Jesus Came to Show Us the Way, Not Give Us a Show

For most of my life I have had to tiptoe through a mine field known as Sunday morning worship. My mother and my sisters and I all sang in the church choir. Since I was a fairly good boy soprano, I was invited to join the adult choir when I was only 10 years old. At first that seemed like a high honor, but the luster of that honor began to fade when I realized that singing in the adult choir meant that I had to sit up straight and pretend to listen to the sermon. Yawning, talking and reading comic books were all forbidden. Sleeping was completely out of the question, except for my Dad who sat in a pew close to the front of the sanctuary with his back to the rest of the congregation. Only those of us in the choir loft could see that Dad's eyes were closed. One of my more painful childhood memories was the fear that my Dad would fall asleep and start snoring. The fear of Dad snoring, right there in front of God and everybody, caused me to pray with a sense of urgency that no 10 year old should have to pray with. Every Sunday Dad's head would begin to bob forward, but thanks to my fervent prayers, he never fell into a deep sleep. God answers prayer. Thanks be to God!

As a child, it didn't take long to figure out that worship was a staged performance for the benefit and enjoyment of the spectators in the pews. It honestly never occured to me that worship had much to do with God. It was something that musicians, liturgists and preachers did for the benefit of the congregation. Because of that, the worship experience must appeal to the tastes and earn the approval of the worshippers. This thinking was confirmed when I was a music major in college and took a job as the choir director of a large church in the suburbs of Philadelphia. One Sunday I brought the choir out of the choir loft and placed the singers around the sanctuary. I thought it was pretty cool until the music and worship committee reprimanded me and warned me to never try anything like that again. I foolishly defended my actions by saying, "I don't think Jesus would have minded." Bringing Jesus into the discussion infuriated the chairperson of the committee whose reply was swift and to the point, "Well mister, Jesus doesn't sign your pay checks." My thanks to Matt Redman for reminding us that worship isn't about us, it is all about Jesus. His song, The Heart of Worship challenges us to move beyond the mere repetition of rituals and invites us to press into the heart of Jesus. That is what's at The Heart of Worship:

When the music fades and all is stripped away

And I simply come

Longing just to bring

something that's of worth

That will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship

And it's all about You All about You, Jesus

I'm sorry, Lord, for the things I've made it

When it's all about You

All about You, Jesus

Woven together in Christ... In his book, Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Full Alive, John Eldredge includes a chapter on the importance of authentic, intimate community. Here is an excerpt from chapter 11 which he entitles Fellowships of the Heart. I've also created a link to chapter 11 in its entirety. Enjoy! -- Bob

(Excerpt from Waking the Dead... Fellowships of the Heart)
When he left Rivendell, Frodo didn’t head out with a thousand Elves. He had eight companions. Jesus didn’t march around backed by legions of angels, either. He had twelve men – knuckleheads, every last one of them, but they were a band of brothers. This is the way of the kingdom of God. Though we are part of a great company, we are meant to live in little platoons. The little companies we form must be small enough for each of the members to know one another as friends and allies. Is it possible for five thousand people who gather for an hour on a Sunday morning to know each other? Okay, how about five hundred? One hundred and eighty? It can’t be done. They can’t possibly be intimate allies. It might be fun and encouraging to celebrate with a big crowd of people, but who will fight for your heart?

Who will fight for your heart?

How can we offer the stream of counseling to one another, unless we actually know one another, know each other’s stories? The reason counseling became a hired relationship between two people was largely because we couldn’t find it anywhere else; we haven’t formed the sort of small fellowships that would allow the stream to flow quite naturally. Is it possible to offer rich and penetrating words to someone you barely know, in the lobby of your church, as you dash to pick up the kids? And what about warfare? Would you feel comfortable turning to the person in the pew next to you, and, as you pass the offering plate, ask them to bind a demon that is sitting on your head?

Where will you find the Four Streams?

