More On Hesed by Brady

I often think about the differences between what it means to follow Christ in today’s culture and what it was like to follow him in the 1st century. In some ways it is easier to follow him today, and in other ways following him now is much more difficult. For example, today we are not going to suffer persecution in America for being a Christian. Christianity is also more institutionalized, and many Christians can be nominal followers of Christ and still claim to worship him. In other ways, though, it is harder today for believers. In the 1st century you either followed him around or you didn’t. You would know exactly what he looks like, smells like, and what he said. Another difficulty is our language barrier, because some words from the Bible simply don’t translate properly from the original Hebrew and Greek. Hesed is an Old Testament word, but another intriguing example of the language barrier is a New Testament term which has changed meaning over time as we use it today in the English language.

The word dikaiosyne is usually translated as “righteousness” in our English Bibles. When we think of the word as Western Christians, we usually think of it referring to justification (God’s mercy declaring us acceptable) or righteousness (a spiritual concept dealing with a quality we receive from God). These attributes are rightly attributed when we come across the word dikaiosyne, but only partly correct. There is also an element of justice (the right conduct in relation to fellow human beings) that we have missed out on. We have an obvious bias to hear dikaiosyne and think only of piety and not of integrity when it comes to dealing with others. David Bosch in Transforming Mission suggests “we should translate it with “justice-righteousness”, in an attempt to hold on to both dimensions.” (p. 72)

Perhaps part of the reason we miss out on what this means, as we also often ignore the horizontal aspect of hesed, is because Western Christianity is more focused on orthodoxy (right belief) over orthopraxy (right practice). But one website says that hesed, in regards to us as human beings, means 1 of 4 things: (1) doing favors and benefits for others; (2) kindness extended to the needy; (3) affection or love of Israel to God; (4) lovely appearance. I don’t see anything in there about our ability to theologically debate someone.

However, the normal Sunday routine for most of us is to sit and learn and then feel like that has automatically gotten us a step down the road to becoming an improved disciple of Christ. I can’t tell you how many preachers are either loved or hated for having a different orthodoxy (“He’s not a Calvinist”) than the person in the pew. How many times have you heard people get upset that the pastor is not serving at a soup kitchen on Wednesday mornings. This plays out into our normal practice of what it means to become a Christian in the first place. Many people walk an aisle, pray a prayer, get dunked, and then they have the much needed “fire insurance” promised by the pastor. Even if elements of this are absolutely central to faith, notice they all deal with proper orthodoxy rather than having a component of orthopraxy involved.

If the Western Church is going to recover from the giant difficulties it is currently experiencing (decreasing numbers, lack of participation, other religions growing substantially, etc.), I suggest we reevaluate our orthodoxy of no orthopraxy. What I am saying is that we should stop compartmentalizing our faith to church only. The reason other faiths are growing so quickly in the West is because they actually demand something of the followers. I can name at least 4 other major faith groups outside of Christianity that demand a total change of life if you are to be a true follower. They require you to change the way you eat, dress, act, and worship. They require daily prayer and submission to a higher authority. The fact is, the call to follow Christ is demanding. It is our interpretation of it that has watered it down to an hour on Sunday morning.

There is an urgent need to return to the belief that our vertical relationship with God affects how we interact with others horizontally. It’s as Bosch put it later in his book, “To become a disciple means a decisive and irrevocable turning to both God and neighbor.” (p. 82) Something changes in all of us when we go beyond cognitively learning the Gospel, and we advance into doing and being the Gospel. The truth is, as much as I devote myself to being correct in orthodoxy, Christianity is much more than just a set of doctrinal beliefs. “Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” (Matthew 22:37-40 from The Message)

