Using the Shift Key (Part Three) and Zig-Zag Evangelism

Getting back to our conversation about change, Bruce is right when he suggests that behind much failure to change is a failure to honor the authority of God's Word-either by adding our ideas to it, or by somehow redefining what it says according to our ways and habits. I take that to capture the gist of his comments.

Too often we fail to love God with a Truth and Bible-driven heart-set, and the result is that we simply refuse to change even when God is clear in His will for our lives; His will revealed in His Word.

That said, once I've learned His will, I find grace for change in seeing living examples of obedience. Such as my friend, Doug. He's my chiropractor. I went to have him adjust me a bit yesterday. He did so in more ways than one. Every time I'm with Doug I feel his passion for people, including a radical lifestyle-affecting commitment to reach the lost. To be with him is to be inspired toward evangelism.

Before I left his office yesterday, he introduced me to his receptionist in a way that set me up to share Christ with her. It was a thing of strategic beauty. And by the grace of God, I was ready to speak, and received words to do so.

I wouldn't always have been poised to respond to the moment. People don't believe this about me, but I'm shy by nature. I'm not naturally inclined to approach people to talk about anything. Shy: that's a sneaky euphemism for one who is self-centered, too proud to risk saying the wrong or embarassing thing, too in love with his own comfort zone to love the people that are crowding into it.

I've had to change. Shift has had to happen. Shyness had to go. And one of the life-spheres in which it's been needed is in my evangelism. For this I've had to submit to God's Word and just do it. But I've also had the privilege of having models of evangelism set before me, like Doug and Joel.

Joel's my second of five sons. He engages in what I call zig-zag evangelism. It started when he was in the local community college. He made it his habit to arrive early for class, park as far away from the building as he could, and then open his eyes to anyone anywhere in the parking lot between his car and the building. Then he'd walk toward each, moving from one spot to another, back and forth, zig-zagging his way across the lot--making sure to say hi, and to get to know everyone on the way to class.

The way he figured it, the more he got to know, the more he might have a chance to share the Lord with. I remember when I first heard him describe his witness strategy, I was tempted to dismiss it as simply his style (those who know Joel know that he is not shy). But that was a cop out.

After a few minutes' reflection I thought: "Tim, you may not be able to duplicate Joel, but you can imitate him. It's time to learn from your son" (something I'm now doing with all six of my children!). I knew change had to happen. So I decided then that I wanted to grow up to be like my son! His model has led me to change. Now--after years of prayer and practice, while I may never match Joel's gifting, I can and I do have a very similar spirit as I go out my door. "Lord lead me to someone and make me ready to love and speak."

So when Doug set me up to speak to his receptionist yesterday, by God's grace I was ready, and the door opened wide. The young lady was open and looking and eager to talk. Pretty cool.

So here's a way to change: see what God says to do, pray for grace to change, look for models to help you see what it looks like in real life, and then give it a shot. Then keep at it until choices become habits, and habits become character, and character, life. God promises this: grace will flow to inspire and to enable our obedience. And we'll never be the same.

Why not try something new for God today.
And let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear.

Permission to Eavesdrop

I don't/won't do this often since my devotional time with the Lord is a pretty private thing I enjoy without feeling any need or desire to share, but something tells me that God's going to tell me something that I can let you eavesdrop on.

I've just set my Bible down, having completed a reading of Exodus 40 and the first ten chapters of Leviticus. I noticed something in this reading on which I want to meditate, so I want to get down some of my thoughts about it. I'm going to let you in on the process. This is going on right now, my devotional thoughts streaming live to you.

Father, here's what I notice in your Word to me this morning. In Exodus 40:34-38 you tell me about the tent of meeting--symbollic of the place where You dwell, which I know You say in Hebrews is ultimately Heaven--the True Tent of Meeting. I read here of Your glory filling the tent and then abiding withYour people.

Thank you Father for dwelling with us in this life and then allowing us to dwell with You forever in Your everlasting Home. And thank you for glory, Your glory, Your majesty and power and majestic sweetness with which You fill our hearts and lives. Thank You for times when I just know that I know that I know that You are God and that you are great and that you are good.

