One of my favorite emojis is the “mind-blown” face. It expresses how we feel in an expressive and accurate way! If Saul (the Apostle Paul) had emojis in Acts 9:1-19, this is the one he would have used (trust me - I’ve studied this one). His life was flipped upside-down. What he once thought was absolute, rock-solid truth - that Jesus and his followers were imposters - was in an instant proven false. In fact, what Saul dedicated his life to eliminating (The Christian Faith) was now his only option to follow! Mind-Blown!!!
Who do you think of if someone were to ask you, “Who is the greatest example of evangelism in history?” Maybe Billy Graham. Or someone from the Bible like Paul, Peter, or John - the big three. Those would be great examples! This Sunday our Acts passage focuses on one of the greatest evangelists ever - Philip. He would not be on most of our short lists, but his role in Acts is huge for evangelism. In fact, his nickname is “Philip the Evangelist.” (Acts 21:8) Philip is one of the great heroes of evangelism - or as Acts calls it, witness.
Everyone misses pre-pandemic activities. Family gatherings. Dinner out with friends. Concerts. Ball games. One of the things I miss is loving our neighbors through service. I miss Family Promise. I miss Homes of Hope. I look forward to serving together in these activities again. We do have a new opportunity to serve our neighbors in a tangible way. The Los Angeles Food Bank is distributing food to 8,000 families this coming Wednesday, Sept. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Lori and I are going. I pray some of you will be able to join us.
We are bombarded with information. Think about the opportunities you have during any week to read articles, look at social media posts, watch TV programing, and talk with people about anything and everything. If we added up all the time each week that we give to receiving information it makes for a firehose from a hydrant stream. It is hard to take it all in. And if we compare the hour we gather as a church to the amount of time given to other sources it is severely weighted toward non-church service information.
At the risk of sounding old, I’m taken aback at the dizzying pace the modern world of internet, social media, and various online platforms moves. We have always evaluated, analyzed and judged people’s motives, opinions, and actions in our lives. But now, it seems to happen instantaneously and more widespread. With one tweet or quote you can be cancelled. In fact, there is a name for this - cancel culture.
Humans do what they desire to do. This is a profound statement. It is also an obvious statement. Figure out your desires and that is how you tend to live out your life. If you desire happiness, you will tend to try and figure out what makes you happy - and do it. If you desire control over life, you will tend to try and figure out how you can control people, circumstances, and surroundings - and do it. If you desire power, you will work to put yourself in situations you can exercise authority over others - and do it. You get it.
I hate being wrong. It is embarrassing. It is humbling. It is, at times, defeating. It is also normal. I am fooling myself if my expectation is that I am always right. And I am being prideful if I am not willing to admit I am wrong and change. In fact, the Bible has a specific word for turning from error (being wrong) to truth (being right) - repentance. As Christians, we are called to be a people who repent. Who are humble enough to change when we are wrong.
Peace… True peace. What a wonderful sounding concept right now! In a confusing, divided, and quarreling world we desperately need peace. I look forward to Heather Buchta preaching this Sunday about the peace of God. True peace. We need to hear it. We need to live it. We need to pass it on.
The beauty of the church is that we are unified in Jesus, but are wonderfully differently created as individuals in God’s image. The Rock and The Harbor are two very different churches when it comes to age, background, race, and even style. But we are forever united and unified in Jesus Christ! This Sunday I will interview Pastor Israel from The Harbor.
I’ve seen the memes. I’ve joked about it. I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. I’ve cursed 2020! I imagine you have also. As I grieved out loud (which is often Christian code for complaining!) last week during our prayer meeting, I was reminded of an important truth. I was reminded that God is at work. I was reminded that God uses suffering to grow us spiritually. I was reminded that there is purpose behind pain. I was reminded that God is at work even in the train wreck that is 2020!
I love it when people are real and authentic. It is refreshing to just know someone for who they really are. No pretense. No hypocrisy. No acting. This is probably why I love the book of Acts so much. Acts presents the early church realistically. Led powerfully and extraordinarily by the Holy Spirit - Yes. Perfect - No.
This week’s email is devoted to prayer. I am calling us to pray today for the following:
Most of us have heard some form of the argument against God that “the church is full of hypocrites.” It is a good argument because it is often true. Don’t be offended - it is true of all humanity at some level. To live a life where we act in ways that always reflects our words is unrealistic. We are bound to fail due to the pull of sin on our lives. One couple once told the great British preacher Charles Spurgeon that they were leaving his church because they were going to find a perfect church. Spurgeon responded; “When you find it, please don’t join it, because you’ll ruin it!” Ouch.
Division among people is heartbreaking. We see devision in our nation - it seems any problem is now divided among party lines. We see division in families - it is tragic when families break up when they can’t solve their problems. We see division in the workplace and schools - many issues are made worse when people take sides and work against each other. And tragically there is division among Christians - when followers of Jesus divide over the same issues as the world divides over it is devastating.
After much discussion and prayer by The Board, Paul Duncan, and myself we have come to the conclusion that we can meet this Sunday, June 14 safely and within the compliance of state guidelines. We made it a priority to be respectful to state guidelines, to love our neighbor well by focusing on safety, and being a witness to our community by taking seriously the importance of gathering correctly. For a complete copy of our guidelines for re-opening CLICK HERE. Below are some basics:
I’ve really missed gathering as a church. I’ve missed greeting people as they walk in the door. I’ve missed singing together. I’ve missed hearing people read the Word of God. I’ve missed hearing people pray. I’ve missed preaching while connecting with people in person. I’ve missed standing and sending everyone out with a benediction. I’ve missed talking, reflecting, laughing, and sharing life after service. Can we get back together soon? Yes!
Horror and Beauty. These antonyms describe the Christian life in this world. We live out the Christian life in the midst of sinful acts that make our skin crawl and blood boil. And at the same time we see God work in people in ways that are beautiful and reflect the very image of God. It is hard to make sense of it. We daily lament as the prophet Habakkuk did in Habakkuk 1:2-4 in the face of national perversion of justice - “how long shall I cry for help.” And we daily thank God for His work in our lives - just like Habakkuk did at the end of Habakkuk; “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Hab. 3:18)
“Social-Distancing.” “Flattening the Curve.” “Zoom.” These are phrases and words I did not know 3 months ago. I learned of another new concept this past week - “Zoom Fatigue.” People get tired on Zoom. People are also tired of Zoom. I get it. It does not feel entirely natural. I have to work harder to communicate. I fight to stay engaged. I look funny to myself on my screen! Can you relate?
“Eternity makes now… make sense.” I preached this phrase years ago. Today I received a message from a friend whose father just passed away that he is being comforted by that teaching. The “now” can be hard. A parent dying is brutally hard. The uncertainty of this time of COVID-19 is becoming harder and harder. Whatever difficulty you are going through “now” can be crushing. But knowledge of eternity changes everything.
One thing I hear over and over again from people during this quarantine is, “I’m so tired!” It amazes me that I get to the end of a seemingly calm, stationary, and quiet day and feel exhausted. I was even on a call with the president of our denomination (who is highly productive and successful) yesterday and he said, “I have never traveled less and been more tired than during this pandemic.” Strange days indeed.
