We are in the season of Lent, a season that is for the Christian a time of contemplation on Christ’s death and resurrection.  As we draw closer to Black Friday, it is apt that we should give away a copy of John Stott’s classic, The Cross of Christ.  The book is neatly divided into four major sections:

1. Approaching the Cross
2. The Heart of the Cross
3. The Achievement of the Cross
4. Living Under the Cross

The Cross of Christ gives us a breathtaking view of the horror of crucifixion and the glory of the Lamb slain.  As I have been reading it this past week, I have been floored by the goodness of God toward sinners and the magnitude of Christ’s agony on the cross.  I encourage everyone to read this book.  One of my favorite sections is Section IV, “Living Under the Cross.”  Here Stott addresses at length the outflowing of Christ’s work for the church and how his death and resurrection allow His people to live out the gospel.

In an interview with Dr. Art Lindsley,* John Stott was asked questions about the church and the books that had most influenced him.  But when Dr. Lindsley asked Stott what he believed to be the most important book he has ever written, Stott answers:

I think the answer must be The Cross of Christ. The first reason is that the cross lies at the center of both the Christian faith and the Christian life. If pressed about my favorite verse in Scripture, I would have to say Galatians 6:14: ‘God forbid that I should boast in anything except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified unto me, and I have been crucified unto the world.’ The reason why the cross was central to the mind of Paul is that it was central to the mind of Christ before him.

Secondly, I have been concerned to write a book which is not just about the Atonement but about all aspects of the death of Christ as unfolded in the New Testament. For instance, Christ calls us to take up our cross and follow him. ‘When Christ calls a man,’ wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ‘he bids him come and die.’ We are always in danger of trivializing the meaning of conversion as if it involved only the adoption of a veneer of piety in an otherwise secular life. Then scratch the surface and there is the same old pagan underneath. But no, conversion is much more radical than this. No imagery can do it justice but death and resurrection—death to the old life of self-centeredness and sin, and resurrection to a new life of self-sacrifice and love.

Thirdly, more of my heart and mind went into the writing of The Cross of Christ than into any other book. It is my ‘apology,’ my personal statement of faith.

This week you can win a copy of The Cross of Christ simply by entering your name and email address below.  You will be able to enter the drawing pool from now until Saturday, March 13, at noon.  We will randomly select a winner and notify that winner by email.

*If you click on the link to find the interview with John Stott, it can be found under Summer 2001 at the bottom of the page the link takes you to.

This week Bonhoeffer moves from the Christian life in community to the Christian’s individual walk.  He hones in on the fact that “the Christian community is not a spiritual sanatorium.”  In other words, the Christian community is not where a Christian goes to fix the soul and then move on.  Bonhoeffer has a double warning for both those who would tend toward solitude and those who tend toward community: “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community.  Let him who is not in community beware of being alone.”

After this warning, Bonhoeffer goes on to argue that “the day together will be unfruitful without the day alone, both for the fellowship and for the individual.”  The mark of true solitude is silence, and “silence is the simple stillness of the individual under the word of God.”  Bonhoeffer argues convincingly that without this solitude–not a solitude that cuts us off from men altogether, but a solitude that happens in our daily Christian lives as we go to work, school, etc. and are parted from the community of believers–the Christian’s spiritual life will be stunted.  But when we truly stand before God throughout the day, allowing his word to soak in, “we meet others in a different and fresh way” and the community of believers will thrive.

Bonhoeffer argues that the Christian needs to have at least some time throughout the day in which he can be alone for three purposes:

1. Scripture Meditation–The Christian takes a short passage of Scripture and is “alone with the Word,” perhaps taking a single passage and “sitting” with that passage for upward of a week.  Whereas in group study you cover the breadth of Scripture, here you dwell in the depths of the Word and ask God how it applies to you personally.
2. Prayer–Reading the Scripture necessarily leads us to prayer.  We take things to God in personal prayer that we may not offer up in the fellowship.  This time of prayer is personal and deep.
3. Intercession–We are to take our brothers and sisters before God in intercession.  ”I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.”

