BEREAN YOUNG ADULTS

the astonishing thing about jesus.

Have you ever really stopped to think about how amazing Jesus is? Even if someone were not a follower of Jesus I think there would have to be a recognition of the astounding scope of his impact. Does anyone else on the world scene come even close in terms of their impact on world history? I think we'd have to admit that the list is pretty small.  I'm not even sure how you would measure such a thing but, for your consideration, what do you think you'd have to do to get your name on the back window of a car 2000 years from now?

Sometimes I think we need to stop and think about what we're saying when we say things like "Jesus reigns" or we quote Colossians 1:6 (as we did in this weekend's service): "The same good news that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your life from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace." (NLT)

The Gospel is going out all over the world.  Can you imagine the awe that Paul or those first apostles would have felt if they knew that 2000 years from now there would be millions of people worshiping Jesus thousands of miles away from where they began the work? Jesus said to them in Acts 1:8 that they were to be his witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, and to the ends of the earth...well, in their minds I'm sure that it doesn't get much more "ends of the earth" than Lincoln, NE.  It really is astounding - Jesus impact is incredible, to say the least.

So where does that leave us today?  What does that mean for us, his followers, in Lincoln?

{one} I think the first step is to cultivate a deeper sense of awe for Jesus in my own life.  I know that there have been multiple times where I have listened to someone more awed by Jesus than myself and I leave with a longing to love and admire Jesus the way that they do.  Consider this quote by Dallas Willard:

Paying careful attention to how Jesus made use of logical thinking can strengthen our confidence in Jesus as master of the centers of intellect and creativity, and can encourage us to accept him as master in all of the areas of intellectual life in which we may participate.

Have you ever thought about Jesus as a "master of the centers of intellect and creativity?" John Piper routinely says that missions doesn't happen because worship doesn't happen.  The point he's making is that if we really admired Jesus, if we really worshiped him, then there would be constant inclination to tell others about him.

{two}  Refer back to point #1. Because...is there anything else? 

One of my mentors in college used to say to me that "the only thing I have to offer anyone is the fruit of my own discipleship."  I think it's a great thought and it has application in terms of missions - whether it be across an ocean or across an apartment hallway, or across the street - what I have to offer others is directly related to my relationship with Jesus.  And, likewise, my inclination to tell others will be directly related to my own admiration of Jesus. 

an astounding fulfillment.

This past weekend we walked around the globe together as Jeff Peterson shared story after story with us about God's work in India, Mongolia, Africa, and various other places.  Who would have thought that we would enter a period in time when Communist China could teach us Americans a thing or two about planting churches - no, about unleashing church planting movements. Here's a snapshot from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: 

"And according to China Aid Association, a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body that supervises all religions in China, said privately that the figure was indeed as much as 130 million in early 2008.  If so, it would mean China contains more Christians than Communists (party membership is 74 million) and there may be more active Christians in China than in any other country."

Meanwhile, Christianity in Europe and most of the West is on the decline.  One incredible development is that countries like South Korea have begun sending missionaries to the U.S. The fact is, while the face of Christianity may have been Europe or the United States at one point in time - this is clearly no longer the case.  In fact, Mark Noll, in his book The New Shape of Global Christianity, makes this statement: 

"But today - when active Christian adherence has become stronger in Africa than in Europe, when the number of practicing Christians in China may be approaching the number in the United States, when live bodies in church are far more numerous in Kenya than in Canada, when more believers worship together in church Sunday by Sunday in Nagaland than in Norway, when India is now home to the world's largest chapter of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order, and when Catholic mass is being said in more languages each Sunday in the United States than ever before in American history - with such realities defining the present situation, there is a pressing need for new historical perspectives that explore the new world situation."

The Church is not in Kansas anymore - is it? If you need any real life evidence, just jump in your car and drive to Lexington, Nebraska where the population is quickly shifting to the point that Latino immigrants are becoming a majority.  The world is undergoing swift change and God is on the move in the Third World where resources are few but commitment and passion are found in abundance.  

