Repentance Precedes the Kingdom

Working my way though the book of Mathew, I came to these verses this morning:

In those days, John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Mathew 3:1-2)

In reading this I was reminded that our salvation… our “ticket” into heaven is more than praying a perfunctory prayer… more than ascribing to a certain philosophy… more than associating with a particular sect or denomination… more than engaging in upstanding religious activity… more than attending “services”… more than being “a pretty good person”… more than mowing lawns and shoveling snow. Repentance precedes the Kingdom of God.

Repent means “to turn from.” That means we do a 180° turn from the direction we were previously heading in – whatever that direction may be. Perhaps we’ve oriented our lives (consciously or unconsciously) toward consumerism, materialism, humanism, or self-sufficiency (which is pride). And it is my belief that our repentance… our “turning from” must be a daily occurrence, lest we find ourselves aligned with a trajectory which leads to destruction. As a side note, I believe the most dangerous direction we can head in isn’t the one that’s blatantly opposed to the things of God… (that’s easy to detect). The direction that’s most dangerous is the one that’s off by just a degree or two (usually in the form of one small compromise or another). Those are harder to detect, and can often be socially acceptable… even fashionable. But if left unchecked, it can lead to the same destruction as if you’d been headed in a direction directly opposed to the Kingdom of God. As one of my favorite authors/speakers, Art Katz used to say, “A little leaven, leavens the whole lump” (referring to 1 Corinthians 5:6).

So, as we love one another (which is a sign that we are followers of Jesus), there must be a place… a point… when out of our love for them, we call people to repentance. For repentance precedes the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 3:2 (NIV) and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 4:17 (NIV) From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Mark 6:12 (NIV) They went out and preached that people should repent.

Luke 13:3 (NIV) I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Acts 2:38 (NIV) Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19 (NIV) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

Acts 17:30 (NIV) In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Creamed Duck

A few nights ago, I had a very surreal experience. I was on my way home from my evening band rehearsal. As I came to the end of Ransom St. at U.S. 31, through the dark I saw a man with a flashlight in the road. There was also a pick-up truck with its hazard lights on, parked on the side of the road. I pulled up alongside the man with the flashlight, rolled down my window and asked if everything was alright. It was an elderly man who I’d guess to be in his late 70’s. He said something like, “Yeah, I’m getting my ducks.” Right at that point, I looked up ahead and saw about 30 full-grown ducks (mostly male mallards) waddling along in the road. The guy who owned the pick-up truck was trying to help the elderly man “herd” the ducks (I have no idea if that man and the elderly man knew each other).

Apparently, the ducks belonged to the elderly man who owned a farm down the road. And when the temperature dropped, the surface of the water where the ducks hung out froze…which meant they couldn’t get at the fresh water. Rather than waiting around for their master to remedy the problem, they decided to take off and look for fresh water. The trouble is, they lived near a highway. And as I would discover once I turned the corner onto the highway, a few of the ducks did make it out to U.S. 31 (at least for a few moments… long enough for 3 of them to get creamed).

I thought again today about this surreal experience, and thought this whole thing was sorta like how the Holy Spirit speaks to us as Christ followers in our lives. Ok… so we’re the ducks. God is like the old farmer calling to, and caring for his ducks so they don’t get creamed. Sometimes, we’re impatient with our master when trials come (when the water freezes), and we take off down the road. Rather than waiting and trusting that our master will provide a way, we wander away looking for open water. Trouble is, we don’t see the danger in doing so. Why? Because we’re ducks, He’s the master, and we’re not. Sometimes we ignore the voice of God speaking to us… calling us… prompting us… counseling us. We ignore the Spirit of our Master and strike out on our own….toward the highway. We forsake the wisdom of the Father for the wisdom of men… of popular culture... of our fellow ducks. What is it we’re looking for? Fresh water? Greener pastures? A better relationship? Fulfillment? A pleasant “church experience” which requires very little real sacrifice or lasting life-change on our part?

My guess is that if we continue to ignore God’s voice, one of two things will happen. We’ll either get creamed, or before long we’ll forget the sound of the Master’s voice and be unable to hear it when He calls. We’ll continue to wander down the road of life. We may even be lucky enough to live out the rest of our days in quiet comfort, free from the “confines” of any master other than ourselves. But ultimately, without the wisdom, protection, provision, love, grace, forgiveness, and healing the Master (the Creator of the universe) can provide, we’re just a lost duck.

Life in the Body

If one wishes to see glimpses of true life in the Body of Christ (The Church), one needs to look no further than the New Testament. I deliberately use the word “glimpses” because it is my belief that while the New Testament is indeed a treasure trove when it comes to examples of how we are to live as Christ followers and how we are to function as His Body, the glimpses we see are just that… glimpses… glimpses of an imperfect, yet beautiful bride.

