Death-defying Boldness

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard this saying: “The safest place to be is right in the middle of God’s will.”  But is it true?  It depends on what you mean by "safe."  If you mean that when you're in the center of God's will, you will have (to put it crudely) better luck than others; if it means that your plans will succeed, your health will be good, your happiness will be constant, and doggone it, people will like you...then no, that's not true.  In fact, it's demonstrably false when you look at the lives of virtually every man or woman in Scripture who ever obeyed God's will.  But if you mean that we’ll always be right where God wants us, in the right place at the right time to accomplish the great things He has planned for us in the world, then yes, being in the center of God’s will is the only safe place to be.  There, and only there, do we find our defining moments, our divine appointments, the opportunities that God had planned for us from the beginning. 

For the past two weeks, we’ve been praying together that God would teach us boldness and would give us opportunities to use it.  If you’re praying that way, God is going to put you in positions where you have an opportunity to speak the hard truth to someone.  It will not be easy.  If you tell a friend she needs to reconcile with a relative she resents, you may not have a friend anymore.  If you speak up about unethical practices at work, you may lose your job.  If you share your faith with a co-worker, you may become known at the office as an intolerant religious fanatic.  Years ago, my wife felt strongly led to confront a couple we knew.  They had a little girl who they constantly belittled in public.  She knew this couple loved their daughter, but she also knew this child needed to feel her parents were proud of her.  She spoke to the mother, even though as a pastor’s wife, there was a real risk that they might respond by leaving our church.  The question I want us to consider this morning is, “How can I get ready for these moments of truth, so that I respond in the way I should?”

This Sunday, we'll take a look at the story of Esther.  Here's a young woman, probably a teenager, who had to decide whether to speak up on behalf of her people--which could lead to her execution--or watch passively as the Jews were eliminated.  Along the way, we'll talk about two daily habits that will get you ready for your moments of truth.  And just to be clear: This is such an awesome story, it will be worth your time just to hear it...or hear it again. 

Bold Humility

Imagine your great-great-grandfather came to visit you here in the 21^st Century.  You would have so much to show him: Freeways, microwaves, television, cell phones.  I wonder what he would think of indoor plumbing and air conditioning?  At some point, he would notice that there is a special class of people in today’s world.  We shower them with money.  We pay close attention to every detail of their lives: What clothes they wear, what sorts of houses they live in, who they socialize with, fall in love with, break up with.  If people in this special class tell us we should buy a certain product, we do it.  Some of these people are in this special class because they are especially talented in some way: Athletics, singing, or acting, mostly.  Some are in the special class because they are especially attractive in a physical sense.  And some are in the special class for no discernible reason whatsoever; they just are.  And what do we call these special people?  Celebrities.  Have you ever wondered where that term came from?  It is actually a derivative of the word “celebrate.”  We think of celebrating a holiday like Christmas or Easter.  But one meaning of the word “celebrate” is “to hold up or play up for public notice.”  In other words, we make a big deal out of them.  We don’t often use the word “celebrate” in that way, although occasionally you will hear something like, “She is a celebrated author.” 

            So celebrities are people we celebrate; people we pay special attention to, talk about, listen to, seek to emulate.  Your great-great-grandfather would notice that American culture in the 21^st Century is obsessed with celebrities.  There’s even a documented psychological disorder called Celebrity Worship Syndrome.  In one article I read, a psychologist speculated that 1/3 of the population might be afflicted with this disorder.  On the lower levels, it’s pretty harmless: You are more likely to buy a magazine or watch a TV news show if you think a celebrity you’re interested in will be talked about in it.  At the moderate level, you put posters of your favorite celebrity all over your bedroom, and fantasize about meeting him or her.  Your friends tease you about having a "crush" on this famous person.  At the extreme level, you track the celebrity’s movements.  You truly believe there’s a connection between you and him or her.  You may even think your favorite celebrity is communicating with you through some sort of code; perhaps hidden messages in his movies or songs.  In 1981, long before anyone coined the diagnosis Celebrity Worship Syndrome, John Hinkley Jr tried to kill President Reagan because he thought his favorite movie star, Jodie Foster, would be impressed by his actions. 

