Missions in 2 Chronicles?

Ok, so there are times when I blog cute things like my last blog, times when I rant, and then there are these times. Reading God's word this morning I was knocked down by 2 Chronicles 20. This is one of the more popular passages in this book. The passage where the choir goes before the army and God delivers their enemies into their hands.

I have been meditating on this passage this morning and thinking about Piper's book "Let the Nations be Glad." The fact that we have missions because we are not worshiping as we ought continually faces me. Don't hear me wrong I am not throwing stones at the church. I am realizing that I am just as guilty. My worship does not always extend beyond the walls of the church or my home as much as it needs to in order to reach a lost and dying (yes, I used the phrase. . .that is the baptist preacher in me) world. What does that look like?

In this passage the people faced a mighty army. Do I even face the army or am I content in my bubble just talking about missions all day? I have come back to that old analogy of the fisherman who learns to fish, fishes for a while, and then spends all of his time telling others how to fish. Yuck! May I never stop fishing (literally and figuratively). The call to discipleship is one that makes disciples at all stages of spiritual growth. Whether that be to call people out to face the army or lead the choir. The bottom line is to get our worship out of the church walls.

I get chills thinking about how the people marched singing and then arrived at the ridge to see the enemy conquered. May we at least show up to see the glory of God at work in our world. "Showing up" looks different for everyone. The bottom line is that we be who God has called us to be where He has called us to be.

The end of this passage has a commentary about King Jehoshaphat. "He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all of the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors." We may not be Kings, but we have the opportunity to lead God's people to battle.

Are you worshiping? Does your worship make it out of the church building? That is largely what is going to reach our world!

Fleas navidad! Find an authentic Mexican tamale and eat it on our behalf!

Twas' the Night Before Christmas Mexican style

‘Twas the night before Christmas y por toda la casa,
Not a creature was stirring-Ay Caramba! Que pasa?
Los niños were tucked away in their camas,
Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,
While hanging the medias with mucho cuidado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all children, both buenos y malos,
A nice batch of dulces y otros regalos.
Outside in the yard there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my pies like a frightened cabrito.
I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think that it era?
Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were eight little burros approaching volados.
I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:
"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Berto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"
Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,
Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his real suit de gala,
He filled all the medias with lovely regalos-
For none of the niños had been very malos.
Then chuckling aloud, seeming muy contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone como viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
Merry Christmas to all, y Feliz Navidad!

Pew Potatoes?

I have been reading a pretty good book by Dallas Willard called "The Great Omission." (Not to be confused with other missions books/authors like Saint) It is not labeled a missions book, but has many implications for missional thought. I remember when I told someone in our regional leadership that I had a heart for discipleship and his reply was that I sounded like one of those Navigators. Little did he know that I was discipled by the navigators material! Does that mean that I have been influenced in an unhealthy way? Ever heard of the great commission? Making disciples=Discipleship

So that brings me to Willard's book. The title and subject intrigued me because people have varying ideas about discipleship today. Many center around how "churchy" we can make people or what christian guru (ie. B. Moore, H. Blackaby, J. Piper) is the most popular at the moment. I am not going to give a pat definition, but I will submit some thoughts and quotes that have impacted me from this work:

"Our responsibility is to implement the Great Commission right where we are, not just to raise efforts to do it elsewhere. And if we don't, it won't even be implemented over there." (p.xiii)

"The word 'disciple' occurs 269 times in the New Testament. 'Christian' is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus-in a situation where it was no longer possible to regard them as a sect of the Jews. (Acts 11:26) (p.3)

"Churches are filled with 'undiscipled disciples,' as Jess Moody has called them."
(p.4)

"The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul." (p.9)

"This heresy has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a 'vampire Christian.' One in effect says to Jesus, 'I'd like a little of your blood, please. But I don't care to be your student or have your character." In fact, won't you excuse me while I get on with my life, and I'll see you in heaven.' But can we imagine that this is an approach that Jesus finds acceptable?" (p.14)

"A contemporary wording of Jesus's comparison of God's kind of love, agape, and what normally passes for love might be 'What's so great if you love those who love you? Terrorists do that! If that's all your 'love' amounts to, God certainly is not involved. Or suppose you are friendly to 'our kind of people.' So is the Mafia! (Matthew 5:46-47) (p.25)

"Many well meaning people, to give an example, cannot succeed in being kind because they are too rushed to get things done." (p.29)

"You rarely find any person who has made great progress in the spiritual life who did not at some point have much time in solitude and silence." (p.37)

"The missing note in evangelical life today is not in the first instance 'spirituality' but rather 'obedience.' We have generated a variety of religion to which obedience is not regarded as essential." (p.44)

"Now many of you will know that the 'flesh' most often shows up in the scripture, not in association with 'cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women,' but with religious activities. When Paul in Philippians 3:3 says that he too has 'reason for confidence in the flesh,' he proceeds to give us a list of religious credentials that is quite overwhelming." (p.46 there is much more here that I wish that I could quote)

"What you see when the veil is drawn back on the many 'spiritualities' of our day is that they are so many versions of idolatry. They are nothing but human attempts to use human means to achieve identity and power for the individual. Idolatry is marked by the will to use God for our purposes." (p.48)

"The church of Jesus Christ is not necessarily present where there is a correct administration of the sacrament and faithful preaching of the Word of God. The church of God is present where people gather together in the power of the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. It is possible to have the administration of the sacraments and the preaching of the Word of God and to have it be simply a human exercise." (p51)

"'Discipleship' is a term that has pretty well lost it's meaning because of the way it has been misused. Discipleship on the theological right has come to mean preparation for soul winning, under the direction of parachurch efforts that had discipleship farmed out to them because the local church really wasn't doing it. On the left, discipleship has come to mean some form of social activity or social service, from serving soup lines to poitical protest to. . .whatever. The term 'discipleship' has currently been ruined so far as any psychological and biblical content is concerned." (p.53)

So in the words of the immortal movie "Cool Runnings," (the movie about the jamaican bobsled team) "Ya dead man? Ya man." I will stop the fire hydrant for now and let you meditate. (Yes baptists can meditate!)

Let me know what you think. This is some deep stuff. One or two quotes are zingers to get more responses from y'all.

Have a cool yule and fleas navidad! (yes I misspelled feliz)

P.S. I almost forgot. The picture with my Mom was just an unrelated freebie. Enjoy!