“Rabbi El’azarben-‘Azaryah (1st century-2nd century C.E.) said, ‘…if there is no meal there is not study of Torah, and if there is no study of Torah there is no meal.’”
We are having our second BBQ today. We are expecting around 35 people, but I suspect more will be coming up (some Redding college group peep’s are showing up from San Jose!). As I was working at the Wilder Ranch I felt like God told me to invite Alana’s boss to be the BBQer of Honor (they are Atheists). So, I made the call & Matthew is gonna’ come over; he is very excited that we found out he is a modern marvel at the BBQ, very fun stuff. Everyone who is coming is someone God has privileged us to have relationship with. Some are close to God, some far, but everyone who is coming up today has a relationship with our church. I hope they experience Him.
Basically our whole gig right now is to live life as followers of Jesus & see what happens. I have always believed: If the life of Christ is happening in your (our) life, it will happen. What is it? Just pick something from the New Testament & that’s what I mean: Love, faith, grace, sacrifice, community, freedom, repentance, baptism, following, leading, righteous anger, feeding the poor, worship, friendship, small-groups, church planting, etc. As we abide in Christ, fruit is sure to follow. Center your life on Jesus & live life out loud for the world to witness & see what happens; Acts 2:42-47 challenges me when it says, “& God added to their numbers daily.” I take from this that as they lived as followers of Jesus in community God added to their numbers. So, as the pastor of this church, I’m saying, “love everyone & let’s see whom God brings.” Instead of having church events “Today we are going to love people,” I see Jesus & the early church saying, “Everyday, moment, person, situation, & setting is a church event.” My whole life an outreach; everywhere I am, Jesus makes himself known through His church.
We’ve also been talking about our mission, which is: “Love God, Love People, make Disciples; Equip them for the work of ministry, the building up of the church, to demonstrate God’s glory in all nations.” I have been talking a lot about how it all starts by loving God & when you fall in love with God & see how much he loves you, loving people is a natural result. Too, we have been discussing what it means to Love People. I mentioned a few weeks ago how it is not our responsibility to save people, but to love them. Also, it is not our goal to love certain people, but to love all people. I am at a place where if we only loved God & loved people I would be happy. I think it’s God saying, “Sean, be content with me & know there is no higher calling than to share my love.” However, & being thankful for the breadth & depth of Scripture, our love has direction & purpose: Make disciples.
So, our BBQ is a mystery to me. Most people know we are a church; however, many don’t & that’s great for now, I hope they enjoy our community.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
When I got done with grad school there was one author I really wanted to dig into: A.W. Tozer. I have not been disappointed.
Tozer on walking in righteousness
“Just let me ask: Who said that you can be a Christian without being a disciple? I don’t think you can. The idea that I can come to the Lord and by grace have all of my sins forgiven and have my name written in heaven, and have the Carpenter go to work on a mansion in my Father’s house, and at the same time raise hell on my way to heaven is impossible and unscriptural. It cannot be found in the Bible.
We are never saved by our good works, but we are not saved apart from our good works. Out of our saving faith in Jesus Christ, there springs immediately goodness and righteousness. Spring is not brought by flowers, but you cannot have spring without flowers. It isn’t my righteousness that saves, but the salvation I have received brings righteousness. I think we must face up to this now—that we must walk in righteousness if we are going on to know the Lord. The man who is not ready to live right is not saved, and he will not be saved, and he will be deceived in that great day.
I cannot believe that a man is on the road to heaven when he is habitually performing the kind of deeds that would logically indicate that he ought to be on his way to hell.” (The Counselor pgs. 127-28)
I love that Tozer went & still goes against the grain of popular Christianity. “Who said you can be a Christian without being a disciple?” “It cannot be found in the Bible.”
Apparently people in Tozer’s day were saying you could be a Christian without being a disciple. Tozer wrote another book called “I Call it Heresy", in the first chapter he says,
“The scriptures do not teach that the Person of Jesus Christ nor any of the important offices which God has given Him can be divided or ignored according to the whims of men.
Therefore, I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles - the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior and we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to!
This concept has sprung naturally from a misunderstanding of what the Bible actually says about Christian discipleship and obedience. It is now found in nearly all of our full gospel literature. I confess that I was among those who preached it before I began to pray earnestly, to study diligently and meditate with anguish over the whole matter. I think the following is a fair statement of what I was taught in my early Christian experience and it certainly needs a lot of modifying and a great many qualifiers to save us from being in error. "We are saved by accepting Christ as our Savior; we are sanctified by accepting Christ as our Lord; we may do the first without doing the second!"
Tozer hits it home. Let us follow Him.
Tozer on walking in righteousness
“Just let me ask: Who said that you can be a Christian without being a disciple? I don’t think you can. The idea that I can come to the Lord and by grace have all of my sins forgiven and have my name written in heaven, and have the Carpenter go to work on a mansion in my Father’s house, and at the same time raise hell on my way to heaven is impossible and unscriptural. It cannot be found in the Bible.
We are never saved by our good works, but we are not saved apart from our good works. Out of our saving faith in Jesus Christ, there springs immediately goodness and righteousness. Spring is not brought by flowers, but you cannot have spring without flowers. It isn’t my righteousness that saves, but the salvation I have received brings righteousness. I think we must face up to this now—that we must walk in righteousness if we are going on to know the Lord. The man who is not ready to live right is not saved, and he will not be saved, and he will be deceived in that great day.
I cannot believe that a man is on the road to heaven when he is habitually performing the kind of deeds that would logically indicate that he ought to be on his way to hell.” (The Counselor pgs. 127-28)
I love that Tozer went & still goes against the grain of popular Christianity. “Who said you can be a Christian without being a disciple?” “It cannot be found in the Bible.”
Apparently people in Tozer’s day were saying you could be a Christian without being a disciple. Tozer wrote another book called “I Call it Heresy", in the first chapter he says,
“The scriptures do not teach that the Person of Jesus Christ nor any of the important offices which God has given Him can be divided or ignored according to the whims of men.
Therefore, I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles - the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior and we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to!
This concept has sprung naturally from a misunderstanding of what the Bible actually says about Christian discipleship and obedience. It is now found in nearly all of our full gospel literature. I confess that I was among those who preached it before I began to pray earnestly, to study diligently and meditate with anguish over the whole matter. I think the following is a fair statement of what I was taught in my early Christian experience and it certainly needs a lot of modifying and a great many qualifiers to save us from being in error. "We are saved by accepting Christ as our Savior; we are sanctified by accepting Christ as our Lord; we may do the first without doing the second!"
Tozer hits it home. Let us follow Him.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Why theology (knowledge of scripture) is important.
I'm reading a book about the Fourth Crusade. It is an interesting book & it is very discouraging at times. While reading it I can see why so many people around the world hate Christians. Likewise, I am saddend at how far the church in the year 1200 had gotten from New Testament teachings. This is a sermon from Sir Abbot Martin. It is credited with launching this very un-christlike venture. See how many unbiblical comments you can find.
"Heed my word to you, my lords and brothers; heed my word to you! Indeed, not my word, but Christ’s. Christ himself is the author of this sermon; I am his fragile instrument. Today Christ addresses you in his words through my mouth. It is he who grieves before you over his wounds. Christ has been expelled from his holy place—his seat of power. He has been exiled from that city which he consecrated to himself with his own blood. Oh the pain! This land is no dominated by the barbarism of a heathen people. Oh the misery, the sorrow, the utter calamity! The Holy Land…has been given over to the hands of the impious. Its churches have been destroyed, its shrine polluted, it royal throne and dignity transferred to the gentiles. That most sacred and venerable Cross of wood, which was drenched with the blood of Christ, is locked and hidden away by persons to whom the word of the Cross is foolishness, so that no Christian might know what was done with it or where to look for it. And so now, true warriors, hasten to help Christ. Enlist in His Christian army. Rush to join the happy ranks. Today I commit you to the cause of Christ, so that you might labor to restore Him to His patrimony, from which He has been so unmercifully expelled. Whoever takes the sign of the Cross and makes a sincere confession will be totally absolved of every sin and when he leaves this present life, no matter where, when, or by what happenstance, he will receive his life eternal."
I'm reading a book about the Fourth Crusade. It is an interesting book & it is very discouraging at times. While reading it I can see why so many people around the world hate Christians. Likewise, I am saddend at how far the church in the year 1200 had gotten from New Testament teachings. This is a sermon from Sir Abbot Martin. It is credited with launching this very un-christlike venture. See how many unbiblical comments you can find.
"Heed my word to you, my lords and brothers; heed my word to you! Indeed, not my word, but Christ’s. Christ himself is the author of this sermon; I am his fragile instrument. Today Christ addresses you in his words through my mouth. It is he who grieves before you over his wounds. Christ has been expelled from his holy place—his seat of power. He has been exiled from that city which he consecrated to himself with his own blood. Oh the pain! This land is no dominated by the barbarism of a heathen people. Oh the misery, the sorrow, the utter calamity! The Holy Land…has been given over to the hands of the impious. Its churches have been destroyed, its shrine polluted, it royal throne and dignity transferred to the gentiles. That most sacred and venerable Cross of wood, which was drenched with the blood of Christ, is locked and hidden away by persons to whom the word of the Cross is foolishness, so that no Christian might know what was done with it or where to look for it. And so now, true warriors, hasten to help Christ. Enlist in His Christian army. Rush to join the happy ranks. Today I commit you to the cause of Christ, so that you might labor to restore Him to His patrimony, from which He has been so unmercifully expelled. Whoever takes the sign of the Cross and makes a sincere confession will be totally absolved of every sin and when he leaves this present life, no matter where, when, or by what happenstance, he will receive his life eternal."
