Fools!

About a week ago i attended my alma mater up in fort worth, texas. A couple of my fellow classmates were graduating from seminary and i went to cheer them on. And it's funny how God continues to push you when you're standing there and there's that constant reassuring thought the Holy Spirit blesses you with. I think recently ministry has taken a toll on my soul (nice rhyme) and i continue to wonder if i'm really cut out to do ministry. Like there are some days when i'm at the office and i wonder "why am i doing this? i'm not as good as i thought i was...the youth don't seem to be growing...blah blah blah" and i go into this self-loathing pity party. Ha. Talk about depravity right? But this is me.

So i get up to seminary and i was just expecting to sit through a typical graduation sermon, sing 2 songs, pray, and watch my friends walk. The president reads

1 Corinthians 15:12-17 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

We are fools in the eyes of many because of our faith. It is futile in it's methods and means. We use this God in heaven and this Jesus fellow as a crutch to get through life. We are fools because our ethic is counter-cultural and we get exploited, used, and crushed. We are fools because we believe that there's something else out there other than this world. We are fools because we believe God in the flesh live

1 Corinthians 15:20-24 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

But. It hit me like a monkey crossing a bridge in July with a snowcone. Our faith is useless, worthless, worthy of being mocked, UNLESS it is true. Something swelled inside of my soul to think of the implications. We are no longer fools for becoming ministers, missionaries, equipped biblically...we find ourselves doing and in essence, being, the very agent that God has intended us to be. The question I find myself asking now is "How seriously do I take this Jesus and what he says? Is it a feel-good, once-a-week lesson? Or is Jesus really coming back one day and ask us what we did with our time, talents, and resources? Do i really trust that his way for life is better than popular culture's?" No friends, we are not fools...for many have tasted what is genuine conversion and they have not been able to recover. I find myself humbly in this line of "fools" for i have nothing intrinsically valuable, nor do i have the knowledge needed to succeed in this life...so i play the part of a "fool" in the eyes of the world and "redeemed, forgiven, justified, holy" in the eyes of my King.

Nominalism

Nominalism: I think what happens to most people is they begin to believe that religion and the gospel is the same thing so they start equating spiritualistic actions with a regenerated heart. And i think they've got it backwards...you don't do these set of actions in order to gain the favor of God, you are truly regenerated, gospel-enveloped and the understanding of who you are in Christ translates into how you live your life. I'm so convinced now that the reason why we don't see movement within the church is because of a terrifying fact - no regeneration. There's a lot of folk who have said a "prayer" but have no heart that has been penetrated by the gospel. How do i know that? Because biblically and historically, people who have an encounter with the gospel cannot live a nominal life. Those who have "accepted Christ" in fear of hell suppress the torment of hell but in reality that is only a topical medication that never really got to the root of the problem. As Matt Chandler says, "Heaven isn't for those who are afraid of hell, heaven is a place for those who love God". And the great theologians of history have understood the slow process of santification comes with some objective evidences - a sorrow over sin, a constant need of Jesus to reign, a love of his word, transformed heart that leads to a different worldview and the actions that follow...I've come to fear and be terrified with the verses that continue to say "broad is the path to destruction and many find it but narrow is the path to life and few find it" and "there will be many on that day that will come to me and say 'lord, lord..." and i [Jesus] will say 'depart from me for i do not know you'". But it's so easy to get wrapped up in religiousity...doing what is supposed to be done and not doing what you're not supposed to do. But in the end, living the nominalistic lifestyle doesn't bring about any more life! in fact it's the worst way to go out because you can't enjoy blatant sin nor could you enjoy the fullness of life. So where do you go from here? I think you seriously need to sit down and really do some soul searching - "am i really full-on saved by the gospel? or do i just know a checklist of religion? Do i really know the savior or do i just know about him?" I think scripture has it everywhere...the man who finds a pearl in a field and sells everything and buys the field...or the disciples that leave everything behind and follows after Jesus. Or...you can shut off your soul to this - not think, numb your mind and soul even if it shouts out to you...you can make your excuses - "i'll just wait till later to make a decisions...let me do this or that first and then i'll commit". I tell you it's not because Jesus wants to supress your life but because when you fall at his feet and admit that you can't, surrender your life to him he promises that his way of life is far greater, far more rewarding, far more satisfying than anything else. Nomalism will just drive you into the ground...in the end, it doesn't help anyone.