Daniel’s Protest!
Jun 25Wed,2008 / Category: Answering The Challenge / 3 Comments » /
The book of Daniel has always been fascinating to me. Daniel is one of the most impressive figures in biblical history. What has always amazed me is that according to the estimates of most historian, Daniel was approximately 15 years of age when he and his fellow Hebrew friends were taken into captivity. I can’t begin to imagine the emotion of being ripped from your culture, stripped of your God given name and forced into training in a pagan culture, in order to one day serve before the vicious King who ransacked your city. But Daniel and his companions did it well and found amazing ways to be public witnesses of God’s faithfulness and power to the watching world. Daniel’s enormous impact upon Babylon is impossible to measure. His strength of character and conviction is demonstrated over and over again throughout the book and ultimately leads two emperors to decree to all the people there was no God in all of heaven but Daniel’s God.
I am convinced that we can learn so much from the life and testimony of Daniel in our present day. Though this is an ancient book its relevance is clearly seen in light of our present culture. Daniel’s example of courage in the face of great consequences should challenge and convict us all. It is impossible to even get out of chapter one without being confronted by the extraordinary courage Daniel shows when he decides to protest the Babylonian culture by not eating the King’s delicacies or drinking his wine (Daniel 1:5-18). His protest was based upon two things. First there were the religious laws handed down by Moses which regulated food consumption an for all Hebrews who truly wanted to live a God honoring lifestyle. Secondly there was the defilement that Daniel would knowingly be involved in if he drank wine along with the other leaders of Babylon as the praised and worshipped the gods of gold, silver, and bronze (Daniel 5:1-4). Daniel was willing to suffer, sacrifice and ultimately risk his life, if that is what it called for, in order to stand against evil and remain faithful to God.
As I have been studying Daniel’s protest there has been more that a few questions which have arisen in my heart and spirit. What has spoken to my heart most is both what Daniel protested and how Daniel protested. Daniel’s protest shows his deep humility and great wisdom. I believe the way he protested was just as important as what he protested. I fear that far to many modern day Christians have become so assimilated into popular culture that we no longer resist the King’s delicacies and wine. And those who do protest often do in a manner that misrepresent God (like blowing up abortion clinics or committing hate crimes against homosexuals). So the primary questions that I have been wrestling with are what things in our popular culture should we be protesting and in what way should we protest so that God can be most glorified. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.
The Power of Vocation!
Jun 17Tue,2008 / Category: Evangelism / 2 Comments » /
Recently, I was surprised when I visited one of my favorite websites dictionary.com. I had been doing some research for my current book project, “Kingdom Dreaming”. My search was to find a clear definition for the word vocation. Dictionary.com provided me with two definitions, one I expected and the other was totally unexpected. The definitions where 1. An occupation, business or profession (this is what I expected); 2. A divine call to God’s service or the Christian Life (totally unexpected)! Wow, was the first thought that hit me. The concept that came to my mind for the first time was maybe God intended for our jobs to be a major part of his calling for our lives.
I have to admit that like most Christians for quite some time I viewed my secular occupation as being competitive to God’s calling on my life. Even though I tried my best to role-model Christian behavior on my job and to my co-workers, I don’t know if I ever fully embraced it as the context for my personal ministry. I am further guilty of bringing this mindset into my role as a Pastor when I came on board full-time at my church. Far to often I have indirectly communicated to genuine people who wanted to sincerely serve the Lord that if they were really serious they need to be striving to become clergy at the church and getting more involved in things like teaching sunday school classes, serving in the christian education department, helping in youth ministry or maybe even considering living their vocation altogether and becoming a full-time missionary. Now, don’t get me wrong I am fully persuaded that for some this is exactly what God desires. But what if God never planned for most of us to hold a clergy title or work on staff for a church? What if God’s desire and plan is that we would see our jobs as our mission fields?
