Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny

What do you see when you look at yourself?  Do you see an individual created with a Divine purpose, or do you just see a person who isn't good enough, rich enough, successful enough, etc?  Although so many of us commonly dwell on the latter, we should really be seeing the former.  God made you with a very specific set of gifts, talents, and interests.  He has taken you through a specific set of circumstances, and He uses both to prepare you for your Divine destiny.  That's the message I took from Mark Batterson's SoulPrint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny.

This book was a compelling read, and unlike most Christian books I have read, I felt it was very original.  I don't usually describe Christian books that way, but Batterson has a unique take on a lot of things.  He has a take that I understand and connect with.  He is an optimist.  He believes that God has a plan for him, and that He is always working the plan.  I believe that way, too, and sometimes I have to force myself into optimism.  It seems to come naturally for him.  He is selling what I want to buy: a positive look at the truth.

Bottom line: this is one of the best Christian books I have read in a long time.  I have liked each of Mark Batterson's books more the last.  This one kept in line with that.  I think it's an incredible read, especially for anyone that's struggling to identify their worth in God's plans.  I recommend you buy it HERE.

 

*A complimentary copy of Soulprint by Mark Batterson was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

my run in with security

Last Wednesday was my birthday, and because I have great friends, I had to stop at the store right after work to pick up some pop to go with my favorite food that Todd brought back to Kalamazoo with him.  So I stopped in at the store right by the church and headed first to the candy aisle.  If Todd's bringing Cousin's Tasty Chicken for us, I can at least get him some Red Vines.  Right?  Of course, right.  As I'm standing there, I see store security come down the aisle with that scrutinizing look on her face.  She was one of those ones that wears plainclothes and has absolutely no acting ability when it comes to acting casual.  I recognized her from a bust she made a couple of months ago when I was at the store, so I started looking around for the perp.  I see an old guy to my left who looked too kindly to be stealing, so I ruled him out.  To my right was another unlikely suspect, but he was more likely than the old guy, so I thought maybe it was him.  The old guy leaves with his hard candies, so in my mind, the other guy is now the confirmed suspect.  Then he left, and I was the only one left, standing next to security.  She was pretending to look for candy while standing alone in an aisle with me.  Color me surprised, because I'm the suspicious one.

As I'm standing there scanning the shelves for the Red Vines, I'm getting impatient.  They weren't there, but I knew I had purchased them there before.  Now I'm in a tough spot.  There was an employee less than five feet away from me.  Thoughts are running through my head.  "Should I ask her about the candy?  She should know.  She works here.  I bet people steal a lot of candy, so she should be familiar with what's here.  Will she get angry if I ask her?  It would be the same as telling her that she's not very good at her job."  I was so torn.  I wanted the candy, but I didn't want to aggravate security. Finally, I caved.

"Hey, do you guys still carry Red Vines here?"  For my southern readers, our use of "you guys" is like your use of "y'all."
"What?"
"I asked if you guys still sold Red Vines here."
"Oh, I think so.  Did you check down here?"
"Yes, but I didn't see them, but I thought maybe I missed something, because I've purchased them here before."
"Hmm.  I don't see them.  Did you check up by the register?  I work here, and I'm sure we carry them."
"Yeah, I know you work here.  That's why I figured I'd just ask you."
"Check up by the register."
"Okay, thanks."

I walked away from our conversation - one where she never made eye contact with me and seemed to continue pretending to be looking for her own candy - and grabbed some pop.  After I had the pop we needed, I headed towards the registers.  There, at the end of the aisle, was this security guard.  She was holding a bag of Red Vines up to me.  I smiled and thanked her, because that saved me from walking five aisles, and I like to conserve my energy.  She told me that she was just about to have me paged, which is odd, because I'm not sure what she would have said.  "Would the fat guy looking for Red Vines please come to the front of the store?  We have a bag for you."

It was the weirdest interaction with security a completely innocent man could have.  I guess I'm glad that I still look young enough to be suspected for candy theft.

