Qualifications

I'm finally in my last semester of college, and I'm obviously doing a lot of forward-thinking. Where is God leading me? Where has He called me? What will I be doing after I finally get that special piece of paper in exchange for 4 years of grueling studying? Thankfully, these aren't new questions to me. These are questions I've wrestled with for several years now.

But there's a new question I've been facing in the past couple months: How am I qualified? Really... how am I qualified to do anything, to take a job, to shepherd a group of students? That's what college is designed for, right? To qualify people for jobs. Apparently, the letters B.A. mean PAY DAY... But this seems so superficial to me, and I don't think I'm alone here.

It doesn't seem right that because I major in Christian Educational Ministries and take a bunch of Bible and youth ministry classes that I'm suddenly qualified to shepherd/pastor in a church. If that was the case, then any ill-intentioned guy could come off the street and severely damage the people of God because he had the right letters behind his name. There has to be more!

I've been soaking up scripture lately, and I've kept a keen eye out for anything that will teach me about the character of God as I interview for jobs. I've been learning that the Old Testament stories have a lot to teach on this subject. Here are a couple things I've learned:

1. God's presence qualifies you.
   
   In Exodus 3:11, Moses says to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God's response? "I will be with you." Think about that for a second... Moses asks Who am I? and God seemingly ignores his question completely. Instead he directs Moses' attention to the more important fact: God is with him. That's it. God doesn't say, "Oh, well you are Moses the educated, the strong man who killed the Egyptian!" He says nothing about Moses himself, except for the fact that Moses will be walking in the presence of the I AM, God Himself. How awesome is that?!
   
   
2. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit qualifies you.
   
   In Genesis 41, Joseph, a prisoner in Egypt who fell upon some unfortunate events and had no guilt in the matters, gets the chance to explain Pharaoh's dreams to him. No one in Egypt could explain the dreams, but Joseph was able to explain them because the Spirit enlightened him. In verse 37, it says, "The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
   Joseph, a Hebrew prisoner, was put 2nd-in-command over all of Egypt. I don't know about you, but that makes me go, "Say WHAT?" Again, he didn't have some education that made Pharaoh give him the job. It was the Spirit of God inside Joseph that qualified him for the job! Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with education; in fact, I think it is absolutely important. However, when we put our hope in education to qualify us for a position, we have gone astray and forgotten the One who gives us a mind for education.

Thank God we don't have to depend on ourselves and our actions to qualify us for anything in life. Don't give into the secular pressures of the world. Remember where your worth comes from! The only letters that qualify you are YHWH - God's holy and precious name.

I want to commit my life to spending time in God's presence and asking for more of the Spirit's indwelling presence. He will draw near to us if we draw near to him. That's a promise!

(As a final note, I've been listening to this song called "Burn Us Up" by Shane & Shane, and it is truly inspiring. It is a unique rendition of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel. Please listen to it, download it, watch it, love it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70PDuymQ_h0)

Not a Boring Bible

Well hello to anyone who manages to stumble upon my blog after I haven't updated it in about 3 months. I really would like to blog more, but there's something about college classes that manages to distract me... maybe it's the work load and all the papers I have to write... but who knows.

In an effort to blog more, I plan on writing shorter, concise blogs that express ideas I've been thinking about. And in that way, if I actually come up with a somewhat intelligent and creative idea then I can actually take credit for it.... but that's not likely. In fact, that won't happen, but if you will humor me and actually read some blogs of mine then maybe you'll start to understand why I am the way I am.

There has been something on my mind recently that was really triggered by a big city-wide youth event that I attended with the youth group I work with. At this event the worship music was good, the testimonies from students were authentic, and overall I sensed that the hearts of the people who put on this event were pure and Christ-centered. However, the main speaker at the end was the "hype-up" type... you know, the kind that comes up and gets everyone screaming "Jesus" in some sort of competitive, yelling frenzy without anyone really knowing why we're doing it. I don't mind this for a little bit, but we went on screaming for about 10 minutes without him preaching from the Word at all.

In fact, the rest of his 5-10 minute sermon afterwards was completely motivational and "attractive," and did not include a single verse from the Bible. This really disappointed me, because the kids that night did not hear the actual words of God except for maybe through the songs that were straight from scripture. Even if he used only 1 scriptural reference, I think that would have been alright, because the kids could remember that one verse. But no, the Bible wasn't even mentioned.

This got me thinking... Why do we (especially in youth ministry) fall into this trap of trying to make everything attractive by human standards, appealing to hype and excitement and emotions? Why do we think that the Jesus Christ and the Bible are not attractive and appealing on their own? Sure, there is room for having fun and sweet lights and technology and all that jazz... But if it is replacing the Bible, then we are far from what I believe is true Christianity. We rob the gospel of its inherent power.

