Hope Amid Corruption

An acquaintance forwarded me a recent article, written by a former Catholic priest, which chronicled his journey out of the priesthood as a result of the sex-scandal corruption that has been exposed in the Church’s hierarchy over the past several years. It deeply troubled me, yet it also invigorated a sense of hope.  Those two emotions interlocked in a weaving circle of thoughts and reactions swimming in my mind...

The guy who sent it to me is not a believer in Christ.  I think he's an agnostic or atheist...which makes it more interesting that he enjoyed the article and thought about sending it my way.  I thanked him for forwarding it to me, and asked him what he thought about it. We’ll see what he has to say.  Perhaps he's representative of many people today who would seem to have a favorable view of Jesus if not for some of His so-called followers.  There's a lot of talk today about people being "spiritual but not religious," and I suppose in all honesty that I would put myself in that camp.  I'm not against organized religion (another popular claim these days), understanding that the opposite end of that spectrum is merely self-centered ecclesiastical chaos.  Besides, Jesus and His apostles certainly prescribed the basic functions of organization.  My wife and I are active members in a semi-large congregational church, but we hold no illusion that its organized forms are sacred in and of themselves.  Function and Form / Ordained and Manmade.

So what happens when the Church/churches cease to look like, sound like, and feel like Jesus?  Many thinking individuals today have trouble believing in a message that has historically been associated with corrupted messengers - the latest example being altar boys and nuns sexually abused by deranged wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Of course, for every story like this, there are thousands of faithful Catholic priests and laypeople who are serving the hungry & sick, living holy lives of true worship, deeply beloved and blessed by their Heavenly Father.  I know and love some of them.  But those aren’t the stories that we tend to see on the news or in the headlines.

The article ended with a few pages of the author's dreams; which was encouraging because often when people complain, they don’t offer any alternatives.  This is where the hope came in.  He talked about wonderful examples of true faith.  He also talked a lot about how things once were, in the Church that Jesus and His original followers started.  It was EGALITARIAN…the author used that word.  I forgot what it meant, so I Googled it…”The principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.”  That has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?  It’s the way that Jesus believed and taught and commanded us to live our lives.  His enemies were the power-brokers who wanted to protect their turf, and didn't have room for His new message.  It's ironic how the tables sometimes turn when power and greed and a host of other sins are allowed to grow in a vacuum of vested interest.

I do wonder, if “Church” was to take on a radically different form more akin to its humble beginnings, how that might impact people’s views about the original teachings and ways of Jesus. Could we see a resurgence of faith and hope and love in our day?  Could we see a greater reliance on the words of scripture than on manmade traditions that cover it over? Could we see more humility and transparency in a world of deceit?  The author thought so, and so do I. 

My favorite quotes from the article came from the final few paragraphs…some of his final parting shots:

“I want to be part of what brings about the liberation of the Church from the imperium that took it captive 1,700 years ago”

“The Church, whatever else it may be, is not the organizational apparatus. It is a community of memory, keeping alive the story of Jesus Christ. The Church is an in-the-flesh connection to him - or it is nothing.”

As long as there are people like that, who refuse to accept anything short of the way of Jesus, relying on God's ongoing intervention to bring about "His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven," then I would say that our hope is secure.

I'd be interested in your thoughts about this.  Also, if you're interested in reading the article, let me know and I'll get it to you.  

I’ll close with this passage, 2 Timothy 3:

“In the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.  

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings…yet from them all the Lord rescued me.Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned itand how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of Godmay be complete, equipped for every good work.” 

Walking By Faith

Although I live and do ministry in what may be considered the “least religious city in America,” I think that most people here have a favorable view of Jesus.  Historical records and Biblical accounts reveal Him as a relentlessly selfless and compassionate individual.  He healed people from diseases, did miracles, and spent time with social outcasts; and we admire Him for it to this day.  Unfortunately, admiration doesn't translate well.