Happy Valentine's Day!

how spiritual bullying happens

We wrapped up our Bully Beatdown series last week, but I didn't have a chance to get online and post my notes by Monday.  So, I decided to wait a week.  I knew I wouldn't teach YG last night, because the Super Bowl was teaching us how far $3M can go: as far as it can get in 30-seconds.  P.s.  I wasn't overwhelmed by the commercials this year, but the half time show was the best since the incident.  It's amazing what having a relevant, younger than 45 band can do for a half time show.  Anywho, we finished with spiritual bullying.  Here's what happened:

We’re not talking about Christians bullying non-Christians.  That certainly does happen, but we’ve talked about that a number of times.
I’m talking about the way Christians look down at each other for having different beliefs and practices than each other.
It’s really a matter of arrogance.  When someone does something differently than you, and you get bent out of shape over it, you could end up bullying that person.

How did Jesus feel about the Pharisees?  How did He describe them?

They made the rules to follow too difficult to anyone.  They were so overwhelming that they were defeating.  The Law was hard enough to follow without any extras.

To make a proselyte of someone is to convert them.  They wanted to get people “saved,” but once they got reached them, they taught them to be just as hellish as they were.

They took their rules and their interpretations of God’s rules and put them on par with God’s actual laws.
It’s okay to have your own standards, but it becomes problematic and bullying when you project your personal standards for enforcing God’s rules on everyone else.

I was pretty happy with this section, because I got to alliterate, which was always my favorite part about being Baptist.  We alliterate everything.
A precept is a law.  It is in black and white (or maybe red).  It comes right from the Bible.  They are clear cut.  The 10 Commandments are examples of precepts.
A principle is a good general rule that one can draw from a precept.  They are similar, but not exactly the same.  By studying the Bible, we can develop principles that help us understand right and wrong with situations that aren't specifically laid out in the Bible.
A preference is how you decide to react to the precepts and principles laid out in the Bible.  It’s how you enforce these rules in your life, or how you set  boundaries to make sure you do not stray from God’s laws.
Spiritual bullying is when you take your preference and elevate it to the same place as God’s law.  Let’s look at some that make for arguments and divisions in churches.

What is the precept?  Do not get drunk.
What principle can we draw from this?  Alcohol can be dangerous, because getting drunk is a sin.
What are a couple of preferences we can follow?  Well, a person can choose to not drink any alcohol ever, because without taking a first drink, he can never get drunk.  Or, someone can say, “I’m going to be very careful with alcohol and make sure I never drink too much.”
Now, for you for right now, it is absolutely a sin to drink any alcohol, because we are directed to submit to authorities and rulers.  The law says that you cannot, so you cannot.  You cannot go home and tell your parents that I said it’s okay, and they are spiritually bullies if they say it’s not.  It’s not okay for you.
Spiritual bullying comes into play when the person who decides he will not touch alcohol at all judges the person who decides he will drink moderately and not get drunk, or when the person who will drink moderately to look down on the "teetotaler" for "making Christians look prudish or judgmental."

What is the precept?  There actually isn’t one here.  There is no commandment, although you would think so based on how some people define worship.
What principle can we draw from this?  It is acceptable to worship God with movement, like dancing, or lifting your hands, or flag waving, or whatever.
What could your preference be?  Well, you could decide that when you worship, you will raise your hands and you will move.  You might clap your hands, move your feet, whatever.  That’s all cool.
It’s not a precept though.  You are not commanded to do that.  I’ve been asked why I don’t worship God when we’re singing before.  And for the two people who had the guts and lack of tact for asking me that question, I know there are others who just think it about me.  But why is it that some people think I don’t worship?  Because I don’t move around.  Side note: if you’re actually worshiping God, you probably wouldn’t notice how I was interacting with Him.  I lean towards being completely still with my head down.  If I could do it without drawing attention to myself, I’d be most likely to worship face down (prostrate), but I only do that in private.
Is it okay for me to think that people that dance or move while worshiping are faking it and not truly engaged in worship?  Nope.  It’s also not okay for those that dance and move to think that I am not worshiping God, because I am not doing it like them.  We can’t project our preferences on each other.
____________________________________

There are many situations where people do this.  Sometimes it’s related to our spiritual gifts.  For instance, there are some that would teach that if you don’t speak in tongues, you have never been saved, or maybe you have, but you haven’t received the full Holy Spirit.

