GET MUCH OUT

GET MUCH OUT:

The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy (lack of order; gradual decline into disorder) of a system approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches absolute zero.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Say WHAT?

Today’s blog isn’t about physics or chemistry. Don’t hit the “back” button on your browser; you did NOT accidentally click on Phil Nye The Science Guy’s website. I’ll bring this back around in just a sec.

Chances are that at least one significant role-model in your life (parent, coach, teacher, pastor, etc.) bombarded you with the phrase “You get out of it what you put into it!” at some point in your life. As it turns out - they were pretty much spot on.

Sure, for some people certain things come easier. I knew guys growing up who didn’t have to study much at all, yet they blew through high school with straight A’s. I’ve known people who didn’t have to workout or eat right, yet they were thin. I’ve know people who didn’t have to spend much time practicing or training, yet athletics came super easy to them. Those are the kind of people who ultimately fail in life. The first time things get tough they fold like a cheap suit and wither like sprouts planted in shallow rocky soil.

Back in the 1800’s Samuel Pierpont Langley was a renown, accomplished, and award winning physicist, inventor, and astronomer. He was a professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, and founder of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Langley had quite the impressive resume. At one point Langley was basically given a blank check to invent the first manned, powered, and controlled aircraft. Langley began around 1887, but eventually gave up in October of 1903 after two planes crashed on takeoff. Meanwhile, two tenacious men with significantly less notable intellect and resumes, Orville and Wilbur Wright, invested, persisted, and succeeded in being first to achieve manned, powered, controlled flight on December 17, 1903.

Langley got out of it - mediocrity and failure - what he put into it personally - nothing. The Wright Bros. got out of it - success - what they put into it - blood, sweat, tears, and scrappy persistence. In a diseased culture of abused welfare, tolerance, handouts, entitlement, government and forced employer subsidized birth control, participation trophies, and zero consequences - we have the audacity to wonder how and why things are so chaotic in “the world” today.

Church in our culture today has become a lot like a spectator sport or movie watching experience rather than a corporate, collaborative, mission-oriented venture. Lots of sporadic church attendees I’ve spoken with, and listened to, over the years have said something along the line of, “I just don’t get much out of it.” Therein lies the rub. Do you hear that little voice from the past saying, “You get out what you put in!”

Imagine having gone through new employee orientation where they explain your job and responsibilities. Then you walk in on Monday about 30 minutes late, grab a comfy chair as you plop down in your boss’s office and just sit there the rest of the day - waiting to be entertained, counseled, or served. Meanwhile, your boss, and other employees, are busy answering emails, talking to and working with clients, plugging away… and you just show up day-after-day, week-after-week...

Then one day around lunch time you say, “Yeah Boss, I’m gonna go ahead and split. I don’t know if I’m coming back in today - or tomorrow. I’m not really getting much out of this. You’re not making me laugh. I’m not really learning anything new. I’m bored out of my mind. I’m not getting anything out of this.” What employer in their right mind would tolerate such incompetence? What organization would argue with a parasitic employee and beg them to stay on the team? There’s only one I can think of...

The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy (lack of order; gradual decline into disorder) of a system approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches absolute zero. In Matthew 24:12 Jesus said, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…”

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Proverbs 18:9 reads, “Whoever is lazy regarding his work is a brother to the master of destruction.”

When the faithful in Christ gather on Sunday mornings what are you putting in? What is your contribution in terms of time, talent, and treasure? The only excuse for not serving the Bride of Christ a lack of faith, i.e. someone in whom the Holy Spirit is working; someone who is “kicking the tires” of this Christianity “thing.” Beyond that - there are no excuses. We all have jobs, we all have kids, we all have issues, we’re all tired, we’re all stressed in various ways, and yet some manage to show up to serve and contribute in some way as equal members of the Body of Christ. If you have been deluded into thinking your grand contribution is to regularly complain, critique, and criticize - you are instead the blight of Christian fellowship. Christ is the head - not you.

The Church today is fast approaching a state of entropy - decline into disorder - as the hearts of our congregations approach the frozen state of absolute zero-interest. The equal and opposite reaction of dispassionate, disconnected, convenience & consumer-minded, spectator Christianity is exactly the present condition of our hearts, homes, and country, i.e. disorder and chaos.

What if Jesus had said, “Yeah, ummm Father... this whole getting nailed to the cross thing… I don’t really see me getting much out of it?” Instead Paul wrote, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Perfectly conformed into benevolent, sacrificial, loving, humble service.

