I AM STILL HERE....

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God Said What!?

Many people claim to hear from God...

Some are in cushioned rooms with straight jackets....

...others are doomsday prophets, stock piling weapons for the end of the world.....

...and a large number can be found down the street at your local church or parish.

Many Christians claim to hear from God on a number of issues. These issues are as mundane as personal finances to as grand as building a church. Some Christians believe that God has told them who to marry and others have felt God calling them into ministry. Now, let me pose this controversial question...is it God who is speaking to them or is it simply themselves, wanting, maybe willing something that they want. Some may answer this question by stating that God gives us the desires of our heart and maybe that can be persuasively argued. On the other hand, I contend that many times what we think is God speaking to us is merely just us and nothing more.

Christ Incorporated

14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

Flashback - 1990:
I was a brand new Christian attending my first Christian Music Festival. Maybe I was naive or worse...I just hadn't been assimilated into western Christian culture, but there were two things that I will never forget....

1. Christians rushing the stage trying to get as close to the "ministers of the gospel" as possible.
2. The "Merchandise Tent" (which my Youth Pastor referred to it's contents as "Jesus Junk")

Barely a believer, something struck me as quite wrong with all of this.
1. Weren't the musicians there to preach the gospel through song?
A. If so, then why were Christians rushing the stage attempting to get as close to them as possible? These were ministers (not celebrities), right?
2. Didn't Jesus warn those in the temple (and us today) not to turn his house into a market?
B. Why then, were people promoting and selling (at ridiculously high prices I might add) all sorts of silly trinkets and clothing with words and images of Jesus and other Christian symbols? Shouldn't people be spending their time freely promoting the gospel with their neighbors and coworkers, and spending their money on building homes and orphanages for people in need here and abroad?

Flashforward to today:
I am convinced that what we are seeing today's church is quite different from what was originally intended when Christ established his earthly ministry. Christ commanded us to go into all nations proclaiming the gospel, he did not command to into all church buildings and build a better sound system. When scripture tells us to be in world and not of it, I think that's a pretty clear indication that we do not need to establish a Christian version of N*Sync.

Some in the church are quick to counter my criticisms and that's fine (all are entitled to their own opinions), but the real measuring stick (as I see it) are those who the church is supposed to be reaching (AKA: The World).

Consider this:
1. Does Christian paraphenlia really reach anyone, or does it just make you feel all fuzzy because you think it does (and do people just think you look silly)? What really makes you or what you are wearing any different than the guy wearing all of his Dallas Cowboy gear...Think about it. He looks like a Cowboy fan...You look like a Jesus fan.
2. You have a Starbucks like coffee shop in your church...is the world really pounding down the door to come and learn the love of Jesus because you are playing some Christian jazz and brewing up a pot of French Roast?
3. You play CCM all day in your car and at your cubicle...are the masses really falling down at your feet wanting to hear more about the Lord because of Third Day and the Newsboys?

In an article published through BusinessWeek Online titled: Earthly Empires, the article begins by addressing one of the largest and fastest growing churches in North America today, Lakewood Church , pointing out some of the free and low cost services that the church provides for it's members. This of course is setting up the larger point which is marketing strategies and an unspoken message (to the Christian reader which is ways that the church is attempting relevancy and outreach). I have broken this up into small snippets to illustrate what I see as problems. These are things that drive me crazy and I think make us look silly as well as demonstrate the waste of money as well as demotivate me to want to tithe.

Marketing Strategies
"Branding whizzes that they are, the new church leaders are spreading their ideas through every available outlet. A line of "Biblezines" packages the New Testament in glossy magazines aimed at different market segments -- there's a hip-hop version and one aimed at teen girls. Christian music appeals to millions of youths, some of whom otherwise might never give church a second thought, serving up everything from alternative rock to punk and even "screamo" (they scream religious lyrics). California megachurch pastor Rick Warren's 2002 book, The Purpose-Driven Life, has become the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time, with more than 23 million copies sold, in part through a novel "pyro marketing" strategy. Then there's the Left Behind phenomenon, a series of action-packed, apocalyptic page-turners about those left on earth after Christ's second coming, selling more than 60 million copies since 1995."

Praise the Lord...Now pass the cash (Pastor needs a new Rolex):
"Especially controversial are leaders like Osteen and the flamboyant Creflo A. Dollar, pastor of World Changers Church International in College Park, Ga., who preach "the prosperity gospel." They endorse material wealth and tell followers that God wants them to be prosperous. In his book, Osteen talks about how his wife, Victoria, a striking blonde who dresses fashionably, wanted to buy a fancy house some years ago, before the money rolled in. He thought it wasn't possible. "But Victoria had more faith," he wrote. "She convinced me we could live in an elegant home...and several years later, it did come to pass." Dollar, too, defends materialistic success. Dubbed "Pass-the-Dollar" by critics, he owns two Rolls Royces and travels in a Gulfstream 3 jet. "I practice what I preach, and the Bible says...that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants," says Dollar, 43, nattily attired in French cuffs and a pinstriped suit."

