Accountability
ACCOUNTABILITY
A member of a certain church, whopreviously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a fewweeks, the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The preacherfound the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reasonfor his preachers visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chairnear the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home but saidnothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames aroundthe burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs,carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of thehearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watchedall this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered anddiminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon itwas cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initialgreeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in themiddle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow,once more with the light andwarmth of the burning coals around it. As the preacher reached the door toleave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much foryour visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.'
We live in a world today, which tries to say toomuch with too little. Consequently, few listen.
Sometimes the best sermons are the ones leftunspoken.
The Lord is my Shepherd -----that's aRelationship!
I shall not want -----that's Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures----that's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters -----that'sRefreshment!
He restoreth my soul ----- that's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness--that's Guidance!
For His name sake ----- that's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of theshadow of death--that's Testing!
I will fear no evil ----- that's Protection!
For Thou art with me ----- that's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me -----that'sDiscipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presenceof mine enemies------that's Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil ----- that'sConsecration!
My cup runneth over ----- that's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all thedays of my life----that's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord-----that's Security!
Forever ----- that's Eternity!
Crazy Love
I am reading a book that was given to me for Christmas, Crazy Love, by Frances Chan. I will have to caution you when you read this book, be prepared to change your perspective. Be prepared to ask yourself if what you are doing is what God wants you to do- or does he want more from us. What should our relationship look like with God?
Do we want to have "God in a box?" or do we want to change our perspective and realize what we are here for on this earth?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ya12I036lg&hl=en&fs=1&w=425&h=344]
WORDLESS WEDNESDAY
Are we our brother's keepers?
1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"Acts 10
Cornelius Calls for Peter
4Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.
The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."
7When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter's Vision
9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
14"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
15The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."
21Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?"
22The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say."23Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Peter at Cornelius' House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. 24The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
27Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
30Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' 33So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
34Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47"Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Matthew 22:37-40 (NewInternational Version)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA&hl=en&fs=1&w=425&h=344]
37Jesusreplied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all yoursoul and with all your mind.'[a] 38This isthe first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40All theLaw and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
As I am walking out my faith and realizing that others are walking their faith out too, I was brought to some realizations about life, faith, and each and everyone of our journeys. As I had breakfast with a friend of mine, a brother in Christ this past week, we were talking about the difference between "sin" and what some of us deems as acceptable and others deem as completely reprehensible.
For instance, is it okay for us to look at pornography, to take our thoughts to areas of fantasy with another women who we may know or only see on the computer or in a movie or in a magazine? Is it okay to take that thought a little further? Do we think about that while we are with our wives? Do some of us just say to that brother who has a problem with the sins of the flesh, "that's okay, don't worry about it, we understand..." Or do we say, "STOP....FLEE.....RUN FROM THIS." In Mathew 5:27-28 we read what Jesus has to say about pornography: 27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[a] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
What about the guy who steals supplies from work, or cheats on his taxes, or has major credit debt, or yells at his wife, or has haughty (prideful) eyes? Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the LORD HATES, seven that are DETESTABLE to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." Put this into today's terms: 1) Pride & Arrogance 2) a lying tongue 3) gossip, ill will toward others 4) deceit and malice 5) fill in your weakness here 6) a liar 7) an angry man... Have any of these items stirred you up, or made you think or brought some discomfort into your life...well? If you can HONESTLY answer no to those seven things which God hates, then stop reading, however, if you have answered yes to any one of those things then please read on.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS? For starters read the Word. Find time to pray (pray all the time), find some quiet time to meditate and still yourself (Psalms 23). Find brothers who will hold you accountable- not brothers who will continue to enable you. Read the following 2 Chapters: Romans 12: (Living Sacrifices) 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love 9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Colossians 3 (New International Version) Rules for Holy Living 1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
So after I left breakfast with this brother I had said to him that as long as him and I are accountable to each other that he should continue to expect me to call him out on things that cause him to stumble. Yes, I will try and lift him up gently, but when there is no mercy in that sin which he has done, then, he should expect me to hold him accountable and not to enable him to do it again and again and again. Likewise, if my brothers, who hold me accountable, see some things not adding up, then they should call me out on the carpet as well.
Life is hard enough for us to try and do this on our own. Imagine what God could do with our lives if we took our faith to the next step: Letting go of our needs and our selfishness and letting Him move within us. Imagine what our families would see, imagine what church would look like, imagine what our work place would look like, imagine what our community would look like. Can you Imagine?
As James says faith without works is dead, then what other choice do we have. We need to take our old self out of the mix and put on the new self. Put on the ultimate gift of salvation and the spirit which he gave us to edify us and to nourish us and to intercede for us. Count on these things brothers and come along with us on this walk of faith.
And to my brother who raised that question to me about "sin" that is acceptable and sin that is reprehensible, THANK YOU! Thank you for showing me that there is no acceptable sin to God. He is a Holy God and he is not capable of sin. Therefore, if we do not know his son as Savior, then we are lost. BUT if we have accepted this gift, then it is up to us to become living sacrifices and to move to Holy Living.
So what are we waiting for? Let's take that walk in faith! Will any of you walk with me? Walk with other brothers?
Christianity 2.0.6: Breaking The Mold
In this post we will look at a new type of Christian that is popping up in many local churches and we will also begin to unpack the traits of these new type of Christians. Actually these Christians are not knew at all because I personally believe they emulate more the early "Followers of the Way."
