Which Is It: Fear Frustrating Faith or Fearless Faith?

The church I serve, Oakdale Emory, wants to build a $3 million expansion in the midst of a recession. Last November, at a special meeting of the congregation, 86% of the people present voted to move forward. Now, maybe everyone thought we would be out of this economic mess by now, and that is why they approved the plan. Then again, I say, why wouldn’t we vote that way—then or even today? After all, Phase 1, which was the only thing voted on, seeks to do three things: 1) Add a much-needed gathering space, a “family room” if you will, so that we can invite people in the community to “come and see” what Jesus is up to in us and through us. 2) Add much-needed flexible space for the many groups and ministries that use our buildings as tools for discipleship, and 3) Update and correct some of the technical difficulties (inadequate restroom facilities, for example) our buildings suffer from now.

But an interesting thing happens when I talk to people about this. An enormous number of them react with fear. They are afraid we will fail. They are afraid we won’t be able to raise the money. (This is different than failure, in my opinion, and I’ll explain why in a second.) They are afraid people won’t give. They are afraid we are wasting our time. Fear! Fear! Fear! The Bible tells us in Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Too often, our fears frustrate and stop our faith when God’s desire is for us to experience fearless faith.

There are many ways we could fail. We could do nothing and just expect that the money will magically will appear. We could run such a stupid Capital Campaign that no one even knows what they are giving to. But in my mind, going to the congregation with a plan, asking for their prayerful and sacrificial support, and then tallying up where we stand is our next step of obedience. If, after we do our own due diligence, we cannot afford to build right now, then we will wait until we can. How have we failed?

On the other hand, if in the midst of this economy, we canvass our family and God opens the gates of generosity and we receive what we need, then we have a story to tell of faith in action! Because we can announce to ourselves and to those in our community “come and see” what God has done! This may be just the witness God wants us to have. In a “good” economy, we might have been tempted to say, “Look what we did!” But who is going to say that if, over the next three years, we are able to raise $3 million in a down economy? God is looking for glory and praise. God wants a people who will live by faith. There are plenty of places where my fears want to stop my faith, but today I am choosing to turn fear away and live with a fearless faith!

Foward Is Our Only Option

“You cannot step twice into the same river; for other waters are continually flowing in.”  --Heraclitus

It is human nature, especially as we get older, to idealize portions of our past. Some of us have fond memories about our childhoods, early days of school, lost moments of summer, our careers... These memories help form who we are and help guide our lives forward, but forward is our only option. 

Churches, like the humans who comprise them, can often long for the past. Every member who has been around a particular church for a few years has some past story, ministry, activity or program that was wonderful and meant something special to them. These ministry memories make up the “ideal” that can, if we are not careful, capture our hearts and keep us looking in the wrong direction. We cannot return to the past no matter how intensely we long for it. Even if we could recreate all of the past’s details, things still wouldn’t be the same because we are not the same.

God never intended for his children to live in the past or to fear the future. The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:13-15, "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have not yet reached the place of entire sanctification that God invites me to pursue. As a church, Oakdale Emory has not reached that place of entire sanctification, either. Neither my heart, nor in my opinion, the heart of Oakdale has become so filled with the love of God that all other desires and vices have been cast aside. We may even want to debate the possibility of this theological position. But what is certain is that God is calling all of us forward and we cannot move forward if we are clinging to the past or fearful of the future.

The grace of God is the answer to both sides of this struggle. My past and Oakdale Emory’s past is spattered with sins of commission and omission. These can only be put to rest through repentance and God’s grace. This is God’s desire for all of us. And we have no need to fear the future. God has already been there and is strong enough and good enough to be our covering and our guide. We cannot go back. We will not stay here. Forward in grace and truth is where and how we are heading. I hope you will come along into the reality God is creating for us, because such a journey is always better when it's lived out together.

Being a Change Agent in a Down Economy

A pastor's job often involves a series of long meetings dealing with difficult topics and struggling with tensions that can't be resolved. At the conclusion of such a meeting the other day, I was met with wonderful words of encouragement and focus. I am always amazed by the divine appointments that show up in my life at the most unexpected and unassuming moments.

