Do You 'latreia'?

The biblical foundation of the church has always been rooted in and best understood as a movement. Implied in the term 'movement' is action. As history shows terms begin to take on other meanings and tradition sets in re-defining the word. 

For example the word 'worship' has taken on the idea of meeting in a building with a steeple to congregate and follow a liturgy. While each of these words and actions are not bad in themselves, nor should they necessarily be eliminated, they have defined how a follower of Jesus is to worship Him. Get up on Sunday morning, meet in a building, follow an order of service (another word that has historically been re-defined) and leave complete! Even the most feeble attempt to 'mess' with this concept is met with resistance, opposition, anger, and either a church battle or exodus of parishioners. 

As someone has said, "Christians are like cement...thoroughly mixed and permanently set". 

The danger of course is that for efficiency sake we pick up definitions, traditions, and habits 'on the fly'. There is just too much information coming our way to really explore 'high ideals'. This is especially true in our 21st century information explosion. In a sense we trust those who have dedicated their lives to areas of specialization to be accurate and competent in that specialized area. Every time I drive my car out of the shop after paying good money for it to be fixed I'm counting on the mechanic to have done the job right with the right parts. The principle applies across the board! 

As we gloss over the Bible and read the word 'worship', hear the preaching on Sunday and hear the word 'worship', or are encouraged to 'worship' in a Sunday service (no matter the style of liturgy we enjoy) a picture and definition is summoned. The unfortunate thing about the word 'worship' is that it doesn't exactly fill out the total meaning what the Bible says.

Context matters! This goes equally true for the Bible. A Greek word that the New Testament uses is 'latreia' and is translated as 'worship' as are other Greek words that in their context have a broader meaning than what we understand as 'worship'. 

'latreia' is better understood as service, submission, and work done for God. As Evangelicals we are married to the term 'worship'. As long as we are there must be a fleshing out of the term so that we can biblically worship God. In context we discover that worship is either private or corporate, is a matter of the heart not location, worship involves unity of believers, requires a profession of our faith, the self sacrificing of self to serve others, the giving of monetary means to others and causes. 

The movement that Jesus initiated was a movement of service to others in all practical ways that would validate and affirm the value of each one of His creations. When the serving of others is replaced by the tradition of worship the movement ceases to be anything other than a religious expression of doctrine. From a biblical contextual perspective 'worship' is intentionally setting out to make ourselves available to the needs of others. 

Mark 10:45 "The son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give himself up as a ransom."

Romans 12: 1-3 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." 

"Worship is the response of grateful and humble people to the living God where submission, sacrificial service, praise, profession, testimony and gratitude are freely expressed in innumerable ways. This is a much richer concept than mere corporate singing and praise once each week for 20 minutes - an event that could occur without any actual worship going on at all." Elmer Towns

Do you 'latreia'? Have you lately? READ; Worship God by Getting Up....Getting Out....Getting Going. 

Glory & Misery

Thursday, 24 February, 2011

Blaise Pascal was a philosopher, mathematician and an inventor. He also was a man with exceptional reasoning powers and strong Christian faith. In his Penses he speaks about the 'glory' and the 'misery'.
The context is that life is never one or the other but both. The 'glory' experiences of people speaks to us of what God intended for us before the Fall and the 'misery' of people reminds us of something in all of us that was lost. It's the human condition we live every day of our lives. And it's the condition we work on to deny, hide and overcome.

The Bible, God's story, is essentially a three part act. Creation that reveals what God ultimately intended for us as His creation, the Fall which recounts something that went horribly wrong and which we live and face everyday in ourselves and world, and the Redemption which tells of God's plan to restore His ultimate intention. This being the greatest expression of unconditional love when God became man and died on the cross to reinstate us into right relationship with Him and secure an eternal future.

Are you, like Blaise Pascal's observation, in a season of 'glory' or 'misery'? You are in good company with all of creation experiencing what you could become or are experiencing how broken we are.

Recently in my small group study we discussed how individuals came to a personal relationship with Jesus. Everyone has such a fascinating story and journey! My unique experience was that God 'rained on my party!'. Unlike many others I was living a life of 'glory'. No money concerns, not yet at a totally self destructive point with alcohol or drug problems, no dreary depressive outlook on my future. It was all good! Money, great friend,s promising educational future, secure business future! A great place to be in to refuse religion.