This is an awesome thought that I believe the church and many pastors need to embrace. It will require a change in our paradigm but I believe it will allow us to reach the world in a greater way than we could ever imagine. The truth is that there is an entire generation of people who are so skeptical about those in clergy positions that they would be far more likely to listen to the gospel if it is presented by a co-worker than a Pastor. A great example of this is found in Luke 5:27-29 when Jesus called Levi the tax-collector. The very first thing that Levi does after his conversion is to go and win other tax-collectors to Christ. He was an effective evangelist to tax-collectors because he was a tax-collector. Wow! What if this is what God has called us to do? What if God has placed you at your job to win your co-workers to him, by your lifestyle, love and public witness of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life? I think it is critical that we reconsider how we view our jobs. I want you to prayer about your attitude towards your work. No longer should we see or vocation as being in competition to our divine call, but rather as an intricate part of it. Here are two questions I would love for you to answer, “What can you do to be a better witness for Christ on your job?” and “What can you do to win your co-workers to Christ?”
Pastor Chris
I’m Sorry Lazarus!
Jun 10Tue,2008 / Category: Personal / 2 Comments » /
Okay, I have a confession to make. I love books. Big books, small books, old books, new books, interesting books, boring books, I love them all. I guess it started as a young boy in my father’s (he was a school teacher and preacher) home library. I would honestly rather buy books than food. It is hard for me to walk by a book store and not stop in to just browse - I never leave empty handed. Now, I recognize that some of you can’t relate to my passion for books, but we all have our financial vices. Maybe for you it is electronic gadgets like the new iphone that is coming out soon, or maybe it is shopping for clothes in the mall, or maybe it is as cheap and simple as a coffee addiction that needs to be fed every morning and if possible once in the afternoon, too! All these things seem acceptable to us because we want to justify our need to do special things for ourselves. After all I work hard, I’ve earned it, hey I even think I deserve it. So we spend a little here, a few dollars there, a hundred on this, a couple of hundred on that - what’s the big deal.
Well, recently a friend of mine preached a really challenging sermon on Luke 16:19-31 in which she used the word of God to reveal the selfishness of my heart, and no doubt the others who were in the room. If you haven’t read it you need to. It’s all about this rich guy (who is nameless so feel free to insert you name into the text), who daily walks by this beggar everyday and ignores him and his need. They both die, the poor man (Lazarus - thus the title of my current blog entry) goes to be with Abraham in a pleasant resting place and receives an eternal reward. The rich man dies and goes to hell, apparently because his lack of love for God and those who are in need. This rich man is tormented night and day and can do nothing about it because he is dead now and it is to late. The problem, as my friend pointed out in her sermon, is that most of us can’t relate to either of these two individuals. Even those of us who feel that we are broke, can’t identify with a guy who’s body is full of sores and who is so weak and broken that the dogs lick his wounds every day. On the other hand even those of you who feel that you make good money, can’t relate to a rich ruler after all it’s hard to feel rich when you have a ton of credit card debt and you are driving a used car. But the reality is, you are rich!
Statistics tell us that even those who live at the poverty line in America ($19,000 combined income for a family of 4), are in the top 11% of the world’s wealthiest population. If your family is fortunate enough to make $50,000 a year, you are in the top 1% of income earners in the world. That means that for the most part compared to the rest of the world we are that rich ruler. Since I’ve been here in the U.K. I’ve been exposed to more international news reports than I normally get back at home. Sadly, most Americans don’t realize that much of the world is in a food crisis right now. Recently, many poor nations met in Rome, along with the World Food Bank and the U.N. to discuss the critical measures that must take place in order to prevent the death of millions because of food shortages around the world. People are so hungry that they are literally rioting in the streets of Haiti and the U.N. reported today that due to drought and a lack of food an estimated 4 million Ethiopians will die of starvation this year alone, many of them children just like my beautiful daughter Zoe. As I ponder all these Lazaruses I kept thinking about all my books. I have been disappointed in myself and broken hearted ever since.
I know that buying books is not the problem in and of itself and that there is nothing wrong with learning and reading but I also realize that I live in a part of the world which is overly indulgent and callous to the dying cries of Lazarus. So now I am faced with the challenge of how do I make a difference and what do I need to change. The first thing that I did was prayed and asked God to change my heart and to help me to not become a comfortable commercialized Christian who ignores his convictions. Secondly, I decided to go on a book buying fast for a little while and redirect my money toward missionaries and ministries I know to be credible and making a difference. Finally, I am going to try to connect on a personal level with those who I know to be struggling the most and do what I can to stretch myself in my giving.