What are you putting into it? Who are you serving regularly, consistently, patiently, and obediently - or is that somebody else's responsibility? The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews wrote, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

Quitting, blaming, church-hopping, criticizing, and rationalizing are all easy roads. In Matthew 24:12 Jesus said, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” In fact it will grow so cold it will reach a state of entropy - chaos and disorder - as it approaches absolute zero interest in the mission of God.

Pray Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me,” over and over in scrappy, persistent, tenacious brokenness, blood, sweat, and tears; then experience the kind of new birth Jesus spoke with Nicodemus about (John 3:1-21).

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

ONCE AND FOR ALL

Christian artist Lauren Daigle co-wrote and performs the song, Once and For All. The lyrics of the song are beautifully written and sung:

Oh let this be where I die

My lord with thee crucified

Be lifted high as my Kingdom's fall

Once and for all, once and for all

This morning as I listened to those words it brought Luke 9:23 to mind where Jesus said,

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.”

I love Lauren Daigle’s song, but the truth is our Kingdom’s never fall “once and for all.” Being a committed, scrappy, enduring, persevering follower of Jesus is a daily, never ending battle this side of eternity. True, the unmerited gift of salvation requires nothing on our part but acceptance. Sadly, this is the terminus for many Christians. Tragically, many Christians settle for “Hell Insurance” and drive-thru religion rather than ever pursuing a deeper, fuller, bolder, richer intimate relationship with Jesus.

The Cross is indeed where Jesus died - once and for all. We know this because of passages like 1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself - a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.” (See also 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 6:10; Hebrews 9:28). But when we see our own personal salvation as the consummation, finale, and satiation of faith - we (unwittingly?) divulge the condition of the soil of our own hearts; soil of hearts that have never truly been penetrated by the gospel of love.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” This frequently conjures up images like a soldier throwing himself on a grenade, a woman pushing a child away from an oncoming bus, or a dramatic movie ending like Armageddon where the hero (Bruce Willis) sacrifices himself for his family and humanity. These are all undoubtedly examples of courageous acts of selfless love, but that’s not what Jesus was talking about. As Oswald Chambers notes, “It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways.”

Our kingdoms never fall once and for all. It would be unfair and irresponsible to lure people in under such false pretenses. Giving your life to Jesus is NOT the end of the struggle, but it is the beginning of life eternal. Ask the alcoholic if the struggle ever truly leaves. Ask the person struggling with homosexuality. Ask the person with OCD, insecurity, low self-esteem, or a loose tongue. Do the urges vanish instantly or permanently? Not typically. Instead they frequently manifest differently - alcohol for tobacco; tobacco for soda; soda for exercise; exercise for self-help groups…

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.” The beauty of the Cross is NOT that it magically makes “our kingdoms fall once and for all,” but rather that it continually and perpetually exposes our vanity, selfishness, narcissism, and makes something of eternal value possible, i.e. the will of God - to be a blessing to others.

Paul frequently encouraged the saints to περιπατέω (per-ee-pat-eh'-o), i.e. “walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.” Cognates occur 96 times in the New Testament! If personal salvation were the end-goal, why would Jesus bother telling us to take up our cross daily? If personal salvation were the objective - why would Paul tell all the people of faith - not just the evangelists - not just the pastors - not just the teachers, apostles, and preachers - but tell all Christians how to walk, how to serve, to think of others as more important than ourselves, and to take captive every thought?

Because personal salvation is NOT the goal. Unity as Christ’s Bride is. Being grafted into something perfect, eternal, and glorious is the goal. Willing, obedient participation in the mission of God is the goal - to be a blessing to all the families, tribes, nations, and peoples on earth is the goal.

Next time you listen to Lauren Daigle’s song, Once and For All, just know with all confidence that Christ died once and for all. He has revealed the extent of His love and invited you into a simultaneously personal and corporate relationship with Him at the Cross. The hope and certainty of that love culminated with the empty tomb that first Easter morning.

Cognates of the Greek word ὑπομονή (hoop-om-on-ay') occur 32 times in the New Testament and are frequently translated with words like: enduring, persevering, steadfast, or patient.

Don’t be discouraged with the struggles, trials, adversity, afflictions, distress, misery, and misfortune in this life. As Paul said, “so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them,” and elsewhere, “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened…”

Jesus did NOT say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple let your kingdom fall once and for all,” but instead He died once - for all - and said (paraphrase) whoever wants the arduous yet joyful privilege of joining with me in blessing people to the ends of the earth… “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.”

