For the last week my attention has been captured by a trial being aired on local television. On trial are two young collegiate football players accused of rape. The victim is sometimes referred to as the new girlfriend of one of the accused. Her "boyfriend" brought the extremely drunk girl back to his dorm where his friends raped her with various body parts and objects. We know this occurred because this event was filmed on a camera phone before this man she trusted sent the video to friends. The defense of at least one of these young men is that he was "too drunk to know what he was doing."
This has been a shocking trial so far, but nothing turned my head as quick as the order of events explained by the defendant seen on video raping the victim. The attack happened early on a Sunday morning, around 2:00 am. The next thing he remembers is waking up the next morning-to go to church. The defendant stated several times that he often attended this church. He also stated that he often got drunk even though he was underage.
I know that the topic of drinking is a hot button issue among Christians. I've heard every argument on both sides as to why it's okay or not okay for a Christian to drink. Over and over I see blogs and magazine articles explaining why the Church needs to back off because drinking isn't that big of a deal. Interestingly, these are often "shared" by young Christians, most of college age. I generally stay quiet (though I have, on occasion, added my opinion), but this trial has necessitated that a comment be made.
The young people involved in this trial were just looking for fun. They are smart young people attending a very prestigious university. These were future athletes, doctors, and biologists just looking to "blow off some steam". Little did they know that when the night was done their lives would be changed forever.
I know what you will say, "Lindsey, there is a big difference between having a drink and drunkenness." Yes, there is, but drunkenness begins with one drink, and with each drink your inhibitions lower more and more, encouraging the cycle to continue.
My question to my young friends is "what does it benefit you to drink?" Is it a matter of relaxation? I hate to break it to you, but you have no clue what real stress is yet. If you run to alcohol for your comfort and way to unwind now, you are putting yourself on a dangerous path for your future. Is it a matter of loosening up so you can better socialize? If so, then maybe you need to assess what is lacking in your personality that you have to be mentally lubricated to talk to people, because, again, this is a skill you have to learn without the aid of alcohol for the future.
I hear over and over from young people that they don't feel guilty about drinking. They feel personal "freedom" to partake. I would invite these friends to read Paul's writings in 1 Corinthians 10 in which he says, "'I have the right to do anything,' you say—but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of other" (v. 23-24 NIV)
You see, the thing all these people trying to rationalize Christians drinking miss is that Christianity is about solidarity, not singularity. When you accept Christ, you are grafted into His family. Issues like this are not about what you feel personally comfortable with, they are about your brother and sister and how they are impacted. Does your drinking add anything to the kingdom of God? Does the dulling of your senses help the family of God in any way?
If your only argument for allowing Christians to drink is that the bible doesn't expressly forbid all alcohol consumption, then you need to read verse 31 of that same chapter, "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." If you can explain to me how you are truly bringing glory to God by consuming alcohol, I would be happy to offer my concession on this point, but I don't think you really can.
As I watched this trial I couldn't help but think how different this could have all been if these young people had resisted alcohol. At the end of a night of drinking we find a young woman humiliated and broken and multiple young lives thrown away as their promising futures have been traded for potential jail sentences.
Is drinking alcohol a sin? Whether you believe it is or not, you cannot deny it leads to an awful lot of sin.
Lord, open the eyes of our young people that their decision cannot be made based on what seems right to them, but rather by what brings glory to You.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
The Next Chapter
Nearly a year and a half ago I shared news with my readers that Andy and I were going to take a youth pastorate near Nashville in a blog entitled "The Field". In that time I learned more than I could begin to share, but I want to name just a few things.
We learned what it is to really "work" in a church. Our lives began to revolve around the mission set before us. This not only meant showing up whenever the doors were opened, it meant painting the sanctuary when I was 4 months pregnant (fume-free, no worries), attempting to play frisbee with neighborhood kids when I could barely twist, and knocking on doors in our less than "desirable" neighborhood. I know that most people don't like going door to door because of the awkward factor, but when there could very likely be a drug dealer, child molester, or a woman being beaten on the other side, it adds a whole new element of nerves.
We learned about real outreach. I don't mean "let's have one event a year to feel better about ourselves." I mean the kids weren't coming in, so we went to them. I mean your carpets are gonna get filthy and there is a real possibility that a window will be broken when "those" kids come in.
We learned about flexibility. We found that in a small church, you do what has to be done. It doesn't matter what your "calling" necessarily is, you fill in the gaps however you can.