Now Lord, I notice something in my reading. Leviticus 1:1, 2 are not just the very next words in the Bible--after Exodus 40. When I read them I sense that they are the very next words in the storyline of the Bible. I mean, the last paragraph of Exodus and the first words of Leviticus connect. Exodus concludes with this description of the tent of meeting and the glory that fills it, and then--and this is the thing that grabs my heart--Leviticus begins with Your voice coming from the tent of meeting telling Your people the way (and the only way) to come near that tent.

And for ten long blood-saturated, death-filled chapters You lay out laws about sacrifices and priests. Put differently: You tell Your people that as much as they might want to approach You and Your tent, they'd better do it in the right way (with a sacrifice to cover their sins), or they will not be able to do it at all. In fact, Levitcus 10:1-7 reveals that if people approach wrongly, they die.

The way you say to come is one filled with blood and death. You command sacrifices and blood--daily offered and ceaselessy atoning. I see that you require payment for all sins--even those I do unintentionally. I see that the God of glory cannot be approached by sinners without a sacrifice--an atoning, God's-wrath-appeasing sacrifice offered in death. Sin must be paid for before God may be approached.

Here's what I hear you saying my Lord: "Tim, you and all sinners have offended me by your sins. I am holy, and you, Tim, are not. If you want to come near to Me and see My glory, your sin must be covered. If your really want to enjoy My presence, you have to draw near with a sacrifice that says that you know you're a sinner and you know that your sins deserve death. If you come without a sacrifice offered in death, you will not be able to see My glory."

I see it Father. You are reminding me of Jesus here, and the sacrifice He has offered for my sins so I can enter Your presence and see Your glory. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that cleanses me from all sin. Thank you Father and Son for providing the one sacrifice that covers my sins once and for all.

Thank You that the payment has been made and the way is open. Thank You that I can now approach You, anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances, because no matter where I am or what is happening I have a High Priest in the True Tent of Meeting (Heaven, which is Yor House) whose nail-scarred hands and feet remind You of the sacrifice once given for me. I'm never barred from Your presence because I'm always covered by His blood.

And thank you that I do not have to do Leviticus 1-10 any more. Well, I guess I really do. I still can only come if my sins are atoned for. Only I get to do it every day by pleading Jesus, not by carrying an animal, slicing its neck, and bloodying my hands.

Thank You that Your hands were bloodied for me.
I love you Lord. I love You Jesus for making the way.
Amen.


Friends, I've interrupted our conversation about shift and change to let you eavesdrop on my time with God, and to be reminded of at least one thing that wonderfully, doesn't ever change; the work of Christ. Now I'm going to go sing.

Using the Shift Key (Part Two)

As TDB comments, "We're hard wired to hang on to our comfortable ways of doing life, believing it will start working--eventually--in the face of compelling evidence to the contrary." I agree. We often mistake what is comfortable for what is effective or right. If it feels easy or normal we don't even think to change it. We feel no instinct or desire to shift. Why mess with success? But is it really success, or is it something else?

One of my first adult life uses of the shift key took place around 1988. About five years into pastoral ministry I studied the Bible's teaching about Communion and concluded that the NT church observed the Lord's Supper often. I know there's debate on it, and my point is not to build a case here, but here's what I thought: the Bible at least commends (though I'm not sure it commands) frequent Communion.

Having come from a tradition of once-a-month Communion, this jarred my little theological world and caused no small inner turmoil. You see: the trouble with the way we do (and have always done) things is that our way takes on the status of conviction by wrapping itself in arguments to justfiy its existence and exaggerate its importance. That's what had happened with my once-a-month-Communion practice. It's the way it had been done. It seemed to be working. And besides, if you observe Communion more than once per month, it'll become a vain repitition; an empty ritual. Increased familiarity will lead to diminishing returns. So the argument (my argument) went.

But I was up against it: the trouble with the argument was that it didn't seem to stand up to the implications of Scripture, nor to the witness of history. Apparently in the NT church they were able to observe Communion at least weekly and still be impacted by grace. Scripture testimony (and the experience of some great Christians in history) rocked my convictions and exposed them as mere traditions. It was time to use the shift key.

