The Power of the Towel

One year ago I wrote this, and I believe it still applies today. So for the very few who read it once already, sorry. But I need this reminder as much as anyone, so hopefully it's useful to you, as well. I've made some edits, but without further ado...

It's all over the place five years (now six years) later, as it is on every anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history. As I watch the memorials and media coverage, I'm saddened. Though some of the sadness comes in remembering what happened that day, much of it comes in the form of something very different.

The day of the attack, and for the following few weeks and months, I think God was spoken of more in our country than in many years preceding it. Politicians that were normally covered in mud and at each others throats were singing "God Bless America" with one voice. People were praying in the public and media. God's name was allowed back into the classroom. Now, all we hear about is the "resiliency of the human spirit," as if we are proud of ourselves in how we've begun to pull ourselves through this and started to heal, forgetting the prayers of helplessness and desperation that were offered up five (six) short years ago.

The saying has emblazoned nearly everything that has to do with 11 Sept. 2001..."May We Never Forget." And while we may not have forgotten the men and women who lost their lives on the day, or the images of the burning and eventually falling towers, the hole in the field in Shankville, PA, and the blackened, demolished wall of the of the Pentagon (and rightly so), we certainly have forgotten something...make that, someOne.

Forgive us, Lord. May we never forget You...

To continue with our thoughts on the church, I want to bring up another consequence of our thoughts toward church as being a destination. It has been mentioned to this point that, while followers of Christ may come up with the correct definition of what the church is, they don't necessarily live like they know it. Yesterday, I mentioned that one of the major consequences of our wrong thinking is that church becomes something where we try make the unsaved world come to us, ignoring our responsibility as the church to go to them. Today, we'll look at what may be an even more devastating consequence: self-centeredness.

If the church is something that I go to, it becomes like everything else I go to. If I go to a baseball game, it's about what I get out of it; namely, entertainment. If I'm not entertained, or my team loses every time I go, I get angry, because I'm not getting out of it what I'm investing into it. The same goes for the grocery store, another destination. I'm going for what I can get out of it, which in this case is food. Hopefully, I find the best food at great prices, but if I don't get out of it what I want, I'll get upset and return things, ask for my money back, etc. It's the same with a trip to the doctor, or the bank, or a vacation destination, or just about any other destination I can think of.

This same mentality has carried over to church. It has become about what I can get out of it. How often do you hear of people, searching for a body of believers to join with, that, in the midst of their search, say that they didn't like the music at the one church, didn't like the preacher's style at the other, and didn't think the children's ministry was good enough at a third? Now, all of these things are not inherently wrong. It's a good thing to know that your children are getting a good, biblically-based education and are not being fed lies. It's good to have a preacher that truly has the gift of preaching. But all of these sorts of things are self-centered. They are all about what I am getting out of my experience. I can't recall the last time I heard someone say, "We were visiting this church and noticed that their children's ministry is hurting, but that's one of my strengths. I think God brought us here to help them build that aspect of the body."

This then, inevitably leads to another problem. Because church becomes about what I can get out of it, false doctrine sets in. Where do we think the "health, wealth and prosperity gospel" has come from? It came from someone wanting to get more out of Scripture than what is really there, most likely in an attempt to justify their sin. This can be said of many of the false principals we see invading the church. Stan, over at his blog, Birds of the Air, has been battling progressive Christianity and its inclusive doctrine (in short, that all religions can get us to heaven). This comes about when we don't like the fact that truth, as stated in Scripture, doesn't make us feel good because our friends who happen to be (insert religion here) would be eternally separated from God if they stayed their present course. It comes in when we start believing things that we want to believe instead of believing what the truth actually is. In fact, Paul states in his first letter to Timothy that,

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. (I Tim. 6:3-4a)

I hope you didn't miss that. What was the first thing Paul said of those who teach false doctrine? "...he is conceited..." In other words, he has an agenda that has 'self' at the top of the list.

This is not what the church was created to be. The church, as a destination, is a place that glorifies self. Again, I can see where I could have words put in my mouth, and so I don't want to be misunderstood. We all need to be refreshed. We all need to be taught. But, at what point is our focus changed from self-service to serving others and ultimately, the Lord? At what point do I stop being so concerned about what I'm getting out of it and start looking to others and how I can give to them? What did Jesus tell Peter each time after asking him if he loved Him? Be fed? No! "Feed my sheep." I would argue that it's when we do as the Lord commands, that is, when we serve those around us, it is in that time that we, ourselves, are nourished.

In my last post I discussed the thought process we go through as Americans when it comes to the church and what it is. One of the effects of this thought process has been poisonous to the church as a whole.

