God's Economy

Several months ago as I was getting ready for our early Saturday morning men's Bible study, I was approached by a woman in need. This lady had come to help watch children that morning, and with some hesitation she confided in me that she was in a difficult place financially.  In fact, she told me that she didn't even have enough gas in the tank of her car to get back home.

I looked in my wallet, but didn't have any money with me (which my wife will tell you is not unusual -- she frequently gets annoyed with me for never having any cash!).  So, I approached my good friend Ben, explained the situation and asked if I could borrow $20.00. Ben, of course, gave me the money -- which I promptly gave to the lady in need.  (The church was also able to help in other ways later).

Well, within a relatively short period of time I had forgotten the entire encounter including, much to my later embarrassment, the fact that I owed Ben $20.00. Not that Ben cared.  I think he forgot about it as well.

So, about three or four months later this same woman approached me on a Sunday during our first service, but this time she was not asking for help. In fact just the opposite.  She thanked me for helping her out months earlier, told me she had been blessed recently and now wanted to pay the $20.00 back.  I, of course, told her I was more than happy for her to keep the money (after all, it was Ben's $20.00), but she insisted so I put the money in my back pocket intending to give it back to Ben when he arrived for the next service.

So, here is where it gets interesting.  The next service started and I was not able to find Ben right away.  For reasons I don't actually recall, I left service and went into the foyer.  At that point, I noticed a lady standing there who was not familiar to me, so I asked if there was anything I could help her with.

The lady told me that she had stopped by the church because she was having financial difficulties, and wanted to know if someone could just help her buy groceries.  Well, I didn't have any money in my wallet (imagine that). But, I did have $20.00 in my back pocket.  And so, I gave Ben's money away a second time!

Now, you can call all of this a coincidence if you like, but I personally think God had a purpose in all of this.  I think that God had something He wanted to say to everyone involved -- and maybe not even the same thing.  So, I have prayed about what it is that God wanted me to learn from this simple chain of events.

Maybe the obvious part of the lesson is that God really can be trusted to show up in our time of need.  In both cases, I know that twenty dollars was not going to solve the problem.  But, in both cases I also know that in that moment God gave each of those ladies hope -- reason to believe that at the end of the day He would take care of them.


Another lesson to be learned, I think, is that God is a great multiplier.  I was reminded that we rarely are able to see fully the repercussions of simple acts of kindness.  We know that Ben's twenty in effect became forty -- blessing two different people at two different times. And, who knows what happened to the twenty from there.

I have to admit that I struggle from time to time with the idea of God's blessing -- both receiving it and comprehending it.  I know that God desires to "prosper" us, but I have difficulty at times seeing that as including financial blessing -- although it clearly can. 


11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13.

It's not that I think by any means that God desires that everyone drive a Mercedes -- such a notion cannot hold up against either scripture or common experience.  Were it otherwise everyone would want to become Christian, and there would be no need for evangelism!

At the end of the day maybe it's as much as anything a matter of emphasis.  I think if we stay singularly focused on doing God's work He will take care of us financially -- but at the same time our finances will become less important to us.

God's economy is a funny thing.  And just like so many things in this world, God's way is just upside down from ours.

Favangelism

If you are a partner at Heartland Church I hope you caught Pastor Dusty's message last Sunday, which is the first in his "Gone Fishing" series.  If you don't attend HC or you missed last Sunday, this one is definitely worth listening to on the Podcast.  To make it easy for you, here is a link!  Gone Fishing (2-17-13)

Interestingly, earlier this week my friend and multi-media guru David Timmes sent me an article called "Facebook Evangelist" which got me thinking about some things.  Here is a link to that article in case you are interested.  Facebook Evangelist

The article begins with a story about how one woman's Facebook posts about the great things going on at her church actually attracted a couple of families to the church.  I guess these people read all these wonderful posts and decided that they needed to check out the church for themselves.  The article then goes on to describe a few simple ways to use Facebook or Twitter to attract people to your church.