And now I am learning about the simultaneous joy and heartbreak of following God's Voice...
For some time now, my mind has been on the youth group at the church Andy and I attended when we were engaged. While there I held no titles, but we helped when and where we could. Had the Lord not led us to Nashville, we wouldn't have left that church. I knew they had been without a youth leader for a while and I wondered what would happen in that community in which there is so much potential. I didn't know it yet, but Andy was feeling a call to return as well.
In November, I ran into the pastor of my former church and asked him if they youth had a leader yet. He told me that they were currently searching and asked me to keep my ears open for anyone desiring the position.
As he began to talk about the church's feelings and what their plan was regarding youth, my heart began to beat wildly as I realized this was where I needed to be.
Several other things occurred in this time that felt as though they were major confirmations that the next chapter in my ministry was ready to begin.
I spoke with my pastor and mentor and let him know how I felt. He encouraged me to do what God was calling me to do and released me to apply for the position.
When I told my former pastor of my desire to return and work with the youth, he told me that I had been in his mind for the position, and we both felt even more that this was a "God thing".
Last week the administrative committee of the church voted and approved me for the position.
It is with great joy that I announce that I will begin as the youth pastor of the Gallatin, TN Church of God of Prophecy effective February 1st.
While we are over the moon about his appointment and the contentment of knowing we are going where God has called us, there is that heartbreak I mentioned above.
I have and will cherish every moment I spent at Old Hickory Fellowship. It was here that I learned an important principle: sometimes you follow God expecting to do good works, but in the end you realize He was doing a good work in you. I believe whole heartedly that the last year and a half were meant to prepare me for my future in ministry. We went into it knowing it would not be a long-term situation, but that God was using it for a purpose.
Last Wednesday, as we walked into a room full of screaming middle school boys arguing over who liked us the most, my heart hurt thinking that I wouldn't see them each week. As strange as it sounds, I started to realize how much I would miss breaking up their fist fights, being eaten alive by mosquitoes as they played football, and hearing their interesting interpretations of the Scriptures which they sometimes confused with movies.
I'm sure that any minister who has moved from one church to another knows this pain. I am certain we are doing the right thing, but I will miss those rowdy kids none the less.
I want to thank Pastors Jeff and Kimmy Jones for all they have meant to Andy, Kai, and myself. They are our family now and forever. Their zeal for the lost has made an eternal impact on my life and I look forward to continuing to work with them on other projects in the future.
Thank you to everyone who covers me in prayer as I continue to navigate the waters of God's calling on my life.
We learned what it is to really "work" in a church. Our lives began to revolve around the mission set before us. This not only meant showing up whenever the doors were opened, it meant painting the sanctuary when I was 4 months pregnant (fume-free, no worries), attempting to play frisbee with neighborhood kids when I could barely twist, and knocking on doors in our less than "desirable" neighborhood. I know that most people don't like going door to door because of the awkward factor, but when there could very likely be a drug dealer, child molester, or a woman being beaten on the other side, it adds a whole new element of nerves.
We learned about real outreach. I don't mean "let's have one event a year to feel better about ourselves." I mean the kids weren't coming in, so we went to them. I mean your carpets are gonna get filthy and there is a real possibility that a window will be broken when "those" kids come in.
We learned about flexibility. We found that in a small church, you do what has to be done. It doesn't matter what your "calling" necessarily is, you fill in the gaps however you can.
And now I am learning about the simultaneous joy and heartbreak of following God's Voice...
For some time now, my mind has been on the youth group at the church Andy and I attended when we were engaged. While there I held no titles, but we helped when and where we could. Had the Lord not led us to Nashville, we wouldn't have left that church. I knew they had been without a youth leader for a while and I wondered what would happen in that community in which there is so much potential. I didn't know it yet, but Andy was feeling a call to return as well.
In November, I ran into the pastor of my former church and asked him if they youth had a leader yet. He told me that they were currently searching and asked me to keep my ears open for anyone desiring the position.
As he began to talk about the church's feelings and what their plan was regarding youth, my heart began to beat wildly as I realized this was where I needed to be.
Several other things occurred in this time that felt as though they were major confirmations that the next chapter in my ministry was ready to begin.
I spoke with my pastor and mentor and let him know how I felt. He encouraged me to do what God was calling me to do and released me to apply for the position.
When I told my former pastor of my desire to return and work with the youth, he told me that I had been in his mind for the position, and we both felt even more that this was a "God thing".
