Auxier. John is the acting president of Trinity Western University, as well as a very qualified and gifted christian counselor.

He shared many items on the danger signs and preventative measures around the area of ministry “burn out”. Below are some of those points I’ve chosen to highlight and briefly expand on..

1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

God designed your body very specifically. You must get away from the ‘greek’ idea that your physical body is totally separate from your soul and spirit. The truth is closer to a ‘hebraic’ understanding that your body is so interconnected that it operates as one thing. Listen to what your body is reflecting about your spiritual and emotional condition. How is your sleep? too little? Or too much? Are you experiencing aches and pains? emotional highs and lows? Over eating? Poor nutrition? You may be experiencing an overwhelming amount of stress and anger. Pay attention..God may be telling you something through your physical state.

2. LISTEN TO YOUR SPOUSE

Husbands, wives; listen to your partners. God has a tendency to confirm his will through the accord of  a husband and wife. Usually the first person to know about, or suffer from, our faltering burn out state, is our spouse. People, put stock into what your partner says. They care about you, and God may be speaking through them about your condition.

3. LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS

This is along the same vein as listening to your spouse. Hopefully, as a pastor or christian worker, you have a group of people in your life who care about you, and have your best interest in mind. if you don’t have such a group, find one! Listen to them, be honest with them, and prayerfully consider what objective clues they can give you about the shape you are in.

4. FILL THE TANK

As ministers, you may be tempted to be a person who is always “pouring out” and not so much, “pouring in”. I cannot adequately stress the importance of refreshing yourself with Bible Study and meditation, prayer, worship, recreation and hobbies, expression, rest,  or continued education. There are so many great Christian books on leadership, ministry, family, finances, sex, health, and special interests. remember, you cannot give away, what you don’t have..

I hope these things help. Feel free to comment if there is anything you may want to add to this list..