            I think we can all see the evil in that.  And while none of us may have a dangerous fixation on a particular famous person, I would argue that every one of us has a problem with a very different form of celebrity worship.  In my opinion, our celebrity worship is much more destructive than any pop-culture obsession could be.  We don't celebrate Tom Cruise or LeBron James or Taylor Swift, we celebrate--make a big deal about--ourselves.  We’re in a series about boldness.  Last week, we talked about what boldness is.  This week, I want us to look at John the Baptist, one of the boldest people who has ever lived.  But in the story we'll read Sunday, you'll see that he was also humble.  Boldness and humility may seem to be mutually exclusive, but the person who is bold for the Kingdom will be inherently humble.  And humility is the answer to our peculiar form of celebrity worship.  Sunday, we'll talk about how our celebrity worship manifests itself in our lives, and how we can defeat it. 

Storming Hell with a Water Pistol

When I was a kid, our church had an annual revival meeting.  Our pastor would get a professional evangelist or a preacher from another church to come and preach a series of sermons every night for a week.  I used to look forward to the revival every year.  The church would be a little more full than usual.  Some folks from other churches in our community would come, and that brought a different sort of energy to our little country church.  Of course, by the middle of the week, I would get tired of going to church every night, but for the first few nights, it was entertaining, even if I don’t remember all that many lives getting changed.  But then when I was fifteen, we had a different sort of revival preacher.  He was a young man, right out of college.  And he was energetic. When he preached, he would tuck his Bible under one arm and gesture with his other hand.  I thought it made him look like the Heisman trophy.  I was a bit in awe of him.  One thing that preacher said that week has stuck with me.  He said, “Sometimes you get so full of the Spirit, you’re ready to storm Hell with a water pistol.”  What an image!  To be so passionate about the truth that sets people free, you’ll face overwhelming odds to tell the saving truth with no thought of your own safety, comfort or social status.

This week, I'm beginning a new series of sermons at WBC. All this year, I'm preaching on the theme, "Representing Christ in a non-Christian culture."  People in Scripture who served God well in difficult times had certain things in common, and one of those attributes was boldness.  This Sunday I'll talk about what boldness really is.  Some Christians exhibit qualities that may seem bold, but in truth, do the cause of Christ more harm that good.  I'll contrast those with a picture of stunning boldness we see in a young boy, found in 1 Samuel 3.  I'll also tell the rest of the story of how that revival meeting when I was 15 helped change my life forever. 

Westbury 20/20 Prayer Guide

Westbury 20/20 Prayer Guide

 

Our Westbury 20/20 team, made up of 11 church members and our ministry staff, is prayerfully working to evaluate our church's ministry.  Sometime this summer, we hope to bring some proposals before the church that will position us for greater and more effective ministry in the future.  But right now, we need your prayers!  I've written the following prayer guide to give us all practical ways to seek the Lord during these days.  For every day of the week, I've included a Scripture and a suggested prayer theme.  Will you join us?

 

Monday: Ephesians 4:14-16. Jesus is the Head of our church.  Ask Him to show us His will so that we can follow Him in the plans He has for us.

Tuesday: 2 Chronicles 1:7-10. Like Solomon, let’s ask God for wisdom to lead His people well.

Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16.  Pray for the Spirit to reveal to us the mind of Christ, so we can know how He sees our church and our mission field. 

Thursday: Habakkuk 3:2.  Pray for God to revive our church by the awesome power He has used to awaken His people in days gone by. 

Friday: Matthew 6:25-34.  Pray that God would transform us into the kind of church that sets aside our ordinary concerns about earthly, temporal things and seeks first His Kingdom with passion.

Saturday: Mark 6:34.  Pray that God would give us His heart of love and compassion for those who are without Him, sheep without a Shepherd, and that this would motivate us to reach them with His Gospel.

Sunday: Psalm 139:23-4.  Ask God to give our church a humble spirit that longs for the transformation He wants to bring about in us.  Pray that we would set aside our prideful tendency to cling to what is comfortable, and to embrace what is necessary to bring about growth.