Let’s not forget how Lauren’s song begins:

God I give You all I can today

These scattered ashes that I hid away

I lay them all at Your feet

From the corners of my deepest shame

The empty places where I've worn Your name

Show me the love I say I believe

Then, Lord, we'll do it all again tomorrow.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

DIVINE SURPLUS

DIVINE SURPLUS:

The Twelve Disciples were a disaster for the most part. Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry they perpetually missed the boat. Prior to the Resurrection those Twelve ordinary guys frequently found ways to botch, blunder, and mangle the gospel. Jesus never recruited the religious rockstars; in fact He called those buffoons “hypocrites,” “whitewashed tombs,” and “children of hell.” In one of those embarrassingly cringe-worthy occasions we read about Jesus feeding five thousand (Mark 6:30-44)...

The Twelve had just returned from a short-term mission trip where they had preached repentance, healed the sick, and even cast out demons! By worldly standards that sounds like a victory and cause to celebrate, but Jesus knew what was in their hearts. Those twelve guys came back with swollen egos. We know this because we read, “The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.” Jesus’ response was, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place…”

They really didn’t have to go anywhere because it turns out that the desolate place was inside them. In 6:34 Jesus looked out with compassion and saw a flock of lost sheep without a shepherd; contrastingly in v.36 the Twelve said, “Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages…” Where Jesus saw a rich opportunity for ministry the Twelve saw nothing but tedious work, hopelessness, impossibility, and frustration. Indeed, Jesus brought them to a truly desolate place.

The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus never fails to see ordinary people in ordinary circumstances as tremendous opportunity for ministry. That’s why He came. That’s why He died for us - for you. Often times our expectation is for Jesus to provide for things we’ve determined are the most pressing - the most important. Frequently we, like the Twelve, want power and miracles, but we ignore and forget the source; we forget Jesus.

Jesus often brings us to a desolate place where we not only see the selfish desolation of our own hearts, but simultaneously that which is most important to Him, i.e. people. Then we see the truly miraculous as He turns our depravity, desolation, and inability into gracious provision and our personal deficit into a ridiculous surplus. That’s the kind of ministry and mission Jesus has always been a part of through ordinary, blundering, bungling knuckleheads. He’s not looking for, nor does He use, whitewashed religious rockstars. He uses ordinary men and women who have been brought to that desolate place and come out the other side with a surplus of faith. That’s the humble ministry, and glorious mission, He’s inviting you into as well.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

NOT MISSED

NOT MISSED:

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody's around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Around 2004, shortly after I was blessed with the gift of faith in Christ, I began attending a church in downtown San Antonio. I remember the senior pastor, T. Don Guthrie, preaching on a “game” many Christians play regarding church attendance - and it has always stuck with me.

The game looks something like this:

Phase 1: I’ll slide in and out of church as inconspicuously as possible. I may even slide in late and cut out early.

Phase 2: I’ll miss a week or two and see if anyone notices.

Phase 3: After my feelings are hurt - because nobody missed me or bothered to reach out - I’ll send a fiery email to the pastor, let him know what a horrible church they’re running, and how I’m taking my business elsewhere!

Phase 4: Repeat phases 1-3 over and over again until…

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” -2 Timothy 4:3

Lost people want to be entertained. Followers of Christ are intimately invested in the promotion and proclamation of the gospel - no sales pitch required.

I remember Pastor Don saying, “It’s a dangerous game.” It is a dangerous game, and it’s one you’re always going to lose. There are zero win scenarios when we start playing games at church.

Recently, another pastor friend told me that someone in his church family was no longer attending. He mentioned that the person had missed church for several consecutive weeks, and they were deeply hurt and offended that nobody reached out to them. This person was hurt because they were not missed.

Not missed. Hmmmm...

The Bible teaches us that the Church is the literal Bride and (semi) metaphorical Body of Christ. The Bible teaches us that every member of the Church / Bride / Body - that’s EVERY member - is supernaturally gifted upon receiving the Holy Spirit for the purpose of contributing to and building up the Body of Christ in faith, knowledge, and unity in Jesus.

The Body “metaphor” is fitting here because there are no superfluous body parts. Doctors and scientists used to think that tonsils and appendix were evolutionary “leftovers,” with no relevant or significant functions. But it turns out that both serve important roles in the human body’s immune system. We aren’t born with a cosmetic limb in the middle of our back. We don’t have toes on our knee caps. We don’t have an organ that makes Play-doh or crayons. Every part of the body does something essential, important, and/or significant for the benefit of the whole. There are no parts that are disjointed, independent, random, or trivial; instead all the parts work together in unison toward a common objective. There are no parts or members of the human body that simply sit back and consume without contributing. That’s not the definition of a member; but rather the definition of a parasite:

PARASITE: noun; an organism that lives in or on another organism (host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense.

