A Quick-hitter on Blessing

Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). This explains why God is blessed above all.

The Father gives life (Jn 5:21), and every good and perfect gift (Jas 1:17) and he gives the Spirit without measure (Jn 3:34). Jesus the Son gives salvation (Ac 4:12; 1 Thes 5:9; 2 Tm 2:10; Rv 7:10), life (Jn 5:21) and sustenance (Jn 4:10; 6:27). The Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6) and all spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:4-11).

In short, since God is the source of all giving, he is blessed above all.

The Real Costume Party

As Halloween approaches again, I was thinking about what extent to which our church-sponsored Trunk or Treat events engage the culture with any mission-critical traction. This post isn't about that but rather about something else that occurred to me as I thought about the costumes themselves.

I realized that the costume choices this October 31st will mostly be either truly costumes or ironically barely costumes at all. Many will dress as superheroes. These would fit in the first category, for if we really believe what the Bible says about us as humans in our post-Fall state, we do not essentially measure up to the word. (Funny, that we dress up in the fall, isn't it?) On the other hand, many will dress as a villain, whether the cartoonish or the gruesome, the ever-popular violent slasher, the ghoulish or demonic. These fall into the second category, for the biblical doctrine of depravity - and our own experience - teaches us that these costumes resemble our true clothing more than we wish. If Robert Downey Jr. went trick-or-treating as Iron Man, his attire (even if he borrowed the authentic garb from his movie wardrobe) would still be a costume, but if Charles Mansion dressed as a psychopathic murderer, not so much a costume at all.

Now, here's the real irony. We make a big deal - and a huge commercial enterprise - out of one day a year, October 31, and may not really be dressing up so far from the street clothes of our true nature. Yet, many people will truly dress up in costume dozens of times a year around 10am on Sundays. Millions are in the large rooms of our church buildings, and many of them are even on stage. Wolves in sheep's clothing. Sheep dressed up like perfect, flawless little lambs but who really are lame, diseased and filthy.

Yahweh's prophets scolded his people for bringing the worst of their flocks for sacrifice. The Apostle Paul reminded us that it is WE who are the sacrifices, and for many of us, the quality control department is no better managed than it was in Malachi's day. God doesn't like playacting - the literal meaning of hypocrisy - any more than he did 2700 years ago.

Good thing we believe the gospel.

For the biblical Christian, life - including the corporate worship gathering - is not a charade. We don't pretend to be perfect. A true hypocrite doesn't really want Jesus but acts like he does. We true Christians really do want Jesus, but we struggle to stay true to what we want. So, if we follow the advice of Jesus and his apostles, we own our sin, regret it, repent of it, confess that God is right about it, and then we believe the gospel and trust God to keep making us more like the Jesus we love.

When we are pretending to be okay is when we are farthest from it, because our gospel family is where we are reminded of our Help. Why mask up? We should huddle in worship not pretending that we are not truly filthy and lame - not flaunting it, but not pretending it is not so. Church is not to be a costume party but a treatment center. We come for gospel-infusions, for without them we die. What good is it when we comment on the quality of the coffee while trying to hide the fact that we are bleeding out inside? If we are transparent, we may truly be helped and encouraged, and find help to share our unbearable loads.

So, wear the costumes on Halloween. Have fun with that. Really! And do yourself a favor: leave the costumes at home the rest of the time and come gather with the church to worship the one true Superhero who is rescuing you from death and bringing you into eternal life. (As Nathanael from The Chosen would say, "That's Jesus, by the way.")

Yeah, I got that.

Called to Ministry?

Many of us evangelicals today have learned to ask potentially misleading questions, and these emerge from the misguided, sometimes even unbiblical categories we have created for ourselves. One that struck me recently is this one: "Do you think you might be called into (the) ministry?" We fish with this question in altar calls, in revival meetings or conferences, in youth camps.

Now, I know that what we usually mean to ask is whether someone is sensing a calling to vocational ministry, which usually involves special training in a Bible college and or seminary. Mostly, we're asking, "Do you think God wants you to go into a career in church work or para-church work?" If anyone is ever voicing a stirring toward any kind of Christian ministry we need to be affirming. But let us also be careful to not imply categories and hard lines that are unbiblical.

Many of us have come to think that - or at least act as if - ministry (in the Bible, the common word for a minister is Gk. diakonos, meaning servant) is primarily a special calling for only a select few of God's people. This theological error sets us up for at least a couple of practical errors.

The layperson may conclude ministering is not their thing, or is only occasionally or rarely so. Serving is something they do once a month in a rotation in children's church or as an usher or on a music team, or maybe they serve occasionally in helping with a potluck fellowship dinner. For the Christian, ministry is not discretionary - there is not an opt-out position.

The vocational minister may also compartmentalize in a similar way. They may see their service only according to the specific responsibilities of a job description. They minister during office hours and on Sundays, perhaps going the extra mile on those urgent after-hours appointments when a church member is in crisis. Even vocational ministry is more than a job.

The Bible paints a different picture that this. Ministry is not for a select group of Christians, nor is it neatly compartmentalized into little snapshots of our calendar. Understanding ministry this way is much like thinking that giving offerings is only for some Christians, or that a Christian is obligated to give only a tithe of his income and then may do whatever he wants with the rest of his resources. These are not NT views (nor OT ones, for that matter).

Paul painted a picture of service in Rm 12:1 that is not qualified nor compartmentalized:

Romans 12:1 (CSB)

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

This picture recalls the sacrifices prescribed in the law of Moses for God's people to enable them to live holy lives with God in the center of their community. Yes, it is true that those from a select tribe were appointed to minister as priests at the tabernacle (and later, temple), but all of God's people were supposed to be serving one another - and even the outsider - in lifestyles of compassion, justice and generosity. Paul brings that notion to the church, placing Christians in the mash-up role of both minister and sacrifice. This is a call to follow the pattern of Jesus, who is the unique heavenly High Priest that offered himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins (Hb 9:11-14). We are to give ourselves, our lives, completely to God, as servants.

So, the question, "Are you called to ministry?" can be misleading. If you are a Christian, the answer is always, "Yes!" Whether you believe God is directing you to a certain role or perhaps to a degree of financial support that enables a vocational focus in your service is a different question. Of course, many people are called to ministry roles (especially teaching and other leadership roles) that are greatly enhanced if they can be supported to the extent they can devote a "workweek" portion of their time to a focused preparation and execution of that service. There are unique roles for which the Holy Spirit and the church "set apart" certain people (e.g., Paul and Barnabus in Acts 13:2). We who are in those kinds of supported positions are extremely blessed, and I for one am profoundly thankful (and sometimes still amazed) that God provides these opportunities.

Still, like Paul, we must all be prepared to give ourselves completely to whatever ministry God has prepared for us (Eph 2:10), whether that is in a fully financially supported role, a bi-vocational situation, or as a lay-person. All of us are ministers, and we must remind one another of this. Perhaps we should change our question: "What kind of ministry is God calling you to?" "How is God ministering through you in this season of your life?" And remember that serving God by serving others takes many forms, whether those fit into our neat, "churchy," categories or not. If you are offering it as an act of worship to God, it is service. Offer it wholeheartedly like Paul commends:

Colossians 3:17,23-24 (CSB)

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.