My Lord and My God

This Easter Sunday, I will conclude my series on the names Jesus was called in the New Testament with a look at something one of His disciples called Him after Easter.  The disciple was Thomas.  We know him as "doubting Thomas," although the Bible never calls him that, and I don't think the nickname is entirely fair.  We'll talk about how Thomas learned who Jesus truly was, and what happened in his life once he made that realization.  But in the meantime, I wanted to share this story with you, just to give you something to ponder:

Tim Keller, who pastors Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and is a popular Christian author,  was a young man in Sunday School over 40 years ago when he heard something that changed his life forever.  The teacher said, "Let's assume the distance between the earth and the sun (92 million miles) was reduced to the thickness of this sheet of paper. If that is the case, then the distance between the earth and the nearest star would be a stack of papers 70 feet high. And the diameter of the galaxy would be a stack of papers 310 miles high."  Then Keller's teacher added, "The galaxy is just a speck of dust in the universe, yet Jesus holds the universe together by the word of his power." Finally, the teacher asked her students, "Now, is this the kind of person you ask into your life to be your assistant?"

The Lamb of God

 

A new Supermanmovie is coming out this year.  Over 80 years ago, two teenagers came up with this idea of a man from another planet who can fly, has x-ray vision and super strength, is virtually indestructible, and is so virtuous, he wants only to help people in trouble.  It took them six years to find a publisher.  When they finally found one who was willing to publish their story, they had to sign over the rights to the character for $130.  In 1938, that probably sounded like a lot of money, but the Superman character has made DC Comics millions of dollars since then.  It’s amazing to think that, in a cynical age like ours, one of our most enduring and beloved heroes is a guy who wears blue underwear and a red cape.  But it tells us something about ourselves: We long for someone to show up and fix things; stop the bad guys, rescue the people who are in danger.  People often wonder why God doesn’t function like that.    We watch the news and see school shootings, natural disasters and evil dictators running rampant, and we wonder, “When is God going to show up and do something about this?”   

A long time ago, there was a man who lived in the desert.  He spoke so powerfully, people would come from miles around to hear him.  When they listened, really listened, a change started to take place in their hearts.  They started wanting a new kind of life.  To symbolize this desire for a new life, they would get into the river that ran through the desert and this man would baptize them.  They came from all sectors of society.  These people didn’t believe in Superman, but they believed God would send them someone, someday who would make things right.  They started to think maybe this strange guy in the desert, who wore camel’s hair and ate bugs, might be the one they’d been looking for.  But when they finally came out and asked him, this man, whose name was John, said, “I’m not the answer.  But He’ll be here soon.  I’m getting things ready for Him.”  Then the very next day, he said, “There He is…"

More precisely, he said:

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. 

Why would John use such unusual language to describe Jesus?  That's hardly the only time the Lord was referred to in those terms.  But what does it mean for us today?  That's what we'll be talking about this Sunday at Westbury Baptist Church.

Westbury 20/20

In our February business meeting, the church agreed to elect a group of church members to evaluate our current programs and ministries and propose a strategy for a healthy and effective future for WBC.  I’m thrilled to be able to work alongside this group, which I’m calling “Westbury 20/20.”  The number represents a date in the future (as in, “Where would we like to see our church in the year 2020?”), but it also signifies accurate vision.  We want to see our church and its future as accurately as possible, and I’m asking you to help us do that.  

               Right now, we’re in the process of examining our church and evaluating everything we do, as well as learning all we can about the mission field of Southwest Houston and especially about the upcoming generations.  We are seeking to answer four important questions:

·        Who are we?  In other words, what does WBC do well, and where do we need to improve?

·        Who are they?  Who are the people God has called us to reach?

·        What would it take?  If we were planting a church today right here, with our current resources, what kind of church would best reach our mission field?

·        What should we do?  How can we best close the gap between who we are and what we need to be?

I’m asking for your prayers over this process.  Sometime in the near future, I look forward to standing with the Westbury 20/20 team as we present some proposals to the church.  In the meantime, get excited about this: WBC is in its fiftieth year as a church…and I think her best years are yet to come.