One of the most popular false teachings here in Africa is that God’s primary goal is to give you material blessings and a comfortable, easy life. Pastor’s often become the spectacle of this philosophy. They convince their poor congregations to give every last cent as “seed” money, while they are living the high life as a demonstration of their godliness and faith evidenced by their material blessing.
Lately I’ve been reading through 1 Corinthians in preparation for my class on the theology of the Church. In chapter 4:8ff, I couldn’t help but resonate with Paul’s rebuke of the Corinthian church in light of my current context.
“Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us [apostles] you have become kings!"
They were boasting of their spiritual maturity. They were arrogant about what they considered wisdom. They were puffed up and proud, as if they had earned for themselves anything they were given.
“And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!”
Paul takes a sarcastic stab turning on his use of the word ‘kings.’ For one day we all will be ‘kings and queens’ reigning with Christ. So if they had actually been ruling as kings, then it would mean Christ had returned and Paul and the apostles would also be reigning with them.
“For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.”
But true leaders shouldn’t put themselves first, but last. Paul, the apostles, his missionary partners, they have been put on display as an example of what leadership should look like.
“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.”
The example of the apostles is exactly the opposite of what the world would hold up as exemplary, and what the Corinthians exhibited. It’s not arrogant and boastful, trying to prop oneself up. Rather it’s humility, recognizing weakness, through which God gets all the glory.
“To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands.”
They certainly weren’t in the business to get rich and fat, have big houses and fancy clothes. But none of these hardships where cause for them to give up, cash it in and choose another profession. These are simply the accepted occupational hazards. It comes with the job.
“When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat."
And resistance doesn’t mean that you don’t have enough faith or that God is punishing you. It usually means you’re doing something right! We should expect slander, persecution, cursing, hatred. The world and the devil don't like our message so they’re gonna put up a fight. Jesus said if the world hated Him then it’ll hate His followers too. But neither is this reason to give up. Rather it should encourage us to continue, to press on even more so.
"We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”
Wow, what does this say of our own culture of celebrity pastors and Christian pop icons?
Christianity is not about propping ourselves up. It’s not about seeming wise or getting rich, famous, and powerful--even if it's in the name of Jesus. The apostles have set for us an example of humble servanthood, following Christ with abandon above all else, making His name famous. But how busy do we often get decorating our reputations, coddling our comfortable lifestyles, or lining our retirement accounts? Thanks for the reality check, Paul.
Happy Holidays!
The desert paints some of the most exquisite sunsets you’ll ever see. As the sun sinks silently into the horizon it ignites the few lonely clouds with strokes of yellow, pink, and orange. These are suspended on a background of every shade of blue imaginable, from pastel where the sun has just disappeared to the deep blue at the height of it’s dome directly overhead fading into the purples and pinks of the opposite horizon. With no obstructions, the sky is so expansive that it’s impossible to take it all in with a single view. Meanwhile the low, steady howl of the constant wind silences every other sound until it’s only you, this massive color pallet, and your Creator.
Over the holiday break I’ve been staying in Arandis. It’s a small town in the desert and many people have left for the holidays so it’s been peaceful and quiet. It’s always sunny and being only 60km from the ocean we get a nice cool coastal breeze. I do still have a few friends who’ve stayed in town so it’s been nice catching up with them and mostly just relaxing.
Some days I will drive the 30 minutes west to the coastal town of Swakopmund. At a pretty constant 60-70 degrees, it’s where many people travel to during the holidays to escape the oppressive inland heat. I go to find some beach volleyball, take a stroll out the jetty, hike a dune, or just relax with a book on the beach listening to the sounds of playful children and crashing waves. This holiday I’ve been reading Family-Based Youth Ministry for work, and for pleasure, rereading one of my favs, A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. I’ve also used some of the downtime to finally catch up on sorting and editing photos from the past few months, which I’m slowly uploading to my Flickr page whenever the internet decides to work.
I sincerely hope that whatever you’re doing over the holidays, it provides you with a time to rest a bit, enjoy people you love, and reconnect with the God who loves you so much that He sent His Son in the form of a baby who would grow up and die on a cross so that you might have a relationship with Him. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and happy New Year!
It's All About The Trophy
On the first day of camp we were split up into four teams: yellow, blue, green, and red. I was made one of the leaders of the Red Team. Throughout the week teams would compete against each other for three different trophies. The first was the Bible Quiz trophy. Teams would answer Bible trivia questions for points and then the top two teams played off in the championship on the final night. The Yellow Team won the Bible Quiz trophy.
The second was the Spirit Trophy. This trophy rewarded not only team spirit, but also characteristics like working together, encouraging each other, how well they served and cleaned during their kitchen duty, and positive attitudes.