But I was faced with an opportunity for a personal relationship with God. That was a hard one. But the 'glory' I was enjoying had a shelf life. It wasn't going to last forever and payday was coming. The converted Scholar and Rabbi Saul of Tarus wrote to Roman citizens that, 'the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life'.

Whatever your present condition a free gift is available. Not care free, not free for all but free to receive at a great cost of Jesus' death on the cross.

Moving 2 Change

Moving 2 Change

John Kotter's book 'A Sense of Urgency, a loss of urgency in our lives is a key problem in effecting change. The opposites of 'true' urgency are seen in two areas. The first is in the area of complacence where people have experienced attempted change but have come up short. The resulting effect is defeat, despair, and denial. Defeat in that all attempts to hope, trust or believe in the possibility of change are non-existent. In despair in that once hope is lost depression sets in. And in denial in that life is lived with the belief that there is no need to change.

The second opposite that Kotter points out is 'false' urgency. False urgency demonstrates itself in endless lists, meetings, and to do's. It operates from a base of anxiety and fear that if something doesn't happen then everything will implode. The problem with living on this type of urgency is that it requires a constant volume of adrenaline which is impossible to sustain. The manifestation of false urgency is that life is live in desperation mode at a frenzied paced with no single direction. It is living in the Tornado not the 'eye of the Tornado'. The commentary of this type of attempted change could very well be what the Bible calls, 'Ever learning and never coming to an understanding of the truth'. The emotional cost is severe because people end up living in cynicism, anger, and frustration.

Kotter sees that the answer lies in what he calls 'true' urgency. 'True' urgency is defined as living with clear intent. An individual (or organization) can identify a critical area of change that is needing to take place. Attached to this identification is a very high level of emotion which is undeniably required in order for true change to occur. Absent of the denial of complacency and the frenzied, distracted approach of false urgency, true urgency has the positive emotion of anticipation with it. Missing the 'A' type personality image of what urgency can be true urgency is intentional, methodical and deliberate. It builds on clarity of a preferred future and focus' on that one critical outcome that can be a 'game changer'. The benefits of operating in true urgency mode is that success is a real possibility! In addition, according to Kotter's research, there is a halo effect where the results are exponential affecting many other areas that were in need of change. So practically if you are in a position where 'everything' is wrong and in need of change, choosing just one area and passionately going after that one area will impact other areas creating a sustainable and significant difference.

Questions:

Are you at a point where denial is the only space to be in order to cope?

Are you moving at break neck speed attempting to bring change but when the dust settles all you have is an adrenaline hang over?

What if you tried to identify the one critical issue that needs to be addressed? What if changing that one thing would create a domino effect bringing change to others areas of life?

What is that one thing for you? What action can you take immediately?

Crisis, Concern, Christ

Rome Burns
In 64-65 AD two thirds of Rome was burned. Nero was Emperor at the time and is strongly believed to be the cause of this great disaster. However, and conveniently, Christians were accused of starting the fire and a 'killing time' of Christians ensued. Among those who were killed were the Christian church leaders Peter and Paul.

Good News is Recorded
It was with this backdrop that the earliest Gospel in the New Testament, The Gospel of Mark, was written. The motive for the writing was to document the life of Jesus before all the eye witnesses died. Another reason was to encourage Christians during a terrible time of trouble where hate, anger, persecution, and execution were the order of the day.

Imagine being a Christian during one of the worst times of the church life. The pause it would give you, the fear it would incite, the panic it would create in ones life.

Three Acts
So Mark writes essentially a three act story of the story of God in Jesus. In keeping with one of the major themes, immediacy, it's a short book leaving out the birth of Jesus and begins with John the Baptist's preaching, going right into Jesus' teaching and miracles, and ending with a long Passion story.

Mark addresses the powerful distraction of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) by drawing the Christians attention to the three acts of Jesus;

1. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies
2. Jesus is the forgiver of mans sins. (Only God can forgive!)
3. Jesus is the forerunner to eternal life

Simple, effective and powerful for anyone, anytime trying to live out the Christian life. How can we continue on the faith journey? The same way.

