Chris Bell :: Feeds

Stop Showing Off!

A great song by Jon Foreman. The lyrics are a paraphrase of Isaiah 1:11-17. The Lyrics are below.

Here are the lyrics:

I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns

I stomp on my ears when you’re singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you’re praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There’s blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don’t fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There’s blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let’s argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let’s argue this out
You’ll be one of the clouds
Let’s argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can’t love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can’t stand at all, all
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

test post

Facebook

You can now find me on facebook.  I am not sure exactly why but you can now find me there . . .

Difficulties

The past two years have taught me many things.  Creating and maintaining momentum is very difficult in a simple church.  Recently I have been reminded of Jesus words to Nicodemus:

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

I have planted many seeds over the last two years and very few have grown.  However, I am not discouraged but challenged to find better soil.

Family Snowball Fight!

First Peter and Missional Living 1.2

Living in a foreign place that does not share your faith, customs, or values is extremely difficult. This why Peter tells his friends in Asia Minor that it is going to require a new type of community. First, tells them to prepare their minds for action. Literally, he is telling them to gird the loins of their minds. They need to prepare their minds for some difficult things ahead. They need to be prepared, ready for action. He is getting ready to tell them about a new way forward into this new and difficult life they have entered.

In addition, he tells them that God judges each man’s action impartially. Each one of them have been saved by God through Jesus Christ. It was not a cheap price. God’s only son gave his life so that they could live. What God has done for them through Jesus, cost more than silver or gold. His advice is to live their lives in reverent fear, knowing that the one who set them free will judge the way they live.

The life should now be characterized by love. He says, “By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart . . .” (HCSB). The word translated “earnestly” is ektenos. The picture is that of a runner stretching out their neck to cross the finish line. It is a love that strenuously and intentionally seeks the best of their brothers and sisters.

Peter prescribes this type of love because he knows it is not going to be easy. Most likely they are small Christian communities spread throughout Asian Minor. And as such the need to be able to depend on one another, to look past indifferences, and to help one another. It is not easy to love, but love is necessary for our survival and our witness.

C.S. Lewis said, “Loving one another is a great idea, until you have someone you don’t like that you are summoned to love.” This is why Peter described love as the result and outcome of their salvation.

As we live in this strange place that consistently challenges our faith and values, may we strive towards a love that will build each of us up.

Time Out?

Sometimes he takes “time out” way to seriously! He had just hit his sister and I told him to sit in the corner. It only took him about 30 sec. to fall asleep! I couldn’t resit taking a snap shot.

Keep Pressing Forward

“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

- Teddy Roosevelt

First Peter and Missional Living 1.1

Getting a glimpse of the last page has a huge impact on how the story is read.

That was Peter’s hope as he wrote the words,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice,

though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

The Christians in Asia Minor that Peter was addressing lived as resident aliens. They were foreigners and probably had little rights under the Roman Empire. They were also a religious minority and probably under some type of persecution. So Peter reminds them about the last chapter. He asks them to remember the big picture. They serve a gracious God that has secured for them an inheritance that will never, perish, spoil or fade. It is a reminder that they will receive the greatest thing possible - the salvation of their souls.

However, as we will see, Peter does not want them to focus solely on heaven and forget about their life here on earth. He simply wants them not to be discouraged when they face difficulties in this life.

Many Christians today have a hope of heaven that allows them to disregard this life. But that is not biblical. That type of view says that life on earth means nothing and that we are just biding our time until life really begins in heaven.

Remember, eternity begins now. And life here makes a difference.

My question for you is how does having a glimpse of the final chapter change the way you are living today?

First Peter and Missional Living 1

Our church is currently reading and studying our way through the first letter of Peter. I have started a thread on our church website that i am going to reproduce here.

First Peter is a tremendous letter that, if we allow it, can have a tremendous impact on our thinking and actions in regard to our mission in the world. The letter is written to believers who are described by Peter as temporary residents of the dispersion. These believers seem to be asking the question, “How are we to respond to and live in this foreign society, as followers of Jesus?” It is a question that many of us have asked and struggled with as we have sought to bring Jesus to those who live in our vane and selfish society.

In his book, Exiles, Michael Frost says,

In our world today - post-Christendom and postmodern - we find ourselves a far cry from the simpler times during which Jesus lived. As exiles, trying to negotiate a way through the twenty first century, with Jesus as our guide and our dangerous example, we find ourselves up against challenges that we can’t imagine Jesus having to deal with. We stare vacantly at our WWJD wristbands, wondering just what Jesus would do when confronted with the befuddling complexities of contemporary culture. No wonder so many Christians opt to withdraw, to burrow deeper inside their warrens in the hope that they can avoid contamination from the onslaught of the post-Christendom West. Likewise, the temptation to give in and be swept along by the prevailing mores is perfectly understandable. Swimming always against the constantly shifting flow of culture is exhausting, and it’s not incomprehensible when Christians throw their hands up and just stop swimming.