Opting for every week Communion (our practice to this day) we've found that instead of becoming a vain and empty ritual, Communion has become a profoundly meaningful, and worship and life-transforming means of grace. Every week Communion perpetually reminds us that no matter what else happens in life and church and worship, we are each, individually, and all, collectively, people of the Cross. By this means, we are brought back to the gospel and to the main thing (1 Corinthians 15:3) every time we gather. Greater familiarity has in fact led to increasing returns.

The lessons learned from this use of life's shift key have been valuable:
1. When the Bible seems to be pointing in one direction and I'm going in another, it's always safer and better to adjust accordingly.
2. I don't need to be afraid to test my ways and traditions. With a Bible in hand, I can be willing to evaluate everything. Is it right? Is it really biblical? Are my arguments for my way merely human reasons for a human tradition or are they really God's truth truly held? Is there a better way? While the older or present way may not seem broken, does it need a tune-up or upgrade?
3. And in the case of Communion, I've learned that anything that keeps the Cross of Jesus front and center in life is a good thing!

Shifting direction has led us closer to Jesus.
Any thoughts?

Using the Shift Key (Part One)

So I had someone ask me yesterday if I knew how to use the shift key. Apparently some might be a bit bothered by the absence of capitalization in my blog so far. No offence intended! I know the person who asked me about this was concerned for the effectiveness of my blog, and I am truly grateful. I've had reasons for my non-use of caps, and am still pondering the pros and cons of a future use of the shift key for blog and ministry purposes. But so as not to distract for the moment: the shift key is functioning today!

Reflecting on the shift key has made me think about shift; the experience of change, alteration, new direction, an embrace of new things, new ideas, new adventures, new priorities.

Please know up front that I'm aware that many today are change addicts: they've never met a new gadget, game-plan, or guru that they haven't liked and then tried for five minutes. They press the shift key after every five letters. Such change addiction is a crippling life and heart concern.

But that said, I think all of us humans are notoriously change resisters (if you think about it, it's because of an unchanging fear of being bored or appearing boring, that even the change addict resists exchanging his change addiction for something a bit less changeable). As I've come to see it, there's no real virtue in change resistance. Change is good, so long as there's reason for it. In fact, growth, by definition, is change. Using life's shift key is really a good thing.

Over the next few days, I'm going to indulge a little reflection on shifts that have happened in my life. I'll leave it to you to decide whether they've signaled growth or not. But for now, can I offer a few clues as to when I think it's time to use life's shift key? Here are a few "it's -time-to-change" signals:

1. When the Bible says one thing and you're believing or doing another, it's time to change.
2. When a new direction or style will do more people more good over the long haul--so long as it is not unbiblical, it's time to change.
3. When a shift of approach will connect to the lost more effectively (without compromising the essence of the gospel), it's time to change.
4. When the old ways no longer enlarge your mind, stir your emotions, and stretch your comfort zones, and have instead become mindless, dull, passionless, and comfortable, it's time to change.

What do you think? I'd love to know. Hey, there's a change I'd love for more of you to make. Click comments, type a few thoughts, click anonymous if you don't have an account, and send your reply. It's more fun if you include your name in the typed thoughts, but it isn't necessary.

Go ahead. Use life's shift key and log in your response.

Thanks for You

just a quick word of thanks. one of my team members preached last sunday from Philippians 1:3-8 and gave us a wonderful word about being grateful for those who partner with us in the gospel. it was simply a powerful word from God.

as i close out this week, enter into the Lord's Day tomorrow, and then embark on another week, i want to pause long enough to say thanks. our church is being favored by God. people are coming to Christ. Christians are growing. gospel witness is expanding. lots of good stuff is happening.

and do you know why? it's because people like you are sharing with your pastors in the work of the gospel and are growing more devoted to it with each passing day. thank you. we are amazed at those who have borne with us throughout the years. we're grateful for those who've sacrificed time and effort and money and preferences and who knows what else to help make gospel-progress happen in this place.

as you get ready for public worship tomorrow please know that your leaders get ready with hearts filled with joy over you.

we love you and thank God for you time and again.
Grace to every one of you.

On His Heart, Before the Throne

tucked away in the somewhat obscure passage, Exodus 28:29, is a word about aaron, the high priest of God's ancient people. this morning it was the highlight of my devotional time with God. read it and then think with me about it. aaron represented israel before God. in that role he offered sacrifices and prayers before God in behalf of the people. he brought sacrifices to cover the guilt of the people, and he offered prayers to plead for the needs of the people. to express this care of them, he was told in this scripture to bear their names on his heart to bring them to regular remembrance before God. this is what high priests were to do.

