Necessity of Doubt, Disillusionment, and Deconstruction

The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man (Saul) is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Acts 9:15-16

Why must bad things happen to good people? Have you ever asked yourself that question? This passage above is a prime example of the paradox of suffering. If God wanted Saul to become an instrument to proclaim God’s name and do God’s work, why must Saul suffer? It would make more sense for Saul to live comfortably in order to do God’s work effectively and efficiently. But life doesn’t always work like this. In order for Saul’s heart to change, his heart needed to feel different emotions… not the least of which is suffering. Saul came from privilege, power, and pride; the only way for a man like Saul to be humbled is through suffering. But because of his experience with suffering, he was able to empathize with those he previously persecuted and have a realistic view of himself. In a candid letter he wrote to his apprentice Timothy near the end of his life, he said, “Even though I was once a blasphemer, persecutor, and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief… Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.” Ironically, Saul would never have come to this realization about himself if he had never gone through great suffering.

So why must bad things happen to good people? Well, let me be brutally honest; we’re not actually “good people.” Also, the things that seem like “bad things” might actually turn out to be grace in disguise.

Journey with God's Approval

Then they said to the priest, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.” The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”
Judges 18:5-6

As most of our Launch Team knows, church planting was never part of Becky and my plan. I was very happy being a full-time pastor at an established church for the rest of my career… there’s better job stability, I don’t have to learn new skills beyond seminary, and expectations would be lower. Yet, for whatever reason, God called us to plant a new church, which means I have to be bi-vocational, I’m constantly learning new skills, and expectations are higher. As difficult as church planting has been, it’s also been a very enjoyable journey. I’ve met so many other great church planters in the past year, I’m planting through a new denomination that I’m actually excited about, and my friends and family and I can create the kind of community that we want. As Judges 18 states, while I don’t know with absolute certainty whether our journey will be successful, I can go in peace knowing that our journey has God’s approval. That’s enough success for me.

Divine Disruptions

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Acts 8:4

Have you ever had anything disrupt your life so abruptly that it was one of those “wake the F up!” moments? Well, believe it or not, God often uses these disruptions as either reminders, rebukes, or redirections. In the Book of Acts chapter 7, we witness the first documented martyr of the church with the death of Stephen. Stephen preached an amazing message throughout Acts 7 then ends the message with a harsh rebuke against the religious leaders, which ultimately got him killed. This was the impetus that caused the severe persecution against Early Church that forced them to leave their hometown of Jerusalem and Judea into places they’ve never visited before. But what began as an abrupt disruption actually turned out to be a divine dispersion because “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” If you’ve had one of these disruptions in your life, ask yourself how you can use it to glorify God or serve others. Because what started off as a difficult disruption can actually turn into a disruption that’s divine.

Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Faith

“You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5:43-44

A popular word with many 21st century theologians and philosophers is the word deconstruction. This is process of taking apart or unlearning some of the ideas we’ve been taught, typically in a formal academic setting, in order to reach a higher level of understanding. Many adults go through this deconstruction phase very naturally and can often be very helpful. However, the danger in deconstructing our theology lies in leaving it deconstructed. This is when many young adults who grew up in the church never come back to church. This is when believers have questions or doubts with regards to their faith but don’t have safe spaces to freely discuss their doubts. This is when a college student takes her first philosophy class and doesn’t know what to do with what her atheist professor said in one of the lectures. With deconstruction should always come reconstruction; taking apart then putting back together. This is what Jesus would often do in His teachings, most evidently in his teaching called the Beatitudes. “You have heard it said… But I tell you…” This was Jesus’ way of not simply repeating what many people already knew; it was Jesus’ way of going deeper to a well-known truth and getting to the heart of the truth. So if you’re in a deconstructive stage of your faith, remember to put it back together.

I Kissed Doubting Goodbye

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?
Psalm 22:1

Recently, prominent Christian author and pastor Joshua Harris announced on his social media that he was divorcing from his wife of many years and no longer calling himself a Christian. He said, “By all the measurements I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.” This caused an uproar in the Christian online community in a range of responses such as disappointment, discouragement and denouncement. Not me. In a weird way, I kind of celebrate it. Obviously, I’m not happy he’s separating from his wife; those decisions are fraught with pain and tension. What I am celebrating is the fact that he’s open about his ending that chapter of his life. I’m celebrating the fact that he’s honest about his doubts in God and questioning his own faith. Keep in mind, the book that made Harris famous was a book entitled “I Kiss Dating Goodbye,” when Harris was a 21-year-old and certain about everything. Now he’s in his mid-40’s and doubting almost everything. That’s evolution; that’s honesty; that’s a real spiritual journey. So when people are so quick to judge Harris and jump quickly to apocalyptic responses, it really puts the mirror back on themselves and their own fears. Why do we desperately need our Christian leaders to be absolutely certain of everything? Certainly, the writers in the Bible were not. If you don’t believe me, just read through the Psalms, Lamentations, or Book of Job. Now that I’m older, I’m growing more and more skeptical of leaders who are absolutely certain of everything. Every follower of God is allowed to doubt... especially Christian leaders. And just because Harris no longer calls himself a “Christian” in the traditional sense, this does not mean he doesn’t believe in God or doesn’t love Jesus. So when you hear or read about someone doubting God, I beg you... Give space and grace. Give space meaning give them permission and time to go through whatever it is they’re going through. Give grace meaning show understanding and empathy towards others, particularly when they’re being vulnerable about their struggles. Because Jesus gave us space to come to Him when we were ready and He gave us grace in our worst moments.

