What is Church?

I've got a question for you.

             Do you attend church?

            Or are you a part of a local church?

There is a difference. Do you go to the movies? Or are you involved in the culture of a particular movie? There are some similarities. You know, like Trekkies. They are different. But they aren't the normative movie goer. It seems to me that there are also similarities between movie "goers" and church "goers". They both go to be entertained. They both leave and aren't part of anything. There is not unity in a group of theater goers and for many so-called Christians there is no unity for them. If the movie or the church don't meet their criteria then they take their popcorn and go to the theater/church down the street.

For me, I have found I identify much more with the various people at church than I do with the majority of people that share my last name, the people I grew up with and the one that birthed me. That guy on the other side of the isle wants to glorify God. He and I don't talk much but his daughters were in Sparks when my wife and I were leaders there. His girls were a good testament to his and his wifes parenting.

There's another guy over to my right that has always been there for me. He invited us to join his adult Sunday School class when my wife and I were newly married. He and I have gutted deer together. We sat in a creek on a hot summer day while his children threw rocks upstream. We talked about discouragement and came away encouraged. He doesn't know it but he and two other guys that have helped to mold me into a man all shared the same name,the name that we were going to give to the child we lost to miscarriage.
There is a quiet guy on the other side of church. He has no idea the impact he's had on my life. He was part of that Sunday School that the other guy invited us to. His hard work ethic could put a draft horse to shame. He speaks his mind,but so humbly that you couldn't be offended.
And there, closer to the front is a guy with some wacky colored socks. I went to him several years ago when my marriage was on the rocks, when I figured out I didn't have it going on like Donkey Kong and needed help. He encouraged me back from the edge of frustration. We met every week for over a year and a half. He answered the phone every time I  called with questions (and there was a lot of those times). And usually he didn't tell me I was screwing things up. He just asked the right questions until I figured it out. I wouldn't have dealt with me so gracefully, but he did. And that taught me a lot about parenting. Grace and asking questions, not throwing out accusations.
And there, kinda towards the back is a younger guy. I've known him since he was in high school. He was a punk then. Maybe still a little bit now. But man, has he grown up into a Godly man. Watching him grow into manhood has been like watching a firework that fizzled like a dud shoot into the sky and steal the show. Men twice his age don't have the drive to beat themselves into submission the way he does. I don't either, but he's unknowingly encouraging me to do so.

Do you get what I'm saying? Some people identify with a movie or a bar or a frat or what-have-you but my identity lies with my church family. Our identity is in our Savior. We die and sacrifice for each other because Jesus, our Savior, died and sacrificed for us.

Dirty Discipline: Or Recovering the Righteous

It is amazing to me the varied and usually hostile attitudes that develop when this subject is considered. I'd like to say I've heard it all but that usually means that I haven't. The experience has given my intestines a sympathetic reaction whenever I approach the study or discussion of church discipline. Even now my stomach churns like a washing machine on agitate. It is truly heartbreaking to hear that someone has come under the final stages of church discipline. It brings me to tears every time actually. I'd like to, for whatever reason, introduce what my studies on 1 Corinthians 5 have taught me.

Let it begin...

The Real Sin

In my NASB version 1 Corinthians 5 is titled Immorality Rebuked . Many of the sermons and commentaries I've read use some variation of that idea. This is the title the translators have decided to use but I think it comes up short as a good descriptor of the actual intent of the chapter. Clearly sexual immorality is the example given but I think that this particular immorality, any immorality, is the symptom of the actual problem that Paul is wanting the church to address. The issue is the unrepentant heart. The unrepentant heart cannot learn and it cannot grow and it cannot do those things because it cannot fellowship (1 John 1:6-7). The unrepentant heart can manifest itself through any sin and a short list is given later in the chapter. And typically those that find themselves on the receiving end of discipline wish that the list is exhaustive. I think it is clear that the list is giving an example of the actions of the unrepentant.

While many sermons and commentaries focus on the particular sin mentioned in chapter 5 we would do a serious disservice to ignore the weightier matter of unrepentance. A Christian is one who has given themselves to God as a sacrifice, ridding the old self, the flesh, and has put on a new man (Ephesians 4:24,Colossians 3:10)  So it goes against all that is Christlike to hang on to our old ways. Seems pretty basic but there are those who apparently think that we are saved in sin and not from it.
So, if we have a brother who names himself a Christian and he acts continually in sin and shirks his responsibility to repent then it is commanded here in 1 Corinthians 5 (and Matt 18 and 2 Thes 3) to not interact with that "so-called" believer as we would those true to the faith, those who love God.

