How Do I... ?
By Wayne Jacobsen BodyLife • March 2010
How do I...?" Probably 80% of the questions I get begin with those three little words. I shudder now when I hear them, though I don't always show it. Believe me, I understand well enough. It used to be three of my favorite words, too.
How do I get the relationship with Jesus I want?
How do I find other like-hearted believers near me?
How do I get my spouse to see what I want him or her to see?
How do I get my book published, find an agent, or launch a bestseller?
How do I find my ministry?
How do I start a house church?
How do I find an audience for the things I want to share?
The list goes on and on. But I must warn you at the outset that similar questions asked of Jesus didn't get the answer most were looking for. This article probably won't either because the question itself beginswith the wrong focus. It already buys into the lie that if we don't have something we want, there must besomething we can do to get it.
We've been pressed by four thousand years of religious indoctrination into that conclusion. The life you want is a few good decisions and a lot of hard work away. Fifty years of self-help books have underlined that same self-deifying approach. Give me three steps, five rules or eight keys and I can do it. Except wecan't, and when our efforts fail we only have ourselves to blame with some form of, "I didn't do enough, I didn't do it right, or I didn't have the right steps." Thus we are left to either find better answers or workeven harder.
Now I'm not saying hard work won't be rewarded in this temporal world. It will--much more than lying on a couch hoping to win the lottery. But in the kingdom of God human effort and our confidence in it are two of the greatest obstacles to living in his joy.
Religious lie #212 is, "If we won't, he can't," and it underlies so many of the ways we motivate people and make them feel responsible. While that may lead people to work hard to do something great for God it only leads to the disillusioned hopes of self-effort, especially when we think ourselves successful.
Jesus described a very different Father, one who was working every day in the world inviting us to come alongside him. That's how Jesus lived. He watched what his Father was doing and joined him there. Pauladmonished us to do the same. "Watch what God does, and then you do it." (Ephesians 5:1, The Message)
One of the signs of his working in us to take us beyond the good intentions and failed hopes of religion is that we are no longer concerned with doing things for God, and instead learn to do things with him. And that begins with the simplest of opportunities.
Hounded by Luke 14
I've slaved under the lie of self-effort and the frustration it engenders for most of my spiritual life and when you combine that with spiritual passion, the results are disastrous. It wasn't that God didn't try to warn me, but that his nudges were not nearly as compelling as the internal drive to climb the ladders that would make me feel more significant and important than others around me. There was so much God wanted me to do for him, or so I had convinced myself. Looking back, it's hard to imagine that I didn't even notice that the things I thought God wanted of me and the things that would make me successful and important were synonymous. That should have been my first clue.
God wanted me to write and teach, and I needed an ever-expanding audience to validate that calling and the truth of what I was sharing. I was so driven to find myself an audience worthy of my imagined calling and spent endless nights in frustration and anger that God wouldn't bless my efforts the way I thought he should or that others wouldn't help me the way I thought I needed. Oh, how naive I was.
During this season of my life I had a number of people approach me saying they had a Scripture on their heart for me. After three or four times over a period of five years, I would just look at them and say, "Luke14." Their eyes would get wide and I knew I was right. "The story about the banquet," I'd add and they would nod with a bewildering look on their face. "You're not the first," I'd reassure them.
The story is found in Luke 14:7-11. Jesus attends a Sabbath feast and notices how everyone comes into the room jockeying for the most honored seats. He warns them not to. Better to take the last place and be invited up, rather than presume the honored one and have to be moved down. He finishes with one of hisfavorite lines, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted.
Over a twenty-year period in my life I had different people bring up this story at least a dozen times. Each time grew more frustrating, as I wondered why I hadn't yet learned whatever lesson he wanted me toknow. Just how humble do you have to be to merit a wide-ranging ministry? But that really wasn't the point of the parable or what God wanted me to know. Whenever we set ourselves to be honored above others, or promote our own influence, people only become a tool to ourown ends and real life and real love cease. Why did God bring this story to be so many times? I find that he confirms in extraordinary ways the lessons we have the hardest time learning, and this one answers the how-do-I question better than any other I know.
The Fight For the Top
They came into the party with their eyes glued on the head-table. Who wouldn't? Banquets are designed to draw attention to the front of the room and celebrate the most-honored guests. And few people walk in without wishing they could have that place of honor so that others would know how important they are.
If you're talented enough, or have the right contacts, you can claw your way to the top at someone else's expense, but Jesus warned us here that the wake-up call from our contrived posturing will be painful indeed for those who think of themselves more highly than they ought to think.
Celebrity is one of the sickest realities of the human family--we stratify ourselves in terms of perceived relative value usually based on someone's talent, looks, or success, and then believe the lie. Those who sitat the head of the table bask in the perception of their own self-importance, and those who don't wish they were. Jesus let his disciples know that his kingdom works very differently. He was confronting fallen humanity's need to find our significance in comparison to others. It is a trap, and all the better if you get there and still believe the lie.
And yet, there is a dysfunctional drive in broken humanity, especially those with creative gifts, to be the next celebrity. You see it at American Idol auditions and hear it in the voices of would-be artists and authors. They think all their dreams will be fulfilled if someone will just "discover them" and offer them the platform they haven't found for themselves.
