Formation 3

You have decided to follow Christ.  Now what?
Plumbing has been used many times regarding the simplicity of formation and it remains one of the best metaphors for me.  Plumbing is simple: water flows downhill unless it is under pressure.  If it is under pressure it will go anywhere and find even the smallest means of escape.  Pretty simple.  And not to disparage the plumber's work, but it is actually pretty simple. However, small mistakes can easily and completely ruin a multi-million dollar home.
    After deciding to follow Jesus, the concept of formation is pretty simple.  Spend time worshiping Him, learn about Him, and do some kind of ministry.  You are now good to go.  We can expand this and there are many models which try to get these three concepts across, but it is all very basic.  One easy way to remember it is, Up, In, and Out.  We must direct our focus Up to God which is worship, In as to inwardly learn and digest about God, and Out, take God's message and love out to the world.
    As an aside, there is no pressure regarding failure in formation.  That is what grace is about.  The working out of salvation is like a child in a school play.  The parents (God) would, of course, love for their sweetheart (you) to put on the performance of a lifetime but the performance is really irrelevant to the love they have for their child.  They will love their child standing ovation or rotten tomatoes.  God loves us no matter our performance.  Note however, importantly, that unlike performance in a recital, our performance really does matter in an extraordinary way.  Not in its effect on God's love for us but on the working out of God's story.  What we do has eternal, profound consequences.  That should scare us a bit driving us to our knees to discover what part God wants us to play in this drama of His.  He has created both us in all our glory and designed our work to be done so doing our part is like lungs doing theirs.  The consequences of our activities should also drive us into the fact that He is big and is redeeming.  Should we, on a rare occasion mess up, He can fix things and grow flowers out of our...manure.
    You have decided to follow Jesus.
    The first thing to do next is to begin to hang around Christians.  Unlike most others, this religion is not a philosophy or a system of beliefs but a lifestyle within a group.


spend time telling Him wonderful things about Himself.  Seems very egotistical on His part and yes it is.  Egotism on our part is a sickness believing the world revolves around us and it doesn't.  For God it is simply a fact.  As someone said, "There is one God and you are not Him."  Telling Him who He is is called praise, adoration, worship.  God is great.  God is good.  Yes, but you can be more creative than this.  Reading the Psalms and Isaiah can help with ideas should you get stuck.  For you in particular as you read this, He is your hope, your rescue, your family counselor, your will and ability to reconcile with ________ , your direction, your light on your path in this world.
Many people think that prayer is just asking God for things but perhaps the most substantial part of prayer is to in-form God who He is and that you know what kind of character He is.  This process of telling God who He is changes you.  It is a peculiar spiritual process for which I know no analogies.
    Now many people will say that one needs to start formation with reading the Bible.  That is reasonable advice however most people today join a church family not by an assent to their beliefs but because they find the community warm and welcoming, the experience of being with Christian's astonishing. 

Formation Sermon 2

So... life is good enough?  Not quite?
As a start to this journey, as in a marriage (from last week) the first major hurdle is to simply say "yes."  But a "Yes" that is not "OK", not assent, not compliance or obedience, not a "Yes, I'll give this a go." We are talking here of a "Yes, I am getting into this raft that is unalterably going through the white water rapids of the Colorado River with no opportunity to change my mind".  There is simply no way for you to make progress in a marriage or in your relationship with Christ if you don't commit.  One may think we can dance with Christ and gradually get to know Him well but this is simply not true.  There is something critical about a decision.  The honeymoon is wonderful and the flutters a delight...but fleeting.  There are difficult things to deal with as the journey together becomes longer and authentic.  Unless you have committed to each other to press through those difficult times of learning to love, you can never experience true marriage or true Christianity. 
    In our spiritual walk, the beginning can be easy and exciting and one can continue to walk without a commitment not even realizing that we are not even true friends with our walking partner.  But, most people will realize at some point that the relationship is stale, stagnant or boring or unfulfilling.  Often then one looks for a new relationship.  We all know people who hop from relationship to relationship because they cannot find "the" one.  Generally, it is because they refuse to commit.  If we stay in the relationship, we soon realize that we are being asked to change, to pay attention to someone else, to become someone different than we are, to sacrifice some things, in Jesus' words, to die to ourselves.  This time in our life pivots on the decision we made.  What I am finding in my conversations with many people is that those who think they have committed to Christ have often based their decision on an idea that Christianity will be good for them and their family, a good practical decision, will provide a good return for their investment, Jesus is true but true because He makes life better.  I have even heard this preached - that if you give to Christ you will get back more than you give.  Nice tooth-fairy theology but hardly Christ's.  And as often I hear people begin to doubt Christ.  Their expectations are not being met so where is He?  So... there are two critical components to the "Yes" that is required by Christ.  One is that you are convinced that you are getting married for good.  You are marrying, not the person but the relationship, marrying marriage as it were.  The second depends on the first.  You are deciding that, "yes," you will give up your welfare, your agenda, your dreams for the other person. 
    If you are not a Christian then take a moment to decide whether Christ is God.  If He is God, then you have another choice to make...will you follow Him.  If you are a Christian - or have thought yourself to be one - then your next step in your growth as a disciple is to give yourself up to Him for ever, despite how you feel and despite what may come.  You must decide that you will ride these rapids out - and better put, you will make sure the raft makes it through the rapids no matter what happens to you.  Everything does get better if you stay with this.  Everything but your life and circumstances. 