The Four Streams are something we learn, and grow into, and offer one another, within a small fellowship. We hear each other’s stories. We discover each other’s glories. We learn to walk with God together. We pray for each other’s healing. We cover each other’s back. This small core fellowship is the essential ingredient for the Christian life. Jesus modeled it for us for a reason. Sure, he spoke to the masses. But he lived in a little platoon, a small fellowship of friends and allies. His followers took his example and lived this way, too. “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (2:46). “Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house” (1 Cor 16:19). “Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house” (Col 4:15).

Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, its how we think of it. “I go to First Baptist.” “We are members of St. Luke’s.” “Is it time to go to church?” Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all. When the Scripture talks about church, it means community. The little fellowships of the heart that are outposts of the kingdom. A shared life. They worship together, eat together, pray for one another, go on quests together. They hang out together, in each other’s homes. When Peter is sprung from prison, “he went to the house of Mary the mother of John…where many people had gathered and were praying” (Acts 12:12).

Anytime an army goes to war or an expedition takes to the field, it breaks down into little platoons and squads. And every chronicle of war or quest will tell you that the men and women who fought so bravely fought for each other. That’s where the acts of heroism and sacrifice take place, because that’s where the devotion is. You simply can’t be devoted to a mass of people; devotion takes place in small units, just like a family. How is it that we have come to be warehoused in Sunday services with people we do not really know, for an hour a week, separated the rest of our days of real living, and call that church? You might have a guess who pulled that off on us.

We have stopped short of being an organization; we are an organism instead, a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary. A group is the right size, I would guess, when each member can pray for every other member, individually and by name.

This is the wisdom of Brother Andrew, who smuggled Bibles into communist countries for decades. It’s the model, frankly, of the church in nearly every country but the U.S. Now, I’m not suggesting you don’t do whatever it is you do on Sunday mornings. I’m simply helping you accept reality – that whatever else you do, you must have a small fellowship to walk with you and fight with you and bandage your wounds. Remember: The path is narrow, and few find it. Few means small in number, as opposed to, say, massive. This is essential. This is what the Scriptures urge us to do. First. Foremost. Not as an addition to Sunday. Before anything else.

Here is the link to the entire chapter.

Our Quest for Authentic

Community

"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." -- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Several years ago the Gallup Poll organization asked Americans to reveal their greatest problem. Their answer might seem surprising: Our #1 problem is loneliness! How can that be? With cell phones, wireless Internet, chat rooms, My Space, You Tube and any number of other communication resources, you would think we are the least lonely, most connected society in civilization. Here's the problem... an experience of authentic community involves more than the sharing of information. Community isn't created by shared information but by making a heart connection with living, breathing people. Most of us aren't looking for an organization to join... most of us are searching for an organism to be joined to... "a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary," (Brother Andrew). Be honest. Don't you long to be joined to a living, loving, healing, helping, giving, growing organism? It is possible wherever two or three of us gather in Jesus' name. -- Bob

The Dome of the Rock is built right on top of one of the most hotly contested pieces of real estate on the face of the earth. The Muslems call is Mount Moriah. The Jews call it Mount Zion. The outcropping of rock under the dome is believed to be the site where Abraham offered to sacrific Isaac. It is a place of great historical significance to Jews, Christians and Muslems. The Muslems completed the Dome of the Rock in A.D. 691. According to their tradition, it was the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven. However, long before the Dome of the Rock was constructed Solomon's temple was built on that same rocky outcropping. Archeologists believe the rock was used to slaughter the animals for temple sacrifices. They point to channels that have been hewn into the rock to carry the blood of sacrifices away from the temple to a valley below the temple mount. Because of its historical significance, Muslems, Jews and Christian crusaders have fought over this rock for more than a thousand years. Ironically, the more these religious groups have fought over this sacred place, it has become less and less sacred. If you go there today, the temple mount is swarming with soldiers carrying machine guns.

