by chrisaiken | Dec 26, 2015 | Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Yesterday was a different kind of Christmas for my family. Since 2004, Jodi have lived away from our “families” and served churches in New York and Florida. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are obviously significant seasons for us in ministry so we generally would depart on Christmas morning and drive all day to get back to South Carolina to celebrate the season with both families in a whirlwind tour of dinners, parties and presents. Now, as our family has gotten a bit older, our sons have “both family” situations of their own, so we decided to stay in Florida to hang out with our sons and daughter (some call her a daughter-in-law…but she’s just my daughter). This change allowed us to relax a little more. It allowed us to enjoy a family meal. We simply allowed ourselves to soak in the beauty of hte experience rather than rushing to the next engagement.
So, this morning, I look around and see a Christmas tree that has no presents beneath. Our normal “home organization” has been upended with decorations and Christmas celebration. So…my first impulse is to start putting things back to normal.
Now here is the thought/reflection that prompts me to sit still for a few minutes and click away at my keyboard:
Should we really want to get “back to normal?”
Normal was what we did before celebrating the birth of Christ. Normal was what defined the “autopilot” status of our lives. Normal was comfortable…but, then Christmas came.
If you simply read through the Gospels, you quickly realize that NOTHING went back to normal once Jesus came into or through a town. He caused a stir and you could not simply “un-cause” it and get back to normal.
The blind people that he healed could not simply “un-see” again. The sick that he healed could not simply return to their infirm state as if healing had never happened. Certainly there were (and will always be) some who powered through and jumped back into routine as if nothing happened…but weren’t they changed, if even just a little bit? Why go back to normal?
Sure…you (and we) will undecorate the homes in the coming days but decorations do not define normal. Gifts will be put away and junk food will be eradicated from our homes (I hope…since the longer it is here, the more aware I am that I need to go back to the gym). Yes, we will all have to return to our workplaces soon enough, but even this doesn’t define normal.
- If time with family affected you during this week, don’t go back to normal. Remember the preciousness of family connections and nurture them.
- If you caught a glimpse of the majesty of Jesus during the week’s celebration of Him and His birth, don’t go back to normal. Cultivate it.
- If you experienced the joy of generosity through giving, don’t go back to the normal narrative of striving to acquire more for yourself.
Instead, of going back to normal…press on! Move forward into a new and exciting adventure in zealous pursuit of the King’s purpose for your life. Don’t easily give up the beauty and the glory of that which you gained in these days as your normal was redefined.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 6, 2015 | Devotions, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Simeon took the baby, Jesus, into his arms, “and blessed God…for my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28-32).
Salvation is all glorious and rightly serves as the subject of great praise toward God. Other than Easter (perhaps), there is no season where we are more “in tune” with the glory of God in His Salvation!
The Gospel is glorious! It is the revelation that God sees and knows and is merciful! He sees our offense, knows our condition, and is merciful in providing a perfect sustitute to stand in our place to absorb the wrath for our rebellion against His holy and glorious purpose. What an amazing story!
We should not think though that the Gospel is “glorified” by all who know the story. It is CONVICTING toward many because it demands that a man admit his offense toward God. The Gospel demands that a man admit his hopelessness. The Gospel demands that a man admit the very wickedness in his heart that renders him utterly and completely unfit for Holy God! We have disqualified ourselves from even approaching the throne of God. We are unfit to to even see Him!
This is too much for many to admit. They will not yield to the revelation of God and admit their unholy estate…and for them…there is no way out. For them then…the Gospel is the “burr” under the saddle of life. The Gospel is the deeply embedded splinter in their foot. The Gospel, for them, is not good news but a resounding chorus of doom.
It does not have to be that way…but if you choose…then this is the way it is and the way it will be. In the passage we read, the glory of God was a comfort because Simeon was “looking for” the consolation of His people. He was anticipating and waiting for the revelation of God’s Salvation. For others…such as Herod…the coming of the Messiah (a rival king) represented doom! This Messiah was an enemy to conquer!
