Monday, April 28, 2008

The Witness - Tuesday Morning (Part 2)

Marc walks into the café and lays his book bag on the table. He then walks up to the barista, orders a skinny caramel latte and looks at the people sitting in the café while he waits. There are some new faces, but he recognizes some of the same people sitting by themselves. Again he wonders why they are there alone. He knows why he is there alone, to find out what it means to follow Jesus. But them, what is their story?

Marc gets his latte and makes his way to his table. Today, Toby is sitting fairly close to Marc. Toby watches as Marc unpacks his bag. As he lays his Bible on the table Toby moves to the other side of his table so he will not have to make eye contact.

Toby thinks to himself, “How can he trust something that seems so wrong?” He refuses to read the Bible because he sees that it has done little to change those who hold it up as their standard for living. If only he could see an authentic change in those who say they believe in God. He is tired of hearing how great Jesus is and how he can change his life when he has seen little change in others.

Henry is sitting in the corner reading the paper. He is reading an article in the religion section. He is looking for something more, something real. He is looking for a way to live out his faith, but finds it difficult in the modern church. He often wonders, “Can there be something the church is missing? Is church on Sunday morning all there is when it comes to fulfilling a relationship with God?” He wants a real relationship with God, but does not know where to begin.

Sally is there for her weekly treat. She is sitting staring out the window. She day dreams of a life that is filled with hope, peace and love. Then tears begin to swell up in her eyes because she sees no hope in sight. Sally only sees a life of constant struggle. She has no idea where she can turn for what she is looking for the most. She is looking for unconditional love from somewhere.

Marc opens his note book and sees in big letters, Focus #1: Become a fisher of men. He bows his head and prays, “God, teach me in your word today how to become a fisher of men.” He opens his Bible to the book of Matthew. He is going to start with the Sermon on the Mount today. As he slowly reads the words of Jesus, he pauses at each of the beatitudes and thinks about what each one means.

He stops and writes down, “Matthew 5:13: ‘You are the salt of the earth.’ And Matthew 5:14: ‘You are the light of the world.’ Marc slumps back in his chair, puts his hands behind his head and closes his eyes. He begins to think about how Jesus was the salt of the earth and the light of the world. And then he asks himself this question, “How can I become the salt of the earth and the light of the world?”

Marc began to see this not as much as a command, but a lifestyle. Salt makes a difference to its environment. Light impacts the culture. Jesus himself made a difference in the world around him in the way he interacted with people. He gave them light, understanding of a God who loves people unconditionally. Even the wisdom that comes from God’s commands are an example of his love.
Marc writes in big letters in his note book, Focus #2: Become the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He bows his head and prays, “God, help me become the salt of the earth and light of the world.”

As Marc is packing up his bag, Sally gets up walking by him in a hurry. She is obviously upset about something. Marc continues clean off his table, giving little attention to Sally as she passed by him.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

I am a disciple of Granny Baker

My Grandmother Baker, in my opinion, made the best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten. At thanksgiving she made 6-8 pumpkin pies because my cousin and I loved them. After Thanksgiving dinner, my cousin and I would cut a pie in half, sharing a whole pie together.

As she got older I knew that I had to learn how to make this pie. So I asked her for the recipe. It said things like "6-8 eggs," "almost two cans of milk," and "1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons of a certain spice." There is a big difference between 6 and 8 eggs. What does it mean "almost 2 cans of milk?" If I just sat down and followed the recipe only by chance would it taste like her pie.

So, I asked her to show me how to make the punpkin pie. It took me two times. The first time I just watched her make them. The second time she walked me through the process. It was the second time I learned the secrect. She said, "Now taste it and see if it taste right." That was not said in the recipe. She did not tell me that when she showed me how. It happened when I worked beside her. Now I make the best pumpkin pie. I am a disciple of my Grandmother Baker.

Becoming a disciple that disciples others is not an option. Followers of Jesus will naturally have discipleship as part of their DNA. Our problem is that we do not understand how to "make disciples." We see that Jesus says "go and make disciples . . . teaching them." We get stuck on the "teaching" part of what Jesus says.

When we hear the word "teaching" we think of a classroom setting where some stands up and lectures. Or we think of sitting down one on one with someone passing on the knowledge we have gained from others or a book. But the kind of teaching Jesus did was different than those two pictures. Jesus taught by living out what He was trying to teach. Yeah, there were times he told stories or taught principles about the kingdom of God, but it would have had little effect if he had not lived it out. Jesus taught by example. Jesus taught through relationship. He worked beside his disciples teaching them as they go.

In the Bible Paul says, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). How are you doing? Are you showing the example of Christ as you are following Him?

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

What do you think about this story?