The warm-fuzzies usually end here, because the model He actually demonstrated and coached for His followers always led to leaps of faith on the part of those He encountered. This doesn’t go well with the narrative of today’s popular opinion; which would much rather have a Jesus who celebrates every alternative idea & action with no need for any of us to conform to a higher set of values.  In our desire to be open and tolerant, we have practically denounced the existence of sin and it’s corrupting influence in our lives. 

It is absolutely, undeniably true that the love of God and mercy of Jesus pierce through into the hearts of every single individual human, regardless of belief or persuasion or morality; but there is an undeniable, inexorable pull for each one of us to cast away those aspects of ourselves that mar the “Image of God” He desires to manufacture in us.  He beckons us to follow Him along unfamiliar paths in faith, for the purpose of building intimacy with Him and coming into alignment with His unique design for us. Do you understand this?  Scripture calls this WALKING BY FAITH.

We are creatures…which means we are created BY the Creator and with the PURPOSE of the Creator.  It is abundantly clear in the revealed-will of God (aka The Scriptures, the Holy Bible) that He did not design us for autonomy from Him, but for partnership with Him.  What is His purpose for you?  Does it line up with your purposes for yourself?  Which of these are you more interested in pursuing for your happiness? The manner in which we answer this question, moment by moment of every day, determines our posture toward our Heavenly Father every step of the way…and His blessing on us follows.

I’m convinced that the primary reason that so many of us struggle to experience the peace & joy & power of God in our lives is that we’re so obsessed by our own agendas that we’re oblivious, or even obstinate, to His.

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end…Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (excerpts from the Biblical book of “Hebrews”)

What do you really know about Jesus?  When was the last time you picked-up your Bible and read His words & deeds? What place does He have in your life today?  If it's been awhile....start reading and praying through the Gospel of John, 1 chapter per day.

Hope

I used to believe that once I learned something, I had it.  That the acquisition of knowledge or some specific skill, once taken into my mind & body, would somehow remain there indefinitely…ever ready thereafter to be called upon to inform my intellect or empower my actions.  What I’ve come to reluctantly realize, along with many others, is the truth that my psyche and ability have holes in them.  Stuff gets lost all the time.

As a petulant and somewhat proud young man watching my father mature many years ago, I just thought there were deficiencies about him when he forgot stuff or couldn’t do what he used to do.  You know how we do that to our parents, right?  “I’m not going to be like that,” we confidently predict.  I started realizing the immaturity of that position when I was in my late-thirties.  I was deep in my career, married with two little terrors, trying to make my way in a confusing & challenging world.  The relentless stress was much more than I had anticipated.  I began noticing that the veneers that lay over my ego started melting away due to forgetfulness, a layer of fat around my midsection, and a crisis of confidence.  It was around that time that dad and I started getting much closer as friends and confidants. It’s funny how life has a way of teaching us humility.

What I mean by “crisis of confidence” is not that I lost my hope, but that my limited version of “hope” started getting cracks in it.  As a follower of Jesus, I was deeply comforted by the eternal hope I have for the afterlife because of my connection with Him.  I also had a lot of hopes for my earthly future that were based on pictures in my mind that I had adopted from the world around me…things, relationships, and experiences I wished for and asked God for.  Some of these hopes were more noble than others: 
“I want to be a good husband and father”
“I want to be well liked and successful”
“I want to have good friends”
“I want to be healthy and athletic”
“I want to have a nice looking yard”
 “I want to be close to God”

Interesting that all of those start with “I want.”  As I matured during this season, I began to realize that my hopes required work.  They weren’t free, like salvation in Christ is free.  He is pleased to give us the Kingdom, and to fulfill our desires with good things…but they are not cheap.  When I ask God to bless my future with a hope that I have, He always give me challenges in order to obtain it.  The way I handle those challenges determines the outcome…not of my ultimate hope, but the individual one.  I also learned during this phase that I no longer had enough time to invest in all of my hopes simultaneously in order to experience their fruition all at once….so there was always something that wasn’t living-up to the picture in my mind.  In those times, I had to be content with that aspect of hope that involves waiting.  I began to see glimpses of a hope that is not connected with my circumstances and abilities.