Jesus made it clear that there is only one rock worth holding on to. He said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock," (Matthew 7:24). Rather than fighting to hold onto a piece of rock, let's build our lives on solid rock. There's only one way to do that: Hearing the words and doing the will of Jesus. Several years ago, Tony Campolo was invited to speak at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptists. At that time they were quite divided over what a proper Southern Baptist should believe about the authority of the Scriptures. Campolo said, "I don't know why you baptists are fighting over what you believe about the Bible when you don't do what the book says anyway!" Right on Tony! If people of faith would stop fighting over what we believe and start to actually put what we believe into practice, the world would be far less aflicted by the insanity of religious zealots. The ancient song writer wrote, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever." Trust in the Lord... that's where I'll try to make my stand... all other ground is sinking sand. -- Bob

WHAT DID JESUS SAY AND WHAT HE DID NOT SAY - Victor Choudhrie

• Jesus never asked you to worship only on Sundays. His disciples worshipped daily, broke bread from house to house and the Lord added to the church daily and the churches were planted daily. ( Acts 2: 46-47; 16: 5; Heb. 3: 13)

• Jesus did not say that you appoint qualified professional pastors. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to equip His church. (Eph. 4: 11-12)

• Jesus never said that only the pastors can serve bread and wine. Jesus served roast lamb, bread, bitter herb and wine for the last supper. Whenever His disciples gathered they shared Agape meals together in His remembrance. (Exo. 12: 8; 1 Cor. 11: 20-26)

• Jesus did not say that you should tithe. According to His teachings, the disciples opened their homes and shared their possessions with others so that no one lacked anything. (Acts 4: 32-34; Deut. 8: 17-18)

• Jesus did not ask you to build a church building. He said God does not live in houses made with human hands because the heaven is His throne and the earth is His foot stool. Now we are the temple of the living God. (Acts 7: 48-49; 2 Cor. 6: 16; 1 Cor. 3: 9)

• Jesus did not say that only the Pastors can baptize. Jesus said you go and make disciples and baptize them. (Matt. 28: 19)

• Jesus did not ask the pastor to bury. He said let the dead bury the dead, you go and raise the dead. (Luke 9: 60; Matt. 10: 8)

• Jesus did not ask you to follow the church program. He said follow me and I will make you fishers of men. He did not ask you to send believers to Sunday service or the Bible school. He said send the laborers to the harvest fields. He said he who gathers is with Me and he who scatters is against Me. (Matt. 4: 19, 9: 38, 12: 30)

• Jesus did not ask you to organize crusades and conventions. He will not judge you on the basis of large crowds or the wonderful worship and beautiful music. He will judge on what you did for the little and the least of the world. (Matt. 25: 31-46,18: 3-6; Isa. 58: 6-9)

• Jesus did not say that only men can talk in the church and the women should cover their head and keep quiet. He made them talk, even allowed them to argue with Him in public. ( Luke 10: 40; Mark 7: 24-30)

• Jesus did not say that you are just a layman. He bought you with His blood and ordained you priest and king. As royal priests, make disciples, baptize, equip fishers of men and rule on earth. (Rev. 5: 9-10; 1 Pet 2: 9)

(You can read this and other challenging/interesting articles at SimpleChurch.co.uk -- Bob)

Where do Super Bowl losers’ hats/shirts go?

You know that both teams printed up “Super Bowl Champs” shirts and caps, right? But only one team can wear them. Where do the other shirts and caps go? They are donated to people in a developing nation, via World Vision.

The Super Bowl ended about 10 p.m. Sunday, and by 10:01 every player on the winning team — along with coaches, executives, family members and ball boys — was outfitted in colorful T-shirts and caps proclaiming them champions.

The other set of championship gear — the 288 T-shirts and caps made for the team that did not win — were hidden behind a locked door at Dolphin Stadium. By order of the National Football League, those items are never to appear on television or on eBay. They are never even to be seen on American soil.

They were shipped Monday morning to a warehouse in Sewickley, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where they will become property of World Vision, a relief organization that will package the clothing in wooden boxes and send it to a developing nation, usually in Africa.

You can read the full article from the New York Times here. -- Bob

Homeless in Baltimore

Census Results Reveal Almost 3,000 People Homeless in Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD (June 13, 2005) - A census conducted by Baltimore Homeless Services, Inc. and Center for Poverty Solutions counted 2,943 individuals as homeless in Baltimore City on January 30, 2005. This is a 10% increase from the initial census done in April of 2003 where 2,681 homeless residents were counted.