Yes, we celebrate “Peace on Earth” at this time of year but there is only “peace” toward those who are faithful toward Holy God! If God is not pleased in our faithfulness toward Him…the coming of the Messiah (whether the first time in a manger or the Second time on a White Horse to establish the rule of His Kingdom) is not peaceful but dreadful! The birth of Jesus does not bring peace in this case; rather, the birth of Jesus initiates a countdown timer that we anticipate but only God sees…a countdown to the day when all stand before Him and He judges all rebellion and rules as King!
If we have not yielded to the revelation of God…the revelation declaring that we are helpless to change our hopeless estate, then we should not confuse ourselves by thinking that this is PEACE. We should immediately fall to the ground before a Holy God who came to die in our place, that we might have PEACE as it was intended with the One True God who reigns. Apart from such a response…there is no peace.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 3, 2015 | missional, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Thinking about a conversation this week with a man as I was sharing HIS Story with him. The man, we will call Bob, lives here in Pensacola for over 50 years now minus a few years away in early adulthood. As we discussed his story, he shared that he was Cathoic but doesn’t attend any more. He had married a protestant woman and they never really fit in the Catholic church again. He said that he attended a non-denom church with her a few times through the years but whenever he did, they were “bashing Catholics.”
Here is the interesting point for me…This man did not remember what these churches were FOR, only what they said they were against. He did not know the differences in doctrinal beliefs. he did not know why they held to their beliefs in the Gospel. He only knew they were against Catholics.
Here is what else is interesting…Bob was already out of the Catholic Church…but now he felt compelled to defend it. The efforts of these chruches actually pushed him closer to the Cathoic church. His position as a “Catholic” was now more galvanized.
I don’t imagine that any of the churches or their pastors intended to galvanize this man’s Catholic allegiances. I don’t suspect they wanted him to become resistent to the gospel or to withdraw from attending any church. I suspect their desires were, in fact, the opposite; however, if we focus on what we are against rather than what we are for…we should not be surprised at the unintended but anticipated outcome.
I shared truth with Bob. We discussed the similarities of the faith and had a cordial discussion. We have a little room now for future follow-up but it will be tough sledding. I pray for Bob…but I also pray for us, those with a mandate to share the Gospel (which is all of His people):
- That we would be wise stewards of opportunities to speak of our King.
- That we would be bold and kind at the same time.
- That we would share truth in love. If either is lacking, the “gospel enterprise” is deterred.
- That we would speak. Frankly Bob meets 4-5 believers a week as customers. He seemed surprised that one (me) would actually invite him to attend a church event in the coming days since he is most definitely a “Catholic,” and I am not. [I invited him to come to my Christmas Eve Service and told him I would not be offended if he did not wear a tie if he was not offended that I would not be wearing my robe :)].
- Finally, that we would repent of majoring on minors when all eternity hangs in the balance.
Your thoughts are welcomed. What would you do differently? How might you handle “Bob’s” experience?
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by chrisaiken | Nov 17, 2015 | America, American, culture, missional, Pastor's Reflections, politics, Uncategorized
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 12: Referee Terry McAulay #77 at Cowboys Stadium on December 12, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
I, like many of you, have been watching with great sorrow the events that have unfolded in recent days with terrorism against Russia, (An airliner bomb) in Paris (Multiple coordinated attacks of an Islamic group), and in other places. There are thousands of people directly affected and millions more that are indirectly affected through the strategy of causing terror and disrupting social order (terrorism).
These events have been read into the narrative of the US policy to accept Syrian Refugees (political and humanitarian cause refugees) as 10,000 have been relocated to the United States as part of an international effort to alleviate suffering.
I am not going to opine on the wisdom of such actions. The problem is complex and cannot be solved with a few sentences on one pastor’s “blog site.” I believe there are scores of people who are far more qualified to offer a solution to the two-pronged problem of humanitarian assistance and national security. [NOTE: I believe that we have a tendency to drift toward one pole or the other in this complex situation and the ultimate solution may ver well be a balance of interests between both extremes].