The Biblical word for “hope” can also be translated as “expectation, trust, confidence.”  It’s not some elusive, childish dream that’s meant to put pretty pictures of our preferred self just beyond our reach…urging us to strain to better ourselves.  It’s the realistic result of the practical, real and daily efforts we put into trusting that God’s way is right…and that He can be trusted with the results, whether they look like our vision or not.  I haven’t experienced anything truly good in my life by wishing that I would; but by praying, working, investing, and trusting my way into whatever outcome He has for me.  It’s not really about my projected destination; it’s about the Hand I’m holding, and trusting Him to lead me.  Whenever I stray off that path, hope eludes me and dreams crumble.  When I repent, redirect my affections toward Him, and turn my aspirations toward the goals that line-up with Him, hope wells up in me anew.

So,to me, hope is not a lazy wish-upon-a-star; it’s a heat-seeking missile.

Significance Through Service

As followers of Jesus in Post-Christian America, it’s essential that we dedicate ourselves - and our beloved church cultures - to imitating His actual example. There are myriad reasons why the spiritual narrative of America has become so highly toxic to the cause of Christ in recent years, many of which we cannot control; but what we can control is our posture and focus!

As Christian individuals and institutions are being squeezed by our increasingly secular society, it’s more important than ever that we believe and act like Jesus and His early followers.  They also lived in cultures of antagonism; being ridiculed and even persectuted by those who stood opposed to the truth of God…or by those who added heavy burdens on top of it…or by those who subtracted from it to make it more popular.  The Church of the New Testament saw God move in unprecedented, miraculous ways when they focused on the basics of Christian living; and avoided the distractions of false pursuits.  There are a lot of those.

One of the reasons I think we often have such trouble connecting with the world around us is that, collectively, we seem to have lost the point.  We’re often so wrapped-up with our manmade cultures (buildings, programs, doctrines, strategies, hierarchies, etc.) that we become lousy representatives of our King, becoming irrelevant to the world we’re called to engage…and when we do engage, we often mistakenly lead with critical words rather than loving hands!  It’s time for the people of God to lead with acts of transformative compassion & hope…just like Jesus did.  

Always remember that your church is not the mission; the people who don’t show-up are the mission, and the church is the people who embody the presence of Jesus to them.  

This is why I love partnering with local churches for Catalyst projects.  We get to mobilize church people by getting them out of their comfort zones to address the felt needs of the poor in their own communities…sharing Jesus with their hands and hugs, which often inexorably leads to His words of hope and truth being shared as well!  

This Spring, we’re building new partnerships with several churches & ministries - Abundant Life Church in Happy Valley, Grace Point Community Church in Tigard, Highland Helpers in Beaverton, and other prospective partners. They join the ranks of awesome existing partners like Community of Hope Lutheran in Wilsonville, Stone Creek Christian Church in Oregon City, Living Hope Fellowship in Aloha, Tigard Christian Church, and others.  We celebrate the vital role that God has given Catalyst for these partnerships, and we rejoice in the opportunities we have to equip God’s people for works of service!” (Ephesians 4:12)

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world…It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you…Who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear.” (Excerpts from 1 Peter 2, 3)

Empty Handed

Sometimes I wonder where God is.  

Why sometimes I can feel Him strongly, and other times I feel alone.  Why sometimes when I read the Bible I'm filled with purpose and hope, and other times I'm distracted and anxious.