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Not much is known about the prophet Habakkuk. However, his book is powerful, wonderful, filled with honest prayers, complaints, & equally honest answers from God. As I was reading through the book certain things occured to me.
I am amazed that many of our so called "problems" are not new problems. In fact, if we really look at the examples given to us throughout scripture we find God's people wrestling with him in ways that are still common today (Israel literally means "to wrestle with God"). If we will let them, prophets like Habakkuk will lead us down paths already traveled, since people like Habakkuk have a correct perspective on how to deal with problems. No doubt our experiences are unique & important to God, but there are no new problems under the Son.
Habakkuk 2:4
"Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith."
Habakkuk 3:17-19
"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights."
So, whatever it is we're wrestling with (hopefully it's with God & not against him!) please know it's important to God, but not an original problem. Let us "rejoice in the Lord" no matter our circumstances; let us "live by faith."
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Well it’s about time for another post!
Everything is going well here up in the sticks of Santa Cruz. God continues to be faithful, we continue to need his faithfulness, and I go surfing whenever I can.
Easter was great. We invited over twenty people up to the Ranch and, I think, 19 people showed up. It was amazing to see the diversity of people who showed up. We had a 22yr old co-worker of mine, a guy who works for Adobe, his PhD wife (evolutionary Biology), their two kids, two of Rachel’s Latino co-workers, the boss and family of Rachel’s other job, our white Native American neighbors (we met them through a Salsa outreach, a retired contractor and his girlfriend/wife(?) who gives us free firewood (we give him free coffee), and two Christians from a popular local church who were amazed at the amount of people we met in such a short period of time. The PhD got right to business asking me “so you’re the pastor of the church?” I wanted to talk with her, and am sure I will, since we believe radically different things. I know she wants to help me with my erroneous superstition, and Lord knows I’m always willing to be helped. I guess we’ll keep giving her Holy Spirit infused Salsa! Take that! The 22yr old and I had some great conversation. He was blown away we are a church and I’m the pastor. Why is it that so many people are surprised I’m a pastor? I should be nicer I guess. Anyways, I told him all about our church, what we want to do, who we worship, why we worship, etc. He was intrigued, so we’ll see what happens. Our next meal will be an Indian dinner for our college student babysitters and anyone else.
Surfing has been great. I invited somebody from the Coffee shop to go, and he was stoked to learn how to surf. Most surfers don’t want anyone else to learn how to surf, since that would mean less waves for the, so finding someone who wants to take you surfing, has the equipment, and will teach you is a treat. Laben and I invited him again this last Friday, but he go another job. Sounds like we need to start surfing on another day.
We are having an ISI (International Students Inc.) training night at our house Sunday. Peggy, who leads the ministry, will come up with one of her students, and anyone else, to teach us how to hang out with international folks. After we go through the training we can all get an international friend, whom we are then supposed to share God’s love with. Hello!! Alana already has a friend named Mimi from China. I was joking that we could start a Sunday service downtown and have the team and 20 Chinese students. Janine and Alana are getting more involved with this. Janine is excited to go shopping in San Jose with the students and then have them over for a Jesus Feast. We’ll see where all this goes, but Peggy is pretty cool and she wants to see international students see God’s love. Square hole, meet my friend square peg; I think you’ll get along.
The job scene is working out. Here’s where I work Mon-Thur (4-10’s). I’m the grunt worker, but I don’t have to do a lot of crazy stuff (I did move 5000lbs of bricks before lunch). I get paid $35hr, which is clearly too much, but it’s helping out around here. Amazingly I still wonder what God is going to do after this job! I think, “Cool God, 2007 is a wrap, but what about 2008?” Oh, my little wandering heart.
I’m the youngest guy on the job (everyone’s over 50), which makes things really interesting. They used to call me Lad, but now I have a new nickname: Preacher! Believe it or not, but I’ve always wanted that nickname because of one of my favorite movies: Pale Rider starring Clint Eastwood. He rides a white horse and is called Preacher. He was one bad dude.
Anyways, the one guy who drives me nuts always asks me what I preached on. “So, Preacher, what’d you preach on yesterday?” I just go for it and tell him everything I spoke on, sharing the gospel with him. What’s more is Laben and I are going to go Kayak fishing with him; a relationship has started.
Jeff got a job with Bethany University as the manager of their bookstore. On his first day he runs into a guy who went to high school with Jeff. Jeff takes him out to lunch and ministers to him. Since Jeff is a surfer now it sounds like they’re gonna’ hit the waves pretty soon.
Anyways, still don’t know what God’s gonna’ do, but from the looks of it, he’s gonna’ do what he’s always wanted to do through a bunch of misfits like us. And remember: Early morning+strong coffee+the Bible+the Holy Spirit=a great perspective on an otherwise typical day!
Blessings.
Everything is going well here up in the sticks of Santa Cruz. God continues to be faithful, we continue to need his faithfulness, and I go surfing whenever I can.
Easter was great. We invited over twenty people up to the Ranch and, I think, 19 people showed up. It was amazing to see the diversity of people who showed up. We had a 22yr old co-worker of mine, a guy who works for Adobe, his PhD wife (evolutionary Biology), their two kids, two of Rachel’s Latino co-workers, the boss and family of Rachel’s other job, our white Native American neighbors (we met them through a Salsa outreach, a retired contractor and his girlfriend/wife(?) who gives us free firewood (we give him free coffee), and two Christians from a popular local church who were amazed at the amount of people we met in such a short period of time. The PhD got right to business asking me “so you’re the pastor of the church?” I wanted to talk with her, and am sure I will, since we believe radically different things. I know she wants to help me with my erroneous superstition, and Lord knows I’m always willing to be helped. I guess we’ll keep giving her Holy Spirit infused Salsa! Take that! The 22yr old and I had some great conversation. He was blown away we are a church and I’m the pastor. Why is it that so many people are surprised I’m a pastor? I should be nicer I guess. Anyways, I told him all about our church, what we want to do, who we worship, why we worship, etc. He was intrigued, so we’ll see what happens. Our next meal will be an Indian dinner for our college student babysitters and anyone else.
Surfing has been great. I invited somebody from the Coffee shop to go, and he was stoked to learn how to surf. Most surfers don’t want anyone else to learn how to surf, since that would mean less waves for the, so finding someone who wants to take you surfing, has the equipment, and will teach you is a treat. Laben and I invited him again this last Friday, but he go another job. Sounds like we need to start surfing on another day.
We are having an ISI (International Students Inc.) training night at our house Sunday. Peggy, who leads the ministry, will come up with one of her students, and anyone else, to teach us how to hang out with international folks. After we go through the training we can all get an international friend, whom we are then supposed to share God’s love with. Hello!! Alana already has a friend named Mimi from China. I was joking that we could start a Sunday service downtown and have the team and 20 Chinese students. Janine and Alana are getting more involved with this. Janine is excited to go shopping in San Jose with the students and then have them over for a Jesus Feast. We’ll see where all this goes, but Peggy is pretty cool and she wants to see international students see God’s love. Square hole, meet my friend square peg; I think you’ll get along.
The job scene is working out. Here’s where I work Mon-Thur (4-10’s). I’m the grunt worker, but I don’t have to do a lot of crazy stuff (I did move 5000lbs of bricks before lunch). I get paid $35hr, which is clearly too much, but it’s helping out around here. Amazingly I still wonder what God is going to do after this job! I think, “Cool God, 2007 is a wrap, but what about 2008?” Oh, my little wandering heart.
I’m the youngest guy on the job (everyone’s over 50), which makes things really interesting. They used to call me Lad, but now I have a new nickname: Preacher! Believe it or not, but I’ve always wanted that nickname because of one of my favorite movies: Pale Rider starring Clint Eastwood. He rides a white horse and is called Preacher. He was one bad dude.
Anyways, the one guy who drives me nuts always asks me what I preached on. “So, Preacher, what’d you preach on yesterday?” I just go for it and tell him everything I spoke on, sharing the gospel with him. What’s more is Laben and I are going to go Kayak fishing with him; a relationship has started. Jeff got a job with Bethany University as the manager of their bookstore. On his first day he runs into a guy who went to high school with Jeff. Jeff takes him out to lunch and ministers to him. Since Jeff is a surfer now it sounds like they’re gonna’ hit the waves pretty soon.
Anyways, still don’t know what God’s gonna’ do, but from the looks of it, he’s gonna’ do what he’s always wanted to do through a bunch of misfits like us. And remember: Early morning+strong coffee+the Bible+the Holy Spirit=a great perspective on an otherwise typical day!