To some, these realities might be considered frightening, but if that is our response we are missing the point. For instance, these statements stand as the astounding fulfillment of Jesus' words to his disciples (who, no doubt, would be amazed by what has unfolded in the millennia since their death) in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 

The Gospel has spread to England, Canada, and the United States...and Nagaland, Kenya, Mongolia, China, and on and on we go.

Maybe you're like me, when you hit books like Leviticus and 1-2 Chronicles you get a little bogged down in the laws and in the genealogies - your eyes glaze over and you skip ahead to the next chapter.  Maybe you're like me and a similar feeling sets in when stories of the Gospel's movement are told.  The only person who suffers from this type of shallow thinking is myself - I miss on the opportunity to realize that these aren't just lists of names in Chronicles, they are statements of the reality that God loves people.  In the same way, stories of the Gospel reaching the U.S. should remind me of the astounding power of the Gospel.  

 

hello, again.

What up peeps? I am just throwing a post out here because sometimes you need something to jump start things, right? Sometimes doing something at all is better than continuing to intend to do something.  So, a lot is happening these days among young adults at Lincoln Berean and in the coming days we will be talking about it.  

Now - for those of you looking for a good tune...here you go:

2-11 Hello Again

young adult classes.

One of the things we've been pretty intentional about is that we don't want to ever develop a big young adult ministry - by that what we mean is a stand-alone ministry that essentially creates a small church of only young adults (I wrote about our reasons for this here). Our goal is not to create a young adult ministry but to get young adults engaged in ministry and in the overall scope of church life.  With that in mind, we wanted to point out a couple of classes that would be great options for young adults - and while this list won't be exhaustive it might be a good place to start.  And, of course, yesterday's post about the Renovation Of The Heart class led by young adults is the most logical place to start in terms of plans for the fall.

Here's some options:

APOLOGETICS with Dr. Mark Matthewson
(Sundays, September 19 - November 7 @ 9:00 a.m.)

"The primary goal is to equip believers to be able to dialogue with non-Christians and give credible reasons for their beliefs."

If there is one thing that marks the religious habits of our generation it is relativity - the attitude that what works for you, works for you and what works for me, works for me. A class like this will challenge that type of thinking by emphasizing the rationality of belief - a point of view that is rarely emphasized.  This class will help provide you with confidence in the midst of difficult conversations with non-believing friends.

GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY with Theresa Dolezal
(Sundays, November 14 - December 19 @ 9:00 a.m.)

What is God doing around the world and what is his desire for his people? What is the purpose of the Church on the world-scene?

We go to a church that is moving in the direction of being a "sending church" - one that doesn't just support missions but actually mobilizes its people and sends them out to minimally reached parts of the world. This class will help broaden your perspective on the movement of the Gospel on a global scale.

MY LIFE...ON PURPOSE with Mark Kremer
(Sundays, September 26 - October 31 @ 9:00 a.m.)

"This course will take you on a journey of discovery and answer life's most fundamental questions: 'What on earth am I called to do and what is God's purpose for my life?'"

If there is anything that all of us need to be doing it is living life on purpose rather than meandering here and there along with every whim. The trend of our generation is to remain unestablished, unconnected, and unfettered - but the unintended consequence of this type of living is a life of low impact.  One of the most counter-cultural things we can do is live with intentionality, this class will help.

DISCOVER GROWTH with Ken Roeloffs
(Sundays, October 3 - 24 @ 9:00 a.m.)

"What does it mean to grow in your faith? Am I growing? What am I missing?"

This class' aims are similar to those of the Renovation Of The Heart class but will be more practical in application. One thing that can certainly prevent us from growing is misunderstanding that there is a purpose and good Biblical support for the idea of self-examination and measurement. Biblical phrases like "applying all diligence" and "run as if to win the prize" imply that growth is an active process - this class will help provide some great tools to help along the way.

Okay, I was tempted to write a lot more because there are tons of great classes.  Pick up The Atlas and check it all out, make sure this fall is a fruitful one.

starting the fall off right.

