"Key Things That Block the Church."

"Key Things That Block the Church."

By:  Pastor Jack Schneider

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  [Prov.27:17,NIV]

At this critical time when we call a new Senior Pastor, it’s so very important to remember the elements that affect our walks in faith, as well as those that block our effectiveness with family, friends and our growth in Christ. That’s right -- there are key things that block the Church, the Body of Christ, from its full impact on an unbelieving world, and they’re not uncommon among us.  Here are three of them:

First is a spiritual self-centeredness where our energies are so inward-driven that we become isolated and concerned only about our own preferences.  The things we do and ministries we support are for our benefit and personal pleasure rather than the Kingdom; it becomes all about us.  The result? Our vision becomes “small, shrunken and ineffectual.”  Scary language to describe ourselves and the Church at large.  Remember, our purpose is to glorify God.

Second, our impact as Christ’s disciples is blocked by the fear of man.  Maybe we’re afraid of change or, being people-pleasers, we’re fear offending others so we struggle to stay vanilla, politically correct and neutral.  Some are afraid of ridicule; better to be quiet and invisible.  Others are afraid of being exposed as hypocrites because talk is cheap and it costs to play the game.  In contrast, Jesus was pointed in His call:  “The time has come.  Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  [Mk.1:15,18] 

Third, and most importantly, we’ll never cut it when we stray from Scripture’s clear teaching.  There is plenty in a Biblical context oriented to culture, ethics and justice [think of sexuality, entitlement, elitism, immigration, citizenship, life issues for both in-utero and geriatric]. You can legislate behavior but not character development.  That development is discipleship, and it happens only when a faithful use of Jesus’ Gospel transforms our hearts and lives.  The question is what the Word says, not whether I think it has changed over the last 2,000 years.

I don’t question there is a presence of holiness, spiritual fruit, loving service and active witness inside many churches today.  But you don’t see it out in the world at large, and this is a concern, for we’ve been called to be salt and light [Mt.5:13] to affect and infect others in Jesus’ name -- “out there.”  Jesus made it clear: when He returns He will be looking not for a holy huddle but for an incredible community – His Church, individually and collectively – actively engaged in embracing others in His name.

That’s the kind of pastor we must be calling. One who will sharpen us in the Word, and who challenges us to sharpen one another in the Spirit.

- Jack

"Solomon Missed the Point."

"Solomon Missed the Point."

By: Pastor Jack Schneider

“All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, or the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”  [Eccl.1:8,9, NIV]

Wednesday night’s “Digging Deeper” class is now in Ecclesiastes, having a blast working with Solomon’s struggles. How could one man spend that much time, energy and resources blowing away life and yet come away so empty?!  Solomon unabashedly tells us he denied himself nothing his eyes desired and refused his heart no pleasure, yet still claims “In all this my wisdom stayed with me.” 

Oh, really? Hmm. That’s not the picture we get when reading 1 Kings 11, the windup of Solomon’s life, is it?. What I see there is a man overrun by pagan wives and concubines, hurriedly building idol altars to satisfy whoever is his favorite of the week. Somewhere along the line testosterone [or desperation] replaced wisdom, and God snatched the kingdom away from this son of David. The wisest man who lived forgot his own counsel from Eccl.2: “I see this from the hand of God -- without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom knowledge and happiness.”

One of our class members reflected that even today our culture echoes Solomon’s attitude of excess -- I want more, and I want it now! We’re unwilling to deny ourselves ungodly pleasures of life even though Jesus said discipleship requires denying things that pull us from Him, instead taking up our cross and following Him. What sort of fun is that?

The truth is, God is already pleased with you and the fun has already begun.

Forget chasing the wine, wo[men], and songs, worrying that death may be just around the corner. You’ve already died, in Christ through your Baptism and been raised to new life here and now. And that cross? It’s not so heavy, after all. The love of Christ makes it lighter as we serve others in His name. Solomon missed the point: he was placed as king to serve in God’s name, not to be served.

We simply cannot change how people will act in the marketplace or government, nor do we know what the future holds. We can, however, live in the present, firm in the assurance that Christ Jesus has given us life, abundant life both now and into eternity. The forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation -- these are the things Solomon needed to treasure more than all the riches and diversity of his kingdom, and they are ours to treasure now.

- Jack

            

"Hacked."

"Hacked."

By:  Pastor Jack Schneider

“”The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will watch over your soul; the Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in, both now and forevermore.”  [Ps.121:7, Heb. literal]

This last week a number of you were shocked to receive an e-mail, purportedly from Pastor Andy in Manila, the Philippines, claiming to have been waylaid and robbed while there on a trip. According to this tale of woe, he needed your financial help; could you come to his rescue via wire and send him money? Thankfully, you were suspicious of such a claim and checked it out with me or called Andy personally, and discovered that, indeed, this was a hoax. In the meantime, I’d had Laura send a blanket e-mail from the church office via “Member Connect” notifying most of you of the same thing: Pastor Andy was fine, and someone had hacked his e-mail account.

Several lessons from this include: 1] don’t EVER wire money to someone claiming to be a relative, friend or such without first verifying through unimpeachable sources that their story is true. In this day and age vast amounts of personal information can be gleaned from public pages and Facebook, so be very careful. 2] Set up trigger/pass words known only to you and your loved ones in the event of emergencies. If someone claiming to be close to you asks for help and does not know this contact info, he/she is a scoundrel looking to rip you off. 3] Don’t ever let someone intimidate you or “heart-string” you into cooperation. Maintain your composure; get contact numbers and take time to get your facts together for a well-thought decision.