I hope that maybe you can think of somethings you can cut back on and join in with me by starting to pray for the Lazaruses in your life and around the world. I would also be interested in hearing any ideas you guys may have both on things that the Lord is prompting you to cut back on and on ideas on how we can help to be a bigger blessing to the Larzaruses in our lives. Let’s not disappoint God!
Love, Pastor Chris
Starting the Conversation!
Jun 03Tue,2008 / Category: Evangelism / 1 Comment » /
Recently, I received an email from a sincere and godly woman who had been in some anguish over a friend who was not currently a Christian. Her great concern was motivated by her love for this unsaved friend and her realization of the consequence for those who reject the gospel. She had a deep desire to see her friend come to Christ. However, she seemed to be so paralyzed when it came to sharing her faith. She had never been trained and didn’t feel comfortable bringing up this difficult topic. In desperation she wrote to me asking me to please instruct her on how to share her faith. This email was not atypical. There are many believers who don’t feel they are properly prepared to be an effective witness for Christ. So often we don’t share with others because we fear the “What If’s”. What if they ask me something that I don’t know the answer too? What if they get offended? What if they reject my offer? What if? What if? What if? After pondering these “What if’s” long enough most of us never get going in our evangelistic ministry. I too have struggled with these hindrances throughout my Christian experience, but have been able to oftentimes overcome them by doing 4 simple things. Hopefully these will help you.
1. Pray! Pray!! Pray!!! - Before I open my mouth I ask the Lord to break my heart for the individual who is not saved. Far too often we as Christians come across as used car salesmen, a little bit insincere and very pushy. This is usually because we are evangelizing from a legalistic mind and not a compassion filled heart. People respond more readily to a humble offer from a loving friend then a pushy preacher. It is in prayer that our confidence is built up and our compassion is developed. I encourage some of you to begin to pray daily for at least one unsaved person who you would like Christ to reach through you.
2. Know the Gospel - We as Christians must know what exactly we are offering people. Never forget the average person is well aware of other belief systems out there. So the question on their mind is what is so unique about Christianity. I believe that the answer is found in the nature of the gospel message found in the New Testament. According to Acts 4:12 salvation is found in a person, namely Jesus! Other beliefs emphasise salvation based upon works, but what does a person do if they aren’t able to work at the same pace as others. Some religions offer salvation based upon some secret knowledge, but what does a person do if they aren’t very intelligent or learned. Some religions offer salvation based upon feelings and emotions such as enlightenment, but what happens when you don’t feel saved. The security found in Christianity is that salvation is based upon our relationship with a person, which does not change. You see when someone places their faith in Jesus they are adopted into the family of God. Now, adoption is the act of being added into a family. In other words a Christian is simply a child of God. The beauty of being anyone’s child is that there is nothing you can do to no longer be there child anymore. If you are a child, you don’t lose your relationship simply because you don’t do certain works, or have not attained to certain knowledge or don’t possess certain emotions. So when we are sharing our faith we have to explain to people that men was created to have a relationship with God. Our sin has caused us to be separated from God, because of our separation we have experienced a number of negative consequences such as loneliness, depression and pain. However, God loves us so much that he sent his Son into the world to die for our sins and enable us to have a relationship with Him. Finally, because of Jesus we can now enter into a relationship with God by trusting in Christ with all of our hearts and surrendering our lives to Him.
3. Know Your Testimony - Most people are not argued or debated into the faith. Most individuals don’t come to Christ because of a new understanding of some deep theological or doctrinal truth. The fact is the number one reason why people come to Christ as seen in the New Testament is because of the simple presentation of the gospel coupled with the personal testimony of someone who has become a follower of Christ. Over and over again the Apostle Paul shares his testimony with those he wants to win to Christ. The question that many folks will have is “why are you a Christian?” Before you share your faith with anyone make sure you know how to answer this question.
