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Why So Little Joy and Peace in Believers?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

What a beautiful vision of the Christian life, a life filled with all joy and peace as we trust in Him. It’s a great aspiration.

In a series of talks John Ortberg did with Dallas Willard just before Willard’s death, he recounted a conversation that he had with Dallas about churches:

During one of the first times Dallas and I talked, I asked about the churches. Some churches are great at music and worship. Some churches are effective at evangelism or reaching folks outside of them. Other churches are teaching factories. Others are great at assimilating people. And still others are good at acts of justice and compassion. But, I asked Dallas, where are the churches that are producing abnormally loving and joyful, patient, courageous people in inexplicably high percentages?

It’s a great question. Why don’t we see more joyful, hopeful, and patient Christians? Is it even possible to see Christians who are “abnormally loving and joyful”? Continue reading “Why So Little Joy and Peace in Believers?”

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Like Flowers Unfolding Before Him

Henry Van Dyke’s beautiful hymn, “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” begins:

Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.

This hymn describes the joy that a person can experience who lifts their hearts up to praise God moment by moment and day by day.

The ancient call of the Psalms rings out calling all nations to join in this joyful praise.

Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord.

The Apostle Paul used this Psalm to describe the universal mission of the church to call all peoples to praise their Creator. In doing so, he immediately connected it with joy, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him . . .” (Romans 15:13). Continue reading “Like Flowers Unfolding Before Him”

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Getting the Church on Track

Why do we do church? For some, church is a habit. For others, it makes them feel good. For many, it is a refuge from the world. For still others, the word “church” brings bad memories of hurt.

But what is God’s design? What did He make it for? In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul lays out the basic message of Christianity. Human beings are created by God but forgiven freely by grace through faith. Those who believe are being transformed into the likeness of the truest human, Jesus. The letter to Romans is a marvelous explanation of these truths. Martin Luther said, “It is the chief part of the New Testament and the perfect gospel . . . the absolute epitome of the gospel.” And John Calvin said, “When anyone understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scripture.”

Near the end of the book of Romans, the Apostle gives two benedictions or declarations of blessing that indicate his desired result in the life of the Roman church. I believe that they encapsulate the purpose of the church. These benedictions are: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:5-6, 13).

In this passage and the surrounding verses, I believe that Paul sets forth four key purposes for the church: to connect people to God, to help them grow in character, to connect people to one another, and to equip people to make an impact in the world.

First, he wants it to be a place that helps people connect with God. This may seem obvious, but it’s probably so obvious we can miss it. Everything the church does exists to make sure that people are living daily and moment by moment in a relationship of faith and love with the Triune God. The call of the church is always, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him” (Psalm 117:1).

How are we doing on that? Good questions to ask on this goal are: are we helping people who are not connected to God connect with God? Do we see people living more of their lives in the presence of God? Can we and do we share stories of people connecting with God better because of the work of our church?

Second, he wants it to be a place where people are growing in their character. He wants Christians to become more and more a people who are trusting in God and expecting Him to do good things (hope). He wants us to be filled joy and peace. Romans 15:13 describes beautifully what the results of the Gospel should be for human beings: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

In a series of talks John Ortberg did with Dallas Willard just before Willard’s death, he recounted a conversation that he had with Dallas about churches.

During one of the first times Dallas and I talked, I asked about the churches. Some churches are great at music and worship. Some churches are effective at evangelism or reaching folks outside of them. Other churches are teaching factories. Others are great at assimilating people. And still others are good at acts of justice and compassion. But, I asked Dallas, where are the churches that are producing abnormally loving and joyful, patient, courageous people in inexplicably high percentages?

It’s a great question. Are we seeing people grow in their character? Are we seeing people develop these virtues? Do we see transformation over time in the people who attend? Can we tell stories about it? This is one of the great purposes of the church, to aid in that process.

Third, Paul wants the church to be a place where people can build relationships that will help them connect with God and grow spiritually. He wants it to be a place where people connect with each other, accept each other, help each other grow, and build community.

One thing about churches is that they are in fact built on community. There are strong relationships, or the church probably wouldn’t exist. But there are a couple of ways we need to challenge the church on this point. How easy is it for newcomers to connect (hint: probably not as easy as you think)? Are people building new relationships and connecting across generations? Are the relationships that are built helping people grow in their character and relationship with God or are they merely social?

Fourth, the goal of the church is to send people out to make an impact in the world. The goal of the church is not the church. It is that the people in the church would take what they receive and bring it into their homes, schools, neighborhoods, and workplace and make an impact that will further God’s purposes in creation and redemption.