Frankly, I am just not sure that Facebook really works all that well if your goal is to attract non-believers to your church.  I guess I am just a little skeptical that someone who doesn't have a relationship with Christ would get all that excited about anything going on at your church -- even if there are a lot of wonderful things happening.  On the other hand, I can definitely see the potential for you to draw people away from their churches if they see your posts and conclude that maybe your church is more exciting, vibrant or interesting than theirs.  But, that is not the goal of evangelism!

Having said that, I do think that Facebook can be an effective tool for evangelism.  While social media does have a certain impersonal element, it also expands both the number of people with whom we are able to interact and the time in which we are able to interact.  Believe me, there are plenty of people on Facebook at midnight every night of the week.

The one "tip" in the "Facebook Evangelist" article that makes sense to me is advice to be "real."  But, that is no different than how we should be in person.  To me being real means talking about God and what he has done in our lives in a natural, unforced way.  I have an old friend named Tim, who I have written about before, who is great at sharing Christ with others because to him sharing Christ is kind of like breathing.  He talks about Jesus as easily as he talks about sports or family or anything else he is interested in.

And, I think the way we share God on Facebook works best that same way.  If every one of your posts is a "God post" people probably won't take you all that seriously.  But if you mention God naturally as He comes up in your ordinary life, then I think people start to wonder if you really have something they don't -- and something that they really need.

The problem, of course, with being "real" is that it doesn't work very well if you "talk the talk" but don't "walk the walk."  As it says in the article, talking about Jesus and then sharing the picture of you at the bar on Saturday night pounding shots probably is not a great combination.  And, just to step on some toes, the problem is not combining the two parts of your life -- its being at the bar on Saturday pounding the shots in the first place.  Being "real" means having a real relationship with the Lord, and having a real relationship with the Lord means transformation in our lives.

Which leads me to my last point of concern about Facebook evangelism.  And, that is this -- I think the potential to turn people off from God and off from the church is equal to, if not greater than, the chances of drawing someone toward Christ through Facebook.  Like it or not, when we fly the flag of Jesus we are going to be, and should be, held to a higher standard.  We just won't be successful with Favangelism if we say one thing and do another.  If your Facebook is filled with bad jokes, political rhetoric, accounts of party night, and high scores on Bubble World, it may not be a very effective place for Favangelism.

God bless you today, and happy fishing!!

The Corruptible Church

During the time when I was trying to decide whether to get serious about my faith one of the more difficult obstacles for me was the history of corruption in the church in its various forms.  I just could not understand how God could allow His church to become corrupted as it has time and time again over the centuries.

To be sure, corruption of the church has come in many forms.  From the various abuses that led to the Protestant Revolution, to the scandal of sexual abuse that has plagued many churches in recent years, to doctrinal perversions that have come and gone through the ages, the church has from the beginning been infected with corruption and abuse.  

When you think about it, it should come as no great surprise that the church would encounter its share of problems.  Jesus warned us that false prophets would come.  Matthew 7:15.  In fact, Jesus warned us that those false prophets would perform miracles in His name.  Matthew 7:22.

Just as Jesus warned, from its earliest days the church was infiltrated with false teachers -- people bent on doing evil.  In his second letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul warned the church of the deceitful ones who had come into the church masquerading as servants of righteousness: 

^"12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³ For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

2 Corinthians 11:12-15.

Likewise, in his third letter John praised his friend Gaius for the love he extended to everyone, including itinerant preachers.  But at the same time, he condemned the evil displayed by Diotrephes, who apparently had a "successful" ministry but refused to welcome the brothers and always wanted to be first.  3 John 5-12.

I guess this problem has been on my mind a great deal lately because of the number of people I have encountered who have been subjected to "spiritual abuse" in the past.  Spiritual abuse, I suppose, can mean a number of different things.  But, here I am talking about a misuse of authority by church leaders that leads to emotional, spiritual or financial harm.

In some sense, this kind of corruption and abuse is the most dangerous.  It is not the kind of abuse that usually makes the newspapers.  It is pernicious -- subtle, gradual and often difficult to see until it is too late.  It is the kind of abuse that happens when church leaders forget about their original calling, and come to see church as being primarily about their own ambitions, power and even wealth.