4. Start the conversation - the tough thing about sharing your faith is that reading a book isn’t enough, nor is taking a class on evangelism, you have to actually start talking to people. The best context to share your faith with someone is when you are in a relationship with them. Don’t be afraid to take your time getting to know their heart and unique challenges. Do your best to discover why they aren’t currently a Christian. And at the right time the door will be opened for you to ask them the all important question “would you like to become a Christian?” This is the most important question a person can be asked.
If we are faithful in doing these simple things we would find God using us to bring many people to Christ. I hope this helps some of you to get started on the wonderful journey of being His witnesses to those we love.
Pastor Chris
Hello, From Budapest! How Do You See the Elephant?
May 28Wed,2008 / Category: Answering The Challenge / 7 Comments » /
Well, folks let me start by saying thanks to all of you who responded to my Larry King question. Honestly, you all had some really insightful approaches that I hadn’t considered. Obviously there were no right or wrong answers per se, but I do think that certain responses would work better than others. I feel that a good response to Larry’s question would contain 3 ingredients. 1. Demonstrate Humility - always remember that any time you are asked a tough question like that you never want to come across as being prideful or arrogant. You want to do all that you can to show the gentleness and compassion that Jesus did when he encountered sinners. 2. Hold Firm to the Truth - the tough thing about Larry’s question is that it requires you to have to share one of the most difficult aspects of the gospel and that is that those who reject Christ will go to hell. But as Christians we must remember that the greatest act of love we can show someone is to give them the truth. Ultimately, we also have to never forget that we will have to answer to God. 3. Extend the Invitation - any time someone asks you a question regarding your faith you should see it as a wonderful opportunity to invite them to become a Christian. Our job is not to simply give answers, but to invite people into a personal relationship with Christ. I think that if we do these 3 things then we have answered Larry’s question in a Biblical manner that demonstrates the love of Christ and potentially leads to his salvation. Oh yeah, let’s all pray that Larry comes to salvation! Wouldn’t that be a great testimony.
Well, on to the next difficult question for you to consider. As many of you know I have spent the past week in Budapest, Hungary (what an awesome city! absolutely beautiful). I’ve been attending the European Leadership Forum. I have gotten an opportunity to meet some of my personal favor pastors, theologians and apologists. It has been a time of great intellectual dialogue and transforming time with the Lord. The primary issue that we wrestled with this week is the question of “Absolute Truth”. Put another way, is there any such thing as absolute truth. Some would argue that all truth is relative. What is true for you, may not be true for me. A classic example of this is often given by those who feel that no religious group has the right to say that their faith is the only true one. The example goes something like this: Imagine there was a group of blind people who were ask to describe what an elephant looked like based off of touching the elephant. The first person grabs the elephants tail and says that an elephant is like a hose. The second person touches the elephants body and says that and elephant is like a wall. A third person grabs the elephants nose and says that the elephant is like a snake. The final person grabs the elephants leg and says that the elephant is like a tree stump. Those who don’t believe in Absolute Truth will argue, that each person has some truth but none of them can say that they are absolutely right. They argue that this is a great analogy when it comes to religion, God is the elephant, and the blind men represent different religious beliefs. My question for you is do you believe that this properly describes religion? If not, then what is wrong with this scenario? And how would you respond?
Can’t wait to hear your response - Love Pastor Chris!
What would you say to Larry King?
May 19Mon,2008 / Category: Personal / 11 Comments » /
Well, today I have been discussing how Christians need to respond to the tough questions that non-Christians pose to us, with the staff of Ravi Zacharias Ministries, here in Oxford. It was such a lively and insightful discussion that I thought it would make for an excellent blog topic. So here we go. I want to place you in a challenging scenario and see how you would respond. Now be thoughtful and consider the ramifications of your response before you comment. Here is the scene.