Because we act like church is a destination instead of something that we are, we've advertised church to the lost much like one would advertise a tourist attraction to tourists, or a performance to concert-goers. In those instances, one might have a flashy sign out front of the attraction or concert hall with something catchy on it to capture people's attention, or one might put an advertisement on television. Of course, the most important thing is that you have something at your destination that is worth coming to see. I suppose with a tourist attraction, this comes inherently, but with the concert hall, you try to obtain the best performers with the best programs in order to convince people there is something they need to experience. The goal is to have the most attractive program advertised in the most attractive way to maximize the number of people that will come (and ultimately, to maximize the profit).

How is this all that different from the American Church? How many church bodies have a flashy sign out front of the building they own (or, though it may not be flashy, at least have a sign with some catchy [read as 'cheesy' or 'lame'] phrase on it)? How many churches take out ads in the local newspaper or yellow pages? Numerous church bodies (usually the larger ones that can afford to do so) have advertisements on television, and my church growing up even took out space on a local billboard along a major roadway. And don't forget that there has to be something worth coming to experience, so a flashy rock band is added, only the most charismatic people are found on the stage, and the church programs itself to death with retreats, revivals, children's programs, teen events, concerts, plays, and the list goes on and on and on...

And on top of that, the content needs to be relevant! Otherwise, none of what is done will be worthwhile, so the church needs to work extra hard to make sure that God is helped out by making Him appear relevant. Oh, and it would be awful to offend those that the church has worked so hard at getting to come, because if they do get offended, they might not come back. This may mean compromising which parts of the gospel are shared, and may go so far as to allowing the post-modern mindset to creep in, but it's so that people who are seeking will come to our destination on the weekend. And, of course, God wants us to fill the pews...He'll be so proud!

Last I checked, Christ didn't tell His disciples to "get everyone to come to you so you can preach the gospel to them." He said, "Go and make disciples of all nations..." He didn't say, "Help make me relevant, because I struggle with that." He said, "I am the bread of life," (John 6:35) and "whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst." (John 4:14) If that isn't relevant, I don't know what is. Scripture doesn't say that "there are tons of people seeking God, so help them on the journey." It says that "No one seeks God. All have turned away." (Rom. 3:11-12) It doesn't say, "The message of the cross is attractive if presented a certain way." It says, "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing..."(I Cor. 1:18) and that Christ crucified is "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." (I Cor. 1:23)

The church was never intended to be a destination, but because it has become that in the way we live, it has also become an excuse to not do the very things the church was made to do. Church gatherings aren't solely for evangelism. They are for the edification of the believers. They are so that we can be "teaching [disciples] to obey (or do) everything I (Jesus) have commanded you." (Matt. 28:20)

Please don't get me wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong with programs that share the gospel. But we've got the wrong idea. Most of the time, the unbeliever isn't going to come to us. We must be mobilized to go! We need to be the church every day, not just once or twice a week, reflecting Christ to all those we come in contact with.

"Come on kids! Time to get up and get yourselves ready to go to church!"

"Oh, I'm sorry we won't be able to make it. We have to go to church Sunday morning."

"The leak in the roof of the church needs to be fixed."

"Why don't you come to church with me on Sunday?"

These phrases are all very common in today's Christian circles. However, do any of these phrases, or others like them, use a proper definition of the word, 'church?' Though few of us would, when asked, define the church as a building used for Christians to gather in for worship, our mindset has certainly taken on this definition. Because of this shift in understanding, the way has been paved for many false concepts to creep in to the hearts and minds of Christ-followers, and the consequences are far reaching; in fact, eternal.

So if it's not the building, what is the church? I'm amazed by this question, and here's why. Most followers of Christ will get the answer to this question correct by saying that the church is the body of Christ, with Christ as its head, or the bride of Christ, whom Christ loved sacrificially; so much so that he died for her. Paul backs this up in Colossians:

1:18b - "[Jesus] is also head of the body, the church;"

1:24 - "...I do my share on behalf of [Christ's] body, which is the church..."

And in Ephesians 5:23b - "...as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body."

What amazes me is that most Christians will answer this question correctly, but it doesn't change how we think of the church on an everyday basis. While we know what the church is, we don't talk like we know it. In fact, we don't act like we know the definition either. Our actions show that we believe the church is something that it is not. We know the Sunday School definition, but we live differently. We are so focused on going to church that we forget to be the church. We are so concerned with being fed that we forget to feed.

Now, don't get me wrong. We have a command to not forsake that gathering of ourselves together (Heb 10:25). We must gather together. It is important for exhortation, fellowship, discipleship and coperate worship, among other things. But we've got to stop seeing church as a once- or twice-a-week activity, and starting to see it as a lifestyle.