The census, sponsored by the Abell Foundation, provided three valuable pieces of information:

an estimate of the number of residents who are homeless on any given day throughout the City,
detailed personal data than is otherwise possible, and
data on where individuals and families are located so that social service providers can target needed services to those areas.
Survey results show that overall demographics form a general picture of the homeless population in Baltimore City: high rates of disability, low levels of education, very low levels of income, and lower levels of any supportive aid.

78% male and 22% female
82% black, 14% white, 4% other
40% did not complete high school
Average age: 40 years
High rates of disability
Average annual income: $486
High prevalence of veterans
59% homeless less than 1 year
27% homeless 1-3 years
15% homeless more than 3 years
15% homeless due to housing problem
12% homeless due to family problem
38% homeless due to health problem
23% homeless due to lack of enough income
5% homeless after institution discharge
Many want housing & help with education/jobs
Census estimates indicate 7,023 individuals will be homeless in the City each year. To prevent homelessness, system changes are needed along with more affordable housing and supported housing, increase in the minimum wage, access to appropriate healthcare, jobs and adult education, and better coordination of discharge planning.

"It is possible to end homelessness. However, coordination and determination together as a community can make homelessness rare and brief," said Laura Gillis, President of Baltimore Homeless Services, Inc. To obtain more information regarding this census, contact Baltimore Homeless Services at 410-545-3409.

Meet a Man of Peace

When Carol and I returned from Africa last summer we moved to Baltimore to launch a house church project that we're calling Believers Church Network. I began to ask God to identify persons of peace who would help to launch this project. When Jesus sent a group of his followers out on their first mission trip he told them to find a man of peace to stay with and announce to his household that "The kingdom of God is near," (Luke 10:9). So I started to ask God to identify a person of peace that I could connect with. That's when Phil and I met, in the marina shower house of all places.

Our conversation that morning was a bit awkward at first, but we were soon involved in an animated discussion about world events. The conversation eventually focused on the invasion of Iraq and shared our deep regret for all that is going on there. It was then that we discovered that our thinking about Iraq was shaped by a mutual commitment to Jesus. "Why," we asked "have many Christians given such enthusiastic support for the war in Iraq without ever asking 'What would Jesus do?'" I didn't make the connection that morning, but it become clear that Phil was an answer to prayer. I had been praying for God to raise up a man of peace, and Phil is a man who is passionate about being a peace maker.

That morning in the shower house Phil didn't look as dashing as he looks in this photo. This pic was provided by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra where Phil plays horn. The Baltimore Sun had a great article about Phil and his family in yesterday's newspaper. I've included that link here. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peace makers." The more I've gotten to know Phil, the more I have enjoyed that blessing. -- Bob

What's Happening
* * *
The latest look at
What's Hot and What's Not

ABC News Article

Every Monday night, Meredith Scott and eight of her friends get together at one of their homes in St. Paul, Minn. They cook a meal, share what's going on in their lives and pray together.

But Scott and her friends don't call this a Bible study or a support group — they call it a church. They are part of the growing number of Americans who are shifting from traditional churches toward more informal, intimate settings, dubbed "house churches."

"How do you form a community in a church of 4,000 people?" asks Scott, who used to attend a megachurch in St. Paul. "Sometimes it's hard to get really connected. What I've really been looking for is community."

And so are many others. The number of adults attending house churches in the United States has grown substantially over the last decade, according to George Barna of the Barna Group, a Christian ministries market research firm. Though official numbers are hard to pin down due to the nature of these churches, Barna said a conservative estimate is that 5 million adults attend a house church every week...

For the entire article click here. -- Bob

Our Mission

Offering the Life we
experience in Jesus
to the people
all around us

These happy people are a pastor and a rabbi. Why are they so happy? The rabbi, on the right is happy because he is getting a kidney transplant. The pastor, to the left, is happy because she is able to share her kidney with the rabbi. Her beautiful smile may just be for the camera... but I doubt it. I think her smile is a reflection of the joy that people often experience when they are engaged in the mission of Jesus. The joy of Jesus is just one of the things that happens when people engage in the mission of Jesus. I believe the mission of Jesus is simply this: offering the life we experience in Jesus to the people all around us.