Today I am a bit perplexed by some of my fellow pastors and missionally-minded individuals that have weighed into the discussion. Some have advocated a fullscale approach of receiving all refugees as a means by which we have an instant audience for the gospel. Others have advocated that we secure the borders and reject all refugees as an effort to provide security for our nation’s citizens because there is a clear lack of security protocol in screening the refugees.
What I find most curious…many of these pastors were the loudest critics of the church engaging in political causes through the years. These precious servants of God argued that the will of a previous generation of pastors to seek to engage the political process, help like-minded believers get elected, and prevent candidates of a different values system from coming into office was totally MISPLACED and HURTFUL to the missional purpose fo the church. These dear brethren trumpeted a position that the church was “supra-political” and should not seek to identify with or even be overly concerned with the political will of a nation since the Christians’ first and highest loyalty was to a King and not a political entity.
The arguments notwithstanding, is not your current demands for the national government to act in a certain manner the antithesis of your previous position on the church and politics?
I think, it would do well for us to remember that our nation has a role. Our government has a function as ordained by God to be a means of bring good to a people (common grace) regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds. The national government of the United States is not an instrument of the church to accomplish any particular act of will.
In other words, if you think the church should get out of politics, then you are inconsistent to argue for a Christian immigration policy. There is no such thing. There is, however, a responsibility for Christ-followers to care for and help the needy among them…including the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner/refugee. We can and should do that because our King tells us too.
In closing, the words of a really wise philosopher seem appropriate: “Before you tear down a fence (i.e. argue for the church to remove itself from politics), you ought to consider why someone may have built it. Perhaps there is a “bull” you don’t want to tangle with just beyond the former fenceline.
Love to hear your thoughts…
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by chrisaiken | Oct 24, 2015 | Uncategorized
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by chrisaiken | Sep 3, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, ‘I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord’… When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes .” 2 Kings 22:8,11, NASB.
Can you imagine losing your Bible and not missing it? In front of me this AM I have six copies of the Scripture (not counting the four electronic devices with Bible on them). Misplacing the Bible and not missing it seems foreign to me. At the same time, if you go back to the era of this Scripture, it is less of a “stretch” to see how it could be misplaced.
I wonder though…do you physically have to lose the Bible to really LOSE the Bible? I think not…and perhaps our shame is even greater than those in Jerusalem in the last millennium before Christ…since we have it so readily accessible.
Josiah followed after his father and grandfather as king. He was considered a good king whereas his father and grandfather pegged the needle on evil. Grand-dad (Manasseh) undid all of Hezekiah’s reforms in a generation and went as far as erecting idols within the Temple walls before the Lord. Josiah’s dad (Amon) was no better and lived only two years before he was assassinated. But Josiah…he was a good king. He reversed the course of evil in the kingdom (mainly because a priest was his chief counselor–since Josiah was only 8 years old when he become king).
Still, when he heard the words fo the law he responded in repentance. What was different about hearing these words? Well it seems clear that he had heard about the Law of God since he had enacted many reforms and was prioritizing the renovation work at the Temple to restore worship of Yahweh to its rightful prominence. He was not unfamiliar with the Law. Still, when he heard the words read to him…he responded in humble repentance. Why?
Because the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword…able to discern between motive and action of man. It is powerful and never returns void! The Word of God is POWERFUL and always accomplishes God’s will in its proclamation.
So…if this is true (and it is even if we do not affirm or agree)…why do WE not know it better? Why is it not the first place we turn for wisdom or advice or guidance…rather than opinion polls on Facebook for instance? Why is it the least read book in our home? Even in my experience in college and grad school/Seminary…we read from the Bible daily but the bulk of my assigned reading was the writings of man ABOUT the Bible…not the Bible itself.
I appreciate the fact that there are great pieces of literature and helps in biblical understanding. I read them and grow in doing so…but if you know “Experiencing God” better than you know the experience with God in His Word…you have missed the point.
Here’s a thought…if God’s Word is so powerful and possesses the promise of its limitless ability to accomplish God’s purpose…why not make it your mission to know it as well or better than the pastor? Just a thought…
Shalom, CA.
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