What did he think was going to happen? If you strap yourself to 1000 helium balloons it could never turn out alright. While I pray that he is alright there is a lesson we can learn from this stunt. There are consequences to our actions when we attempt to live outside logical boundaries. One of the last things my grandfather told me was, "Scott, don't do something dumb." I wonder what this priests grandfather once told him? "Go for it!" At least he has seen the world from a different perspective than most.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Witness (Part 1)

It was Tuesday, Marc walked into a local café to discover what it means to follow Jesus. The café had local art hanging on a background of walls painted in earth tones. There were small round and square tables that had enough room for him to place his coffee, muffin and Bible. There were also couches for those who got tired of sitting on a hard chair.

Marc got his coffee and found a table in the corner. As he set his Bible on the table he looked around the café and noticed three other people sitting alone. He wondered what their story was and why they were here. Most of all why were they alone. He gave it little thought and sat down and began to read the book of Matthew, searching for what it means to follow Jesus.

Toby was sitting at a table reading a book. Calling him a skeptic is an understatement. Toby not only does not believe in God, he despises even the thought of God. There are times he sits and stares at the back of a dollar bill shaking his head in disgust as reads the words “In God we Trust.” He sees those who believe in God as weak and out of touch. His perception of Christians is that they are judgmental and use their faith to control others. They try to impose their faith on the culture making morality just a political agenda.

Toby’s problem is that he has never really met the real Jesus. He has met the finger pointing Jesus, not the Jesus ready to embrace him with an abounding love. Love is the last thing he thinks of when he hears the name Jesus. Those who were called to be his witnesses could easily be called a false witness. Except for a few exceptions they have been so unlike Jesus. The more he sees from the Christian community the farther he is walking away from God.

Reading a news paper, Henry has his own issues. He grew up going to church every Sunday. He knows the stories of the Bible he heard as a child. He even has etched in his mind verses like, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” Intellectually he believes in God because he has grown up in the church. But his heart is not in it.

The predictability of Sunday mornings has grown stale. There seems to be little relational focus on God and others, it has become to ritualistic. Going to church seems complicated trying to keep up with the changes in method while holding on to doctrine. It is easier to go every now and then, than to commit to something so processed.

Sally’s life is a wreck. She work’s as a waitress at a night club, trying to support two children from two different fathers. She is constantly trying to find that right man who will love her unconditionally. She juggles time with her children, work and men who show interest in her for only one reason. She barely has enough money to survive week to week, but somehow she finds a way to treat herself to a latte at a local café on the corner.

God, Jesus, the church, never cross her mind. She grew up in a family that never talked about God. She has never, to her knowledge ever met a Christian. She has never heard about having a relationship with Jesus. She has seen images of him, but they never stir any emotion. Seeing an image of Jesus is no different to her than seeing an image of a fisherman standing by the sea.

After about an hour Marc takes out a note pad. He opens it up to a blank page. At the top he writes the word Jesus. He wrote down, “Matthew 4:19: ‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” Just what he was looking for, a reference to what it means to follow Jesus, and what he gets is “I will make you fishers of men.”

Beneath the scripture Marc writes real big: “Focus #1: Become a fisher of men.” He thought to himself, “I hope Jesus explains this in more detail. I know how to fish, but not for men.” He closed his note pad and his Bible. He puts them in his backpack, throws his empty cup away and walks past some fish. He will be back next Tuesday to continue this journey.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Experiencing God


Spring Gobbler season starts tomorrow in Ohio, next Monday for West Virginia. There are several reasons I love to Spring Gobbler hunt. One is being in the woods early in the morning and experiencing the woods waking up. As the sun begins to come up you can hear the calm call of a hoot owl in the distance, often followed by the echoing gobble of a big tom. Then other birds begin to call to each other flying quickly from one branch to the next. An occasional rustle of the leaves reveals the presence of a gray squirrel looking for breakfast. The hoot owl gives another call, followed by the sound of several gobblers making known their location. From time to time you can hear a something walking quietly in the distance and as it gets closer you can see it is a deer looking for acorns. This time a gobble is followed by a soft cluck from a hen, letting the gobbler she is close by. To say the least, when the woods begin to wake, it is noisy.

That noise reveals another presence. It reveals the presence of God as His creation begins another day. When I am in the woods I always feel like I am in the presence of God. I love those moments when he reveals himself through moments in life. What are some of those moments for you? When and where do you experience God the most?

Monday, April 14, 2008

What do you think of church?

Last Tuesday one of the elementry schools had there spring concert at Northwest. This is the fourth or fifth year in a row they have come here. It is really cool having the place packed with so many people. There are lot's of people who have never been in a church before other than for a funeral or wedding. So why do we do it?

- We do it because it is time that churches become a part of the community in stead of just
existing in the community.

- We do it because Jesus has taught us to be externally focused (we got the the idea from
"The Externally Focused Church" by Rick Rusaw. view)

- We do it because I have kids and I am tired of sitting in a hot school with no seating and
poor parking.

For the most part we get positive comments about the school being here. Usually any negative comments come from those at the church. But we ignore those and just keep loving people and loving our community.

I did get an email that made me pause-- and think. The person had been very positive about the use of the building, how clean the building looked and the amount of space for children.

