Is a Congregation an Exclusive Love Club?

I have recently been pondering the phrase, “Love your people.” This phrase is often used as a directive to measure the effectiveness of being a Corps Officer.

Let’s break down this directive.


LOVE: The first assumption for most people who use this word in this particular phrase is that every person is to be loved the same way. To love everyone the same way would be less than productive, because not everyone feels loved by the same approach. For instance, I have three sons and each one feels loved through a different love language, borrowing from Dr. Gary Chapman.
One of my children is annoyed by kisses and hugs, while another would feel unloved without that kind of physical touch. One child desperately needs a lot of quality time spent with him, while another would feel smothered.

YOUR: The assumption here is that we have people. This is the result of the exclusivism that has permeated evangelical congregations as a marketing strategy used, not to build up the Kingdom, but rather to build up my church.

I don’t have a church and neither does anyone else.
In fact, there is only one church. We are all simply parts of the worldwide church of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I don’t have any people that are separated for me to love. To love my people would be to claim the existence of us verses them, when obviously Jesus Christ calls us to be a we. The people whom I minister with are just a small part of all the people that I am to love, which is also only a small part of the Christian people that I am to love, to say nothing of the non-Christians that I am to love.

PEOPLE: People are people no matter what semantics someone tries to muster up. People are those whom we like and those whom we don’t. People are the lost and the found; they are the hurting and the whole.

I have nothing against loving people; I do love people. But I’m not going to think so small as to believe that God has directed me to a group of people of which I am to treat as though they belong to me and whom I am to love more than others. The people in the corps are God’s people, As the Corps Officer, I am to train and equip them, as servants of the King, to do the will of Jesus Christ, not treat them like an exclusive love club.

I truly hope that no one thinks that I am his or her people. If someone does, then I want to let you know that I belong to God alone.

The directives that are used to measure the ministry of Corps Officers are the same directives that measure the ministry of all Christians. Jesus doesn’t use different directives for different ministries. It is true that Paul teaches in 1 Timothy, chapter three of a more stringent measurement for those who choose to be a leader, but he doesn't teach that Christ uses a different set of directives.

The directives are laid out in Scripture for all to see and learn. These directives began in Exodus 20 and ended at the end of Leviticus, numbering 613 directives in all. Later, Jesus reduced those 613 directives down to 12.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall make no idols.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath.
5. Honor your parents.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not slander.
10. You shall not covet.
(Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:7-21)


11. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
12. Love your neighbor as yourself.
(Matthew 22:37-39, which is Jesus quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18)

The twelfth directive is the only one, which could cause some to be misdirected, should he or she misinterpret the text. But surely all Christians understand that your neighbor does not refer exclusively to the people who live next door to me or who share the same worship address.

So what about this “Love your people" directive?
I can’t seem to find where we are told to, “Love Your People.” This directive would actually seem to be in opposition to Scripture.

“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.” James 2:1 (NIV)

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” Matthew 5:46-47 (NIV)

I believe that “Love your people” comes to the lips before it passes over the Scriptures and/or the mind. If we are going to use the directive of loving people as a measurement for our Christian leaders, then it should be stated as "Love All People." This directive is certainly more Biblical and Scriptural; it is also more inclusive and empowering.

I certainly can’t justify loving my people as a measurement for my effectiveness as a Christian or a leader. But I can definitely say with a clear conscience that I, as all Christians, am to love all people.

Congregations are not exclusive love clubs!

My name is Johnny and I am your friend.

Peace and Grace to you.

"Are you a rebellious, lazy, non-Bible reading, come to church to 'Be Fed,' luke-warm, 'Wanna-Be' Christian?"

I am currently taking a class at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary called "Christian Ethics Today." In this class the question has come up as to the liesure time of pastors and is it ok for a "Pastor" to play golf or go fishing or whatever and if so how often should this be allowed?

Here is my response. I thought you may enjoy this, especially if you know me and my passion for understanding "TRUE LEADERSHIP."

To start off, a student responded to one of my posts on the Seminary Blackboard email sight by agreeing with me that pastors should be encouraged to have a hobby and take time to relax. But my concern was with his definition of a Pastor and the role of a Pastor.

So, here is my response:

Thank you for concurring with me. However, I do see a danger in your definition of Pastor. It's not that you are wrong, especially considering the modern use of the word Pastor. The problem is mostly in the expectations of the role of the Pastor.

If a pastor is to "escape in a boat to the middle of the lake," then the pastor is also going to have to know his or her true role and so is the congregation. In John 21:15-17 we read the story of Jesus telling Peter to "feed His sheep." It is true that Jesus uses words that elude to feeding, but they don’t actually mean feed in the way you and I in the church assume the word implies. For instance, in verse 15 the NIV records Jesus as saying “Feed my Sheep.” A more accurate translation would be “Graze my lambskins.” Graze doesn’t mean feed as much as it means allow eating.

The shepherd didn’t feed sheep in Jesus day any more than they do today; sheep are led to pasture in order to feed themselves. The shepherd is more like a maître d' who guides the customer to a table and a lot less like a mother holding a bottle in her baby's mouth.

The second thing is that in verse 16 Jesus doesn’t say “Graze my lambskins.” Instead he says, “Shepherd my sheep.” The word used for shepherd is translated in the NIV as “take care of.” You have to ask, how does a shepherd take care of sheep? Again the answer is by allowing them to eat.

Finally in verse 17 Jesus says, “Graze my sheep.” He is saying allow them to eat. Ultimately Jesus is saying to Peter, “If you love me, as a leader of my people, you will make sure that my followers are eating.” Placing all three of these directives from Jesus to Peter you would hear, “Peter, if you love me, then allow my lambskins to gain nutrition, guide my sheep to the pasture, and allow my sheep to eat.”