Target Audience (yeah...I wish I was kidding):
"Kids are often a prime target audience for megachurches. The main campus of Groeschel's Life Church in Edmond, Okla., includes a "Toon Town" of 3D buildings, a 16-foot high slide, and an animatronic police chief who recites rules. All the razzmatazz has helped Life Church quadruple its Sunday school attendance to more than 2,500 a week. "The kids are bringing their parents to church," says children's pastor Scott Werner."

McChurch (Franchising Jesus):
"Other megachurches are franchising their good name. Life Church now has five campuses in Oklahoma and will expand into Phoenix this fall. Pastor Groeschel jumped the 1,000 miles to Arizona after market research pinpointed Phoenix as an area with a large population but few effective churches. Atlanta's Dollar, who is African American, has pushed into five countries, including Nigeria and South Africa."

Simply put...it's all about relationships and even I need to remember this as a believer

Reality Church

A few months ago, I was searching the internet and came across this article below from a great site (http://www.dankimball.com). This is probably one of the best illustrations I have ever found in regards to Christians and the church.

The First Stage: We begin going to a church, exciting, thrilling, love Jesus, the church is exciting, all things new.

Second Stage: We begin getting involved, learn behind the scenes things, feel privileged to know the church staff and leaders more personally, we are totally excited.

Third Stage: We see things you start to question, the thrill of the big church meetings wanes, as it seems more and more predictable, the leaders seem more human now and not as special as first.

Fourth Stage: We start to get tired of serving in ministry. It seems routine now and we only see it as fueling the big meeting that we don't really like anymore. The leaders we once were in awe of now seem not only normal, but there is a suspicion of self-serving vs. serving the church in their motives. We lose excitement and wonder if church is even something we should be part of. We grow more disillusioned by the day.

Fifth Stage: Total disillusionment, begin feeling bitter towards church leaders, and wonder why people don’t question things more. We sit in the big meeting and feel very alone. We look at the crowds around us and don't feel like we belong anymore. Is church just a produced big meeting? We are tired and it even angers us to see excited new people joining the church as we now know how it really works and how they too will eventually become tired like we are and see church is a program and organized religion.

Sixth Stage: We silently drop out of church. We read the Bible and early church history and see that they didn't have bigger weekly meetings in the early church. We read "house church" literature and begin thinking this is the real New Testament church. We get excited about really doing church the right way and not the big organized way. We find a few other disillusioned Christians and either form or join some sort of small house church gathering. We want it to be simple and not "organized" or programmed or big, but pure like the early church. Everyone all sharing together, true community will happen here, unlike the bigger programmed meetings.

Seventh Stage: Fairly quickly, we realize it isn't too easy leading people. Even in a small house church. People don't show up, or you have people dominating conversations. There is the same bickering, some gossip, people whispering to others that they are not happy with how the meeting went etc. We sometimes try to sing worship songs with ten people and it feels very odd. So you don't try to sing anymore, but do secretly miss the corporate singing that happens in a larger group. Eventually we find the same disappointments in the smaller house church that we did in the bigger programmed church, but at a different level. We get even more disillusioned, as we realize that even the key leaders (including ourselves) and the people of the house church are just as messed up as the big church leaders and people in those churches.
We also feel subtly uncomfortable that the house church feels a bit inward focused. It would be weird to have non-Christians break up the intimate dialog and prayer we have taken such a long time to establish together. But we know something has to be done, as we keep thinking about those who don't know Jesus and that our house church might not be the best place to invite them. Plus dealing with little kids running around every week during your meeting certainly limits your full engagement into the Bible discussion. We get more disheartened as our 4 year old knocks the entire strawberry shortcake dessert onto the kitchen floor as he was trying to get at it early before it is served at the house church.

Eighth Stage: We stop going to any church of any kind. We forget it all. Watch a lot of TV. Play video games. We go see the Dukes of Hazzard movie.

Ninth Stage: We begin missing other Christians, and regular fellowship. We do some introspection and eventually deal with the disappointments and high expectations that we had. We begin a new level of maturity and thinking about the church and church leaders.
We start thinking about our options. We don't want to go to a preaching-driven church that just has everything revolve around the senior pastor or the preacher, as that subtly creates passive spectators who depend on the preacher to "feed" them weekly - rather than maturing as Christians whom should primarily be "feeding" ourselves (since we aren't infants anymore). We don't want to go to a hyper-Reformed church where we feel guilty all the time and get caught up in the everybody else is worldy and wrong but us mentality. We don't feel good about the seeker-type of churches where everyone is so happy, the music is hyper-cheery and we fill in the blanks in the notes they give out. That excites us for a little while, when we fill in the blanks, because it feels like you are really learning. But after a while we see the stack thickening in our Bibles that we stuff them in and realize that we have never even looked at them since we filled them in. We look at our notes that we filled the blanks in on, and can't remember a single thing from these sermons, even the one from two weeks ago.

