sanctuarycg

Serving our African brothers and sisters in Washington County

There's a woman named Eileen at CrossRoads who continues to be salt and light for our African neighbors and friends in our community. She is passionate about helping them learn our language and our ways so they can best acclimate to their new lives in the United States. Eileen could use some help, though! Would you please look at the following list and prayerfully consider helping in some way?

Needed:
One-on-one English tutors
Mentors for prospective African college students (Guidance in applying for financial aid, the application process, ACT testing, etc.)
Weekly rides for ESL students

Anyone interested in helping, can call the church office (651-459-7111) and ask for Pastor Brad.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, and Shane Claiborne

Many of our Meal Groups are midway through Shane Claiborne's book. The responses I've been hearing areas follows:

• "I can't put this book down. I love it and hate it!"
• "This is unrealistic!"
• "Ah, if he had kids he wouldn't be saying this."
• "How can I make this practical?"

Well, this Sunday night's text actually speaks a bit to all of this. We will be studying the stories of the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000 in Matthew 14 and 15. In the stories Jesus tells his disciples to feed the crowds. They think he's nuts. His plan is unrealistic. His response? Bring me what you have and I will multiply it.  It's an amazing study and I can't wait to dig into it with you.

In addition, my Meal Group last night had a very interesting time with the discussion guide I created for Shane's chapter 6. It was so fascinating I thought I'd post it for our discussion here.

Chapter 6:

Shane speaks of an economics of the  Kingdom of God in chapter 6. 

• How might the two greatest commandments (love of God and love of neighbor, Matt. 7.12-14) affect the spending habits of those living under the “rule and reign of Christ?”

Shane notes John the Baptist’s commentary on repentance and redistribution in Luke 3:7-14.

• Read the passage and discuss why John would tie repentance so closely to money and possessions.

In response to Isaiah 58, Shane provocatively states: “True fasting is not just depriving ourselves of privilege but also sharing sacrificially to bring an end to the cycles of inequality, and end to creation’s groaning and the groaning of hungry bellies.”

• Read Isaiah 58:6-12. Why would God’s guidance and blessing be so tied to giving people what they need.
• If the people of God are  God's priestly representatives (Exodus 19:5 and 1 Peter 2:9),  what do our spending habits say about our King?

(Please don't respond if you haven't read the passages.) 

Sunday night will be very special

What makes a great man or woman? What makes a John the Baptist, a Peter, a Paul, a Mother Teresa, a Martin Luther King? This Sunday night we will explore the story of the death of John the Baptist in Matthew 14. John was thrown into prison for standing against evil, and it cost him his life. What gave John the strength to stand for truth?

We will also celebrate two other great men, William Wilberforce and John Newton. Both men also stood against evil in the name of Christ. Newton and Wilberforce were instrumental in abolishing the slave trade 200 years ago this year. Their lives are being portrayed in a film to open next week Amazing Grace. And we will join with over 3000 churches around the country in singing John Newton’s hymn Amazing Grace. This would be a great Sunday night to invite a friend.

Loving Homosexuals

An interesting discussion started below in response to my post on abortion, and interestingly, the discussion moved toward the subject of homosexuality and the church's response toward homosexuals.  As we all know abortion and homosexuality tend to be hot-button topics for Christians these days, and since we wrestled a bit with abortion below, let's not shy away from  the topic of homosexuality.

Now, Jesus gave His followers a mission:

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

The church certainly has gone all over the world sharing the good news of Jesus with all types of people hoping these people would become disciples of Jesus. How do we then reach out to men and women living the homosexual lifestyle? CrossRoads financially supports a ministry called Outpost. Outpost boldly seeks to help people find freedom from the homosexual lifestyle through the power of Jesus Christ. Outpost is a subsidiary of an international ministry called Exodus. But we cannot expect a couple para-church organizations to do all the ministry. What should we do?

A quick story. When I was living in Denver, I stopped at a home that was advertising an estate sale. For reasons I won't go into now, I soon learned the men inside were selling the goods of a male friend of theirs who had died of AIDS.  As I left, I was saddened with the thought those men probably felt there was no church where they could go and seek solace as they mourned.