Formation Sermon 1

In order for any of this to make sense we have to have an understanding that formation is a process.  If you believe that being a Christian is an event, only a wedding if you will, then formation doesn’t make sense.  Ben Johnson, professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary states that our relationship with Christ does not grow, that we do not grow closer to Christ but that our relationship only becomes different.  The relationship with Christ changes, he contends, but this ”does not mean improvement.”  He even uses the example that his marriage is different now but is not better than it was on their wedding day.  How sad.

If our relationship with Christ is not improving, getting better, then it is dying.  As with any relationship, there is no middle ground.  So we have to have this understanding that there are stages of actual growth, there are mature and immature Christians  We are all un-formed Christians but some of us are less formed than others.  This is easy to see in children but adults have a harder time thinking that they are immature or need to grow. 

To return to the wedding/marriage analogy, my position at St Johns is like a marriage counselor for your marriage to Christ.  A wedding is a great thing and it is critical to make a public statement of fidelity to your wife.  Making a public confession of Christ is critical, but, as with marriage, is there more?  Are marriage preparation and marriage quality an issue?  In his book, Unchristian, Kinneman’s research shows that 85% of Americans state that they have made a public profession for Christ.  Now, only about 30% of the population says they attended church “last weekend” so where are the other 55% of believers.  Obviously we have a lot of “wedding” Christians with little or no marriage.  So….

How are you doing?  Is Christ there for you, walking with you through the tough spots that you can’t handle on your own?  You obviously participate in church since you are here.  And most of us are involved in a Bible study or Sunday School class.  Jesus has an impact on who you are and how you act.  Got your ticket and you're done? 

These talks are an invitation to take a step, for some a leap maybe, to see if there is more to your life with Christ than what it is now.  Kind of like -

You got married to Christ at baptism and confirmation and now... what? You’re on speaking terms?  Life perks along and is happy enough.  Nothing is really wrong with life – troubles but everyone has troubles.  Not quite content but is anyone?  Being a Christian doesn’t mean I supposed to be happy all the time, does it?  So what are you talking about?  Life is good enough. 

Well… is it?

Which teens persevere in their faith?

1.  I am the youngest man in my Bible study.  I'm just about 61.  Almost all of the men in the study are saddened by the fact that one or more of their children no longer attend church.  Their children claim Christ but....
2.  There is a child in our congregation who is very smart.  Well instructed in the Bible.  Knows the stories.  Does not attend Sunday School or any of our youth groups or events.  
3.  Our theology at our church is so jumbled up it is hard to know what denomination we are.
4.  Most people don't care what our theology or doctrines are.
5.  There is no knowledge test you have to pass to walk through the Pearly Gates.
6.  You do have to know someone to get in, though.


These six little statements are very important for parents.  Our relationship with Christ is primarily held together not by theology or principles or Bible knowledge or miracles or even an experience with God.  What we know is good and informs our faith.  It helps us keep our understanding of Who Jesus/God is cleaner, more pure.  But the thing that keeps us in the faith, that keeps most people at St. John's coming to St. John's and returning to Jesus in the midst of crises is their relationship with someone here.  Same with kids.  In Smith's book, Soul Searching, it becomes abundantly clear to him and the reader, that to persevere in the faith, it takes Christ-centric friends.  Doesn't mean going to Bible studies all the time with them but just having them around.

Want your child in heaven with you?  Make sure their social life is heavily engaged with other Christians their age.  Their main peer group really must be a Christ-centric group.  Ohhh and adults....  Ditto.

Storybook Bible Advent

Here is a great Advent blog by a missionary in Australia.  Thanks Paige for pointing us to Adriel!

Adriel's Blog

Un-Holiness and Grace

Everyone has wondered at some point how they can grow spiritually. 

                Perhaps you feel God’s absence.  “Where IS He when I am praying?  It seems that I am just praying to the wall.”  Perhaps you feel frustrated at God’s lack of action.  Haven’t seen a miracle like in Acts lately.  Relationship with your kids is still on the rocks and, boy, have you prayed a lot about that.

