what does it mean?

there’s a passage of scripture in I John 2:15-17:

Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

What do you think John is talking about when he talks about the ways of the world? I know on Doubt Night we always a lot of questions like: “can I drink” “how far is too far in a relationship” and stuff like that. I don’t know, maybe we’re asking the wrong questions? To me, the questions seem to fail. We seem to keep pointing away from what the New Testament refers to as “worldly ways.” I would just love to hear what some of you think about this. What makes a Christ follower different if it isnt the way we live every day? Surely it isnt JUST a matter of the heart...i remember scripture saying the heart is deceitful.

doubt night III

we do this thing in underground (our young adult ministry) called doubt night. it is a take off of rob bell's thing up in michigan that encourages any spiritual or bible question in a safe setting to be talked about. i purposefully put people with varied perspectives on the panel so i can disagree with them about things. i think it is healthy to banter and struggle with faith issues.

last night, we had our third doubt night. it was pretty good. good questions: we always always always get relationship questions. we usually get an alcohol question or two. but last night, we got a question about how the earth was populated after the fall of adam...who did cain and able marry, did they commit incest, and stuff like that. there are a lot of theories about this; but they are ALL theories. one theory is that the families mated with each other and repopulated the earth. another theory says there were "heavenly beings" that walked the earth and they helped the process. yet another theory says that the name "adam" represented mankind, and "eve" respresnted "womankind", and that when God created them he created all of humnanity with them. that their sin was that of a mini nation. now, all of these are theories and i am not about to subscribe fully to any of them.

however, the reason the question was asked confuses me. now that i talked to the "asker" i understand. but generally, when we seek scientific data to prove our faith we are either extremely encouraged or discouraged. the fact in this anomoly is that there is no proof...nothing with matter that can give the answer...we just know that if we believe the jewsih account of creation that it happened...the old adage (which i disdain hearing) God said it and it happened and i dont quesiton it...

here lies the problem, questioning is good...seeking is good...but seeking to no avail is disheartening. my logic tells me that credibility holds the key to faith. but my faith tells me that my trust in an all knowing all powerful being of God should bring credibility...even at such a risk.

i think the point of it all is to seek God. the bible talks about unfathomable mysteries...
will my faith in HIM be swayed by these things? if i woke up and turned on CNN and they reported that they had miraculously uncovered hard data that proved evolution (the missing link), what would that do to my faith? truthfully, i dont really know...i think there would be some panic.

i hope i would respond in KNOWING HIM out of the relationship i have with HIM (God). i hope my response, although reactive, would come down to simply knowing. i would hope that my faith would stay in tact.

organic kingdom...part 4

4. The rich earth people:

But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest

Self explanatory. These people have been changed for the long haul. They persevere and constantly refocus their priorities. They may have weeds that come and choke life but they get rid of them…they may get walked on like a road but they cultivate their walk with Christ…they may have an experience like a gravel person, but they nurture and mature.

These people produce fruit. This takes time. This is truly an organic kingdom.

organic kingdom...part 3

3. The weed people:

And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun

The weed people…insert joke here, huh?

When Jesus talks about weeds I think about my pitiful lawn. I have become a man crazed with grass seed and sowing Scott’s solution to rid my lawn of weeds. It’s not working…Caleb is trying to help me with all the things that I need for this thing, but I can’t get it. I always have crab grass…I cant get rid of the crab grass…and there’s these weird horizontally growing weeds now…overtaking the mailbox…I cleaned them out with the weed-eater last week, but I am pretty sure they will resurface. I have spent more money on my lawn this year than I have on books I think. It’s pitiful.

Jesus identifies these people as people who hear, accept pretty much, but basically allows their lifestyle to become so crowded with “stuff” that it crowds out the Kingdom purpose in their life. Busy people…man, I am really busy, myself.

They way it is written in the Greek is that these people hear and believe, right? And after a while, when they start growing, they bring in performance enhancing drugs…ok, broad interpretation, but they bring in enhancements which create problems…they mean well with their commitments (drugs), but the commitments (drugs) start overshadowing the real purpose of Kingdom Living in the first place. Basically, they can’t, as the Greek indicates, mature. This word used here for mature is telesphoreo. It means “producing fruit.”