There is no doubt that living as a Christian in our current society is difficult. It seems that around every corner is something that goes contrary to our faith. Constantly trying to swim against the flow of society is very tiresome and will cause us, as Michael Frost says, to throw up our hands and be swept off down stream.

As temporary residents, the people to whom the apostle Peter is writing, probably find themselves in a similar situation. It is a society that challenges their faith and their mission. And they wonder how the should address the the injustice, the immoral, the unloving, and the power that is in charge.

Michael Frost continues:

. . . abandoning ourselves to the current is hardly what Jesus did. Exiles, following his example, are forever seeking to forge another way forward. Neither hiding from nor embracing the values of contemporary society, they seek to thrive within their host culture without becoming slaves to it . . . Like Joseph in Egypt, Esther in Persia, or Daniel in Babylon, we are called to the ongoing and risky negotiation of engagement and resistence. Ans yet our decision to follow Christ implies that we will make a series of promises to our host empire. These promises include our declared intent to be people of love, justice, generosity, and hospitality. (p. 82)

It is because of the difficulty of following Christ in such a society that Peter reminds his readers of the new life they have been given and the ” inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading kept in heaven” for them. Peter knows that following Christ is difficult when the pressures to conform are strong. Remember, it was Peter who denied Christ when Jesus was not very popular and was ready to be crucified.

So peter begins his letter reminding his readers that they have recieved a new life by the mercy of God. That even though things will be difficult there is an inheritance to look forward to. And also that the trials they are now facing will bring glory to God. So Peter begins to answer the question by reminding his readers of their salvation and God’s mercy. These are words we need to hear. Instead of focusing excessively on the trials of being exiles, we need to first understand that we have been saved by a merciful God trough Jesus Christ, the result of which is an inheritance as sons and daughters of God.

More to come . . .

iPhone and the Kingdom of God

It is not something new to see lines outside stores or theaters with people waiting to purchase the latest thing or watch the premier of a movie. This time it is the iPhone a “revolutionary” phone that has many new technologies. However, what does it say about humanity when we are willing to wait in line for days to purchase something that will be available the following day or the day after that. It is hard to wrap my mind around sometimes. Do people think their lives will be that much better with the product? Are they doing it out of a sense of adventure? Are they just hoping for some “air time.”

I have no doubt that consumerism is a huge problem in society and even a larger problem inside the church. The questions I am asking are: is this striving for the latest and greatest a sin problem? Does it manifest itself in other ways that effect our relationship with others or with God? Should we do something about it?

Customer Service Matters

I just wasted 2 hours of my life! My recently purchased cell phone has a defect. The screen went black. Never dropped or damaged in any way. So I go to the store I purchased it from and ask for assistance. He says I need to call the warranty line. So I go home and call the warranty phone number. This person proceeds to tell me that my phone warranty ID was never registered and that I needed to go to the store to have it verified. So I traveled back to the store and was told that the number has been registered. Then I am told to sit and call the warranty line again. (Did I mention there was a hold time of over 15 minutes each time I called that number?) Then I had to have the store associate get on the phone and verify the ID number on the back of the phone. All of this because I was sold a defective phone. I never once received an apology - we are sorry - or anything. All I can say is that now I understand why they lock you into a contract.

As i drove back home from the store I thought about how this related to church. The attractional church places a high priority on satisfying their visitors and members. They spend a tremendous amount money ensuring they have an experience that will make them want to come back or join. On the flip side, simple churches place a high priority on connecting with people. This connecting makes a huge difference. (I don’t have any data - only experience and stories). My experience tells me that when people connect with others there is tremendous staying power.

Our church is taking this seriously. We have made a commitment to connect with each other outside of our regular gatherings. Sometimes we connect over dinner or a movie or a football game. Basically we are learning to live life with open access.

What I mean is that we openly invite others to join in life with us, and we are always seeking ways to involve ourselves in other’s lives.

I would be a more happy and loyal customer if one person would have taken the time to connect with me through my ordeal. However, I have been sent home with my phone still broken and waiting on a replacement phone that will take 5 - 10 days to arrive.

iTunes U

I just downloaded the new update to iTunes and noticed something that I have never noticed before (maybe it is new with the update).  It is called “iTunes U”.  It is a collection of free podcasts from schools, universities, and seminaries.  You can even find an entire beginning Greek class.  It is definitely worth a look.

Listen to the heart of a missionary

My friend Kyle recently posted about his heartfelt desire to reach Thailand for Christ. Read his words here. May we all feel this same passion and desire to give up everything so that those around us may respond to Christ.