I’ve been feeling somewhat distant from God for a few days, while seeking Him.  Can you relate to that?  I’m reminded that our feelings are not “us,” they’re something that happen to us.  And that there are psychological and spiritual forces at work in us that we’re mostly unaware of.  I was also reminded of God’s amazing grace, the love that seeks to save and nurture souls like mine and yours that may not actually deserve it.  The relentless passion He has to keep pursuing us even in spite of the inbred and learned methods we develop for resisting Him.  Like my favorite old hymn, 

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that save a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found.  Was blind, but now I see.”

Such a loving, caring, wise, wonderful Father!  

Remember that God is always leading us into the future He envisions for us…even when we don’t feel like He is.  As we submit ourselves daily to His preferred reality, aka “His Will,” we see His blessings unravel all around us. This is about trusting and obeying His word and His power…repeatedly releasing our grip on the worldly alternatives we have believed will give us worth and hope.  The more we do this, the more our hands are free to hold-on to Him who CREATES worth and hope that supersedes this world, with a fierceness that is unimpeded by self-serving counterfeits.  But don't expect the world to applaud you.

When we allow ourselves to be tricked into believing lies, or mired-down in pits of remembered disobedience - either by our own self-flagellating shame or by direct attack from the accuser of our souls – we can find ourselves far away from the hope and peace and joy He promises.  Not because He moved, but because we did.  This is the place of intimacy where He meets us hand-in-hand.

The abundant life of Jesus is free, but it is not cheap….it costs every false desire and preference we have.  But when we lay them all down and come to Him empty-handed, this is when we receive what we truly seek…what we truly need.  You can trust Him!

1 Peter 4:19
“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

Luke 9: 23-24
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

Mark 10:29-31
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

James 4:7-10
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” 

Catalyzing The Priesthood of All Believers

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isa. 43).   “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3)

The Lord is always on the move…constanstly creating stories of deliverance and transformation among us!  Sometimes I think we have it backwards.  In our self-centered way of perceiving reality, we tend to believe that God exists to bring us the comfort, solace, and deep sense of peace that we all seek.  In reality it is we, the creatures, who were fashioned by and for Him, the Creator, in order to address His desires and carry-out His plans.  Ironically, it is when we give ourselves over to Him that we experience glimpses of the fulfilment & joy that otherwise elude our grasp.  This dynamic can be really confusing to those of us who follow Him, because of the many promises of peace that are given in His Word; but we’re reminded also that this life is for fruitful labor rather than blissful reward. He is constantly at work, and incessantly urging us to join Him in it.

The Body of Christ, which all of His committed people are part of, is His continuing and active presence in the world today.  In a culture that hijacks the message of blessing toward destinations of indulgence, we are those who are called to be perpetually giving ourselves away for His purposes… serving the beloved poor He is seeking to bless through us…sharing the message of hope with those who are searching for the truth.  I’m convinced that one of the reasons we’re not seeing more Kingdom-Of-God stories of transformation in our day is because the rank & file Christians have forgotten who we are.  We all want salvation for the next life, but it seems like only a few of us are willing to set ourselves apart to be fruitful for Him in this one. There is an artificial distinction between the religious and secular, or in philosophical terms the “sacred and profane.”  Our system of understanding & practicing “church” is based on a model that would be foreign to Jesus and the early Christians.  

The New Testament Church - the One we read about in the Bible, which is our model of faith and practice - was more like a loosely-affiliated web of friend-groups led by ordinary people than the highly centralized, professional organizations that superceded them.  Today, many Christians in America believe that they need to show-up to a Sunday morning event for concert-quality music & professional motivational speaking in order to connect with God.  This has created a massive ecclesiastic consumer industry that plagues the Church of Jesus with shackles of perceived powerlessness.  My wife and I love our congregational church services, but we recognize that they’re supplemental to what’s primary.

As a “ministry insider,” I intimately understand the challenges of modern church staff who long for their people to understand & grasp the identities that the Father calls them into as His agents in the world.  Most of the pastors I know are working & praying their tails off, trying to motivate their churches to actually BE the Church; finding themselves locked into robust, million-dollar programs that often perpetuate the consumeristic culture of “churchianity.”  This is part of the reason why Catalyst exists. 