After this particular meeting, one of the participants gestured to have a word with me. He told me that I was perceived as a change agent and that change always raises anxiety for people. He then went on to say that being a change agent in a down economy is extremely difficult. Obviously, he had my attention.

In a down economy, he said, if you do nothing, things are going to get worse. Ironically, though, making changes are almost always perceived as making things worse. Or at least that’s the essence of what I heard him say. I think that may partially explain the fear I feel around me—both at church and in the world. 

However, times of change and difficulty have a way of bringing clarity for me—because I turn to what I absolutely know is true, which counters my fears:

• God is still on His throne and is actively at work.
• Nothing can stop or hinder the activity of the Church (notice capital “C”).
• God is good and is able to redeem and bless anything and everything that I surrender to Him.   

These days of fear and confusion are not frightening or confusing for God. God is not out of control nor is the activity of the Nations beyond God’s care and oversight. I do not fully understand the meta-narrative of history, but I know that God does. I have the promise of God that even the “gates of Hell” can’t prevail against His emerging Kingdom here on earth. 

The difficult times won't last forever, and I want to be able to look back on them and know that I took steps of faith. I want to see how I offered everything I had to lead my life, my family and Oakdale Emory with the strength of my convictions and trust in God. Again today, I am choosing to believe Jesus.  

Grace and the DMZ

I am back in my hotel in Seoul after an all-day trip to the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone. As I am sure you know, the Korean Peninsula is divided into two nations: North and South Korea. The DMZ is the “no man’s land” that stretches across the 150-mile width of the peninsula and serves as a “safe zone” between these two nations.

On the bus ride to the area, I kept thinking about my dad, who served in the Korean War and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while taking supplies to the front lines. In addition to being injured physically here, my father also suffered the loss of his mother while he was serving in Korea. By the time the Red Cross got the message to him and he arrived home, my grandmother had already died and been buried. It was hard not to feel a great deal of pride, about both my dad and my country, as our guide spoke about the significant role America played and continues to play in the freedom South Koreans experience.

I am here in another kind of fight for freedom. I have come to talk about the freedom we can have in Jesus. Isaiah 61:1-3 reads, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”  These words were read by Jesus at his very first sermon. Jesus’ purpose in coming to Earth was to fulfill this promise.

There are many types of bondage in the world today. Some people are in bondage to wicked political systems, some are in bondage to sinful patterns and habits, some are in bondage to cycles of success and money, and some are even in bondage to religion. I have come halfway across the globe to preach a message of grace. I have come to declare that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

Earlier today, I stood under close military guard with one foot in South Korea and one in North Korea, but I was forbidden to have any contact with anyone from North Korea. However, I have been told that when I preach on Sunday, the message will be broadcast through the Far East Broadcasting Company into parts of North Korea. What amazing times we live in. Wouldn’t it just be like God to use an unknown pastor from Maryland as a voice of grace and set some more captives free here on this beautiful peninsula? Grace is truly amazing!

Where Is Your Auto-Pilot Taking You?

I am ready for a vacation. I am tired; worn out really. I have agreed to go to Korea from July 28-Aug. 9, along with Rev. DaeHwa Park and my wife, Michelle, to investigate a partnership, preach in two churches and speak at a youth conference. I am excited, but at the same time, getting ready makes me even more tired: making arrangements for the care of our kids, preparing what I will say, learning a new culture—all of it just seem overwhelming right now.

I have come to believe that I am a spiritual creature living temporarily in a physical body. But I have noticed something: when I am tired, I default to the physical. Wouldn’t it be great if, when we were exhausted, we defaulted to the spiritual? Wouldn’t it be great if, when we get overtaxed, we just naturally saw our prayer life and worship life come alive? When I start feeling drained, I tend to start running on “auto-pilot” and my auto-pilot seems to be more “flesh” than “spirit.”

