Swap Meet Missionary

Growing up in the church, my view of missionary was somewhat limited. I am sure it was my own fault, but had you asked me years ago what is a missionary, I would have said, “Someone who is sent to another country to represent Christ.”  I use to pray, “Please, God, don’t send me to Africa to be a missionary.” 

However, as I grew up, I came to understand that every believer is called to be a missionary where ever they live and work.  So, this past Sunday, I was not surprised, but excited to see a missionary at a motorcycle swap meet. 

Now, first, you might ask what I was doing at a motorcycle swap meet.  It is true...I stood out like a sore thumb.  More than one person gave me the look, “What are you doing here?”  The Harley Davidson sweatshirt I had on didn’t help.  In fact, I am pretty sure I offended a few people with it.  Somehow they knew that I might wear the shirt, but I don’t ride the bike. 

But the reason I was there was because I was invited by Gator Hullinger.  Gator, a member of CFNaz, is an elder with Biker’s for Christ.  Since the swap meet was at Stark County fairground, he invited me to drop by after our worship service.  And that is how I got to see a missionary at a swap meet.

It was awesome!  I really got to see Gator in action. He was so in his element.  You could see the passion he had both for Christ and for reaching bikers.  Not long before I arrived, Gator and his crew led a man to Christ!  Praise God!!!!  While I was there I watched people receive Bible’s, be greeted with God’s love and strike up conversation with the Biker’s for Christ.  I was so proud to say, “He is one of ours!”  Gator was a living example of what we talked about on Sunday.  He is living “out” for Christ!  He is going out into the world sharing God’s love with Bikers. 

One the other elders pulled me aside and told me a story about Gator.  He said, “I wish you could have been here earlier.  One of the hardest bikers of the most evil gang of Canton walked up to Gator today and gave him a big hug.  He does not yet believe in Christ, but he respects and loves Gator.” 

I can still sense the Holy Spirit’s presence even as I recount this story of seeing a missionary at a swap meet.  May God use this story to encourage and challenge us all to keep moving out!

Broken Snow Blowers

My snow blower refuses to start.  With each pull of the cord, it is as if I can hear it mocking me, “You can keep trying, but I’m not starting.”  The only thing worse than not having a snow blower in NE Ohio, is having a snow blower that does not work in NE Ohio.

As I was thinking about my snow blower, I was thinking about people I know and care about who have seemed to have the same experience with their faith in Christ.  They push their faith out of the church garage only to find that it fails to work in real life.  I have even felt that way in my own faith journey at times.  I can see them pulling the cord to no avail as they wrestle with the questions they apologize for sharing:

 “I thought being a Christian was supposed to help our marriage.  So, why is our marriage ending?” 

“I raised our kids in church.  Why don’t they even believe in God now?”  

“I thought if I tithed, God would provide.  Why am I left with no choice but bankruptcy?”  

“If God wants us to be free, then why am I still struggling with the same old sin?” 

After asking questions like this for so long, some people conclude: “The only thing worse than not having faith in this world, is to have a faith that does not work.” 

Perhaps it was that very conclusion that made people of the first century, and every century since, so drawn to Jesus.  His faith, for lack of a better way of saying it, worked.   And it was not because he was super-human.  No, he was fully human. He shows us how to be fully human and have faith that fully works in this life.  He introduces us to a rhythm of faith—Up, In, Out…Up, In, Out…Up, In, Out…-remove any piece of this rhythm and you have a snow blower that does not blow snow. Luke 6 summarizes this pattern that we see Jesus repeating throughout his earthly ministry.  Up, In, Out…this is a faith the works in real life.

Through Jesus, I am learning that when it seems my faith is stalling that I need to check to see how my up, in and out is going.  Have I been spending time looking up to the Father in worship (personal and corporate)?  Have I been opening my arms wide to other believers for mutual support, accountability, confession and encouragement?  Have I been taking the good I have received through worship and fellowship and pouring it out to others in our world who are in need spiritually, materially, relationally, physically and/or emotionally?  Am I living in the rhythm of up, in, out? What makes this rhythm work is not me pulling the cord in my own trying and striving, but that this up, in, out puts me in the flow of the Spirit; this is his rhythm and I am invited to step into it. 

At Canton First, we want every new and longtime believer to step into and be held accountable to this rhythm of life.  Because the more I move to the rhythm Jesus modeled, the less my faith will be left collecting dust and taking up space in the pew.  Jesus made us for a faith that does more than work…he made us to receive a faith from him that moves mountains, believes the impossible, expects miracles, overcomes obstacles and perseveres through the storms.  Don’t settle for pulling on the cord of a broken down faith, when you can dance with him in the rhythm of up, in and out!

It's a Win!

Yes!  The Buckeyes won! O-H-I-O!

I didn’t watch the game, but I did care enough to check the score before I went to bed.  I have also enjoyed seeing my friend’s excitement over the win.  While I may not get their passion for football, I do get the excitement that comes with seeing your team win.  Isn’t it something to think that last night and today perhaps millions of people are celebrating the victory of their team?  That I definitely get!  In fact, I believe God made us to celebrate a win!

The truth is that God’s team wins!  The game has been played.  The opponent has been defeated.  Jesus team color was scarlet too.  He made the touchdown of all touchdowns when he came up out of the grave, which forever sealed God’s win! We are not waiting for God to win.  He has already won!  All we are waiting for his for him to bring his win to final completion in his return. 

The question is will we as His Church be a part of the win process or not?  Will we do what Jesus left us here to do—Love God with everything, love our neighbor as ourselves and go into all the world making disciples? I believe that really is in question.  I don’t believe the answer hinges on Government policies, political parties, terrorist groups, the media, public schools or 100 other things it would be easy to vilify.  No, the Bible shows us the greatest threat the church faces is the threat within. 

Think about it…all of the Epistles in the NT were written in response to problems, conflicts and/or heresies within the church.  Think about it…the ones who rejected God’s son and screamed for him to be crucified were God’s people.  Why would we think that it would be any different today?

This morning my six year old asked me, “Daddy, what is a Pharisee?”  I said, “Well, a Pharisee is someone who acts like they know God on the outside and believes they know God because of what they do on the outside, but on the inside their heart is cold and hard toward God.”  I said, “Seth, this may not make much sense now, but I pray that God will not let the Pharisees of his church get to you, but that instead you will see those who follow him not just on the outside but on the inside.”   I pray that prayer because from where I sit as Pastor, I have seen too many seekers turned off to Jesus by those who say they follow Jesus.  I have seen too many Pharisees devour the life out of new believers.  I have heard too many stories of people being hurt by the church rather than loved by the church. And I have seen too many new believers be radically saved and transformed only to turn into the very people that use to make them close their ears to the gospel. 

What is the greatest threat to whether or not the Church of any generation or community including our church family will join Jesus in on bringing his win to fulfillment?  The threat lies within.  May God gives us his eyes to see past the hypocrisy in ourselves…in myself?   If not, instead of being a part of God’s WIN, we will be included in God’s WOE. Look at Matthew 23:

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

 

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14] [b]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.