Speaking Truth to the Powerless

Posted on February 8, 2021 by BLee

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Matthew 5:38-47

Speaking truth to power. It’s one of the buzz phrases that are used in our day. It’s offered by those who want to promote social justice. The basic premise is that those in power need someone to tell them the truth even if that truth is unwanted. I agree. Speaking truth to power has a rich tradition that is seen throughout the Bible from the prophets in the Old Testament to the ministry of Jesus and beyond. Those in power need to hear the truth.

But what about the powerless? Do they need to hear any truth? Or are they just helpless victims who have no responsibility for how they respond to the unjust actions of those in power?

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What Is Yours To Do?

Posted on February 1, 2021 by BLee

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Luke 19:1-6

Running the risk of being Captain Obvious, I find that the daily news is distressing. Without fail you hear or read about political unrest, racial tension, economic struggles, crime, wars, terrorism and more. On top of that is the global pandemic that makes all the other bad news even more difficult to take. All this bad news is so overwhelming that it often renders us frozen in response. Because we feel powerless to make any real difference, we are tempted to not even try.

Recently, I heard a pastor describe his own struggle with this. He was on a church mission trip to Haiti. There he found a pervasive sense of depravation and instability. During the day, he saw masses of people struggling to even maintain a minimum standard of living. At night were the burning fires of voodoo worshipers in the mountains. His efforts at good felt hopeless.

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Winning Churches

Posted on January 25, 2021 by BLee

….Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain…. Psalm 127:1

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

In the world of sports, winning is everything. Just ask Gus Malzahn, the former head football coach at Auburn. Despite the fact that he received several coach of the year awards in 2013 for the amazing turn around of the team and having the best winning record against rival Alabama, Malzahn was fired. Why? His team wasn’t winning. And in the SEC football word, winning is everything.

It’s like that in a lot of areas. We seldom remember who lost a presidential race after a few years. We don’t celebrate those who come in second in anything. It’s the winners that count, the gold medal recipients. They are the ones who matter.

So it shouldn’t surprise us much that this idea of winning has infiltrated the church along with a host of well-meaning tragic ways of achieving it. Many churches are obsessed with growth not so much because they are wanting to advance the will of God on earth as it is in heaven but to keep in the institution alive and functioning.

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The Daily Task of Denying Yourself

Posted on January 21, 2021 by BLee

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

The words of Jesus to deny self are not new to most Christ-followers. As a group, the majority of Christians believe them. After all, Jesus said them. But when it comes to the personal application of these words, more than a few believers feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Although we know that these words aren’t like the fortune cookie message that we read and promptly discard, we still don’t know what to do with them.

Some might think that Jesus means that we aren’t to allow ourselves pleasures such as an extra slice of pie. While limited our pie consumption has value, surely Jesus has more in mind than an adjustment to the menu. Likewise, others might conclude that Jesus is suggesting that we should quit doing the things we want to do (deny ourselves) and start doing what we don’t want to do (take up our cross.) But an appeal to asceticism hardly squares with Jesus’ invitation to abundant living. So what does it mean to deny self in practical terms?

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The Elusive Unity

Posted on January 11, 2021 by BLee

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20–23

Perhaps you’ve heard the humorous story of the man who was rescued from a deserted island. His rescuers noticed three crude structures and asked the man about them. Pointing at the first hut, the man told them that this was his house.

“What’s that one?” a rescuer asked while pointing at the second building.

Proudly, he responded, “Oh, that’s my church.”

“Then what’s the third one?” another rescuer asked.

Without batting an eye, he declared, “That’s the church I used to go to.”

Having served as a pastor for over four decades, I’ve seen this story play itself out time and time again. In some cases the church I served was one the receiving end of a change in churches. Inevitably I’d be told of how unhappy they were at their previous church, how the pastor just wasn’t meeting their needs or was too controlling, or that the music wasn’t to their liking and more. But now they had found heaven on earth in our church.

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What Does It Mean To Worship?

Posted on January 4, 2021 by BLee

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

Now that I am retired from vocational ministry, my wife and I are faced with the daunting challenge of finding a church home. Since we are in the midst of a pandemic, we have chosen to conduct our search online. At this point we have explored dozens of churches by looking at their websites and, if that proved promising, by participating in their online worship services.

One of the things that I’ve noticed is the wide variations in the way different churches worship. We’ve seen everything from a very formal Anglican service to a high-energy, contemporary service in a non-denominational congregation. Some services spoke to us more than others, but all were offered with an attempt to help the participants have a worshipful encounter with God.

Of course, we have our preferences like most people do. But just because we find a church that meets our preferences, doesn’t guarantee that we will be worshiping. For true worship is not a matter of style or form. It’s something far deeper.

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Living With Joy In This Moment

Posted on December 29, 2020 by BLee

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

I think I was in the 8th grade. I was standing in a longer than usual line in the school cafeteria to get my lunch, and I starting thinking about the future. I was at that point in my development when I was really noticing girls. And I knew that more than likely, I would marry one some day in the future. But that wasn’t going to be anytime soon. There just isn’t too much of a market for 14 year old grooms.

Nevertheless, I’m standing there looking at a couple of dozen girls standing in line, and I remember asking the Lord to show me which one was going to be my future wife. At the time, I had no concept that there would be any possibilities outside of my junior high school world. So the one for me just had to be in that room.

It should not surprise you that God didn’t reveal anyone to me that day. In fact my future wife wasn’t even in the city where I lived. And I wouldn’t meet her until I was in college. Nevertheless, there I was longing for some unknown future to be revealed.

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What Do You Want For Christmas?

Posted on December 23, 2020 by BLee

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44

When I was a kid, the thoughts of Christmas morning were almost more than I could contain. It was the one day of the year when I knew there would be a variety of presents with my name on them. Of course, I always got a birthday present or two. But it was nothing like Christmas. Christmas was the best. Or at least that’s how I built it up in my mind starting right after Thanksgiving.

I remember going through the Christmas catalog from Service Merchandise looking at all the great stuff you could get. I’m talking pages of stuff that any red-blooded young boy would die to have. I bet many of you remember doing that or watching your kids do it.

I would get in my mind how great it was going to be and that on Christmas morning all the deepest desires of my heart would finally be fulfilled. Sadly, however, that never happened. Not that my parents didn’t try, but something always went wrong.

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All Really Is Well

Posted on December 21, 2020 by BLee

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Although it isn’t one of the first carols of Christmas that come to mind, the song All Is Well is still a wonderful reminder of the message of this season. I heard this song recently and was touched again by its hopeful lyrics especially the second stanza.

All is well all is well
Let there be peace on earth
Christ is come go and tell
That He is in the manger
Sing Ale
Sing Alleluia

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It’s Not Fear

Posted on December 16, 2020 by BLee

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. II Timothy 1:7

I read yesterday that Christian economist, Dave Ramsey, recently held an event where those who attended and those who put on the event were encouraged not to wear masks despite recommendations from health officials to do so. His reasoning was that as Christians, we don’t live in fear. Implied in this is the suggestion that to wear a mask is a sign of a lack of trust in God and a capitulation to government control over the free exercise of religion.

I’ve read similar things from others who suggest that believers should continue to gather without regard to the concerns of the virus. Why? Because we aren’t people of fear. If we lose our lives in the free expression of religion, then so be it. We are simply carrying out our faith. After all, Timothy reminds us that we haven’t been given a spirit of fear. So case closed. Or is it?

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