I'm back to Dallas Willard. Pulled The Divine Conspiracy off my shelf after John Perkins' visit. More than ever, I'm considering the invitation to life in the Kingdom of God and training as a student of Jesus. I'm inviting my co-workers into the 10 chapters of The Divine Conspiracy over the next 10 months of 2016. Other than the Bible, there's not been a book that has influenced my thinking and faith more than this book. It's dense, but it's oh so worth it.
Introduction
"Very few people today find Jesus interesting as a person or of vital relevance to the course of their actual lives. He is not generally regarded as a real-life personality who deals with real-life issues but is thought to be concerned with some feathery realm other than the one we must deal with and must deal with now. And frankly, he is not taken to be a person of much ability."
"It is the failure to understand Jesus and his words as reality and vital information about life that explains why, today, we do not routinely teach those who profess allegiance to him how to do what he said was best."
"How could the obligation be so clear and at the same time there be no attempt to meet it? The problem, we may be sure, lies very deep within the ideas that automatically govern our thinking about who we are, as Christians and as human beings, and about the relevance of Jesus to our cosmos and our lives."
"In fact, it lies much deeper than anything we might appropriately feel guilty about. For it is not, truly, a matter of anything we do or don't do. It is a matter of how we cannnot but think and act, give the context of our mental and spiritual formation. So any significant change can come only by breaking the stranglehold of the ideas ad concepts the automatically shunt aside Jesus, "The Prince of Life," when questions of concrete mastery of our life arise."
"More than any other single thing, in any case, the practical irrelevance of actual obedience to Christ accounts for the weakened effect of Christianity in the world today, with its increasing tendency to emphasize political ad social action as the primary way to serve God. It also accounts for the practical irrelevance of Christian faith to individual character development and overall personal sanity and well-being."
Planning on blogging through the book on Willard Wednesdays...hold me to it!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
El Shaddai
I was around Dr. Perkins for most of the weekend of his visit, and I heard him say more than once that we needed to meet "El Shaddai"..the God who is bigger than our problems.
I looked up El Shaddai because I had really only heard this term for God in an old Amy Grant song.
El Shaddai:
The All-Sufficient One. The Almighty God.
The Hebrew word "dai" means sheds forth, pours out and suggests provision, sustenance, blessing.
The Hebrew word "shad" means breast and suggests one who nourishes, supplies, satisfies.
The Hebrew root word "shadad" means to overpower or to destroy and suggests absolute power.
According to one definition that I read, "While Elohim is the God who creates, in the name "Shaddai", God reveals Himself as the God who compels nature to do what is contrary to itself. He is able to triumph over every obstacle and all opposition; He is able to subdue all things to Himself."
Come now, El Shaddai.
I looked up El Shaddai because I had really only heard this term for God in an old Amy Grant song.
El Shaddai:
The All-Sufficient One. The Almighty God.
The Hebrew word "dai" means sheds forth, pours out and suggests provision, sustenance, blessing.
The Hebrew word "shad" means breast and suggests one who nourishes, supplies, satisfies.
The Hebrew root word "shadad" means to overpower or to destroy and suggests absolute power.
According to one definition that I read, "While Elohim is the God who creates, in the name "Shaddai", God reveals Himself as the God who compels nature to do what is contrary to itself. He is able to triumph over every obstacle and all opposition; He is able to subdue all things to Himself."
Come now, El Shaddai.
Friday, February 26, 2016
on Christian Community
"The purpose of Christian formation is not developing a better self-image, achieving self-fulfillment or finding self-affiramtion; nor is it the development of individualistic qualities that make singularly outstanding saints. Rather, it is developing certain qualities that enable us to live responsibility within the community that we have been baptized into to." - Simon Chan
"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Reflections of time spent with John Perkins
Dr. John Perkins was with us last week for 3 1/2 days. Perkins and his daughter, Priscilla, both affirmed the work we were doing and the community that they enjoyed through our time together. Before his departure flight, I asked Dr. Perkins what he felt the strengths of the weekend were. He said, "I think it was the fellowship."
During his visit here, Dr. Perkins didn't see a lot of new or restored housing in our neighborhood. But he did see a lot of love and friendship goin' on.
