Just as the 1st Century churches in Antioch, Macedonia, and Achaia aided the distressed Jerusalem church, we now have the opportunity to support our sister churches ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. For the next several months, this blog will list churches – a handful a day, by ZIP code – along the Gulf. Churches are also invited to register to help or receive help at Katrina Church Connection.
After the crisis, this blog will resume discussing practical ways to serve Christ at work.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Today is Martin Luther King Day, and I’m trying to catch up on correspondence and news, as well as some chores around the house. So far I’ve not made much progress. But being that this is the day the nation has chosen to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, I would be wrong to let it pass without observation.
Earlier today I exchanged some notes with a friend concerning the harsh behavior of Israel, as recorded in the Old Testament, and the teachings of Christ. When David made his living as a bandit (1 Sam 27), he was, I believe, living in a way in opposition to God’s expectation. My friend responded that God does not expect us to be always meek and passive. He wrote, “I am more looking to avoid American Churchianity's ‘Christians never raise their voice or act aggressively’ perspective. Jesus did ... [so] we can and not sin.” He goes on to cite Christ’s whip-wielding cleansing of the Jerusalem temple.
My reply: First, God/Jesus have certain rights we don’t – vengeance is His, not mine. Second, did any disciples in either the gospels or Acts) emulate this, as if it should be practiced? Third, do the epistles ever suggest we need to be doing this? Four, would we do it to restore respect for God’s house (as Christ was doing) or to obtain/avenge social justice?
Paul and Peter were clearly confrontational in presenting the Gospel. Jesus anticipated believers would be persecuted for living for Him.
Some might question – as I did in my fourth point – whether we are authorized to confront over social justice. Well, of course. Not vengefully; not merely to get payback. But we are expected to support those who suffer.
"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12.9-21)
When your neighbor is assaulted, you do not have the option to turn the other cheek – it wasn’t your cheek that was hit. And when your wife is raped, Jesus does not direct you to hand over your daughter.
While we are directed not to act maliciously or vengefully, we are directed to overcome evil. Even if it causes us to live in conflict with the evil-doers.
If you haven’t read Letter from a Birmingham Jail yet today, you ought to.
posted by George on 2:31 PM link
(2) comments
Thursday, October 27, 2005 What's the Use of a Church?
As I write about how Christ is, or can be, represented by us in the work we do, I think about the role of the church in our living out the gospel. Since Katrina, I've been facilitating and advocating for churches across the country to support the churches damaged by the hurricanes. Of course the residents of those areas need our help, and the churches and their pastors need our aid especially.
As residents in Katrina country recover, it would be unsurprising for them to not provide funds immediately to restore their churches and maintain their pastors. Yet their need for church is perhaps greater than ever. When our material world is trashed, we look more to God and welcome guidance in seeking Him. If churches are unavailable to Katrina victims, that's our -- Christians' -- fault. If this happens, we'll be failing instead of following.
In Acts 11 we learn the model of churches helping churches, when Antioch sent funds to Jerusalem. Elsewhere we read that churches in Galatia and Corinth supported Jerusalem as well. Today Saddleback Church, among many others, has obeyed as it committed to pay three months of salaries for 400 pastors impacted by Katrina. Christ taught us to give to those without the means to repay us, so the practice of aid to churches in need is compliant with His guidance.
But does this conflict with a priority for evangelizing? Perhaps, and that's not a bad thing. Of course it's never bad to be obedient, as aiding other churches would be. Beyond that fact alone, there's another case to be made for elevating the priority of supporting other churches. It turns on the question, raised by BolgBlog here, of how much focus should the church have on evangelism.
Blogger Bolger stresses "mission lies at the very heart of God," and "those who desire to connect with the outsider are in synch with [Him]." Even so, he writes, "The worship service [should] no longer [be] an evangelistic service for outsiders, but [rather] a space to practice heaven for a period of time, facilitating the offering of the community life to God in worship. If a guest of the community finds God in the service, all the better, but this is not the focus." A longer excerpt:
A focus on the church service as connecting point perpetuates the idea that following Jesus is about going to church. The community's life takes the form of American congregational religion rather than the fluid practices of the gospel, and this emphasis presents quite a barrier to the 'seeker' outside, as they need to be converted to the values of American religious congregationalism before they can come to faith. Thus, virtually all of those who are attracted to the relevant service were raised in church or are currently going to another church -- they are not the never-churched. In contrast, a missional congregation connects with those outside the faith by, well, connecting with those outside of the community in their world. Connecting happens not in a 'come to us' CHURCH service, but through 'go and dwell' church SERVICE, i.e. service in the community -- living alternative lives.
Pastor/blogger Tod Bolsinger parallels that point in Jesus' Secret Strategy when he writes: “We will make the biggest impact for the Kingdom on the world by learning to keep our focus on the Father.” And to do so require much more privatization “in charity, praying, and spiritual disciplines” than many of us have today. Yes, we can read these instructions in the bible, but, as Tod’s blog is called, It Takes a Church to mentor in them.
Too often, it seems, we think of how much our neighbors need an introduction to God thru Christ. More often we should also consider how much more we need to follow Him.
posted by George on 1:56 PM link
(5) comments
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 [date is floated to keep post at top] Lots of churches and fellow Christians were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. President Bush is committing the federal government to rebuild the area, and that's good.
However, God has called those who follow Christ to help our brothers and sister in need. Jesus taught it: the good Samaritan parable (Lk 10), feed those who cannot repay you (Lk 14), clothe the least of these (Mt 25). The 1st Century churches did it, when they helped the impoverished Jerusalem church (Acts 11). Paul directed it, when he wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 16).
Now it's our turn. Perhaps we can have a 1st Century church again, if we love one another as they did. The Spirit is the same; the Gospel is the same. What's different? Maybe it's the love-in-action faith James wrote about. Are we willing?
Denominational churches have institutional support. Presbyterian churches are connecting with sister churches along the Gulf Coast through blogs like Ed Brenegar's Connecting Churches to Churches at http://edbrenegar.typepad.com/thepresbyterianpolis/. Other denominations -- Southern Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran -- are doing similar things.
So some other churches -- independent churches, loosely affiliated bible churches, and small denomination churches -- may not get as much attention. Those of us in similar congregations around the country just aren't aware of specific fellowships in southern Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.
The purpose of this blog today is to provide contacts with such churches located in Katrina territory. Really, this is nothing more than a starting point. We'll publish names of churches, addresses, phone numbers, and whatever additional identifying information we can readily obtain. We'll develop the list one ZIP at a time. You can post notes or inquiries in each section's comments. You can also register privately using a page on our business website: http://www.azfinancegroup.com/pages/5/index.htm.
OK, so now you, the Samaritan traveler, can see these churches lying broken by the side of the road. What to do? Consider these:
Start with prayer. Ask that God's Spirit control the relationship.
Get acquainted -- email, over the phone, visits. Share names and needs. Ask that believers would align their wills with God's.
Look for quick fixes. Re-building won't happen over night. How can assemblies be accommodated now? Are hymnals, musical instruments, choir robes, office equipment needed?
Pastoral support.
Congregational support. We know some brother and sisters will have needs that the government will be slow in responding to. Our elders' funds should be available to them as well.
Boots on the ground. Organize work teams to go out when there are opportunities to help clean up and rebuild homes and churches. Think Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas break, spring break, next summer. Consider coordinating with Habitat for Humanity.
Building funds. If you currently have a building program, do you really believe your need is greater than theirs? At least we can share!
Pray again.
This blog is not collecting or distributing any money. Our intent is to help you connect with your brothers and sisters in need. You can take it from there.