But it is often true that those who make such big jumps often get twisted by them, and end up crushing others when their influence exceeds their personal character. Perhaps that's what Paul meant when he warned us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, whether we aspire to a place of influence or already have it and think it gives us a place above others. Do you know how many people approach me, certain that my work with The Shack proves I have the key or the audience to promote their project into the stratosphere? What happened there was the result of three men God brought together along with a lifetime of experiences, pain, work, and relationships to do something that was beyond each of us.
We didn't have a formula to work then and we don't now. We learned that God opens doors as he desires.To be honest, that whole project was far more fun and far more impacting when we'd only sold a few thousand and people felt like they had stumbled upon a hidden treasure. The bigger it got the less it seemed to impact the people reading it. The book became the star instead of the God we wanted people to engage through the book.
Head Table Wannabes
They are not hard to recognize. They always draw attention to themselves, and scheme for favors to advance their ministry. Most of the ones I meet really think this is what God wants for them. I did too. But that still makes you a user. Their friendships last only as long as the benefit they derive and they easily discard people when their benefit is used up. Those who make it into the limelight become quite different people, enamored with themselves and their famous friends. They treat common people as if they are beneath them and if anyone challenges them, they counter with whispered accusations, or cutting off the relationship altogether.
Interestingly enough, the men and women I know in the world who most live loved by Father and demonstrate that love to others around them, are not household names nor are they people who seek the stage. Most have not written books, nor are they frustrated with the sphere of their sphere of influence God has given them. But they have more impact on the world around them than those with more recognizable names and larger platforms.
I wonder if that is why Jesus never wrote his own book, or started an organization? He knew the limitations of both and that they would distract from his real mission of shaping lives to live loved by the Father. He would rather have left the world with a hundred and twenty men and women on the road to living loved than anything else he could think of.
But what I don't wonder about any more is what table I'd prefer to sit at. I've sat at head tables. They are false space indeed. There's not much real conversation there, since people are facing away from each other in more ways than one. Those people are caught up in appearances and posturing and making the next connection to advance their own agendas. That's why I don't think Jesus' point was to take the last place as a way to get to what you think is first place. Maybe his point was that the last place in a room is really the best place to enjoy him and love others in a way that is meaningful and transforming. Maybe that is why he washed the disciples feet as the greatest demonstration of his affection for them, and encouraged them to do the same.
The Organic Growth of Service
I don't know of a story that better answers all of our how-to questions. How do I find relationship, fellowship, or an outlet for my creative expression? Instead of looking for what we don't have, Luke 14 invites us into the space of responding to God's working right where we are. Rather than having to make something happen by our own wisdom or ingenuity, the path to God's life comes by loving the people he has already put before us, applying our gifts to their needs. I'm convinced that will create opportunity enough for whatever God wants to give us and what he desires us to share with us.
Most of our how-to questions focus on our abilities, wisdom, or connections and trying to find what we don't have, rather than allowing us to live freely in what God has already given. It's easy to miss his gentle nudges when we're more focused on our desires or ministry. He knows how to draw us into relationship with him and, it's not by following someone else's steps.
And He knows how to connect us with others near where we live. Most think they have to find an existing group of like-minded people. While that is a wonderful gift if you come across one, it doesn't often happen. What if you just began to love the people that God has already put around your life--neighbors, co-workers, other parents at your children's activities, and even strangers who might cross our paths on a given day? Caring about them would lead to conversations and conversations to relationships and you would soon find yourself a caring part of people's lives instead of attending a group.
As for ministry, trust that the slow reality of organic growth has far more value in this kingdom than flash-in-the-pan promotion the world exalts. As you simply do what God puts before you and let him beconcerned with how far it travels and whom it touches. If your life is encouraging others on this journey,opportunities will come to share that with others. But keep your eyes focused where it counts the most, not on high-visibility opportunities, but occasions to help others. Serving them, rather than getting others to serve you, will open more real doors than the false promises of hype and promotion. It probably won't be as fast as you want, but it will be real and your focus will be more on the people you're touching than the "ministry" you want to grow.
In the Scriptures we read about a God that transforms over time--of a seed growing into a plant, of Abraham wrestling with the promise of a son for 25 years before Sarah got pregnant, of Jesus spending 30 years as a carpenter before he ever performed a miracle, or Paul, the former Pharisee, sorting out whoGod was over 17 years in a wilderness before he ever taught anyone else. Why, then, do we keep looking to build a name for ourselves or create a following others will notice?
God is less interested in helping you reach a place of honor, as he is teaching us how to honor the people he has already placed around you.
Live, Love and Listen
I often meet people who want to live the way I do, writing and traveling to encourage others on this journey. I get that. I love living where God has placed me, but most have a distorted view of what that is. They don't see the cost and pain that underlies a lot of my journey, or the constant barrage of those who want to use me for their own purposes. And most have no idea that what I live now I did not find by my own scheming, but unfolded organically over years of simply following the gentle nudges on my heart where the consequences were unseen and the impact seemingly insignificant. In the end, we are only asked to follow him, not to build an audience or to produce our own transformation.
