Big Jesus

Just made an interesting discovery. The magnitude of it still has yet to hit me. I had heard it mentioned many times before, but every time a pastor said something about it, they would never back up their claim. So I always had a hard time teaching it, because I could not validate its veracity. But now I absolutely can because of John 6:46: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.” Notice the comprehensive finality of Jesus’ words: Not a single human being who has ever lived on planet earth, save for Jesus, has ever seen the Father. It was Jesus who walked in the garden in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. It was Jesus who called to Moses from the burning bush. It was Jesus who guided the children of Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. It was Jesus who gave the Ten Commandments in fire and smoke. It was Jesus to whom David referred as God, Lord, and LORD throughout the Psalms. With whom did Abraham bargain for Sodom and Gomorrah? Jesus! Who sent the ravens to Elijah? Jesus! Who fought for Israel as they sought to take the Promised Land? Jesus! Not a single human being who has ever lived on planet earth, save for Jesus, has ever seen the Father. That means Jesus is both the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. So the Bible is truly all about Jesus! So where does the Father come in? In everything He did throughout both testaments, Jesus MANIFESTED the Father, serving as His agent and messenger. He did nothing on His own and could do nothing on His own. He simply did what He saw the Father do and spoke what He heard the Father speak. But His person was the one with whom all divine-human interactions took place. If we teach our students that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament as well as the God of the New Testament, and we use His name when teaching some of the more–well–severe passages, our students will quickly realize that having a personal relationship with Jesus is not something to take for granted but something for which to be extremely grateful. They will also be able to unify the entire message of the Bible in the person and work of Jesus Christ, thus becoming more astute Bible students. And they will ultimately develop a big, balanced, mysterious, accurate view of Jesus, confessing their limited understanding and bowing down to Him as their one and only king.

Lick the Click

Don’t settle for anything less than a full, bona fide, genuine click. And when you get the click, keep pursuing the click. If you have been in student ministry long enough to become thoroughly frustrated with the biblically illiterate, technologically savvy teenage subculture, that’s okay. What you do know for sure is that the “click”–that eureka moment when everything you have been teaching from Scripture suddenly comes alive and make sense to your students–hasn’t happened yet. But it will, in God’s time and in God’s way. What God wants you to do in the meantime is exhaust His creativity to continue making Scripture come alive for your students. Eventually something will hit them right between the eyes and knock them down, leaving them temporarily culturally paralyzed. And once that paralysis sets in, they are ready to listen with open hearts and open ears. Remember: Unpredictability breeds imbalance, imbalance breeds discomfort, and discomfort precedes open hearts. Get their hearts open, and you can get the truth in.

Ways and Means, Part 2

Came across an interesting quotation that reminded me of my “Ways and Means” post. Its imagery was just too good to pass up. From George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss: “He was often observed peeping through the bars of a gate and making minatory [menacing] gestures with his small forefinger while he scolded the sheep with an inarticulate burr, intended to strike terror into their astonished minds.”

Contrast this image with the image of another shepherd, this one from John’s gospel: “I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep, and am known by My own….My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Leading sheep–and especially Jesus’ sheep–does have some room for trial and error, but it is an informed trial and error in that it is based on whether we keep God’s commands. And the more errors we make in keeping God’s commands, the more we need to own up to them. That’s what God’s law was all about. People taking personal responsibility for the social crimes they perpetuated against each other, confessing them to the judge or priest, making restitution, and then not repeating their offenses.

God’s church has no room for leadership that thinks more highly of itself than it ought to think instead of with measures of sober judgment, according to the grace-gifts God has given. Concerning such shepherds, God says, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them” (Ezekiel 34:10).

The standard-bearer for any and all ministerial leadership, lay or professional, is only the Good Shepherd. The more we imitate Him, the more we will lead like Him. But the more we imitate worldly, me-first, step-on-whoever-I-want-to-step-on-and-blame-my-errors-on-others- to-preserve-my-ego leadership philosophies, the farther away we will grow from the Good Shepherd, and the more difficult it will be to be effective in our places of service.

Think Thanks

St. Ignatius of Loyola taught that we can readily and accurately determine God’s guidance by asking ourselves a two-part question: For what moment am I most grateful? For what moment am I least grateful? The first question measures our level of spiritual consolation: the times we feel closest to God and the times we feel most connected to others. The second question measures our level of spiritual desolation: the times we feel farthest from God, and times we feel most disconnected with others. What happens when, upon reflecting on an experience, we come to realize that that experience caused more desolation than consolation? We need to cut that experience from our lives just as soon as we possibly can. What happens if the opposite is true, and our recent experience brought a greater sense of consolation to our lives and ministries? Then we need to repeat that experience just as often as we can.

The key to successfully and beneficially determining the Holy Spirit’s movement is to refrain from a superlative outlook on our lives and ministries. Don’t settle for the answer that you are grateful for everything and everyone in your life at all times and all places, with the same degree of extreme appreciation for each. If we want to absolutely and finally determine God’s guidance for our lives and ministries, the question we MUST answer is the moment for which we are MOST grateful, and moment for which we are LEAST grateful. This means we have to pick ONE moment. No ties, no second places.