We want to be servants of Jesus and His Church to be part of the solution, catalyzing every follower of Christ:

• To meed the needs of the poor/needy in their own neighborhoods
• To be ready to answer those who ask about his/her hope in Christ
• To see his/her living room, coffee house, or break room, as primary places for fellowship 
• To take the church back into the world, as a multi-faceted expression of all His people

We’ve experienced all of these values in the first 12-years of Catalyst, and are eager to share what we’ve learned. Coming Soon: "Catalyst Network" will pass-along the principles we’ve learned to others, equipping them to continue the movement.

The Great Reward

One of the greatest & most vital themes woven throughout the scriptures is the idea of God’s people experiencing intimate connection with Him.  We say things like “Jesus is my best friend”…”The Holy Spirit is my guide”….”I have a personal relationship with God.”  This is the common pursuit of all the Biblical heroes, still available to us today; and it’s also often misunderstood and hijacked to other destinations in daily life… or jettisoned altogether in favor of alternative relational arrangements, as if the Heavenly Father were some distant relative we’ve deemed to be “unsafe” or “toxic” to our own self-absorbed versions of happiness.  

There are many examples of modern-day spiritual heroes who “walk with God,” while countless other nominals pass-by obliviously in pursuit of temporary worldly pleasures; wanting to “have their cake and eat it too” as the old saying goes.  I see this everywhere, don’t you?  This is what practically happens when we become more fixated on the blessings of God than on God Himself.  What a tragic juxtaposition it is when the creatures lose touch with the Creator by clinging to the creation.   

This is the dynamic that I see so often rising-up in my own heart, observe in the people around me, and see full-scale in the society in which I currently call home.  It has its roots in pride, the original sin that claims that I may actually know what’s better for me than God Himself.  Like petulant children who have (literally) been given the world by a Generous Father full of love; we tend to get lost in the gifts themselves, only sincerely seeking Him when we need our circumstances to change or to be rescued from misfortune.  Yet His priorities are completely different, alien to our instincts.  The purpose of our lives, especially in relation to our Heavenly Father, is INTIMACY with Him….everything else is byproduct.

This is how people of great faith can appear to be so peaceful and content in situations that seem impossibly harrowing.  Faith is not the passive belief that God exists out there somewhere Whose purpose is to reward the world’s “good people” by making things go well for them in their short lives on earth.  This is a weak & miserable counterfeit of true, Biblical faith; and it doesn’t actually work in the end because, well, there is no end.  The world we live in now is a dress-rehearsal for what’s coming, and we’re being called to learn our parts and join hands with the Master in the Great Dance that is already breaking-out all around us.  

Biblical faith is not “knowing about God” in order to make informed decisions about your life; it’s about KNOWING GOD” in every step of every day, acquiescing to his movements as He carries you along in the chapter.  REAL FAITH is about trusting Him fully no matter what circumstances or consequences we encounter, being fully-persuaded that He is good, that He has us in the palm of His hand, and that He is working things out to complete us in ways we cannot control.  What we CAN control is how close we allow ourselves to become with Him.

This is what is meant by the idea of having a “personal relationship with God.”  Although this phrase doesn’t actually appear anywhere in the Bible, it’s the common theme that runs throughout salvation history from Adam all the way to the Conquering Christ.  I’m cuddling-up with Him this morning with these things in mind; asking Him to strip-away all the lies in me that cause distance between us, and asking Him to replace them with truths from His lips.  I’m encouraging myself with His Word, which is His love letter to all mankind in general and to me in particular.  I pray that these words are meaningful to you as well.  Seek Him today….

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." (Genesis 15:1)

“’You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord… (Jeremiah 29:13)

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly SEEK HIM.” (Hebrews 11:6)

”All these people [of great faith] were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

“…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)