A Pigeon Holed Gospel

Admittedly, I'm not 100% sure what the phrase "pidgeon-holed" means. After a quick search via google, Wikipedia and ask.com... I'm still not sure. Yet all is not lost. Fortunately there are many internet sites dedicated to pigeon caring, pigeon grooming and connecting the phrase pigeonhole to a math equation (for more information on that one please feel free to visit www.makingpigeonholefitintothemathworld.com/pigeonholeinmath/essaysofalunaticorsomeonereallybored). It may not seem fortunate for me at this present moment but maybe one day I'll own a pigeon. I already know where to look. But I digress.Basically when you pigeon hole something I guess you ignore it or place into a seperate compartment to come back and reference later according to "A survey of mathematical Techniques on the Iowa State University website sub categorie the definition of pigeon hole.

Whether that makes the title proper or not is beside the point now. It did provide a somewhat commical anecdote for this little speal. Without further adew....on with the speal.

The Trouble of Single Purpose

Yesterday, I was venturing into my latest edition of Christianity Today. Among the articles (the most absurd and angering was about the health and wealth gospel but that is for another speal) was one about divisions occuring in the British isles. The World Alive Youth event may not be happening this year because the board has ended their 14 year partnership due to the theological ideas of the Rev. Steve Chalke.

Chalke believes that the common "substitutionary principle of the cross (Jesus took the punishment for our sin. He substituted himself on the cross to save us from God's wrath)" does not coincide with the Bible. He says, "Wouldn't it be inconsistent for God to warn us not to be angry with each other and yet burn with wrath himself [against sin and sinners]?... I, for one, believe that God practices what he preaches.(CT July 07 pg 15)" Chalke subscribes to a view of the cross referred to as Christus Victor. This view focuses on how Jesus delivered the fallen humanity from Satan.

I'm a big fan of Christus Victor. There is something definately empowering about this message of Jesus delivering us from Satan. I have also heard and read that this idea was more commonly spread throughout the early church (not sure if that's true or not...just yet....nor am I sure if that is even a provable fact). I also believe that Jesus does take my place on the cross and substitutes himself for me. This is how Jesus delivered us from Satan by paying the price of our sin so we can be cleansed and begin the transformation process back home. Christus Victor and Substitutionary Theology work hand in hand.

Chalke is doing what we all do. Raising up one purpose of the Cross while lowering another. The simplest idea is that Jesus died for our sins and by that we are redeemed. That simple idea can be nurtured and grown and then can become expressed through a plethora of ideas that each play a role in helping us all discover the message/ beauty of the cross (now this could be a lovely time for debate. while we agree with the basic idea of the cross do we need to agree with the purpose of the cross to fellowship with each other...hmmm). Jesus' actions are always very simple but have deep implications for our life and faith. Let us never forget that the Cross is a beautiful portrait of how God loves us. Each idea about the cross is like the color of the painting....they all combine to catch our eyes with the glory of God.    

Jesus and Life

After the lesson on wednesday night, each of us was challenged to spend some time with the "I AM" statements that Jesus makes all throughout John's gospel. The one thing Jesus said that challenges me the most is, "I am the resurrection and the life."

Why should this be all that challenging? Resurrection brings newness and accordingly it brings life. The challenge is what resurrection requires of me....death. In another place, Jesus made the popular statement that anyone who would follow Jesus must take up his cross daily. He also is known for saying anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it but anyone who finds their life will lose it.

This "I AM" phrase of Jesus cuts to the very core of my selfish desires and pride. It also causes a part of my soul to sing as well. It engages me on a spiritual and emotional and sometimes physical struggle.

The song within me is that I want to sacrifice for the greater good. We watch movies and read books where the main character always sacrifices something and we are inspired. My soul yearns to charge across a field of battle, with all odds against me, for a chance to change the status quo (like Braveheart or Last Samurai).

While it may not be an interesting movie...the battle is real. Do I follow my own desires or submit to God and take up my cross. Do I choose Jesus and the life He offers me? Sometimes I do.....sometimes I don't. Jesus still gives me the chance to follow even when I fall. He is always there as my friend saying, "I am the resurrection and the life. While you die, I will be there every step of the way to help you live again."

Grace + Kyle= Discipleship

One of the things we do at Tuba City is have moments for meditation. These moments are meant for us to stop what we're doing and simply rest in the ever present God. As part of this meditation, we have little quotes we can each sit and reflect on.

Yesterday, I was finishing up gathering these quotes. My mind had been from one end of the theological Christian spectrum to the other. From Augustine to um...man!! I don't know any theologians that have a Z name...dang it!!(I was also fixing my lesson for the night during this process.....talk about a theological roller coaster). But I digress.

One of the last few quotes just keeps popping back into my mind. It's a quote from Dietrich Boenhoffer or Big Poppa DB, "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance... cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

Let me confess, I tend to preach a cheap grace more often than not (at least i feel like I do). This is because cheap grace is more accepted by the masses. Cheap grace says, "Jesus loves you, you're forgiven...sure!! do whatever you want, Jesus will forgive you!! Go drink till you're drunk and pass out, cheat on your wife, ignore the cause for the oppressed, look at internet porn...that's what it's for anyways....Jesus has got your back."  While it is true that Jesus has "got our back" it isn't true that Jesus is ok with our sin. I don't want to be legalistic either, so grace is a struggle for me.

I struggle with grace for 2 reasons: 1) I have trouble accepting God's love, 2) It just seems like grace is so enabling. It's that little voice in the back of my mind that says, hey your sin increases grace all the more...just do it!! That's Satan, not Jesus (Paul had a great discussion about this in Romans 6). Jesus' grace... His true grace... is meant to transform us to being more like Him, not enable us to follow Satan easier.

Grace opens up the gates within our hearts, that cry out "Thank You God!!" This is where discipleship stems from; a yearning within us, that once released and nurtured, guides our actions toward the Lord. Alone, this is an impossible task.

Jesus knows this. That is why we are empowered with the Holy spirit. Jesus' grace that calls us to an impossible task, also gives us strength to do the impossible!! We're still going to struggle, and I know that...so does Jesus (Romans 7...man Paul was on the ball with that book!!). You can't hide your sin from Jesus, He knows you and He accepts YOU and loves YOU. Acceptance of the person does not mean we have to approve of everything that they do (otherwise I could never be a youth minister... people would keep seeing my weirdness and firing me over it).   

If grace were just about forgiveness, then the Bible would be really boring...and short. Yet the Bible is neither boring (ok, parts of Numbers are just dreadfully long...and boring) nor is it short. It's something far more expansive, far more beautiful. Grace is worth having because it leads somewhere and takes us into the gauntlet of life. Grace is worth following because it ends with victory, not defeat. Grace is worth giving because only through community do we discover it's awesome potential (I should expand on that further....eh, I'll do it later).That's why I strive for day to day communal holiness. That's why I believe in the importance of discipleship.

 Red Youth Minister needs food badly....I made a gauntlet comment, so i made a Gauntlet reference...that's for all you game geeks.

"And remember the signs of the Christian church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove and the fish...but never the chameleon."

- Kaj munk

Just let that one sink in for a bit