So, we should ask, is our church making a difference in the world? Are people interacting differently in their homes, schools, and workplace because of what they are receiving in the church? Can we share stories about what God is doing outside the church as a result of the work in the church?

If we cannot answer a lot of these questions in the affirmative, we need to get the church back on track. And once we get on track, we will need to immediately get it back on track. The law of entropy applies to organizations and individuals just as much as to the physical world. Renewal needs to be a way of life, as the theologian Richard Lovelace put it.

What this means is that we need to not only do the activities of the church. We need to do them with purpose. We need to be deliberately looking for results. Now, these results are only partly the result of our work. God is the one who gives the increase. But that means that we need to pray for these results as well as laboring for them.

Once we start looking for these results, we will realize that they are already happening to some degree. This reminds us that it is first and foremost God who builds the church. He has been working at it a long time, and He invites us to be a part of what He is doing. But we certainly should not rest with what has been done in the past. As the Apostle Paul said elsewhere, I want your love to abound more and more! (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10).

It is a mistake to think that simply because God is the primary builder of His Church that we have no part to play. We are co-workers, workers under Him. We have our part to play, and we have our responsibility. Our part is to discern what God is doing with the church and lean into it. Our part is to align our activities, hearts, and minds with what God is doing. When we do so, we can expect that we will see Him do great things through us and in us. He is the God of hope!

My encouragement to you is to think clearly about what the church is for. Don’t just let it be something that is vague. Think through it clearly and put all your labor and prayers into moving it in His direction. That is how we align ourselves with God and His work. That is how we bring renewal. That is how we get and keep the church on track.

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Getting a Lot of Important Stuff Done

It’s easy to let circumstances dictate what we do. It’s also easy to get a lot of stuff done. It’s hard to get a lot of important stuff done. It’s a battle that requires constant vigilance.

What is the important stuff that we need to get done? We need to work on our relationship with God and people, make the best use of our gifts, do self-care, do meaningful work, and take time to enjoy good things. Why does it seem so hard to get to this high quality stuff?

We must always remember that we are limited. As my economics professor said, everything is scarce, but time is absolutely scarce. No matter what you do, you have a limited amount of time. That makes what you do with time very important. You won’t get it back.

So, how can we move from being at the mercy of circumstances to getting a lot of important stuff done? I’m no expert, but I want to share my insights born of necessity from trying to hold together being a Pastor of a church, having seven kids, completing my doctorate, having active hobbies, and trying to connect with friends and the broader church. Like you, I have a lot of things I’m involved in and a lot of stuff I want to do. Here’s my basic plan for trying to do it all.

  1. Work on it. Instead of just doing things, I have tried to think about what I’m doing. In the moment, it may seem unproductive, but sitting back and asking ourselves what we need to do, what we don’t need to do, and what our priorities are is the foundation for being intentional and productive in doing the most important things.
  2. Cut the clutter. It’s probably as important to ask what we don’t want to do as what we need to do. Establish strict rules for your use of screens. They have a way of sucking all our time. They are designed by very, very smart people to keep you looking at them as long as possible. That’s why I think it is crucial to establish strict rules for their use without eliminating their use altogether.
  3. Make a list of less important things that are truly urgent and do them as quickly as possible. Ask yourself: what do I have to do today or this week? This includes things like taking out the trash, paying your bills, transporting children, and other administrative tasks. Make a list of them and do as many of them as you can as quickly as you can. If you don’t do them quickly, they have a way of hanging over your head and sabotaging everything else.
  4. Figure out what’s most important to you and schedule it. It’s not always easy to know what is most important. I like to ask myself, what would I do with a week if I didn’t have any obligations? That’s a way of using my imagination to discern my real values. Try this or a similar exercise. Once you’ve figured out what’s most important to you, schedule it. If playing the guitar is important to you. Have a time each day when you play. If developing a relationship with your kids is important, schedule a time to do things with them. What you don’t schedule rarely gets done.
  5. Prioritize your relationships. For most people, relationships are one of the most important things in their lives. However, we can go a long time without spending time with those we value most. Find a way to think through your relationships and be deliberate about spending time with people who are most important to you. This may seem somewhat cold, but the alternative is leaving our relationships to chance or whim.
  6. Always go back to today. Thinking of all the things you need to do can be overwhelming and can keep you from doing what we need to do in the present. When I get overwhelmed, I always go back to this question, what do I need to do today? I let go of the past and present and focus on that. This frees me to focus on what I most need to do.
  7. Keep working on it. Once you’ve got a plan, keep working on it and revising it. Keep asking if it reflects reality. Keep asking if these things are really your priority. Keep asking if you really need to do all that you’re doing. That’s how you get better and better at managing your time and adjust to changing circumstances.