Acts of the Spirit

The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot…
Acts 8:29-30a

I’ve been reading through the Book of Acts for my personal devotional times with God the past few weeks and it’s been very interesting reading this again in my current stage of life. Maybe it’s because of my life experience now or the open-mindedness I have learned to embrace with my age, I’m beginning to read this intriguing book through a new lens. First of all, it’s not as black and white as I thought it was. There are some things that are left open-ended. Second, it’s a lot more lively and vivid than most other books of the New Testament. It almost reads like a novel. Lastly, it shouldn’t be called Acts of the Apostles, it should be called Acts of the Spirit. Everything that the apostles did in this book are compelled by the Holy Spirit. Wherever she told them to go, they went; whatever she told them to do, they did. In the verse above, the Holy Spirit told Philip, “Go to the chariot.” What’s really compelling about Philip’s response is that “Philip RAN to the chariot.” My hope and prayer for you is that we respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting with the same level of enthusiasm and excitement.

What Is the Gospel?

God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:18 & 20

What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? I used to believe that it was simply that Jesus Christ came down to earth to live a perfect life and die on the cross so that we can gain entrance into heaven. Yet, if it simply boils down to that, we objectify Jesus, we neglect the Holy Spirit, and we ignore the other areas of our lives that God asked us to reconcile. As most people know either explicitly or intuitively, we know that it is not only our relationship with God that was broken as a result of human selfishness and wickedness; our relationship with others has been broken, our relationship with our environment has been broken, and even our relationship with our inner-selves has been broken. Jesus came to reconcile ALL that was broken and we are to carry out that same ministry of reconciliation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about bringing the kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven. A life of faith is not about having all the right answers, it’s about reconciling relationships.

Church On the Move

“The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there.”
Joshua‬ ‭18:1a

Bonjour! I am writing from beautiful Paris! Last week I wrote from the United Kingdom where I was finishing up a ministry fellowship in Cambridge and enjoying the sites in London with my wife Becky and daughter Emily. Now my ladies and I are enjoying the sites in Paris. On Tuesday, we got to go on a bike tour of Paris and stopped by one of the most famous church buildings in the world... the Notre Dame. Unfortunately, it was still being repaired due to the fire from a few months ago. It was a poignant reminder to me that the church was never meant to be defined by a particular building. While there were times in the Old Testament where God instructed the Israelites to build a more permanent structure for the tabernacle, for most of the Old Testament, the Israelites were constantly on the move. In the New Testament, the Early Church never situated themselves to a physical building. They met in people’s homes, pagan and Jewish temples, and public meeting spaces. As our church plant enters into a new season of worshipping together, meeting as small groups, visiting different churches, and serving in various places, my prayer is that we remember that the church was never a building but a people of God.

View of Notre Dame under repair during our Paris bike tour.

Getting A Bigger View of God

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:9

Cheers from England! I’m excited to share with you some of the valuable lessons I’ve been learned during my time in Cambridge. God has been stretching my theology, broadening my perspective, and revealing new truths to me through this 9-month program with Newbigin House and with our church plant journey. I used to think that going to seminary and being a pastor was all about knowing the right answers about God, faith, or spirituality. Now I’m realizing no longer my purpose as a pastor.

How is God continuing to shape and stretch your understanding of Him?

King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, U.K.

Price of Freedom

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13‬

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you all had a fun, safe, and grateful celebration on Thursday. I was reflecting on the concept of freedom and realized that freedom is never free. Usually, someone else paid the price for our freedom. In the case of our nation’s freedom, it was the sacrifices of this country’s forefathers who paved the way for our current freedoms. In the case of our spiritual freedom, it was Jesus Christ who paid the ultimate price on the cross so that we can have our spiritual freedom. When we truly realize the heavy price that someone else paid for our freedom, it’s difficult to take our freedom for granted. As the verse in Galatians says, may we not use our freedom to simply be more selfish and indulgent. Let’s use our freedom to serve and help others so that they can experience the freedom we all have in Christ.