The pause came when the person said that Northwest reminded them of the church they grew up in and it was a bad memory. It looked churchy and stuffy. They were reminded of big ugly flowers. They were reminded of a hideous pulpit that sat above everyone where they could look down on people.

Some of you who read that description will understand what this person is talking about and give them a thumbs up. Some of you will be mad, because you wish the church was like that again. Both of these emotions are the wrong emotions to have. We should be asking ourselves how the church has gotten in this mess. Why people judge God by what they think the church should look like.

We should be asking ourselves what can we do to help people see God. The real God. A God who loves them more than they could even imagine. There is nothing we can do about the church looking churchy. It is just a building. We can make some adjusments and give a warmer feel, but that is really not about Jesus.

We need to begin to live our lives in such a way that people see Jesus through us. That their impression of God is not tied into a building or a place. They need to see Jesus by the way we love people.

What do you think of when you think of the church building? Positive? Negative? Give a description.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Real Prayer

Prayer - what is it really? It is simply a conversation with God. Whether it is public or private it should not change. It is always a conversation with God. It is never a time to preach a sermon. It is never a time to get theatrical. It is never a time to fill space in a worship service. It is always a converstaion with God.

Tony Campolo told a story about a lady who came to him after a service and said, "You know that you made 7 gramatical mistakes in your prayer this morning." He responded, "That's alright. I wasn't talking to you anyway."

We think of prayer as something we have to do, rather than something we get to do. We get to be in a conversation with the God who created the universe. Wow! There are certain people through history I wish I could sit down and talk to. Some on my list include Martin Luther the great Reformation Leader, Abraham Lincoln in my opinion the greatest President we ever had and Yogi Bera the hall of fame catcher of the New York Yankees (I know everybody hates the Yankees, but you have to love Yogi). But none of them, compare to the creator of the universe.

My youngest son, believes when he is praying he is talking to God. He always prays for himself and his brothers to have "good dreams no bad dreams." I was praying with him one night and asked him to include me in that prayer, I had a couple bad dreams that week. He said to God, "let Scott Baker have good dreams, no bad dreams. Not the Scott Baker who is the race car driver." He wanted to make sure God, knew who he was praying for, because he really believes he is talking to God. He will say anything to God anytime, because God is very real to Him.

We need to have this same innocence when we pray. We should have the freedom to have a real conversation, with a real God who loves us more than we can imagine.

Who are some of the people in history you would like to have a conversation with?

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Pray for Zimbabwe

I am suppose to go with a team of people to Zimbabwe in October. You may have noticed that there is some unrest in the country right now. The elections were held this past Saturday and the results hzve not been confirmed. The curreny Prime Minister has taken Zimbabwe from a once prosporous country to one that has about 100,000 % inflation a year. That number is not a misprint, I meant to write 100,000.

It is very important that Mugabe be removed from power. Early reports have said that Mugabe lost the election, but he has stopped any reporting to the results. Pray that the stalemate ends peacefully and that Mugabe is out voted so that the country can get back on its feet again. Pray that this can be the beginning of a country able to feed children who die everyday from starvation. Pray that God can change the lives of people in that country, they are very open to the godpel message currently.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Are you getting all you can from God's word?

Sunday we are starting to teach through our core values. Our values are a way to define Northwest as we transition into a missional church. The core value states: The Bible is the authoritative word of God. I was looking at this and got hung up on the word "authoritative." While I believe the Bible is the authority we live by, I am afraid we have done something very wrong. By using the word "authoritative" what are saying about God?

Webster's first definition defines "authoritative" as, "having or proceeding from authority : official." The example after this definition is "church doctrine" (imagine that). While God is our authority and the Bible is the authority that we live by, I think we are missing what the Bible is about. This definition teaches us that the Bible reads like a book of Law, a bunch of do's and don'ts. So we look at the Bible, God's word as a burden. The problem is that Jesus tells us in 1 John 5:3 "his commands are not burdensome to us." So by using the word "authoritative" are we making the Bible something it is not meant to be, a burden?

Oxford Universtiy Press Dictionary's first definition defines "authoritative" as, "reliable because it is true and accurate." If we define "authoritative" like Oxford, what does that say about God? First, it says He is someone we can rely on. He is always there. But it is the reason He is reliable that makes all the difference in the world. He is reliable because what He says is true and accurate.

He has authority over us, but he does not stand over us like some dictator watching our every move. He provides His reliable word to us so that we can live an abudant life. The commands he gives are not a burden to us because God does not approach it as a law, he approaches it as a way to protect us an provide for us. His commands are out of wisdom not control. His word is motivated out of love for people not out of love for Himself.

We need to stop reading the Bible as a book of law. We need to start reading it as a collection of stories about God. The Bible is a story about God and how he interacts with people. It is a story of how God provides a way for people to have a relationship with Him. And this story is "reliable because it is true and accurate" about how to live a life filled with hope, peace and love.