While my wife and I were away at a conference in the Smokey Mountains we heard an author speak about the basic pinciples of his book. I had already read his work, Simple Church, and knew mostly what he was to say. Basically, he suggests the church has become too complex and is trying to do more things than it was ever intended to do. His contention, and I think an accurate one, is that too many things done does not allow any to be done well. That core strengths are sacrificed to support areas of weakness. Resources, particularly time, are limited and we should spend those resources doing what we have been called by God to do. I was not on the edge of my seat. Not because I do not agree, I do. It's just that I have tried to follow that same lolgic for years at DBBC and for the most part it is a viable and efficient way to do church. It's kind of like the "purpose driven" concept written about from Rick Warren. Many churches, including Dallas Bay, were following the purpose driven model before Pastor Rick made the term well known. Unfortunately, none of the rest of us had the spiritual foresight to make it into a best selling book. If I had we would not be meeting for multiple services in a overcrowded worship center, our mission teams would never have to delay trips because of lack of funds and our staff would be better compensated. But I digress. Back to the simple church. While the church I pastor does a pretty good job of keeping ministry simple, I'm learning in my spiritual journey that I have gotten too complex in my thinking. Let me explain.
Just a few days ago our small group met at my home for dinner and a study. We are discussing Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven." It's a good book and Mr. Alcorn is a competent author and scholar. What should be a learning time for all of us sometimes becomes a time of confusion when we we try and determine the differences between the "past heaven, "present heaven (intermediate heaven if you like)", and the future or "eternal heaven" which is also called the "new heaven and new earth." Or we try and determine if there is a body unlike the body we have today but before our glorified resurrected body that we inhabit after the grave and before the resurrection. (If you got confused after that sentence then you probably belong to our small group.) Do we eat in heaven? Do we work? What about people who are alive when the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth begins? What happens to them? Can they get saved? Why does God release Satan one last time anyway? The discussion leads us to places where we need to drop breadcrumbs just to find our way back to the book. The problem is I am the facilitator and I often lead us into these shadowlands by my own questions. You know what I have found. While pursuing the answers to our questions is intellectually challenging they do nothing to build me spiritually. Sometimes I find my faith strained by unanswered questions that nag at the back of my spiritual mind. Enter God.
God, knowing I was being eaten alive by spiritual minnows of my own making was all the while protecting me from the sharks in "heavenly places" that sought to destroy me, had me sick enough to stay home from work for the next few days. While resting on the couch in front of the big screen I turned to a 30 minute Billy Graham Evangelistic Association program. I usually don't watch BG programs. Instead I lean toward the more "heady" stuff. You know the stuff that makes you think; like apologetics or eschatology. But God entered. He had me watch this program where Franklin Graham joind with several contemporary groups to hold a concert under the arch in St. Louis. I thought I would listen while the groups sang and turn the channel when Franklin began to preach. By his own admission it would only be a 5 to 10 minute simple gospel message. I was intrigued as the thousands of kids and adults entered the grounds and began to rock to the music. They had followed some of the kids there and for the most part they were runaways living on the street. When Franklin Graham walked to center stage wearing a ball cap and holding a microphone I reached for the remote. His first words, "God loves you!" He repeated it several times. He told the kids God wanted all of them to know Him and live with Him forever. It didn't matter if they were involved in drugs, sex, or alcohol. God still loved them and died for them. I was captured by the simplicity of the message. I put the remote down. The camera began to pan across the faces of the people in the audience. They were captivated by the thought. God loved them. They listened. They watched him speak as if they were mesmerized by every word. Mr. Graham was honest in his appraisal of his message. It was simple and brief. He concluded as his father had done for decades by asking them to come forward and speak to counselors at the big screens. I watched with eyes filling with tears as kids, preteens, teens and young adults came forward with their eyes filled with the same tears. I saw grateful parents with their hands in the air praising God for answered prayers. I watched as teen counselors opened their Bibles and led their peers to Christ. At that moment I don't think anyone there was concerned whether Jesus was returning at the beginning of the tribulation or in the middle. Or if we eat or play golf in heaven. And neither did I. I was reminded what is most important about my faith. Jesus loves. God entered.
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