I personally feel our first responsibility to all people is to introduce them to the love of Jesus. It is only the Spririt of Jesus that can transform a heart. Yet, too often the church has said to people: "Stop sinning and then maybe we'll tell you about the grace of our King." Instead of speaking to homosexuals first about their same-gender attraction, should we not first help them come to know the Son of God who gave His life for them?

Much to say. What do you think? How are you seeking to be Jesus to the homosexuals you know?

Note: For an excellent perspective on the Bible and Homosexuality, I point you to an article written by one of my seminary professors, Dr. Peter Vogt. And for our denomination's stance on human sexuality go here.

What about Hell?

Tomorrow night at Sanctuary we will explore Jesus parable from Matthew 13:47-52:

⁴⁷ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that is thrown into the water and gathers fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When the net is full, they drag it up onto the shore, sit down, sort the good fish into crates, and throw the bad ones away. ⁴⁹ That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, ⁵⁰ throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁵¹ Do you understand?”

“Yes,” they said, “we do.”

⁵² Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who has become a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a person who brings out of the storehouse the new teachings as well as the old.”

Please join us as we explore this very tough topic. FYI: We'll have Q and A after the teaching so come ready to think.

 

Questions, Questions, Questions...

We had a wonderful time dealing with some very tough questions last night at Sanctuary. I would like to thank all who participated. Unfortunately, we did not get to all of them, and I know some of you were unable to make it due to some religious fascination with football ;-].

Here are some very challenging ones I'd like us to explore:

Question: How as "christians" can we preach against abortion but not do anything to stop it. In Shane Claiborne's book "Irresitable Revolution" he states that "if he (we) are going to be pro-life/ anti-abortion than we better be willing to adopt some babies."

Is the grace that God gives big enough for anything?

If I had an abortion would I be considered a murderer? Even though I DONT believe life begins at conception. However other people I have talked to said i was no better than one?

Answer: There are really three questions here. To the first, I would agree we are not doing all we could to deal with the problem of abortion. The debate got so loud and angry over the past three decades, I think many of us just wanted to plug our ears and pretend it would go away. It hasn't. I would agree with the foundation of Shane's reflection. The Church should be willing to "adopt some babies," but people who put their children up for adoption have already made a choice not to abort, so we still haven't gotten to the heart of the issue. CrossRoads financially supports New Life Family Services (and I know some of our members work there), but it still seems like such a drop in the bucket when considering the overwhelming problem. Furthermore, I don't believe the Church has done a very good job of being a place that ministers to women who have suffered the trauma of abortion. I know there are many in our congregation who live with the pain of their choice to have had an abortion, and yet do not feel they can open up about the trauma within the church and receive healing and acceptance.

I am at a loss. What do you think? What can Christians do today to  help  protect the unborn and  minister to those who have had abortions?

In answer to the second part of the question, I would say the grace of God is big enough to cover all sins. The apostle Paul was complicit in the murder of the disciple Stephen, yet he became the most prolific writer in the New Testament. King David, was a man "after God's own heart," but he was also an adulterer and a murderer (see 2 Samuel 11-12). Moses murdered an Egyptian, etc. The Bible is filled with notorious but forgiven sinners. Of course, the Bible does speak of the unforgiveable sin (blasphemy against the Spirit, see Matt. 12:31, but that sin is usually characterized by the simple rejection of grace offered through Christ.) For a clear understanding of forgiveness, look at Romans 5-8. Romans 8:1-2 states: "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death."

In answer to the third question, I would reframe the discussion just a bit. First of all we're all murderers in some sense (see Matthew 5:21-22), and we are all guilty of breaking the whole law of God (see James 2:10-11). The real thing you're asking is are you guilty of the sin of murder even though you don't believe life begins at conception. I would say your "belief" is not the issue here. The real question is not about when you "believe" life begins, but when God says life begins. If sin is operating outside of God's will, our "beliefs" are not the authority. God's will is the standard. Example: I had a friend in Phoenix who believed God was calling him to kill his father. Was his belief wrong? Of course. Our beliefs do not set the standard, only God sets the standard. Are the Scriptures clear on when life begins? There is a lot of disagreement. I look to Psalm 139:

 

¹³     You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴     Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it.

¹⁵     You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

¹⁶     You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

 

All that said, we are all sinners. We have all fallen short of God's glorious standard, but hear the good news of Jesus Christ! "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong" (1 John 1.9).