Blessings.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Well things are moving along in Santa Cruz. We just got done with awesome 70 degree weather. We didn’t use the wood stove for about a week and a half (the Buffalo team is experiencing something different). Last week Linda and I invited some of our friends from San Luis Obispo to do some ministry with us. There names are Casey and Linnea and they are into deliverance stuff (praying for people to get free from spiritual bondage, etc.) Since we’ve been discussing the Kingdome of God Linda and I thought it would be a good idea to bring in people who do a lot of healing, praying for the sick, the dead, and other power oriented Holy Spirit things. We had a great time and they prayed for most of us. Casey shared a sermon on Sunday, mostly prophetic words for our church, and then we ate big. The experience prompted a lot of good discussion on praying for people and miracles. We discussed: what we agreed with, disagreed with, would like to try, and would never try. In all, our desire to demonstrate God’s Kingdom through love and praying for people increased. Casey and Linnea are crazy for Jesus.
Everyone has jobs. Rachel and I are working two jobs and both of us feel that God has given them to us and doesn’t want us to leave either of them. Jeff looks like he might get a job a Bethany University as the bookstore manager, which would give him access to many students. Laben is continuing to do odd jobs. Alana is doing nanny stuff. We all prayed for jobs and God gave them, now we are trying to align schedules with our values. It’s fun.
When Casey and Linnea came up we had our babysitter Sara come up. We were having dinner, so I asked my wife to invite her and tell her she could bring a friend, so she brought her friend Kaley. We all ate together and Casey asked them if we could post flyers on the campus for a Bible study. They said we could and they could post them for us! It was pretty funny. Kaley said she has a friend who would be interested in coming to it. Afterward, Kaley started asking me about our church by asking, “Where do you guys meet?” I told her I was the pastor and we met in the house. She seemed indifferent, but we sent them home with Salsa(!), pizza, and other goodies. They said they like Indian food, so guess what’s on the menu.
We are going to have a BBQ & Easter Egg hunt at the property. Our property is so big that we figured it would be a great idea. Plus most of the folks we will invite to church would be the ones coming to the BBQ, so it seems like a great idea. Our house is 20min out of SC, but it is really incredible. Please pray that people would follow the prompting of God and join us.
The fact that I am a pastor is leaking at the coffee shop. One night a co-worker asked me if it was true that I was a pastor. I said, “Yes” and then did some cool karate moves. He asked me what that meant because he had no idea what a pastor was. I told him and he seemed pretty intrigued. He is trying to find another job and he and his girlfriend are making rent, but not really eating; we’ll see what comes of that. Anyways, he really wanted a cigerrette, but didn’t have any money, so I gave him $4 for some smokes. Evangelism! I made a batch of salsa and gave it to another co-worker whose father I have been praying for. She loved it and is sure to get an invite to the BBQ, since we’ll have more salsa. Seeds are being planted.
Things are good, people are being stretched, those who don’t know him are being loved, and God is being worshipped; sound like church to me. Oh yeah, surf is definitely up.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Here’s a little update from SC!
Well we’ve decided on a church name: Antioch Church. We received a 501c3 (a $3000 gift!) and needed to come up with a name. Our choice may seem to be an obvious one given the influence of Antioch Community Church in Texas on, well, my whole understanding of church, but there’s more to it than that. Because we live in such a polarized area & Christianity is looked down upon in SC we wanted a name that meant little to nothing to the people in this area. We could have chosen the name Vineyard, but there is already a Vineyard church close by & they have cultivated a name for themselves, so we thought it best to allow them sole rights to that name. Antioch, for the people of this area is a town outside of S.F. & little else; therefore, we get to start with no presuppositions attached to our little church.
We have started worshipping together on Sundays. We meet at 10:30am, sing some songs, & then this crazy guy gives a sermon. We started this up because we wanted to get together and worship God. Not getting together to fellowship seemed kinda’ dry, so we church it up on Sundays. I don't think we've invited anyone to this yet, but it will happen.
We also get together for a teaching time on Wednesday nights. We’ve done this twice now & it’s a time where I have been teaching through the theology of our church. We’ve covered: The Mission has a Church-God’s mission of reconciliation & how the church fits into that; &, The Methods of that Mission-Church structures, Pastoral vs. People ministry methods, Program vs. Lifegroup methods. It has been fun, but I need to refine my teachings! Luckily I have a pretty captive audience; sleepers get excommunicated. “Yes, it’s true, I am Nacho.” Next week…The Kingdom of God, but some VLI dude is teaching that one, I ain’t no fool!
Laben, Jeff, & I all have painting jobs. Laben & Jeff are painting the inside of two condos for $3000, which is nice. They start on Monday. I start painting for the State of Ca on Monday too. I get paid $30hr, which is cool for me, but kinda’ high when I think about taxes. All of us have been freaking out about $, but God has totally come through every time Ps. 37 “I was young, but now I’m old, yet I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken.” Me neither, but I always think I’m gonna’ be God’s first slip-up. I still work at the coffee shop, which is a blast. I’m starting to get some real relationships with the other folks & our conversations are a lot different than the ones I had at Yaks! Our coffee shop is right next to a bar & when I close the shop at 12pm I see some interesting stuff. The manager who is openly gay asked me why I moved to SC, & I told him I'm here with a group of people to start a church. No joke, the tension was thick enought to cut with a knife. It was weird for about 20min, but we started joking later about "his people" liking Madonna. He's told me a little about his life (he's from Chico!) & it is really sad.
Linda via. Siena has had two play dates with other moms. She has been going to a library reading time & has run into other moms who have initiated times for our kids to get together. One of the moms came over here & another mom met Linda at the park. Another mom met Siena while she was in SC at the Farmer’s Market with the Jeff & Janine. Siena & her son got along so well the mom asked for our number. Way to go Siena!
Rachel went to the AIDS group here in town & volunteered. She’s not sure if she is going to volunteer there on a regular basis, but she is exploring different community oriented groups in town. Each night I close at the coffee shop & we have extra soup left over. No one takes the soup, so I take it. There are a lot of homeless folks on the streets when I get off, & I figure their hungry & ask if they want the soup. This last time I gave the soup out one of the guys said, “Are you the soup guy?” I guess a little food goes a long way downtown; we’ll see what this turns into. I think we’re gonna’ bake some cookies before I go to work from now on; no brainer.
Since we’re getting together regularly we decided to hire a babysitter. Normally somebody from the church does that, but everybody’s involved. So, we put an add in at UCSC. We had 3 interviews today & it was cool to tell them we were a church to find out if they had a problem with that; nobody did, & one girl whose ride was late sat in the living room with Bean & Laben asking questions about the church. We’re paying $20hr & we’ll see where this leads…global church plants anyone?
For Damien’s 13th birthday we had a right of passage. All of the men got on the Tom Sawyer raft, paddled to the middle of the pond, jumped in, & swam to shore. No we don't live in Buffalo, & yes the water was cold, not frozen, but plenty cold. It was an awesome experience following Damian, the man, into the pond. Afterwards we had a BBQ with our landlords & one of their daughter’s family.
We’ve been going through firewood pretty fast in the mountains & bought a chord for $361, which is crazy; I though it would last us longer, but 3200sqft is a lot to heat with a wood stove. Laben & I have been scavenging for wood when we drive up or down the hill. This last trip we noticed some freshly cut logs on the side of the road & decided to ask the owner if we could have the wood. We drive up to the house & this guy comes out. We ask him about the wood, he tells us we can have it (it’s about a bed full), & asks what we need it for. I tell him we’re running out of firewood, so he says, “You need firewood? See that pile of wood over there? It’s Oak & you can have it all. You see that other pile over there, I don’t need it & you can have it too.” All said he’s gonna’ give us about a chord & a half of wood. More importantly, Laben & I agree this guys a lonely old bachelor who could use some friends, so we’re gonna’ bring him some SC coffee & see if we can’t drink a cup of mud with they guy.
There is more to tell, & God is doing great things in all of our lives. My disbelief in what God had called us to has in no way canceled out what he is going to do, or what he desires to do in & through disbelieving willing vessels like us. We are having a wonderful time as a church, seeds are being planted, & we only have to believe Luke when he says, “& God added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.”
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
So I got a part-time job at Santa Cruz Roasting Coffee shop. It is right downtown and so far a pretty cool place to work. We sell a lot of coffee beans, as you might suspect since we're a roasting house, and I get one free pound a week, which is pretty cool (Ethiopian was my first pound). The length of employment at the roasting house is pretty low, the employee who has been there the longest? 3yrs. I don't know if anyone else there is a Christian, although the manager, Kacki, is sober and has gone through A.A. I assume the people I work with represent a typical slice of Santa Cruz, and what they lack in their representation the customers are sure to make-up for. I have only worked two shifts, both of the closing (we close at 11 and 12pm) and it has been fun. Most of the employees are students, but some are not. Most of the employees are straight, some are not; most of them have tatoos, and, so far, everybody's favorite words are four letters long.
My first night I worked with a gal who moved here two-months ago to get away from a bad marriage of ten years in Wyoming; I was blown-away when she told me twice in two seperate conversations that she had also left her four children; the youngest being 6 or 8 months. She is starting afresh in SC and has already found someone who she is interested in.