Isaiah 55:11 says, "...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." God did not give us a boring Bible. He did not curse us with something that we would have to add to and change in order to grab the attention of those who listen. God's word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and will accomplish God's purposes if we don't get in the way! I wonder how often we get in the way of God's plans by adding our own plans and agenda.

Similarly, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power." If we are relying on the Spirit in our teaching and presentation of the Gospel, we have no need to fear that the students won't hear. We feel the need to fancy-up our preaching and events like a car or house to attract people. But the fact of the matter is that God will attract people to Him based on His beauty and glory, and not our own. No more relying on entertainment... let's open up the Word of God and let it speak for itself. I know that students today are yearning for more depth in the Bible, and still we doubt how much they can handle.

Entertainment and hype cannot replace the Word of God. They have their place, but if we are to make real disciples of Christ, the Word of God is not an option; it's an imperative.

Nothing New Under the Sun

For any of you who follow my blog consistently, you might remember a post I made about Saint James a couple weeks ago. In my interaction with this man, God illumined a great truth about the role of apologetics in evangelism. To sum up, here is what I said:

"Apologetics, the rational defense of the faith, is designed to plant seeds. You will never argue someone into the Kingdom of God. That's not what God's love created us to do. His love will win someone to the Kingdom of God. Intellectual assent, while it is an important aspect of faith, is not a pre-requisite for belief. Apologetics will merely break down faulty logic and weak arguments in order to create space for the Holy Spirit to convict the heart. The mind will either serve as a bridge or as a roadblock to the heart."

Simple truth, yes? Well, thankfully, there are much smarter men and women on this earth than me... men and women with more experience than me. I love to read, and this summer I have been soaking up just about as many books as I can. I was forced to laugh the other day while reading Surprised by the Voice of God by Jack Deere. Deere recounts a situation he encountered while witnessing to an intelligent woman on a flight to Dallas:

"An hour and a half of apologetic arguments did not even come close to equaling the force of the simple statement, "You are a sinner and you need a savior." There was a power behind that simple declaration that was absent from all my carefully reasoned arguments. The power came because God had suggested those simple words to my spirit... That experience of power began to teach me, a philosophy major, the relative powerlessness of intellectual arguments. While they may occasionally remove genuine obstacles to faith, they are ultimately fruitless unless the Holy Spirit convicts the heart of sin" (309).

Huh. Sounds familiar...

But it doesn't stop there. I read that a couple days ago. Today I bought a new book by Norman Geisler and David Geisler entitled Conversational Evangelism. As I began to read through the book (written by two of the top apologists in America, mind you), I stumbled across this paragraph:

"This distinction has major implications for how we do evangelism. Apologetics cannot argue someone into the kingdom. Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit must work in a person's life if he or she is to accept Christ. Jesus said in John 6:65, "No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." Therefore, faith and reason must work hand in hand to effectively reach others for Christ. Apologetics can help someone "believe that" Jesus is the Messiah, but it can never force one to "believe in" Him" (163).

I love how they distinguish between the phrases, "believing that" and "believing in." A simple change of words essentially holds eternity in its hands. It is easy to believe that something happened, given strong evidence and clear logic. But to believe in something, to base your life on a cause, requires faith. That faith can only come through the Holy Spirit.

I'm reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 - "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power." Rationality is beneficial to an extent, yet it is fleeting without the Spirit. As John 4:23 tells us, God desires worshipers who worship in Spirit and in truth. There must be a balance between the two.

Please do not misunderstand me. I love apologetics still. I am going to continue to read and study the arguments on both sides of faith. I believe studying apologetics not only strengthens my own faith, but it also puts my fears toward evangelism at ease.

What I am attempting to communicate is that the Holy Spirit is at work today in miraculous ways, and the biggest miracle in life is when someone passes from the old life into the new. The Holy Spirit is not absent from the mind and apologetics; on the contrary, He relishes the opportunity to transform a life while utilizing a tool for breaking down intellectual barriers. He works on both the heart and the mind. Don't forget, God is the one who gave us a mind and intellect in the first place.

If God gave us a mind, should we choose not to use it? And if God gave us his Holy Spirit, should we choose to neglect Him?

I thank God for people like Jack Deere, David Geisler, and Norman Geisler, who fluidly articulate my thoughts for me in such brilliant manners that inspire me to wrestle with the topic even further.

Until next time...

Do You Love Me?