Have you ever seen someone so passionate about life, or a job, or even an emotional thing like love and helping the world that they get so BUSY with it that their purpose gets miffed in it and disappears? It’s like, I’m too busy being a world changer so I can’t actually change the world. I am too busy being a father (providing home, shelter, money) that my kids have no father. I am too busy being a Christian that no one sees Christ. We see people like this all the time, don’t we? They aren’t all bad, either. They aren’t all clueless…some of them work in churches and ministries but become so bogged down with business that their purpose gets lost.

Jesus knew people, huh?

RIP Crocodile Hunter
You will be greatly missed
i cried

organic kingdom...part 2

2. The gravel people:

The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone.

Ok, my thinking immediately goes to youth camp. If you’ve never been to youth camp, youth convention, youth revival, whatever…then you are, in a way, lucky because you haven’t experienced this phenomena. However, God really did get my attention at these events so I don’t want to totally bash it.

See, I grew up in traditional church here in the South. I HAD to go to these events. And if you have ever been to one of these things, you can sympathize/identify with me. You see, these events, and I’m trying not to be cynical, usually has three main components: an energetic motivating speaker (think loud and funny but can cry at the drop of a hat), the most current up to date Christian influenced over energetic cover band (think MTV Total Request Live idiot fans around a mediocre talent), and emotional roller coaster (seriously, with “you have to be this tall to ride” signs and everything). I mean, the speaker would close the preaching part and the band would play and the lights would go down and the emotional high addicts would light up their emotions like a fatty…then we would all go around the front of the room (called an altar…bad name because nothing really ever was sacrificed by the majority of folks), and we would sings and lay on hands and people would be called to Uganda to live with pygmies and lots of spiritual crying and people talking in strange guttural sounds and etc. Now, why am I somewhat cynical about this experience? Because I have been a youth pastor and I have seen that while this experience can be (and has been) beneficial, it means nothing without a long term life change. That’s the problem with this type of ground…i.e. person. They love the emotional high, and are addicted to it, so much so that when they come down from it there is no substance to the faith. I have seen it over and over and over again.

Jesus identifies these people plainly. The Greek language implies here that these people receive the Kingdom Message with joy, but when they are tempted or tested they fail because they have no root. The Greek word for fail, or fall away, that’s used here is aphistemi. The root of this word means: to leave, withdraw, abandon, to revolt or mislead.

I am a bit taken emotionally with this type of ground because it was me. My family, like I have said over and again, grew me up in church. My experience was very surface with no root, but I was there all the time. The moment something challenged my faith or I got my feelings hurt, I started living in contrast to the Kingdom Message. Not because I hated Christ, but because I couldn’t withstand any temptation or problem because I had no real depth in my Kingdom Relationship. I think there are a lot of people who get very cynical about church and they write God off and start a revolt almost because they have never really had the relationship in the Kingdom…authentically. Jesus pegged me on the head with this one.

organic kingdom...part 1

1. The road people:

The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved.

What does this look like? Is it like, the people that are flipping channels and hear a televangelist preaching and then all of the sudden the program ends in mid sentence? Like maybe a good phone connection and then the call gets dropped?

I really want to believe that these superficial arguments I have heard (like the good person taking the death penalty for the murderer stuff) are ridiculous, and that there is some real meat in this passage.

Let’s think about this…Jesus said these are people who hear the WORD…hear about the Kingdom…the life…the promises…the love…and as soon as they hear it, the Devil comes along and snatches it. No offense Jesus, but it sounds like Gollum in Lord of the Rings to me. Devil snatch it? What? Looking at the original Greek writings of this, it says that Satan takes up the root from their heart, Greek word kardio-gnostes, or seat of thought and emotion.