Last night I worked with a new guy who is back in town as he waits to be accepted to a law school. As we took the garbage out I asked him why he wants to be a lawyer and he said, "I'm tired of being poor," a novel ambition. He asked me what I was doing in town and I told him I was here to start a church, which really didn't get much of a response. In reality I just don't think people have any sort of grid for starting a church, since it is equated with a building instead of a group of people. We'll see where God takes these relationships.
A big eye-opener came as a result of us not having a public restroom. It was converted into a storage area because of the graffiti and drug use that happened in there. One of my co-workers told me of finding needles, razor-blades, and other stuff in there. But last night one of the girls revealed it was finally closed when some overdosed on Heroin in the bathroom. Come to find out, SC has one of the highest rates of Heroin addiction, per capita, in the U.S; I had no idea. One of the employees told me she can tell when a bad batch of dope is on the streets because the nightime customers come in all messed-up. Here is an exerpt from a local newspaper about the issue:
"Ten years ago, we had one student hooked on heroin," he says. "Today, one-tenth of our students are dealing with heroin addiction. More than half of them are female."
Those in the know agree that girls are more likely to be recruited than guys because once they are addicted, "they are not only working for the drug itself, they often end up prostituting to support their 'boyfriend,' the dealer who got them hooked in the first place," says Garcia.
Over the last few years, especially here in Santa Cruz, the ages of the addicted have continued to drop. Now, there are cases of addicted 9-year-olds and 12-year-old girls prostituting to feed their habit."
No doubt we need to do something.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Here is the final paper for my graduate degree. It was interesting to write, since my professor is opposed to what I assert. Sip on a cup of coffee, read this, and get saved.
Lordship Salvation
Within the past two decades a debate has been going on amongst Evangelicals as to how a person comes to salvation in Jesus. Within this debate there are two main groups: One group believes that a person comes to salvation by faith alone, with or without making Jesus Lord of their life (I accept salvation, now I choose whether or not you are Lord); the other group maintains that salvation comes as a result of a commitment to Christ, and that following Jesus as Lord is an aspect of salvation (I choose to follow you as Lord, therefore, I accept salvation). This is a huge theological issue with large ramifications. I have prayed, read, and researched through various books, hoping to find out which group I belong to. Although, my answers are still in process, it is my intent that through this paper I will clearly demonstrate the theology I believe to be biblical.
Discipleship
Where does discipleship fit into this theological debate? Is it part of salvation?
First let us define discipleship. The word disciple is used throughout the Bible to mean: pupil or learner. The Pharisees considered themselves disciples of Moses; followers of John the Baptist were called disciples of John, this holds equally true for followers of Jesus who were called his disciples. Discipleship was always predicated upon a call from Jesus (Mark 1:16; 10:21) and meant undivided commitment to him, which was expressed in obedience to him. I. H. Marshall says, discipleship to Jesus “went well beyond the normal pupil-teacher relationship and gave the word ‘disciple’ a new sense. Faith in Jesus and allegiance to him are what determine the fate of men at the last judgment (Lk. 12:8f.).” (Pg. 285) Jesus expanded the definition of the word because the evangelists understood him to be more than a mere man, but God himself. The word does not appear outside of the gospels and Acts, but other NT writers refer to disciples in other terms including believers, saints, or brothers. Therefore, from the perspective of the NT a believer was a disciple; and belief entailed commitment to God through the person of Christ.
In the early church being a Christian meant being Jesus’ disciple. What does Christian mean other than Christ-follower? To follow Jesus is to be his disciple and to be a disciple is to be a Christian. Acts 11:26 says, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch;” furthermore, in Acts 9:2, and 24:14, Paul refers to the believers as “followers of the Way.” The word translated into “Way” is the Greek word hodos, which is the same word Jesus uses to describe himself in John 14:6 saying, “I am the Way…” Clearly the implications in Acts show that, (a) disciples of Christ were called Christians; they were not Christians first who then became disciples; and (b) Paul identified them, and himself, as followers of “the Way,” who is Jesus; thus, they were followers of Jesus.
Does discipleship necessitate Lordship? The answer is clearly: Yes. A disciple of Christ acknowledges him as “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Thomas’ confession is to be recognized as the high point of faith. Too, this confession is not solely Thomas’ but is included in the gospel to be seen as a normative response by a disciple to the resurrected Christ: You are my Lord and my God. Therefore, discipleship means Lordship, and Lordship means adherence to that Lord.
Jesus speaks to this saying, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46) Jesus is here pointing out the opposite of a normal relationship to himself: If I’m Lord than you should obey me. He is making it obvious to the multitude, that his disciples were expected to obey him, since obedience to him was a demonstration of his position in their life. The Lutheran theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes this statement, “In the end, the first step of obedience proves to be an act of faith in the word of Christ. But we should completely misunderstand the nature of grace if we were to suppose that there was no need to take the first step because faith was already there. Against that we must boldly assert that the step of obedience must be taken before faith can be possible. Unless he obeys, a man cannot believe.” Later he adds his axiom, “Only those who obey can believe, and only those who believe can obey.” (Pg. 66; 70)
Biblically, being a Christian means following Christ as his disciple. There is no biblical evidence that people became a Christian without committing themselves to Christ in discipleship. Unlike our modern constructs, Scripture makes no difference between discipleship and belief in Jesus, or for that matter, a disciple and someone who is “saved;” belief in Jesus, and discipleship are biblically synonymous concepts. Likewise, “To be a disciple involved an unreserved and exclusive commitment to Jesus.” (Marshall Pg. 576) There should be little doubt that unreserved, exclusive commitment to Jesus means making him “Lord and God” of the believer’s life.
Discipleship: Pre-or-Post Salvation
Almost the whole of Jesus’ ministry was focused on what it meant to follow him, the cost involved, and the benefits to following him. Here are some passages that require our attention if we are to determine whether Discipleship, and therefore Lordship, is a Pre-or-Post salvation decision by the believer:
Mark 10:17-22 describes a scenario in which a rich young man questions Jesus about salvation. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus then speaks to him of the commandments, which he claims to have kept. Then Jesus, knowing the true issue that is keeping him from following says, “go, sell what you own…then come follow me.” Jesus requires this man to choose discipleship, there is no middle ground; knowing Jesus mandates that he alone take primacy in the man’s life; he alone is Lord. This, as we see, is too much for him to accept, and Jesus freely allows him to go. When Jesus asks the man to sell everything and follow him it is not identical with salvation; it is not a work to achieve it. However, it is the indispensable beginning to the salvation life, which is Jesus. Bonhoeffer says, “Discipleship is the end, voluntary poverty the means.” (Pg. 75) Jesus does not say, “be justified by your faith,” but says, “obey me, demonstrate your belief, then become my disciple.” Too, this parable should be seen in sharp contrast to the parallel story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) whose actions resulted in Jesus saying, “Today salvation has come to this house…” Why? Because his obedience is belief.
In Luke 14 Jesus puts certain conditions upon discipleship: “If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children…his own life, he cannot be my disciple;” “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple;” “So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” (Vv. 26, 27, 33) Jesus is calling people to discipleship, to a commitment in him. He is challenging them to allegiance to either themselves or loyalty to him. It is clear that the disciple must have but one love, one Lord: Self or Jesus; and this decision is a condition of discipleship.
In Mark 8:34-37 Jesus says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” Jesus says only those who lose their life for his sake will save it. These verses share the common theme with Luke: Denial of self and adherence to Christ is required; if you are to follow Jesus he alone is Lord. But this verse takes it a step further and speaks of what a person must do in order to save his life; only “those who lose their life” for Jesus will save their life. Jesus is here putting a pre-condition on salvation. What else can this verse mean? William Hendrickson, speaking of this verse says, “It is only by losing oneself—looking away from self in order to serve the Master and his ‘little ones’ (Cf. Matt. 25:40)—that one can ever be saved…For the sinner salvation is impossible apart from obedience to this rule.” (Pg. 500) To what rule? An individual must make a commitment to Jesus, losing his life, as a condition of “sav(ing) it.”
In John 12:24-26 Jesus tells the parable about the Grain of Wheat. Speaking of the seed, which falls to the ground and produces fruit he says, “He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me.” When speaking of the grain Jesus is here speaking of himself; however, he is also at the same time speaking of his disciples. D.A. Carson says, “But if the principle modeled by the seed—that death is the necessary condition for the generation of life—is peculiarly applicable to Jesus, in a slightly different way it is properly applied to all of Jesus’ followers.” (Pp 438-439) Once again Jesus is speaking of death, which brings about life; he shares how to save our life, by hating it, which is demonstrated by following him, throughout the NT this is called discipleship.
In Matthew 25 the evangelist includes a parable given by Jesus. Here we are told, “all the nations will be gathered before him” (v. 32) and he will separate them into two groups. One group will inherit the Kingdom, and the other group will inherit eternal fire. The large group is composed of people who should have known the condition by which Jesus would be separating them; they were expected to “love people” as an obligation to their relationship with Jesus. In the end, whatever the followers of Jesus did or did not do will be a defining mark for their eternal punishment, or being declared as righteous in God’s presence. Obedience is a condition to salvation.