"before the throne of God above,
i have a strong and perfect plea;
a great High Priest, whose name is Love,
who ever lives and pleads for me.
my name is graven on His hands
my name is written on His heart,
i know that while in heaven He stands,
no tongue can bid me thence depart,
no tongue can bid me thence depart."

aaron is dead and gone; Jesus isn't. my name is written on the heart and graven on the hands of my High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is forever in the presence of my God in heaven. today i will be covered by the sacrifice He offered for my sins. today i will be prayed for by name, by One no less than the Son of God. i'm on His mind, in His heart, before the throne.

and so are you. Jesus is your access to God and your security before God. because of this, there is never a moment when you are not present in God's mind, secure in God’s heart and welcome into God’s presence. may i encourage you today to remember this: you are brought to regular remembrance before the Father by the One who has you graven on His heart.

God never goes an hour without thinking about you. because He is God who knows all, this couldn't happen. and even if it could your High Priest wouldn't let it happen. you're on the mind of God, and in His heart, right now.You are never forgotten by God: not for a day, not for an hour, not even for one moment. by faith, look up and see your Savior-Priest standing before the Father, and see your name on His heart, and in this find happy, secure, confident, humble, grateful peace.

Exhilaration vs. Exhileration

did you catch my spelling error in the recent blog. i put an e instead of an a in the middle of exhilaration. i've got a really good friend who pointed that out to me yesterday-with a big smile of authentic love. and you know what i did? i smiled back with a pretty good sized smile of authentic gratitude.

now that may not seem like much to you, but if you know me very well, you're probably aware that my return smile is a fairly new deal for me when it comes to having people point out my mistakes. i've been marked all too often and far too long by a pretty strong streak of defensiveness.

by the way, defensiveness is a euphemism for pride, self-sufficiency, arrogance, and self-righteousness. defensivness says in essence: "i'm above your correction" (pride); "i don't need your correction; if i have problems i can handle them on my own" (self-sufficiency); "i am really the one who should be correcting you, because i'm right and you're wrong" (arrogance); "i am so good and so near perfection that i have no real issues to be corrected" (self-righteousness). such sins all too often marked my heart in the face of correction.

so when my friend corrected my spelling yesterday and i felt hardly a ripple of such arrogance in response, i was glad in the transforming mercy of God. God has changed me! don't get me wrong: i have to battle against my flesh on this issue every day. but the fact is that a humble response to correction has become a more common feature of my life-and it makes me weep over the kindness of God toward me.

here are a couple things that have helped me gain some victory:
1. i know where i stand in Christ. Romans 8:33-39 make it real clear that no one can accuse me or correct me or find fault with me in any way that can change my place in the justfying love of God in Christ. i'm untouchable, invincible and secure in the righteousness of Jesus.
2. i have learned that no one bring any sin or mistake to my attention that God does not know about already. God's love for me in Jesus is so full, so complete, so perfect and so bold, that it was able to see all that i am in all my sin and flaws, and choose to love me still. my friends and family may be surprised by my sins or mistakes, but God isn't. His eyes have always been wide open to them-and yet He has made me (and all who are in Christ the delight of His love).
3. i have learned that God uses correction as a primary means of grace (instrument of change into holiness) in my life. the Proverbs are filled with commendations of those who are open to correction, with promises of rich blessing and change attached. so correction is really a gift to be loved, not a foe to be resisted.

so thanks my friend for correcting my spelling. you not only taught me something, you reminded me of how God's grace has been changing me. and everyone else: please feel free to correct anything else that you think needs attention. i need it, and because i'm in Jesus, i can handle it (at least better than i used to!).

you may want to check our C.J. Mahaney's book, Humility, if you want more help in the receiving of correction grace from others. it's sure helped me. go to www.sovereigngraceministries.org and their bookstore.

P.S.-by the way, if you find any more speling erors, blaim it on my cumputer or fateeg or sumthing else. i'm sure it wazn't me.

