The Genocide You Never Hear About...

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”

John 15:18-21

Let My People Think

The Lord grabbed my heart today as I was listening to a podcast by Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist. You can find it here. More information on Ravi and his ministry is here. I will tell you I think very highly of this brother and have learned a great deal from him.

In it, Ravi mentioned two things. First, he discussed a book, World Christian Trends AD 30 – AD 2200 by David Barrett and Todd Johnson of the Center for Study of Global Christianity. Written in 2001, this book outlined trends in martyrdom, including the fact that 70 million Christians have been killed for their faith since AD 30—45 million in the 20^th Century. They projected that 100,000 would be killed per year by 2012, but the actual total is 130,000-160,000. That works out to one of our brothers and sisters being killed every five minutes!

Second, Ravi mentioned a Newsweek article from last February. It is titled “The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World,” and it discusses the extreme persecution of Christians in majority-Muslim countries around the world. Interestingly enough, the author is an atheist from Somalia, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. For such an article to be written by an atheist, especially in a not-so-conservative magazine gives you an idea of the situation facing many believers around the world.

The Church Under Persecution

Jesus said persecution would be a fact of life for His followers. That doesn’t mean it’s what He wants; it’s simply a reality since the church is in direct opposition the world. The more I see Jesus Christ as He is, the more my heart breaks for my brothers and sisters facing persecution. We’re part of the same body! We are one with them! As Paul said, if one part of the body suffers, we all suffer (whether we know it or not).

Please take a moment to listen to the podcast (the portion I mentioned starts around 5:24 and is less than five minutes long) and read the article. And please pray for the church around the world. If you’re interested in something you can do to help, here are a couple of organizations we support that are already at work among the persecuted church:

http://www.worldvision.org/

http://www.gfa.org/

For my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world,

Ryan

A Case Study on Abiding

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:4-7

As I mentioned in the previous post, it’s been a busy few weeks thanks to some training at work. I’ve still been in town, but for the last five-and-a-half weeks I’ve been in Airman Leadership School. That’s where the Air Force teaches us how to be non-commissioned officers. It ended up being pretty busy. We spent 7am to 4:30pm in classes, and then we had 3-4 hours of homework to do in the evening. Combine that with still trying to be a husband, a dad, and a Cub Scout leader, and I had some pretty long days.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m getting old. In college I could pull off short nights without a problem. I’d stay up until 2am and do what it took to get my work done. Now? I can hardly make it past 11pm. I just plain didn’t have enough in the tank to complete everything, and I realized this pretty early on in the class.

So what did I do? I started praying. I asked the Lord on a regular basis to take care of the things I needed to do, everything from specific assignments to waking up in the morning to situations with other people. The sense I had all the way through was that I was simply along for the ride, that Christ was my life and my strength. Thinking about that passage in John 15, I would have withered had I not abided in Him. Apart from Christ I could do nothing.

But with Christ? I could seriously ask whatever I wished, and it was done for me. He was incredible all the way through, so much so that I received the highest award in the class at the end. I don’t say that to brag; I say that to tell you how amazing Jesus Christ is. He kept me going when I didn’t have anything left. And I wasn’t in some sort of super-spiritual mode, either; at times I felt I was hanging on by a thread and cried out in my desperation. But He was always there, and literally every time I asked for something, He gave it.

I pray that you will see Jesus Christ as He is: faithful when we’re not, sustaining us when we have nothing left in ourselves, and generous to give even more than we ask. The last six weeks weren’t the most difficult situation any of us have been in, but they were a picture for me of what happens when we abide in Him. Abide in Him as He abides in you, for apart from Him you can do nothing.

