Hole in our Gospel ... Chapter 3

Yes, I skipped blogging chapter two. It's a run-down of Richard Sterns own personal journey to CEO - how God orchastraed it. But I'll come back to it at the end of the Chapter 3 rundown.



Chapter 3 -

You lack one thing...Matthew 19:16 -the story of the rich young man, who Jesus sees past his desire to be patted on the back, and calls to his attention the condition of his heart. Putting myself in the story, it goes something like this...

I'm talking with Jesus, "So what am I doing that will assure my good standing with you in heaven?" I'd be thinking, I have this figured out. I do bible studies, although I could do better- he'll probably mention that. I go to church regularly, and rest on the Sabbath. I tithe, and technically I give on my gross income not my net - so I've got the whole giving thing in the bag. And I pray. I talk over decisions with God, and am willing to follow his direction. No new car, okay God, I'll wait. I've got this Christian life figured out. In my self righteous bubble, he'd use me as an example.

And Jesus would give me a few seconds, look into my eyes and say, "If you want the life I have for you, follow the laws God has given you." And I'd gulp, because I'd remember Leviticus and Numbers. But then I'd think of Grace, and the freedom from the law. I'd look him right in the eye, and in all seriousness say, "Which ones?"

And when he replied, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother and 'love your neighbor as yourself'" I'd sigh in relief. Because I've been pretty good at those, and Grace covers when I've failed. And I see Jesus looking at my unexpectedly, hoping I'll take it one step further. Hoping I won't be satisfied with the safe answer. Hoping I'll desire more.

And I do, so I ask, "What do I lack, Jesus?" And I expect him to say, "Your good." And the Jesus I've been taught all my life, would say that. But Jesus in Matthew 19 says something completely different. He looks at me, at my $100 shoes, and $4 coffee's and says, "Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." And I picture him a little sad as he says it, knowing that my response won't be one of enthusiasm. It will be one of appall. What - sell everything?? Follow you, WHERE?? Isn't that irresponsible. Irrational. Unreasonable. He'd see past all my good intentions, all the times I served with false pretenses, all the times I choose to spend time doing my own thing instead of his, he'd see what my heart really desires. He'd see my plans to gather more stuff. To earn more money. To be more successful.

And the young man in Matthew 19, turned away sad, because he had great wealth. He couldn't surrender it all. And when I read this story before I thought, I'm not wealthy. I live simply. We have a modest income, just enough but not too much. We give. We aren't the wealthy. But then I went to Haiti, and we are the wealthy. And this story took on a whole new meaning.

I agree with Richard, God doesn't ask all of us to sell everything and move to a third world country. But he does ask for absolute surrender. A willingness and readiness to do just that, if he should ask. A order in our lives that puts him so far above all else, that selling everything is a simple sacrifice. That our lives would be about eternal significance instead of worldly success. And I've been that rich young man, who turned and walked away. It was too much to give up. His terms were too great.

The Prayer of Jabez....
I've read this book. It concludes that if we pray for God's blessings, we will receive them. If we pray for an increase, God will provide one. Do A - Get B. Back when I read it, there was a gap in it. Why didn't the martyrs pray like this? Wouldn't God have spared them? Why don't the poor in third world countries pray this, and God will change their situation. Why are there really godly people that can't pay their bills after a job loss. Maybe because God's blessings aren't what we consider blessings. Maybe his increase is different than our increase.

Frodo and The Ring of Power...
Ahhh...Frodo...just throw the ring in the hottest part of the fire. Let it go. Don't put it away. Anita, give up the house, the balance in your bank account, the security of regular income, and the $4 coffee's. Ummm...I'd like to keep at least one of those. The years I grew up poor, left a wound on my heart, that longs for the financial security and lifestyle in a deeply spiritual way. That makes the thought of living without - terrifying. On a core level. That can't be satisfied with a pat answer. That needs much, much more than a cliche to allow me to let go of the ring. That will need the power of who God is. And our financial situation currently is requiring me to deal with this anxiety. And I don't like it, frankly. Because I got enough to do. But God clearly is offering healing to this wound. And I'm reminding myself daily to surrender to him ALL things. To throw the ring in the fire, to let it go.

Richard ends the chapter with the story of how God wove together situation after situation to clearly define the path ahead. And how he became broken during the process. But back to Chapter two. Richard is counting the cost of taking the CEO job at World Vision, and he gets down to brass tacks. And as I read this, I heard my own voice saying the same things. "But, Lord, I don't want to do this. This will wreck my life. Don't send me to the poor, Lord- anywhere but there. But I can't do this, God. Not poverty, slums, hunger, disease, dying children, grieving parents - don't ask me to go there, Lord. Not into so much pain and suffering and despair. In those few seconds, all of those issues flashed through my head, because, you see, in my heart I knew what was at stake. God was asking me that day to choose. He was challenging me to decide what kind of disciple I was willing to be. Two decades earlier I had bet the farm on Jesus Christ and now he was asking me to hand over the deed. What was the most important thing in my life? He wanted to know."