I wrote my first book, The Naked Church, back in 1987. That book was not successful by any publishing standards, and I was incredibly frustrated at the time that that book didn't have the sales arc of a bestseller. I wrote it to change the course of Christianity in the west and it failed that hope. In spite of my distorted agenda, however, God knew how to take it to all the places he wanted to take it. I still get email from people who were deeply touched by that book way back then, some of them in very remote corners of the planet.
I look back now grateful for what God did with that book, knowing that if it had fulfilled what I wanted at the time, I might well have been destroyed in the process. I now know what those emotions preyed on and if God had satisfied them then, I am fairly certain I would not be on the road I am today. And I wouldn't trade this road for any other. And so much of what I'm a part of today spilled out of that little book and the unintended consequences of it.
Whenever you are frustrated at God for not opening better doors for you, that might be a sign that you're focused at the wrong doors. I have come to trust the organic growth of simple relationships over the substitutes of self-promotion, manipulation and begging favors from others.
So how do you find ministry, find fellowship or live transformed? Simply accept the invitation to live deeply in him, love those around you the way you are coming to understand how he loves you, and then simply listen when he nudges your heart. If you live in that space you will find his power transforming you, his Spirit connecting you to others and everything he wants to do in you will be fulfilled by him.
That's what Jesus wanted his disciples to know. If they had set out to change the world, they would have failed miserably, lost in their own ingenuity and wisdom to accomplish so large a task. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest acts of giving or receiving makeyou a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." (Matthew 10:41-42, The Message) Jesus knew the most amazing things could begin with a cup of cold water.
© Copyright 2010 Lifestream Ministries
Permission is hereby granted to anyone wishing to make copies for free distribution.
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Spirit of Mammon (Money)
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:24
ALL organized Christian churches require money to exist. In fact, they close down when the money dries up. In other words, money is their master. And Yeshua said you can't serve 2 masters.
Meanwhile, the gospel of the kingdom of God requires no money to advance within our world.
ALL organized Christian churches require money to exist. In fact, they close down when the money dries up. In other words, money is their master. And Yeshua said you can't serve 2 masters.
Meanwhile, the gospel of the kingdom of God requires no money to advance within our world.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
3 Views of Following Yeshua
These 3 status updates were on my facebook page. I thought the varying perspectives were interesting. Can you guess which one I posted?
Yeshua told his disciples that if they wanted to be great in the kingdom they needed to be a servant. How did people understand the role of a servant in that time? They were typically unnoticed and were seen as little more than a useful piece of furniture.
THINKING ABOUT YOU,ITS ALL ABOUT YOU.YOU HAVE BEEN PREDESTINED TO BE GREAT AND SO YOU ARE...YOU HAVE PREDESTINED TO BE THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH,YOU HAVE PREDESTINED TO THE THRONE,YOU HAVE BEEN PREDISTINED TO RULE FOREVER....AND SO YOU ARE AS THE WORD HAS SAID,HALLELUJAH JESUS
This is the hour that all Apostles and Prophets, Pastors and other leaders are being tested to reveal their motives and the authenticity of their message. Many will be found wanting, but to those who embrace the central message of Jesus, they will come into the most productive time of ministry in their lives.
Yeshua told his disciples that if they wanted to be great in the kingdom they needed to be a servant. How did people understand the role of a servant in that time? They were typically unnoticed and were seen as little more than a useful piece of furniture.
THINKING ABOUT YOU,ITS ALL ABOUT YOU.YOU HAVE BEEN PREDESTINED TO BE GREAT AND SO YOU ARE...YOU HAVE PREDESTINED TO BE THE SON OF THE MOST HIGH,YOU HAVE PREDESTINED TO THE THRONE,YOU HAVE BEEN PREDISTINED TO RULE FOREVER....AND SO YOU ARE AS THE WORD HAS SAID,HALLELUJAH JESUS
This is the hour that all Apostles and Prophets, Pastors and other leaders are being tested to reveal their motives and the authenticity of their message. Many will be found wanting, but to those who embrace the central message of Jesus, they will come into the most productive time of ministry in their lives.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Your Help Is Needed
In my musings, ramblings, bashings, thrashing, and jousting with windmills I found myself longing for something practical, touchable, perhaps even real. It's not hard to read this blog and discover that I find little, maybe nothing from my church past that is endearing to me. I don't mean the people stuff, I mean the system stuff. Good things have happened, miraculous things have happened but they were invariably in spite of rather than because of the system of churchianity that I was "saved" into.
I'm looking at finances in the kingdom these days and I'm appalled at the prevailing mindsets of sucking the life out of God's people to erect an edifice of brick and mortar, whose only purpose is to make a name for someone's ego. I'm thoroughly tired of people thinking they need to line themselves up to look at the back of their friend's head and proposing that this is the life in the kingdom that Yeshua died to give us. And then I run into these following two contrasts of how we are to handle finances in the kingdom. Enough of my little rant you can decide for yourself what message seems more like what Yeshua would want for you.
I have a friend who's been a traveling evangelist for years and is now starting a church about 30 minutes from me in a small town. Here's something he posted on Facebook.