The Sin of the Church
Or, Your Boasting is Not Good

Here is another part where we arrogantly drop the ball just as the church in Corinth did. We still think we know better than God. I have been told by many Christians that they could never take part in disciplining someone out of the church. That is high arrogance cloaked in false humility. We sound like the serpent when we ask "Did God really say that we should put this person out of the church?" Let's just look clearly at what Paul is saying: vs 2 "Let him who has done this be removed from you"... vs 5 "You are to deliver this man to Satan..." vs 11 "...not to even eat with such a one"...vs 13 " Purge the evil person from among you". These are just the obvious ones. There are several other verses that are understood in their context.  What is there to misunderstand about those admonitions? A common argument is that it is unloving to do this. Brothers and sisters, God is our standard of love. Discipline is love. Do parents not discipline their children? Does the state not discipline lawbreakers?  How else is the church to handle the unrepentant? In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul has plenty to say about our ability to judge earthly and spiritual matters. To do less is abdication. Some people recoil in horror when they find that the disciplined person was announced from the pulpit at church, apparently not having read what Matthew 18:17 and 1 Corinthians 5:4,5 say, not to mention the times when Paul actually names names of those who have fallen away in his various writings. We have to be careful that our standard of holiness is not "higher" than Gods.
Another argument against church discipline is that by doing so we no longer have a positive influence over the unrepentant. This is more arrogance. I assure you that we have much less influence when we are disobeying God than when we are obeying God. Who is the one that gives salvation? Clearly it is not us. Discipline is the point we hand over the unrepentant to Satan for the destruction of his sin (1Cor5:5) so that his soul may be saved. To not discipline is to aid and abet when affliction is needed. Don't muddle in the Holy Spirits business. He is much more qualified than you.

Recovering the Repentant

This is everyones favorite part. Those that wish not to take part in disciplining want a false version of this fellowship. The repentance of a fallen brother or sister is a time of great celebration and also a beginning of, if not the return to, serious discipleship. Trust must be restored. Slipping back into sin can happen but if the restored individual quickly confesses and runs back to the safety of the church and his disciplers encouragement should be just as quick.

------        ------          ------        -----      ------      -------

This is a short version of several rough drafts that I have written. Honestly, I feel like I could write a small book on this subject. I find great comfort in knowing that my church does disciple and discipline and I wouldn't be a part of a church that doesn't actively do both. In fact a church isn't a church that doesn't do both. It is just a religious club. So what do you do if you are a leader of one of these church clubs and you realize you have left out this essential part of Church Body care? You confess to God. You confess to your congregation. You disciple. And then you discipline. God receives the repentant.

Real Freedom, Real Security

I recently read a quote that said,in effect, that "Nowhere is freedom held so sacred than in the hands that are holding it for the very first time".

For whatever reason when I read this I flashed back not quite twenty years ago to a street in Kiev, Ukraine. I was on a mission trip and it was our day off to see the beautiful, old city. Being obviously not local we sometimes were approached by beggers and one particular lady I'll never forget. She was elderly and came up to me for some reason and started on in an angry voice. Even though she was speaking in Ukrainian I could tell she was likely cursing me out. Our translators told her to buzz off and, after a bit, she did. It took awhile to talk our translator, Lyuda, (we joked that her last name was Kriss. Say it out loud if you don't get it) into telling us what the old lady had said. Roughly translated the babushka was angry at the hardship that Ukraines newfound independence had brought to her people. She was right. Life has gone from difficult to downright unpredictably difficult since Independence was declared in 1991. Teachers (who were highly valued and well paid) hadn't received a paycheck from the government in months. Many had resorted to bartering from their gardens to get necessities. People removed their windshield wipers so they wouldn't get stolen, and only replaced them when it rained.
These people had come from communism to the birth (of a sort) of freedom. Many were excited but many were fearful. From a communist/ socialist government you get a weak form of security at the price of freedom. Some people, like this old lady, had grown  accustomed to that security and lived in fear of the dangers of freedom.

Sadly there are many like that even in this country. They are like Red in The Shawshank Redemption, but without the excuse of already being imprisoned and institutionalized. And they really do prefer a secular legalism as a security over spiritual freedom. Sin blinds. It blinds so completely that it views the state to be higher than God. The "god" state provides a false security, and it provides new definitions, and if those definitions can be twisted it can provide "redemption" redefined. It can give the nod to perversion, approval of pre-natal murder, and the atta-boy to legalized thievery.
Simply put when people choose not to be a slave to Christ, whose burden is light, they will choose the oppressive burden of anything else. Freedom is scary when there are no Godly parameters to control it. But just as terrible is a government with no Godly borders. The founding fathers of this nation understood that. That is the reason we were such a great nation. People that govern themselves in accordance with the freedoms given in Scripture will experience a freedom not seen in all of history.

