Why I am Angry (Part 1)

'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6.
I once read a book by an amazing man of God & when I finished I said to the Lord - gosh Lord I don't measure up. The Lord impressed upon me that He didn't call me to be that person but he called me to a unique walk. I guess what I'm saying Mark is yes, the church in the West is not doing well BUT note in Zechariah 4 that Zechariah enquired of the Lord & had his answer from the Lord. See if you can get hold of Matthew Henry's commentary on Zech 4. I believe that as men & women wait upon the Lord with regard to what they should do, rather than be led by other people, then the Lord's will for the church in the West shall be done. There's one good thing that can be said for hard times & persecution - we become acutely aware of our weakness, inability & preconceived ideas - come Holy Spirit!

No you are not alone; I am your fellow companion. I feel from the innermost part of my being a holy discontent with my response, or my lack of response to the glorious God we serve. All the things you mention that you get angry over, could be summed up with the very concerning attitudes and dispositions of apathy, complacency, mediocrity, pride, insecurities etc. I hear your cries Mark, and what you’ve said is true, but they are the things we see, BUT WHAT IS CAUSING IT? I see so often churches trying to be missional; “it is all about the lost”. I hear church planters saying that we don’t want people in our church who don’t see themselves as missionaries first and foremost. I don’t believe the answer lies with redefining the church’s purpose, by exalting evangelism or mission above the other vitally important purposes of fellowship, worship, and discipleship. Pastors start sounding like nagging mothers, continuously telling their kids to get out and be missionaries. BUT IT ISN’T WORKING! I think this is just another deterrent from the enemy to keep the church away from the real deal.

A century ago the church in Australia had a profound influence in mainstream society, but unfortunately the church was distracted away from the real deal. The church placed the second greatest commandment, “To love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) above the greatest commandment “To Love God” (Matthew 22:37). What happened? Christianity ceased to be true Christianity. Evangelism didn’t happen, a works mentality crept in and all of a sudden, a Christian was defined by how well you lived by the golden rule, “Do onto others as you would like them to do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) I believe the answer isn’t to over emphasise mission, I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAVE LOST SIGHT OF A GOD-CENTREDNESS. The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. 1Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The root of all fruit in our Christian life stems out of us savouring our Saviour. A church cannot be genuinely on fire for evangelism, unless there is a God-centred, Christ-exalting, and gospel saturated vision in the church. You cannot truly make Christ known, without knowing Him first.

I see so many Pastors trying to be specialists, professionals, using therapeutic means to transform lives, applying all sorts of business and secular leadership principles to try and bring renewal. But even though they have their place, once Christians start to rely on such things and allow the enemy to distract them from the real deal then this is what makes me angry.

I personally have been suckered into pragmatism, and God forbid that I should ever go back there. It made me so spiritually impotent.

Brad, I totally agree with you that it will be through God's power that we see people come to faith.

But I also think (and I am not totally sure how this all fits together) that we need to do anything short of sin to reach people for Christ.

One of my biggest frustrations is all the rules that are out there...

> Missional people say we ought not try and attract people
> Traditionalist say we ought not use contempory worship
> Non-pragmatists say we ought not use leadership techniques
> Church leaders say we ought not plant within 30 min drive of the mother church
> Preachers with low self-esteem say we ought not use video venues because it makes them feel inferior.

This is what I dream of...

A church exploding so much that we don't have time to worry about all our man made rules. We need to preach the gospel. We need to plant churches. We need to send people out as missionaries. We need to attract unbelievers. We need to use wisdom/leadership. We need to connect with culture.

I think that making up man-made rules about this stuff just holds us back.

WHY WHY WHY do we keep criticizing each other? Can't we just get on with it?

I just wish we were so busy making disciples that we didn't have time to criticize each others methods.

Mark

In reply to Mark I would say, "Why don't we start living like this?".

What I mean by starting to live like this is to stop focusing upon what others are doing or not doing and seriously just focus upon our mission. And on top of that not worry about the restrictions that were mentioned by different groups.

I know it sounds generic but I am about to move from a place of complete church comfort and this is the very reason I had to step out to something new.

Can we just live it or are we looking for comfort.

I spent sometime in Kenya with a missionary/evangelist that has seen an amazing move of God in the continuing conflict of their government. What to me seems to make the difference is the relentless pursuit of the will of God and with that passion comes the hope of Jesus Christ to many.

I pray I can live with that same passion in my life.

Thanks Anne for your comments :)

Totally agree with you about God's Spirit being key. And I also agree that in times of weakness we will turn to God.

My issue is that I don't think we even realise that we are in a time of weakness. The church in Australia is in decline, and most of us don't give a rip.

If we really did, we would pray, fast and see God's power unleashed.

(I am talking to myself here as much as anyone)

What does this phrase mean??? Can anyone tell me??? It gets bashed out in missional church circles but no one explains what they mean...

Now I agree with the sentiment that has been discussed regarding passion for the lost and the constant need for renewal in our salt and light efforts... but I think if we embrace the "anything short of sin" mentality then we are walking a dangerous line that does not need to be walked.

