This week's focus book to read is PHILIPPIANS (NLT)
There's a passage in chapter two that has always kind of jumped out at me. At first sight, verses 12 and 13 seem to throw a curveball at us "by faith alone" kind of believers.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Wait a minute. Work out my salvation with fear and trembling? What's there to work out, Jesus? Ahem, I seem to remember the little detail in the four gospel accounts that YOU worked out our salvation already! I mean, you died on the cross for us, right? You paid the price for our salvation, correct? It's not something we could earn on our own... we're not capable of bringing about our own salvation... are you with me so far? SALVATION AIN'T POSSIBLE APART FROM GOD... so how in the world are we supposed to "work out our salvation"? And, for that matter, why the fear and trembling? Didn't Jesus absorb the punishment for the sins of mankind on that same cross (hence, "salvaging" us from God's garbage heap)? What's to fear?
Well... I learned this amazing phrase in seminary that helps to explain this kind of situation. Yes/and. (Wait... I can hear you asking: you went to seminary for the better part of a decade to learn that?) Yep, but rest assured, I learned a couple of other tidbits too. :-) Anyway, yes/and. YES, our High Priest (Jesus) stepped into our world and took our place on the altar of death... shedding his priestly robes and becoming the sacrificial lamb on the cross. Yes, in so doing, he did indeed bring about our salvation. That is God's gracious act in this covenant relationship. AND, we Christians - having accepted the gift of life, now are called to fulfill our part of the bargain... by living our lives by faith, seeking to reflect the nature and character - a.k.a. love - of our Lord and Savior. As it says in Matthew 5:48 (The Message), "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."
Exactly... you've been given the gift of salvation... now live like it. Act like it. Believe it. Let that eternal fact saturate your soul. Work it our in your life each and every day. And, while you're at it... do it with fear and trembling. No, not the kind of fear you experience when you watch Saw IV... that's carnal fear. The kind of fear (and trembling) this passage is getting at is the kind that comes from being overwhelmed by the presence of something... or someone that make you draw back in total awe. Like if you met the President or something (hmmmm... perhaps Sarah Palin is a better example if meeting the current president wouldn't get your adrenaline pumping)! You get the idea, right? God is big, He's powerful, He's awesome, He's holy... and because of that, mere humans couldn't help but shrink in His presence. He may be GOOD, but I guarantee you... He ain't safe. He's GOD for goodness sake! If the thought of encountering Him someday (and we all will) doesn't bring about a sense of fear and trembling... then you are what the Palmists would call a fool. An Englishman might call you a bloody fool. But I would just call you very, very brave... or maybe just plain stupid.
Anyway, you gotta admit... this whole thing is a yes/and situation. You and I are saved and salvaged, brothas and sistas who embrace the cross... so let's respond to and confirm the covenant by doing what we ought... by working out our salvation with fear and trembling!
Well, it's been an up and down kind of week, mostly down to be honest. 10 days to go, and we're all feeling the heat. Last night, I wrote a long, pretty negative blog which detailed our fears and concerns about this whole church-planting adventure. But I decided not to post it. Frankly, it was just too blunt and full of fear. Suffice to say things are not going real wonderful at the moment, but regardless of how things may look circumstantially, I continue to believe that everything will work out in the end. Moving issues, building issues, no-place-to-live issues, no-place-to-store-our-stuff issues... you know, everyday stuff (smile)! I've been thinking about my recent post on personal evangelism, and I want to try to articulate my "method." I must admit though, it's not very structured... in fact, it's rather loose and flabby. There's probably a lot of overlap in my definitions below, but what can I say? Truth to me is not systematic and rationalistic, but inter-relational and organic.
First, I think it's important to become fully saturated with the love of God. It's not my pre-rehearsed speech that will convince someone to enter the kingdom of God, but the authentic love of God overflowing from my heart. So, in my mind, evangelism is rooted in a deeply dependent relationship to, with, and in Jesus Christ. This involves the basic Christian spiritual disciplines such as private and corporate prayer, and passionate consumption (and communal interpretation) of the Word of God. The Bible is read, not to receive "how to tips on evangelism from Jesus and friend," but rather to enter the story of God and allow His Word to shape my character from the inside out. The more I read... and give the Spirit of God permission to saturate my soul through the narrative and propositional truths... the more my heart, soul, mind and strength become mysteriously shaped into the image of Jesus Christ. It's not about principles for living... rather, more like revelation for transformation.
Secondly, I believe it is imperative to become thoroughly immersed in the local community in which I live... where I socialize, go to school/work, shop, eat/drink, play, run errands, worship, and dwell. The light of Christ was meant to be given away to others who are living in darkness, but I cannot shine if I do not engage and intentionally nurture relationships wherever I go and live. I don't need to carry the attitude that I must "get everyone in the world saved." No, I must carry the attitude that God is at work in my community, and I must seek to join Him where He is. As far as I can tell, that "place" is not predictable or measurable or containable. The task of reconciliation is the Lord's alone to carry out, and all He asks of me is to make myself attuned to His will, available to be His presence in the world, and eager to share the story of His resurrection power to forgive and transform with anyone who genuinely seeks Him. Third, I believe evangelism extends to more than just a one-time conversation or crisis at the altar... into something much bigger and more effective in the context of eternity. Yet it is also messier and less controllable. Incarnational presence goes beyond getting someone to say the sinner's prayer... Incarnational presence is a continual acting out of God's personal touch to those who hunger to grow in their knowledge and experience of His grace. It is reaching out to the powerless. It is giving to the poor and needy. It is spending time to pray for the oppressed and afflicted. It is listening to those who need to spew venom or vent pain that has been welling up in their heart. It's doing what Jesus did when He came to this dark place... It's giving people a better alternative... and empowering them to believe in something (someone) outside of themselves... it's costly... it's self-emptying... it's God-focused and it's powerful.
Fourth, I believe evangelism has to erupt from our best intentions and motivations. I am not on a mission to grow a church, or get another notch in my gun (gunslinger talk)... or even satisfy my own ego to "get someone saved." No, the motive of my evangelistic style must not originate from my modern desire to build a powerful empire... it must originate in the all-powerful, pure, interdependent, ever-continuous love of the Triune God. I'm not here to do God any favors... frankly, He doesn't need me to save the world, or even one person within it. But He does delight in utilizing the overflow of my heart to touch people who yearn for something greater than what their experience has offered up to that point in their lives. I am not a self-automated power-tool, finding people who are broken and taking it upon myself to fix them... I am a hand-tool, placed in the hands of Almighty God, ready to go wherever He call me, and do whatever He bids me to do. I don't have to worry about anyone's eternal destiny... I just have to love people wherever I go, and trust that He knows what He is doing with my life.
Evangelism is not what we tell people, unless what we tell is totally consistent with who we are. It is who we are that is going to make the difference. If we do not truly enjoy our faith, nobody is going to catch the fire of enjoyment from us. If our lives are not totally centered on Christ, we will not be Christ-bearers for others, no matter how pious our words.
--Madeleine L'Engle