For Bonhoeffer, the test of meditation (and prayer and intercession) is the way one conducts himself in the “real world,” in everyday life.  Does he leave the fellowship and feel lost in the world?  Then something is amiss.  Does he leave his time of meditation and fall into despair when he meets a trial?  The Word is not dwelling deeply enough.  How we live throughout the day tells us whether our fellowship and our individual time before God is strengthening us or making us dependent.

So how is your meditation time?  Do you have a method of meditating on the Word that has been particularly helpful for you?  How does your reaction to others in the secular world reflect your time in the Word?

Living a Life of Love

So, why all this encouragement to get out into the community?  Some may ask, is it even biblical?  The short answer is, well, yes. Because of the power of the gospel at work in our lives, we are called to imitate Jesus’ example of love in action.  For Christ’s love compels us.  Paul says,

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:1-2

As dearly loved children of God for whom Jesus gave his life, we are called and empowered to follow Christ’s example of sacrificial servanthood (see Matt. 16:24, John 14:12, 2 Cor. 5:14-15, and Phil. 2:5-8).

Jesus also commissions his followers to continue his kingdom work of calling people to repentance (Matt. 4:17) and restoring those who are broken in body, soul and spirit (Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” – John 20:21

What does a life of love look like in your world?  Are you, out of the abundance of what Christ has given you, caring for and serving those around y0u?  Consider a few ways to serve those around you:

• Pray for them
• Encourage those around you, especially if they are having a difficult day
• Seek ways to tangibly express your care (ex. write a note of thanks, buy their lunch, invite a neighbor over for dessert, help a coworker or fellow student with a work assignment, etc.)

Last night, my neighbor called me and forgot to purchase trash bags at the grocery.  He asked if he could have a few from my house.  One thing led to another, and we had an hour long conversation about how Christ’s love compels us to be generous and open handed to one another.  My neighbor said, “My wife and I are just blown away by the friendship that you have cultivated with us.  We love you guys!  If your church is full of others who live this way, we are interested.”  This comment is the result of community, service, and mission as we live ordinary life with love.

A Mosaic of Ethnicities

What would it look like if the nations of the world came together in one place to live out life among each other? Sounds like a crazy idea doesn’t it? Actually it may not be that crazy after all. Take a drive one afternoon through the neighborhoods of Louisville and what you will find is a mosaic of ethnicities living in our city. The world is changing and we as the church must also change the way we think and respond to this new opportunity.

No longer are the nations of the world only on the pages of a National Geographic or featured in the latest documentary. The nations are now our neighbors and we as the church are called to love our neighbors. We must change the paradigm and realize that to share the love of Christ through word and deed means sharing it with people from different nations.

One great way to begin reaching internationals in our city with the gospel is by building relationships through your Community Group.  Or this summer, you can join us as we will be eating at a different ethnic restaurant every Friday night.  Keep your eyes posted on the city for updates.

Ministering to an ethnic family: Nuts and Bolts

First, begin building a relationship with them. Take them some American food, invite them to a family meal, shop at their store, eat at their restaurant, tutor their kids, teach them English, the list goes on. It may seem strange to try and build a relationship with an international but keep in mind many of these people have never been invited into an American home or have ever had a close American friend. Start small, love this new family, and welcome them into your community group. Keep in mind they are not a project but people who need love and care just like every other person in your community group.

If the face and makeup of our city now reflects the nations, shouldn’t our church also be made up of people from different ethnic backgrounds? If we are to heed the Great Commission we must seek to have the nations as a part of the body of Sojourn.

“Evangelism.”  It is a loaded word.  When we say “evangelism,” it brings to mind for many of us a familiar image: an individual standing at a door with an unbeliever, tract and Bible in hand ready to win this wretched sinner to Christ by walking him through the ABC’s of salvation and move on to the next house on the block. I have been there and handed out the tracts.  I have met with individuals and walked them through how to accept Christ.  And I have been frustrated.  Frustrated with how artificial the meeting feels.  Frustrated with with the lack of response from the individual.  Frustrated that my presentation of the gospel didn’t work.