Last week the administrative committee of the church voted and approved me for the position.
It is with great joy that I announce that I will begin as the youth pastor of the Gallatin, TN Church of God of Prophecy effective February 1st.
While we are over the moon about his appointment and the contentment of knowing we are going where God has called us, there is that heartbreak I mentioned above.
I have and will cherish every moment I spent at Old Hickory Fellowship. It was here that I learned an important principle: sometimes you follow God expecting to do good works, but in the end you realize He was doing a good work in you. I believe whole heartedly that the last year and a half were meant to prepare me for my future in ministry. We went into it knowing it would not be a long-term situation, but that God was using it for a purpose.
Last Wednesday, as we walked into a room full of screaming middle school boys arguing over who liked us the most, my heart hurt thinking that I wouldn't see them each week. As strange as it sounds, I started to realize how much I would miss breaking up their fist fights, being eaten alive by mosquitoes as they played football, and hearing their interesting interpretations of the Scriptures which they sometimes confused with movies.
I'm sure that any minister who has moved from one church to another knows this pain. I am certain we are doing the right thing, but I will miss those rowdy kids none the less.
I want to thank Pastors Jeff and Kimmy Jones for all they have meant to Andy, Kai, and myself. They are our family now and forever. Their zeal for the lost has made an eternal impact on my life and I look forward to continuing to work with them on other projects in the future.
Thank you to everyone who covers me in prayer as I continue to navigate the waters of God's calling on my life.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
The Pentecostal Problem
I will never forget my most uncomfortable moment in a church service.
In the middle of an evening prayer service I felt as if my body was on fire as a since of dread and fear over came me. What had begun as a normal service praying for our community and families took a turn when 2 key leaders in the church gave what is known in Pentecostal services as a "message and interpretation" from the Holy Spirit. A message came forth regarding business dealings that had been pushed through even though the church could not afford the proposed plan. Something struck me wrong about the exchange. I felt like I needed to get away quickly out of fear for the sure retribution that would come over false prophecy. I looked at my then-boyfriend and said, "it's time to go."
I had for some time felt uncomfortable in that church (this was not the denomination in which I now hold my license). These "messages" had become common and predictable. They always came from the same 2 leaders. They always spoke words that benefited those leaders. They were always followed up with the instruction that "this is perfectly in order". No one else seemed to be bothered in the large congregation, as each message was met with claps and shouts of "HALLELUJAH!"
After my last service there, the business the church had conducted after many prophecies that it would lead to an explosion in attendance turned out to be a risk that did not pay off. Soon discrepancies were revealed in the handling of monies and guess who seemed to be at the helm-the 2 who claimed to speak for the Spirit. Anger grew within the congregation over secrecy and misappropriations and now the attendance that was guaranteed to grow into the thousands is dwindling.
I don't say any of this with a happy heart. This is not an "I told you so" moment. A threat to the integrity of ministers anywhere is a threat to ministers everywhere.
I share this because we seem to have a major discernment issue in the Pentecostal church. What if everyone in that congregation recognized the manipulation of the Spirit in the beginning? What misdeeds could have been avoided?
How can it be that churches occupied by members claiming to be Spirit-filled don't notice an impostor of the God inside of them?
I submit to you that we have 2 major issues that allow this to happen:
1.) We desire God's Presence, but not His Word.
Imagine that when you opened this blog you found ideas and words that don't sound like my normal writings. Those who have read faithfully know my tone and my convictions. You would know that someone had hacked my account. So it is when God speaks to us. If we have studied His Words, we will know His thoughts. How can we expect to recognize His Voice if we don't know the way He speaks?
Growing up around Spirit-filled churches there have been countless times when I have heard members excitedly say "church was so good Sunday, the preacher didn't even get to preach!" That phrase pretty well sums up this point. We view an outpouring of the Spirit as a replacement for the Bible, which He is not. Many Spirit-filled congregations have all but abandoned Sunday School and Bible Studies as our pastors build their entire sermons around "good advice for living" instead of Bible truths.
My greatest fear for the Pentecostal church is that we have traded Scripture for shivers and our pastors have gone from anointed ministers to advice columnists. In these days in which false prophets run rampant, we must know God's Word for ourselves.
2.) We constantly pray for God to "meet with us" but not to "dwell in us".
