Preach the gospel always; if necessary, use words.

For years I’ve heard and seen people use that quote to sum up the missional lifestyle and missional church. And why not – at first glance it sounds great. Most people have interpreted it to mean “don’t just preach with words, but preach with actions”.

But that’s the problem – the quote requires interpretation. It’s not that it’s multi-faceted or really deep, it just doesn’t make much sense. It’s the equivalent of saying “Give me your telephone number; if necessary, use digits.”

Even worse, for years this quote has been attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, yet there is no record of him ever having said or written this statement.

Maybe, just maybe, it comes down to this: without the gospel, good works are nothing more than good works, and the gospel, when not lived out, is nothing more than hypocrisy.

HT: Jared Wilson

The analogy I’ve used with them is to think of someone you can’t stand.

A friend who betrayed your trust.

An ex who broke your heart.

As one friend said, someone who, if you found out had died, a part of you might actually be glad.

Yeah, that’s a little screwed up, but it works.

Then I was reading something Donald Miller posted at his blog and saw a perfect example – Osama bin Laden.

Think about it.

Who do Americans hate more than bin Laden?

Now, before anyone freaks out, remember, the Bible never says love and forgiveness = removal of punishment or consequences. Just look at King David as an example; he had sex with another man’s wife, got her pregnant and then had her husband killed in battle to cover everything up. And even though God used the prophet Nathan to confront David and forgave him of his sins, David still had to face the consequences of his actions (2 Samuel 12:11-23).

So I’m not saying that by loving and forgiving bin Laden we also let him off the hook.

I am saying if we are to live according to Matthew 5:44, we have to love even bin Laden.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but to follow Jesus it is necessary.

HT Donald Miller

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father, for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

It reminded me of a tee-shirt design that’s been around for years.

Now, I still smile a little bit when I see that design, but John the Baptist’s words in Matthew 3:7-10 give a pretty clear indication that those who think they’re holy might just need to repent of a sin called pride.

As Perry Noble would say,

If we listen to a sermon on Sunday and think, “I hope THEY are getting this,” rather than, “Jesus, shape MY life through this!”

Resurrection: Rob Bell from The Work of Rob Bell on Vimeo.

At the heart of the historical Jesus story is the provocative, compelling, subversive, beautiful insistence that nothing can ever be the same again, not after resurrection.

Here’s the transcript from the video:

Jesus is standing in front of the temple in Jerusalem
the massive gleaming brick and stone and gold house of God
and he says destroy this temple
and I’ll rebuild it in three days

the people listening to him said how are you going to do that?
it took 46 years to build this temple!
but he wasn’t talking about that temple
he’s talking about himself
he essentially says, listen
I’m going to be killed
that’s where this is headed
because you don’t confront corrupt systems of power
without paying for it
sometimes with your own blood
and so he’s headed to his execution
if you had witnessed this divine life extinguished on a cross
how would you not be overwhelmed with despair?

is the world ultimately a cold, hard, dead place?

does death have the last word?
is it truly, honestly, actually dark
and so whatever light we do see
whatever good we do stumble upon
are those just blips on the radar?
momentary interruptions in an otherwise meaningless existence?
because if that’s the case then despair is the
only reasonable response

it’s easy to be cynical

but Jesus says destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it
he insists that his execution would not be the end
he’s talking about something new and unexpected
happening after his death
he’s talking about resurrection

resurrection announces that God has not given up on the world
because this world matters
this world that we call home
dirt and blood and sweat and skin and light and water
this world that God is redeeming and restoring and renewing

greed and violence and abuse they are not right
and they cannot last
they belong to death and death does not belong

resurrection says that what we do with our lives matters
in this body
the one that we inhabit right now
every act of compassion matters
every work of art that celebrates the good and the true matters
every fair and honest act of business and trade
every kind word
they all belong and they will all go on in God’s good world
nothing will be forgotten
nothing will be wasted
it all has it’s place

everybody believes something
everybody believes somebody
Jesus invites us to trust resurrection
that every glimmer of good
every hint of hope
every impulse that elevates the soul
is a sign, a taste, a glimpse
of how things actually are
and how things will ultimately be
resurrection affirms this life and the next
as a seamless reality
embraced
graced
and saved by God

there is an unexpected mysterious presence
who meets each of us in our lowest moments
when we have no strength when we have nothing left
and we can’t go on we hear the voice that speaks those
words

destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it

do you believe this?
that’s the question Jesus asked then
and that’s the question he asks now

Jesus’ friends arrive at his tomb and they’re told
he isn’t here
you didn’t see that coming, did you?
he’s isn’t here
there is nothing to fear
and nothing can ever be the same again
we are living in a world in the midst of rescue
with endless unexpected possibilities

they will take my life and I will die Jesus says
but that will not be the end
and when you find yourself assuming that it’s over
when it’s lost, gone, broken and it could never be
put back together again,
when it’s been destroyed and you swear that it could never
be rebuilt

hold on a minute
because in that moment
things will in fact have just begun

© Copyright Rob Bell

Years in fact.

But seeing how violent some of the Obamacare protestors have become, I feel like I have to say (or write) something.

Hate for your fellow man or woman = SIN.

That being said, I realize that sinners sin (seeing that “sin” is the root word of “sinner”). But Christians are called to love.

