Philippians has worked its way into becoming one of my favorite letters in the New Testament. So needless to say, I have consulted and read quite a few commentaries/books on it. It made sense therefore, when I saw Dean Flemming’s book Self-Giving Love, being drawn to it by the title alone, to purchase a copy.
What I appreciated at the very outset of the book is Flemming’s belief that the heart of Philippians is the “V-shaped story narrated in the hymn-like passage in Philippians 2:6-11” (p. 3). This V-shaped story, which is the story of Jesus plunging to the depths of humility through death on a cross only to be exalted by being given the name that is above all names, is in essence the gospel story. But not only is it the gospel message of Jesus “pouring himself out for others,” it is also what “the pattern of our lives” should be. (p. 3). If Christ sacrificially gave of himself out of love for his creation, then should not we as his followers embrace the same attitude and way of service for our neighbors?
Flemming, throughout Self-Giving Love, does well at keeping this V-shaped story central. He alludes to how Paul modeled it by his own sacrificial service and suffering (see Phil. 1:24; 29-30) as well as highlights Paul’s desire for the Philippian church to take on such a way of life themselves . As they held out the word of truth to others (Phil 2:15-16), it would need to consist of more than words. The same is true today. “People are unlikely,” writes Flemming, “to be impressed with our most cherished doctrines, such as justification or sanctification, unless they see that theology lived out in skin and blood. We can never be content to give lip service to our theology unless it is translated into living, breathing biography” (p. 24-25).
Though a short book, its content is weighty and useful for self reflection, thanks to the questions at the end of each chapter. So whether you are fairly familiar with Philippians or are just beginning to study it, I would highly recommend you picking up a copy of Self-Giving Love. I believe it will be a great source of not just acquiring some additional Bible knowledge, but moving you to sacrificially serve your church and neighborhood as you work out what it means to make Jesus known.
In the past few weeks, I have stumbled upon a couple of articles, talked with a few pastors, listened to a few podcasts, and even read Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. In doing all of this, I have become more than a bit concerned. It appears that the church is becoming less and less like Jesus.
Philip Yancey, whose writing I encourage you to pick up and read as soon as possible, posted recently that “Service, love, unity—Jesus named these as primary marks of his followers.” However, he continues, “Have you ever asked a stranger, ‘When I say the word Christian or evangelical, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?’ I have, and not once, not once, have I heard anyone answer with one of those three words.”
In a recent Atlantic Monthly article by Peter Wehner entitled The Evangelical Church is Breaking Up, it would appear that Yancey is not the only person with such strong feelings about where the church is today. For Wehner, a big problem today is politics. He writes that “For many Christians, their politics has become more of an identity marker than their faith. They might insist that they are interpreting their politics through the prism of scripture, with the former subordinate to the latter, but in fact scripture and biblical ethics are often distorted to fit their politics.”
Therefore, when the politics of the day, or for that matter, any cultural issue not in line with scripture, takes center stage, the church spirals out of control. Instead of “taking up the cross,” the church now protects itself with angry outbursts against those who do not have the same views as them. Unfortunately, this hateful stance not only damages those outside the church looking in, which is bad enough, but also pushes out those inside who happen to hold to the so-called minority opinion.
Scott Dudley, the senior pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Washington, said it well in Wehmer’s article. “The early Christians transformed the Roman empire” he said, “not by demanding but by loving, not by angrily shouting about their rights in the public square but by serving even the people who persecuted them, which is why Christianity grew so quickly and took over the empire. I also know that once Christians gained political power under Constantine, that beautiful loving, sacrificing, giving, transforming Church became the angry, persecuting, killing Church. We have forgotten the cross.”
“We have forgotten the cross.” Thus, we have become less like Jesus. And as result, many are not wanting any affiliation with us. Russell Moore wrote (see my post How Do We Get People To Church?) that people aren’t leaving the “church because they disapprove of Jesus, but because they’ve read the Bible and have come to the conclusion that the church itself would disapprove of Jesus.”
So is the church becoming less like Jesus? Well, I’m not sure. I know much of what is written today seems to point to a yes answer. But we’ve always struggled have we not? Just stroll through history and you will come to see that we as Christ-followers have not always lived out what we claim to profess. Even the New Testament alludes to situations where Christlikeness was not being maintained. Just consider Paul’s rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2.
No doubt we have a problem. And I have two thoughts about it. First, we need to humble ourselves and then repent and lament. We need to come clean before the watching world that our search for power, prestige, and prominence has caused us to dehumanize those we should have been serving. And then we need to weep over the pain we have caused. We must be broken over our sin that has damaged the lives of those around us.