The body neither mourns nor yearns for parasites. Actually, the removal of parasites benefits the overall health of the host organism. When you’re making a major contribution to your family - they’ll miss you when you are absent. How many times have you randomly stayed in a hotel just to see if your spouse or kids would miss you? When you’re a major contributor to a team - they miss you when you can’t participate. How many Super Bowl quarterbacks, World Series pitchers, or World Cup goalies have ever sat at home waiting for a phone call from the coach, owner, or teammates to see if they’d be missed? How many CEOs of Fortune 100 companies sit at home in their pajammies pondering, “I wonder if anyone misses me?”

When you’re an integral member of the Body of Christ - you don’t play the “Will anyone miss me?” game. The work of the Church is more important than any corporation or institution. The impact and significance of the Church is eternally greater and infinitely more significant than any/every Super Bowl, World Series, or World Cup; consequently your role as an ambassador of Christ is more important than that of any / every CEO, team captain, politician, and movie star - ever.

Not missed? Maybe that’s a more accurate reflection of your blase’, apathetic, lukewarm, fruitless, and lackluster contribution to the Body rather than a commentary on its leadership and other members.

Maybe the reason why nobody has missed you is that there’s nothing to miss. Maybe the constant drain of complaining, moaning, criticism, gossip, and grumbling is a relief. The Body is always healthier when blood-sucking, health-sapping parasites are removed. People can’t miss that which is invisible or what they’re unaware of.

There’s a HUGE difference between not being missed and not being appreciated. If you’re in ministry for awards, accolades, plaques, medals, and gold stars - you couldn’t have picked a more unsuitable vocation. This side of eternity ministry looks like the Cross (see Luke 9:23) not a medal ceremony at the Olympics.

In closing today I’ll leave you with a few words from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth:

“Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults… Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” -1 Cor 14:20;26

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody's around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

PRISON BREAK

PRISON BREAK:

The Apostle Paul wrote many of the “books” of the New Testament. What we typically call “books” were actually letters (epistles) written to the various churches Paul had planted on his missionary journeys. Romans was written to the church in Rome; Corinthians was written to the church in Corinth; Philippians to the church at Philippi; and Galatians was written to the churches in the Galactic Region.

What’s interesting is that many of these letters were written while Paul was imprisoned. Paul did not set out to establish an institution, i.e. “The Church,” but rather local churches - unique and diverse geographical expressions of Christ’s Bride.

Throughout his letters we find Paul addressing local congregations grappling with various issues. These issues range from wonky theology (worshipping angels, mysticism, legalism, and secret knowledge) to straight up corruption: theft, selfishness, laziness, drunkenness, homosexuality, vulgarity, etc.

Paul wasn’t some rogue missionary out to fulfill or accomplish a personal agenda or vision of ministry. Paul was under the authority of, and commissioned by, the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1 when he’s still known as Saul).

What made Paul an Apostle was the fact that he had a face-to-face personal encounter with Jesus Christ and was personally commissioned by Him; but what truly made Paul an effective disciple and missionary was the fact that he submitted to both 1) the authority of the local church, and 2) to the purpose of God.

In our culture today churches typically advertise and interview senior pastors by asking them to submit sermon videos. What churches disclose in this is that they are more interested in finding out if you can entertain an audience than how well you love people.

While committees and boards continue to chase after the polished, funny, witty, engaging speakers - church attendance continues to drop. Less than 20% of Americans attend church on a regular basis. There isn’t a single state in the U.S. where church growth matches or exceeds population growth. In fact, across the board church growth is about 75% below what it should be in order to match population growth.

In my estimation, the two main reason for this decline are: 1) Authority, and 2) Mission.

What I mean by authority is that people are not willing to submit to it. I’m not talking about lost, unbelieving, rebels against God - that’s expected. I’m talking about those who are professing born-again believers redeemed in Christ.

I’m absolutely NOT talking about blindly following some church, preacher, or pastor. That’s how people end up tragically disgruntled or dead with a cup of Kool Aid in their hand. I’m talking about personal awareness and discernment regarding God’s word and being a part of a local congregation where it’s not merely preached in a sterile vacuum on Sunday, but actually lived out by the people of that community (Acts 17:11).