From No to Know by Clint

The other night, I was hitting up Luby’s for dinner. Fried chicken was on my mind, and also there’s no better mac & cheese than what they have at Luby’s. I pulled in and went inside, planning on grabbing the styrofoam to-go box and taking dinner back to my apartment. When I jumped in line, there was a group of about eight elderly couples in front of me. Another older couple got in line right behind me. I was feeling relatively outgoing and talkative, so I smiled at the gentleman behind me and said, “this must be a church group” (they just had that look about them). He started to say yes, but then hesitated and added that they were actually retired ministers that get together once a month. At this point, we had now found ourselves in a full on conversation. I commented that I was in seminary at Baylor and pastoring a country church. Most of them had gone to Baylor, and they had once been seminarians, too. He then invited me to eat dinner with them. In that split-second decision time, I thought about the fact that I had already planned to get the food, jet home, and see what was on T.V., but I found myself saying yes to his offer. Me, with my hair somewhat faux-hawked (would that be a faux-faux-hawk?) and in more metro-style clothes than I normally wear at the table with five 70-something couples. It might have looked peculiar to everyone else in the restaurant. I’m telling this story because I ended up having a blast sitting with them. They were very kind, interesting, and funny. I noticed an intriguing peace that all of them seemed to have. They were living in that moment, and they were content with seemingly everything. I was able to gain a lot of wisdom from that one dinner, but I’ll never forget the answer to one of my questions. I asked one of the old ministers, “What’s the biggest blessing to a life of ministry, and what’s the most difficult thing about a life of ministry?” He began to answer, but his wife cut him off. She said, “The biggest blessing is definitely the people. The biggest challenge, though, is definitely…the people.” I thought her reply was funny and wise, and it applies to everyone, not just ministers. A major part of the Hebrew word Hesed is the relational aspects. In community and in fellowship, we can bless and honor God. Christ said the two most important commandments are loving God and loving people (Mk. 12:28-31). Talking with folks that had faced the challenge of people because of their love for people made me realize the fulfillment that can be gained in relationships. God desires us to be relational. And most of us have the innate desire to be relational. However, because of the challenging aspects of relationships, we often put up walls, and close ourselves off from people that might be a bit risky to get to know. When the old minister invited me to dinner with his whole group, he took a little risk. What if I had terrible table manners? What if I was rude or insensitive? What if I dominated the conversation? I could have ruined their monthly Luby’s reunion, but he took a chance seeing that I might learn from them, and they might learn from me. Also, I almost said “no” to the offer! Going home and watching T.V. almost took precedence over eating a meal with great people. I realized that I needed to rethink my mental programming that immediately wants to say “no” to opportunities. When Christ approached two brothers wrestling with fishing nets, and asked them to follow him, I wonder if their first inclination was to say “no”(Mark 1:16-20). What a blessing that they didn’t! Their lives were certainly never the same. Theologians have a term called the “divine Yes.” This is that God said “Yes” to us as He is willing to love us and provide a Savior for us from sin. So, it seems as though we should be willing to say “yes” not only to Christ but also to a willingness to form relationships with those around us, even if they will be challenging.

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Buying Toilet Paper by Brady

The other night I was in Wal-Mart shopping for a few things and wasting time while a prescription was getting filled. I happened to remember that we were running low on toilet paper so I decided to pick some up while I had the time. Little did I know it was going to take 30 minutes to get out of the store and I would be carrying around this bulky load of toilet paper for the majority of the time.

I don’t know why my mind works this way, but it does and I can’t help it. I started to get a little embarrassed about carrying toilet paper around and I felt like people were looking at me like I was freak. I get extremely awkward in these types of situations. I especially get uncomfortable during church camps when kids forget certain hygiene products and I have to go make their purchases for them. But I had a spiritual revelation during my time in Wal-Mart brought on by buying toilet paper.

I started thinking about the state of the church today and the moral failures many prominent Christians have had in recent months. I also couldn’t help thinking about people in the church that I know struggle with things but always act like things are ok. When asked how they are doing, the proper response is a smile and a “just great!” This goes on even though their marriage may be falling apart, they may be addicted to a certain habit or substance, they are depressed, doubting their faith, or they are stealing from their work.

I do believe that a sin is a sin in God’s eyes, but what I have learned in the last couple of years is that all sins are not exactly equal. All Sin (capital “s”) separates us from God, but certain sins carry different consequences than others. But even though I do not believe there is much scriptural evidence to make a blanket statement declaring “all sins are equal,” I do know that we all struggle with darkness in our lives because we live in a sinful world.

So why is it that we have our own junk in our lives, but also we carry on in church life like we’re not dying inside? It is as stupid as me getting embarrassed about buying toilet paper. I quickly got over the awkwardness in Wal-Mart when I had the revelation that we all buy toilet paper. In fact, if you don’t buy toilet paper you’re worse than those of us carrying that 4x4 plastic square around in public which screams “I go to the bathroom” to the world.

Derek Webb, a popular Christian singer, once said that the best thing that could happen to any of us is if the 7 o’clock news would broadcast our deepest, darkest secret to the entire world. Then we could stop devoting so much energy to protecting our image and the lie that is as foolish is saying you never go to the bathroom. Think about how much of your life you devote to covering up secret sins and dark thoughts. One of the most refreshing spiritual experiences I have had in recent memory happened this morning at church when my pastor opened up the altar for prayer. Dozens of people flocked to the front, but this happened only after the pastor and his wife went on their knees first. It was different than the other times I’ve seen altar calls happen where everybody stands by waiting to see who is going to admit that they actually “go to the bathroom” and the pastor waits on this sinner to come confess in front of everyone. Of course, the congregation only watches in anticipation so they can pray for this poor soul during the week.