Second, we need to recognize and acknowledge that there are churches that are doing good work. They are salt and light. They love their neighbors as themselves. They ooze Christlikeness as they pour out grace and mercy to their community. But here’s the thing about most of these churches. They probably don’t get much press. You won’t find their pastor being quoted in a magazine article. Nor will you find them attracting a large online audience for their Sunday morning worship service. Yet they continually want their neighbors to flourish. And if you asked someone on the street about them, the answer might be, “Those folks are always helping!”
Yes, the church appears to be in a dilemma. And therefore, we need to humble ourselves and listen to the voices around us. But maybe we also need to take some cues from those churches who in their own quiet way, just love those around them regardless of who they are or what sin they might carry. The don’t do anything fancy. They just work to show Jesus to others in the day to day. So maybe this is where we need to start…or rather…return.
I’ve heard countless times that we, that is, Christians, need to stand for truth. I agree. Or at least I think I do. But we need to step back and think just a bit about what we mean by “standing for truth!” Unfortunately, I think many times our idea of “taking a stand” turns out to be not very Christian. We come across to others as a bull in a china closet. In other words, we make a mess of everything!
Part of our problem, and I include myself in this, is that we think we always have to speak up! Now I understand that perhaps there are times something must be said. But not always. In fact, I dare write that the majority of the time we just need to lean forward and listen. We must seek to understand less we hurl answers to questions no one is asking.
But isn’t the answer always Jesus? Well…yes…perhaps…but let’s be careful here. Our sharing Jesus without any demonstration of compassion and empathy might just undo anything we say about him. I watched a man the other day talking to a group of college students about how all people are created with dignity and honor while in the next breath belittling those around him who didn’t hold to his Christian views. This gentlemen’s intent, or at least I will give him the benefit of the doubt, was to guide students to say “yes” to Jesus. But I feel his stand for the truth was anything but Christian.
Consider what Peter writes to some churches in Asia Minor. He is encouraging them when faced with persecution to be ready to speak out. Specifically, he writes to “give an answer,” or to give an “apology” for why they believe what they do (1 Peter 3:15). This is where we get our word “apologetics” which we understand today to be the defense of our faith.
However, this defense of the faith according to Peter must be done with “respectful humility” (1 Peter 3:16). I take this to mean that the dignity of another must never be degraded. We must never “one up” someone nor insult them for the ideas they hold. In fact, we would do well to learn from them. Again, this means we must shut our mouths and seek to understand. Is it possible to listen someone into the Kingdom?
We must seek to rid ourselves of the attitude that says, “Well, at least they heard the truth!” Such a viewpoint only puffs up our egos as we convince ourselves that we are doing some good. But good is rarely done. It’s never a “whatever it takes” mentality. The end does not justify the means here. And if the truth be told, those caught in the verbal grips of someone who just wants to spew words never seem to really grasp what’s being said.
I think we need to take words of Madeleine L’Engle to heart as she writes: “We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” To me, this is the way to take a stand for the truth! And for the sake of the gospel, we need to start today.
I’m not sure what word comes to your mind when you think of describing the gospels to someone, but chances are, “disruptive” isn’t going to be on your list. I mean, would you walk up to someone who has just begun to read through the stories of Jesus and say to them, “Just so you know, what you are reading is going to be fairly disturbing?” I’m guessing you wouldn’t do that. And maybe you shouldn’t. Or at least not at first.
But here’s what I’ve discovered. And it comes from reading the Gospel of Mark specifically. What Mark writes concerning Jesus, especially when read by us long-time church folk, is in fact really quite disruptive. Timothy Gombis call’s Mark’s Gospel the “unGospel.” That is, according to Gombis, Mark “is for churches who have heard Jesus’s teaching and have grown lax in giving attention to it, with the result that their social dynamics and community patterns have gradually been shaped by cultural values of power-seeking, prestige-questing, and social-credential accumulation” (Mark: The Story of God Bible Commentary, page 6).
If you do a quick read through Mark, which is fast-paced by the way, what you are going to discover is that Jesus’s disciples become more and more confused as to who this Jesus is, a likely Messiah-figure, while the Gentiles and those on the margins understand him more and more. In other words, those on the “inside” find themselves to be on the “outside” while those on the “outside” are welcomed “in.” The disciple’s let their preconceived ideas of who they thought Jesus should be rule their hearts and minds instead of allowing Jesus’s words to reorient their thinking. And the one thing they just couldn’t seem to grasp at all was the cross.