The bible does not encourage us to do this... if so where? In fact if you look at the outreach efforts in Acts the thing that drew crowds to hear the gospel could be categorized into miracles, preaching of the word, following the Holy Spirit's lead, the changed life of the Apostles, engaging with the community leadership, etc... I don't see anything here about anything short of sin.

In fact I think the reasons the West lacks the evangelisitic success of the developing world are many and varied... but I don't think it is as simple as needing a kick in the pants to get out on the mission field. I think the core of the problem lies in the fact that teaching became a boring comfortable and intellectual exercise in the church instead of the spirit-filled rebuke, teach, challenge, correct, and encouragement it is supposed to be. Dry teaching (that is not teaching at all) led to dry churches and cry Christians... but solutions so far have tried to put the horse before the cart.

Churches who saw a teaching drought tried to replace their boring sermons and bible studies with motivational messages and life groups but the problem was this was like putting a facade over a deeper problem... the problem is that people need to be challenged from God's word, people need Spirit-filled teaching and discipleship and they need to be filled with the Spirit in their own lives. If a Christian is constantly in God's word, constantly seeking the Spirit and constantly open to HIs lead, then they will naturally be salt and light.

My solution is to ensure that the full range of ministry is active in a church but to start with the teaching. this is what the early church did - devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching... if Christians are built up through the word, walking in step with the spirit and equipped to have an answer for the hope they have - then they will see many evangelistic opportunities in their life! they will not need to do anything short of sin... they will just need to walk close to the Spirit which is nothing like sin!

I can understand your frustration. I look at those statistics and ask, Why can't that happen in Australia??!!!. Is it the church's fault? Is it our fault?

The only answer I can come up with is that there's something very strange about our Aussie culture. Its unlike any other country. We have a criminal history and unfortunately Christianity was tied to the penal system and has shaped a lot of negativity towards religion in our culture. There's multicultural influences. There's our 'laid back' attitude. There's our anti-authority attitude and unfortunately the church has been seen as an unhelpful authority. There's our "tall poppy syndrome" that kicks in whenever we hear of hillsong mega churches. There's our down to earth skepicism of 'wierdo religious freaks'.

There's almost this sense out there that we need to 'earn our credibility back' before we have the right to speak the gospel to people. As if we're always on the back foot. I'd even be as bold to say that Christianity has probably got the worst reputation in Australia then anywhere else in the western world. I'm sure postmodernism is slowly changing this.

I'm not quite sure what 'anything short of sin' can possibly mean.

But with what you say here I most emphatically agree:

"I think that making up man-made rules about this stuff just holds us back.

WHY WHY WHY do we keep criticizing each other? Can't we just get on with it?

I just wish we were so busy making disciples that we didn't have time to criticize each others methods. "

Amen.

I don't want to get into a long discussion about 'anything short of sin' because it is probably another issue. But when people use this expression what they are often referring to is what Paul meant when he said 'to the jews I become a jew...i have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might win a few'.

It is just saying that they are willing to do anything (except sin) to reach people for Christ. An example might be...

> Go to a nightclub with non-Christian mates (to the jews we become a jew). But make sure we don't get drunk (anything short of sin).

I don't think it means deliberately flirting with sin for the sake of it. It just means not conforming to others legalisms if it means people miss out on the gospel.

Jesus is a good example of this. He saturated himself with sinners, but didn't sin.

Mark

Hi Mark, I think I was a bit long-winded in what I was saying. But somehow you missed my point totally. You said, “Brad, I totally agree with you that it will be through God's power that we see people come to faith.” My point was not to defend the power and sovereignty of God in evangelism (even though I agree with that). My main point was to humbly try to answer the question of why; why are Christian per se so apathetic to genuine evangelism, and I dopn't mean relationship building. I said that the answer is not found in telling Christians more often to get off the pews and seek and save the lost, nor by placing greater emphasise on mission in our churches. I believe the issue goes deeper, deep down to the Christians’ and the churches heart foundations; that being their lack of knowledge and affections in the depths and riches of the glories of Christ and God. Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” My heart and desire is the same as yours Mark for the lost, but what I believe the solution is seems to be different to you.

As a Chaplain I am surrounded each day with non-Christians, I walk with many kids and families, through the good and sometimes the terrible. For 6 months now I have been supporting a child at our school that is at the Royal Brisbane Children’s Hospital because of Leukemia. God has given me the opportunities to show His love in many different ways. I have also been able to impart a bible and other Christian things to the family. But just today while speaking to her mum on the phone, who unfortunately is seriously depressed, she was the most open to the gospel as she has ever been, so I sensitively shared that she needed Christ and she agreed. Please pray because tomorrow I am catching up with her to explain the gospel. When you get the amazing privilege of a person opening up their life so you can be a part of it, God opens doors.

I know a person who stands before God condemned cannot blame Christians for not telling them, but God can. Here is a poem that makes me intentional in not just building relationships, but to take serious heed of 1Peter 3:15-16 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame.” But do you see the motivation for evangelism, ‘honouring Christ as our Holy God’.

