Not a Theologian

I am not a theologian. Studying Scripture is alright but it is not one of my favorite things to do. Probably not something you thought you would ever hear from your preacher right. Well there you go, you have now heard it … well at least read it. While it is not one of my favorite things I do, it is something that I have to do. The problem isn’t that I don’t like learning new things from God’s word … I really do … it is the act of study that I do not like. But study is what makes us grow as followers of Christ. It is through his word that God left us his thoughts. It is through his word God left us his desires for our lives. It is through his word that God communicates to us today. So study it we must.

The funny thing about study at times can be the fact that two separate people can rip apart a passage of scripture and arrive at two distinctly different understandings. This has happened time and time again in the church. That is the primary reason we have so many different Christian denominations out there. The problem we face in study is we let our background; we let our previous knowledge infiltrate our understanding of God’s word. But if you want to be a true theologian, you must come to the text with a clean slate. You must throw out your previous knowledge and allow God’s word to speak directly to you. When you do this, you will begin to understand what God has to say, and not what some denomination has to teach.

If we did this, than I would not have to spend much time in study for a sermon I am preaching Sunday morning on communion. The act of communion wouldn’t be an issue in the church today. If we were to simply take what scripture teaches and demonstrates about communion, we would do it in the way that Christ envisioned that night in the upper room. But because we have let so many outside forces determine the way we do things in the church and as Christians we a contorted view what following Christ really looks like.

So while study isn’t fun … at least for me … study I must. If you want to hear my thoughts on what I have studied about communion then join us at West Side on Sunday morning. But please remember, what I say in my sermon is just my thoughts on the subject … however, as I write each sermon I do plead to God to remove me and speak through me … so maybe they are God’s words. I don’t know.

PS. … There is more to being a theologian than what I have typed above. Maybe sometime in the future I will completely complete my thought on what it takes to be a theologian.

The image used above was borrowed and is linked to the website Sound Feelings and used in an article titled “11 Free Tips Improve Studying Results.” The link is as follows … http://www.soundfeelings.com/free/studying.htm. Use of the picture is not an endorsement of the website or material published there.

Concerns in Christianity

Sometime the churches having the greatest ministry impact are the churches that are relatively young. Now I am not talking about the age of the people, but the age of the church. New churches are able to be on the cutting edge of current trends in the church because they do not have any sacred cows or holy traditions to break through. Church planters are able to start their church however they see best for their particular community and culture.

Sometimes as a minister with an established church I am a little jealous of that ability. In an established church often times you have long held traditions that may hold you back from doing something new. While these traditions are not scriptural or unscriptural, many times they hold you back from being able to reach a new or different generation/culture for Christ. To move forward you have to spend time working through and over coming them.

Many new churches tend to be a little on the edgy side opposed to their counter parts; the established church. Sometimes they will bring in many cultural aspects to their services. Most of the time I am all for this. For some reason many churches believe that walking into a church should be like walking into a time warp and going back to the 1950’s. Now they may not say it, but the look of their building, the style of their worship, and clothes they wear certainly express it. Maybe you can see why at times I may be jealous.

I think being edgy is good. I think being radicle is good. I think using technology to the best of your abilities is good. I think looking like society and the culture your are planted in is good, as long as it is not the sinful parts of society and culture. Having said all of that, I do believe there are some places you should stop.

There is a new church that I admire greatly. I think God is doing some amazing things through their church, especially in a tough and sinful community. I also understand what is driving them to do what they are doing. But I still have an issue with what they are doing. I have waited about three weeks to comment on this … I wanted to hear the sermon that kicked off the series before I did. I have, and now I am commenting.

The church is planted in a very tough and sinful community. People go to their community to run away. Since moving to the city, the lead pastor has heard the phrase … “(Insert name/noun here) just does not give a damn!” Because of hearing that phrase so much, the church decided to do a sermon series titled “God Gives a Damn!” Not only have they used the phrase for their series, but they have also purchased billboards throughout town and are selling/giving out t-shirts.

