When The Words Don’t Come

By pastorbillwalden

With the advent of the internet, blogging, and social networking, much of humanity now has the ability to share their thoughts and feelings almost instantly.  That is not news to most of us. 

On a humorous and slightly sarcastic note, someone wrote, “Just because you have an internet connection doesn’t mean that you have anything important to say”.   I suppose “important” is in the mind of the writer, and not always the reader.  I’ll leave that statement alone.

I find myself in a season of life where the words are not coming easily or clearly.  There are different kinds of concerns on different fronts.  There is instability from the human perspective.  I am wondering about the future of certain people and not sure what to think or say.

I am purposely not going into details to try to explain things, because sometimes the words just don’t come.  I am learning not to be bothered by that. If you know me, you may know some of what I am talking about, but I am not really looking for people to understand me.  Please don’t feel that you need to respond.

It is a strange sensation for us humans to feel things very deeply, but not be able to clearly understand those feelings, or be able to communicate them.  If we are fortunate enough to gain some clarity of thought, we then have the challenge of trying to express clearly what we are thinking, and then having the right person to share those thoughts with.

When we are struggling with the issues of life, though there can be people that are sympathetic, some dear people actually make life a bit harder for us.  They try too hard to fix things.  They give off the cuff advice without thinking.  They offer up a quick “prayer of faith” that is more confusing than healing.  We can appreciate such intentions, but sometimes we find that we avoid such help.

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Let God Fix It

By pastorbillwalden

Some thoughts for fellow followers of Jesus…  

The ten second sound bite version of what I am writing is this: If you blew it, and have a mess on your hands, let God fix it.  You thought you could be in control and do things your own way, and now you have a mess. In your flesh, you made a mess.  What makes you think that in your flesh, you can fix it?  Better to walk in the Spirit like you should have to begin with.  Walk in the Spirit, and let God fix it.

The longer version of the same story line is as follows…
Sin is a nasty thing.  It promises much, and delivers little.  The consequences are always bigger than the gratification.  It never seems as bad as it really is…until later.

We get used to sinning.  We minimize it.  We get de-sensitized to it.  We agree in our heads that something is wrong, but we do it anyway, intending to stop.

There are sins of commission: we do things that we know are wrong.
There are sins of omission: we don’t do things we know that we should.

The sin in a Christian’s life can run the gamut of not reading your Bible (dumb…you need God’s Word, heart, and direction) to something much more obvious, like substance abuse or sexual immorality.  We can be committing little sins, like being disagreeable, or we can be committing bigger sins, such as being violent and a striker.  A sin of omission might be that you don’t think that church attendance is important, and eventually find yourself isolated, alone, unchallenged, un-encouraged, etc.  There are numerous examples of sins of commission and omission.

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180 The Movie

By pastorbillwalden

Dear friends….please take 33 minutes to watch this documentary video.  

It is upsetting, shocking, and compelling, but it brings forth some facts and asks some questions that need to be considered.

http://www.180movie.com/

The Biggest Peer Group

By pastorbillwalden

Pastors and church leaders make many valid efforts to promote church unity.  In any city, there is the church universal.  Each of our particular churches is a sub culture of the City Church, and then within each church, there are sub-sub cultures, such as youth groups, 50’s plus groups, college groups, etc.

We are conscious to understand each sub-sub culture, to speak on their terms, and be sensitive to their world.  We seek to promote activities that appeal to those sub-sub cultures, and to bring age appropriate blessings to them.

These efforts are good efforts, in that they reach into people’s worlds.  We meet them where they are at.  We become “all things to all men that we might save (and bless) some”. 

Human nature is such that we love our peer groups.  Birds of a feather flock together.  We all have that tendency.  Like attracts like. Little or no effort is needed to mingle with people like ourselves.  It is an unconscious human response to seek out peers that understand us, accept us, and approve of us.  And so, sub-sub cultures exist within our church.

While recognizing and ministering to sub-sub cultures in our church has its benefits, it can also create problems regarding church unity.  The blessing of attending church can revolve around easily fitting into our sub-sub culture peer group.  There is almost if not actual immediate gratification in peer groups.  Social and cultural mores are understood, and have been previously navigated.  People enter into sub-sub cultures, and though the balance of things changes at times, lesser adjustments can be quickly made.

Most people that I know have little time to expand their circle of friends, much less try to break into a different sub-sub culture.  The thought of learning another social language, another culture, etc., is not only not natural, but troublesome and too challenging for most people.

Yet this is what must happen if our churches are going to continue past one generation, and if they are going to be trans-generational.  Younger people need to learn from older people, and older people need to realize their responsibility to raise up the next generation.

The Apostle Paul teaches that in Christ, we are created as “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15).  There is a new culture called “Christian”.  There is a new man called “Christian”.  There is a new peer group called “Christian”.

