There once was an atheist that lived next to a church. One night the church caught on fire and the parishioners rushed to the church to try to save their beloved place of worship. Part way through the fight one of the church members noticed that the atheistic neighbor was helping to haul water. The church member smugly told the atheist, "Wow, I've never seen you this close to the church before." The atheist quickly replied, "Well I've never seen the church on fire before."



Sunday, July 10, 2011

What's in a name....

        "O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."  (Is. 43:1, KJV)
        In this verse God makes two declarations. (1) I have redeemed you, and (2) I have called you by name.  What is the implication of God calling someone by name?  I believe that when God calls someone by name he is revealing to them, their identity.  When God calls us by name I believe he is taking us beyond redemption, God's first declaration, to something higher.  Maybe we could say that God takes us into the "more than conquerors" part of Romans 8.  
        People's identity is often wrapped up in some aspect of their name, especially with nicknames.  Many times people are given nicknames based on how they look or how they act.  In ancient times people would name their children based on the role that they saw them playing in life in the future.  Many times in the Bible God commanded that a person be named a certain name.  Other times, both in the Old and New Testaments God would change someone's name.  Abram become Abraham, Jacob became and Israel, and Simon became Cephas or Peter.  
          Wrapped up in these names was not only the identity of the individual but also the commissioning of their lives.  The virgin Mary was commanded to call her baby Jesus because he was going to be a "Savior."  In calling Simon, "Cephas" Jesus was commissioning Peter to be the rock of the early church.  The role that Peter played in being the rock of the early church is evident as one reads the first chapters of the book of Acts.
          Even as we enter eternity the Bible speaks of the significance of a person's name.  In Revelation 2 and 3 the victorious Christians from the churches of Pergamum and Philadelphia are promised a new name.
           How does the fact that we are redeemed and called by our name affect our daily living?  I am convinced that too many Christians are content to rest in the blessing of their redemption without pursuing God in relationship beyond this.  I feel sometimes that some people either have not comprehended the significance of their identity and commissioning from God or they have never sought God's face long enough to learn their own name, their own identity, and their own commissioning.  
              It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. (Prov. 25:2 KJV).  Many times God conceals things from the average person but reveals his heart to the people who are willing to search it out.  And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:13 KJV).  Are we willing to seek God's face long enough in order to learn our name, in order for him to reveal to us our identity?  When Jacob wrestled with God he refused to quit wrestling until God gave him a blessing.  I'm not convinced that God is calling us to struggle with God in quite the same way that Jacob did, but it is noteworthy that Jacob left his encounter with God with the blessing of a new identity (Gen. 32:22-32).  
                I believe God is glorified as we seek out the things he has concealed.  Just like people love treasure hunts and Easter egg hunts because of the joy of hiding things and watching them being discovered, so God, in whose image we are made, and who is the master treasure hunt maker, reveals his hidden secrets to those who earnestly seek him.  
                I don't think God's calling us by name is just on an individual level.   We as humans are naturally created to rally around a unified identity.  This is why nations have flags and sports teams have emblems.  We long for an individual identity but also a communal identity found outside of ourselves.  Isaiah 43:1 is written to the nation of Israel.  I believe this verse can be applied to individuals, but I also think this verse can be applied to our families, churches, communities, and even nations.  
                 I believe God has a specific identity and commissioning for our families.  God has a specific calling for each Christian family to fight and conquer certain areas of darkness, and to speak into certain needs in our communities.   The children of a family are like arrows to take the dreams and visions that God places in the heart of a father into the next generation.  According to Psalms, "Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands." (Ps. 127:4 NLV).  Many people look at children as an annoying by product of enjoying marriage.  Maybe for Christians children are viewed as a natural duty or maybe some people just really like kids and so they decide to start a family.  It seems many Christian parent's highest aspirations for their children are simply to continue the Godly cycle of life that they started and exemplified.  I think we are missing something.  Children are weapons that God gives a Christian family to propel the war into the next generation.  This concept of children only make sense if we first know our individual identity and calling and then the identity and calling of our families.
                  I also believe that God wants to call our churches by name.  God wants our churches to find a specific identity and calling.  God wants our communities to have an identity and calling and God wants our nation to have a name that reflects our commission.  In all of these areas I find Christians who approach the battle of life with a scatter shot approach.  These people help other random people with random needs without ever really hearing from God about their line of service.  I believe that God is calling us to focused service based on our name, our identity, and our calling.  
               Dream with me.....What would happen if a father heard from God that his family has been called to adopt a needy family from the community or maybe take us a cause against some area of social injustice?  What would happen if a church heard from God that their area of ministry was supposed to be some village in Sudan?  This church would pool all of its resources and focus on teaming together to address the needs in this community.  Instead of a church full of individuals serving individually in random areas, can you imagine the power of a concerted effort like this.  What if all the churches in a county decided to band together to meet the needs of a single country like Bangledesh?  So often we don't even pursue God's heart this hard, but could God's dream for our local community really be this wild.  What if Pennsylvania took on Central America because the Christians in Pennslyvania got together and heard God calling their name and these Christians learned their identity.
              I know I'm definitely revealing my age by dreaming about things that seem so impractical.  You say that someday I will learn the meaning of the word "reality."  Maybe I will become less visionary in the future, but I can at least start by pursuing God's face with all my heart and begging him to reveal to me my name, and then the name of my family.  Maybe I can pray that my church would hear God calling us by name and we could learn our identity and begin pursuing our communal calling as a body.  Maybe...... 


            Just some thoughts......That's all.most all. 


Heh heh, I had to do it.........                 

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Other Side Of The Coin



Ever since I saw this video a number of years back I get the feeling we must be missing something about how we as a church are supposed to function. We may live in a country that declares that we have, "certain inalienable rights," which include, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," but that does not mean we have to keep these rights for ourselves.