Apparently it takes energy to live a spiritually connected life. Like any relationship, our connection with God quickly atrophies from a lack of time and attention. How about you? How are you doing? Have you noticed that you are losing more and more battles with sin? How tired are you? When we get running too fast for too long, we find ourselves drained of the very life-giving energy that God intended for us to live by. In Galatians 5:16, the Lord speaking through the Apostle Paul says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

When I am tired, I struggle even more to live by the Spirit. God created us for rest, for Sabbath. It is idolatry to think we can live without the God-given mandate of both work and rest. Instead of living as creatures that were designed for some rest, we have started to believe our own press—that we can do anything, and that we can continue to “push through.” It’s Friday. Take a break this weekend. Give yourself an hour or so to spend reading God’s Word, talking with God and listening to what He is saying to you and doing around you. Rest! It’s what God wants you to do.

When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

Have you ever had the experience of seeing something new in something very familiar? You wonder: “How did I not see that before?” I noticed something new yesterday in Acts 1, which relates how Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days following His death and resurrection—but before He ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit arrived on the scene. The Bible says that one day, while Jesus was eating with them, He gave an order: “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before” (Acts 1:4, NLT).

Shortly thereafter, He commanded them to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8). It suddenly struck me for the first time that the Disciples could easily have done this without the power of the Holy Spirit. After all, we're not talking about doing something supernatural, such as healing the lame or raising the dead. How much “power” does it take to tell another person what you have seen with your own two eyes?

This morning at 5:04, I woke up to a minor earthquake. Facebook is now filled with people in the region asking the same question, “Did you feel the earthquake?” So far, no one has responded, “I can’t answer that question yet. I have not received power from on high!” Why do we need power just to tell other people what we have seen and heard and experienced?” That was when I saw it. We tend to focus so much on having our part in life right—making sure our “testimonies” and our ministries are in order. But the best preaching, programs, actions, etc. in the world are inadequate unless they are energized, timed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in them, they will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). I don’t think Jesus meant we are incapable of doing anything without Him. Rather, Jesus is saying that we are powerless to produce spiritual fruit on our own. The best sermon, without the influence of the Holy Spirit, is devoid of spiritual power. However, a simple witness empowered by the Holy Spirit can be transformational.

You and I have been invited by God to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. At its core, the Kingdom of Heaven is the place where God is at the center and His commands are obeyed. I believe God wants us to experience this right here and now. The presence of the Holy Spirit is what makes this possible. Doing the right things in our power won’t build God’s Kingdom. The best churches are not the ones with the best people doing the best programs and raising the most money. The best church (dare I say, the only real church) is where ordinary people are waiting on, filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Shepherds and Ranchers

Since I believe everyone wants to feel connected to and know more about the pastor who preaches on Sunday mornings, I have decided to begin writing a weekly blog. I don’t read blogs regularly and I have never blogged before now, but I am anxious to see if this use of interactive technology can help us grow closer together and partner to build the Kingdom on earth where Jesus reigns. I have named my blog “Heart Matters” because I want to share with you more of what is in my heart. So here goes…

There are two kinds of churches, shepherd churches and rancher churches. These distinctions are made primarily on the size of the church. Shepherd churches are usually under 200 in worship attendance, have only one or two generations that are active and the senior pastor (most likely the only pastor) provides all of the pastoral care for the congregation. In a rancher church, there are usually three to four active generations, the church’s focus is as much on the needs in the community as it is on internal church needs, and the senior pastor primarily “shepherds” 10-15 leaders who then shepherd people in their own area of responsibility.

Don’t get me wrong, everyone needs the care of a shepherd; the question is how many people one person can effectively care for. With 500 to 600 people in worship on Sundays, Oakdale Emory is in a difficult place in some respects. We are too large to be a shepherd church, but many people in our congregation still feel that the senior pastor should be their “primary” shepherd. If Oakdale were a church with 1,500 or 2,000 people active each week, there would be little expectation that the senior pastor could be in touch with that size congregation on a personal level. The truth is shepherding people has great rewards. There is no better feeling than to know that you have been used by God to bless someone. There are few greater privileges than standing by the bedside singing hymns and praying as someone eases from this life to the next. Pastors, like me, who have the privilege of being a part of “rancher” churches, are forced to give some of that up and to train others to share in that privilege.

Thanks for reading my first entry. I believe you will agree that “heart matters” and hope you will let me know what you think by posting your comments below.