Relevant for Today
Today's cynical environment can make us weak in the certainty that Jesus is who he said he was. They did too. So Mark challenged them to stand on the certainty of the Old Testament...to be bold and confident.

Mark spends special focus on the fact that Jesus is the Answer! To what? To that deep vacuum and longing need for us to experience freedom from the regret, guilt, and sense of shame we live with.

Lastly Mark points us forward to an eternal hope. His claim (Jesus' claim) is that Jesus is God, died on the cross for our sin and rose from the dead making a way (a clear cut path) to life here now and forever.

Authentic Questions
How's your faith journey going? Where are you in strength of certainty? The need of forgiveness? The desire for peace about the future?

Is fear, uncertainty or doubt creeping into your sacred faith? Take time to pore over Mark's Gospel and discover the validity of Jesus being the fulfillment of our hopes, the authoritative issuer of forgiveness, the assurance of eternal life.

Jesus is still the answer!

Denial, Desperation or Determination

John Kotter's book, A Sense of Urgency, goes a long way in explaining why 70% of attempted change doesn't achieve it's goal. He also states that based on his research only 10% of attempted change is successful.
The one central point is that people do not have enough of a high level of urgency to push through to the end. The 10% had emotion, high levels of urgency and a keen sense of what is critical.
The two enemies of success are complacency and 'false' urgency. Complacency reveals itself in denial that anything is in need of radical change and 'false' urgency reveals itself in activity based on fear and anxiety. The fear base effort to change looks like a lot is happening but is only misdirected action and frenzy with no clear outcome in mind.
Questions:
Denial: Are you in denial (complacent) that in your person, in your relationships, in your work, in your spirituality change is needed?

Desperation: Are you in hyper drive (false urgency) full of activity, meetings, lists, etc, creating a false sense of urgency that will only lead to frustration, anger, cynicism?

Determination: Are you in the 10% zone where there is an identifiable critical matter to change in your life that is emotional and creates a high level of urgency. Where there is a seemingly contradictory clam, clarity of focus and anticipation?

Christmas, Jubilee, and Mary’s Revolution

Growing up in Montreal, Quebec the memories that are most riveted in my mind and emotions are those of Christmas. The mystery of the birth of Christ, the French cultural traditions, and of course the embracing of the exchanging of gifts all cumulated into a time of reflection, receiving, and reveling. 

However when cleared of all its sentimental, traditional and commercial trappings Christmas is a celebration of anything but sweetness and gushiness from a prophetic and biblical perspective. Luke records for us the historical account of the events leading up to and during the arrival of Christ.  In chapter one we find the famous Magnificant. A song/prayer of Mary resembling more of a revolutionary battle cry than of anything sentimental. It was a triumphant declaration that what God has promised He is now about to deliver on. This was a time of revolt where the dreams, frustrations and aspirations of the oppressed Israelites were to dethrone the tyrants who were oppressing them. Injustice, hatred, persecution, and oppression all had their part in this devastating time for the people of God.

In Mary's song/prayer we see this declaration that God was taking action, He was about to bring relief from the oppressors, that justice was about to be manifested and the lowly would be exalted. It is a harkening back to a celebrated event in the Old Testament known as the Jubilee Year. The Jubilee Year provided a 'double portion' of rest every 50th year. It was a time when the people would be bound to restore the land, experience both personal and economic freedom and to depend on God. The Jubilee Year was a time of joyful celebration of God's sovereignty resulting in His people being emancipating from slavery and being brought into equality among the Israelites. Also it was a time of social justice where those in need would be helped and the goods of the earth became the common property of all.

The announcement to the Shepherd's watching over their flocks was an announcement of Good News! The Good News or Gospel, meaning revelation, was an important concept in biblical times much in the same was that Email, Face book, Twitter, TV, etc is to us today. It was something longed for from family who had sons in the battlefront of a war, of promise that a son had been born to the king ensuring peace etc. Imagine a Greek runner speeding his or her way from the distance toward the village. The anticipation and anxiety rising up in the expectant hearers of the news of how things were going in a far off place. Its difficult for us to relate in our day of instant communication. We forget the agonizing time lapses in between primitive modes of communication. It was serious good news with all the trivial trimmed away. Just the facts of some significant and epic event. Think in terms of turning on the news or logging onto your computer and learning that HIV/Aids were obliterated, world poverty and hunger solved, or world peace had come. 