Is there more to evangelism?  Is there more than just handing out a tract, asking a few pre-packaged questions, and walking away frustrated when someone doesn’t immediately accept Christ as their personal Savior?  Is there more than knocking door-to-door and meeting people who hesitate to allow us into there homes without a prior invitation?  Is there more?

I think there is.  Consider the following situation:  John, a Christian who just finished a class on evangelism and is pumped up to share the gospel,  goes to a door and knocks.  The door opens to a forty-year-old man who was not prepared for someone to knock at his door.  He is wearing sweatpants and a grungy shirt and does not look happy to have uninvited company.  John, Bible in hand and gospel tract ready, greets the individual and almost immediately jumps into a gospel presentation.  Our forty-year-old stranger puts up with the presentation, accepts the gospel tract and a free Bible so that the Christian will leave him alone and let him get back to his TV show.  After the door is shut, the stranger sighs in relief and tosses the Bible and tract into the trash.  On the other side of the door, John sighs and walks away, feeling defeated.

Now consider a second situation.  John has been working with Mark for three months.  Mark knows that John is a Christian, but he has never felt pressured by him to attend church or felt like he was being preached at.  One night after work, John invites Mark out for a steak dinner and while they’re eating John mentions that he and his friends are having a barbeque the following week.  Mark hesitates.  He knows John fairly well, but he doesn’t know any of his friends and doesn’t want to feel out of place.  But as John continues to talk about his friends and the barbeque, Mark is intrigued and accepts the invitation.  A week later at the barbeque, Mark arrives and is greeted warmly by Mark and his friends.  There are several people who are first-timers, and Mark doesn’t feel as out of place as he thought he would.   As the night wears on, he realizes that several of the people there are Christians.  They are not at all like he imagined Christians should be, and they are having a great time.  Throughout the night Mark is exposed to several Christians whom he has much in common with.  A few weeks later Mark calls John and tells him that he is about to start a Bible study with Steve and Bill, two friends he made at the barbeque, but he wants to make sure it’s OK with Mark.  Mark, of course, tells him it is fine.

If you are anything like me, you would be quick to call the first event evangelism, while the second event seems far less so.  But why is this?  Why is it more acceptable to view a lone Christian going door to door as doing the work of evangelism rather than a group of Christians inviting unbelievers to their home to have burgers and play games?   Tim Chester and Steve Timmis in their book, Total Church, have this to say about a more community-centered evangelism:

By making evangelism a community project, it also takes seriously the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in distributing a varitey of gifts among his people.  Everyone has a part to play–the new Christian, the introvert, the extrovert, the eloquent, the stuttering, the intelligent, the awkward.  I may be the one who has begun to build a relationship with my neighbor, but in introducing him to community, it is someone else who shares the gospel with him.  That is not only legitimate–it is positively thrilling![1]

So if we adopt this vision of making evangelism a “community project,” what will it mean for how we do evangelism?  What will we have to change in our own thinking?  What must we change in how we treat one another?  Is this model of evangelism viable?  Can it be done?  Should it be done?

Below is a conversation between Tim Keller, John Piper, and Don Carson about Mercy Ministry and the Social Gospel.  D.A.Carson asks “ If we should be involved in such ministry [mercy ministries], what safeguards can we introduce so that we don’t fall into the traps that have historically taken place?”  Carson is referring to the “social gospel,” where churches stop proclaiming the gospel and only focus on improving social conditions.

Here at Sojourn, we seek a Biblical balance between gospel proclamation and caring for the poor or meeting physical needs.  I found this hour long conversation very helpful and hope you find it fruitful.

For a partial transcript of this conversation, you can visit here.

Many thanks to Justin Taylor for posting this conversation on several occasions.

Further resources regarding Sojourn’s balance of Word and deed:

Seed and Evangelism – Part 1

Seed and Evangelism – Part 2

Seed and Evangelism – Part 3

Redemptive Relationships with Each Other and our Neighbors

Our Goals and How We Will Accomplish Them

Every Friday we give away a free book that has been instrumental in our understanding of mercy ministry.  You don’t have to be involved in mercy ministry to notice that people all around us struggle with addiction.  We all know of persons dealing with the abuse of alcohol, food, sex, gambling, and more.  As a matter of fact, you may be dealing with an addiction and haven’t told anyone.