Why does it happen?  Because of man's sinful nature.  Speaking of abuse in the context of indulgences, the Catholic Encyclopedia says this (which applies equally to every abuse and corruption in the church):

"But the explanation of this may be found in the abuses which unhappily have been associated with what is in itself a salutary practice. In this respect of course indulgences are not exceptional: no institution, however holy, has entirely escaped abuse through the malice or unworthiness of man. Even the Eucharist, as St. Paul declares, means an eating and drinking of judgment to the recipient who discerns not the body of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). And, as God's forbearance is constantly abused by those who relapse into sin, it is not surprising that the offer of pardon in the form of an indulgence should have led to evil practices."

In short, evil people will come into the church.  Given the fallen state of man, that is a fact we simply have to live with.  So, the question becomes how do we distinguish the wolves from the sheep?  Well, first it is not about effectiveness or miracles.  The wolves will do great things in the name of Jesus.  Rather, it is about the fruit.

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:15-23.

So, what then is good fruit?  Well, its certainly not perfection.  Nor is it a large following, successful book, powerful speaking or even leading many to Christ.  Rather, I think "good fruit" is primarily consistent evidence of love for God and love for other people.  After all, when you cut through everything what remains is faith, hope and love.  "But the greatest of these is love."  1 Corinthians 13:13.

There are many people I know who are turned off by "organized religion."  And, while I understand the frustrations that one can have because of the imperfect church, to me that is an incredibly sad thing.  I am grieved that people would avoid the church because of past hurts when a healthy church has so much to offer. 

I have seen so many great things happen in the imperfect church.  In fact, I cannot imagine going through life without the love and support of my church family -- imperfect though we may be.

^{God bless your church.}

Lent Anyone?

If you have ever attended Heartland Church it probably did not take long to realize that we are a fairly contemporary church.  There are a lot of things we don't do that were commonplace in the Episcopal Church where I grew up and in the Lutheran Church where Pam and I attended after we got married.  For example, we don't follow a liturgy, we don't take communion every Sunday, we don't have a processional and a recessional, and we don't formally observe Lent.  Hymns?  You can pretty much forget about it.

Some people have really strong feelings about this kind of stuff, I know.  And, on some level I get that. Traditions can be comforting.  Even now, after all these years, there is something about the familiarity of the liturgy that makes me feel at home.

On the other hand, traditions can lead to a certain staleness if we are not careful.  The words of the liturgy, for example, can lose their meaning if we just go through the motions -- repeating the words with no thought about their meaning or importance.

Where I get concerned is when our ideas about what church should be go from preferences to absolutes.  I get concerned when anyone thinks that there is only one right way to do church.

I honestly have not given a great deal of thought to the essentials of a church service, but it is obvious that there are some absolutes -- just like there are both disputable and indisputable doctrinal matters.  The "must haves" that come to mind are sound doctrine (teaching) and a genuine love of God and other people.  Maybe everything else is just window dressing.

Having said all that, a conversation I had today inspired me to give some thought to Lent -- which begins this Wednesday.  If you are not familiar with the specifics of Lent, the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday (which this year is February 12) and lasts for 40 days. The forty days of Lent recall the 40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness after his baptism and just before his public ministry (Matthew 4:2, Luke 4:1-2) and perhaps Moses' 40 day fast on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28). It is a time of simplicity and preparation.

Lent, of course, is the period leading to Easter, and traditionally is a time of prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial.  It is often a time of fasting and a time to simplify life.  Ultimately, perhaps, the purpose of all of this is to help us to stop being distracted by the worries of life and to focus on the one thing that truly matters -- Jesus.  It is a period of time as we approach Easter to contemplate what Jesus did for us on the Cross.

So, while we will not be formally celebrating Lent at Heartland Church, I think that this year I will resolve to use the next forty days to fast, to simplify and to focus on the one who died for me -- the one who died for you too.  I just don't see how you can go wrong devoting any period of time to that.    

Free Will

Why do you think it is that God puts us in charge of our own eternal destiny? 

We are not in charge of being born, but we are given the choice of where to spend eternity.  Why would He do this when He knows we're made with limited understanding, doubt, susceptibility to Satan's lies, human ignorance, and pride? 