The Mary Declaration of Luke is a declaration that whatever God is going to do its good for the poor and it changes everything! Jesus Himself puts it into a context for us essentially saying that His arrival, Christmas, is a Jubilee Year. In Luke chapter 4:18-19 He says that He has the Spirit of the Lord upon him to; deliver the Good News to the poor, bring freedom to the prisoners, give sight to the blind, and bring healing to the broken. That the Christmas child is the one who will bring the Year of the Lord to his creation. That He is the one to bring the Jubilee Year that creates a level playing field and a deletion of sin. 

How are you going to celebrate Christmas this year? As a recipient in need of a personal Jubilee Year? As someone who has encountered the authentic and powerful Jubilee Year and now is to bring it to the poor, blind, broken and bound in return? Who around you is poor in the truest sense of the word in spirit? Who is living life blindfolded as were unaware of the enlightenment of Jesus? Anyone broken and beat up from the addictions and stress of life? Anyone thinking they are so far ‘gone’ there is no hope for relief from bounds? There is a Jubilee Year for them too and you are the one to share the Good News. 

Come to think about it…my Montreal Christmas’ weren’t so hedonistic after all. Church, family and generosity coming together to make one stop and appreciate what God has done. To reach out to someone else breaking the back of selfishness. True freedom…thanks Mary, mother of Christ, for the song/prayer that tells me I can be a revolutionary and get over myself!

Urgency: The Missing Piece

It was one of the more important fund raisers in my life. The college I worked for was on the cutting edge of employing technology for use in education. A great team of forward looking people each functioning at the highest competency in their respective areas. Leadership, administration, education, technology, marketing and finance. My passion and commitment to the project was due to my admiration to this amazing group of people and all the other support in the extended team.

The months of research and planning had been done, decisions as to how to market and implement were made, and now the roll out. Long days, late nights and a swath of geographical land covered that no one in their right minds would have attempted in such a short time. But here we were holding 'show and tell' meetings with key leaders across the country demonstrating the effectiveness and reach of technology being used for distance education. And that was the mid-90's!

The data was in and it was a smashing hit, a financial advantage, and 'first out the gate' coup. One thing though. We 'early adopters' ran into the chasm between raving fans who work based on believing without seeing and not so raving fans who work based on seeing is believing. Apparently the pilots, trial runs, financial proof, and raving endorsement from the grass roots wasn't enough.

As I look back and ponder the dynamics that were in play at the time I see one element that was missing leading to the demise of the project. Not marketing, not funding, not leadership, not implementation, not incompetence (except of the powers that had lacked in vision) but URGENCY.

To get back to the beginning the fund raiser that was being organized is an illustration of the limitations that can come into play when launching out into a new endeavor. I was on the phone connecting with the office and individuals who were to play a huge part in the gala. One critical component was being led by someone who seemingly was taking everything in stride, as in their own slow bureaucratic time, and tension was on the rise whether there would be this vital aspect of the gala. While on the phone they commented that they understood in such a large event that I would be so stressed. My response to him was honest and is burned into my thinking..."I'm not stressed I'm motivated!". Well I admit somewhat stressed but more so motivated with an urgency to execute well and ensure the fund raising gala that was to be a pitch to community, civic, business, and church leaders would have its full effective. Endorsement and money is important! Without money there is invariably no mission. We NGO types don't want to confess this but its true.

Not stressed...motivated! During the financial appeal segment of the night a very successful and supportive business person approached me. In the Lobby outside the ball room he challenges me and says, 'Lee give me a reason to give! I have my check book out and want to support this initiative but I need a reason...what's the urgent matter here that I can respond to." WOW talk about a wake up call.

I'm a big proponent of systems and processes. However as I look over that period of time in my life I have come to understand what John Kotter means about the missing focus on urgency. "People often say to me “Oh, no, no, lack of urgency is not an issue—our people understand how important it is to solve this problem. We’re beyond that.”

How is the URGENCY quotient in your personal life? In your work life? Is there a culture of urgency in the context you live and work in that make all the other neat elements of work and leadership have full effect?

"Without an organization-wide sense of urgency, it’s like trying to build a pyramid on a foundation of empty shoeboxes". John Kotter



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