Grace,

Ryan

Things to Come

Greetings all,

Sorry for the two month gap. Most of that was swallowed up by some training I had for work. The last five and a half weeks were nutty! But I'm back at it now. Here's a look at some upcoming topics:

- my experience with the Lord over the last six weeks
- a look at some misconceptions about the Lord's Supper
- the cross, the atonement, and what Jesus Christ accomplished
- what the New Testament says about how to interpret the Old Testament
- the story of the woman at the well in John 4
- how my kids got their names

Please check back soon! I should have something new up by the end of the weekend. And since this is a post about what's coming next, here is a tune appropriate for the occasion:



In Christ,
Ryan

Life in the Body: Reality or Just Words?

***Sorry this wasn't posted earlier! I thought I'd posted it last Friday, but evidently my internet connection didn't cooperate.***

In the previous posts in this series I’ve spoken about some ideas that, if taken seriously, call for a radically different church life than what most of us have known. It’s easy to give lip-service to some of these ideas, but it’s another matter entirely for them to be lived out. Take a look at this article by Jamal Jivanjee, a friend of a friend. He takes a look at this very topic of rhetoric in the body of Christ—saying one thing without necessarily living it out.

Most Christians want to live according to what they say. They want their words and their life to match, and Jesus calls us to this way of living. Usually this is applied to things like not lying, following through on what you say you’ll do, etc. But sometimes larger, over-arching statements escape the same scrutiny. So before you decide you’re on board with some of the things the Lord has given me to share, consider what they really mean.

Jesus Christ is the center of all things

This encompasses not only His Lordship, but His Headship as well. Jesus Christ is Lord of all creation and Lord of our lives. Most churches would acknowledge that this is true. But He is also head of the church, an idea that doesn’t get as much play.

Church activities and meetings are often the product of business-style planning meetings and strategic vision sessions instead of being borne out of Christ Himself. If we truly believe Jesus is central, we can’t organize things on our own and ask Him to bless them. We must give Him His proper place as head of the church. We must allow Him to have His way, even if that means fewer people joining us (which it often does).

We are inseparably identified with Jesus Christ

This means that when Father looks at us, He sees His Son in whom he is well-pleased. His love for us is the same love that He has for Christ. He doesn’t just put up with us because He has to; He actually likes us, loves us, and wants to be with us.

Most preachers use guilt and shame to motivate Christians to live the lives they’re supposed to live. “God’s good, you’re not, so try harder.” This turns in to a treadmill of religious performance, a constant attempt to earn God’s favor. But we are one with Christ! He loves us and has already given us all things in Him. We have nothing to earn, we have only to receive what He has given.

Many times I hear the phrase “God loves you, but…” Many folks feel the need to put a qualifier on His love, thinking that it will give us license to sin. But there is no “but” in God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. And the reality is that His love, when we receive it and allow it to have its full effect, leads us to repentance and a godly life. Will we only speak of the love of God? Or will we actually live like it’s a reality?

Every member of the body of Christ is important

In many Christian groups this idea is stated, but meetings are structured in a way that undermines the idea. Some are gifted in preaching and teaching, some are gifted in music, but ALL in the body have something to contribute to its building up. Meetings look radically different when all members have not only the opportunity to speak as Christ leads them, but also been equipped to actually do so. Will we continue to allow meetings to be dominated by a few, or will we unshackle our Lord so that He can reveal Himself in and through all members of His body?

An important question

So what will you do? Will you only give lip-service to these ideas? Or will you live in the reality of what it means to be in Christ? Will you do you part to allow Jesus Christ to be seen as He is?

In Christ,
Ryan

Pulling Out the Rug

Over the last several years I have been influenced by several brothers in Christ that I have never met. I want to take a moment to mention three of them. Please understand that this is not a blanket endorsement of everything they say or believe. I have yet to meet another believer with whom I would agree on everything. Nevertheless, they have been a revelation of Jesus Christ to me. I can confidently say that each of these men knows Jesus deeply and walks in His love and grace.

Wayne Jacobsen

Wayne speaks of Jesus Christ in a way that was new and earth-shattering to me when I first heard him in 2007. Quite simply, the Lord worked through Wayne to reveal His love for me as I’d never seen it before. He also was able to help me distinguish between church style and a religious mindset. A religious mindset, serving God out of a sense of duty or obligation, cuts across all church styles and absolutely kills the life of Jesus Christ. Wayne eloquently an graciously speaks of freedom from a life of religious performance and living in relationship with a Father who loves us.