The folks from our house church experienced the joy of engaging in Jesus' mission today. We didn't give anyone a kidney, but we did pass out kidney beans. The kidney beans were in the steaming hot chili we passed out to the grateful people who happened by our chili outreach. I know, I know, giving away one of your kidneys takes a lot more commitment than passing out free chili. But the chili outreach was a good beginning. When our house church got together last week one of our number said something like, "I've been sitting around in churches for most of my life. I'm tired of sitting around! We need to give legs to our faith." So that's what we were trying to do today, practicing the kind of faith that isn't content to just sit in a church service. We were trying to give legs to our faith as we engaged in the mission of Jesus. The chili we passed out contained a little of the life we experience in Jesus. We really enjoyed offering it to those who gratefully received steaming hot chili on a blustery winter day. -- Bob

Try this test: Stare at the three blacks dots at the center of the image for one minute.Then look at a white background, or close your eyes. What do you see? Do you see an image of Jesus? Congratulations! You are normal. Now try this: Ask your neighbors to take an honest look at your life. What do they see? Do they clearly see Jesus? Congratulations! You are normal; that's what a Christian is supposed to look like. Those who follow Jesus should reflect his attitudes, values and actions. This is how John puts it: "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is," (1 John 3:2). -- Bob
A more important question

Bob's Beat

"The Sunday Show"

File this blog under the category of personal grips! After working for 30 years as the artistic director, producer and paid performer of the "Sunday Worship Show," I just can't take it any more. Forgive me if this sounds sacrilegious, but in far too many places the worship service focuses more on pleasing the worshippers than on pleasing the one we claim to be worshipping. As a pastor,

I used to spend the biggest chuck of my time each week preparing the Sunday production. And I felt pretty good about the crowd of people who would gather. After all, that's what we're supposed to do isn't it? Isn't Sunday about creating a worship environment that will bless the members and attract newcomers? In the past I was committed to doing whatever I could to draw a crowd and introduce them to Jesus.

That just doesn't work for me any more. It feels dishonest and manipulative; not the kind of stuff that we want to be wrapped up in when we approach the living God. Jesus said that true worshippers worship in spirit and in truth. We will never be able to get very close to God if we aren't willing to take off our shoes: that is, humble ourselves and become vulnerable. Jesus talked about the danger of doing things in order to be seen by others; things like prayer and giving and fasting. He said that if we do those things in order to be seen by others we may impress them with our piety, but that's all that will happen. I'm tired of trying to do things that will impress people. I want to give myself to doing the things that will impress and honor the Lord.

That is one of the things I like about being part of a house church. The worship that takes place when a small group of believers gather in someones living room is more likely to authentic than gathering with a crowd of strangers in an large auditorium. It is far harder to fake authentic worship when you're in a living room than when you're in an auditorium. Auditoriums are for performing. Living rooms are for living. I think God is bored by our maticulously rehearsed worship productions and our beautifully performed songs. God longs to meet with us right where we live. Why do you think we call it the lliving room. -- Bob

The Blog is Back!!!

My 2 faithful readers will be delighted to know that my blog is back after a longer than expected holiday hiatus. I knew that travel plans and family gatherings would keep me from posting a lot over the holidays, but I thought I would be up and running again long before now. So I apologize if the two of you have felt neglected or ignored. You will be happy to know that big plans are in the works for 2007. Here's a little preview:

• Bob's Beat - a cutting edge, insightful, sometimes inspirational, usually informational and always entertaining look at the places were church and culture collide (at least where they should collide when the faithful follow the radical concepts of Jesus).
• Truth is Stranger than Fiction - a look at the bazaar, zany, sinful and some times just plan stupid things that some folks do in the name of God.
• What's Happening! (my favorite expression back in the good old hippie days) - What's Hot... What's Not... I'll try to offer a look at the cool things God's people are doing all over the world; including books, music, videos, projects and happenings from near by and far away.
• Love Shack (this name is still under prayerful review, though I personally would prefer House of Hope or the Village People) - our first house church has emerged, with several more on their way. At our last house church gathering one of our number, let's call him Michael for the sake of anonymity, suggested that we call our house church "The Love Shack." The idea (I think) being that we want to create a community that exudes God's love. We had a good laugh, and then imaged what it would be like to actually be part of such a community. I got to thinking, it would be cool to regularly post what's going on as our house churches grow and evolve. That might be helpful to others who are just starting out on this journey of faith.
• Homeless Anonymous - even though my boat is docked in an area where most of the people are pretty well off, there are nevertheless a lot of homeless people in the area. I'm trying to get to know these neighbors and hear their stories. As I get to know them and hear their stories, I want to create a side-bar with their pictures and stories so they will no longer be nameless and anonymous. I will do this only with their permission, of course.

That's a glimpse of what I want do this year. My goal is to double the number of hits on this blog. Who knows, maybe the 5 of us could share a quart of eggnog next Christmas. -- Bob

God is doing a New Thing

The beauty this morning was overwhelming. I snaped this as I stepped from the boat onto the dock in the dawn's early light. Here are a couple of great promises to go with this portrait of God's handiwork:

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day," (Pr 4:18).

"Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness

shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause

like the noonday sun," (Ps 37:6).

As we begin a brand new year, may God help us to commit our ways to his cause, so that our righteousness will shine like the dawn and the justice of God's cause will be as bright as the noonday sun. -- Bob

One Solitary Life

* * *
He was born in an obscure village
The child of a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty

He never wrote a book
He never held an office
He never went to college
He never visited a big city
He never travelled more than two hundred miles
From the place where he was born
He did none of the things
Usually associated with greatness
He had no credentials but himself

He was only thirty three

His friends ran away
One of them denied him
He was turned over to his enemies
And went through the mockery of a trial
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves
While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing
The only property he had on earth

When he was dead
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend

Nineteen centuries have come and gone
And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind's progress
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life

“Glory to God
in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men!"

Christian Community as a Colorful Quilt

I am from a Christian tradition where the women of the church used to get together to create beautiful, hand-crafted quilts. Over the years I have seen some pretty amazing quilts lovingly stitched together by sisters who laughed, talked, prayed and sang together as they gathered around the quilt frame. To my eye, the most beautiful quilts are the ones that have a great variety of colors and shapes stitched together. I think the same thing is true of the Church. Christian Community is most beautiful when it is composed by people of different sizes, shapes and colors who are carefully woven together by the love of Jesus. Why have Christian folk worked so hard through the centuries to make sure that everyone looks the same, acts the same and thinks the same.

I think there are a couple of reasons why we work so hard to look and think alike. The first has to do with the sin of self-centeredness. The first murder recorded in the Bible was committed by Cain who lashed out at his brother, Abel. Cain was a tiller of the ground and Abel was a tender of sheep. Rather than celebrating what was different about his brother, Cain hated what was different. That was the beginning of a conflict that continues to this very day. Cain and Abel were the first conflict between Farmers and Ranchers. That conflict continues to this very day along with others like Labor vs Management, North vs South, White vs Black, Christian vs Moslem, Democrat vs Republican, Pro-life vs Pro-choice... It is a sin to assume that being different is a bad thing, and those who are different from us are necessarily our enemies. It is the sin of self-centeredness; the belief that the world must revolve around the way we look, think and act.

* * *

Another reason we are attracted to those who look, think and act like us is because it is a whole lot easier to be "In Community" with those who are like us. If we are all conservative Repulicans or all liberal Democrats, its a lot easier to get along with each other. We can afford to be intellectually lazy because the people we hang out with readily support our point of view. If we are all middle class, white protestants or all working class, hispanic catholics we don't have to work at understanding and practicing cultural sensitivity. We can afford to be insensitive and biased. But when we come together as different shapes, sizes and colors in the same quilt, the red squares need to be connected to blue triangles. Lord have mercy! How can that be Right let alone Possible? It is Right because God purposed to created each of us as a unique, one of a kind, custom designed child of God. And it is Possible only as we are willing to be woven together by the hand of God with other parts of the quilt. And we will only stay connected if we are held together by the amazing bond created by the love of Jesus. -- Bob

Looking for Information or Transformation?