There came a time when Jesus began to speak “plainly” about his upcoming death, but as you might recall, Peter would have none of such foolish talk. Suffer? Die? Not a Messiah. So Peter pulls Jesus aside and “rebukes” him for this is not the path to take over Rome. You march into the capital with swords, not in chains as a prisoner. You take up arms, not a cross. But Jesus sets the record straight. “Get behind me, Satan!” he told Peter. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Mark 8:31-33).
What a disruption Jesus is causing his disciples. Their worldview is being unraveled. Their understanding of the way to greatness is caving in. Their politic of governing the world is tumbling down before them. But Jesus doesn’t just stop with his own death, he calls all who follow him to the same path. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me,” he calls (Mark 8:34). We have a tendency to romanticize this verse do we not? But the heart of what Jesus is calling his disciples toward is anything but religious sentimentality.
Now though there has been many words spoken and written as to what this call by Jesus means, I want to think a bit outside the box as to what Jesus might be leading his disciples to do. Yes, there is a cost. Death and ridicule could ensue. This is what “taking up a cross” entails. But in examining the life that Jesus led, could what he is telling his disciples here also mean for them to get busy loving the unlovely, caring for the marginalized, and seeking out the disenfranchised? In other words, those in whom the religion of the day had declared “unclean” and as a result, now sit at the back of the bus in the world in which they live, Jesus is telling his followers, “Go and invite these folks in to the party! They are family.”
This is not the kingdom the disciples had in mind. Unfortunately, this is not always what the American church envisions either. But Jesus points to another way. And for many of us, it’s quite disruptive!
Does the end ever justify the means? In other words, does it really matter how you arrive at your destination as long as you get there? Does it make a difference in how you accomplish a goal as long as you achieve it? I realize for some the answer can be quite subjective and situational. But I think we need to be careful with such thinking, especially in matters related to the Kingdom of God.
Consider Jesus. He was given the name that is above all names (see Philippians 2:9-11). Salvation is found only in him (Acts 4:12) as he is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). John writes that Jesus spoke of himself as being “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) which is one of the six “I am” statements attributed to Jesus by John. Peter refers to Jesus as the “cornerstone” by which the church, the people of God, would be built (1 Peter 2:4). And the list could continue.
It’s important to remember that the path of Jesus, his road to our provision of salvation, his way to which all will bow the knee before him, involved suffering. Yes, he could have avoided the pain. He could have sidestepped the cross. Remember the temptations he faced in the wilderness? Were they not about avoiding the cross? “I’ll give you the world,” says Satan. “You just have to bow to me.” In other words, “There’s an easier way to greatness. No pain. No shame. And it’s quicker.” But Jesus refused. He trusted in the Father. The means by which he would be crowned King truly mattered. Why? Because to refuse the cross would be to reduce the Kingdom of God to the kingdoms of this fallen world.
So it appears that in regards to God’s Kingdom, the end does not necessarily justify the means. But what does this have to do with us? Well, for starters, there are no shortcuts. No quick fixes. We have to “take up our cross.” Our path to Christlikeness is not a quick sprint to glory but a marathon that involves suffering. But we are tempted, just as Jesus was, to sidestep the cross. We are told there is an easier way. And it’s true that there is. But it’s not the way of Jesus.
I believe the question of ends and means has something to say to us about how we do ministry as well, specifically evangelism. I personally feel it makes a difference in how we share Jesus with others. We can’t have the attitude of those who feel that as long as the gospel is preached, or as long as people get saved, then all is good. Such thinking has a tendency to lead to coercion and manipulation by which the dignity of humanity is stripped.
We must also consider crowds, budgets, and buildings. Not that these things are not important, but I’m not sure they should be the measure of effective ministry. Why? Because once again, they can become the end by which the means becomes anything but cross-shaped. We do “whatever it takes” to get folks through the door even if that means backing down from the sacrificial life to which Christ calls us. And this is not the way of Jesus.
What we are to do is to love our neighbor, embrace those in the margins, touch the untouchables, and suffer with the broken. We are to be humbly present to the working of God in the lives of others as we enter their world to freely give of ourselves. The is the means by which we share the gospel with others. It’s how we do ministry. It’s how we show the world the Kingdom…the Kingdom of the cross. And it’s what we call people to embrace. This is the way of Jesus. This is the path of true Kingdom growth.
It all started with a simple Doctor of Ministry project (not that there’s anything simple about a Doctor of Ministry degree). I was already past the designated time limit to have completed my DMin and basically just waiting for something magical to happen while looming in a dense fog. So I did the only thing I knew to do. I reached out to my faculty advisor, Dr. William Kirkpatrick, who had forgotten that I was still in the program, and gracefully scrambled some thoughts about what I thought might work for a project.