My Take on the Laundry

a sweet romantic moment. gayline had been away all day in personal quiet time, i'd asked her to go out on a date, and we were just heading out the door. it was then that she noticed the laundry that i'd done for her while she'd been away. i used to do the laundry a lot, but hadn't put my hand to it recently. but hey, i could handle it. all's cool.

until she noticed two tops of hers that i'd washed. they were distinctly--well shall we say--differently sized than the last time she'd seen them. it had been one of those brain freeze moments for me. hot water for whites; cold water for colors-somehow the formula had gotten reversed and in the end i had made two of her just recently purchased blouses hand-me-down items for her three year old grand-daughter.

tough moment. well intentioned acts of love turning into unforeseen moments of stress. life is filled with such relationship crises. add in the all-too-frequent intentional acts of self and sin, and life becomes a hothouse for anger, bitterness, and more sin.

so how did gayline respond? her face showed a three second battle with disappointment, anger, and loss; then it passed. in the crucible of disappointment over an idiotic move by her husband, she remembered mercy. am i glad she did!

she thought the best. she put her mind on my intentions, not on my mistakes. she overlooked my carelessness locking in instead on my well-intentioned care. she judged me charitably and graciously in the heat of the moment. as she has done time and again, she showed mercy to this sinful and bumbling man. so off we went on our date as if it hadn't happened at all. now that's an amazing display of grace!

gayline would tell you that it helps her to remember how much mercy she's received from her God. she'd tell you that the more she knows her own heart and her own sins and the grace of God in the face of them, the easier it gets to show grace to me and others. i for one am pretty grateful it is so.

i hope that today i can show this kind of grace to her, to others, to all. after all, with paul, i'm the worst sinner i know, and God is merciful to me. who am i to hold anything against anyone for any reason at all?

Today i want to choose mercy; the better way.

MLK, the Red Sox, a New President,and the sanctity of life

martin luther king "had a dream". as a white american i've had to think hard about how deep and gripping that dream must have been for him and must still be for all my african-american friends and neighbors. it's hard to get a handle on what it's like being oppressed and beaten down for centuries. how powerful the dream must be to be free, to be treated with true dignity, simply to be accepted and honored as an equal.

at the risk of trivializing something as profoundly important as ethnic equality and grace, being a red sox fan has taught me something that might apply. i went 46 years (my dad went 70 years) as a loyal fan of a team that never quite made it, that always suffered under the disadvantage of less money, less resources, less opportunity, and of course, as a result, fewer wins. when my team finally won in 2004 it was more than a world series victory; it was vindication, a sense of respect, an experience of finally getting something that had been (in the thinking of red sox fans everywhere) unfairly kept from us by an "evil empire" called the yankees. all rather trivial to be sure. but believe me it felt real. and the victory celebration was loud and long.

now: here's something really real. all that i felt the not-really-evil yankee empire had done to the red sox for all those years, a very real evil white "empire" has done to our black brethren for centuries. no wonder dr. king had a dream, and no wonder our fellow americans of african descent are exhilerated over our new president, barack obama.

i do not agree with our new president on many issues of profound moral and national importance (such as the abortion issue), and i grieve that the polices he holds and the people he has around him have come into power. but here's reason for pause and reflection. think about the fact that many of our black brothers and sisters also disagree with him on those same issues, yet they voted for him and now are experiencing an exhilerating celebratory catharsis over his inauguration as president. why might that be? why do so many conservative pro-life black americans vote for liberal pro-abortion candidates, and why are they in celebration mode today?

i have to believe it is because they are experiencing my red sox-finally-winning exhileration, only ten thousand times stronger and more significant. after centuries of oppression and defeat, as an ethnic people our black brothers and sisters have won the big one. and could it be that they are finally feeling that just maybe they have a real shot at respect, equality, and freedom after all. just maybe there is hope that the evil empire of bigotry can be defeated and destroyed. just maybe people of color will find a lasting place of equality in america society. just maybe our black friends and neighbors can feel that their survival and freedom are here to stay. no wonder there's celebration going on.

i think that if i was black i'd be unable to resist an overwhelming sense of release, a triumphant sense of vindication, a mighty surge of joy. so today, i am choosing to rejoice with those who rejoice. i celebrate this moment with all my african-american fellow americans: i rejoice in their joy, and i thank God that we have at least come far enough to see a day in which a man who once would not have been able to vote, has now been voted leader of our land.

to this joy, i now add this prayer: o Lord in heaven, may it be that as we come to value the sanctity of all humans regardless of the color of their skin, may we also come to value the sanctity of all humans even if yet unborn. as we have seen progress and victory for those once oppressed in life, may we see progress and victory for those who are being killed even before they see the light of day.