Matthew 28:19 is another verse that speaks clearly about the importance of discipleship. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Here again Jesus speaks of discipleship as being the normative relationship of the believer to himself. Jesus could have just as easily said, “Go, and make people recognize me as Savior, baptizing them…then after this, help them make me Lord.” However, Jesus said, “make disciples who obey me.” Obviously Jesus knows the apostles must get this right; salvation is at stake. They will be the ones who teach the world what it means to be “born again;” and Jesus’ answer here: Discipleship. James Boice asserts, “This theology (Savior first) separates faith from discipleship and grace from obedience. It teaches that Jesus can be received as one’s Savior without being received as one’s Lord…Discipleship is not a supposed second step in Christianity, as if one first became a believer in Jesus and then, if he chooses, a disciple.” (Pg. 13-14) Furthermore, when we read Peter’s words to the crowd at Pentecost “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38) one should clearly understand: only disciples were to be baptized.
Evidently, not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of his Father. What is the will of the father? To believe in Jesus, but to believe in Jesus is to commit to him, and biblically, this meant discipleship.
Language and Concepts: Static or Dynamic?
As Westerners (Greek in thought) our whole concept of life is based upon a static system of communication, and therefore, fixed systems of belief. Noted linguist Charles Kraft says this, “Much of contemporary western Christianity seems static.” (Pg. 237) This he concludes is a result of the way we express Christian thoughts: God is love, God is my Father, the Lord is my Shepherd, etc, are static. To demonstrate the contrast he offers these dynamic alternatives: God relates to me lovingly, God treats me as a good father treats his child, the Lord guides me like a shepherd guides his sheep, etc.
Hebrew, on the other hand, is a dynamic language (Likewise Greek is more dynamic than English). Commenting on this Dr. Kraft says, “Greek embodied much action in nouns which, when translated literally into English, result in an impression of staticness.” (Pg. 237) Using the example of the Greek word logos he argues that when John used it he was, like most bilinguals, translating a thought from his native tongue into another language. The Hebrew term John would have translated would have been the word dabar, and this word in its original context carries a dynamic meaning.
Language dictates our thoughts, and our thoughts shape our beliefs, and our beliefs direct our actions. Therefore, our understanding of words (language) directly effects how we view concepts; and this includes the concepts of: Faith and Belief. Leslie Newbigin says, “The language of a people provides the means by which they express their way of perceiving things and of coping with them. (Pg. 3)
Our static concepts effect our understanding of what salvation is. When most Christians speak of becoming Christians they point to a specific point in time. A common question amongst our circles is: “When did you get saved?” answer: Dec. 5, 1989. This is a completely modern paradigm. Nowhere in the NT does anyone point to a specific point in the past to prove his or her salvation. In fact, the NT always asks the present to validate salvation: Paul “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Cor 13:5) or “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed…continue to work out your salvation…” (Phil. 2:12).
The hermeneutical lens by which we approach scripture has a tremendous effect upon how we view its claims on our lives. Our practice will reflect our theology; thus, most Westerners equate being a Christian with knowing doctrines rightly. For example, during the McCarthy era when America was fearful of Communist spies invading their ranks, some advisors of President Eisenhower advised him to create a Christian test for all government workers. This specific test included numerous doctrines a Christian was expected to know in order to be a Christian. They assumed Communists would not know the answers to these questions. Evidently, to be a Christian one only needed to pass a multiple-choice questionnaire. Truman never allowed this test, but this was one of the contributing factors to changing the Pledge of Allegiance and American currency to include references to God.
Faith: Static or Dynamic?
Is the biblical understanding of faith dynamic? Faith is the means by which we are justified, so the argument goes. However, is faith a static event or is it a process by which the believer lives in a relationship with God. Luther derived his “Justified by faith alone” from Romans by using Abraham as his example; however, Paul does not go into great detail about the characteristics of faith, only that we are justified by it.
In Romans 4:3 we read “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham’s faith in God is the very thing that justified him before God. Abraham believed God’s promise that “…from your own body will be your heir.” And “Look into the heavens and count the stars…So shall your offspring be.” (Gen. 15:5) Therefore, faith is what puts Abraham in right standing with God and not the law.
However, this is not the end of the story; it seems as if God is not yet finished with Abraham’s faith; thus, we get another foundational story in chapter 22. Here God asks Abraham to sacrifice the very heir God had promised to him. Abraham obeys God and God says, “Because you have done this…I will indeed bless you…and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessings for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Gen. 22:16-18) Once again this is a story about Abraham’s faith.
If faith is a static event then why was it necessary for God to test Abraham’s faith? Wasn’t the requirement of the previously made promise to Abraham already fulfilled because of his faith? We must conclude that the answer is: no. The first promise is openly conditional; not upon Abraham’s belief, but upon Abraham believing. Again, the positive outcome of Abraham’s obedience was a renewal of the before stated promise; therefore, we must also presume that disobedience would have led to a denial of that same promise. Furthermore, Abraham did not point to the past as proof of his faith saying, “I’m already justified, the promise is mine whether or not I obey this command.” Abraham was required to demonstrate his faith in the present. Biblical faith is not a one-time event.
Likewise, Biblical faith is not described as an intellectual decision alone, but is exhibited through obedience. The book of Hebrews gives us the greatest amount of material as to what biblical faith is. It is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) The author then highlights certain people who throughout the Bible displayed faith in God, and most of these through their actions of obedience (the smaller portion point to a faith without an action attached).
From these examples we can confidently claim that faith is a dynamic concept and not, as is popular in our theological paradigms, inactive. Moreover, faith is not, from Biblical examples, a purely psychological event; it is often equated with an act of obedience. As a result, acts of obedience are called faith, and faith is often determined through an action (although this is not always the case, it does not lessen the strength of the argument).
Jesus: Lord or Savior?
Much of the issue within this debate stems from this question: When is Jesus Lord, and when is he Savior in the creation of a believer? Those who hold that Jesus must be Savior first and then Lord after salvation, hold this principle because requiring a convert to “give his life to Jesus,” thus making him Lord, is seen as something other than faith, it is a work; and therefore from a NT perspective it is unbiblical.
In the NT Jesus is referred to by many titles or names including: Master, King of Kings, I Am, Servant, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Teacher, Prophet, Lord, Lamb of God, and Savior. These titles sometimes refer to actual specific functions that Jesus is performing at a given moment, i.e. Teacher; his person or his attributes, i.e. I Am; or both, i.e. Lamb of God. The titles Savior and Lord are both titles that describe a function and attribute of who Jesus is (see Acts 2:21and 5:31b).
In the early church, including the writings of Paul, these two terms seemed fairly interchangeable. Apparently, as is common today, there was not a separation of the two titles for Jesus. He was not viewed as Savior or Lord; he is Lord Savior or Savior Lord.
However, out of the two titles in consideration here, Lord was the title and position the early church sought to establish in the lives of its earliest converts. Consider these verses: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven…” (Matthew 7:21) “For Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord of the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:9) “…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Phil. 2:10- 11) Lord was the title used by the early church because it best defined Jesus’ high-ranking status in the cosmos. Marshall says this concerning the title Lord, “If Jesus was now Lord, it followed that the task of the early church was to lead people to recognize the status of Jesus. New converts became members of the church by acknowledging Jesus as Lord.” (Pg. 589) This agrees with, Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Marshall again adds, ”Lord primarily expresses the exalted position of Jesus and this rule over the universe and especially over believers who accept his Lordship. It is thus especially used when the responsibility of Christians to obey Jesus is being expressed.” (Pg. 590) Why didn’t Paul say, “confess Jesus as Savior?” Because there can be but one Lord in a believer’s heart, God alone sits upon the throne of his Temple.
Confession of Jesus as Lord was the indicating feature in a Christian’s life. Therefore, submitting to the Lordship of Jesus simultaneously or as a pre-condition to salvation was normative within the early church; calling Jesus Savior and then deciding whether to make him Lord is a practice not advocated in Scripture, it is a modern distortion. A.W. Tozer makes this point, “We have no basis to believe we can come casually to the Lord Jesus and say, ‘I understand that you are the Savior so I am going to believe and be saved and then I am going to turn away and think about the other matters of lordship, allegiance, and obedience at some other time.’ I warn you, you will not get help from Him in that way for the Lord will not save those whom he cannot command. He will not divide His offices. You cannot believe in a half Christ.” (Pp. 14-16, 18-20) Regrettably, it seems in America we have advocated a half-Christ; 75% of Americans claim to be Christian, by what standard?
Conclusion
In the early church to be a Christian was to be a disciple of Christ. (Matt. 28:19). Jesus seems to emphasize this point with his various parables, which speak to conditions of a relationship with him; and this is his invitation to a relationship with him: in order to live you must die. Therefore, Jesus makes it clear that commitment is a condition of salvation.
Biblically, faith is a dynamic concept. Unfortunately, our enlightenment worldview renders this concept as fixed; this leads to the misunderstanding of salvation being a one-time event. As we follow certain characters in the bible we see that faith is an ongoing process. Likewise, justification through faith is also a repeated event in the life of the believer; thus, faith is about a relationship with God, through Jesus.
Belief infers obedience. Jesus puts the condition of obedience upon his followers. It is not enough to call him “Lord;” this conviction must be actualized within the life of the individual who believes. It is impossible to separate belief from action, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Too, although not speaking about salvation James says, "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:26) Your actions indicate what you believe, as it is impossible to do anything (outside of external force), which is contrary to what you believe.