I don’t want to go too deep into what I believe about tongues right now, but I will tell you that I have never spoken in tongues.  If it is an active spiritual gift, I do not have it.  For someone to say that your not speaking in tongues means you are a lesser Christian or that you don’t have the Holy Spirit or whatever is kind of ridiculous.  That would be like me saying that no one here is right with God, has His full spirit upon them, and possibly might not even be saved, because they don’t preach.  That’s my strongest spiritual gift.

Read Romans 14:1-8

We’ve been given liberty to follow God as He has created us, but we cannot let our liberty become a stumbling block to other people.

Romans 14:13-15

Some things aren’t laid out in black and white, but God will lead you through His spirit.  When it comes to these gray areas, where we’re not quite sure what God wants, it’s not okay for us to project our preferences onto other people.

It is interesting that many of the things upon which God is silent, Christians have traditionally been the loudest.

We shouldn’t be that way.  We shouldn’t bully people.  Remember Matthew 25:40…

 

 

 

predestination: it's your density

Two weeks ago, I alluded to the fact that I would be writing about the Bible every Friday for a while.  Then work got in the way.  I think I sat in front of my computer for less than an hour combined between Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  By the end of Sunday, it wasn't Friday anymore.  The week usually works like that, where the end of Sunday is after Friday.  So I'm exactly one week late with my second weekly post.  I said we'd be talking about predestination, so let's do that.

There are basically three schools of thought on predestination: God has chosen Heaven or Hell for everyone; God has chosen Heaven or Hell for no one, and everyone has free will (this is how I was taught growing up); and God predestines some, and He gives free will to others (what I have come to believe).

When you are reading the Bible, and you are trying to make sense of some of the trickier passages, it's important to consider the rest of Scripture before coming to a final conclusion.  Again, we are told to study, so we can come to the right conclusions.  It really is that important.  Based on my studying, I can no longer believe in absolute free will, and I haven't switched to unconditional predestination.  And to be honest, most people I know that say they believe in absolute free will don't.  They just haven't connected two dots in their brain that are kept in separate compartments.

First, let's look at the passage of Scripture that my belief comes from: Romans 9:18-23.  God can choose who He will show mercy to and harden who He will harden.  He will make some vessels for honor and some for dishonor.  Some are vessels for His wrath, and some are vessels for His mercy.  Some people are created with an afterlife reservations already made, both for Heaven and for Hell.

Right now, you might not be tracking with me, and that's fine.  You might not agree with me by the end of this post, and that's fine, too.  But let me ask you some questions.  Do you believe Judas Iscariot went to Heaven?  I don't.  I wrote a compelling paper on how we know he got saved when I was in Bible college, but that was just to annoy my teacher and classmates.  I don't believe it.  First of all, Jesus refers to him in John 17:12 as the son of perdition.  That word means "destruction (physical, spiritual, and eternal), ruined, lost, or damnable."  Jesus also said in Matthew 26:24 that it would have been better if he had never been born.  If he had gone to Heaven, that couldn't really be said.  None of this really matters if you believe Judas chose to be the way that he was.  But he was a fulfillment of prophecy.  It was prophesied that a person that shared bread with the Messiah would be the one to betray Him.

Here's my next question: are the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation going to Heaven?  Have they already been chosen for their tasks? I believe the answer to both questions is yes.  They've already been sealed with a mark of protection so that they can fulfill their duty.  When they are mentioned in Revelation 14, it says that they were redeemed.  You might say they are...wait for it...predestined for Heaven, as they are already chosen for their purpose.