And God is asking me through this process- Anita, are you willing? Really willing? God is doing something. He is preparing us for something. I'm afraid most days to be willing to even ask what it might be. I'm afraid to let my mind wander, to where he might take it. And yet, you either are willing to surrender completely, or you aren't really following Jesus. Jesus, that looks into our hearts condition and demands more than we can reasonably give. Because he doesn't just want 'Christians'. He wants people who love him, to love others. And that will require surrendering our all to him. It would require a surrender that could cost us everything earthly. A wiliness to change our definition of success from the worlds view to a eternal view. Sounds easy enough, until you start thinking about selling your home you love, giving up the job you've worked for, and choosing to be so different that your family stages an intervention. Suddenly, surrender has a really high price.

Absurd....

Things I find personally absurd....

-that we have so much stuff that we will pay good money to someone else to store it.
-that we will pay over $10 to see overpaid actors pretend to be someone they are not, in a story that could not possibly happen, and leave thinking we were entertained. (Why yes, I do have tickets to see Eclipse...just because I find it absurd doesn't mean I don't participate occasionally)
-the cost of lettuce, over a dollar a head, since I grow lettuce I find this really crazy. Let's not talk about the $3 bag of lettuce, that doesn't even taste like lettuce
-people texting while in church, a meeting, or on a date. Is whatever is going on in your hand more important than what is going on right in front of you?
-the notion that as a Christian writing a check is the same as loving a person
-a purse and shoes that cost hundreds of dollars - because it has a certain name on it
-Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, Lindsey Lohan, etc, etc, etc...
-That people spend good money to find out about Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus and Lindsey Lohan. For the same price as the magazine you can buy toilet paper. A much better use of the money.
-Crap in a box, bag, or tin. I know we are all in a hurry to make dinner. But Hamburger Help** is really just noodles, spaghetti sauce and ground beef. And cost the same. And taste so much better. (Don't get offended if you eat Hamburger Help**, I just don't get it. But then again, I grow my own lettuce)
-Justin Beiber - who the heck decided he could sing and should be paid for it?? Our standards are so low it's pathetic. Your cute and can pull off this new hair style trend we'd like to start, here is a recording contract.
-Thank you notes. Well, more specifically feeling like you need a handwritten thank you note, when you were there when the gift was given and were told thanks. I know that it's probably considered rude. But if I give you a gift, and you look at me and say "Thank You, I love it." that is good enough for me. I prefer that.
-People who wear clothes that clearly don't fit them. It's crazy that we put so much pressure on each other to be a certain size, that they are willing to squeeze into something that causes their fat to explode in all the other place. But darn it, they wear a size 6. They do, really...
-Crayons that are made for two year olds. That require their own coloring books. What is wrong with the big box of crayons with the sharpener in the back. Those are the 'fancy' crayons.

What do you find absurd? What makes you roll your eyes and laugh inside? What makes you wonder about the fate of the world?

A Hole in our Gospel, Chapter 1

Baada Bing, Baada Boom...this book starts off with the gloves off.
Summary - God didn't send Christ to die for our sins, so we can have and offer a get out of hell card. His intention was much, much more. It was that there be a new world order, where the blessed would be the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the hungry and brokenhearted. That those in the kingdom of God, would create a revolution, that turned the world upside down. But that we have taken that gospel, and reduced it down.
"I believe we have reduced the gospel from a dynamic and beautiful symphony of God's love for and in the world to a bare and strident monotone...In doing so, we have also stripped it of much of it's power to change not only the human heart but the world." I've lived this watered down gospel. The problem - it doesn't set well in your soul as you get to know God. You can't come closer to God, and still believe all he cares about is the amount of commitment cards turned in after a revival. "Didn't Jesus always care about the whole person-one's health, family, work, values, relationships, behavior toward others-and his or her soul?"

Richard goes on share about a friend who cut all the verses out of bible that pertained to poverty, wealth, justice, and oppression. It was shambles when done. This is the bible I've been taught. Many of the passages, I've never heard before. I grew up in church. Bible loving churches. I attended AWANA's. I went to Sunday School. I've taken bible study classes. And for the most part they have skimmed over the call to care for those who are broken by poverty, illness, disease, and oppressed. And I can't remember a sermon in the last 5 years at church that taught on any such topic.

But ultimately it isn't the church's responsibility for me to hear God's call. Although the church must be accountable for what it teaches, to a degree. There is tension there that is explored later. But the bottom line is now I know. I've seen the whole gospel. I know that God's heart is more than just a raised hand or an alter call. It's a life changed, from the power of his promises. And from that a desire to love the people he loves. And a love that expresses itself in action.

The burning, million dollar question...now that I know, what do I do? What is the action? How am I love the poor? How am I serve? Because I'd like to make this about the church and how it's failed. It's a lot more comfortable than facing my own apathy. Facing that I've read a bible that is full of holes. Perfectly content to focus on the passages that are comforting and pleasant. He is my rock...oh yeah. I'm a new creation...ummm...love that. Streets of gold, no more pain and suffering...bring it on. Feed the starving...okay, wrote a check to Compassion this month. Clothe the poor...does donating to Goodwill count? Love the lepers...good thing leprosy can be treated now. Give all I have away, because it's easier for a camel to fit a needle than a rich man to get to heaven. Getting really uncomfortable. Because I'm pretty sure, that is me. And it's most of the people sitting next to me on Sunday morning.