If we have difficulty selecting a singular moment at the outset, that’s just part of the growing process of learning how to discern God’s movement. But if, after repeated reflection, we start seeing patterns of inability emerge, and we are continually least grateful for the same moment each week, then drastic measures must be taken to cut that experience out of our lives. Had I not done that with the first pastorate I obtained immediately following seminary graduation, I and my family would still be living in misery, doing what God has not called us to do. And had I not done that with planning events for student ministry in my current place of service, the student ministry would still be stuck in a rut on the path of quickening nonexistence.

Realizing, understanding, and staying open to the moments wherein the Holy Spirit moves mightily in our lives and ministries and then making every effort to continue in those moments is the key to keeping our lives and ministries fresh and flowing and in sync with the dynamic, adventurous, awesome, and perfect will of God.

Tomorrow Today

Here’s a point to ponder. Why is it that out of an entire well-trained, battle-seasoned army, the only person who had enough spiritual guts to stand up to a larger-than-life adversary was an ordinary, everyday teenager? Where were the adults? Cowering in the camp. Where was the king? Cowering in the camp. Where were the armor-bearers and sword-wielders and shield-handlers? Cowering in the camp. What did these veterans tell him to do? In effect, “Cower in the camp with us. You’re too young and too weak to do anything.” Hollywood truly couldn’t have written a more dramatic script. The teenager said to the adversary: “You come to me with a sword, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day Yahweh will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that Yahweh does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and He will give you into our hands.” How many of our teenagers have the spiritual maturity to take up David’s charge against Goliath? If our congregations don’t have it, I would suggest it is because our teenagers don’t have it. Past generations look to future generations for leadership. When the leadership of future generations is lacking, past generations hold on to the reins of future leadership more tightly. David honed his leadership and dependence on God by taking on leadership positions at a very early age so that when the time came to step forward and take the reins, his leadership was both welcomed and trusted. What would that principle look like in today’s church? Here’s a suggestion. Why not have a middle school committee composed of middle school students or a youth committee composed of high school students? And why not complement these committees with consistent, regular parent contact that fully involves parents in ministry planning? And once approved by parents, why not let students plan the events? That way they can take ownership of the youth ministry and destroy the “what’s in it for me?” consumer mindset that plagues so many of our churches. And if we do our job well as a church, by the time students become juniors or seniors, they should have a better, more concrete idea of how to lead God’s people in times of peace and times of war, and to know better what it means to accomplish God’s agenda for His church. A pipe dream? Some might say that. But it’s a dream that God calls us to dream, and act on with urgency.

Take Two

Maybe after reading the previous post you’re at the point of thinking you would really like to learn how to listen to God’s still, small voice. But at the same time you’re also wary, because you really don’t want to veer into a bunch of mystical brouhaha commonly associated with the image of listening to God’s voice. Good news! The Bible is just as practical as it is theological. God never tells us what to do without telling us how to do it. And the how-to manual for listening to God’s still, small voice is found in the story of Mary and Martha. Martha busied herself with meal preparations for Jesus and His disciples, thinking her sister Mary would follow suit. Instead, Mary chose to spend time with Jesus. This decision rather disgusted Martha and she complained to Jesus accordingly. Jesus responded with compassion to Martha’s distress, but then affirmed Mary’s decision as superior, saying “only one thing is needed” and that “she has chosen what is better.” Jesus’ preference indicates that the first and only priority of our lives should be to sit in His presence and let Him speak His word over us. All we have to do is listen. An almost perfect modern analogy is the way we watch movies. We go to a movie theater, sit in very dim lighting, and transfix our attention on the moving images on screen. Except on rare occasions we do not talk during the movie but rather just sit and listen, diving deeper and deeper into the story. When the movie is over, we de-trash our seats, leave the theater, get in the car, and run whatever errands are necessary before going home. What we take away from the movie is the degree to which we have experienced the movie while letting it speak its storyline over us. In the same way, what we take away from our time with Jesus is the degree to which we have experienced Him while letting Him speak His word over us. Yet if we get really honest with each other, most of us have rarely if ever had personal worship times with Jesus that even come close to experiencing Jesus the way we experience movies. I can only wonder if God would counsel us to “not make for yourself a carved [digital] image….you shall not bow down them nor serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:4, 5). Exclusive, personal worship is that important to Him.

Sotto Voce

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” And behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV)

Engaging in full, effective, fruitful biblical ministry absolutely positively requires that we ministers know like the back of our hand God’s still, small voice. If we wait on God, and if we allow ourselves enough time to wait on God, God will always come through with a revelation of his perfect will. Sometimes it may come as a destructively powerful wind, an earthquake, or a fire (eg. conventions and conferences); but these usually just prepare us to hear from God’s still, small voice a new direction or plan for our respective ministries. Going ahead of God’s still, small voice either sets our lives and ministries up to be dismal, ineffective failures, or causes them to become agents of God’s harsh refining fire, which only dissipates when we finally get the memo to let Him make the footprints, and then follow His footprints exactly as they appear. If there is a secret to Christian leadership, this is it. Wait for God’s still, small voice and then respond in obedience. The more we listen to God’s still, small voice in the privacy of our own personal worship with God, the better we will be able to discern God’s still small voice in phone calls, staff meetings, mailouts, emails, conversations, hospital visits, Bible studies, circumstances, and future positions of service.