This week, we are giving away a copy of Ed Welch’s book Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. It’s book on addictions written by a leader of the biblical counseling movement, informed by his wide experience in counseling people with addictions.

This helpful book discusses how to think theologically about addictions and shows how the gospel gives hope and freedom from the things that enslave us.  Some of the topics covered include

• The Decent into Addiction
• Speaking the Truth in Love
• Knowing and Fearing the Lord
• Turning from Lies
• Saying “NO”
• Being part of the Christian Body

Each chapter concludes with practical next steps for the addict and suggestions for those who are helping the addict.  In this short video, Ed Welch talks about the curriculum, Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Addiction.  Crossroads is a curriculum based on the book Addictions.

All you have to do to enter the drawing for the book is enter your name and email address below.  You may only enter your name once for the drawing.  The drawing is open until noon on Saturday, March 6, when we will take all names entered and use a program to randomly pick a winner.  We will contact you by email if you won and give you instructions about picking up the book.

Visit here to talk to a Sojourn Counselor about any addiction that you are struggling with.

Summary

Chapter two walks through the Christian’s day and offers insight into how life in light of the resurrection might look.  The beginning of the day “does not belong to the individual, it belongs to the Church of the triune God, to the Christian family, to the brotherhood.”  Bonhoeffer argues that morning is the time Christians should worship together in order to set the day right.

For Christians the beginning of the day should not be burdened and oppressed with besetting concerns for the day‘s work.  At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it.  All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of night retreat before the clear light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word.  All unrest, all impurity, all care and anxiety flee before him.  Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be silenced and let the first thought and the first word belong to him to whom our whole life belongs.

Bonhoeffer goes on to unpack the various aspects of the Christian’s life in community  throughout the day.  Some of the topics covered include:

• Reading the Scriptures — This section discusses the importance of reading the Word of God to one another, especially at the beginning of a day.  Bonhoeffer stresses the importance of lengthier passages read in their contexts instead of simply reading a “verse of the day” divorced from the larger text.  He even tells the one who would object that reading the Bible is too hard for him that this is to be his shame and should propel him to learn the art of daily reading, arguing that the “one who will not learn to handle the Bible for himself is not an evangelical Christian.”
• Singing the New Song* — Bonhoeffer stresses the need for the church to sing not only psalms taken from Scripture, but also the “new song” that the psalms command us to sing so often.  He argues that just as Moses sang a new song after God delivered the people from Egypt, so Christians should sing a new song as they are re-awakened to the mercy of the cross.  Bonhoeffer diverts people from turning this to law, arguing that the “new song” is “sung first in the heart…otherwise it cannot be sung at all…the heart sings because it is overflowing with Christ.”
• Saying Our Prayers Together — Christians are to bring their prayers to the Lord in their own words, and prayer is often done best in community.  For the one who might not feel like praying in public because he is weighed down with “inner emptiness and weariness or a sense of personal unworthiness” Bonhoeffer tells him “he should learn what it means to have a duty to perform in the fellowship and the brethren should support him in his weakness, in his inability to pray.  Perhaps it is right here that one will realize the profound truth of Paul’s words [of the Spirit interceding for us].”
• The Fellowship of the Table — When Christians gather together for a meal, they ought to recognize that God “is the giver of all good gifts; and beyond this, as the true Gift; the true Bread of life itself; and finally, as the One who is calling them to the banquet of the Kingdom of God.”  When we share bread together, we are reminding ourselves that we share one bread now that we may share one meal when we are united with God at death, and so we enjoy our meal, praising god and rejoicing in the midst of daily strife.
• The Day’s Work — Bonhoeffer states that “prayer and working are two different things.  Prayer should not be hindered by work, but neither should work be hindered by prayer.”  He goes on to say that “without the burden and labor of the day, prayer is not prayer, and without prayer, work is not work.”  He goes on to argue that we etend to take our bread as reward for our labor, but he argues that “we cannot simply take it for granted that our work provides us with bread; this is rather God’s order of grace.”