So why is the body of Christ not more honest with each other about our shortcomings and doubts? First, I’m not convinced most churches have the spirit and grace to allow such honesty from its members. We too often talk about each other’s shortcomings as though we do not have a plank in our own eyes. Also, I think we’ve all been trained by our Christian culture to act like we have it all together. I also believe our system teaches us that we are only accountable to ourselves, but the reality is that when we give our lives to Christ we give away our right to complete autonomy. Finally, I’m not sure most churches have the spiritual maturity to give the proper grace and discipline needed in these types of situations. I do know this though, it is only when we are open and honest with others about our sin that God will fully heal us from our fallen nature. But hey, I may be wrong here and maybe this type of “bathroom talk” is no longer acceptable today.

Newness by Clint

You might laugh at me for this, but I am obsessed with the band, The Killers. I don't care what anybody says, they are the best band out right now, and I am confident in my musical tastes. Sidenote: I saw them live in Austin, and they were really good live, too. Anyways, because of my incessant listening, I had completely played out their last album, "Sam's Town," and it had found its way to the nether regions of my IPod. I was moving on to new horizons until I downloaded their album of B-Sides called "Sawdust." It's all I play in my car right now. I know, though, that in about five days, I'll start playing out this album, too, and I'll get sick of it. It's funny how that happens. It can be with food, music, books, even activities. When we latch on to something we tend to overuse it, and it gets old, quick. And it's kind of sad when that moment of realization hits when you know something you love has just lost some of its magic. Scripture tells us that eternal life is in no way like this. Eternal life and the glory of God never get old. A close reading of the book of Revelation speaks to the limitless glory and beauty of being in God's presence: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children (NASV Revelation 21:1-7)." The kicker of this passage for me is, "See, I am making all things new." 'Making' is in the present tense, telling us that dwelling with God is constant newness. He will continue to renew and continue to give life. Being in God's presence and dwelling with Him will never get old. We are so used to things getting old, though. We are so accustomed to relationships that turn sour, hobbies that lose their intrigue, and passions that fizzle out, that it is extremely hard to wrap our minds around the concept of constant newness. Trust that God can give that constant newness that is eternal life. Know that our worship now is to be a reflection of our hope for dwelling with our Creator. The challenge is to find newness in worship and let that integrate into all other aspects of your life. So, when you download that next song on iTunes and it gets old, be reminded that our songs and praises in God's presence never will.

Fearing the Unknown by Brady

Fear is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. I think it would be interesting to chart and graph how much of our daily activity is actually driven by our fears and worry. The funny thing is that most of us are too prideful to admit it when we are crippled by fear because we do not want to show any signs of weakness. So this is when we begin to say things like, “I am just a little anxious or concerned,” rather than confessing full blown fear.

In the last month or so, I have had two experiences where actual fear has come over me without a doubt. One instance was when I was driving back from my church in Waxahachie, and Clint called to tell me that there was a church shooting in Colorado. I asked him what happened and for more details, but he really couldn’t give me much more information. Because I work in a church environment, I had this sense of fear and sadness for the situation at this church. The fear sat with me for a couple of minutes until I had the thought, “when I get home I’ll check out the news and I will be able to make more sense of the situation.” Why is it that so often our fears are driven by the amount of information we know about whatever is terrifying us?

Another example from my personal life where I have experienced fear has come recently from moving to a new ministry at a different church. Most people recognize that changing jobs is one of the more stressful activities in life, but why is this? I believe the largest reason it is so nerve-racking is the fear of the unknown. We aren’t sure how things will turn out and are scared of making wrong choices that will affect our future. I believe this is one of the main reasons people fear death as much we do.

Death is seen by many people in our culture as the ultimate equalizer and as the absolute end of a person. It is also the one thing that no one can experience with a partner. In the movie The Notebook, the final seen gets so many people teary-eyed thinking about how romantic it would be to die in bed with the one and only love of your life. But the truth about that scene is that both Allie and Noah, the main characters in the film, entered into death on their own. There is no standing before God with your husband or wife, pastor, or best friend. To add to our fears, we have never met anyone who has died and come back to tell us about it (unless you buy into Bill Wiese’s book 23 Minutes in Hell).

