Only One World

One world; an ugly one, filled with war, disease, terrorism, sexual exploitation, hunger-I could fill the page, but that is the world. I have read my bible from cover to cover, and I have not found any mention of another one. In fact, the world in the bible seems to be basically the same as the one I live in.

The glorious news of the Gospel of course is that God came into this world in human flesh. He came in the person of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come to create a little world within a world; He came straight from His father in heaven to bring love, mercy, healing and forgiveness into this world.

To do that, He lived in this world-you know, the ugly one, the only one we have, the one full of prostitutes, criminals, soldiers, lepers, and crazy maniacs. He lived in a world of people with wild eyes and smelly bandages, people who if they moved next door, would definitely bring down the property values.

The world Jesus came into is the same world that He sends us into as His followers. He prayed, “My prayer is not that you take me out of the world but that you protect me from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”(John 17:15-18)

  But instead of going into world as we have been sent, we have created our own little world within a world within a world. It’s a world where “Christian” things are true, where everyone lives happily ever after, and, most importantly, where we can be safe from the “other” world—that big, scary one out there. Furthermore, the in our own little world has less to do with Jesus Christ that with locks, fences, money, and the “right” neighborhood.

It’s important to note that the born-again culture has been born and bred in this selected world within-a-world, and that’s why it finds itself so limited and so out of touch with people Christ came to save. We have done just what He told us not to do. We have put our light under the bushel of a safe Christian subculture.

But the most distressing problem with this little world we have created is that, through it, we plan to escape the ugliness of the other world. We are glad to be insulated and prefer to watch Christian news, listen to Christian music, and have only Christian friends. We get more excited about the number of Christians who are in our office that we do about the number of non-Christian who are there for us to love. The truth is, we don’t love non-Christians; we don’t even like them. They swear, they have different values, and they wear smelly bandages.

We like our little world. We feel safe here. But our little world is a fantasy. If you look hard enough, you’ll find as many crimes here as you do in the real world, they’re just more carefully concealed. The safety of this little fantasy world is a fantasy, too. Why? Because we really live in only one world, and it’s an ugly one.

Sooner or later the world is going to come crashing in on our little fantasy world-within-the-world. Sooner or later the thief is going to break into our house, the riot is going to spill over into our street, or the bomb is going to go off under our car. It’s inevitable. There’s no way to escape the danger of life in this hostile world because, after all, the world is our address.

We have to get beyond being shocked and horrified by what we see in the world and get on with walking into it with the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.

When we do, we will finally realize that safety has nothing to do with locks, that security has nothing to do with fences, that joy has nothing to do with the absence of pain, and that peace as nothing to do with comfort. We will no longer confuse the security of our subculture with the presence of Christ.

We will know the real Christ sustaining us in the real world, where He once sustained himself by doing the will of His Father. We will also hurt with the world, bleed for it, and cry over it just as Jesus did. We will be in danger and touch the unclean bandages.

The question is simple and straightforward: Are you in the world or are you escaping it? The issue is black and white. You are either walking into the world and into reality or you are walking away from it and into fantasy—because there is only one world and it’s an ugly one.

-          “Foundations of Christian Thought”

"The Anabaptists were conscious of being a people, the people of God; but the marks of that peoplehood came from their relationship with God. Ethnic lines never corresponded to nor reinforced lines of faith." 
"Because we are not first-generation people, we have neither the radical separateness of faith on the one hand nor the lack of ethnic separatness on the other hand which nurtured and made possible the Anabaptist vision and movement. This shift in the basis of our peoplehood, from being the people of God to becoming an ethnic group, is a problem for all Anabaptists both then and now."
"Part of our problem comes from a concern for the welfare and preservation of the church. No way can we be followers of Jesus Christ, at least as an Anabaptist understood what it means to be a follower, if our primary concern is for the welfare and preservation of any institution. If in the process of decision-making we qualify the radicalness of a step we might take by a concern for the survival of the church, we have left Jesus' way. Jesus' words about seeking to save our life and losing it apply just as much to the church as to the life of the individual disciple."

-Robert L. Ramseyer-

excerpts from: Anabaptism and Mission

                       by Wilbert Shenk.  

Go ye therefore colonizing all nations making them to be just like you.

What is it about the church that it can’t preach the gospel without tying on all of its own trappings? It says it is presenting truth but in reality it is giving its application of the truth. There are missions that recruit girls to come and teach new national believers how to sew a cape dress and Mennonite covering. Whatever happened to the Holy Spirit? Can we not simply teach of a chaste spirit and modest heart? The church of today spends 80% of its time teaching the youth how to dress, what music to listen to and how to conduct themselves and the other 20% on salvation and the heart of God for mankind. The church sees today’s youth slipping away and so what do they do? They tighten the reins, they start pounding the standards harder. And completely miss the core of Christianity. Why do young people need to go to Bible school or instruction class to learn about justification and Christ’s call to the lost? Are not these to be taught from a little child up? The young people of today are being cheated out of real Christianity. Colonized into a culture or denomination rather than being set on fire with a passion for Christ. Church standards, catechisms and statements of faith are DEAD they do nothing for a lost soul. Only the living word of God can restore a broken life, grant freedom from sin and instill a passionate purpose for life. Jesus gave us three commands; Love God, Love others and teach HIS word. People talk about Buddhism and Hinduism but what about Mennonitism, Brethernism or German Baptistism? Where do you find your identity? Do you find it in your pious religious system? Or do you find it in the words of Jesus Christ?