Here is my dilemma.  How far are we willing to go to spark peoples interest. Using the vernacular of the people is good, but at the same time, as Christians we are supposed to be “set apart” from the world. Could the same message be communicated without using the word “damn.” I would imagine so. I know this phrase will really catch peoples eyes, but does this cross over from not being set apart. Or am I just one of a few that thinks that word is still a four letter word that Christians should not use.

I try to hold judgment when I see things that new churches are doing. For me it may be out of the box. But then again, they are reaching people for Christ that most of the time I am not. That is to be admired. I still do not know where I stand on this particular sermon series title. I know I still feel uneasy when I hear it. What do you think? Is this something you would do in your church or encourage in your church? I know myself and my church is not ready for this … yet ... if ever.

P.S. by the way, the minister sounded a little funny the three or four times he said it during his message. Maybe he even thinks it a little uncomfortable himself?

Sunday @ West Side

 

Yesterday was a good day at West Side. We are continuing our current Sermon and Lesson Series asking the question “How can I make my Membership Count?” In Sunday school we discussed what the true nature and role of Eldership in the church really is. This is something I think is greatly needing within the congregation. During service Marty preached a great sermon on what Baptism is. If you missed these past two weeks you definitely want to check out the DVD’s of the sermons.

It was also nice to see several people back at worship with us who have been gone for a while. If you see people have been gone, please make it a point to give them a call to see where there at. Marty, our Elder’s, and myself can do it, but people see that as our job. If you were to do it, to give them a call it would go a long way as well. Do you ever follow up with people? If not, why not? Give it a try, it might be one of the most rewarding things you do as a Christian.

It was also great to see several guest with us in our service. Do you step out of your way to say hi to someone visiting the church? Do you make it a point to get their phone number so you can give them a call throughout the week? Guest of our church may be people who are far away from God and are in desperate need of a savior. If we remember that, it may change they way we view a visitor, and how we approach them following a service. Did you reach out to any guest yesterday and welcome them to the church and take interest in who they are and their families? If you did, you may have helped them on their path to knowing God!

I enjoyed worship with everyone yesterday and look forward to doing it again next week!

I’m Back

The blog has taken a hiatus. Some of that was from laziness, some from business, and some from trying to decide what I wanted to do. Some of the best blogs I read are the ones that are structured in a powerful way. My blog at one time had structure. The structure was to comment on that days daily Bible reading. But in that I felt I got really repetitive. I want this blog to be fresh and new each day, and it wasn’t.

So …. I have spent some time away from the blog thinking about what I wanted it to look like. If you have checked in frequently and seen no progress, or have read some of my previous post, you will have noticed that I am saying the same thing I have been saying for months. Well today, I want to announce that I think I have the structure I have been seeking out. Here is what the blog is going to look like in the future …

• Monday – Sunday @ West Side … this will be a weekly recap of the previous weekend esp. the previous Sunday.
• Tuesday – Concerns I have in the Christian Community … I am going to highlight some of the trends, ideas, and movements that are concerning me in Christianity.
• Wednesday – Theology … I am going to comment on what I am studying and the new things I am learning. I may also comment on some misconceptions I am seeing in the Christian community. This section will grow and change over the course of time I am sure.
• Thursday – Thoughts on Rebuilding a Church … West Side is in the process of rebuilding the foundation. I am going to share my thoughts on the process we are going through and the lessons I am learning.
• Friday – This day is going to be open to random ideas and thoughts that come to mind.
• Saturday – Family Corner … I am going to talk about personal issues, things going on in our family, and projects around the house. 
• Sunday – The blog is going to rest on this day.

Not only does the blog have a new look and design, but it also has a new structure. Hopefully this will become something worth reading for you and the members of the West Side Church. I am excited to see where this goes and also realize that none of this is set in stone. Continue checking back in to see how God is working through this blog. 

Music Does some Crazy Things

 

I love music. I love all types of music (well sort of, not into screamo, classical, baroque, or a lot of hymns) from Country to Hiphop, to R&B, to Pop, to Rock. I especially love worship music. My wife and I differ on styles of worship music that we enjoy. She is into worship music that leaves you feeling happy and excited, while I love music that leaves me feeling moved and shifted. I am madly in love with much of the worship that Hillsong Church in Australia is writing. I am also in love with a ton of Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. Some of my favorite worship albums are from bands such as Kutless and Seventh Day Slumber. I love worship that drives me to pour my heart out to God. Maybe it is because I spend a lot of time feeling spiritually deprived.