This weekend was yet one more reminder that this call is really a call into the development of Christian community. When love is evident in our relationship with Christ and with one another, the Spirit and the power of Jesus are going to show up in wonderful, redemptive ways.
*The "who" trumps the "what".
* Doing flows from being.
* Us/them becomes we.
* To/for becomes with.
* Charity becomes development.
* Servants become friends.
Relationships are not the means to some other end...they are the end themselves!
More reflections to follow...there is a lot to chew on when you listen to Dr. Perkins for 3+ days!
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
whole gospel 2
Orchard Hill Church's two primary global partners know all about wholistic development.
"Jesus said, 'As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' (John 9:5)
But he promised that 'he who follows me...will have the light of life.' (John 8:12)
And then gives us the same title that he gave himself: 'You are the light of the world..let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14,16)
Robsan Tura, from Mozambique's Food for the Hungry, has said, "If we don't give glory to Jesus and point to Him as the light, then we, in the void, will ultimately give ourselves or the thing we're doing the glory. The thing we are doing will become thee thing and will become the treasure, the reward, rather than pointing people to Jesus as the treasure." Good works need to be connected to a good King and His Kingdom.
Our partners, Kristie and JeanJean Mompremier, with United Christians International in Haiti, base their entire ministry and work on Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."
While they are busy working alongside their community to educate children and teens, develop sustainable food sources, pour cement floors for homes, improve health care, and more, their primary goal is to share the Word of God and the life changing power of Jesus and His Kingdom. Word and Deed married to both "show and tell" of the character and heart of Jesus.
Dr. John Perkins, who will be with us in our community in a few weeks, has also lived this Both/And life of wholistic ministry. He quotes, "Jesus never put evangelism and social action at odds with each other, so neither should we."
When we tell the Word of God without showing the Word, we often preach a gospel that seems detached from real needs in society and appears powerless to change hearts and lives.
When we fear the response of people and show the Word without telling the Word, we often show a gospel that seems detached from our deepest need and appears powerless to change hearts and lives.
Whole Gospel = Show and Tell
Passionate love for Jesus+Passionate love for people
"Jesus said, 'As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' (John 9:5)
But he promised that 'he who follows me...will have the light of life.' (John 8:12)
And then gives us the same title that he gave himself: 'You are the light of the world..let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14,16)
Robsan Tura, from Mozambique's Food for the Hungry, has said, "If we don't give glory to Jesus and point to Him as the light, then we, in the void, will ultimately give ourselves or the thing we're doing the glory. The thing we are doing will become thee thing and will become the treasure, the reward, rather than pointing people to Jesus as the treasure." Good works need to be connected to a good King and His Kingdom.
Our partners, Kristie and JeanJean Mompremier, with United Christians International in Haiti, base their entire ministry and work on Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."
While they are busy working alongside their community to educate children and teens, develop sustainable food sources, pour cement floors for homes, improve health care, and more, their primary goal is to share the Word of God and the life changing power of Jesus and His Kingdom. Word and Deed married to both "show and tell" of the character and heart of Jesus.
Dr. John Perkins, who will be with us in our community in a few weeks, has also lived this Both/And life of wholistic ministry. He quotes, "Jesus never put evangelism and social action at odds with each other, so neither should we."
When we tell the Word of God without showing the Word, we often preach a gospel that seems detached from real needs in society and appears powerless to change hearts and lives.
When we fear the response of people and show the Word without telling the Word, we often show a gospel that seems detached from our deepest need and appears powerless to change hearts and lives.
Whole Gospel = Show and Tell
Passionate love for Jesus+Passionate love for people
Sunday, January 31, 2016
whole gospel 1
"..if we follow his example in both proclaiming the Word and acting to meet human needs, Jesus Christ living through us will produce the same spiritual results in the hearts of men and women that were produced when he walked the earth. That's an evangelism that reaches the whole of a person's life.
When Jesus describes his own ministry, he talks about preaching and healing and releasing prisoners (Luke 4:18-21). His target is the poor, the blind, the prisoners, and the oppressed. We don't see here a theology that divides a man up into little compartments- body, mind, soul, emotions, spirit- then puts one above the other and deals with that only. No, the words have physical and spiritual meaning which show Jesus's strategy to rescue whole people, and to enlist their bodies and spirits in his kingdom. Jesus makes God's love relevant to my every need, to my whole person.