Just received a pledge for $250.00 for chairs. Only 35 more to go! This will be the only time that members of ***** church will be allowed to sit with no action!! Souls, Souls, Souls. We will then get off our seats and hit the streets!
This next fragment of a letter comes from a financial letter that I subscribe to.
But first, and far more important, is the tragedy that is unfolding in Haiti. Long-time readers know that several times a year I mention in this letter my very good friend Walt Ratterman, who volunteers his time going all over the world to install solar-power systems for hospitals and clinics, along with other relief efforts. My readers have been very generous over the years to Knightsbridge and their relief efforts. Walt and other members of Knightsbridge literally go into places where if they were caught by the government they would simply be shot (as in Burma). In Afghanistan, before our troops went in, the Taliban put a very hefty price on his head as he brought food and medicine to the northern tribes. Pakistan, Sudan, Darfur, Sri Lanka after the tsunami, in rebel-held territory, to bring medicine when no one else could get through - the hell-holes of the world. He and I talk frequently about the wisdom of taking such risks, and he cheerfully replies that someone has to. There are people dying.
Back to me. I know Haiti has captured the world's attention with a devastation that leaves us all dumbfounded. And I hear from people all over the world living in impoverished situations that we wouldn't tolerate for our dogs, saying let's help Haiti. But even while people rally around Haiti, I am aware of the fact that 17,000 kids die of hunger/malnutrition every day. Because this devastation is spread out all over the world, it is easy to adopt the "out of sight/out of mind" philosophy.
It's not that churches have not fulfilled the kingdom mandate of equality, it is that Christians choose every week to give to themselves, thinking God in heaven must be thoroughly impressed with our worship of 3 songs, a prayer and a story.
I'm looking at finances in the kingdom these days and I'm appalled at the prevailing mindsets of sucking the life out of God's people to erect an edifice of brick and mortar, whose only purpose is to make a name for someone's ego. I'm thoroughly tired of people thinking they need to line themselves up to look at the back of their friend's head and proposing that this is the life in the kingdom that Yeshua died to give us. And then I run into these following two contrasts of how we are to handle finances in the kingdom. Enough of my little rant you can decide for yourself what message seems more like what Yeshua would want for you.
I have a friend who's been a traveling evangelist for years and is now starting a church about 30 minutes from me in a small town. Here's something he posted on Facebook.
Just received a pledge for $250.00 for chairs. Only 35 more to go! This will be the only time that members of ***** church will be allowed to sit with no action!! Souls, Souls, Souls. We will then get off our seats and hit the streets!
This next fragment of a letter comes from a financial letter that I subscribe to.
But first, and far more important, is the tragedy that is unfolding in Haiti. Long-time readers know that several times a year I mention in this letter my very good friend Walt Ratterman, who volunteers his time going all over the world to install solar-power systems for hospitals and clinics, along with other relief efforts. My readers have been very generous over the years to Knightsbridge and their relief efforts. Walt and other members of Knightsbridge literally go into places where if they were caught by the government they would simply be shot (as in Burma). In Afghanistan, before our troops went in, the Taliban put a very hefty price on his head as he brought food and medicine to the northern tribes. Pakistan, Sudan, Darfur, Sri Lanka after the tsunami, in rebel-held territory, to bring medicine when no one else could get through - the hell-holes of the world. He and I talk frequently about the wisdom of taking such risks, and he cheerfully replies that someone has to. There are people dying.
Back to me. I know Haiti has captured the world's attention with a devastation that leaves us all dumbfounded. And I hear from people all over the world living in impoverished situations that we wouldn't tolerate for our dogs, saying let's help Haiti. But even while people rally around Haiti, I am aware of the fact that 17,000 kids die of hunger/malnutrition every day. Because this devastation is spread out all over the world, it is easy to adopt the "out of sight/out of mind" philosophy.
It's not that churches have not fulfilled the kingdom mandate of equality, it is that Christians choose every week to give to themselves, thinking God in heaven must be thoroughly impressed with our worship of 3 songs, a prayer and a story.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Evangelism -- It's Not What I Was Taught
I've written before about the tyranny of evangelism and all the angst that seems to be out there amongst Christians. If you want to get a Christian to lower their head in shame, just ask them who they "witnessed" to this week?
But Yeshua gave a very simple command about how we are to witness to being His disciples. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34,35
So....I think the idea is that those on the outside are supposed to ask how do we get in on this radical love you guys have. I'm not saying we don't have an answer but isn't the timing supposed to come when they ask the question? Isn't this what Peter said?
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
1 Peter 3:15-17.
This is what Peter did when it came to finally going to a gentile by the name of Cornelius. In essence, Cornelius asked and Peter answered.
Whew, no more pressure about needing to witness. All we have to do is love one another and do something decent for others. While we're having a good time, once and awhile somebody's going to want to get in on the party. How cool is that?
But Yeshua gave a very simple command about how we are to witness to being His disciples. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34,35
So....I think the idea is that those on the outside are supposed to ask how do we get in on this radical love you guys have. I'm not saying we don't have an answer but isn't the timing supposed to come when they ask the question? Isn't this what Peter said?