With all of this fear, there is one thing most people generally do not fear today and that is God. I can’t tell you how many times my youth ask me, “Why does the Bible say we are to fear God?” This is because many Christian circles, especially the one I run in, only teach 1 John 4:8 and that God is love. While this is an accurate description of God, God’s scope is bigger than just this. Jesus addresses many of the fears I have discussed in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 12:4-7 he says, “‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Jesus is saying that we should not fear people who take innocent lives, we should not fear new jobs or situations in life, and we should not even fear death because it is not the end of your story. He is saying that we should fear a God who has the power to control our eternal destiny. This fear is a respect for God, and the respect is shown primarily through how we spend our time on earth. We know that God cares for us because He created us and He is the embodiment of love. Jesus says He even knows the number of hairs on our head. But He is not blinded by this love so much that He can remove His holiness and allow us to have communion with Him when we are in sin. There should not fear the “unknown” things in our life, but we should be frightened by being fully known by the Living God. I know the Bible teaches perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18), and it also teaches that it is a terrible thing to be caught in the hands of the Living God when we are due His judgment (Hebrews 10:31). This is a tension as Christians we all must learn to deal with, but whatever we choose to fear, it should ultimately bring reverence to our hearts for the all-powerful, creator God.

Enligthened Idolatry by Clint

When I read in the Bible about people worshiping idols, I find it somewhat strange. The temptation to worship other gods and idols seemed so strong for the people of the biblical time, even those who had seen God’s work in their lives (Exodus 32). I read this and think, “I would never be tempted in such a way.” Or, “What’s up with them worshiping stuff like golden calves? Honestly, why worship a golden calf?” The whole idol thing sounds so unsophisticated and archaic. The scary thing is that I’m not so sure we are as far removed from all this as we might think; it’s just taken a different, more sophisticated form. I think there are just as many or probably more things in our lives now that distract us from God or tempt us away from Him. We allow ourselves to be so busy and plugged in to so many things that God can become distant to us very quickly.

I thought about this the other day: I went from my apartment, where the TV and computer were on, to my car where I quickly adjusted the air conditioning and radio, to a class I’m taking in which I was on my laptop most of the time (not to mention I was checking my cell-phone voicemail on the way down to my car). We are so digitized and electronified. It’s getting out of control. I’m thinking that this over-reliance and over-exposure can be like a sophisticated idolatry. Now, we can’t shun progress, and it’s not smart to be ignorant and avoidant of technological progress, but I feel confident in saying that we’re beyond the saturation point and most of us are guilty of this saturation. It becomes almost impossible to hear God’s voice when we are constantly tuned in to the voices and influence of media, music, blogs, television, emails, 24 hour news, youtube, and the list goes on and on. All of these things when overused or over-relied upon can become an enlightened idolatry. It doesn’t seem like idolatry because it’s sophisticated and new, but it might just be our biggest hurdle to healthier relationships with God. Again, these technologies can add to productivity and make communication easier. They offer a lot. But it is easy to let ourselves stay so bombarded with stimuli that we sacrifice our ability to hear God’s voice in our lives.

There’s a song by the group Incubus called “Talk Shows on Mute.” The point of the song is that we have become so plugged in to media that it is molding us in the image it desires. How often do we see destructive things on TV? At least in my case, I would say too often. How are those things impacting us? The song I just mentioned reflects sadly on how so many people’s realities are being molded and shaped by producers and media moguls looking for a “new shocking moment” to get rich by. God made us in His image. With all the un-godly images flashing into our brains, it is easy to forget that.

Secret Crowds by Brady

The word explosion carries with it an idea of something loud and boisterous. The actual definition of explosion is “a violent expansion or bursting with noise.” If something explodes and you are near it, you cannot help but be affected by it. If a Dr. Pepper explodes and you are near, you can bet that things are getting sticky quickly. Or like one of my favorite episodes on Lost, a character named Arzt is carrying nitro glycerin with a few of the other main characters and it explodes unexpectedly. As they walk on after losing another person on the island, one of the characters is told that he has “a piece of Arzt” on him. This is the idea that goes along with the word explosion.

Many sociologists would agree that Christianity exploded in its formative and early years faster than anything that can be described as “normal” by our modern standards. What started out as a small group of people who followed Jesus around grew into the dominant religion in the Roman Empire by 325 AD. Before this date, Christianity was a movement driven by an underground agenda with subversive elements going against the Roman Imperial culture. When Constantine became the “first Christian Roman Emperor,” the movement was already being transformed into dominant status as opposed to being the constant underdog. Think, for the majority of Christianity’s first 300 years, our forefathers and foremothers underwent persecution and faced opposition by culture at large. Even though Christianity was exploding during these first 300 years, it was a quiet explosion.