"My friend I stand in the judgement now,
And feel that you're to blame somehow.
On earth I walked with you day by day,
And never did you point the way.

You knew the Lord of truth and glory,
But never did you tell the story.
My knowledge then was very dim,
You could have led me safe to Him.

Though we lived together on this earth,
You never told of the second birth.
And now I stand this day, condemned,
Because you failed to mention Him.

You taught me many things, it's true,
I called you 'friend' and trusted you.
But I've learned now that it's too late,
You could have kept me from this fate.

We walked by day and talked by night,
And yet you showed me not the light.
You let me live, and love, and die,
And knew I'd never live on high.

Yes, I called you 'friend' in life,
And trusted you through joy and strife.
And yet on coming to the end,
I cannot now call you 'my friend'"
- Author Unknown-

Brad - firstly, I will be praying for you tonight. That is an awesome opportunity. God is at work and I pray that he will use you to impact lives and people's eternities.

As a chaplain, I totally take my hat off to you. You have one of the most difficult and yet significant jobs I could ever imagine. I will pray that God continues to use you.

In response to your post (I hope I am reading you right)...

I agree with you that the primary motivation to do anything is to bring glory to God, and that guilt tripping people into doing evangelism (I never try and guilt trip people into doing anything - guilt should drive us to Jesus - he is the one who forgives us and empowers us to serve).

There are also lots of other reasons to do evangelism however... The wrath of God, because you long to see people encounter Jesus, because it brings purpose to our lives, it is the most loving thing I can do for other etc.

Thanks Brad - for your balanced and passionate post.

I don't think "anything short of sin" is a good summary of 1 Cor 9 where Paul declares that he became "all things to all men". 2 reasons:
1. "Anything short of sin" puts the emphasis on the wrong side of the equation - it puts it on sin. If I were to teaching "anything short of sin" as a model for personal evangelism then it leaves my hearers trying to figure out what sin is in order to basically make sure they were not doing it. And when a lot of "sin" contains grey area upon grey area this is difficult. The bible says (Rom 14) anything not done of faith is sin, this perhaps combined with 1 Cor 9 suggests a better way of describing how we should evangelize. I think if you look at Paul's statements in 1 Cor 9 you see that a key phrase is: "bound to the Law of Christ" therefore I think what he is trying to communicate is not "anything short of sin" but rather "everything that is Christ". If by faith Christ would have you do something for the sake of His gospel then do it, and we can test this by the Scriptures because we have the very heart and mind of Christ. A good test I give young people who are deciding whether or not to do something that could be a bit "risky" for the gospel but are unsure is: "Would you be happy if Jesus returned while you were doing it?" I think "everything that is Christ" puts the emphasis on the right side of the equation and promotes people finding out who Christ is and to develop their relationship with Him in order to find the best ways of reaching people.
2. I think sometimes people use 1 Cor 9 to justify their worldly lifestyles. Some people want to be close to their past sinful lives for less than gospel motives... sometimes it is to prove that Christians can still be cool or whatever... At the heart of 1 Cor 9 is not Paul saying "Deep down I want to go and live like a Jew because I remember how good it was, and I will minister the gospel there." He is actually going to cultures and places that he himself would have been repulsed by - this is Christlike suffering for the gospel. So instead of using it to justify going to cultures and places that we enjoy we should be "becoming like the aged care patient to win the aged care patient, become like the disabled to win the disabled, etc..."

Becoming all things should encourage us to lay our own preferences down and live among those that repulse us in order to win them for the gospel. Anything short of sin seems to promote living the "sinlike" life you have always wanted to and have a gospel justification for it - this is not what Paul or Jesus did! They lived blamelessly among cultures and attitudes that repulsed them and they remained unaffected by them.

I say promote an "everything that is Christ" attitude to evangelism rather than an "anything but sin" attitude.

Wow!!! honey (bikky) That's Brad for those who may read this.Yes it's your wife here & I have been reading your comments here & I find them an amazing read.You have come such a long way from the I love you bubsy notes left for me on the kitchen bench! BUT seriously it's such a delight for me to read what comes from your heart about our loving GOD & Saviour.Well done Gods good & faithful servant (& loving Husband)

I cannot believe my sweet wife, crept into my office and wrote what she wrote. She exposed my very embarrassing pet name 'Bikky' (It doesn't mean I tell crummy jokes either, it has something to do with my hair colour, enough said). Thanks for your prayers Mark and others, I had a 2 hour chat with her and explained the gospel as clear as I could. It seemed like she was soaking it all in, but unfortunately at the moment she is refusing the Lord's conviction of her personal sin. It is interesting, when someone shared with me the gospel just prior to becoming a Christian, all the outwards appearances of my resistance and refusal to believe was very different to the battle that was going on inside. I remember the person telling me after I became a Christian that they thought I was as far from God as you could get. But in reality the battle was on for my soul. That is why I don't get discouraged if people initially refuse or get angry. Mark I also give thanks to God for the massive heart he has given you for the lost, may that be infectious to me and others.