There is not a 12 step recipe for healthy Church (at least not that I’ve found). Ultimately, we are not left to rely only upon these historical snap shots of the phenomenon that was the early Church, but we are also given the Spirit of Truth which resides in every follower of Jesus. And it is this Spirit which counsels us, guides us, comforts us, and instructs us. It is for that reason that we, as the Church, must be a people who not only know His written word, but who also know His voice (John 10:3-5)….His living word for today….for this moment….A voice which is not reserved only for the educated, professional minister….but available for all who call upon the name of the Lord.

It would seem that God could’ve just as easily given us a list or recipe to follow giving us the specific what, where, when, how, why, and who of Church rather than giving us only pictures, patterns, and principles. But that would be contrary to his nature as our Daily Bread; and it is this Bread that we must seek each day if we are to have any hope of staying on course. I share this as a reminder that the following is not a comprehensive recipe or a checklist. They are characteristics….glimpses of the early church and how they lived.

The Body is gifted and diverse: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV)

The members of the Body participate when the Body gathers: 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 (NIV)

The Body lives as priests (i.e. While there are clear roles {apostle, teacher, pastor, prophet, elder, etc} there is not a religious elite; that is the old order of things): 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

The Body lives in close, loving community: Acts 2:44 (NIV), Acts 2:46 (NIV), John 13:34-35 (NIV), Romans 12:10 (NIV)

The members of the Body grow… on purpose: Acts 2:42 (NIV), Romans 12:2 (NIV)

The Body goes (as sent ones): Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

The members of the Body are alive and bear good fruit: Matthew 21:19 (NIV), Luke 6:43 (NIV), John 15:1-17 (NIV)

The Body loves: Acts 2:45 (NIV), John 13:35 (NIV), 1 John 3:17 (NIV), Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV), Luke 10:25-28 (NIV), James 1:27 (NIV), James 1:22-25 (NIV), James 2:14-26 (NIV)

The Body proclaims: 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV), Matthew 10:7 (NIV), Acts 5:42 (NIV)

A healthy Body is admired: Acts 2:47 (NIV)

Confessions of a Worship Arts Pastor

A couple years ago, I was ready to leave the institutional church – not “THE CHURCH,” just the institutional expression. This was motivated by several things, but I felt that the system as a whole was broken. Understand that this has nothing to do with the people I work with – I LOVE those people….DEARLY. My issue was with the current state of THE CHURCH as a whole. I felt like over the last 1700ish years or so, we’d drifted far from the principles, practices, and lifestyle with which the early church operated; Far from the original mandate we’d been given – to GO and make disciples, love the Lord, love people, and to live as a priesthood of believers. But instead of going with authority (as sent ones)… into our world… our neighborhood… our workplace..........., we stayed and built, and we said “Come to us.”

Essentially, I felt like we took the curtain that was ripped in two at Christ’s death, and sewed it back together. We rebuilt an elaborate religious system. We rebuilt the temples – rather than living in the reality that WE are the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). We installed our own priests - rather than living as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). We even rebuilt the altars (Protestants call them “stages,” and have “altar calls.”)

Our buildings got larger and larger. Our programs and products got better and more elaborate. We thought that in doing so we’d compete with the world (on their terms) and win people over. But we were so busy developing programs, and productions, and concerts, and facilities, and events, and youth facilities, and groovy gadgets, and hip bands, that WE FORGOT TO GO. And in our staying, we got lazy. We paid trained professionals to conduct “the service” for us, rather than operating as a priesthood of believers. (Check out 1 Corinthians 14:26 and Acts 2:42-47 for a couple glimpses of how the church used to operate). It seemed to me that more and more Christians, (not “new believers,” but folks who’d been in the church for years) seemed to be consumed with their programs and products. Think for a minute about what church-folk get upset about…. The music… The drama team… The children’s ministry… The youth group… The service went 15 minutes long.  And don't even get me started on denominations. 

So… to sum it up, I went into meltdown mode. I was overwhelmed and paralyzed - especially given the fact that this was a system which I helped perpetuate - a system from which I received 100% of my income. In my desperation and despair, I was ready to bolt and just do house church. But fortunately, I have wise friends… some involved in institutional church life, some involved in house church life, and they counseled me to sit tight and see what God would do. I’m thankful they said that, because slowly, over time, something began to happen. “I” began to change. I realized that many of the frustrations I had with the institutional church were true of me. I wasn’t loving people. I wasn’t “going.” Even though I was reaching out to some of my neighbors, I wasn’t doing it to the level that I should or being as deliberate about it as I should. I wasn’t living as a priest. I wasn’t living as a sent one. But as I (along with some of my friends) began to change some of that, I saw something happen. I saw others within the church doing the same….not because of me… but because I believe the same Spirit that was working in me was working in them as well. I saw people sacrificing, giving, serving, going, and risking. And the more I saw it, the more I was challenged and inspired.

And while my following of Jesus is FAR from perfect…. I have hope again. I believe that in some ways, God is redeeming His church… and as a result, I now believe it isn’t so much about institutional church, or house church, or simple church, or organic church…… I just believe that the church needs to BE the CHURCH. I believe that “I” need to BE the church. And whatever happens as a result of that….. so be it. Amen.