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
1 Peter 3:15-17.
This is what Peter did when it came to finally going to a gentile by the name of Cornelius. In essence, Cornelius asked and Peter answered.
Whew, no more pressure about needing to witness. All we have to do is love one another and do something decent for others. While we're having a good time, once and awhile somebody's going to want to get in on the party. How cool is that?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Sunday Sermon--Resilient as...
As part of the reformation, there was a significant amount of energy spent in denouncing some man made religious practices that were contrary to Biblical teachings, the most abhorrent being the selling of indulgences: for the right price any sin could be forgiven. The other was the veneration of idols in the image of saints. Those who chose to dismantle those forms of religious gobbledy gook were called iconoclasts and often pointed to the idea of “Sola Scriptura”, ie. the Bible alone should be our only means of determining our beliefs and practices.
Tucked neatly away from the onslaught of dismantling “traditions of man” was the highly valued Sunday sermon. After all, it is rather difficult to denounce the Sunday sermon, by using a sermon to do so. To be fair, there weren't a heck of a lot of options for people to have a chance to hear someone's interpretation of the word. It was virtually impossible for them to read the word as it was so closely guarded by the religious elite. The fear of course was that if people actually knew what was in the word their power base would disappear.
The challenge today is that sermons are not inherently evil and from time to time do serve a purpose. What isn't necessarily useful is creating a religious dependence, especially to the Sunday sermon, that lends itself so easily to becoming an idol in our lives: both for the hearer and the preacher. Add to that, the very real possibility of it being an obstacle to having a meaningful discussion with a non-believer or ex-church goer and it might not even be a kingdom principle. Yikes!!!
Of all Christian practices the Sunday sermon has been placed in a unique position. It is something that is almost always “sold” with no one questioning this practice. Rarely would a person “preach” and not get a salary or an honorarium for doing so. The term honorarium might even have its roots in the religious interpretation of 1 Timothy 5:17 "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." It would have been difficult to gather enough people around him to make a living since there were no church buildings and groups were limited in size to what a house could handle. I doubt if 10-20 people would have thought it was their responsibility to pay for an elder to teach them. (NB: If double honor meant money, I am not aware of any church models that pay ALL of their elders.)
One could volunteer in a myriad of volunteer positions and not expect to receive any monetary compensation. You could literally give 10+ hours a week looking after youth programs, bus ministry, worship leading, teaching Sunday school, caring in the nursery, working on the streets with the homeless, ushering, cell group leader, etc., etc., and not expect or even want payment. You might even be insulted if payment was offered. After all these things are meant to be a gift in appreciation for the gift that Yeshua has so lovingly given.
But when it comes to the value that we place on sermons, and even more pointedly the Sunday sermon, “where our treasure is…”, comes to mind. Buildings are literally built with the express purpose of honoring the place of the sermon. The Bible itself does not even have that much honor given to it. Sure Jesus said some great things but without His words being spoken on Sunday morning, what value do they actually have? Some people can go all week without thinking twice about something Yeshua said, but miss Sunday, only when hell freezes over.
Literally, billions of dollars have been given to the prominence of the Sunday sermon. Just think, sermons are preached every week in places of comfort and even grand design, with the full knowledge by both listeners and preacher that a child dies every 5 seconds of hunger/malnutrition. Ironically, the sermon could even be about caring for widows and orphans.
Most people have not stopped to consider that a sermon is simply a lecture: a method of communicating some information. In that sense, it is no different than a book, an article in a newspaper, a news report on radio, tv or the internet or a recording of some kind. We are comfortable with the medium because our school system taught us to be good listeners. And for those that didn’t like the lecture method in schools, well it’s only an hour each week, and isn’t our Lord worth at least that much of a sacrifice?
What is actually quite odd about this particular methodology is how ineffective it actually is in terms of effectively teaching something. According to David Sousa, How the Brain Learns (2006), determined what we retain after 24 hours of a teaching episode. The findings:
5% of lecture
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both see and hear
70% of what we discuss with others
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we teach to someone else
The book of Hebrews would seem to indicate that all Christians should attain a level of maturity that comes through teaching and not just being listeners. “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.” Hebrews 5:12 Without any scientific study it seems that it was well known 2,000 years ago that maturity came by being the teacher.
But since the methodology of preaching sermons is so highly regarded as THE “best” way of teaching and this method doesn’t lend itself to the “many” becoming teachers, we end up with preachers who truly know a lot, (teaching really is a fantastic way to learn something) constantly taking centre stage. The result of course is that everyone else feels inadequate to teach and thus ends up simply quoting the preacher. If they want someone to know something the preferred methodology is to take that person to hear a sermon. It doesn’t even matter if the sermon is not pertinent to the individual’s circumstances. That’s the best that could be hoped for. Why take on the responsibility of being accountable for what you taught? It goes without saying that no one can do it as well as the professional preacher. Practice does work.
What is even more remarkable is that we have no Biblical records of the type of preaching that is prevalent today. There’s an Old Testament law that is very insightful as to what needs to be emphasized in the lives of God’s people.
"Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing." Deut. 31:11
It would seem the value wasn’t placed on the hearing of the Law, although that was required to make sure the priests didn't run amuk but rather the value was on putting into practice what was heard. Ironically, even this value got twisted by the Pharisees who put more value on their interpretations than on the actual scriptures. Sound familiar?
Yeshua's longest recorded teaching is the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7 (15 minutes) and typically he spoke from 1-5 minutes in real life settings, homes, on the street, etc. (And yes, He did teach from a boat to a crowd on the shore). He often didn't even use scripture but rather told stories and parables. If preachers did that today, they would get fired in a heartbeat. And a lot of His teaching was to correct the faulty interpretations that had been forced on the people. It’s ironic that preachers manage to take a one-minute story from Yeshua like the prodigal son and turn it into a 30-45 minute sermon in order to emphasize their interpretation. And they never even realize that the setting that these stories were spoken in were as important to the message as the story itself.
The challenge with the acceptance of the Sunday sermon as a core religious activity is that it tends to produce passive listeners who are like lambs to the slaughter. There is little/no allowance for discussion and to openly disagree is seen as insidious rebellion. At that point the sermon is no longer in the category of a method but is now an icon with all of the appropriate worship that icons deserve. I mean, I know couples that could have a rip snortin "discussion" on the way to the Sunday sermon, smile beatifically during the sermon, and carry on with the "discussion" when they got back in their car. Maybe not you, but been there, done that. I know families that have been ripped apart over allegiance to the Sunday sermon. If that ain't idolatry, I don't know what is.
When the printing press was invented it was thought by some that the gap between the laity and clergy would have been obliterated, for everyone would be able to read the Word for themselves and have no need of someone teaching them. The resiliency of the Sunday sermon has managed quite nicely to repel that naïve thinking, with dusty Bibles paying hommage to its power.
Today, there is a new battle brewing over the widely accepted need for the Sunday sermon. It actually started a number of years ago with television preachers. They were relegated to Sunday morning shutins, but the VCR managed to make them available anytime. And the need is growing less and less through the wonder of the internet: podcasts, live streaming, facebook, blogs and free downloads of the best preaching of the past century. They can even choose a topic that is of personal interest to them. Hmmm, that would be a novel idea. People are no longer trapped in isolation and can no longer be so easily manipulated about its value. Well, some people anyways.
However, it does have something going for it that the average method doesn’t and this cannot be easily dismissed: religion has managed to deceive people for millennia and it is rare, if not impossible for the emperor’s new clothes to be exposed within the confines of any religious system. There are some very wonderful men and women of God that have dedicated their lives to its ongoing welfare. For without it, it will be difficult to get people to follow their vision and people will be hard pressed to pay for their services without the weekly reminder of how necessary they are. They do the work of listening to the Holy Spirit, they don't want to burden everyone with that particular chore. It really is difficult to get someone to understand something when their job depends on not understanding it.
Has the Sunday sermon produced some good things? Sure. Has it produced some hearers and not doers of the word? Sure. A bible in a hotel room has produced some good things as well. People are funny in that they will give the Sunday sermon credit for producing the good things but will blame the listeners or even the preacher if something bad is produced. What's even crazier is that the listeners often show up looking for answers to specific questions and no sermon can possibly satisfy every question at one time. Perhaps that's what keeps people coming back, maybe in a year their question will be answered.
Thank goodness their personal history will not alter the intent of the preacher's interpretation and cause some silent misunderstanding to take place. Thankfully, they nor the preacher would even know that miscommunication had actually happened. There is no need for messy dialogue and clarification in order to enjoy the sermon. You know the stuff that makes relationships happen. What an incredible time saver.
Are there any scriptural precedents for the centrality and iconic value of the Sunday sermon. NO! None, 0, nada. If we were to try to answer the question of "why" do we need a Sunday sermon, even the famed and oft quoted "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together" is not referring to the Sunday sermon. When asked what does the previous verse say, people usually glaze over even though it is this verse that gives the reason for getting together. "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Heb. 10:24
Could a church group survive without the Sunday sermon? My guess is that the group would not consider the question. Their identity is as wrapped up in the ritual as they are in Yeshua. And perhaps even Yeshua would take second place.
The one thing that the Sunday sermon is very good at is getting people to come back to listen to another one next week. This is in spite of the fact that they usually can’t remember past Sunday dinner what had been spoken that morning. Talk about resilient. This thing will give a cockroach a run for its money.
Tucked neatly away from the onslaught of dismantling “traditions of man” was the highly valued Sunday sermon. After all, it is rather difficult to denounce the Sunday sermon, by using a sermon to do so. To be fair, there weren't a heck of a lot of options for people to have a chance to hear someone's interpretation of the word. It was virtually impossible for them to read the word as it was so closely guarded by the religious elite. The fear of course was that if people actually knew what was in the word their power base would disappear.
The challenge today is that sermons are not inherently evil and from time to time do serve a purpose. What isn't necessarily useful is creating a religious dependence, especially to the Sunday sermon, that lends itself so easily to becoming an idol in our lives: both for the hearer and the preacher. Add to that, the very real possibility of it being an obstacle to having a meaningful discussion with a non-believer or ex-church goer and it might not even be a kingdom principle. Yikes!!!