Pentecostals tend to live as spiritual mountaineers. Meeting times are our mountaintops where we meet with God. We sing about it. We pray about it. The problem is that the Holy Spirit wasn't meant to "show up and show out". He was meant to fill us and empower us day to day. When we treat the Spirit as a once a week meal, our perceived "hunger" is actually "starvation".
The problem with Spiritual starvation is that we settle for anything and call it a message from above. We are so desperate to hear from God that we don't bother to discern the spirits that are speaking. We would rather blindly accept every word than to ask the Holy Spirit to help us know His voice.
Until He truly dwells in us, we will continue to be deceived.
Lord, help us to know that the Spirit is not something to be used and abused to get what we want. Keep our leaders faithful to you. Let them not use their influence for selfish gain. Fill our congregations with men, women, AND children who hunger for You and Your Word. Keep us accountable to You and to one another as we strive to be the bride You intend for us to be.
In the middle of an evening prayer service I felt as if my body was on fire as a since of dread and fear over came me. What had begun as a normal service praying for our community and families took a turn when 2 key leaders in the church gave what is known in Pentecostal services as a "message and interpretation" from the Holy Spirit. A message came forth regarding business dealings that had been pushed through even though the church could not afford the proposed plan. Something struck me wrong about the exchange. I felt like I needed to get away quickly out of fear for the sure retribution that would come over false prophecy. I looked at my then-boyfriend and said, "it's time to go."
I had for some time felt uncomfortable in that church (this was not the denomination in which I now hold my license). These "messages" had become common and predictable. They always came from the same 2 leaders. They always spoke words that benefited those leaders. They were always followed up with the instruction that "this is perfectly in order". No one else seemed to be bothered in the large congregation, as each message was met with claps and shouts of "HALLELUJAH!"
After my last service there, the business the church had conducted after many prophecies that it would lead to an explosion in attendance turned out to be a risk that did not pay off. Soon discrepancies were revealed in the handling of monies and guess who seemed to be at the helm-the 2 who claimed to speak for the Spirit. Anger grew within the congregation over secrecy and misappropriations and now the attendance that was guaranteed to grow into the thousands is dwindling.
I don't say any of this with a happy heart. This is not an "I told you so" moment. A threat to the integrity of ministers anywhere is a threat to ministers everywhere.
I share this because we seem to have a major discernment issue in the Pentecostal church. What if everyone in that congregation recognized the manipulation of the Spirit in the beginning? What misdeeds could have been avoided?
How can it be that churches occupied by members claiming to be Spirit-filled don't notice an impostor of the God inside of them?
I submit to you that we have 2 major issues that allow this to happen:
1.) We desire God's Presence, but not His Word.
Imagine that when you opened this blog you found ideas and words that don't sound like my normal writings. Those who have read faithfully know my tone and my convictions. You would know that someone had hacked my account. So it is when God speaks to us. If we have studied His Words, we will know His thoughts. How can we expect to recognize His Voice if we don't know the way He speaks?
Growing up around Spirit-filled churches there have been countless times when I have heard members excitedly say "church was so good Sunday, the preacher didn't even get to preach!" That phrase pretty well sums up this point. We view an outpouring of the Spirit as a replacement for the Bible, which He is not. Many Spirit-filled congregations have all but abandoned Sunday School and Bible Studies as our pastors build their entire sermons around "good advice for living" instead of Bible truths.
My greatest fear for the Pentecostal church is that we have traded Scripture for shivers and our pastors have gone from anointed ministers to advice columnists. In these days in which false prophets run rampant, we must know God's Word for ourselves.
2.) We constantly pray for God to "meet with us" but not to "dwell in us".
Pentecostals tend to live as spiritual mountaineers. Meeting times are our mountaintops where we meet with God. We sing about it. We pray about it. The problem is that the Holy Spirit wasn't meant to "show up and show out". He was meant to fill us and empower us day to day. When we treat the Spirit as a once a week meal, our perceived "hunger" is actually "starvation".
The problem with Spiritual starvation is that we settle for anything and call it a message from above. We are so desperate to hear from God that we don't bother to discern the spirits that are speaking. We would rather blindly accept every word than to ask the Holy Spirit to help us know His voice.
Until He truly dwells in us, we will continue to be deceived.
Lord, help us to know that the Spirit is not something to be used and abused to get what we want. Keep our leaders faithful to you. Let them not use their influence for selfish gain. Fill our congregations with men, women, AND children who hunger for You and Your Word. Keep us accountable to You and to one another as we strive to be the bride You intend for us to be.
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