Belonging Before Believing

(many thanks to Brian MacLaren for fueling the thoughts in this post. For an excellent and challenging new look at sharing faith in Christ, read his book, More Ready Than You Realize.)

What does it take for someone to be welcomed into our circle? For most, the answer would have to do with holding common interests, beliefs, and ideas. This is especially true of the Christian church. The typical approach by the church to those outside her walls has been to say, "Make a decision to believe how we do, and then you can join our circle." For hundreds of years, this approach has helped to safeguard faith while encouraging seekers to make that crucial choice so they could belong to "the club."

You don't have to look at modern society very long to realize how ineffective this strategy is today. Exclusive clubs, while enjoyed by the members, are offensive to those who are excluded. As the church gives the message, "believe like we do and then come and belong", most people are saying, "no thanks."

What if people were allowed to belong before they believed? What if they were not only allowed, but welcomed, received, and treated as equals? This is the church-culture shift that needs to occur today. A shift where churches look at people who are new and welcome and include them, regardless of their beliefs. People today are looking for communities where they can be real, ask hard questions, and get honest (not intellectual or churchy) answers about life. As seekers of God are invited to rub shoulders with the people of God on a regular basis, they will gain an understanding of what it means to know God.

Are we too busy guarding the faith and attempting to "convince" those who are far from God to believe like we do? Maybe we need to spend more time simply loving and laughing with spiritual seekers so they can begin to observe the truth in us. In today's world, words and actions are connected- we can't say one thing and do another, or what we say carries no weight. If we want to say, "God loves you," then we need to live in a way that shows God's love. If we want to say to our friends and neighbors, "God accepts you where you are," then we need to treat them that way. If we desire to see people journey towards God with us, then we must let them belong before they believe- belong to our communities of faith and walk side by side with us. For out of belonging comes believing.

I realize these thoughts are jumbled and random today. Reflect on them and see if they don't challenge you as I have been challenged. Journey on in His light.

The Bethel Experience- Day 6

Back at school after a couple of days of rest! We had a great time with my wife's in-laws in Northern Minnesota. We had the joy of taking our daughter through the 'Underwater' world at the Mall of America. This is one of the most impressive displays of fish, turtles, and rays that I have ever seen! They have numerous displays that are built for little kids to walk up and see fish at their level, or "fishies!' as Alyssa would exclaim when a big one swam by. This adventure is spendy, but worth the cost if you really appreciate nature and God's ingenuity in the aquatic world.

The second round of classes has begun, and the topic for the week is hermeneutics, which is a fancy word for 'interpreting the Bible.' One meaningful thing to me today is the thought that the Bible does more than just communicate to us. When we read books, magazines, or the newspaper, information is communicated and we choose what to do with it. The Bible contains more than just information; it truly contains transformation. As we come in contact with God's Word and humble ourselves underneath it, we are changed and shaped by the transferred information. This is why reading the Bible is so vital to our faith and our walk with Christ. We don't read the Bible just to learn the stories and hear about God; we actually come in contact with God and power of His Spirit as we surrender our lives to His Word. As you approach God's truth this week, realize you hold something entirely different in your hands. If you want to follow Christ, give to Him the rights to decide how you handle that information. When we see truth in God's Word, we seek to live it and not just acknowledge it.

May you discover life-transformation in the pages of His Word this week.

Journey on with Him.

The Bethel Experience- Day 5

Well, one week of class is now done and I get a weekend to recover before the next one. My wife and daughter arrived last night and are at my in-laws, so I am headed up to be with them for the next few days.

Today, I'll just leave a thought that has been on my heart lately. We learned a new song this past weekend that had the line, "Mountains bow down, all the oceans roar, to the Lord of hosts." I've climbed numerous high peaks in my life and each time, I am deeply impacted by their imposing heights, their sheer rock cliffs, and the astounding views from the top. From this perspective, mountains are incredibly powerful. I can tell you from first-hand experience that you feel small and insignificant on the slopes of one of these giants. Throughout the Bible, we read about creation, the mountains and the seas, worshipping the Creator. My thought has been that if the mountains of such incredible power and size bow before the Lord, who am I not to worship? If the heights of creation and the expanses of the ocean shout His praise, how much more should I? I have been given a voice, and a life, with which I can magnify and worship my Creator. To not worship would be a high form of arrogance.

May your life be lived as an act of worship to the Creator. It's the only way for His creation to live.

Journey on, fellow traveler.

The Bethel Experience- Day 4

We've heard some interesting updates from China today- reports of lives being changed, churches being started, and the dead being raised, spiritually and physically. Can you imagine having the privilege of living in a place where God is still waking people from their coffins? One Chinese pastor recently told a group of Americans, "Please don't pray for deliverance from political persecution; pray that Jesus finds the lost." The Chinese believers truly see their persecution as positive- that God has used it to refine, strengthen, and grow His church. A student in our class chimed in and said that believers in China are praying that the church in America will face persecution, believing that through persecution the American church will be wakened from her slumber. I can't disagree with the need to wake our churches, but I guess I hope it won't take an extreme time of difficulty. Yet in the horrid times of suffering and pain, the Chinese people have seen the light and beauty of Jesus and turned to Him. We could learn a great deal from these Asian friends.

May you be able to see the beauty of Jesus today.

Journey on.

Where Will Your Light Shine?

A compelling quote from today...

I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light– John Keith Falconer