He knows our human frailties and limitations. Sometimes I think He's given us too much power in this choice....this free will. Free will seems more like a trick, or a test, than a "gift" as we evangelicals like to think of it.

Some time ago a good friend asked me the questions posed above.  I have had the good intention of blogging on the question since it was raised, but I never seemed to find either the right time or the time necessary to give the question the thought it deserves.  So, I will continue to ponder this myself and one day hope to offer up a few thoughts on the subject.

But, in the meantime, recent events have brought the issue to the surface again.  And, I thought I would share some of my wife's thoughts on the subject.  Its what might be called the "mechanical dog theory."  If you haven't read my most recent blog, you might look at that first to put this in context.  So here we go:

"I don't want you to think God had anything to with what happened to Ron. It's a little bit complicated to explain in some ways, but pretty simple in some ways also. The short version is that God gave us each free will, to do with as we choose. His ultimate hope is that we will use this gift of free will to CHOOSE HIM as the center of our lives and not only develop a personal relationship with God, but also use our time here to demonstrate through our own actions His love for all people. 

This is the path Ron chose, and this is why he was so loved by so many and why his presence here will be so missed. He reflected God's love and gave it freely to those around him. But that same gift of free will allows us the option to go in the opposite direction and choose to do evil instead of good. When people choose to do evil it is, unfortunately, not always only themselves that they choose to hurt. The man who killed Ron did an evil thing and, even though Ron was innocent, it was he who paid the price for that man's evil act. We can see evidence all throughout the world (today and throughout recorded history) of innocent people suffering because of the evil perpetrated by others. 

Why does God let this happen? I don't understand myself exactly why He doesn't always intervene on behalf of the innocent, when we do see that he sometimes does exactly that. I do know that if God intervened every time, it would mean that he had removed the gift of free will from us. 

Why is it important to God that we have free will, even when we use it to do evil and hurt those he loves? Because He ultimately wanted us NOT to be the equivalent of robotic pets, programmed to follow Him without question. Because what value is there in that for Him? He wants us to CHOOSE to reciprocate His love, because when we choose Him of our own free will, the relationship becomes a REAL relationship.  (Maybe a small example would be the difference we would feel in the relationship with our pets if they were robotic, like smart phones, and programmed to run and greet us at the door with great affection whenever we came into the house. How satisfying would that really be in comparison with a live, slobbery pet exhibiting genuine love and unbridled happiness because we are near?) 

That's what God wants from us. In order to have the relationship be REAL, in order for our choice to be genuine, He has to take the chance that we will reject Him. And to make it all the harder, Satan is always here, working on us relentlessly, feeding us lies to get us to disbelieve in, or reject, God. (But even when we do reject Him, God never gives up on us. He comes after us time after time, never giving up hope that we will eventually realize who He is and how much He loves each of us. )"

My wife is pretty smart.

Blessings my friends.

Ron

I must say from the outset that I have agonized a bit about whether to write this blog.  There are many people who were much closer to Ron than I and who, therefore, are far better suited to speak to the essence of the man.  However, this morning my brother Gerry asked me if I intended to write a blog about Ron and, when I voiced my reservations, he urged me to do so.

Those of you who attended La Serna High School know all too well what I am talking about.  But, for the rest of you, let me fill you in a little.

This last Monday a friend who I have known since elementary school was shot and killed.  While the circumstances of Ron's death are horrific, compounding the senselessness of the crime is that fact that Ron was universally loved and admired.

I cannot say exactly when Ron entered my consciousness, although I know it was during elementary school.  I can also say that (and please don't think this is a recurring theme with me) Ron and I did not immediately start off as friends.  My small group of friends and I were at the time keenly interested in a group of little girls in our sixth grade class (now, of course, all women in their fifties) and we perceived Ron and his friends as being our rivals for the affections of these young ladies.

It seems like Ron in particular was the object of our attention, probably because he was also perceived as the most likely of the rival boys to successfully derail our inept efforts at puppy love.  In retrospect, it is not at all clear that Ron felt the same level of competition -- or indeed understood why there was any competition at all.  I have a distinct memory of Ron asking one day point blank why we did not get along.  He seemed genuinely perplexed.