Following these guidelines can keep you from wandering aimlessly and help you get a lot of important stuff done. What are some things that you have learned that have helped you get more important stuff done? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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The Moon or Mars?

Should our current focus in human space exploration be the Moon or Mars? That is the controversial question that looms over discussions of humanity’s next step in space exploration. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would make Mars the priority (listen to a thorough discussion of the issues here), but not everyone agrees.

Before I get into this question a bit, I want to address why a Presbyterian Pastor would or should write on the subject of space flight. I did not have a science major, and I certainly am no expert in the matter.

I have a couple of reasons. First, I think that God has called us to explore the universe. He created the universe, and we know Him through the universe. The created reveals the Creator. So, in order to know God better, we should explore the macrocosmic and microcosmic as a creational duty (HT: James W. Skillen for the terminology and idea, via Charles Strohmer). We are made to explore.

Second, I believe that citizens need to talk about these issues. It is general interest in these topics that will help drive a vision to move us forward into exploration of the solar system. For good or ill, the average citizen must make decisions about space flight and innumerable other issues, so we need to do our best to think through them.

Third, it’s fun to think about. It’s exciting to think of humans traveling through space and discovering new things. I have always loved science fiction and astronomy and been fascinated by the prospect of space exploration.

So, here’s a few considerations on this difficult issue. To begin with, in some ways, I don’t really care what we do as long as we do something. We need to move forward with human spaceflight and get humans out of low earth orbit. Whatever we do to get us flying further out will teach us more than we know now and open up further possibilities.

Some people might ask, why can’t we just have robots explore the universe for us? In studying this issue, I was surprised to learn how inefficient robots are at exploring. Frances Westall, an astrobiologist at the National Center for Scientific Research in France said, “A human geologist can do in a week what the Mars rovers can do in a year” (Meghan Bartels, “Why We Can’t Depend on Robots to Find Life on Mars”; see also this paper on the topic).

One reason people want to consider robots for exploration is because the Moon and Mars are not very hospitable to humans. One thing that becomes very clear when you study this issue is how difficult it is for people to actually live on these bodies. Living in Antarctica or the Sahara Desert is incomparably easier than living on Mars or the Moon.

The problems go beyond the obvious problems of a lack of oxygen, running water, and food supply. Both the Moon and Mars do not have earth’s protective atmosphere, an atmosphere that keeps us from being bombarded by the sun’s radiation and other assorted cosmic rays. In addition, it is unclear how long-term life in a low gravity environment will affect a variety of human functions. There is much more, and you can read a somewhat gloomy description of the problems here.

The Moon has most of the same challenges as Mars with a few extra. The dust on the Moon is like broken glass that can cut into the smallest structures in our body. It has less of an atmosphere, and the water is much harder to access. The good news, by the way, is that both the Moon and Mars do have water that visitors or those stationed on these bodies can use (Marina Koren, “The Pros and Cons of a Lunar Pit Stop”).

Over against these problems, you have the relative closeness of the Moon. If you are going to have all sorts of problems, wouldn’t it be better to have them at closer proximity to earth? This would enable us not only to deal with emergencies but a much shorter time between seeing problems and being able to fix them. This video illustrates how close the Moon is compared to Mars:

That’s a lot closer!

IF it’s so much further, why even consider Mars? The answer: it’s inspiring. It would be an awesome thing for humans to explore Mars. It could totally change the way we look at the universe. It hasn’t been done before. People make many arguments for going to Mars, but beneath them all seems to me to be the sheer wonder of humans exploring another planet so distant from earth.

There are other options besides the Moon and Mars. We could go to an asteroid that is closer to the Earth. We could build a colony or station there, but there does not seem to be much momentum for this, even though it is feasible and potentially profitable because of the possibility for mining. However, this idea has not really captured many people’s imagination (thought it may eventually capture some big corporation’s wallet book).

So, what should we focus on? I lean toward the Moon for several reasons. One, it just seems like we should have a station there. I mean, why not? Why not make a permanent base on the moon? Second, the closeness allows us the opportunity to figure out relatively quickly what it looks like to live in a hostile environment in space. Third, there seems to be international interest in the project.

That said, I think G. Ryan Faith is probably right. We need to have some sort of plan for both in order to harness the enthusiasm of Moon and Mars advocates. So, we need some sort of long-time plan for both. That involves its own questions, but we’ll leave that for now.

What do you think? The Moon or Mars? Where should our focus be? I’d welcome your thoughts.

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