Ben Franklin nearly had it when he said " He who would trade essential liberty to obtain a little security deserves neither and will lose both". I  suggest that when our security and liberty are found in our Creator no government can take those away. And a government that understands this and incorporates it into their form of government will prosper.

Wisdom in a Box

Okay, so I have blogged about birthdays and how disinterested I was in them. And now I'm going to write about a birthday that won't happen for 10 1/2 years.

But remember, I left myself an out at the end of that blog post, "...birthdays are no big deal unless they mark years of wisdom gained".

A few years ago some great friends invited us to their sons 13th birthday celebration. They asked each adult male to be ready to share something with their son, some wisdom, some Bible verses. They wanted this to be the catapult to launch him into manhood. They documented this "rite of manhood" party in a book for Nick to refer back to in the future. And we were fortunate to attend the same event for their twin 15 year old boys.

I love this idea. I know its not new. Many cultures and religions have done similar things to prepare their future men, but it is something that our church culture has forgotten. We, as churched men, have neglected to hand over the responsibilities that we have. Or maybe we haven't even taken on our responsibilities and therefore have nothing to give?

I think far out to Ethan's 13th birthday and know that it will be here much to fast. I know, just as my friends knew with their boys, that we shouldn't wait for a birthday or as they are heading out the door on their own to give them our wisdom. That is clearly a day by day thing (Deut 6:4-7). But the celebration of manhood, of maturity and the requirement of young boys to seek those things alongside a desire for Godliness is an excellent thing. Such a celebration is not just a tool to admonish and encourage young men in maturity and righteousness but it is a reminder to the older men, the givers of advice, of their responsibility to grow the next generation.

Stay with me, we are going to take a different road now that will hopefully (if I am a good tour guide) bring us back to the same place.

I don't know exactly how it got started but several years ago one of my brothers and I half joked about an imaginary box that we dubbed "Gifted at Birth". When we came across something that seemed so essential to living we would say that it should be "Gifted at Birth". Given our predisposition to camping, guns and nature the items usually revolved around that. A hatchet that was so well built that it was something every man should have, or a rugged pocket knife that had served us well, or a .22 pistol that one could train a novice with and yet a skilled man could use to bring home dinner. These were the things that one would receive in the mythical G@B box.

Do you see where I'm going here? Or have I got lost in my own little world? Its been known to happen.
Maybe I have read to many Art of Manliness blog posts. Or I remember the Happy Hollister books from my childhood way to well. I dunno.

I see symbolism. Does that scare you?

                                               Baptism.
                                                                  Communion.

Here is my idea.
A box containing Symbols of manhood. Reminders of his Creator. Useful tools to a man.
To my son these gifts would be different, possibly, from what another father doing the same thing might gift to his son. But, in my mind, the goal and the symbol would be very similar.

First, the box could be as simple as an ammo can or as elaborate as a handcrafted wood box. But it would be sturdy and of good quality. I like the ammo can. It's former contents symbolic of the items necessary to attack life's problems. Plus ammo can are cool.

All the items should be of the highest quality that a man could afford. These could be handed down to grandchildren. You don't want a stingy legacy. They should be much like wisdom and just as useful in every day life. And if you're in my situation you have a few years to save up.

Some basics for my son:
(And obviously these should be tailored to the interests of your son and mine may change as Ethan grows)

• a pocket knife. Sturdy, its always useful and always prepared.
• a book of poetry. Recognize beauty, stretch the brain.
• a favorite book of mine. Or four.
• a collection of wisdom and advice from the men present for his passage into manhood.
• a Zippo lighter. It is always handy to have the ability to start a fire and Zippos are an icon of that.

The ideas I have would probably overflow the box if I decide to give all of them.

Remember, this is a gift to encourage. It should spur your future man onward, not remind him of the "shortcomings" you perceive because of your high school aspirations. In other words don't give your boy a custom made catchers mitt when you know good and well he doesn't share your interest in the sport.

At least some of the things should symbolize the responsibilities of being a man. A knife or firearm (most boys should be responsible at this age to maintain these items in a mature manner) would be representative of the responsibility to protect his family. If he is a camper like me a cast iron skillet (because those are awesome) would be a good symbol of his charge to serve and also to provide for others. Yes, it is manly to cook.

These are just my ideas based on what I've seen few others do. But regardless of how one goes about it we need to charge our boys with the desire for manliness. And manliness goes with Godliness. This isn't a thing that a church program should do but it should be supported by the church. This is a thing fathers should plan for their boys. 
Lastly, if you haven't been a leader and mentor to your son there is nothing better than a humble father asking his children for forgiveness and looking to the example of our Lord for guidance.