But perhaps the most interesting section in this chapter is “The Secret of the Psalter.”  Here Bonhoeffer wonders that we can repeat much of the Psalms as our own words, but there are times when we cannot personally speak with the psalmist (for example, Psalms of innocence).  How are we to pray through the Psalms, and what are we to make of these sections we cannot claim?  Bonhoeffer offers the following solution:

A psalm that we cannot utter as a prayer, that makes us falter and horrifies us, is a hint to us that here Someone else is praying, not we; that the One who is here protesting his innocence, who is invoking God’s judgment, who has come to such infinite depths of suffering, is none other than Jesus Christ himself.  He it is who is praying here, and not only here but in the whole Psalter.

This great “secret of the Psalter” is a beautiful reminder to us because it is true not only of the Psalter, but of our Christian lives.  When we near the end of a day and feel as if we have failed and are stained by sin, unworthy to come before a holy God (though we might have done everything in our power to follow after Christ), we can rest in the knowledge that we have a mediator between God and man–Christ Jesus!  Hear what the writer of Hebrews says:

[Christ] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

We can rest because Christ intercedes on our behalf before the Father.  He takes our sin-stained, weak, pitiful offerings of worship, prayer, and good works; he covers them in the blood that he shed for us on calvary; and he gives this new sacrifice to God, who is fully and gladly satisfied with what began as a meager, pitiful offering.

This is the truth that we should joyfully share with others! How freeing is it to recognize that Christ takes our pitiful offering that is offered in faith and takes it before the Father who accepts it because it has been purified by Christ the High Priest?  How should this truth spur us on in service?  What other insights did you glean from the reading this week?  Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Don’t Forget…

Next week we will cover chapter three of Life Together, so read ahead and take notes!

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*In this section Bonhoeffer has a discussion about singing in unison that I found to be thoroughly entertaining.  He finds singing in parts (i.e., bass, alto) atrocious.  It’s worth going through this section again, if you missed it the first time.

Young Christian Adults Serve The Homeless And Are Changed Themselves.

In 2005, a conversation began about what to do with an empty apartment in a tiny homeless shelter in Louisville. Five years later, 26 young adult Christians have had the trajectory of their lives forever changed as they followed Christ and built relationships with the homeless and hurting through JSBC’s Hope for Louisville program.

Hope for Louisville was started as an opportunity for Christian young adults to learn how to love God and love their urban neighbors in word and deed. Team Members serve in JSBC’s Day Shelter by providing toiletries, helping guests access mail and their stored luggage, and building relationships with the male and female guests. Team Members also build relationships with their urban neighbors. (For the Men’s Team, this means primarily the men who live at the shelter long-term. For the Women’s Team, this means primarily the women and children who live close to them in a nearby low-income neighborhood.) Team Members are part of a solid gospel-centered church within walking distance of where they live, allowing them to bring their new friends deeper into Christian community. Also, Team Members seek daily intimacy with Christ through prayer, Bible study, service and worship. This is all pursued in the context of community with other Christian young adults as Team Members live together, worship together and serve together.

For many people, the desire to build deep, impactful relationships with the poor is lost on “someday”. “Someday, I am going to break out of my routine and do something radical.” But for many, that “someday” never comes. Hope for Louisville makes that “someday” happen today.

Everyone does the Hope for Louisville program for different reasons and come from different walks of life.

Hope alumni Matt Smith says, “I did HOPE because I was truly seeking God. I was working in the corporate world. I had no passion for what I was doing. I also knew that the job I was in wasn’t where I wanted to make a career. I was really wanting some new direction and change in my life. A friend told me about the HOPE program and I knew from the moment I heard the details I wanted to be involved, if that was God’s will.”

Some are fresh out of high school. Others have graduate degrees. Many are somewhere in their college years.

In reflecting on how God used HOPE to change his life, Hope alumni Brandon Bowers says, “I am different from the experience in several different ways. It has changed many things that will affect my life forever, such as how I view material possessions, what money is intended for, and how temporary so many material things are.”