Or you don’t get a thing out of church.  Singing is ok.  Sermon is ok.  Fellowship is ok.  But you still go home not feeling like you had any experience with God or made any progress towards Him…and don’t’ know how to move.  Feeling isolated and lonely.  God should take care of that shouldn’t He?  He is for me, isn’t He?

                First, anyone who is actually engaged in their faith is always going through this.  And it will never end…sorry for that bit of bad news.  It is a peculiar thing about Christianity among all other religions, that as you grow in holiness, instead of felling better about yourself and more holy, you actually become increasingly aware of how great your sin is and how much distance your sin creates between you and God and between you and others.  In essence, you feel worse about yourself.  Not very encouraging I know.  “Hey come and join us at our church and you’ll feel worse and worse about yourself.”

                But therein lies the beauty of grace.  As you begin to more fully understand the depths of your sinfulness and the impossibility of you making things better, you begin to despair of yourself, others, the world and self-help.  As you grow into spiritual maturity, God reveals more and more the state you are in.  God does not do this to punish you or to rub it in, but He shows your sickness so you can be made increasingly holy….which makes you increasingly understand how really unholy you are and the process begins all over again.

                Now here is the payoff for this unseemly process:  As you enter more and more fully into what would appear a hopeless downward spiral of despair, you begin at the same time to uncover how much God must love you.  You begin to experience in a real and tangible way, the peace that God has promised.  You begin to have experiences of God that are so profound that words cannot adequately explain them.  You become less and less dependent on miracles and overt signs from God because you interiorly, as Charlie Walton used to say, “know in your knower”, that God IS actually for you and that He IS there listening to your prayers and that He IS working on your children. 

                I have talked with many of you who have had an extraordinary closeness to God at some point in your life.  Unfortunately, the result of this experience for many of you has been increased frustration, in some cases to the point of anger at the church or others or the leadership - sometimes ending in church hopping trying to duplicate that experience or even leaving Christ.  The problem is that God has allowed you to taste this experience not so you will have a 2 year old’s hunger for more but so that you will grow the tree that produces it.  He wants to develop in you and through you in those around you, the tree that the fruit comes from.  Water flowing from you.  John 4:14  Simply handing you another pear will not help you.  It will taste good but you will sit on your couch waiting for the next delivery instead of being in His story of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-20) which is His – and, in reality, your – deepest desire.

                So how can you get on this bandwagon of understanding your unholiness and therefore grace?

                First, accept that you are treasured by God.  God’s relationship with you is as intense as marriage. 

                Second, quit having an opinion/agenda.  Take a back seat.  Do what others tell you to do.  Offer your agenda-less service and then simply be humble and do what you are asked to do.  If you cannot do this with your spouse, with the people around you, you will not do it with God.  (1 John 4:19, Philippians 2)

                Third, evaluate everything you do by starting with Christ.  He is not first on your list.  He is the arbiter of the list.  Christ controls you at work.  Christ tells you how to act in your marriage.  Christ controls the course of your hobby.  God speaks to you about your ministry.

                Lastly, for this short note, show up… no matter what.  Don’t miss your 6:00am appointment with God each morning.  Be at church.  Meet with a discipler.  Take on a job at church (Walt has a list if you need direction.)  Say “God” to someone outside your church family every day.  You can do this….You want to do this.  This is what grace is about...the freedom to do what will fulfill you instead of being controlled by desires.

Stepping across the Jordan

Stepping into the kingdom of God is a scary thing.  Too scary for the Hebrew nation.  With our past and our fears and failures and our oppressors nipping at our heels the Red Sea opens up.  Then in a cleansing baptism, they are all washed away.  Grace has set us free.  Just travel across a short desert while we get some basic operating procedures and step into the kingdom.  It is not a sea step with threatening walls of water on each side and the army at our heals.  Just waltz on across the river.  Why is this so hard?  Why can't I, we, embrace this gift of grace and provision?  Why let fear and uncertainty create new oppressors?
This is the work now.  A labor of love.  To move into happiness.  Move into a land of honey.  Move into a house already built.  It takes a battle or two but battles God has won already.  Just go through the motions, Walt.  Claim the riches of Jericho - the walls are down already.  Walk with Gideon through the valley of the enemy conquered with clay pots.  Crest the hill with Hezekiah to find the enemy slain over night.  Go ahead and join Ezra.  Cyrus, unbidden, sends us to rebuild temple walls.  A kingdom for the taking.
Has the surety of desert so much more appeal than risk?  Is the memory of leeks so much more lovely than the hope of figs?  Let the waters cover the chariots of Egypt.  Let them drown the memory and security of servitude.  Let the mighty waters crush the way back home.  Let our new security be not in what we had or have but in who parts the second water.  You are not far from the kingdom.  Indeed.  Not far.