From Canada with love...

Long distance relationships are hard... but not impossible. To make it work, though, communication is necessary. So...

Hi VBF!

Rich here in Canada on August 7. It is 7:30 am here which means 6:30 am in Venice. This morning will be the first Sunday where we are physically absent but with you in Spirit (did you know Paul was the one to coin that phrase? In 1 Corinthians... but it was God's idea and his Spirit that makes it possible for real! We share in the life of the ONE true God). I will be doing announcements via Skype. I hope it works! Last chance to work out the kinks before preaching next Sunday.

So far things have been a whirlwind. We found a place to live, we're dealing with importing cars, cancelling U.S. health plans, jailbreaking iPhones and looking for new plans, while keeping an active supporting role in the coffeehouse and church. Please keep us in prayer. KNOW that we are keeping Venice and Venice Beach Fellowship and The Talking Stick in constant prayer!

We love you all and miss you already!

Acts 4 and more!

I like punk rock!

My sort of “trinity” of music listening tends to revolve around the three poles of punk, reggae, and country. With all three, the more raw and less produced the better. And each has a time and season.

Reggae, to me, is inspirational. The love of God, the reciting of the biblical narrative, trust in God against opposing and oppressive forces, and appreciation of the goodness of creation and the spark of hope for new creation. It’s there in reggae music!

Country is what I listen to when travelling, in the car, or wherever. IT is story music. Life music. Music that expresses every emotion and experience under the sun with passion and heartbreak. It moves with ease from hymns of praise to murder ballads and, in doing so, resonates with the range of my heart, too!

Punk is much less well rounded but no less loved by me. It’s is what I listen to when I work out. When I run, when I lift weights, when I ride a mountain bike down a winding, intense trail. It has that driving beat – twice as fast as any normal rock song. Bam, bam, bam. The drum hits just faster than you’d expect it to and keeps me moving.

And I’d like to say that I like punk music “in spite of” the fact that it is often raging, anti-authoritarian, and rebellious. The truth, however, is that is a huge part of WHY I like it. One of my favorite lines in Scripture is when Jesus asks Saul at his conversion, “Why do you kick against the goads, Saul?”

Answer: Because! I don’t like the goads! I don’t like constraints! I don’t like being told what to do, being forced to comply, being submissive and obedient. I resonate with the images of rebellion in our culture! From Wild West outlaws to misunderstood teenagers to freedom fighters… Whatever.

Well, this is what we talked about this past week in our ongoing series in the book of Acts. Rebellion, in Scripture, is not used as a flattering term. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden for being rebels which got us into all of this mess from the beginning! The Israelites rebelled in the desert and it kept them out of the Promised Land for Forty years. Samuel told King Saul that rebellion was akin to sorcery. And the exile of Israel and Judah came about for no reason except that they rebelled against God’s rule – they were stiff-necked and stubborn.

So what does that mean? Is my love for rebellion, our culture’s love for rebellion, merely a demonic, sin filled longing to run from God and enthrone myself as a god after my own image?

Well, probably. But rebellion is like most sin – not the opposite of good, just a perversion or deviation from it. And I think there is a good kind of rebellion – rebellion might be the wrong word but, hey, language is defined by usage, maybe it can be sanctified by it too.

So last week I spent way too much time looking at all the words in the New Testament for power and authority and rule and dominion and lordship and name (as in “in whose name do you do these things?”) and kingdom and some others.. Exhousia, dunamis, archais, kuriotaitos, nomos, basilea, and more. Anyway, these left me with more questions than answers but what I concluded was this:

ONE: Authority is good and God ordained (Romans 13, for example). It’s existence is purposeful and has to do with God being a God of order and not disorder (1 Corinthians 14). If we are to be living witnesses of God’s New Creation we should not despise organization because it is good. Someone alerted me the other day to the fact that the story of Scripture begins in a garden and ends up in a city (New Jerusalem). Anarchy is not cool (but, hey! Punk rock is not necessarily pro-anarchy!)

TWO: The character of God’s authority is absolutely the opposite of what our idea of authority is. This past week I came across an image of Jesus as “Che Gueverra” with the caption, “Meek, Mild. Whatever.” Okay, I get what they’re going for – make Jesus hip with the younger generation, show that he’s not the status quo, wimpy, a-political “nice teacher” that we sometimes make him to be. But he’s also not a guerilla fighter taking up arms against his oppressor EVEN THOUGH that is what many urged him to be. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah that is revealed in Revelation 5 as a slain lamb. He is the king who was coronated on a cross. He is the one who wins victory in utter defeat. His power is made perfect in weakness.

In Luke 22 the disciples are fighting about which of them is greatest, he eventually tells them they will reign on 12 thrones over the 12 tribes of Israel but first he says, “While the kings of the world lord authority over others the greatest among you is the one who becomes a servant – just as I have come not to be served but to serve.” Jesus may or may not be a rebel, but revealing that the authority of God is made perfect in weakness most certainly “rebels” against everything we understand or mean by authority.

THREE. Authority. All authority. Belongs to God. He is the creator. He is the judge. He is the redeemer. And God has given Christ this authority – a central… THE central thing in the mind of Luke when writing the book of Acts.