Imagine yourself being interviewed in front of a national audience on the nation’s most prominent television station, by it most respected reporter. This reporter has been seen by many to be highly credible and morally ethical. However, the reporter has been very clear that he is a practicing Jew who adheres to jewish religious regulations but rejects the belief that Jesus Christ is Lord. He believes that although every religion should be tolerated and protected in our society, he does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, nor does he agree with the Christian teaching the Jesus is the only way to true salvation. During the interview he turns and asks you a very direct and confrontational question “Do you believe that I will go to hell, since i don’t believe in Jesus Christ?” The unexpected question places you squarely on the hot seat with millions watching and waiting for your response. Both Christian and non-Christian viewers all around the country will be deeply impacted by how you handle this tough question. So what do you say? How do you communicate the love and compassion of Christ without compromising the truth of the gospel?�
Why Blog?
May 09Fri,2008 / Category: Personal / 6 Comments » /
I have to admit there aren’t too many things that I have been more excited about than the ability to have my own blog. Maybe it is my unquenchable passion to communicate, instruct or connect with others, but from the moment that Fikre (EFL’s Media Director) and Tiffany (Website Project Manager) told me that I would be able to share my thoughts with you in an intimate and uncensored way, something leaped within my soul. It wasn’t until later that Tiffany forwarded me an article by Pastor John Piper, on why pastors should blog, that i realized how truly important this ministry tool will be for me in my quest to empower you in your journey to fulfill God’s call on your life. So today we embark on an awesome new endeavor of learning and growth together. Like any new endeavor expect things to be a little rough and unpolished at the start, but be confident that things will improve and get better with time and practice. But I believe that the growing pains will be worth it and that you will be extremely blessed by my blog. My hope is that through this blog 3 very critical goals will be accomplished:
#1 - You’ll Get to Know My Heart - when I first asked someone to explain to me what blogging was all about, I was told that a blog was simply an internet diary. At first that concept seemed a little bit weird to me. I thought to myself why would anyone want their diary exposed on the internet for everyone else to see. After all when I was growing up people who kept diaries would protect them at all cost, under lock and key, from being seen by others. However, I have come to understand that this blog or internet diary needs to be shared if you are ever going to be able to know me beyond just my pulpit moments. Contrary to popular belief I do more that just preach and read the bible. There is a lot to my life that I believe would be a benefit to you if I were to share it. Things like the day to day joys and struggles i experience as I strive to be a great husband to my beautiful wife Yodit and a strong father to my wonderful children Zoe and Chris. I also want to share with you the successes and failures i face in my intense battle to overcome diabetes and live a strong and healthy life. In addition I think it will be helpful for you to get a glimpse into the fun activities of my life, the deep conversations that i have with others, and the insights I receive during my times spent with the Lord. I guess what I am saying is that I want you to see my life and not just hear my preaching. I believe that the greatest benefit you can gain from your leaders is seeing them live out the word on a daily basis.
#2 - I’ll Get to Know Your Heart - One of the coolest aspects of this blog is that you’ll get to share comments with me on the topics I choose to write about. Have you ever wanted to give me a piece of your mind but were too scared to do so? Well here is your chance to truly tell me how you really feel? Don’t worry I don’t offend easily so you can be blunt and honest. And I promise that I won’t track you down or spend hours asking God to punish you. I will do my best to humbly listen, no matter how wrong (or right) I think you might be. Honestly though, your comments are the best part of this thing to me because I real want to hear your heart so that I can grow in my ability to minister to God’s people.
#3 - We’ll Get to Know God’s Heart - Matthew 18:20 says “for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst..” My earnest prayer is that God will reveal himself in a greater way to you and i as we share about his glory, holiness, beauty and majesty. My hope is that iron will sharpen iron as we discuss his word. I will do my best to write thought provoking articles and i’ll need you to do your best to prayerfully share what the Lord is speaking to your heart. So please join me in inviting the Holy Spirit to breath on my blog the freshness and power of his anointing and to let His presence abide in the moments we will share in this wonderful internet diary.
Until the Next Time,
Pastor Chris
Leaving Comments?
May 01Thu,2008 / Category: Personal / 2 Comments » /
If you would like to leave a comment for a blog:
1. Click on the title of the specific blog
2. Read blog and/or scroll to the bottom of the page
3. Enter your name
4. Enter your email address
5. Enter your comment
6. click the submit button
and your all set.
All comments are monitored before posting, please be respectful even in differing views.