The title most commonly used by the early church as a designation of the person and position of Jesus within the believer’s life is Lord (Read Acts!). This is in agreement with Jesus’ emphasis on discipleship, since those who follow him must recognize him as Lord. Too, the NT writers had access to other words with which to define Jesus, but use the title Lord in pivotal verses such as: Acts 2: 21; 25; 34; 36; Romans 10:9, etc. Paul uses no other word for Jesus during his conversion. Paul says, “Who are you Lord?” (Acts 9:5) “What shall I do, Lord.” (Ibid. 22:10a) “The Lord said to me” (Ibid. 22:10b) He was then baptized (via. Matt. 28:19) calling on his name. (Ibid. 22:16) Why would Paul assume lordship was optional for others is if wasn’t’ for him? Clearly Paul recognized Jesus’ position in his life and consequently says we must call Jesus Lord. Moreover, to think Paul would say, “confess Jesus as Lord,” and imagine he intended believers to acknowledge Jesus’ Lordship of the cosmos, but not their life is a ridiculous idea. To suggest that Paul asserts Lordship as optional is a clear example of eisegesis.
Discipleship is not works! It is only by grace that we are saved and this by (dynamic) faith. However, our understanding of discipleship must recognize discipleship as God’s call to grace. Obedience is not works, “Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:9-11) Discipleship is our duty to God. We are only doing what is expected of us, nothing extra.
Savior first theology is dangerously close to idolatry. In allowing people to consider whether or not God is LORD, and this after salvation, makes self-lordship optional. God is very clear there is but one LORD; as it is, this theology allows a person to choose if they will allow God to be LORD or not. And why would you make him LORD, seeing as your salvation is secure; you can escape hell and love the world too. Advocating anything but complete Lordship is idolatry; you cannot serve two masters, you must love the one and hate the other. The Bible is painfully clear at this point.
“Yet the outcome of the Reformation was the victory, not of Luther’s perception of grace in all its purity and costliness, but of the vigilant religious instinct of man for the place where grace is to obtained at the cheapest price.” (Bonhoeffer, Pg. 49) We have been unfaithful to Luther’s revelation; thus, turning justification of the sinner to mean justification of the sin. Salvation isn’t a doctrine; it’s a person.
Which sounds more like Jesus? Do you want to go to heaven? Then please mark the box on the welcome card; or, “Follow me.”
Boice, James Montgomery, Christ’s Call to Discipleship, Moody, Chicago, 1986.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, The Cost of Discipleship, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1959.
Carson, D.A., The Gospel According to John, Erdmann’s, Michigan, 1991.
Hendrickson, William, New Testament Commentary, The Gospel of Luke, Baker,
Michigan 1978.
Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, 2nd Ed, Intervarsity Press, Illinois, 1962.
Newbigin, Leslie, Foolishness to the Greeks, Erdmann’s, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986.
Tozer, A.W., I Call It Heresy, Christian Publications, Camp Hill, 1974.
Lordship Salvation
Within the past two decades a debate has been going on amongst Evangelicals as to how a person comes to salvation in Jesus. Within this debate there are two main groups: One group believes that a person comes to salvation by faith alone, with or without making Jesus Lord of their life (I accept salvation, now I choose whether or not you are Lord); the other group maintains that salvation comes as a result of a commitment to Christ, and that following Jesus as Lord is an aspect of salvation (I choose to follow you as Lord, therefore, I accept salvation). This is a huge theological issue with large ramifications. I have prayed, read, and researched through various books, hoping to find out which group I belong to. Although, my answers are still in process, it is my intent that through this paper I will clearly demonstrate the theology I believe to be biblical.
Discipleship
Where does discipleship fit into this theological debate? Is it part of salvation?
First let us define discipleship. The word disciple is used throughout the Bible to mean: pupil or learner. The Pharisees considered themselves disciples of Moses; followers of John the Baptist were called disciples of John, this holds equally true for followers of Jesus who were called his disciples. Discipleship was always predicated upon a call from Jesus (Mark 1:16; 10:21) and meant undivided commitment to him, which was expressed in obedience to him. I. H. Marshall says, discipleship to Jesus “went well beyond the normal pupil-teacher relationship and gave the word ‘disciple’ a new sense. Faith in Jesus and allegiance to him are what determine the fate of men at the last judgment (Lk. 12:8f.).” (Pg. 285) Jesus expanded the definition of the word because the evangelists understood him to be more than a mere man, but God himself. The word does not appear outside of the gospels and Acts, but other NT writers refer to disciples in other terms including believers, saints, or brothers. Therefore, from the perspective of the NT a believer was a disciple; and belief entailed commitment to God through the person of Christ.
In the early church being a Christian meant being Jesus’ disciple. What does Christian mean other than Christ-follower? To follow Jesus is to be his disciple and to be a disciple is to be a Christian. Acts 11:26 says, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch;” furthermore, in Acts 9:2, and 24:14, Paul refers to the believers as “followers of the Way.” The word translated into “Way” is the Greek word hodos, which is the same word Jesus uses to describe himself in John 14:6 saying, “I am the Way…” Clearly the implications in Acts show that, (a) disciples of Christ were called Christians; they were not Christians first who then became disciples; and (b) Paul identified them, and himself, as followers of “the Way,” who is Jesus; thus, they were followers of Jesus.
Does discipleship necessitate Lordship? The answer is clearly: Yes. A disciple of Christ acknowledges him as “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Thomas’ confession is to be recognized as the high point of faith. Too, this confession is not solely Thomas’ but is included in the gospel to be seen as a normative response by a disciple to the resurrected Christ: You are my Lord and my God. Therefore, discipleship means Lordship, and Lordship means adherence to that Lord.
Jesus speaks to this saying, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46) Jesus is here pointing out the opposite of a normal relationship to himself: If I’m Lord than you should obey me. He is making it obvious to the multitude, that his disciples were expected to obey him, since obedience to him was a demonstration of his position in their life. The Lutheran theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes this statement, “In the end, the first step of obedience proves to be an act of faith in the word of Christ. But we should completely misunderstand the nature of grace if we were to suppose that there was no need to take the first step because faith was already there. Against that we must boldly assert that the step of obedience must be taken before faith can be possible. Unless he obeys, a man cannot believe.” Later he adds his axiom, “Only those who obey can believe, and only those who believe can obey.” (Pg. 66; 70)
Biblically, being a Christian means following Christ as his disciple. There is no biblical evidence that people became a Christian without committing themselves to Christ in discipleship. Unlike our modern constructs, Scripture makes no difference between discipleship and belief in Jesus, or for that matter, a disciple and someone who is “saved;” belief in Jesus, and discipleship are biblically synonymous concepts. Likewise, “To be a disciple involved an unreserved and exclusive commitment to Jesus.” (Marshall Pg. 576) There should be little doubt that unreserved, exclusive commitment to Jesus means making him “Lord and God” of the believer’s life.
Discipleship: Pre-or-Post Salvation
Almost the whole of Jesus’ ministry was focused on what it meant to follow him, the cost involved, and the benefits to following him. Here are some passages that require our attention if we are to determine whether Discipleship, and therefore Lordship, is a Pre-or-Post salvation decision by the believer:
Mark 10:17-22 describes a scenario in which a rich young man questions Jesus about salvation. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus then speaks to him of the commandments, which he claims to have kept. Then Jesus, knowing the true issue that is keeping him from following says, “go, sell what you own…then come follow me.” Jesus requires this man to choose discipleship, there is no middle ground; knowing Jesus mandates that he alone take primacy in the man’s life; he alone is Lord. This, as we see, is too much for him to accept, and Jesus freely allows him to go. When Jesus asks the man to sell everything and follow him it is not identical with salvation; it is not a work to achieve it. However, it is the indispensable beginning to the salvation life, which is Jesus. Bonhoeffer says, “Discipleship is the end, voluntary poverty the means.” (Pg. 75) Jesus does not say, “be justified by your faith,” but says, “obey me, demonstrate your belief, then become my disciple.” Too, this parable should be seen in sharp contrast to the parallel story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) whose actions resulted in Jesus saying, “Today salvation has come to this house…” Why? Because his obedience is belief.
In Luke 14 Jesus puts certain conditions upon discipleship: “If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children…his own life, he cannot be my disciple;” “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple;” “So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” (Vv. 26, 27, 33) Jesus is calling people to discipleship, to a commitment in him. He is challenging them to allegiance to either themselves or loyalty to him. It is clear that the disciple must have but one love, one Lord: Self or Jesus; and this decision is a condition of discipleship.
In Mark 8:34-37 Jesus says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” Jesus says only those who lose their life for his sake will save it. These verses share the common theme with Luke: Denial of self and adherence to Christ is required; if you are to follow Jesus he alone is Lord. But this verse takes it a step further and speaks of what a person must do in order to save his life; only “those who lose their life” for Jesus will save their life. Jesus is here putting a pre-condition on salvation. What else can this verse mean? William Hendrickson, speaking of this verse says, “It is only by losing oneself—looking away from self in order to serve the Master and his ‘little ones’ (Cf. Matt. 25:40)—that one can ever be saved…For the sinner salvation is impossible apart from obedience to this rule.” (Pg. 500) To what rule? An individual must make a commitment to Jesus, losing his life, as a condition of “sav(ing) it.”