Kardio-cardiac

Gnostes- thought and logic and philosophy

Basically, they don’t get to struggle or think about the Word of God. There is no debate, no arguing, and no philosophy. See, God wants us to question and think through his Word. But for this person, they hear the message, but the message doesn’t become a part of their learning process…these people hear and keep moving…it’s like, they hear and ignore. No thought, no emotion, no engaging.

organic kingdom...basic overview

Jesus told very effective stories. We have all probably heard most of them. Our Western minds don’t make sense with a lot of what Jesus says; with all of Scripture, for that matter. You see, the Bible is an Eastern book. It resembles the Quran more than it does a Billy Graham novel. The writers and the participators were distinctively Eastern Arabs. So, we Westerners see things very linearly: we see timelines and schedules and lists very well. The Eastern mind sees things as full circle: more of a dance than a game of “Red Rover.” When Jesus told a story, it packed a very powerful, even sarcastic and “told ya so” type of punch.

This parable is greatness: it tells us very clearly that the Kingdom of God is organic. It tells us that the Kingdom, personally, has to have time to grow…it isn’t an instant maturing process to producing fruit (which is what the Kingdom of God is all about).

Let’s read the parable before we go any further:

Luke 8

1-3He continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God's kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him. There were also some women in their company who had been healed of various evil afflictions and illnesses: Mary, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's manager; and Susanna—along with many others who used their considerable means to provide for the company.

4-8As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn't have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.

9His disciples asked, "Why did you tell this story?"

10He said, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren't going to get it:

Their eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Their ears are open but don't hear a thing.

11-12"This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved.

13"The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone.

14"And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.

15"But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.

Now before we go into the story Jesus told, I included the first portion of the scripture specifically so we could grasp the context of this thing:

1. Jesus continued traveling from town to town spreading the Message
2. The disciples were with him
3. There were also women traveling who Jesus had healed of sicknesses and demonic possession
• Mary Magdalene: 7 demon spirits cast out
• Joanna: the wife of Chuza, Herod’s (THE KING) manager (over finances and kingdom expenses
• Susanna:
4. These women, along with others, took care of the ministry financially out of their own pockets…so, they were in constant dialogue with Judas, right? Oh yeah, women supporting men? Taboo for ancient Jewish culture…Jesus seemed to always validate and bring women right along in leadership…

And this parable is not really about seed or planting, it’s about the ground that it lands on. Jesus uses four examples for different types of ground in this passage:

1. The road
2. The gravel (or on rocky land)
3. The thorns
4. The rich earth

Now Jesus explains the parable and says that the purpose wasn’t really to do anything other than show the disciples that not everyone will “get” God’s kingdom…the disciples have special insight (um, Jesus himself), but other people need to hear stories. Then Jesus says, even with stories, some people will miss it. This story about the soil and the seed is about SOME of those people.

If Jesus were going to tell this in our context, I wonder what kind of metaphors he would use. I wonder if some of the seed would be burned away by acid rain, or if some seed would fall on rich earth and a company would build a parking lot over it. Or how about this one, the farmer is actually a landscaping company that meticulously plants seed in a landscaped pattern that is held to only produce a crop in a confined area…say…beside a driveway. And the seed desires to grow more, but the landscaper (farmer) keeps coming and cutting the crop down to stay within the limits of the area. Ya know, the seed and the weed eater/edger story. What would that be a symbol of? Maybe organized tradition? I am reading into scripture here.

Ok, so Jesus tells the disciples that the seed is the Kingdom of God. And that the seed represents four types of people. This is so interesting, Jesus himself says, “um…ya know, not everyone will ‘get’ this message about God…not everyone will buy into it…” See, the Kingdom of God will not be accepted by some people. If we go by the analogy, three out of four people will not do anything with the Kingdom of God in the long run. I don’t think Jesus was putting forth a poll or projection of percentages of receptivity, but I do think the language and methods Jesus was using here was a communication tool saying to the disciples: “hey guys, I am right here…you see the Kingdom in front of you…other people will need stories…others will see stories and even see me and wont buy into this thing.”

So the obvious question here is, what is the Kingdom of God that Jesus kept revealing to the disciples and telling stories about?

The most common themes are diversity and uncommon love. Both of these things drove the religious leaders nuts. They couldn’t wrap their minds around these concepts. I mean, Jesus’ main statement about the Kingdom is summed up in the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Mark 12:30-31:

“‘And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these."

Matthew 28:19-20:

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

More on this later…gotta talk about the types of soil (people)