Although few of us are in school anymore, it seems that our world still operates on a school-year schedule - as does our church.  It makes sense that it works this way, summers are usually filled with vacations and chaotic traveling schedules and things settle down come September.  This is the reason that at LBC we launch our classes in earnest in the fall, as you know, since you probably received The Atlas at some point over the past two weekends at church.

Now that you have The Atlas in hand, my encouragement to you in this post is to look at it, intentionally, thoughtfully, prayerfully.  The fact is, no one is in charge of your personal growth other than you.  The church can provide opportunities, the Christian publishing industry can produce loads and loads of devotional material, you can own seventeen Bibles, and you can tell people that you need to grow all you want...but the x-factor in growth is your intentionality.

Some people might read that and think that it is too person-centric, that we have removed God from the equation because, clearly, he is the one who produces growth.  My response to this is to say that this is absolutely right - the Biblical support for this is undeniable.  However, what this often translates into on a practical level is an apathetic, passive, approach to growth that seems to suggest that we expect God to just zap us into mature beings - without our participation playing a part.  The reality is, we don't need to wait on God in this matter, he's waiting on us.

So, the question is for each of us individually - where or how do I need to grow and what am I doing in order to see that I'm in the most advantageous position for growth? The Holy Spirit produces the growth, but I'm confident that he'll show up - so let's quit using him as an excuse.

Getting back to The Atlas - there is stuff in there for everyone.  You might find that there is no sub-heading titled "Young Adults."  Don't let this lead you to believe that the church isn't offering anything for us - we need to grow in ways that are common across the board, right? Growing in my prayer life is not an age specific or life situation specific desire.  So approach The Atlas as a disciple of Jesus who is trying to become like Jesus rather than as a Young Adult - that is the intention of The Atlas, it is a map for disciples.

So - with that in mind I want to encourage you to look at one particular class: RENOVATION OF THE HEART.  The great thing about this class is that it is being led by some of our very own - Young Adults who are passionate about growth into Christlikeness and want to walk with others through a conversation about how that happens - how God uses things like memorization of Scripture, prayer, etc. to transform us into the image of his son.  

My prayer for all of us is that this fall would mark the beginning of remarkable growth - let The Atlas and the classes offered this fall be a useful tool towards that end.

book: the new shape of global christianity.

Just starting Mark Noll's book, The New Shape Of World Christianity, and on page 1 of the Introduction I'm already struck by this paragraph and its implications:

"But today - when active Christian adherence has become stronger in Africa than in Europe, when the number of practicing Christians in China may be approaching the number in the United States, when live bodies in church are far more numerous in Kenya than in Canada, when more believers worship together in church Sunday by Sunday in Nagaland than in Norway, when India is now home to the world's largest chapter of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order, and when Catholic mass is being said in more languages each Sunday in the United States than ever before in American history - with such realities defining the present situation, there is a pressing need for new historical perspectives that explore the new world situation."

The Church is not in Kansas anymore.

are we serious about sin?

 "...sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." Genesis 4:7

 "...and give no opportunity to the devil." Ephesians 4:27

Sometimes I wonder how serious we are about dealing with sin. These two verses above highlight the severity of the struggle - sin and its father - the devil - are looking for opportunities, strategic moments if you will. Satan is busy with this kind of activity.  Here's a great picture describing what God is busy with:

"For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout
 the whole earth that he may strongly support
 those whose heart is fully his." 2 Chron. 16:9

What a wonderful picture. I think it is safe to say that the devil is just as busy checking out the scene looking for people who he might encourage towards sin - he has busy eyes. 

One thing I think we are always in danger of is letting a creeping thought into our minds that says sin is not all that powerful, that it is passive. Sin is not passive, it is not slothful, it is always in the starting blocks and ready for the race. It strikes quickly and deftly.  You might have heard the old saying, "Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, cost you more than you wanted to pay, and keep you longer than you wanted to stay." Well, it's true.

So, what is our recourse? I think the first step is acknowledging its savvy - recognizing that Satan is no dummy and starting to pay attention to how he works on us so that we can avoid it.  Paul acknowledges in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we are to be people who are familiar with the devils schemes - in other words, we need to get acquainted with his strategy in order to not be taken advantage of by him. 