If a man or woman or teen can see that the greatest oneness they have is not the cultural “sameness” of  this present fleeting moment, but the eternal oneness of being one in Jesus, then suddenly that person’s “peer group” is no longer a sub-sub culture, but has grown to include the entire Body of Christ.

If a person can capture the idea that they have settled for the ease of living in a sub-sub culture peer group, but have missed the greater blessing of knowing the entire church, they just might be motivated enough to push past present cultural trends, and actually try to understand another Christian from a different sub-sub culture.

We all understand that the best evangelist for a teen is another teen.  Kids come to church because their friends convince them to. Like attracts like.

I submit that if a pastor can convince a few teens that their peer group is the entire church, and not just the youth group, that those kids will begin to reach out to older people in the church.  They will convince their friends to go with them as they do it.  The same is true for every sub-sub culture peer group.  All you need is one or two people from a sub-sub culture to break out and be convinced that their true peer group is actually the entire church.

Therefore, whereas understanding and reaching into sub-sub groups can be effective, and ought to be done, I suggest that we never sacrifice the unity of trans-generational fellowship for the sake of reaching out to a slice of society.  Both are needed.  We may reach people by focusing on a sub-sub culture, but we need to help them mature into seeing the entire Body of Christ as their peer group.  Trans-generational love and nurturing must occur.  Kids need to know that the old people want them, not that they simply hire a youth leader to reach them.  Old people need to know that young people genuinely respect them for their accomplishments, and are willing to sit and listen to them.

Cultural awareness is important, but love always finds a way to navigate through cultural waters, and reach a kid, a single mom, or an elderly person.  Cultural relevance is a tool of understanding, but love is the heart of the matter.  Oneness in Christ is the banner that every Christian needs to ultimately see as the glue that not only builds the church, but holds it together, and pushes it forward into the future.

Did God Create Evil?

By pastorbillwalden

Question: “Did God create evil?”

Editor’s note- This question was asked during our recent Sunday morning gathering. Each week, we have a question and answer time after the sermon. I didn’t feel that I could explain well the answer to this question. I have copied an article by Ravi Zacharias, who answers the question well.   

Answer: At first it might seem that if God created all things, then evil must have been created by God. However, evil is not a “thing” like a rock or electricity. You cannot have a jar of evil. Evil has no existence of its own; it is really the absence of good. For example, holes are real but they only exist in something else. We call the absence of dirt a hole, but it cannot be separated from the dirt. So when God created, it is true that all He created was good. One of the good things God made was creatures who had the freedom to choose good. In order to have a real choice, God had to allow there to be something besides good to choose. So, God allowed these free angels and humans to choose good or reject good (evil). When a bad relationship exists between two good things we call that evil, but it does not become a “thing” that required God to create it.

Perhaps a further illustration will help. If a person is asked, “Does cold exist?” the answer would likely be “yes.” However, this is incorrect. Cold does not exist. Cold is the absence of heat. Similarly, darkness does not exist; it is the absence of light. Evil is the absence of good, or better, evil is the absence of God. God did not have to create evil, but rather only allow for the absence of good.

God did not create evil, but He does allow evil. If God had not allowed for the possibility of evil, both mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. He did not want “robots” that simply did what He wanted them to do because of their “programming.” God allowed for the possibility of evil so that we could genuinely have a free will and choose whether or not we wanted to serve Him.

As finite human beings, we can never fully understand an infinite God (Romans 11:33-34). Sometimes we think we understand why God is doing something, only to find out later that it was for a different purpose than we originally thought. God looks at things from a holy, eternal perspective. We look at things from a sinful, earthly, and temporal perspective. Why did God put man on earth knowing that Adam and Eve would sin and therefore bring evil, death, and suffering on all mankind? Why didn’t He just create us all and leave us in heaven where we would be perfect and without suffering? These questions cannot be adequately answered this side of eternity. What we can know is whatever God does is holy and perfect and ultimately will glorify Him. God allowed for the possibility of evil in order to give us a true choice in regards to whether we worship Him. God did not create evil, but He allowed it. If He had not allowed evil, we would be worshiping Him out of obligation, not by a choice of our own will.

Recommended Resource: Deliver Us from Evil: Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture by Ravi Zacharias.

As Long As Nobody Gets Hurt

By pastorbillwalden

“As long as nobody gets hurt” presumes that those mutually participating in something know the entire future of their own or another’s life.  

How can we possibly know the future, and jeopardize it for the moment? We can’t possibly be sure that current actions won’t bring future hurt. Better to trust God than your own logic, IMO.

You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry

By pastorbillwalden

Years ago, I read those words on an invitation to a church event.

The sponsoring church did everything they could to convince me that I ought to attend their event.

They promised that I would laugh.  There is nothing wrong with laughing.  In fact, the Bible commends a good laugh.  Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry heart does good, like medicine…”.