Authority means being subject and obedient to God, His Word, His Church, church leaders, His call on your life, your marriage, your children, with your finances, with your time, with your skills, and with all your gifts and talents. It’s not about showing up for an hour a few times a year before you grab brunch and watch the game.

Paul submitted to the authority of God, to the Church, its leaders, God’s call on his life, with his time, his skills, gifts, and talents; but that’s COMPLETELY insufficient.

In submitting to the AUTHORITY of God, Paul ALSO obediently submitted, and voluntarily subjected, himself to the MISSION of God; viz. to bless all the families, tribes, and nations on earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Submission to authority apart from identification with mission is convenient religion - not faith.

The MISSION of God is the framework for understanding His AUTHORITY and sovereignty. Authority becomes a very ambiguous, non-descript, obscure, and vague thing when removed from the clarity and illumination of MISSION (Gen 12:3; Isa 49:6; John 3:16). Apart from MISSION we are left without direction, purpose, and accountability. It merely becomes a matter of personal opinion, preference, and convenience.

Paul was under God’s AUTHORITY -and- intimately identified with His MISSION. Paul was furiously planting churches, grooming leaders, training, teaching, and helping. So after being imprisoned in Rome (see Acts 24:27; 28:30-31) Paul’s initial instinct might have been to escape in order to get back to “the important stuff.” Thankfully that wasn’t the case. God provided Paul with a completely different kind of Prison Break…

Paul began to write what are frequently referred to as Prison Letters, or probably more accurately “Captivity Epistles” (Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon). Because of Paul’s identification with God’s MISSION - the AUTHORITY of God was tangible and manifest in Paul’s life. God’s idea of a Prison Break wasn’t the Hollywood version, but rather a complete break from overloaded busyness, from planning, from rushing, from meetings, and power lunches.

Thankfully, God’s Prison Break was a time of solitude, personal evangelism, prayer, reflection, and writing for Paul.

Because Paul was completely invested in God’s MISSION and under His sovereign AUTHORITY, when the Prison Break came Paul was perfectly content. Rather than seeing it as abandonment - Paul saw it as opportunity, thus sharing the gospel resulting in it becoming known throughout the whole imperial guard (Phil 1:13).

During His captivity Paul wrote to the church at Philippi and stated, “For God as my witness, how I deeply miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can determine what really matters - and that you can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ.”

Dirty, gritty, imprisoned, poor, scrappy, relentless shepherds. Those are exactly the kind of men God has always chosen to lead His people. He knocked prideful, arrogant, pompous Moses down off his pedestal and sent him to become a literal shepherd for 40 years before He called him to emancipate Israel. The people chose tall, dark, and handsome Saul. God chose David the rejected shepherd boy whose own father was embarrassed of him. The Corinthians rejected Paul in favor of “super-apostles” - polished, articulate, preppy, well-to-do types.

Scrappy shepherds aren’t the kind of men the church looks for today as leaders. We want Moses, prince of Egypt, not Moses the shepherd. We want tall, dark, and handsome Saul - not David the shepherd boy. We want super-apostles with big white smiles, flowing locks, and book deals - not the man who prays for the church’s growth, knowledge, discernment, and what “really matters.”

From captivity Paul made it a point to write a letter and share with his friends in Philippi that he deeply missed them, and was praying for them that their love would continue to grow in 1) knowledge, and 2) discernment - so that - they could determine what REALLY matters, i.e. “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1:27).

In Chapter 2 of Philippians Paul paints the clearest picture of what REALLY matters when he writes, “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves…” Then from 2:5-11 Paul reveals Jesus as the epitome of humility, sacrificial love, purpose, mission, and authority.

Are you perpetually consumed with busy? Are you overwhelmed with the daunting task of day-to-day life? Job, kids, sports, church, small group, volunteering, music lessons, after school, before school, the gym, the grocery store, the house, the yard, the dog, the baby…

How many of those things are under God’s AUTHORITY? You’ll know when you ask, “How do they explicitly fit in with or contribute to God’s MISSION to be a blessing to all families, tribes, and peoples on earth?” How many of those things are being done out of rivalry or conceit? How many are done in thinking of others as more important than yourself?

Do you want your life to count for something worthwhile? Want it to count for the gospel? Ask God for a Prison Break like Paul’s. Pray, share, love, and give. Then watch the amazing and supernatural happen as your love for people impacts, transforms, and overflows! Watch as your life is woven into God’s missional masterpiece of bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com