In any event, the perceived rivalry limped along through the sixth grade and then disappeared in the wake a new reality called junior high.

I would be surprised if there was anyone in my high school class who didn't know Ron -- and admire him.  Ron was brilliant, witty, charming, talented ....  But, for me, it was mostly about the music.  Ron loved Rock and Roll, and he loved to sing.  He could have been a great front man.

I don't really remember how our group got started, but my fondest memories of Ron came in the countless hours we spent playing music together.  My recollection is that our first session took place in the family room at my parents' house.  I didn't have much experience with the electric guitar that first day, and I showed up with a $50 guitar that belonged to my brother Gerry and a small practice amp.  I couldn't even hear myself play.  Present that afternoon were Ron, Mark Rayman, Marty Kams, John Goulding and myself.

Shortly after that I decided to invest in a real guitar, and Ron suggested that we needed to trek out to West Los Angeles to his favorite music store.  No Guitar Center in those days.  We were all unduly impressed when the salesman told us that Garth Hudson of The Band had been in the day before and bought two Fender Rhodes pianos.  So, I ended up plopping down every penny I had on a 1979 Gibson "The Paul" -- the perfect guitar for someone who wanted great sound but couldn't afford the real thing -- a Les Paul.  That guitar still hangs on my wall to this day.

Ron was our undisputed leader and front man.  He came up with a varied and slightly weird set, which included "She's The One" (Bruce Springsteen), "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan -- but with more of the Clapton groove), "Don't Do Me Like That" (Tom Petty), "Jack Straw" (Grateful Dead), "Johnny B Goode" (Chuck Berry) and "Mannish Boy" (Muddy Waters).  We also did a Stones tune -- I want to say "Jumpin' Jack Flash" -- which is where Ron really shined.  He had the Jagger moves down.

After that first day we didn't play at my parents' house very often.  But I do remember setting up in my garage one day to rehearse for a party.  My Dad, who had never heard us play before, walked by and gave us a rather skeptical look as we were setting up.  He came by a little while later just as we were launching into Johnny B Goode.  Uncharacteristically, Dad stopped and rocked out while Ron belted out the lyrics.  I think Dad was pretty shocked by what he heard -- in a good way!

We were not a terribly disciplined group, although we usually got through the entire set at least once when we got together.  But, inevitably someone would launch into a simple chord progression of some kind and Ron would go freestyle -- making up the lyrics as he went.  This could go on for what sometimes seemed like hours -- and we came to expect anything to come out of Ron's mouth -- except the expected.  In one moment Ron would be profound and poetic, and in the next his off the cuff lyrics could be so funny that it became nearly impossible to keep playing.  I wish we had recorded some of those sessions  -- and then again maybe not!

Ron was a great showman, and he never held back.  He had a commanding presence, and was just plain fun to watch.  But he was also a great encourager -- urging the rest of us to push our skills and was never critical -- even when I was stinking up the place.

I am not really sure why we stopped playing together.  I guess we were just overtaken by life.  Whatever it was, Marty and I went back to playing mostly folk rock and Ron and Mark struck out on their own.

Before the Facebook age I had lost touch with just about everyone I knew in high school -- a reality I now painfully regret.  Some people were no doubt better about staying in touch than others, and I was definitely on the wrong end of that spectrum.

And then, one day I was talking on the phone with my brother, and he said there was someone at his house who wanted to say hello.  And there, out of the blue, came the unmistakable voice of Ron Gilbert.  Ron, as it turned out, lived right across the street from Gerry.

Over the next several years I saw Ron from time-to-time when I was in Orange County visiting family, and Gerry would put him on the phone on those occasions when I happened to call when Ron and Gerry were together.  We would naturally reminisce, and talk about getting together with Mark and Marty and playing together again.  I know we weren't exactly The Eagles, but we had some great times and I really thought that one day we would have that opportunity.    

I have had the opportunity to communicate with some of Ron's closest friends from high school over the last few days, and join them and his family in mourning the loss of a great man.  Ron's passing is beyond comprehension for so many reasons, and I pray for God's peace to rest on all of us.

 

LA Times Article