Ed Young once said,

We don’t confuse acceptance with approval.

Acceptance, NOT approval.

I mean, that’s what Jesus did, right?

He met sinners where they were at; not after they had changed or “cleaned up” or “gotten right with God”, but where they were at. (Mark 2:16 & 17, Luke 5:27-32)

He accepted them for who they were, but He didn’t approve of their lifestyle.

Nor did he condemn them for their lifestyle. He knew how to cut to the heart of the matter without judgment or condemnation. (John 4:1-42, John 8:2-11)

In fact, the only times we see him being judgmental in the gospels are in His encounters with wayward religious leaders. (Matthew 15:1-3, Matthew 23:13-39)

So, if Jesus was able to show love and accept those around Him, even when they differed in opinion, lifestyle, choices, beliefs, etc., why can’t we?

Earlier today I tweeted the following;

Hatred = sin. God created equally so why hate? Black/white, conservative/liberal, gay/straight, Mac/PC, etc. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Take, for example, conservatives, liberals and this past weekend’s healthcare vote.

Is it wrong to voice your opinion? No.

Is it wrong to protest peacefully? No.

But when you start dragging people through the mud, when you make derogatory jokes about those who you’ll “end up buying insurance for”, when you claim Obama is the anti-Christ and the end of the world is at hand, are you showing Jesus through those actions?

Does anyone reading this really believe God was surprised by how the vote turned out?

I’m not telling anyone to stop making their opinions known, or to take a back seat. Ignorance is not bliss.

But if you call yourself a Christian, remember who you represent.

If you’ve got something to say, say it in love. (1 John 4:20-21)

Another example – homosexuality.

I don’t care what you believe concerning homosexuality and sin. That’s another post for another day.

But reread 1 John 4:20-21 real quick.

Know any gays or lesbians?

Are you showing them love, or do you love to make fun and belittle them?

I could go on; racism, classism, education, etc., but you get the point.

There’s a song on the latest North Point CD called “Everything” which pretty much sums up my point in the first verse.

God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping
God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

Be my everything (4x)

Come all you weary, move through the earth,
You’ve been spurned at fine restaurants and kicked out of church.
I’ve got a couple of loaves, so sit down at my feet,
Lend me your ears and we’ll break bread and eat.

Come all you weary
Come gather ’round near me
Find rest for your souls

Come all you weary, crippled you lay,
I’ll help you along, you can lay down your canes.
We’ve got a long way to go but we’ll travel as friends,
The lights growing bright further up, further in.

Come all you weary
Come gather ’round near me
Find rest for your souls

Rest for your souls

Come all you weary
Come gather ’round near me
Come all you weary
Come gather ’round near me
Find rest for your souls
Rest for your souls
Rest for your souls
Rest for your souls

Come All You Weary
Thrice
The Alchemy Index, Vol. 3 & 4: Air & Earth

We must rediscover our faith as a way of life, not simply a system of beliefs.

- Brian McLaren

For many, the system of beliefs has become, in itself, a way of life. Many of us become so consumed with the rituals and practices of the Christian faith we forget the reasons behind those practices. An example from my own life: lately, instead of reading my Bible to learn more about Jesus and how to become more like Him and to grow closer to Him, it becomes a chore to complete to be a good Christian. So yeah, I read my Bible, but I don’t really read my Bible. Or how about when I ask God to give me opportunities to love and serve people who are hurting, and then I completely ignore all the suffering I see on a daily basis. Sure, I’m doing and saying the right things to make others think I’m a Christian, but in reality I’m putting Jesus on the backburner. Kind of a shitty way to treat the creator of the universe, huh?

Kind of like the pharisees. They did all the right things and said all the right things, but when God revealed Himself to them in the form of Jesus what happened?

I wonder how many times Christ has revealed Himself to me and I ignored or even shunned Him?

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

Matthew 25:41-45

People of the Second Chance is no longer just a nice concept with some stickers and tee shirts, but the very story we are living out right now.

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Become a fan at Facebook.

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Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. (ESV)

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (NIV)

And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (NLT)

So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. (The Message)

There is so much one can unpack from this verse, which is why I presented it in various translations. They all say the same thing, but to varying degrees of bluntness.

Have you added anything to the message of Christ that could make it difficult for your unchurched friends to come to know Him?

Is your church or ministry doing anything that could make it difficult for unchurched people to know Christ?

It’s okay if people choose to reject the cross, but let’s don’t put a whole lot of other things in their way that cause them to get confused before they get to the issue, which is the cross.
- Andy Stanley

Now I know some of you reading this will find it hard to stomach the first part of that quote;

It’s okay if people choose to reject the cross…

Because if what the Bible says is correct, then the only alternative to the cross is Hell. But the fact is that many people will reject the cross (Matthew 7:13). So what Andy is saying in this quote, and in the video below, is let’s not make it easy for them to reject the cross by putting obstacles in front of them before they even get to make a decision to follow or reject Jesus. Instead, let’s make it as easy as possible for people to come to God – that way, if they still choose to reject Jesus it isn’t because of traditions or a musical style or dress code or a language only known to the churched.

Anyways, here’s the video. It’s about ten minutes long.
To watch the full sermon click here.