Here is where the second important question comes in to play. That question is, “What do sheep eat?” Well the literal sheep eat the green grass of the pastureland that they are guided to by the shepherd. So, what do the metaphorical sheep of God’s flock eat? What is the literal food of God’s literal flock? The answer is found in what Christ says he, as the spotless lamb, eats.

The answer is found in John Chapter 4. This is the story of Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well. His disciples have gone into town to buy food and upon their return they find Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman, a forbidden act for any Jew. And in verse 31 they urge Jesus to eat something; they then think he has eaten because he told them that he has food that they know nothing about and in verse 34 we learn what God’s children are suppose to eat.

Jesus tells us what God's flock are to eat when he says, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” God’s people are led by their leaders or "Pastors" to do the will of the Father.

Knowing this, we should also remember that none of us are more full-time than anyone else. Whether our ordination of Christ is affirmed by a seminary, training college staff, or anyone else, we are all "called" to full-time ministry. And whether we serve full-time for Christ or full-time for someone or something else (Not Christ), we all serve full-time in a ministry.

The problem is that in our modern day definition of "Pastor," we have been led to believe that anyone who is not an "ORDAINED" pastor or member of church staff is not in full-time ministry.

Chip Ingram said that his church is full of full-time ministers who pose in the world as school teachers, lawyers, computer techs, cooks, garbage collectors, doctors, et cetera. When we allow people to think that the pastor is a full-time minister because he or she is a pastor, then we are indirectly saying that everyone else is not. We are all full-time ministers, some have been chosen to lead, while others are chosen to follow the leader. And in the truest defintion of a leader, a real leader will lead from behind.

As Fred Smith says, "We pay our pastor to put us to work. If we aren't working, then we aren't getting our money's worth out of the pastor." Therefore, none of us is more or less deserving of family time or private, liesure time than any other member of the body of Christ. Nor is any member of the body less accountable for their own full-time ministry. And we all are FULL-TIME ministers.

I'd like to close by adding that you don't have to be a leader to be a full-time minister; you don't have to be a "Pastor" or an Officer to be "In the Ministry," and you don't have to be formally "ORDAINED" to be affirmed by Christ that you are ALL CALLED to serve as FULL-TIME ministers of Jesus Christ. No one is merely a recipient of the labor of full-time ministers, except for those who have yet to give his or her life to Christ, do not have the Spirit living within him or her, and, therefore, have not received his or her full-time ministry role in the body.

Anyone who calls his or herself a Christian, but who considers his or herself a part-time minister is only lying to his or herself and is indulging in the anti-Christian benefits of being a rebellious, lazy, non-Bible reading, come to church to "Be Fed," luke-warm, "Wanna-Be" Christian. And shame on the rest of us for personally financing his or her life-long vacation.

In the words of John Maxwell, having said all that, "My name is Johnny and I am your friend."

Blessings,
Johnny

The Curse!

I am looking for people who are looking to learn.

Nothing excites me more than the possibility of deepening my understanding of meaningful subjects. I often wonder how so many people have no desire to gain knowledge, wisdom, and new understanding.

It is true that a curse of the Protestant-Evangelical movement is that it is dominated by those who are anti-intellectual . For Christians who are less secure in their faith and understanding of all things Christian, there is a fear of losing one's own sense of authority when someone else gains intellectual insights that he or she does not have.

When I started going to seminary, I asked some folks to pray for me and I can easily recall the first response. "Don't get too smart to preach the Word!" a typical protestant-evangelical, anti-intellectual response.

Learning is critical to teaching!
Most English speaking Americans read the Bible as though someone who lives next door wrote it in 2005. Dr. Rick Lints, Professor of Theology says that reading a translation of the Bible is like kissing through a veil. There is something missing though it may be very slight. A more accurate understanding of the Scriptures is enhanced by insights on the context, culture, and study of the original languages and customs.

Christians, we need to be studying, learning, discussing (not arguing), and deepening our understanding of the Word of God. For those of you who refuse to recognize the value of Scripture, tradition, and reason, along with experience, stop relying on personal revelation alone as though it trumps corporate or Scriptural revelation.
You will often hear people who value only expereince say things like, "The Lord told me..." as though this "message from the Lord" outweighs what the Lord has told the church through Scripture or corporate experience. We argue because we rely on our own understanding, rather than the Spirit's revelation through Scripture, Reason, Tradition, and Experience. Either of these alone will mislead. If you don't believe that this can be a danger, then you need to drop by a Mormon temple, Muslim mosque, or even read about the Jonestown Massacre. All of these are and/or were movements based only on one person's personal revelation or "The Lord told me" message.

Jesus speaks to us in many ways, but He speaks in a manner that is worthy of His character and attributes and in connection with His written Word. To recognize false doctrine, false teaching, and false revelation you must study and rely on the truth of the Word (SCRIPTURE), be able to recognize authentic and genuine expressions of God within His people (EXPERIENCE), be able to use your mind individually and corporately to learn and mediatate on the things of God (REASON), and hold on to those things that bind Christians to Christ and one another for all ages past, present, and future (TRADITION).

Finally, don't be afraid to stand up or stand out. As long as you fear the ability to set higher standards for yourself, you will never be able to help others raise their own standards. We rely on those who raise the bar and are willing to share and challenge others to raise the bar for themselves.

STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! There are people whose eternity will depend on your ability to help them understand.

Many blessings,Johnny