They promised that I would cry.  I can be an emotional guy, and have been known to cry in public.  Sometimes a good cry is very cleansing to the soul.  Jesus wept. (John 11:35) Crying can release a lot of tension and emotion.  There is nothing wrong with a good cry.

And yet, I objected to their flier, and to their promises.  I still do.  This was a Christian outreach, and yet they were promising to deliver these emotions to me.  They presumed to know what I needed.  There appeared to be no room for the Holy Spirit to do something else.  What if what I needed was a fresh dose of somberness in the presence of a perfectly holy God?  It wasn’t on the agenda for the night.

My assumed responses were pre-planned and predicted.  They tutored me about what I would experience.  They planned my responses in advance.  Their goal was to get me to laugh and to cry. They were sure that they could make it happen.

Increasingly, I see Christians confusing emotional experiences at a church, with a God experience in the Holy Spirit.

There are many ways to evoke emotions in “Christian” settings.  The right music or no music.  The right lighting or having only candles.  There are many ways to affect emotions towards a desired goal.

Both true and false messages can evoke an emotional experience.  Some pastors teach the Word of God, and are humorous.  Other pastors read a passage, and then tell funny stories, neglecting to teach or apply God’s word to the listener.  Often, both men can be equally funny, but many Believers can’t tell that there is any difference.  This is extremely alarming to me.

It seems that many in Christendom are lacking the spiritual maturity to discern whether God or man has spoken to them.

I have been walking with Jesus for 30 years.  I have seen true signs and wonders, and false signs and wonders.  I have seen emotionally impacting Spirit led preaching, and I have seen emotionally human inspired preaching.  I have been moved to tears by “boring” preachers who were excellent teachers, and who revealed Jesus to me.  I have been bored to tears by emotional speakers that taught me nothing.

I have seen crowds of people moved by the Holy Spirit.  I have seen other crowds moved by pep rally worship leaders and charismatic, talented speakers.

In many cases, an emotional experience is the goal for a Christian event, rather than a revelation of who Jesus is.

My concern is not about how people express themselves in the presence of God.  There is great latitude concerning that.  My concern is about what causes a certain response.  Is it the incredible Spirit of Perfect Holiness, or is it a church culture where certain behaviors are predicted, arranged and manipulated?  Is it God, or is it man?

Dear Christian brother/sister…is your desire for Christ the great motivation of your life, or do you simply have a desire to laugh and cry at church?  If you prefer somber worship, is it because you are overwhelmed with God’s awesomeness, and words don’t suffice, or is it because you just need some “quiet space to chill out”?  If you prefer emotionally charged worship is it because you need a place to “get crazy” and pump your fist in the air, or is it a demonstrative, Spirit led joy in the presence of our great God?

Christian, beware of pre-programmed emotional experiences that any group or church might insist you need.  Jesus is what you need.  Sometimes, He will take us to the highest heights of ecstatic worship.  The very next day, His Spirit may move you to sit and stay silent.  He knows what you need.  Not you.  Not the preacher.  Not the worship leader. Not me.

Let Jesus decide if you will laugh, or if you will cry.

Having A Healthy Trans-Generational Church

By pastorbillwalden

It takes intention and effort to really hear what people are saying.  As water always runs downhill, it is natural for all people to get into social ruts.  We have our favorite people, groups, movements, and social tendencies, but (social) ruts limit lateral movement (awareness), and as Tozer has suggested, ruts turn into graves.

I have noticed that people often don’t see the need to cross the generational bridge to see what is on the other side.  Perhaps they feel too busy to put in the extra effort needed to enter someone else’s “foreign” world.  It could be rightly claimed that most of us can’t even keep up with our chosen friends, much less take the time to meet others who live in a parallel but distant world.

I have a hunch that in most cases, people don’t care that much about other people, and see no redeeming value in crossing the generational bridge. Why bother?  Is it really worth the effort to learn about the “other culture” that sits in the same church as me, but seems so different?  Some might argue that we ought to just “give each other some space”, and be happy with a peaceful but non-integrating co-existence.

The Bible teaches that Christians are “One Body”, and that we are organically and inextricably joined together in Christ, bur lack of social interaction seems to indicate that we don’t believe that, or at least are unwilling to pursue and enjoy it.

When is the last time a high school or college group sponsored an appreciation dinner for veterans of WW2?  When is the last time a 20 year old invited a 60 year old out to coffee, and ask to hear his/her Christian testimony?  The reverse is true as well.  When has a group of retired folks (who have a lot of free time), gotten together and plan an event for a college group?  How many high schoolers does the older generation know by name?