Giver of Life: please frustrate the life killing agenda of those who do not love those yet unborn. and may we soon see the day when human life, made in the image of God, black or white, male or female, born or unborn, will be cherished and guarded with all respect. then we will all be able to join the celebration with unrestrained and unmuted joy.

Finding a Chair

this week i went to a 1, 400 person marriage retreat sponsored by my family of churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries. needless to say it was fantastic and will leave a lasting mark on my life and on others.

but i had an amusing moment while swept along in the hunt for a seat. actually i knew where my seat was; i'd staked that ground out already and was simply returning to occupy my spot. but as i made my way forward with eye fixed on the prize, i was stalled by a woman several years my senior who stopped and looked and stopped and looked and stopped and looked again. she had no seat marked out and no idea where to find one.

my emotions began to flare. instinct: "come on now, hurry up and let me by." it took three seconds for me to recognize the arrogance, selfishness, impatience, and sinful anger of my thoughts and i quickly repented. then the new blogging instinct took over. "there's blogging material here," i thought. and there is.

as a leader my mind went in two directions; you can pick which one fits your need the most. i thought of the fact that by having my eye on a goal (my chair) i was able to know where i was going and would have been able to get to my goal quickly (if in fact this dear sister hadn't been in my way!). yes here was a lesson: know where you're going and where God wants you to go and you'll be able to move forward more quickly and with fewer fits and starts. there's wisdom there, no doubt. and if you're the sort who can't seem to make up your mind, then consider it your freetruth for the day!

on the other hand, here's lesson two; if you're a leader who's got your eye on a goal, be careful not to plow people over in the process of getting there. impatience, anger, frustration and self-righteous arrogance over slow moving and unsure folks that stand between where you are and where you want to go may get bull-dozed if you're not careful. i had a goal the other day, but i didn't have a patient, understanding, and kind heart to go with it. and i ran the risk of flattening the poor person in front of me.

goals and initiative are part of character and leadership. but so are patience and grace for the slowmoving. why not join me in being careful not to plow over those whose pace is a little slower than our own. maybe that way everyone can get to where God wants them to be in one piece.

have a good one.
tim

getting started

i'm fifty and didn't know how to turn on a computer until 3-4 years ago. every time i tell anyone that they look like they've just met a living fossil. what can i say--i didn't see any need. but here you have it; i'm actually getting started doing a blog. progress.

about 18 years ago a friend of mine told me about his retired father, a man who'd been in ministry for decades. now retired he wanted nothing to do with a rocking chair so he went to the pastors of his church, some of which were half his age. he offered them his gifts and services in any way they desired and then said to them: "i want to learn everything i can from you!"

here was a man in his 60s or 70s, who was just getting started. i told my friend that i wanted to be like his dad when i grew up. i still do. so i'm learning from my children and their generation, and that includes computers and blogs and the rest. so here goes.

getting started no matter what your age; that's not a bad thought for the day. here's what God and grace promise: fresh starts, as many restarts as we need, and lots of brand new beginnings. where are you right now? feel stuck? feel squarely and firmly imbedded in a rut? is it a moral issue you can't seem to get right? is it a bad habit you need to try one more time to overcome? is it a fresh act of repentance you need to offer to God? is it a new spiritual or ministry challenge you've never dared take on before? is it trying to read your bible--let's say at least a couple times this week? or is it learning how to turn on a computer or create a blog?

Whatever it is--God gives grace to start and to start again. it's never too late to start and no amount of bad starts or false starts disqualifies you from starting again. God gives all the grace you need to begin--or begin again--right now.

i admit it: starting a blog is daunting for this 50 year old, but hey, i'm being challenged to do it and it's not too big for God. so here goes. how about you? what's the spiritual or personal start up task that you're dreading or avoiding right now ? why not simply look up for god's grace, dig deep for Spirit-strength, and then type the first key.

then see what happens. that's what i'm doing.
have a good one.