The focus in many of today's small groups has shifted from Spirit-led transformation to just another teacher-student Bible study. But exercising every member's spiritual gifts is vital to the effectiveness of the group. With insight born of experience in more than twenty years of small group ministry, Joel Comiskey explains how leaders and participants alike can be supernaturally equipped to deal with real-life issues.

Notable Quotes

"Only God's supernatural power can draw people to the truth and liberate them to be all that God wants them to be."

"What excites me most about small group ministry is the intimate home atmosphere in which God has the perfect opportunity to change people's lives, prepare them for ministry and further His kingdom work."

"People are inundated with information; what they need is transformation."

"Sensitive small group leaders ask the Holy Spirit to manifest the needs of the members, knowing that the best agenda is the one that meets the needs of those present."

"The church is a hospital-not a performing arts center."

"Gifts are not primarily related to institutional maintenance. Gifts are related to the building up of persons and are best exercised in direct person-to-person contact."

"In a loving environment, group members are willing to risk and use the gifts they have."

A Story Worth Telling and Hearing

How should Christians respond to violence? Many of us are still locked into an Old Testament way of responding: "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But Jesus clearly calls us to make a different kind of response. The following story illustrates a Christ-like response to violence during a very tense time in Jos, Nigeria. Carol and I lived in Jos before returning to the States several months ago. The story is shared by Dr. Danny McCain, a friend of mine who teaches New Testament Theology at the University of Jos. -- Bob

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During the religious crisis in the city of Jos, Nigeria in 2001, the closest church to my house was burned. This was the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The pastor there is a young man who is one of my former students at the University of Jos. His name is Sunday Gwona. I was very proud of the way Pastor Sunday led his people during and after the crisis. I want to tell you a couple of stories associated with him.

On the second Sunday of the crisis, which was the first Sunday that we could go to church, Pastor Sunday assembled his congregation in a little mud walled community center about one kilometer from the burnt church building. There were no seats in this building. Some sat on logs. My wife and her mother and I were given the seats of honor which were little low benches about ten inches high. The service was all in Hausa and my Hausa is very poor. However, I understand enough Hausa and the pastor slipped into English enough that I understand what he said. Before he preached his sermon that morning, he said he wanted to make three statements. He said, “First, I am grateful that no one in my church killed anyone.” Certainly many Christians had blood on their hands on that Sunday morning. However, Pastor Sunday said that he had gone around through the community where some of his church members lived and some of the Muslim people in that area said, “Pastor, thank you for the way you taught your people. Your people helped to protect us.” So Pastor Sunday was proud that his people did not kill any Muslims.

“Second,” he said, “I am grateful that they did not burn my church.” We all looked at him a bit incredulously. We were meeting in this little small uncomfortable place because the church building had been burned. But Pastor Sunday continued. He said, “Inasmuch as no church member died during this crisis, they did not burn our church. They only burned the building. We can rebuild the building but we could not bring back to life any of our members who die. So I am grateful that they did not burn my church.”

He continued. “Third, I am grateful that they burned my house as well.” He had been living in the parsonage and the parsonage was burned with everything in it. Pastor Sunday continued, “If they had burned your house and not my house, how would I have known how to serve you as a pastor? However, because they burned my house and all my possessions as well, I know what you are experiencing and I will be able to be a better pastor to you. So I am grateful that they burned my house as well.” To me, these were amazing statements coming from a young pastor. And they were an illustration of true Christianity. Who can find fault with this kind of Christianity. This is not just a veneer of Christianity over evil thoughts and attitudes. It is a true reflection of Jesus’ teachings.