Frank Viola

I was first introduced to Frank’s writings on the church. His books Pagan Christianity? and Reimagining Church present a radically different picture of the church than what most of us know (one that is truly rooted in the scriptures. But the most influential book I’ve ever read is his From Eternity to Here. In it, Frank writes about the eternal purpose of God that is wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. My  understanding of the person of Jesus and His centrality in all things has been deepened by the words of this brother.

Darin Hufford

Darin is a bit of a wild card. :) Listen to a podcast and you'll see what I mean. He is brother who wears his heart on his sleeve. He lives life as he is in Christ, without an ounce of pretense. And the Lord has given him great insight into the scriptures, particularly in his book The Misunderstood God.

I highly encourage you to take a look at some of the things these brothers have written (links are on the right. I listen to their podcasts regularly while I run and also read their blogs…or at least I have up to now…

Pulling Out the Rug

Something intriguing has happened this week. Monday Frank Viola announced he was taking a blog sabbatical. Tuesday I found out that Darin Hufford is hospitalized with a serious illness (please pray for him). And just tonight I learned that Wayne Jacobsen is taking a break from his podcast. In the span of four days there has been a significant change in the ease of access I have to the thoughts of these brothers that have influenced me so greatly.

I take this as the Lord speaking something to me. I've never felt that I was dependent upon these men for my spiritual life and growth, but maybe I am. Or maybe He wants to take this opportunity to quiet these voices so I can hear His voice more clearly. Who knows? But I’m all ears, Lord.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on this. Be on the lookout for the fifth post in the Life In the Body series next week.

In Christ,

Ryan

Life In the Body: The Ministry of Silly Walks

This post will discuss a topic that is one of the closest to my heart. I am as passionate about this matter as I am almost anything else, and it is a passion that I believe is very near to the heart of God. What would I choose to introduce something I take so seriously? A Monty Python skit, of course! Please take a moment watch at least the first minute of the video. You should get the gist of it by then.

Pretty ridiculous, right? Anyone can recognize the abnormal way that the men in the video walk around. But did you know that this is a picture of the current state of the body of Jesus Christ?

Overfunctioning

There are two aspects of the walk of the minister in the clip that I want to draw out. First, certain parts of his body are overfunctioning. His legs flail about, he has extremely odd extra arm motions, sometimes he bends over midstride…these overfunctioning parts of the body garner the most attention.

Much of the American church is set up in a manner that encourages overfunctioning. One brother or sister spends 20 to 45 minutes speaking to everyone else, sharing their interpretation, insights and experience in living the Christian life. Maybe a few more will take part in performing songs for others to hear, but less than 10 percent of the body will actively participate in the meeting.

On occasion this can be fine. But when only a few members of the body actively contribute to a meeting on a regular basis, those members are overfunctioning. They may be very sincere, and they may bless others with the things they share, but they are doing a disproportionate amount of ministry in the body of Christ.

Underfunctioning

The second aspect of this is a corollary of the first. While some parts of the silly walks minister’s body are overfunctioning, others are underfunctioning. Take a look at his arms throughout the video. Often they are straight at his sides instead of swinging in a normal pattern.

It is the same in the body of Christ. While some members do too much, others do little or nothing. Much of this is the product of conditioning. When you’re used to showing up for a “service” and having everything done by someone else, falling into passivity is only natural. In some cases you’re even told what to do all along the way, including when to sit or stand and what to say. You are programmed to underfunction!

Just as in our human bodies, when portions of the body of Jesus Christ are unused or underused, atrophy occurs. As I discussed in the previous post, every part of the body of Christ is important. He lives in each of us, and He has made each of us an integral part of the corporate display of His body. When we underfunction we neglect the portion of Jesus Christ within us, and we contribute just as much to the “ministry of silly walks” as one who overfunctions.