Tenth Stage: So, we slowly go back to our original church that we at first felt good in because of the overall vision and mission that drew us to it in the first place. We find that the leaders do admit freely to you there are weaknesses and flaws and mess ups and ego issues, but still try their best to blend both the bigger meetings and smaller home meetings for the purpose of the mission. They try to be organized, without being "Organized".
It's not perfect, but we begin to enjoy and even more appreciate the benefits and momentum of the church. But now we get involved with more realistic expectations of what church is and understand the leaders are just like us, trying their best to serve Jesus. We become happy again with a balanced life and imperfect church family all serving on a mission together.

Assembly of God and the Tongues Thing...

The stories are almost all the same, only the names and faces change:

1. They grew up in an Assembly of God church
2. Prayed ernestly for 'the gift" (tongues)
3. Were looked down on by others who had received "the gift" that they (who had not) struggled to make sense of the matter
4. Questioned/doubted their "relationship with God" as time had gone on and tongues were never uttered from their lips
5. Grew cynical (at worst) or withdrawn (at best) in regards to their view(s) of God and Church

Why is this scenario so much more rampant amongst Assembly of God (former/current) members? With so many damaged (mentally and spiritually), why does this persist? I am not against tongues and do believe that it still occurs today. I do however view it as a gift and not "the gift". I believe that while some may speak in tongues, not all need to or should.

If anyone can shed light on this issue (tongues, the AoG church or a related issue) or has a story please feel free to blog....

Believing In God, Doubting in Church

" I believe that there is more sincerity in the person that (quietly) comes on Sunday, sits in the chairs and leaves (quietly) upon the conclusion of the service..."
-Anonymous Pastor

I once heard this from a pastor that I had worked under as a youth leader and it has always stuck with me. What he was getting at was church involvement does not equate spirituality. How often have you attended a church where those who were on stage singing or those who leading a ministry were somehow viewed as super-spiritual? How many people have been to a church where (more) involvement is equated with your "walk with God"?

I once attended and served (voluntarily) in a church where this (so-called) issue was addressed to me. I was serving in a youth ministry teaching and leading games, leading a weekly Sunday School class, and helping with sound during service every other Sunday. To top it off, my wife was involved in the children's nursery. Yet, because we were not attending every BBQ or part of a mens and/or women's Bible study group and other similar ministries, "concern" from the pastor was expressed. I could not believe it. (By the way, Did I mention that we actually did not even live in the town that we were serving in?) When my wife and I chose to (eventually) leave (mostly due to a very long commute), I was then interrogated and made to feel as though there was some "deeper, spiritual issue"...that somehow my "relationship" with God was "in jeopardy. It was then that I had to confront him on two issues (both made him squeamish as he was not expecting them nor could he refute them)... 1. He pastored a small church. Losing us meant losing numbers which in turn affected the church standings both as a viable ministry and financially with the regional denomination headquarters 2. He was making an error in equating involvement with spirituality....And I cited as someone who had been in full time ministry, this was a classic error as a leader and a bit dangerous.

In the past I had also been part of a church discussion Group, where the leader stated that it was impossible to grow as a Christian without church (corporate). When I challenged the leader on this point and cited myself as an example as a person who not only grew, but grew more away from the corporate church, he immediately shifted gears and was uncomfortable with this statement (my statement appeared to have physically rattled him). It did not fit within the paradigm of how he viewed God, faith and church. It was in this very same discussion group that my wife brought up issue of God and human interactivity with man (how much does God really interact with us?)...again, no real attempt to discuss this, but more avoidance in tackling a real issue that did not fit nealty into the church paradigm. The BIGGEST irony of this was that our discussion group was supposed to be "cutting-edge" and "seeker sensitive"; a Bible study group that was going to address these very types of issues. In the end, (fortunatley or unfortunatley) this group ended up being little more than typical "feel-good", "milk-toast" Bible study devoid of meat and led by someone that seemed less-than-suited for what this was supposed to be.

Yet, I still believe in God, I still believe in Bible , and the BIGGEST irony of all is that sometimes I still believe in the church.

The Fox Mulder of Christianity

I want to believe...

1. I want to believe that Christianity is completely true...
A. That the Bible is the infallible word of God, without error, without omission.
B. That creationism, not evolution, explains our origins (of life)
C. That the cannonization of scripture can be a trusted/inspired event and not the decision
of men
D. That the church can be an enjoyable, challenging experience without frustration (pat
answers, followers of the pastor and not God) that i would want to return