But by far the most coveted trophy was the Sports Trophy. Each team put together teams to compete in soccer, volleyball, and netball. There were also individual events like high jump, long jump, a 100 meter race, 200 meter race, and a 400 meter relay. Whoever collected the most points over all those events won the trophy.
Now everybody comes to camp to have fun, but honestly not everyone is on an even playing field when it comes to athletic ability. Especially during the teenage years, some people are just more athletic than others. But in my mind, that shouldn’t stop you from having fun. So as we put together our teams the most athletic guys wanted to play soccer, the most athletic girls wanted to play netball, and so my volleyball team was kind of a conglomeration of people who wanted to participate for the fun of it and not because they were the most athletic people on the team.
As we were playing our volleyball games, and losing, the other athletic Red Team members kept coming up to me saying, “Put me in, coach.” But I kept saying, “You played soccer or netball. Let’s give these other people a chance.” They were all getting super upset at me because we had done really well in the individual events and had a chance to win. Plus all the other teams were letting their athletic players play in all three sports.
By the end of the sports I was so frustrated that all anybody cared about was winning. What we reward teaches kids what we value, what we think is important. Were we really trying to teach these youth that their value is in their athletic ability?! I began to realize that my frustration arose from a clash in worldviews. The world values people for their athletic ability, or their external appearance, or their ability to entertain. But Jesus valued the outcasts and the people others considered worthless. He understood that everyone has intrinsic value because they are made in the image of God. Because I follow Jesus, I value different things than the world values. I would much rather let everyone participate and have a good time than win some silly camp trophy. In fact, I told my team I would rather forfeit every game than become all about winning at any cost. I'm far more concerned about their character, how they treat opponents, encouraging and building each other up no matter how well they perform, working hard, having fun and giving it their best shot.
In the end, we got last place in the sports competition. The Green Team won that trophy. But somebody happened to notice that our team let everybody participate, even the weak ones, even if it meant losing. And apparently that made an impression, because it won us the Spirit Trophy, which was the only one I really cared about anyway.
The second was the Spirit Trophy. This trophy rewarded not only team spirit, but also characteristics like working together, encouraging each other, how well they served and cleaned during their kitchen duty, and positive attitudes.
But by far the most coveted trophy was the Sports Trophy. Each team put together teams to compete in soccer, volleyball, and netball. There were also individual events like high jump, long jump, a 100 meter race, 200 meter race, and a 400 meter relay. Whoever collected the most points over all those events won the trophy.Now everybody comes to camp to have fun, but honestly not everyone is on an even playing field when it comes to athletic ability. Especially during the teenage years, some people are just more athletic than others. But in my mind, that shouldn’t stop you from having fun. So as we put together our teams the most athletic guys wanted to play soccer, the most athletic girls wanted to play netball, and so my volleyball team was kind of a conglomeration of people who wanted to participate for the fun of it and not because they were the most athletic people on the team.
As we were playing our volleyball games, and losing, the other athletic Red Team members kept coming up to me saying, “Put me in, coach.” But I kept saying, “You played soccer or netball. Let’s give these other people a chance.” They were all getting super upset at me because we had done really well in the individual events and had a chance to win. Plus all the other teams were letting their athletic players play in all three sports.By the end of the sports I was so frustrated that all anybody cared about was winning. What we reward teaches kids what we value, what we think is important. Were we really trying to teach these youth that their value is in their athletic ability?! I began to realize that my frustration arose from a clash in worldviews. The world values people for their athletic ability, or their external appearance, or their ability to entertain. But Jesus valued the outcasts and the people others considered worthless. He understood that everyone has intrinsic value because they are made in the image of God. Because I follow Jesus, I value different things than the world values. I would much rather let everyone participate and have a good time than win some silly camp trophy. In fact, I told my team I would rather forfeit every game than become all about winning at any cost. I'm far more concerned about their character, how they treat opponents, encouraging and building each other up no matter how well they perform, working hard, having fun and giving it their best shot.
In the end, we got last place in the sports competition. The Green Team won that trophy. But somebody happened to notice that our team let everybody participate, even the weak ones, even if it meant losing. And apparently that made an impression, because it won us the Spirit Trophy, which was the only one I really cared about anyway.
Wedding Bells
Congratulations to my friends Blessing and Anthea Chishanu! Anthea is our registrar at NETS working in the administrative offices. They met when Blessing came as a student from Zimbabwe. This past semester he was in my course on Ministry to Children & Youth. Next year will be his fourth and final year and they are still seeking what God has for them next after graduation.
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