In John 12:24-26 Jesus tells the parable about the Grain of Wheat. Speaking of the seed, which falls to the ground and produces fruit he says, “He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me.” When speaking of the grain Jesus is here speaking of himself; however, he is also at the same time speaking of his disciples. D.A. Carson says, “But if the principle modeled by the seed—that death is the necessary condition for the generation of life—is peculiarly applicable to Jesus, in a slightly different way it is properly applied to all of Jesus’ followers.” (Pp 438-439) Once again Jesus is speaking of death, which brings about life; he shares how to save our life, by hating it, which is demonstrated by following him, throughout the NT this is called discipleship.
In Matthew 25 the evangelist includes a parable given by Jesus. Here we are told, “all the nations will be gathered before him” (v. 32) and he will separate them into two groups. One group will inherit the Kingdom, and the other group will inherit eternal fire. The large group is composed of people who should have known the condition by which Jesus would be separating them; they were expected to “love people” as an obligation to their relationship with Jesus. In the end, whatever the followers of Jesus did or did not do will be a defining mark for their eternal punishment, or being declared as righteous in God’s presence. Obedience is a condition to salvation.
Matthew 28:19 is another verse that speaks clearly about the importance of discipleship. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Here again Jesus speaks of discipleship as being the normative relationship of the believer to himself. Jesus could have just as easily said, “Go, and make people recognize me as Savior, baptizing them…then after this, help them make me Lord.” However, Jesus said, “make disciples who obey me.” Obviously Jesus knows the apostles must get this right; salvation is at stake. They will be the ones who teach the world what it means to be “born again;” and Jesus’ answer here: Discipleship. James Boice asserts, “This theology (Savior first) separates faith from discipleship and grace from obedience. It teaches that Jesus can be received as one’s Savior without being received as one’s Lord…Discipleship is not a supposed second step in Christianity, as if one first became a believer in Jesus and then, if he chooses, a disciple.” (Pg. 13-14) Furthermore, when we read Peter’s words to the crowd at Pentecost “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38) one should clearly understand: only disciples were to be baptized.
Evidently, not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of his Father. What is the will of the father? To believe in Jesus, but to believe in Jesus is to commit to him, and biblically, this meant discipleship.
Language and Concepts: Static or Dynamic?
As Westerners (Greek in thought) our whole concept of life is based upon a static system of communication, and therefore, fixed systems of belief. Noted linguist Charles Kraft says this, “Much of contemporary western Christianity seems static.” (Pg. 237) This he concludes is a result of the way we express Christian thoughts: God is love, God is my Father, the Lord is my Shepherd, etc, are static. To demonstrate the contrast he offers these dynamic alternatives: God relates to me lovingly, God treats me as a good father treats his child, the Lord guides me like a shepherd guides his sheep, etc.
Hebrew, on the other hand, is a dynamic language (Likewise Greek is more dynamic than English). Commenting on this Dr. Kraft says, “Greek embodied much action in nouns which, when translated literally into English, result in an impression of staticness.” (Pg. 237) Using the example of the Greek word logos he argues that when John used it he was, like most bilinguals, translating a thought from his native tongue into another language. The Hebrew term John would have translated would have been the word dabar, and this word in its original context carries a dynamic meaning.
Language dictates our thoughts, and our thoughts shape our beliefs, and our beliefs direct our actions. Therefore, our understanding of words (language) directly effects how we view concepts; and this includes the concepts of: Faith and Belief. Leslie Newbigin says, “The language of a people provides the means by which they express their way of perceiving things and of coping with them. (Pg. 3)
Our static concepts effect our understanding of what salvation is. When most Christians speak of becoming Christians they point to a specific point in time. A common question amongst our circles is: “When did you get saved?” answer: Dec. 5, 1989. This is a completely modern paradigm. Nowhere in the NT does anyone point to a specific point in the past to prove his or her salvation. In fact, the NT always asks the present to validate salvation: Paul “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Cor 13:5) or “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed…continue to work out your salvation…” (Phil. 2:12).
The hermeneutical lens by which we approach scripture has a tremendous effect upon how we view its claims on our lives. Our practice will reflect our theology; thus, most Westerners equate being a Christian with knowing doctrines rightly. For example, during the McCarthy era when America was fearful of Communist spies invading their ranks, some advisors of President Eisenhower advised him to create a Christian test for all government workers. This specific test included numerous doctrines a Christian was expected to know in order to be a Christian. They assumed Communists would not know the answers to these questions. Evidently, to be a Christian one only needed to pass a multiple-choice questionnaire. Truman never allowed this test, but this was one of the contributing factors to changing the Pledge of Allegiance and American currency to include references to God.
Faith: Static or Dynamic?
Is the biblical understanding of faith dynamic? Faith is the means by which we are justified, so the argument goes. However, is faith a static event or is it a process by which the believer lives in a relationship with God. Luther derived his “Justified by faith alone” from Romans by using Abraham as his example; however, Paul does not go into great detail about the characteristics of faith, only that we are justified by it.
In Romans 4:3 we read “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham’s faith in God is the very thing that justified him before God. Abraham believed God’s promise that “…from your own body will be your heir.” And “Look into the heavens and count the stars…So shall your offspring be.” (Gen. 15:5) Therefore, faith is what puts Abraham in right standing with God and not the law.
However, this is not the end of the story; it seems as if God is not yet finished with Abraham’s faith; thus, we get another foundational story in chapter 22. Here God asks Abraham to sacrifice the very heir God had promised to him. Abraham obeys God and God says, “Because you have done this…I will indeed bless you…and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessings for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Gen. 22:16-18) Once again this is a story about Abraham’s faith.
If faith is a static event then why was it necessary for God to test Abraham’s faith? Wasn’t the requirement of the previously made promise to Abraham already fulfilled because of his faith? We must conclude that the answer is: no. The first promise is openly conditional; not upon Abraham’s belief, but upon Abraham believing. Again, the positive outcome of Abraham’s obedience was a renewal of the before stated promise; therefore, we must also presume that disobedience would have led to a denial of that same promise. Furthermore, Abraham did not point to the past as proof of his faith saying, “I’m already justified, the promise is mine whether or not I obey this command.” Abraham was required to demonstrate his faith in the present. Biblical faith is not a one-time event.
Likewise, Biblical faith is not described as an intellectual decision alone, but is exhibited through obedience. The book of Hebrews gives us the greatest amount of material as to what biblical faith is. It is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) The author then highlights certain people who throughout the Bible displayed faith in God, and most of these through their actions of obedience (the smaller portion point to a faith without an action attached).
From these examples we can confidently claim that faith is a dynamic concept and not, as is popular in our theological paradigms, inactive. Moreover, faith is not, from Biblical examples, a purely psychological event; it is often equated with an act of obedience. As a result, acts of obedience are called faith, and faith is often determined through an action (although this is not always the case, it does not lessen the strength of the argument).
Jesus: Lord or Savior?
Much of the issue within this debate stems from this question: When is Jesus Lord, and when is he Savior in the creation of a believer? Those who hold that Jesus must be Savior first and then Lord after salvation, hold this principle because requiring a convert to “give his life to Jesus,” thus making him Lord, is seen as something other than faith, it is a work; and therefore from a NT perspective it is unbiblical.
In the NT Jesus is referred to by many titles or names including: Master, King of Kings, I Am, Servant, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Teacher, Prophet, Lord, Lamb of God, and Savior. These titles sometimes refer to actual specific functions that Jesus is performing at a given moment, i.e. Teacher; his person or his attributes, i.e. I Am; or both, i.e. Lamb of God. The titles Savior and Lord are both titles that describe a function and attribute of who Jesus is (see Acts 2:21and 5:31b).
In the early church, including the writings of Paul, these two terms seemed fairly interchangeable. Apparently, as is common today, there was not a separation of the two titles for Jesus. He was not viewed as Savior or Lord; he is Lord Savior or Savior Lord.
However, out of the two titles in consideration here, Lord was the title and position the early church sought to establish in the lives of its earliest converts. Consider these verses: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven…” (Matthew 7:21) “For Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord of the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:9) “…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Phil. 2:10- 11) Lord was the title used by the early church because it best defined Jesus’ high-ranking status in the cosmos. Marshall says this concerning the title Lord, “If Jesus was now Lord, it followed that the task of the early church was to lead people to recognize the status of Jesus. New converts became members of the church by acknowledging Jesus as Lord.” (Pg. 589) This agrees with, Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Marshall again adds, ”Lord primarily expresses the exalted position of Jesus and this rule over the universe and especially over believers who accept his Lordship. It is thus especially used when the responsibility of Christians to obey Jesus is being expressed.” (Pg. 590) Why didn’t Paul say, “confess Jesus as Savior?” Because there can be but one Lord in a believer’s heart, God alone sits upon the throne of his Temple.