Of all Christian practices the Sunday sermon has been placed in a unique position. It is something that is almost always “sold” with no one questioning this practice. Rarely would a person “preach” and not get a salary or an honorarium for doing so. The term honorarium might even have its roots in the religious interpretation of 1 Timothy 5:17 "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." It would have been difficult to gather enough people around him to make a living since there were no church buildings and groups were limited in size to what a house could handle. I doubt if 10-20 people would have thought it was their responsibility to pay for an elder to teach them. (NB: If double honor meant money, I am not aware of any church models that pay ALL of their elders.)
One could volunteer in a myriad of volunteer positions and not expect to receive any monetary compensation. You could literally give 10+ hours a week looking after youth programs, bus ministry, worship leading, teaching Sunday school, caring in the nursery, working on the streets with the homeless, ushering, cell group leader, etc., etc., and not expect or even want payment. You might even be insulted if payment was offered. After all these things are meant to be a gift in appreciation for the gift that Yeshua has so lovingly given.
But when it comes to the value that we place on sermons, and even more pointedly the Sunday sermon, “where our treasure is…”, comes to mind. Buildings are literally built with the express purpose of honoring the place of the sermon. The Bible itself does not even have that much honor given to it. Sure Jesus said some great things but without His words being spoken on Sunday morning, what value do they actually have? Some people can go all week without thinking twice about something Yeshua said, but miss Sunday, only when hell freezes over.
Literally, billions of dollars have been given to the prominence of the Sunday sermon. Just think, sermons are preached every week in places of comfort and even grand design, with the full knowledge by both listeners and preacher that a child dies every 5 seconds of hunger/malnutrition. Ironically, the sermon could even be about caring for widows and orphans.
Most people have not stopped to consider that a sermon is simply a lecture: a method of communicating some information. In that sense, it is no different than a book, an article in a newspaper, a news report on radio, tv or the internet or a recording of some kind. We are comfortable with the medium because our school system taught us to be good listeners. And for those that didn’t like the lecture method in schools, well it’s only an hour each week, and isn’t our Lord worth at least that much of a sacrifice?
What is actually quite odd about this particular methodology is how ineffective it actually is in terms of effectively teaching something. According to David Sousa, How the Brain Learns (2006), determined what we retain after 24 hours of a teaching episode. The findings:
5% of lecture
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both see and hear
70% of what we discuss with others
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we teach to someone else
The book of Hebrews would seem to indicate that all Christians should attain a level of maturity that comes through teaching and not just being listeners. “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.” Hebrews 5:12 Without any scientific study it seems that it was well known 2,000 years ago that maturity came by being the teacher.
But since the methodology of preaching sermons is so highly regarded as THE “best” way of teaching and this method doesn’t lend itself to the “many” becoming teachers, we end up with preachers who truly know a lot, (teaching really is a fantastic way to learn something) constantly taking centre stage. The result of course is that everyone else feels inadequate to teach and thus ends up simply quoting the preacher. If they want someone to know something the preferred methodology is to take that person to hear a sermon. It doesn’t even matter if the sermon is not pertinent to the individual’s circumstances. That’s the best that could be hoped for. Why take on the responsibility of being accountable for what you taught? It goes without saying that no one can do it as well as the professional preacher. Practice does work.
What is even more remarkable is that we have no Biblical records of the type of preaching that is prevalent today. There’s an Old Testament law that is very insightful as to what needs to be emphasized in the lives of God’s people.
"Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing." Deut. 31:11
It would seem the value wasn’t placed on the hearing of the Law, although that was required to make sure the priests didn't run amuk but rather the value was on putting into practice what was heard. Ironically, even this value got twisted by the Pharisees who put more value on their interpretations than on the actual scriptures. Sound familiar?
Yeshua's longest recorded teaching is the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7 (15 minutes) and typically he spoke from 1-5 minutes in real life settings, homes, on the street, etc. (And yes, He did teach from a boat to a crowd on the shore). He often didn't even use scripture but rather told stories and parables. If preachers did that today, they would get fired in a heartbeat. And a lot of His teaching was to correct the faulty interpretations that had been forced on the people. It’s ironic that preachers manage to take a one-minute story from Yeshua like the prodigal son and turn it into a 30-45 minute sermon in order to emphasize their interpretation. And they never even realize that the setting that these stories were spoken in were as important to the message as the story itself.
The challenge with the acceptance of the Sunday sermon as a core religious activity is that it tends to produce passive listeners who are like lambs to the slaughter. There is little/no allowance for discussion and to openly disagree is seen as insidious rebellion. At that point the sermon is no longer in the category of a method but is now an icon with all of the appropriate worship that icons deserve. I mean, I know couples that could have a rip snortin "discussion" on the way to the Sunday sermon, smile beatifically during the sermon, and carry on with the "discussion" when they got back in their car. Maybe not you, but been there, done that. I know families that have been ripped apart over allegiance to the Sunday sermon. If that ain't idolatry, I don't know what is.