There is one lesson I've learned after being involved in ministry for the last several years. It's a lesson that transfers across every kind of ministry, whether you're involved with youth, kids, the homeless, or whoever. It's one that I try to remind myself every single day, especially while I'm here in L.A.

It is simply this: We cannot minister to people without falling in love with Jesus Christ first.

Sounds simple, right? But then why do we find ourselves going through the motions of daily ministry? Have you ever found yourself "doing" ministry because it's what is expected of you or out of obligation? I only ask these questions because I have had to grapple with them myself.

The other day I was driving somewhere in the city and my mind wandered to some scripture that I've actually preached on before. But for some reason the Holy Spirit illumined a part of it that I hadn't focused on before.

It's in John 21, one of my favorite passages in the Bible. At this point, Jesus has been resurrected and shown himself to the disciples. In this setting, Peter and some of the other disciples are out fishing. The sheer irony of the setting is enough to raise some eyebrows. Think about it... Peter and the other disciples have just spent 3 years with Jesus, seen the miracles he performed, heard his incredible teachings, watched him die on the cross, and met him after he raised from the dead. And what do they do? They go fishing. They go back to what was ordinary or safe in their lives. I realize that Jesus told them to wait for the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, before they went out, but at the same time it just seems like an interesting activity of choice by these disciples, especially Peter, upon whom Jesus said he would build his church. But that's another blog, another sermon, for another day. That isn't the part of the passage that stuck out to me.

It's when Jesus starts talking to Peter that I realize the importance of Jesus' implications. We pick up in verse 15:

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"
"Yes Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.""

The key thing to notice here is the order of Jesus' words. He first asks Peter if he loves Jesus. Only after Peter says that he loves him does Jesus commission him to "feed my lambs," "take care of my sheep," and "feed my sheep." Jesus does not tell him to begin his ministry until he knows for sure that he loves him with everything. The action words of feeding and taking care are synonymous with doing ministry.

In other words we are not to even presume that we can take care of God's flock, or the church, before we fall completely in love with Jesus Christ. How can we do ministry in the name of the one we do not love with heart, soul, mind, and strength?

Every morning now I wake up and pray that I will fall freshly in love with Jesus Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit before I start any ministry. The second part of being filled with the Holy Spirit comes from Jesus telling the disciples the same thing; that is, they should not go out and minister until the Advocate, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit falls upon them. I've come to the realization that without these two things I can never be effective in ministry.

Again, I say these things because I am learning this in my own life. When the Holy Spirit opens my mind to something fresh in Scripture, I can't help but talk about it! Hopefully I will keep the aforementioned prayer alive in my walk and ministry everyday. I also hope that this encouraged you and that you fall in love with Jesus more every single day!

And, as promised, some verses that keep me going in ministry to the poor and broken:
1 John 3:17-18
"If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Hibernation

Apparently it's not easy to blog while taking on a full load of college classes. Go figure.

I enjoy writing, and I love blogging. But for some reason I simply do not find the time to get on here and continue posting my thoughts, incomplete as they might be. This is but one reason why I am excited for this semester to end and for summer to come. The onslaught of free time will inevitably lead to more blogging and word-vomiting, leading you few readers to evaluate whether it's better for me to be consumed with classes or with free time. The jury's still out on this one...

One significant thing I have done this semester is a spring break missions trip to Dearborn, Michigan, where thousands of Arab Muslims have immigrated. It was a one-week intensive experience where our team learned about Islam and we had the opportunity to work hands-on with Muslims in the community. This trip taught me a lot and helped me come to a deeper appreciation of the cross and its unique part in the Christian faith. Excerpts from my conversations with the Muslims to come in future posts.

Another big topic I've been studying and thinking about this semester is the Holy Spirit and his daily role in the life of a believer. How does the Holy Spirit work and speak today? How does God still work miracles today? I recently finished a book entitled Surprised by the Power of the Spirit by Jack Deere for my Historic Christian Belief class. Deere is a former cessationist (one who believes the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased to exist after the death of the last apostle) who changed his view completely after a thorough study of Scripture and several key experiences. It encouraged me and challenged me in several ways, and I am planning on reading Deere's second book called Surprised by the Voice of God this summer.

I am also preparing for my summer in inner city Los Angeles working as an intern with the Dream Center and its Hope for Homeless Youth ministry. I will be helping with outreaches to the homeless in the city and across the wider region of L.A. I am excited and somewhat nervous, and I know that God is going to work a lot in my heart. Much of my blogging this summer will most likely come as a result of this ministry.

Anyway, this is my report from hibernation. I look forward to blogging more often as summer draws nearer. I leave you with a verse - really think about its implications. What is this verse suggesting and implying? More to come later...

John 14:12 - "Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."