Temptation is not sin - it is the strong inclination towards sin but it is not sin.  While that is true, I think we would all agree that if we were smart we would avoid tempting situations. In many cases, I think this is where the battle is lost.  Just imagine a few scenarios:

• Perhaps you struggle with lust and pornography and as you're driving home late one evening after hanging with some friends...say 1 a.m....a choice awaits you - what should you do when you get home? Being aware of the struggle I think we'd all agree that the best option upon arriving home would be to go to bed.  Options that would probably be less than ideal would be to scan the t.v. or browse the internet.
• Maybe gossip is a problem and I'm invited to get a drink with some coworkers after work that I know will consist almost entirely of picking apart fellow coworkers for what they wear, how they dress, who they date, etc.  Maybe...that'd be a good gathering to skip out on.
• Perhaps wasting time is an ongoing struggle for you - in that case facebook, StumbleUpon, and YouTube would wisely be avoided, or at least limited. (Notice I didn't link those sites? You're welcome)

You might be finding yourself asking whether I'm serious as I spell out some of these thoughts but I want to ask the same question - Are you serious? 

Let's avoid being disingenuous Christians, saying we want victory but then lacking the willingness to take meaningful and prudent steps toward victory. Sin is no laughing matter and our fight against it should be marked with intensity - remember that Paul tells reminds us that we should run our holy race with the same intensity that an athlete would. I think we would all agree that we would question an athlete's desire to win, or even to compete at a high level, if he or she was committed to a steady diet of bacon and was unwilling to train.

Desperate times call for desperate measures but that statement begs a question: how desperate am I?

porn stats.

Following up on the latest blog post, I thought I'd include some stats about the porn industry and pornography use.  All this stuff has been pulled form the website xxxchurch.com. If you haven't checked it out, you should.  These guys are dealing with a real serious problem in a pretty novel way and their free accountability software is a great resource for anyone struggling with pornography. 

Here goes...

• PORN IN AMERICA
• • 12% of the websites on the Internet are pornographic - that's 24,644,172 sites
  • 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites
  • $2.8 billion - the amount of money US based porn pulls in per year
  • 25% of all search engine requests are porn based - that's 68 million
  • 11 - the average age a child first sees porn on the internet
  • Sunday - most popular day of the week to view porn
• MEN
• • 20% of men admit to accessing porn while at work
  • 53% of Promise Keeper men admitted to accessing porn in the last week
  • 72% of pornography users are men
  • 70% of men aged 18-24 visit porn sites in a typical month
• WOMEN
• • 28% of pornography users are women
  • 70% of women keep their use secret
• PASTORS
• • 37% of pastors say porn is currently a struggle
  • 18% of pastors look at porn a couple of times per month
  • 4 in 10 pastors looked at porn today 

 There you have it. 

beyond pornography.

A major problem for men (up to 80% of Christian men according to some) and women (we must acknowledge this as a growing and very real problem for women as well) is the viewing of and, on more extreme levels the addiction to, pornography. In fact, one recent study suggested that up to 50% of pastors had viewed pornography intentionally within the past month.

Seeing that it is such a major problem I am constantly working on how to help people move along the path to victory - and by victory I don't mean simply not viewing pornography, I mean breaking free of the draw to it altogether.  So, I read much on this and am constantly thinking about steps that can be taken towards freedom.  Recently, as I was reading, I came across this statement:

"...most people involved with the use of pornography have not come
to the place where they desire not to desire it. For whatever reasons,
they think it is too important to them and that they would
 be "missing out" if they did not have the desire for it. That
 concession traps them into continued use." (link)

This is a really strong statement but I have found that it stands as valid. Many people will say that they want to be free of pornography or of cultivated lusting but when you begin to really talk about what life would be like if they would never again view someone of the opposite sex through a sexual lens or if they would never again gratify themselves sexually - ever again - you can see in their face a certain level of disappointment, a certain sadness. The reason for this is because as it stands sexuality and the gratification of sexual desire are viewed as essential goods - things that if they were taken away would leave life dull and unsatisfying. 