I've always believed both that Judas was chosen to be the son of perdition, therefore he went to hell, and that the 144,000 witnesses have already been sealed as God's witnesses.  That means they go to Heaven.  You can argue that God chose them because they knew, but then others could argue that God knew, so He chose.  Circumlocution isn't welcomed here.  But how could I believe that God offers free will to everyone if I also believe that there are some who have been chosen?  I can't.  I had to come to the conclusion that God does offer free will, as He promised, but He reserves the right to make specific decisions.  Is it fair?  Not really, but that's not my call, and it isn't my business.  I'm just the clay.

Is this topic worth all the debate it's gotten over the years?  I don't think it is, so long as you are obeying Jesus' teaching.  Whatever you believe, it's important that you follow Jesus' famous last words before ascending into Heaven: go and make disciples.  It's your job to tell others, whether you believe everyone has divine reservations or not.  One thing my pastor growing up always said was that if total predestination were true, it's okay, because the more you go out and share the gospel, the more predestined people you find.

final installment of ministry lessons (for now)

I've given you eight things I did not know going into ministry.  If there were only eight things, I would have been quite content.  I'll take you through numbers 9-12 today, and if there had only been twelve, I would have been really happy.  But who am I kidding?  I am happy.  My job rocks.  It's just tricky sometimes.

9.  You must become a fan of things you never liked before.  Until you learn to become a fan, be quiet.

There are things I am exciting to go watch now that I never did like before.  It's not that certain events have grown on me, either, but I love watching students from YG participating in sports, concerts, and shows.  I am not known for being a fan of women's basketball.  I remember being excited at the beginning of the WNBA, because I love basketball, and I thought year round basketball would be great.  I watched the first five minutes of the first WNBA game ever played.  Then I fell asleep.  I haven't watched it since.  I'm just not a fan of the pace and style.  I mentioned my lack of love for women's basketball from stage at my first church.  That didn't go so well with our girls basketball players.  Did I love going to their games and watching and cheering for them?  Yeah, I did, but I had to convince them of that, because I didn't keep my mouth shut.

10.  Cool your jets.

First of all, I borrowed that phrase from my mother.  I've been teen to cool my jets many times over the years.  Anyway, I'm not sure why you would yell at a group of students, but it's common in new and/or immature youth pastors.  There are few disciplinary issues that require addressing (and by addressing, for some, it means yelling) an entire group of people.  I had a college professor that tried this bit a couple of times.  I never did respect him, and I would leave during his rants.  Why?  Because it didn't apply to me.  I wasn't the one talking, and I wasn't paying for him to yell at me.  Students do not pay to come to youth group, but if they did, I doubt they would pay to go to one where the youth pastor wore their angry emotions on his sleeves.  No one wants to be yelled at, and it doesn't make sense to yell at an entire group over the sins of one, or a couple, or a few.   I have also found that yelling isn't the most effective form of dealing with people on an individual basis.    Just cool your jets.

11. Taking your youth group to camp is nothing like a vacation.

I think there are some lead pastors who have not learned this lesson yet, either.  I'm not talking about Dave, either.  I'm graciously allowed comp time after camp.  There were other youth pastors at workcamp last year, though, that were planning to be in the office the next Monday.  No one told their lead pastor how tiring camp is on a youth pastor.  You're busy from the time you get up till you go back to sleep, which will be late, and you will sleep lightly, so you can hear movement.  You must protect yourself from pranks, after all.  My most tiring week of ministry this year will be from June 25-July 1 this year.  Before my first time going as a youth pastor, I thought camp was like a free week of vacation.  My mistake.

12.  Be careful what you write about.

Why?  There are people who will read your blog just so they can hold it against you.  I'd better not say too much.  They might be watching.  Quick...walk away.

Hope you are enjoying your snow day, wherever you are.