Our thought process leads us to go to church in order to hear the Word and be fed, and church stops there. We go home, carry on with our week, and do it all over again the following Sunday. Instead, we need to see church as something we are, having been given the means by which we can be doers of the Word, feeding those we come in contact with every day, not just one or two days a week.

Let's stop going to church and start being the church.

We've all heard it. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." What an aweful saying. First off, sticks and stones? I can see logs and boulders, or at the least, branches and rocks, but sticks and stones? Come on! Who are we kidding? Maybe, "Sticks and stones will leave a bruise," but that may even be pushing it. Of course, that is the least of the concerns we should have with this phrase, as it grossly underestimates the power of words. Wounds from sticks and stones, or logs and boulders, may be gone in a matter or days, weeks, or possibly months, but wounds left from harsh words can last a lifetime.

Words have the power to tear down, build up, prove folly, reveal wisdom, express truth, and carry out deceit. We can see the chasm that separates the two ends of the spectrum in two verses, though the ideas are strewn throughout Scripture. Proverbs 16:24 says that "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." But, in James 3:6 we are made aware that "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

I'm an outgoing person who loves to talk. I'm usually loud and long-winded. However, the bible warns people like me that "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Prov. 10:19) It also mentions that "a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Prov. 15:1)

What a challenge, especially in the information age, to do what James says can't be done, and that is to tame our tongue. Information is all about words. Words are everywhere, and so it's no wonder we have incidents with people leaving radio and television because of ill-placed words, most recently seen in the Don Imus/Rutgers women's basketball team incident, or public feuds like Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell.

If that isn't enough, look at the words that Christ, Himself, uses in Matthew 12:34 & 37, "...For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks...For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." If that doesn't make us more careful about what comes out of our mouths, I'm not sure what will.

I'm not sure who wrote this originally, but it was passed on to me about eight years ago and I pulled it out recently, so I thought I'd pass it along to you.

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility - and endure it as Jesus endured, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly loved to be unknown, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater in desperate circumstances, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no reellion or resentment rising up within your heart, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." Phil. 3:10

I've read through James many times before and the book has always struck me as choppy. James touches on one topic, moves to another topic, leaps to another, and the book ends. They are all wonderful topics, to say the least, but it always has seemed to me to be a smattering of topics, nonetheless. That is, until recently...

I was going through a study on the spiritual disciplines, and as I was focused on the specific discipline of Scripture intake, I realized something that has revolutionized how I read the Bible. Now, when I say revolutionize, I don't mean that what I realized was something that was new or never been discovered before, but that it was something so simple and plain that I'd missed out for a long time. Our society is a society built on speed and efficiency, and it has translated to how we (I'll speak for myself - I) read God's word. We hear statements like, "Read your Bible through in a year," and, "5 minutes with the Lord." We might also talk about how many chapters we've read this week or hear of people talking (boasting?) about how many times they've read the Bible in it's entirety. Why is it that when it comes to spending time with our true Love, we speed through it? I wouldn't do that when I spend time with my wife, so why do I do that when it comes to spending time with God?

"Hey hunny, I don't have a lot of time today, but here's five minutes. Go!" "Babe, I'm on a schedule. I know you want to talk about other things, but I've got to talk about _____ and _____, and then skip over to ______. It doesn't look like I'm scheduled to have that discussion with you until October." "My wife wrote me this love letter, and I breezed right through it!" It just doesn't make sense, but that's how I would treat reading through Scripture. I wasn't content with reading a verse or two and marinating in it; meditating on it and memorizing it. One may say, "But Ryan, it'll take years to get through Scripture that way!" to which I would reply, I'd rather take it slow and get daily insight, wisdom, correction, doctrine, and instruction in how to live righteously, than read my Bible through in a year and have grasped very little to actually live by and make applicable to my life.

Now, I know that God's Word "doesn't return void." So please don't think I'm saying that reading through Scripture in a year is, by any means, bad or wrong, or that you won't get anything out of it. But what I am saying is that we shouldn't let our cultural concept of speed and efficiency dictate how we spend time with the One who loved us so much that He gave His life for us.

For years, that's how I read James. I just breezed through it. Lot's of good topics, but I wondered how good a writer James actually was. I didn't see any continuity or flow. But now that I've slowed down and actually taken the time necessary to grasp what James was writing about, I see it much more clearly now. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter that concludes with the main concept. We, as Christ-followers, are to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers. He then ends the chapter by stating three things Christ-followers do that separates them from the rest: they work at bridling their tongue, they show true benevolence to the outcasts of society, and they don't allow the world to "spot" or "taint" them. The rest of the book, James spends his time writing about those three things. And to think that I'd missed out for all these years because I just had to read as much as I could in as little time as possible.