Smith adds, “I feel I am different in that I have more empathy and a greater understanding of God’s love for people. I have been humbled and become more patient. I have received focus and put much more trust in Jesus. I have a greater understanding of the human condition and am able to identify with people who before seemed so foreign to me.”

Even the lives of parents are changed. Betty Stewart, whose son Coran did the program, says, “Coran’s three months of serving at JSBC with the HOPE team forever changed his life…and mine. While I shamefully and regretfully admit I’d always associated ‘homeless’ with ‘bum’, my son quickly saw and taught me something very different. God began to open my eyes a bit to the world outside my selfish own. It was Coran’s experiences that he shared with us that have forever changed my view of ‘homeless’ and has, indeed, made me better understand and appreciate his ministry passion.”

JSBC’s Hope for Louisville is open to Christian men and women between the ages of 18 and 30. Hope offers both a 3 month summer term and 1 year term. To learn more about the Hope for Louisville program, please visit http://hopeforlouisville.com or call 502.584.6543.

Summer Term 2010

Service Dates: Tuesday, May 25th – Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Full Year Term 2010/2011

Service Dates: Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 – Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Application Deadline: Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Monday, I was prayer walking through the Shelby Park neighborhood with a good friend of mine when we met Red.  Red is an older man with a hard face, well defined wrinkles, and long unkempt gray hair with streaks of red at the roots.  He smells of homelessness and wears a blue hoodie that hasn’t been washed since who knows when.  Red lives in a crack house and is addicted to alcohol.  He told us so.

We struck up a conversation with him and he received our attention.  He was thankful that someone took notice of him and was eager to get to know us a little.  After a few minutes of conversation, we asked him if he knew Jesus.  He said he knew Jesus a long time ago, but not recently.   This prompted us to share the Gospel with him, which we did. He said he’s heard it before, took a sip of his beer, and told us in shame that he hasn’t been able to get free from the bottle.  He felt convicted by the realities of sin, but he didn’t realize that God’s free gift of life was being offered to him right before his eyes. He kept thinking that he’s got to get his act together BEFORE God will love and forgive him.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Before long, we looked at our watches, noticed we were late to our next appointment, and said good-by to Red.  We prayed for him and went our way.  No doubt, we shared the gospel with Red.  Yet, it was clear that he did not understand the good news – it was just words to him.  We left Red and he is likely still in his sin.  My friend and I shot a blank.  We made a big bang, but it didn’t draw blood.

As we walked home, I was reminded of John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I said to myself, “how could we have tangibly shown to Red that we loved him?  I mean, he was sitting at the Banquet table of Life, free of charge, and would not eat. Red just couldn’t see what was laid out before him.”

I was reminded that mercy has an impact.  It melts hearts and removes objections.  Our good deeds glorify God in the eyes of the world (Matt. 5:16).  It physically demonstrates our love (and by extension God’s love) for others.  How many Christians have shared the gospel to Red, but have not demonstrated a love for him?  Our concrete deeds of love for one another are an apologetic for the validity of the Christian faith.

I left bothered.  Certainly, it is the Holy Spirit’s job to ultimately convict Red.  But, isn’t it unthinkable that we could truly love an individual an not want both to share the gospel as well as meet the person’s most basic needs?  If I truly love Red, I’ll acknowledge that his most fundamental need is reconciliation to God.  But I don’t want to care for Red’s needs or help him just as a means to that end.  No!  I’ll help out Red, because I love him.

I plan to visit Red again.  After praying for him, I believe that what he needs is good company.  A few good friends (i.e., the church) that will point him lovingly to the truth and away from the bottle.  If Red knew the gospel and was surrounded by a few solid friends and community, I bet that he’d be willing to fight one more time to quit his habit.  This time, it would be different.  This time, he would not be alone, but he would be doing it with together with God’s people and God’s family.

Perhaps you will want to go with me (we visit 5-8 families every Monday evening, many of whom are elderly, disabled, lonely and poor). Come with us and experience how God has equipped every member of his body for the work of ministry.  By the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, together we will in Word and deed proclaim God’s excellencies to the lost, hurting, poor and needy.  In doing this, we will advance God’s kingdom and bring glory to his name.