On my iPod I have several different playlist. Playlist from Pop Favorites, to Country Favorites, to Michael’s Favorites, to Short Favorites (A list of my favorite songs that is smaller than Michael’s Favorites, by about 100 songs), to Worship, to Needing to Reconnect. My favorite playlist is Needing to Reconnect. It is the list I go to when I am feeling down. It is the list I go to when I am feeling distant from God. It is the list I go to when I need inspiration. It is the list I go to when I am perplexed and needing God to listen.

Music is very powerful to me. When I am working on a project I love to have music playing. Sometimes my mood or project defines the style of music I listen to. If I am doing something with my hands I may throw on some Country or a little Skillet. If I am driving in the car I like to listen to the Pop Favorites list with artist like Lady Gaga, Tio Cruz, Ludacris,  Ke$ha, and many other artist (I know this is not spiritual in any way and most of the lyrics are dumb, but sometime I like things that have no importance attached to them). If I am mowing the grass it could be a plethora of music styles calling my name. When I am working on a lesson or sermon, it is almost always from the Worship or Needing to Reconnect lists.

I believe God uses many platforms to speak to us, but one he uses the most is music. Music styles vary depending on age, taste, and preferences. But each of us have a style of music that we really connect well with. Somewhere in there the lyrics of a song coupled with the guitar rifts, melody and rhythm really speak to us.

This afternoon I was working on my sermon for this coming Sunday. I have been really struggling with my understanding of something I thought I knew (I talked about this yesterday). In the middle of reading a paragraph the song “Lead me to the Cross” recorded by Seventh Day Slumber came on, and I completely lost focus with my reading. I put the book down, shut the door, turned off the lights in my office, and began singing. I then turned off the iPod, walked out of my office to the Sanctuary where I began an great time of prayer with God. All this happened because I heard a song.

I love what music can do. It can cause me to quit what I am doing and turn my focus to God. Music speaks to me in ways that others sometime cannot. What speaks to you? What causes you to do thing you weren’t planning on doing? How does God speak to you when you need to hear him the most?

The Beauty of Frustration

I am excited about the coming year at West Side. We have a lot of things in store for this coming year and so far an incredible line up of sermons planned. We began the year with Larry Holmes kicking off our series … “2011 Encountering Your Giftedness.” He used Rick Warren’s SHAPE principle to share that we all have spiritual gifts and that our shape defines how we use them. He did an awesome job.

Next week I have the privilege of preaching the first sermon on an individual gift, which is prophecy. This is one of those subjects that depending on the church you attend can have a different meaning. Because of that I am spending a ton of time in study. Last week I really began to dive into the study of this topic. I was speaking with our secretary and she said this topic had always been confusing to her. That left me with this response, “Had you asked me yesterday I would have given you an answer. Now after studying I am confused.”

Friends, that is the frustration of study. I have found several times that when I begin to do a thorough study of a topic or idea, before I figure it out, I get completely confused. It can be frustrating that what you thought you understood can be completely turned upside down by digging a little deeper. It makes you then begin to question other ideas, thoughts, and beliefs you may have formed off of your previous understanding. It can even open up new thoughts you never previously had.

While you may become confused, frustrated, and have things you once believed thrown out the window, there is beauty in that. You see that is what defines understanding of who God is and how you are to follow him. If you never study, but live your life according to what a preacher, Sunday School teacher, or some other person tells you, then you do not own your faith. You own your faith, you own your understanding because of your own thorough investigation of the evidence. You own your faith because you have come to a conclusion on your own merit, under your own understanding, based of what you have pieced together.

Having your understanding and faith challenged is a part of the process. The writer of Hebrews admonishes the reader to move from spiritual milk to meat. Friends, when we study, that is exactly what we are doing. And while it might be frustrating, there is beauty in it. Your faith, your understanding has become your own through the frustration. Owning your faith and understanding is beautiful.

The above image was used from a purchase made by the West Side Church of Christ from Vistaprint.com