Organization verses Organism

It’s fairly common I feel (at least for me) to hear
missionaries vent their discouragements of how their mission board does not see things the same way they do. Our world is full of disgruntled burned out missionaries that feel slighted or hurt by a mission organization. What we are facing here is a disconnect between the organism, the life, the vitality and the organization, the structure, the administration. Us field visionaries are full of experiences, dreams and opinions and when we are made accountable to the logical, efficiency and structure of a board of directors there is friction. This friction is created when decisions are made without full understanding and or one steps out of their realm of responsibility and into the realm of another; whether because of distrust or ignorance that depends upon the situation. You can break it down to two groups of people. The board of directors and the board of operations (or field staff); but what are the responsibilities of these two groups and do they over step their responsibilities? Do the Directors try to micro manage those on the field? Does the field not respect the Directors? Is there an umbrella vision that is the thrust of the missionary work? I’m asking questions, questions to make us think. One important key that is a common problem is that each member of the Board of Directors must have personal, practical experience on the given field and also that they have a respect and appreciation for the feelings and opinions of both the field staff and nationals. For us field staff; how are we keeping the Organism alive? Are we passing on the torch? A must for our ministry is that we work through the national leadership that is in place to meet their felt needs. Rather than work around them to try to meet what we perceive to be their needs. This will create ownership which will empower them to carry on the vision.

Rules Verses Freedom

For all those that don't know I'm state side at Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute for their fifth term. Here's some of my homework; a discussion synopsis's.

The topic discussed was in reference to Rules verses Freedom
in relation to church structure and authority. Does Church leadership have
authority to establish rules to govern within a congregation or group of
congregations? Is it extra biblical? And do these principles violate our
“Freedoms” in Christ?I personally think that great care should be taken in this area so as not to quench the guiding principles of the Christian life. Rules stem from principles that are laid out for us by Christ in the New Testament. In the time of the Jews they had the law and then they built a system of rules around the Law. The rules were not “sin” but they bread generations of hypocrites by taking the focus away from the personal relationship with God, and putting it on the rules. In using the word freedom the meaning is twofold. First in Christ we have freedom from sin. But the meaning inferred here is freedom from a binding system that is hindering one from serving God according the principles of Christ. Thus we must ask ourselves, does our rules rob biblical principles of their vitality by taking people’s attention away from the heart of God and turning it to a mortal religious system. Thus in all instances we must look introspectively to see the fruit of these rules. Do they direct one into a closer more intimate relationship with God or do they merely improve one’s personal piety? Are they put in place to fulfill God’s will for man or to preserve biblical convictions? We must also consider the fact that there is a difference between convictions and standards. Convictions are spiritual truths based off of the principles of Christ. Whereas standards are personal guidelines to keep ones flesh in check so as not to violate his/her convictions. These “standards” should be based off of both ones personal weaknesses and the principles of one’s culture, so as not to fall personally and also not to offend a brother. Thus there are standards that apply to one personally and standards that affect a group or society.

Raw Existence

The other day someone gave me a Dove Chocolate. I was appreciative and promptly opened it to find this written inside; Sleep in late tomorrow. I stopped, reread it and came to boil inside. Why? I asked; should I lie in bed when I have the privilege and ability to not. I was not sick or under rested. So why should I let the current of the desires of this physical body pull me along when I have the choice to swim forward? Why should I merely exist when I can thrive? The man of today no longer looks at what can be attained but what can be indulged in. anyone can cast themselves to the wind and whim of desire yet only one of strength can chose to gain, to press on to a new level.
A tree that is not pollinated will never produce. Though it soaks in the rain, draws on the soil and basks in the sun it never fulfils its purpose. Are we not the same? Though we take part of all the joys and pleasures of this world all is yet vanity if we do not experience it in the fullness of purpose. God did not create us to exist. But to be pollinated through His love and forgiveness In order that we could produce in the fullness of His will. So why do we (Christians) allow ourselves to simply continue being in raw existence? Have we not been enabled to produce, to press on and fight the fight; to run the race?

"Feelings"

So how do you feel about….? How often do you hear this question? It’s not “want do you think?” But “What do you feel?” Our country has rapidly become a feeling based society. We go to church when we feel like it, we eat when we feel like it, and we love our wife only when we feel like it. Fact seems to no longer hold validity in our minds. We don’t care if we need to eat or if what we eat is good for our body we just do what feels good.
I’m sure glad Christ didn’t operate in these perimeters. He sure didn’t feel like being crucified (He actually asked to get out of it). I think if we did a lot less feeling and a bit more thinking then a lot of the problems we deal with today would never arrive. Teenage pregnancies would be almost nonexistent if someone would do some thinking before they do some feeling. Love is not a feeling, but a decision and attribute of the heart despite its physical surroundings. Godly character never started with feelings but with discipline of the mind. Great accomplishment were never felt but were the will of the mind to succeed over the contrary feelings of the body. If the mind and soul of man is to see a vision made reality then the imprisoning limitations of our feelings have to be filtered through our end goal. Not our destiny determined by the whim of what feels good now.