First, I must address that many of these young Followers are currently frustrated with the current state of Christianity just like the outsiders but instead of leaving the church, they are trying to help the church evolve and in many instances, starting their own churches with great success.
Many of these young leaders and authors are facing great criticism from the traditional church goers as well as those who fear change in the church. The most common criticism I hear is that these young followers are not fully compliant with scripture and they are piece meal Christians. However, I would like to state what peter said in Acts 11:9.
"The voice spoke from heaven a second time, Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
We need to be very careful to critique peoples Spirituality and how they live it out, this is one of the main causes for many outsiders to leave the Church. It is possible that God is working in this person in other ways than what we may see or call traditional. I sure Martin Luther was called an unbiblical heretic at the time of the Reformation, but the people could not see God working in him.
However, we must be wise and discerning about these leaders but not judgmental. I am constantly frustrated by Christians who finally get a calling and the courage to act on that calling and then when they begin, they are ridiculed, criticized and crushed not by Satan, but by our very own in the Christian community.
Don't criticize those doing Gods work when we disagree with their style or approach.
Now lets look at the seven traits inherent to these Followers:
1. Intimate Worship and Relationship With God
These Followers believe in private and public worship almost daily. Not necessarily a formal worship service but a praise to God. When they worship, they are God focused.
This may seem rather trivial until you look at some statistics done again by the Barna Group.
According to a poll of Christians meeting the Born Again criteria:
- A majority said that formal church service is the only time they worship God
- 8 out of 10, DO NOT feel connected to God during worship
- Half of all believers say they have not felt connected with God in the last year.
- 25% say that when they worship, God is the primary beneficiary of the worship.
- Most say they are expecting something personally from the experience.
Now, please understand I love an entertaining service with great contemporary music, videos and powerpoint slides but the main focus has to be God focused not man focused. Read Worship Is Not For Our Entertainment for more insight.
2. Faith-Based Conversations
Followers share Gods love, share their experience and relationship with God in positive, compassionate ways to others. Their conduct in everyday life is an example oftheir faith.
Again, research shows:
- Most "Born Agains" will die without ever leading someone else to Christ.
- At any given time, they are not praying for the Salvation of a specific person.
- Most believe that since they are not lay people, they do not know enough, are they are not blessed with the gift of evangelism, it is not their responsibility.
A few years, I seriously considered going to seminary and becoming ordained, until I spoke with a Pastor. The pastor told me that I do not need to go to seminary to share God's word with others and many times having that title makes it harder to share with others because their defenses automatically go up. He told me that I do not need to be perfect, or have the bible memorized but simply to be passionate and share God's love in my unique way with as many people as possible.
3. Spiritual Friendships
Followers have spiritual friendships that involve accountability and mentorship. They consistently seek mentors and friendships that can help them grow spiritually, especially in ways that they are lacking.
You need multiple friends and mentors that are honest, accountable and willing to tell you when you are wrong. For over a year on Legacy Dad, Dante emailed me and constantly challenged me to move forward with this weblog. Not to mention, some other strong Christians who helped me and gave me greater clarity and vision for this ministry. (Thanks Peter B. and Tim K.)
Research shows that of "Born Agains":
- Only 1 in 6 - has a spiritual relationship that involves accountability.
- Any a majority said that significant choices in their life were most influenced by media, family and co-workers rather than teachings or advice from fellow Christians or mentors.
To recap, we have started to take a look at the traits of those Christians who are breaking the mold of the current state of Christianity and hoping to evolve the faith back to its roots. In the next post, The Real Legacy, we will unpack the final 4 traits and then further examine how this growing group of Christian followers views the Church.
Christianity 2.0.5: The Early Christian Movement
In order to get a grasp on where the Christian faith is currently and where we need to move to next, I think we must first examine our roots. I wanted to know if todays Christian movement matched that of the early followers.
Note that in the beginning, followers were not called Christians but "Followers of the Way." I will also use this term to describe the modern Christian believers who break the traditional mold and exhibit some of the traits of the early Christians. I believe the example being set by many of these "Followers" is the key to solving the Christianity problem discussed in the previous posts.
So what were early followers like?
Did they argue over doctrine? Did they have elaborate worship services? Did they bicker with other Christians over whose rituals were most biblical?
Not exactly. Look at a passage from Acts 2:42-47
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 4:31-35
"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."
So basically what I took from this was that the Early Followers:
Were devoted to following the teachings of Jesus
Had fellowship, worship and prayed together
Met together and had meals
Shared in their belongings, wealth and helped the needy.
They were one in heart and mind
Testified the resurrection of Jesus
And because of this, God added to their numbers daily.
I see nothing of telling people they are going to Hell, holding political rallies or judging and criticizing their peers?
I envision a movement of young Christians who are tired of the judgmental, hypocritical ways and want to move forward to bring Christianity back to its original roots. A Christianity that invites all people, helps all people and is the light of the earth.
A movement of people who are the first to lend a helping hand and who are slow to judge but quick to forgive and offer grace. A movement of people who live their faith by their daily actions and who are not afraid to proclaim they are Christians.
A movement of people who read the Bible daily with their families, who pray openly and honestly about all issues and make their faith in Jesus Christ the driving passion in their lives.
In the next post, Breaking The Mold, we will look at seven ways to move closer to this reality.
-Esse Quam Videri-