At its root, the problem is one of elevating sex to a level that is unhealthy and borderline idolatrous. I have found that this problem - while perhaps more acutely perceptible in singles due to the fact that they are waiting to have sex - is not one that married people are immune to. Many marriages suffer from sexual bondage and many within marriage still find it necessary to turn to pornography or some other outlet in order to have their desires fulfilled.

Getting back to the quote, what is really being said is that at the root of pornographic and sexual addiction is bad theology. A very small and inadequate vision of God is central to this problem - the fact is, most of us do not view God as the one who fulfills our needs to such a degree that we need not worry about unsatisfied desire.  This is the constant confession of Scripture - think of David in the psalms - "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Or "I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand I shall not be shaken." Or "I said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing.'"  The person who believes these things will not turn to lesser goods in order to find satisfaction - they live in the reality that God provides all they need and so sex, food, clothing, money, etc. while not bad, cannot serve as replacements for fulfillment that can only be found in him.

These are things we profess but our professions don't always reveal our beliefs. Actions reveal beliefs. Are my actions saying to those around me that my satisfaction is in God or in some alternative god?

All this to say - freedom from pornography or sexual addiction must have as its starting place, a right view of God and his provision. I need to be able to echo David's sentiments in the 23rd psalm with all my being and without hesitation - where there is hesitation there is the propensity to fill up what is lacking in my life according to my own power.  A proper view of God allows me to say that there is nothing I lack because he oversees my life.

Has sex or pornography come to the point where it is a good with which you could not live without? Consider - whether you're single or married - if you would never again be able to view or foster a mental sexual image, is there any part of you that feels your shoulders slump because life wouldn't be quite as exciting or good? Another question - Jesus never engaged in anything like what we've been talking about...was his life impoverished or lacking in some essential goodness that you couldn't go without? 

In order to move beyond pornography a vision of the goodness it brings my life (let's get honest) must be replaced with a larger vision of a God who loves us and always provides us with what we need - a vision that can truly confess, "I lack nothing."

tuesday morning reflection.

After taking a huge break from writing post-message reflections I am back on the wagon and ready to roll.  I'm not sure about you but I love the summer at Lincoln Berean Church because we get to reflect on the Psalms - the prayer book of the Church through the ages.  This past weekend marked the beginning of this summer's series as Bryan led us through psalm 92.

First, you might not have found Bryan's informative aside on chiastic structure in the Psalms to be interesting but I loved it and for those of you who are a little nerdy about these things, like me, here's a Wikipedia article on Chiastic Structure. The basic idea is that the psalm follows a structure that reaches a pinnacle at its midpoint and then returns to the point that the psalm began with by the time you reach the end.  So, for psalm 92 the pinnacle "moment" is found in verse 8:

"But you, O Lord, are on high forever"

The entire psalm is seen through the lens of God's everlasting reign. His reign, his rule forever, is reason for exuding thanks from the psalmist.  Not only this but the psalmist looks upon the wicked in light of God's everlasting reign - when seen in this light the wicked become a mere blip on the screen, a vapor, like grass that grows and is cut and forgotten.

The point of the psalm, however, is not that the wicked get theirs in the end, the point is that the righteous have the opportunity to get caught up with God in his everlasting reign. It is precisely because God reigns forever that it can be said of the righteous who are caught up into his life, "They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green."

In the day and age this psalm was written, terms like wicked and evildoer were ripe with meaning - meaning that might be lost to us now.  The wicked and evildoer were those that stand opposed to the way of God - they were those who mocked his righteousness.  This is still the point of these passages but sometimes it is easy for us to forget that this psalm was written from the context of a specific life and the authors troubles were brought up because they were very real. 

With this in mind, it would be a mistake for us to try and conjure up pictures of a 8th century B.C. evildoer.  No, a thoughtful reading today requires that we understand the context but that we then try to find an accurate modern application, one that would be appropriate to our lives.

So, how would you rewrite this psalm for your own life? Who or what would be the evildoers that set themselves against the ways of God and how do we cultivate an eye to see them for what they are? They are as substantive as weeds and they pale in comparison to the everlasting reign of God.