Ways and Means

Philosophies of leadership, though myriad, generally fall into two categories: the way of Machiavelli and the way of the Messiah. Machiavelli’s claim to fame is “it is better to be feared than loved.” The Messiah’s claim to fame is “perfect love casts out all fear. ” Machiavelli is all about bottom-line results that sacrifice relationships on the altar of forced respect. The Messiah is all about fostering spiritual growth in a climate of unconditional love within the context of relationships. In leading students into a deeper reality of God’s presence in their lives, we student ministers must determine the philosophy of leadership upon which God is calling us to build our lives and ministries. Either we follow Machiavelli or we follow the Messiah. Don’t pay lip service to the Messiah and then follow Machiavelli, leading your students out of fear of severe retribution. Instead, align your heart with the heart of God and follow the way of the Messiah. How do you know what philosophy of leadership you are following? It’s all revealed by the way you treat your students. Machiavelli’s “ends justify the means” philosophy teaches that it doesn’ t matter how badly or roughly you treat people on your way to the top, as long as doing so will help you achieve your desired result. Let someone else clean up the carnage. You’re vindicated by your success. The Messiah, in contrast, teaches that people are an end in themselves, and that building relationships with people is the object of true, biblical ministry. Jesus usually puts it like this: Love God, love neighbor. But the second is like the first. We love God BY loving our neighbor. So the same degree to which we love our neighbor at home, at church, and in the world is the same degree to which we love our God. If we are not loving our neighbor, then we are not loving our God, and we are tempted to use fear or other manipulative “me” tactics to get what we want. There’s nothing attractive about making students afraid of us or putting on a harsh demeanor to accomplish our goal. Such an attitude will drive students away faster than a Ferrari. But there’s everything attractive about a student ministry that majors on unconditional love and acceptance. In such an environment the Word of God can only find good soil and take deep root.

Engaged Teenagers

God showed me an incredible truth last night. The name of the game when teaching teenagers is FULL ENGAGEMENT. Gone is the effectiveness of traditional lecture and discussion methods, although in certain contexts these methods are still effective (e.g. preaching and small-group sharing). And gone is the effectiveness of listening guides and worksheets, or what is commonly referred to as “busywork.” Those methods of teaching are outdated, antiquated, and above all, sadly, ineffective. Teaching this generation of young people in a way that is anything less than fully interactive is nothing more than a prescription for wasted time and energy on the part of both the student and teacher. It’s teaching styles like these that drive teenagers nuts about their classes at school. What teenagers want (although they do not expressly say this) and more importantly what teenagers need is teaching that makes them think, makes them make choices, makes them get emotionally involved, makes them interact with their peers, and makes them immediately apply their newfound knowledge in a context where their understanding can be tested and if needed, corrected. Sometimes it’s as easy as asking them to summarize biblical content by writing and performing a rap with the aid of a rhyming dictionary. At other times it’s as difficult as taking them to a sheep farm to learn about how we are all like sheep. But regardless of the level of difficulty, every effort always needs to be made to fully engage teenagers in the lesson. While it takes a lot more prayer, a lot more time, a lot more creativity, a lot more effort, a lot more preparation, and a lot more explanation, the immediate and future spiritual rewards of planting a God seed deep beneath the surface soil of their lives are too numerous to count. Re-read that gospels and see if that’s not the way Jesus taught!

Everything is Spiritual?

My Director of Missions and I were traveling to Whitewater Express Christian Retreat Center in Copperhill, TN to check out their facilities for an upcoming back-to-school youth retreat when the conversation turned to scheduling events for youth ministry. Having been a student minister before, he had much wisdom to offer, and I took it gladly. He then said something that will take me a long time to forget. He said this in response to my hemming and hawing about not having enough “spiritual” youth events. “Jeremy, he said, “every event you schedule is spiritual. From hiking, to laser tag, to whitewater rafting, to watching a movie together–anything that will help you get to know your youth so you can better minister to your youth is spiritual. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking an event is not spiritual just because you are not conducting a formal Bible study. God’s presence through you is what makes any event spiritual.” I cannot tell you how much this freed and encouraged me. Knowing that God’s presence through me is what makes any event spiritual just lights a fire under me to plan more events that allow God’s presence to be experienced and released! As if anticipating this reaction, my Director of Missions also offered also this word of advice: “Less is more. Less events planned means you will do more events well. Whenever you do something, you always want people to know it will be done well. But give them breaks in between so their interest has a chance to be rekindled.” That advice is worth about every seminary class I took. What we student ministers–or any ministers for that matter–never want to do is plan so many events and activities that we crowd out God’s Holy Spirit from working in the lives of our students and their families. Biblical ministry, after all, is nothing more and nothing less than finding out where God is working and then joining Him in His work. But to even take that first step, we have to make room in our ministries to create the conditions necessary for God to move.