Among the poor, there is often a basic cause-and-effect relationship between spiritual and physical needs. It is somehow very cruel to share the words of life with a person without sharing also things that person needs to live (James 2: 14, 17). But also, we can get caught in the shallows of welfare or paternalism if we help meet people's needs without sharing with them the understanding that they can have a new quality of life with God that lasts forever. God wants people to develop into whole human beings." -John M. Perkins from p.65-66 A Quiet Revolution
When Jesus describes his own ministry, he talks about preaching and healing and releasing prisoners (Luke 4:18-21). His target is the poor, the blind, the prisoners, and the oppressed. We don't see here a theology that divides a man up into little compartments- body, mind, soul, emotions, spirit- then puts one above the other and deals with that only. No, the words have physical and spiritual meaning which show Jesus's strategy to rescue whole people, and to enlist their bodies and spirits in his kingdom. Jesus makes God's love relevant to my every need, to my whole person.
Among the poor, there is often a basic cause-and-effect relationship between spiritual and physical needs. It is somehow very cruel to share the words of life with a person without sharing also things that person needs to live (James 2: 14, 17). But also, we can get caught in the shallows of welfare or paternalism if we help meet people's needs without sharing with them the understanding that they can have a new quality of life with God that lasts forever. God wants people to develop into whole human beings." -John M. Perkins from p.65-66 A Quiet Revolution
Saturday, January 23, 2016
what is it about Dr. John Perkins?
1. When Dr. Perkins met Jesus, he believed and has lived the Scriptures that tell us we are one human race and that we become family, real brothers and sisters, when we become adopted sons and daughters of God in Christ. Perkins has believed and witnessed to the fact that the Gospel has the power to heal and burn through every division.
2. John Perkins believed Jesus when he said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...". And because we are now Christ's physical body on earth, we also will incarnate, just like Jesus did, and preach good news through "show and tell" among the poor.
3. John Perkins "doing" flows out of his "being." Perkins' outliving is clearly from the inliving Christ in him. He oozes faith and his life story so clearly reflects Jesus's power, hope, love, endurance, courage, character. You can't get near him without hearing him preach of the King and the Kingdom of God on the move reconciling, redeeming, restoring....and inviting us into the fellowship of this great love.
4. Perkins has shown us what beloved community looks like. It looks like believers coming together across race, socioeconomics, and age to be the Church and to join our gifts together for the greater good...for justice and equality for all people. He speaks so powerfully about being saved and brought into something larger than ourselves.
These truths have become visible in the life of John M. Perkins. He models and embodies these truths. It was amazing to be around people this week who told their stories of hearing Dr. Perkins share the Gospel around the country and who felt God's call to join with him in Mississippi. With no strategic plan and no finances promised, they dropped what they were doing and went. H. Spees, who is currently campaigning for mayor in Fresno, put his campaign work on hold this week to come to Jackson in order to help lead our tour on Thursday. He heard Dr. Perkins at Glendale, CA, Presbyterian Church when he was 19. He followed Perkins back to MS and was there in the early days when they took over health clinics in the area and knocked down the dividing walls inside that were used to separate whites and blacks. One of our stops was at Mendenhall Ministries, the former Voice of Calvary Ministries, and we came upon Irv and Joan, a senior couple who had first come to Mississippi in the early days after hearing Dr. Perkins speak. They were back visiting and serving, and it was a surprise and wonderful reunion for H. Spees, Dr. Perkins, and Irv and Joan. A great opportunity for cohort 6 to see the love and bonds still so strong between them. Their lives of commitment to Christ and one another was a "taste and see" moment for us as we watched their joy in seeing one another and sharing stories from the early days of being on mission together through the hardship and insanity of injustice caused by racism.
Dr. Perkins is a spiritual giant, a mentor and father in the faith to so many people. His legacy of humble service and sacrifice, the truth he shares about Christ's reconciling love and forgiveness, the prophetic word he has for Christ's Church, and the love he has for his family and friends, draws people both to Jesus and to himself. Dr. Perkins helps us to not only see the vision of God's Kingdom come to earth, but to taste and touch it. I am one whom God has changed through the life of this man. Thank you, Dr. Perkins, for your faith, love, and obedience to Jesus.
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