Faith Venture

The key words of Jesus’ final instructions to his followers–Make disciples of all the nations.

We have our task laid out before us. It’s not glamorous. It’s hard.

Maybe we think of the honor and glory of preaching to thousands.

Maybe we have the hubris to try to lead political movements.

But Jesus said, go and make disciples.

That means doing the hard work of one on one teaching, leading, counseling, sharing.

It means firstly looking to our own spiritual development. After all, children only lead other children into mischief. We must continuously grow in order to help others grow.

Maybe it means bringing people into a church. Those can be good institutions. But often they are gatherings of like-minded people prone to ego and constant argumentation.

Beware of ego and pride. Solomon asked for, and received, wisdom. Yet, his life was a shambles.

How many leaders have made themselves into a household name first for preaching and then for the inevitable fall when ego and pride have sunk their talons deep into the soul.

Pray to God today that he brings someone into your life for you to disciple and to teach to disciple others in turn.

When complimented on an athletic skill exhibited during a contest, the child asked, “How did I do that?” The answer returned, “Because you practiced it again and again.”

Do you want to run a 5K, 10K, or marathon? Better buy a good pair of shoes, get yourself outside, and start running. There is no alternative. Running the race in your head while sitting in your comfortable chair will not build the strength and endurance you need.

Heed these words from Pope Saint John Paul II–Some Christians think they are able to do without constant spiritual effort because they do not heed the urgency of confronting themselves with the truth of the gospel. So as not to disturb their way of living, they attempt to empty, and make innocuous, words such as: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27).

How many people do we know or read about who are still in their spiritual infancy? They may speak as if they are mature. They exhibit none of the marks of one who has done the real work of spiritual formation.

Maybe because that takes effort.

There is no substitute for serious reading, thinking, praying, meditating, and service.

At the beginning of the day, think–God, provide one enemy today for me to love. Provide one neighbor in need for me to serve.

At the end of the day, reflect–where were all the opportunities God placed before me and where did I do the work and where could I do better?

A person meets with a priest. “Father, can I confess a sin to you?”

“You can confess to me, but I merely help you to confess to God.”

“But I just want to confess to you. I don’t believe in God.”

“That’s OK. I still just serve as an intermediary between you and God.”

“It’s OK that I don’t believe in God?”

“Wouldn’t it be worse if God didn’t believe in you?”

Part of a conversation I read.

Is faith first; or is grace? Do we need faith to confess our wrong actions and thoughts? Or maybe we practice confession as a spiritual discipline. And grace opens the door to faith.

After all, few, if any, of Jesus’s followers believed in him until after the resurrection. They had to witness God’s grace and practice spiritual discipline until the Ah Ha moment when it all came together.

We practice confession, meditation, prayer sometimes just as seekers, not as gurus. It’s like that man told Jesus, “I believe! Help me in my unbelief.”

Yes, it would be worse if God didn’t believe in us.

I saw this quote in my daily dose of Plough.

Madeleine L’Engle

How often we children have been unwilling: unwilling to listen to each other, unwilling to hear words we do not expect. But on that first Pentecost the Holy Spirit truly called the people together in understanding and forgiveness and utter, wondrous joy. The early Christians, then, were known by how they loved one another. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people could say that of us again? Not an exclusive love, shutting out the rest of the world, but love so powerful, so brilliant, so aflame that it lights the entire planet – nay, the entire universe!

We humans seem to like to gather in our tribes of people who are like us. Same skin color, beliefs, adornment preferences, whatever.

But that wasn’t God’s idea. Jesus blew up that model. It would be really something earthshaking if our churches behaved like L’Engle’s vision. Like the example of the first hundred years or so after Pentecost.

But where do we see the light today? How much comes from us?

A friend who comes from a south Asian religious tradition asked me why it is that there are so many types of Christians. “There are Catholics, and there are others, and they all seem to fight with one another. Why is that?”

I guess Christians just like to argue.

To outsiders, or as evangelicals love to say “non-Christians”, the arguing points are relatively minor. But what is minor to some is life-threatening, faith-shaking to others. Many times I have heard someone say that this or that sentence in the Bible is crucial to their faith. “My whole faith rests on that one thought,” they’ve said.

How sad.

Faith is so much deeper than that. Or, it can be.

But, back to humans. There are not two types–Christian and non-Christian. Or Catholic and protestant. Or light skin and dark skin. Or even male and female.

As soon as we begin to divide and argue, then our own heart will become hardened.

It’s like the song said, “Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong.”

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign 
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind 
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?… (Five Man Electric Band)

Focus on orange, diamond-shaped sign in the middle of the road. ROAD CLOSED.

Broaden focus. Car sits past the sign in water up to the door windows.

Ignore the sign, and you put yourself, your passenger, and rescue workers all at risk.

He did. He was ticketed. His car is done. Crashed into a hole left by a washed out culvert caused by rushing water from heavy rains. Lucky to be alive.

The Five Man Electric Band sang of adolescent rebellion against restraint. I sympathized–when I was in college. And some signs are ridiculous, to be sure.

But signs are a warning.

Road signs inform us of pending danger ahead. Ignore them not only at your own risk, but also at the risk of rescuers who come to help the foolish out of their predicament.

We receive many other warning signs–that we ignore.

Signs of coming medical problems. We could take corrective action, but we don’t.

Signs of physical problems. We could start an exercise routine. But, we ignore the signs.

Job problems, relationship problems, emotional problems. If we read the signs, we can do something about avoiding them.

But in our youthful rebellion that rides along with us until old age, we prefer to ignore the signs in some vague hope that we are the exception.

Read the signs. What are yours?

“I’m pretty sure there is an 8th habit of highly effective people,” said Adam Grant in a New York Times article. “They don’t sit around all the time just reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

I think James, the writer of the wisdom letter found in the New Testament would agree. Early in his letter he writes, “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Jesus certainly did spend time alone with God. The derisive people would call it “contemplating his navel.” But that was for his spiritual formation and foundation. We only read that he would go out to a mountain or just be alone. No details. But his daytime life was full of action. We read about how he was constantly interacting with people–teaching, healing, guiding, helping.

He didn’t spend his time yelling at other people to behave like he thought. He didn’t go to the ruling authorities and try to get more laws passed. In fact, he pointed out that the whole passing laws and following them wasn’t working out so well for the Pharisees.

When asked what it meant to love your neighbor, he answered with a story. The story defined neighbor, but it also defined love. We call the story The Good Samaritan.

Or, as I used to ask the leader of the anti-abortion group in the county, “So, you’ve talked a woman into giving birth. Now what? Do you just leave her to fend for herself? Or, do you take an active part in helping her cope?”

It’s one thing to talk and yell and moralize. It’s another to take an action to help someone like Jesus told us. Like James instructed. Like Adam Grant alluded to.

Be a doer of the word. You may not get headlines in the local newspaper. But I’m pretty sure that you get a pat on the back from Jesus.