Proper Function

Paul describes the proper function of the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 11-14, but I want to highlight one very practical verse:

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” 1 Cor 14:26

When the body of Christ gathers, each one is to bring something to build up the other members. As you can see from Paul’s list, there is a wide range of things that may contribute to this. One may have a song that they’ve had in mind recently. Another may have learned a lesson from how they have seen Christ at work in or around them. Another may have something from the scriptures to share. And on and on…

But we are not bringing something just to bring something. We are sharing what we have received from Christ Himself. As we grow into the Head, which is Christ, He works through the whole body makes the whole body grow. It is not us who share, but Jesus Christ sharing Himself through us. We were not brought into Jesus Christ to receive from others at a weekly “service,” but to serve one another as Christ serves.

This means not just showing up for a gathering, but taking time outside of a meeting to 1) receive from the Lord in your own life; 2) take time before a meeting to ask Him what He has to say to the body through you; and 3) listen to Him during a gathering to know if and when He wants to speak. Having something to share does not mean you have to share it. He may even bring to mind something to mind in the moment for you to share. He speaks in real time when we are together, and He will lead us together into what He wants to say and do.

What About You?

Here are some questions I invite you to consider. They may be piercing as you consider them, but I believe they are vitally important to Jesus Christ truly being seen as He is. If you’re comfortable, please share your responses in the comments section; and please expound on them beyond a simple yes or no.

1.       Do you tend to overfunction or underfunction?

2.       When you gather with the body of Christ, do you bring something that you have received from Him? Do you spend time with Him outside of meetings to hear what He has for your brothers and sisters?

3.       Do you believe that Jesus Christ wants to work through you to build up His body?

4.       During meetings, do you feel Jesus Christ urging you to share? How do you respond?

For the full expression of Jesus Christ,

Ryan

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Other posts in this series:

Life In the Body: Displaying Christ

Life in the Body: The Center of All Things

Life in the Body: Our Identity

Life In the Body: Displaying Christ

In the last post of this series I mentioned that there are radical implications stemming from our corporate identity in Jesus Christ. Just what are those implications? Let’s take a look at some of them in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

The Fullness of Jesus Christ

“And he put all things under his feet and gave him [Christ] as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:22-23

An earlier blog post took a look at the biblical meaning of ‘the fullness.’ The fullness of God the Father, all that He is, was pleased to dwell in Jesus Christ (Colossians1:19). All that Father is can be clearly seen in Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus could say that we had seen the Father if we had seen Him.

In the same way, Paul says that the fullness of Jesus Christ is in His body, the church. All of Christ, all that He is, can be clearly seen in the church. In a very real sense, brothers and sisters, we are Jesus Christ in the world! God has set it up so that, while He is visible in each of us individually, the fullness of Him is seen in all of us together. We were not made to be loners. We were made to be together, that our Lord might be seen as He is.

Mature Manhood

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” Ephesians 4:11-13

Much attention is given in the church to some of the gifts Paul mentions here, particularly shepherding (pastoring). But the goal for these gifted brothers and sisters is not to dominate the meetings of the church. It is to build up the body until all attain mature manhood, the stature of the fullness of Christ. There is more to this maturity than just living a holy personal life. There is more to maturity than sharing Christ with unbelievers. Paul expands on his point a few verses later:

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:15-16

The whole body is connected with Christ, and Christ works in the whole body to make it grow. He speaks to and through each of us, not just for each of us individually, but for the church as a whole. Every part of the body is important! YOU are an essential part of Jesus Christ revealing Himself in and through the church!

What a blessing and an encouragement it is to me to know that Christ works in and through me to build up His body. And the same is true for you!  It’s not just for one or two gifted brothers and sisters to share Christ, it’s for all of us. May Jesus Christ have the freedom in each of us to express Himself the way He wants, and may we learn day by day how to take part in what He’s doing.

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Other posts in this series:

Life in the Body: The Center of All Things

Life in the Body: Our Identity