About a year ago, Pastor Sunday was invited to make a presentation to the state administrator while the state was under a state of emergency. In fact, all of the community leaders in the Angwo Rimi area were invited, both Christians and Muslims. When it was Pastor Sunday’s turn to speak, he said something like this. “It is an unfortunate reality that my church was burned twice but that is not what I want to talk about. Your excellence, I want to tell you about the third time that people came to burn my church. On their third attempt, one of my Muslim neighbors came out and said to the would-be arsonists, “You are not going to burn this church. If you want to burn something, there is my house. You can burn my house if you need to burn something but you cannot burn a house of prayer.” This immediately got the acting governor’s attention and he demanded to know the name of the person who had done such a thing. His name was supplied to the governor.

After the meeting, the Muslim community leaders came up to Pastor Sunday and said, “Pastor, thank you very much for what you said to the governor. We are most grateful.” Pastor Sunday said, “There are other things that I could have said. I could have told him about the thieves that keep breaking into the church and I could have told him about some of your boys who come into the church compound and defecate. However, I thought that we are all mature people and we can solve these problems ourselves.” The Muslim neighbors assured him that that is what they wanted to do. So on the following Sunday afternoon, Pastor Sunday invited them to his church. He reported that several of the Muslim leaders came and entered the church. When they entered the church, they all removed their hats. And they all took refreshments from Pastor Sunday. The pastor showed them where the people had been breaking into the church and where the youths had been defecating on the church ground. And the Muslim neighbors assured him that this would never happen again.

About three weeks ago, during the church service, a Muslim child threw a stone over the church wall and broke a window of a vehicle. A few minutes later, a little Muslim girl came and knocked on the church gate. She reported to someone inside that she had seen the boy who threw the stone and she could take the church members to him. They followed and they soon caught the boy. He admitted that he was the one who threw the stones. The case was taken to the police. However, as soon as the service was over, Pastor Sunday was informed. He went to the police station. He learned that there were two boys involved and that their parents were Muslim neighbors to the church. The parents soon came and were very chagrinned over what had happened. Pastor Sunday immediately withdrew the case from the police, assuring them that they were mature people and could handle the situation.

The church estimated that it would cost about 15,000 Naira to replace the wind screen. The Muslim families were poor families. Between the two families, they were able to come up with only 10,000 Naira. The windscreen eventually cost 20,000 to replace. However, the church absorbed the rest of the expense. When the Muslim neighbors discovered that the church had paid the other 10,000 Naira to cover up for the bad behavior of their own children, they came back to Pastor Sunday with the greatest humility and gratefulness. They told him that they never wanted him to leave that community and that they would do all in their power to make sure that the Immanuel Baptist Church stays in the community and is protected from any further damage.

The Muslim neighbors saw a true picture of Christianity. I do not know whether any of them will become Christians. However, I know that there is certainly a much greater likelihood that they will become Christians after these incidents than before. Pastor Sunday and the Immanuel Baptist Church are well on their way to rehabilitating the image of Christianity in the Angwo Rimi community.

WHO
is on the
Lord's Side?

One of the Latin America's cruelest dictators died yesterday. General Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, lead a military regime that killed thousands and detained and tortured tens of thousands of his fellow countrymen. His reign was one of the bloodiest in our hemisphere. The thing that I find most disappointing about Pinochet's reign of terror is that his military coup was supported by the CIA and indorsed by the U.S. government.

Pinochet is one of a long list of unsavory characters who have been indorsed and supported by our government. In the name of political expedience our government put Sadam Hussein into power; the same Sadam Hussein who became known as the butcher of Bagdad. Not long ago we sold weapons to Iran; the very same Iran that is part of today's "Axis of Evil." Our political loyalties and alliances change from season to season because they are often based on short term political goals rather than time honored values. The reasons given for this politcal shell game go something like this: "We need to hold the line against Communism... We need a friend in the Middle East... We need to protect American interests in the region..." What about, "We need to do what is RIGHT, no matter what!"

As followers of Jesus we are called to seek first the kingdom of God. This means that our view of the world is shaped by the values of Jesus and the ethics of his kingdom rather than the shifting sands of political expedience. -- Bob