Finally, do not forget the promise of God above. Yes, He expects and calls us to be responsible stewards -- harmless as doves but wiser than serpents when it comes to the ways of the world -- and yet He reminds us in the words of the Psalmist that He will never leave our side.  Some translations say He will protect us from “harm” and preserve our life; the Hebrew literally says He will guard our hearts from “evil” and watch over our “soul.” The difference? We will surely have to deal with the scoundrels of this world on a daily basis, but the deeper, eternal dangers can never shake us from the hand of God.

Yes, He will watch over us as we go out and come back each day, whether it’s to Manila…or the grocery store…wherever the Spirit leads us on the Way.

- Jack

"In Our Own Evangelical Ghetto."

"In Our Own Evangelical Ghetto."

By: Rev. Jack Schneider

“It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. As it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’”  [Rom.1520,21, NIV]

“We hide in our own evangelical ghetto, and we go to churches that would only be welcoming to people that think like us.”  So writes Jeff Christopherson, vice president for the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Missions Board.

We might think at first glance that his comment applies only to his Baptist brethren -- but it doesn’t. The fact is, studies today are showing that 60% of the non-Christian population has no relationships with Christians.  Few Christians embrace them, not in neighborhoods and communities, and certainly not across ethnic boundaries. A non-Lutheran friend of ours calls it a “suburban social ethnicity that uses shared values and religious consumerism” and nothing to do with a sense of mission for God’s Kingdom.

Ouch. If they smell like us, look like us, talk like us, think like us and, most importantly, think and believe the way we do, they’re okay.  If not…  Well, there’s another church down the road for people “like that.” God forbid we should ever become this kind of dead church. A church like this has lost its purpose for life in this present world, abandoning Jesus’ call for abundant life here and now while we have both feet on terra firma. Yes, we live in the midst of strife and sin, but Jesus’ promise and ministry are fulfilled in sweat and blood and tears, not through halos and harps and clouds.

Both Jesus and John the Baptist had the same message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand…it is near…it is among you…in you.” Be about the King’s business! Share the Good News, for the time is coming when the window of opportunity will not be open for others to hear it and the Spirit can no longer work on their hearts.

I have the privilege of mentoring Ed Torea in our Seminary’s Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology program as he and 5 other men study for the pastoral ministry. How powerful it is to hear how God has led them across African deserts and Asian deltas to join Ed in this great journey of service in the Kingdom because someone cared enough to reach across ethnic and social boundaries to share God’s Word with them.

Lutherans who don’t look or sound German? Wow! Whodathunkit?!

Just remember: on the horizon is the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia -- 6 million people. And they don’t look German, either.  Praise God!

- Jack

"Excitotoxins & Sin."

"Excitotoxins & Sin."

By: Pastor Jack Schneider

“He loved the taste of his wickedness, letting it melt under his tongue. He savored it, holding it long in his mouth. But suddenly, what he has eaten turns deadly within him, a poisonous venom in his body.”  [Job 20:12-14, PJV/NLT]

My doctor is helping identify foods I cannot afford to eat, and we’re not talking dollar signs on a menu. Built-up physical/nerve damage over the years has taken a toll on my back and hearing, triggered by foods containing certain chemicals and even natural substances proving harmful to my health and, perhaps, to yours. The worst, for me, have a name: excitotoxins, and they act exactly as they sound. They excessively stimulate nerve and brain cells [think of your brain’s response to your taste buds on this one…] until, after a short time, these cells die. Hence, the last part of the name: “toxins.”

You’d think this would keep me in check. But we like flavor and sweetness, don’t we? We don’t want bland, tasteless food or crave drinks that pass for last night’s dishwater. So, on goes the MSG [monosodium glutamate, “flavor enhancer”] and in goes the aspartame [“natural sweetener”]. Our taste buds are thrilled! Oh, yeah, one more thing… For the next two days I walk and move like I’ve been run over by a truck, and that’s how I feel.

On a spiritual level, this is exactly how satan pitches us with the excitotoxin known as sin or, in the Word above, “wickedness.” What does the Father of Lies slip under your tongue to get your senses rolling and your brain charged up? It’s the same process as our taste buds, but far more deadly. Flattery is sweet, and envy has a way of creeping in to add a little “zing.” But there are some biggies that absolutely burst onto our spirits: pride -- because we do not like it when someone appears to get the better of us or things have not gone our way; and do not forget the subtlety of lust and the physicality of our looks.  Make no mistake, satan knows just how to pull your chain and mine. He knows us inside and out. And the flavor lasts, like a Jolly Rancher.

The Good News is, “He that is in you is greater than the one who is in the world!” [1 Jn.4:4]  Jesus lives in you and will not leave; He will not quit.  Even when we struggle with the lure of sin and only later discover how deadly it is [Prov.20:17 “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but we end up with a mouth full of gravel.”]. There is joy and forgiveness as we turn and confess our sin, trusting our faithful Lord’s promises. You see, it takes two days of drinking pure, cleansing water to flush the poison out my system before I can walk upright again; it takes only one instant of absolution based on the pure, cleansing waters of your baptism to flush the poisons out of your life. [1 Jn.1:8-2:2]

- Jack