When the printing press was invented it was thought by some that the gap between the laity and clergy would have been obliterated, for everyone would be able to read the Word for themselves and have no need of someone teaching them. The resiliency of the Sunday sermon has managed quite nicely to repel that naïve thinking, with dusty Bibles paying hommage to its power.
Today, there is a new battle brewing over the widely accepted need for the Sunday sermon. It actually started a number of years ago with television preachers. They were relegated to Sunday morning shutins, but the VCR managed to make them available anytime. And the need is growing less and less through the wonder of the internet: podcasts, live streaming, facebook, blogs and free downloads of the best preaching of the past century. They can even choose a topic that is of personal interest to them. Hmmm, that would be a novel idea. People are no longer trapped in isolation and can no longer be so easily manipulated about its value. Well, some people anyways.
However, it does have something going for it that the average method doesn’t and this cannot be easily dismissed: religion has managed to deceive people for millennia and it is rare, if not impossible for the emperor’s new clothes to be exposed within the confines of any religious system. There are some very wonderful men and women of God that have dedicated their lives to its ongoing welfare. For without it, it will be difficult to get people to follow their vision and people will be hard pressed to pay for their services without the weekly reminder of how necessary they are. They do the work of listening to the Holy Spirit, they don't want to burden everyone with that particular chore. It really is difficult to get someone to understand something when their job depends on not understanding it.
Has the Sunday sermon produced some good things? Sure. Has it produced some hearers and not doers of the word? Sure. A bible in a hotel room has produced some good things as well. People are funny in that they will give the Sunday sermon credit for producing the good things but will blame the listeners or even the preacher if something bad is produced. What's even crazier is that the listeners often show up looking for answers to specific questions and no sermon can possibly satisfy every question at one time. Perhaps that's what keeps people coming back, maybe in a year their question will be answered.
Thank goodness their personal history will not alter the intent of the preacher's interpretation and cause some silent misunderstanding to take place. Thankfully, they nor the preacher would even know that miscommunication had actually happened. There is no need for messy dialogue and clarification in order to enjoy the sermon. You know the stuff that makes relationships happen. What an incredible time saver.
Are there any scriptural precedents for the centrality and iconic value of the Sunday sermon. NO! None, 0, nada. If we were to try to answer the question of "why" do we need a Sunday sermon, even the famed and oft quoted "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together" is not referring to the Sunday sermon. When asked what does the previous verse say, people usually glaze over even though it is this verse that gives the reason for getting together. "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Heb. 10:24
Could a church group survive without the Sunday sermon? My guess is that the group would not consider the question. Their identity is as wrapped up in the ritual as they are in Yeshua. And perhaps even Yeshua would take second place.
The one thing that the Sunday sermon is very good at is getting people to come back to listen to another one next week. This is in spite of the fact that they usually can’t remember past Sunday dinner what had been spoken that morning. Talk about resilient. This thing will give a cockroach a run for its money.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Was Yeshua a Great Leader?
When I think of Yeshua and leadership, I am more than a little mystified. By any standard, modern or historical, He was just awful.
For the first 30 years he was just a good, oldest son. No one knew of his remarkable qualities. It seems that the only thing on his resume was that he was well liked.
When he finally did get around to doing something, he went and hid in the desert for 40 days.
He gathered up the most common of men to hang out with. He was supported by a group of women.
His followers loved him and hated him, often within minutes of these two opposites.
He didn’t have anyone write anything down. His closest friends didn’t think to write anything about him for at least 20 years after he was gone.
He talked a lot about his relationship with his father.
They only thing that really seemed to matter to him was building friendships with some very unlikely men and women. Even then, his most ridiculous teaching came in the form of washing their feet.
Even today, people don’t put much thought into his model of building friendships.
When he died his closest friends abandoned him. He was such a poor leader that if he hadn’t risen from the dead those closest to him would simply have gone fishing for the rest of their lives.
People seem to really miss the point when they talk more about his miracles and teachings rather than the startling fact that his entire plan for mankind hinged on the friendships that he had developed over the course of three years.
Would you have entrusted the destiny of the world to the likes of a Thomas or a Peter or a Martha?
For the first 30 years he was just a good, oldest son. No one knew of his remarkable qualities. It seems that the only thing on his resume was that he was well liked.
When he finally did get around to doing something, he went and hid in the desert for 40 days.
He gathered up the most common of men to hang out with. He was supported by a group of women.
His followers loved him and hated him, often within minutes of these two opposites.
He didn’t have anyone write anything down. His closest friends didn’t think to write anything about him for at least 20 years after he was gone.
He talked a lot about his relationship with his father.
They only thing that really seemed to matter to him was building friendships with some very unlikely men and women. Even then, his most ridiculous teaching came in the form of washing their feet.
Even today, people don’t put much thought into his model of building friendships.
When he died his closest friends abandoned him. He was such a poor leader that if he hadn’t risen from the dead those closest to him would simply have gone fishing for the rest of their lives.
People seem to really miss the point when they talk more about his miracles and teachings rather than the startling fact that his entire plan for mankind hinged on the friendships that he had developed over the course of three years.
Would you have entrusted the destiny of the world to the likes of a Thomas or a Peter or a Martha?
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