Why is this missing in our churches?  I am sure that trans-generational fellowship happens here and there, but it certainly seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

My encouragement would be that both sides reach out.  Meet someone from a different generation than your own.  “Adopt” a young person, and pray for them, mentor them, learn about them, and pour yourself into them.  “Adopt” an old person, realize the wisdom and experience that is available, and listen to them.  Retired people have much to give, including time and experience.  Older people might get rejected by some younger people, but keep trying.  Pray for that one young person who you can be a friend and mentor to.

Young people have time too, even though they “think” they are busy.  ;-) I often read the facebook status of young people about how bored they are, and that they want to know “who wants to go to the beach or the movies”.  I suggest that young people find an older person to connect to, to visit with, to assist, and to learn from.  There are retirement homes full of older people who are extremely lonely.  There are older people in churches that would greatly benefit from the energy and presence of a young person.

The Apostle Paul stated it beautifully when he said of the Thessalonians, “So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us”.  (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

Paul imparted his life to others.  Other Christians had become dear to him.  May we impart our lives to others as well, and may we cross the generational bridge to do so.

When Jesus Has Something Against You

By pastorbillwalden

Jesus said to the church at Ephesus, “…nevertheless, I have this against you…”. (Revelation 2:4)

Any Christian hearing this ought to take notice.
In fact, they ought to have a sick feeling in their stomach.
Are you comfortable with the fact that Jesus might have something against you, or does that possibility cause you to stop and take inventory of your life?

I know that in my Christian life, I have certainly had seasons where these words were appropriate.
I look back with sadness, but I currently stand in grace and look forward in joy.

The church at Ephesus was a busy and biblically literate church.
They hated evil and kept false teachers away, but they left their first love of Jesus.

A Christian doesn’t LOSE their first love with Jesus, they LEAVE it.
You accidentally lose something.
You purposely leave something.

For these Christians, this wasn’t a matter of an accidental departure from closeness with Jesus.
It was a series of decisions to “be Christian” without loving Jesus.

Jesus loved them and told them the remedy.

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…”. (Revelation 2:5)

All they needed to do was to remember how it had been good before, and then turn back to Jesus.
Not complicated.
Maybe not easy….but not complicated.
They had some serious decisions to make.

Finally, there was a warning and a promise.

The warning…
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent”. (Revelation 2:5)

If they didn’t repent, their witness would be extinguished.
The light would go out.
The church would stay open, but Jesus wouldn’t be there.
They would go through the motions of Christianity, but have no illumination going forth from their lives.
They would hold correct doctrine, but enlighten no one.
They would have an appropriate hatred of wicked things, but make no difference in the world.

The promise
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ (Revelation 2:7)

If they would listen…
If they would repent…
If they would do the first things…
Then they would overcome.
And then they would be with God.

They had quit listening…
They were doing their own thing…
They had quit doing the first things…
They were on the verge of having their light removed.
They were on a path to not overcoming.

Jesus lovingly invaded their world, commended them for good, addressed what was wrong, warned them of the consequences, show them the path back to right relationship with Him, and made them a conditional promise of Paradise…

If they would repent…

Christians don’t earn their salvation…that’s a gift received by faith. (Romans 6:23)
But we must maintain our salvation, lest our light be removed, and we become useless in this world.

When Experience Dictates Theology

By pastorbillwalden

I spent a few hours today on another blog debating the idea of God’s direct intervention in leading His children.  The general camps were divided as follows:

1.  Yes, God still “speaks” to His children through His Word, through revelations of different sorts including prophecy, circumstances, and through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, etc.
2. No, God gave us His Word, and we ought not to lean towards anything more than that. Love God and do as you please, and things will work out because God is sovereign, and He is good.

That is a simplification of what was said today.

I happen to believe both of those ideas, but that isn’t the point of this article.

Some of the brethren “seemed” to base their theological position upon the excesses of “the other camp”.  I won’t even mention what their positions were, or what their arguments were, because that isn’t the main point here.

The Main Point Here Is…it seems as though when we see excesses in a certain camp, it make us sure that our camp is correct, because they obviously make lots of mistakes “over there”.

When the debate started, strong convictions were given.  What was revealing though, was that instead of Scriptures leading the way in the argument, the excesses and mistakes from “those other guys” were offered up as evidence “against them” and “for us”. Let me add that none of it was done in a mean or unloving way.

When Biblical evidence was asked for, the formerly “compelling argument” became a bit less compelling, and I felt, concessions were made.

I must admit, that I was challenged in this as well. Is MY theology strongly based on Scripture, or is it equal parts of Scripture, personal experience, and the avoidance of what others do?

What is the point here? Glad that you asked.

We need to be very careful to not build a theology on…
1. Someones else’s bad experiences, or…
2. Our good experiences and comfort levels.

The truth in such topics like “How Does God Lead His Children?” are not airtight, and are not, in my opinion, essentials of the faith.

We should have an opinion on such things. We should have strong opinions.
I hope that our opinions are based more on God’s revealed Word than on experiences, whether ours or other people’s.