Today in our culture, there is no such thing as Christianity being quiet. I know most people wish some Christians would do that very thing: be quiet. And maybe we should take a hint from our culture and do what they are begging us to do, return to our roots. I am not attempting to romanticize the early church because I know things were extremely difficult for the first believers in Christ. We now have 2000 years of doctrine, tradition, history, and examples to follow, all which we should take advantage of. What I am suggesting is that the time is coming where Christians will be forced out of certain arenas we have become accustomed of dominating. Maybe this will not happen tomorrow, but the world at large is becoming progressively “Anti-Christian” as we speak. As this happens, it is not something to fear, but to embrace.

I believe the Good News of Jesus is exploding all over the globe as we speak. I believe it is exploding in people’s hearts as you read this. If your faith is dry and your passion is mild, I do not think it is because God is stale or that Christ is not alive. I would tend to feel that it may have more to do with your personal life or situation rather than God. God is living, active, and fully engaged in His world. His message, brought through Jesus, cannot help but explode on a daily basis. So, if you are waking up feeling dispassionate or dreading life, I would say you need to experience the explosion of Good News afresh once again in your life. I would personally move myself and do whatever it takes to be where God is moving. This does not mean life will always be easy, fun, or blessed. You will not always feel close to God. There is not one single aspect of life where we remain fully engaged 100% of the time. But, when you do have a moment that wakens you to the fact that you need to engage more, I suggest you do it.

There is a new song on Angels & Airwaves’ I-Empire CD called “Secret Crowds.” The lyrics to the song correspond beautifully with the message of the Gospel and where I believe God is taking His church in the coming years. This song uses a phrase that says “to spread love like violence.” It goes on to say we need to “watch our words spread hope like fire,” and then “secret crowds rise up and gather, hear your voices sing back louder.” The whole idea is that violence is naturally reactive. If someone hits you, you want to hit back. Love also demands a response. If you spread love violently, then people must react. Look at Jesus and his life. His whole life was marked with love, and he is actually the one that coined the idea of not hitting back, but returning love with hate (see Luke 6:29 or Matthew 5:39).

A new group of people who follow Jesus are rising up, and this movement is yet again a subversive one. It is rebelling against culture, violence, oversaturation of sexuality, poverty, oppression, and dead religion. Secret crowds are rising up and gathering and these voices are beginning to sing back louder. Do not be mistaken though, this singing can only be heard if you have the ears to hear it. This explosion is silent, but just like every other explosion in the world, people around it cannot help but be affected by it. Will you be the next one to spread love like violence?

Change Will Happen by Clint

Holy Cow, it’s 2008. When midnight rolled around and we moved into the New Year, I had trouble wrapping my mind around that. I always do, though. I remember when the year 2000 marched into our lives. It was weird to think that we were living in the 21st century. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love New Year’s. You can never cram too much college football into one day, and it is definitely exciting to think about the changes that might await in the coming year. However, I also cant help but think about that line from the old U2 song that says, “and nothing changes on New Year’s Day.” I don’t usually have Bono’s voice running through my head, so I’m not crazy, but I think the point is well taken. We are so quick to be optimistic on one day then pessimistic the next. We live in a rut all year, and we get so frustrated about so many things for 364 days, and then on one day, we act as if everything might arbitrarily change. I promise I’m not the Grinch who steals New Year’s, but do things change on New Year’s Day? Imagine living day to day in such a way that when New Year’s rolled around, the exciting thought was having another year in the blessings that you have. There is nothing wrong with resolutions, its just I don’t ever see them last past February. A different day will never bring about change itself. Change comes from a commitment to living one’s life in certain pattern day to day whether its January 5th or August 27th. In the movie Chariots of Fire, the main character says, “Where does the strength come to finish the race to its end? It comes from within.” So, where does the strength come from to change your life? It too comes from within. That inner strength is gained in spirituality, in walking and living in God’s presence. I’m tired of trying to convince myself I can eat healthy or work out every day on my own self-discipline. Even if I could, I’m wise enough to know that even if I kept my list of three or so resolutions, I might have new problems elsewhere in my life that would need changing. My thought is that starting with your faith relationship is the key. Like a row of dominoes, the best way to make them all fall is to start the first one in line. Start with your devotion to faith and see what else changes. That doesn’t mean everything will be easy or there will be no problems, but change will happen.