Confession of Jesus as Lord was the indicating feature in a Christian’s life. Therefore, submitting to the Lordship of Jesus simultaneously or as a pre-condition to salvation was normative within the early church; calling Jesus Savior and then deciding whether to make him Lord is a practice not advocated in Scripture, it is a modern distortion. A.W. Tozer makes this point, “We have no basis to believe we can come casually to the Lord Jesus and say, ‘I understand that you are the Savior so I am going to believe and be saved and then I am going to turn away and think about the other matters of lordship, allegiance, and obedience at some other time.’ I warn you, you will not get help from Him in that way for the Lord will not save those whom he cannot command. He will not divide His offices. You cannot believe in a half Christ.” (Pp. 14-16, 18-20) Regrettably, it seems in America we have advocated a half-Christ; 75% of Americans claim to be Christian, by what standard?
Conclusion
In the early church to be a Christian was to be a disciple of Christ. (Matt. 28:19). Jesus seems to emphasize this point with his various parables, which speak to conditions of a relationship with him; and this is his invitation to a relationship with him: in order to live you must die. Therefore, Jesus makes it clear that commitment is a condition of salvation.
Biblically, faith is a dynamic concept. Unfortunately, our enlightenment worldview renders this concept as fixed; this leads to the misunderstanding of salvation being a one-time event. As we follow certain characters in the bible we see that faith is an ongoing process. Likewise, justification through faith is also a repeated event in the life of the believer; thus, faith is about a relationship with God, through Jesus.
Belief infers obedience. Jesus puts the condition of obedience upon his followers. It is not enough to call him “Lord;” this conviction must be actualized within the life of the individual who believes. It is impossible to separate belief from action, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Too, although not speaking about salvation James says, "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:26) Your actions indicate what you believe, as it is impossible to do anything (outside of external force), which is contrary to what you believe.
The title most commonly used by the early church as a designation of the person and position of Jesus within the believer’s life is Lord (Read Acts!). This is in agreement with Jesus’ emphasis on discipleship, since those who follow him must recognize him as Lord. Too, the NT writers had access to other words with which to define Jesus, but use the title Lord in pivotal verses such as: Acts 2: 21; 25; 34; 36; Romans 10:9, etc. Paul uses no other word for Jesus during his conversion. Paul says, “Who are you Lord?” (Acts 9:5) “What shall I do, Lord.” (Ibid. 22:10a) “The Lord said to me” (Ibid. 22:10b) He was then baptized (via. Matt. 28:19) calling on his name. (Ibid. 22:16) Why would Paul assume lordship was optional for others is if wasn’t’ for him? Clearly Paul recognized Jesus’ position in his life and consequently says we must call Jesus Lord. Moreover, to think Paul would say, “confess Jesus as Lord,” and imagine he intended believers to acknowledge Jesus’ Lordship of the cosmos, but not their life is a ridiculous idea. To suggest that Paul asserts Lordship as optional is a clear example of eisegesis.
Discipleship is not works! It is only by grace that we are saved and this by (dynamic) faith. However, our understanding of discipleship must recognize discipleship as God’s call to grace. Obedience is not works, “Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:9-11) Discipleship is our duty to God. We are only doing what is expected of us, nothing extra.
Savior first theology is dangerously close to idolatry. In allowing people to consider whether or not God is LORD, and this after salvation, makes self-lordship optional. God is very clear there is but one LORD; as it is, this theology allows a person to choose if they will allow God to be LORD or not. And why would you make him LORD, seeing as your salvation is secure; you can escape hell and love the world too. Advocating anything but complete Lordship is idolatry; you cannot serve two masters, you must love the one and hate the other. The Bible is painfully clear at this point.
“Yet the outcome of the Reformation was the victory, not of Luther’s perception of grace in all its purity and costliness, but of the vigilant religious instinct of man for the place where grace is to obtained at the cheapest price.” (Bonhoeffer, Pg. 49) We have been unfaithful to Luther’s revelation; thus, turning justification of the sinner to mean justification of the sin. Salvation isn’t a doctrine; it’s a person.
Which sounds more like Jesus? Do you want to go to heaven? Then please mark the box on the welcome card; or, “Follow me.”
Boice, James Montgomery, Christ’s Call to Discipleship, Moody, Chicago, 1986.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, The Cost of Discipleship, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1959.
Carson, D.A., The Gospel According to John, Erdmann’s, Michigan, 1991.
Hendrickson, William, New Testament Commentary, The Gospel of Luke, Baker,
Michigan 1978.
Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, 2nd Ed, Intervarsity Press, Illinois, 1962.
Newbigin, Leslie, Foolishness to the Greeks, Erdmann’s, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986.
Tozer, A.W., I Call It Heresy, Christian Publications, Camp Hill, 1974.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Holy City for sale
Holy City is up for grabs.
The 150-acre ghost town tucked into the San Jose side of the Santa Cruz Mountains is for sale, RE/MAX realtor Jim E. Miller said Tuesday afternoon. The asking price is $11 million, Miller said.
Gone are the giant Santa Claus statues festooned with weird religious slogans, the peepshow booths and the radio station broadcasting William E. “Father” Riker’s racist diatribes. The last of the commune’s disciples died or apparently moved away years ago.
Tom Stanton — reportedly the only full-time resident and self-appointed mayor — has run a glass blowing business in the town’s old post office for 30 years. The property is owned by three retired contractors who purchased it more than 40 years ago to develop the land into a recreational park, but never did, Miller said.
Holy City was created in 1919 by Riker, an ex-waiter who billed himself as the “Chief Comforter” and “Wisest Man on Earth.”
At its height in the mid-1920s, Riker’s commune had about 300 disciples and Holy City boasted a dance hall, an observatory, a bottling plant, a radio station and a zoo on the 180-acre property. Visitors were greeted by music blaring from red loudspeakers while visitors lined up for the 50 peepshow booths, which had titles such as “The Legs of Queen Elizabeth.”
Many of the Holy City buildings were reduced to rubble by fires in the mid-1950s and Riker lost control of his commune. The town disincorporated in 1959 and, in 1960, a San Jose company purchased it with plans to develop the land.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
In the course of writing several papers I need to define what the gospel is. Not a new subject, but always a gear turner, I would like to read your (graceful!) comments about my proposed: The Gospel in a nutshell. As always, sarcasm is greatly appreciated.
The gospel: the redemptive act of God for all mankind, achieved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This redemption is attained by belief in Jesus as the messiah; and is demonstrated through obedience to him.*
*By him I mean the head-Christ, & the body-the Church.
I understand belief and obedience as inseparable.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Another day at UC Santa Cruz.
"The regents — making an official campus visit for only the second time in 40 years — were forced to cancel the remainder of their campus tour when roughly 150 students protesting a host of issues, from cuts in humanities programs to UC nuclear research, blocked the doors to a campus lecture hall aoround 4:30 p.m."
"The activists demanded the release of three protesters who had been detained inside by university police."
"In a scuffle at the hall's entrance, police pulled the three into the building and used pepper spray and batons to subdue the crowd outside. The three — two students and an alumna — were arrested; one will face three felony counts of battery against a police officer, according to campus spokeswoman Liz Irwin, while the others face misdemeanor charges of disrupting a public meeting. One officer was injured, though the extent of his injuries were unknown."
"With clusters of students blocking every exit to the new Humanities/Social Sciences lecture hall, administrators in the building used cell phones to talk to officials who were negotiating with student leaders outside to clear the way for the regents to leave."
"This isn't the best situation — people are essentially being held hostage inside," student leader Samantha Aranke told fellow students."
Don't trip, we'll be down there in two months. I've put in 5 different applications at the University. I want to meet these folks and put that passion to it's intended purpose: Jesus; and his church.
"The regents — making an official campus visit for only the second time in 40 years — were forced to cancel the remainder of their campus tour when roughly 150 students protesting a host of issues, from cuts in humanities programs to UC nuclear research, blocked the doors to a campus lecture hall aoround 4:30 p.m."
"The activists demanded the release of three protesters who had been detained inside by university police."
"In a scuffle at the hall's entrance, police pulled the three into the building and used pepper spray and batons to subdue the crowd outside. The three — two students and an alumna — were arrested; one will face three felony counts of battery against a police officer, according to campus spokeswoman Liz Irwin, while the others face misdemeanor charges of disrupting a public meeting. One officer was injured, though the extent of his injuries were unknown."
"With clusters of students blocking every exit to the new Humanities/Social Sciences lecture hall, administrators in the building used cell phones to talk to officials who were negotiating with student leaders outside to clear the way for the regents to leave."
"This isn't the best situation — people are essentially being held hostage inside," student leader Samantha Aranke told fellow students."
Don't trip, we'll be down there in two months. I've put in 5 different applications at the University. I want to meet these folks and put that passion to it's intended purpose: Jesus; and his church.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Pastor Ambushed by Hindu Mob - VOM sources/persecution.com
Pastor Bhadikar Barshi was on his way to conduct a regular service at his house in the Barshi area of Solapur district in Maharashtra state on July 5th, when two youths approached him. Asking him to join them in a prayer for a friend who had been suffering from a sickness over the past 15 years, the young men walked alongside the pastor for some time until a Hindu mob ambushed him. He was violently struck with wooden clubs all over his body and received a deep gash on his right eye. After hospital treatment, including stitches on his forehead, he was released and remains faithful to his ministry. Give thanks to God, asking Him to strengthen this faithful servant who is following his Master. Luke 9:23, 24
Monday, October 09, 2006
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