Thankfully, none of my ideas stuck. Can’t even remember what they were. Most likely they were something vague and uninteresting. But Dr. Kirkpatrick had another idea. He asked me what I thought about doing something with a theology of the cross along with its practical implications for ministry. I prayed about it and said yes! Actually, I had to do some research on what he meant by a theology of the cross. And then I said yes!
That “yes” by me took me on a journey that honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever get over. Nor do I want to. In fact, I still believe I’m on it because to live out a theology of the cross, or a cruciform or cross-shaped life, is not a quick trip of triumphalism, but a path of learning to live sacrificially for the world around me. It is a walk of entering the suffering of the world. It’s not easy, but it’s where life is found.
So here I am, about 15 years after completing my DMin project, still writing and reading on living a cross-shaped life. I never dreamed, nor planned, of writing a book, but here it is. My hope is that it causes all who read it to pursue a life of humility, service, obedience, and sacrifice. And perhaps some will want to dig a bit deeper into studying cruciformity. If so, though there are a lot of places you could begin, I would start by reading Michael Gorman.
The Cross-Shaped Life releases on September 21 (or so I’m told). I am currently putting together a LAUNCH TEAM. I would love for you to join it. If you do, you commit to pre-ordering the book, reading it (of course), and reviewing it on amazon. There are a few other small things along the way, but those are the biggies! If you are interested, join the Facebook group. Or let me know if you have further questions.
A few years ago, I read some of James K. A. Smith’s work. One book in particular is You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. I posted about it (read here) as it made me think about habits and how they form us. When it comes to “discipleship” we generally view it as attending a Bible study but Smith made me think a bit outside the box. True, discipleship does involve the mind, but it must also include our whole selves, or our bodies as Smith contends. Makes sense to me as at the heart of discipleship is the idea of following. In other words, you do as the teacher does.
Though I have continued to meditate what Smith is arguing for in You Are What You Love, it all became fresh for me today as I was reading Scot McKnight’s new book A Church Called Tov. And by the way, I personally feel that every church leader and member should grab a copy of this book and work though it. It deals with the abuse of power in local churches and how a church can and must resist unhealthy structures that destroy and instead create ones that bring healing. Even if you think your church doesn’t struggle with dysfunctional power issues, you still need to read this book.
So in the midst of reading McKnight’s book, he quotes David Brooks. Here is what Brooks writes…
When people make generosity a part of their daily routine, they refashion who they are. The interesting thing about your personality, your essence, is that is is not more or less permanent like your leg bone. Your essence is changeable, like your mind. Every action you take, every though you have, changes you, even if just a little, making you a little more elevated or a little more degraded. If you do a series of good deeds, the habit of other-centeredness becomes gradually engraved into your life. It become easier to do good deeds down the line. If you lie or behave callously or cruelly toward someone, your personality degrades, and it is is easier for you to do something even worse later on.
The truth seems to be that your habits and actions change you. Jesus told us to love our neighbors. And our enemies. We know these things. Or at least I hope we do. And yet…well…how does loving your neighbor become an every day reality? Could it happen when we make it a habit to actually love those around us? Consider the words of C.S. Lewis: Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
Perhaps we need to rethink how we “make disciples.” This obviously doesn’t mean we stop reading, teaching, memorizing, and mediating on Scripture. But perhaps we take heed to what James writes:
You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves. Those who hear but don’t do the word are like those who look at their faces in a mirror. They look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they were like. But there are those who study the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continue to do it. They don’t listen and then forget, but they put it into practice in their lives. They will be blessed in whatever they do.
The gospel is too readily heard and taken for granted, as though it contained no unsettling news and no unwelcome threat. What began as news in the gospel is easily assumed, slotted, and conveniently dismissed. We depart having heard, but without noticing the urge to transformation that is not readily compatible with our comfortable believing that asks little and receives less.
What Brueggeman has written is quite convicting to say the least. I know the gospel. I have heard it, preached it, studied it, written about it, and even have it memorized. And yet I can easily journey a path in which I am no longer becoming transformed by it.
Now what I am writing about here does not imply needing to have an emotional experience every time one reads the Bible. Instead, I prefer to think of it as a daily and steady walk of having the good news of Jesus change me into becoming more like him. In other words, I don’t treat the gospel as the channel 4 news story in which I watch one minute and forget the next. Rather, I let it marinate in my soul.
So what do you do to stop and listen and read and absorb the life, words, death and resurrection of Jesus? Or maybe a better question is when do you stop to listen and absorb?
Let’s don’t dismiss the gospel. I’m afraid it’s easy to do these days. Or at least it is for me. But what I have found as I do engage with it, that I don’t necessarily know it as well as I think I do. There’s always something new. I guess that’s the depth of love.