It’s with wonder and amazement that Paul apprehends the new reality that Christ is Lord when he writes in Ephesians 1:18-23 “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power (dunamis) for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule (archais) and authority (exhousias), power (dunamis) and dominion (lordship), and every title (name) that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

FOUR. Every power that sets itself up against God’s authority is no power at all. Ephesians 6:12 “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Paul later talks about the time when all the authorities and powers of this dark world are brought down and defeated – the last enemy to be defeated being death.

FIVE. As surely as God has all authority and as surely as God delegates that authority to Christ so Christ gives that authority to us! You will receive power to… Pray better? Live better? Be more moral? Win arguments? No! To witness the authority of God and his Christ and announce his good news kingdom to the ends of the earth against all the powers and authorities of sin, addiction, hurt, jealousy, discord that stand against it.

And that… Although it took me way to long to say it and that is the reason I hardly ever blog… That is the way to be a rebel. When we stand in obedience and submission under the authority of God, respecting existence of order and authority, embracing the character of Christ that would rather suffer wrong than do wrong… well if all those are true, then when we come against an authority that stands against the authority of Christ we can FIGHT THE POWER and be punk rock!

And this kind of “rebellion” has Biblical precedent. Moses standing up to Pharaoh, Daniel standing up to the Babylonian overlord, Jesus standing up to the Pharisees, Peter brought before tribunals, and Paul brought before the Emperor of Rome. And isn’t this what Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Martin Luther King, Jr are examples of?

So what does this look like for us? What does it mean in our culture not to angrily rail against the liberals who don’t want God in the schools, etc, but with love and sacrificial commitment declare the goodness of our God and his Christ against the gods of this age who seek to enslave us? Good question.

In the meantime, I like punk rock.

Still in Acts

Last week we looked at signs… again! It’s hard NOT to talk about experience when looking at the book of Acts. Even when it is just to remind ourselves that experience is not the main thing!

In Luke, in Acts, signs are… well… signs. They point to something else. What is the something else? It is the announcement of the kingdom. Christ rose! He is the first born of the New Creation arriving right in the middle of history. He ascended to the right hand of God and gives us his Holy Spirit that we may be witnesses of his reign.

And signs... Miracles, healings, tongues, wonders... Every sign and wonder is a billboard, or an arrow, or an informational message, or an indicator to alert us to this new reality: Christ is Lord.

But where are most people at? The theology grabs our attention way less than the experience. Part of it is that the nature of the experiences in the book of Acts are not just a LITTLE alien, they are VERY alien. And the more emphatically I insist, “It’s not the experience but the reality it points to,” the more I open myself up for suspicion! People suspect I am trying to comfort them or placate them with those words. “You don’t experience the power of God in your lives, don’t worry, it’s not about the experience anyway! Everything is fine.”

But I suspect myself of that, too! Sure, the book of Acts is more descriptive then prescriptive, but I don’t want to just rationalize away the disparity between the early church and the church I live in. I want to have my feet held to the fire at least a little bit (my “heart” held to the fire?). I want to hold onto some level of holy dissatisfaction and deep longing for more of God in my life not-limited-to-but-not-excluding experience!

Well. It is Saturday, so I am past this week and must get on to next week. It’s almost here! In any case, the passages that spurred these thoughts on were the communal living of the the believers (Acts 2) and the healing of a lame beggar (Acts 3). I suppose my conclusion is that I will continue to desire to see God show up, even experientially, in the present, but also remember that Peter DID contextualize the signs and wonders, theologically, in the announcement that Christ reigns - which is most important by far.

Signing off, then, with a Bob Marley song:

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you’re riding through the ruts, don’t you complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t go burying your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake up and live!”

Pentecost. Preparing to Preach on Acts 2.

Is there a support group for "over-preachers" of passages?

Last year, at Venice Beach Fellowship, we did a series on Romans. I loved it! For myself, I felt like I discovered a whole new depth of the super-awesome-goodness in this amazing letter. I was also super excited to tag along with NT Wright as a Theological Trail Guide in the wild terrain of Pauline theology.

BUT! The problem was that Romans has 16 chapters and it took me A YEAR to get through it! I used Romans at Christmas, Romans at Easter, I slept, ate, and breathed Romans (and forced everyone else to do the same). And now... I am looking down the barrel of another series on the book of Acts - a book that has 28 CHAPTERS!!! I'm about to preach a fourth sermon on Sunday and I haven't even got to the second chapter! And more than that, I am experiencing this ardent desire to take four weeks on Pentecost...

My name is Rich, and I am an over-preacher.

New Series on Acts

This past Sunday I started a new series on the book of Acts at Venice Beach Fellowship. One thing that is special and different about this is that I published the sermon as a podcast. You can find it and hear it at vbfellowship.podbean.com

To be honest, though, I'm a little terrified about this. I usually edit my emails and anything I write about fifty million times to make sure I'm saying just what I want to say. Now I'm publishing off-the-cuff comments, theological claims, and declarations about God and FOR EVERYONE TO SEE!

What if I say something wrong? What if it's too obvious that I've been reading NT Wright this past week and borrowing his good ideas? Worse yet, what if I botch and misrepresent those good ideas or others?

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of my fears.

But then, why not? If I don't have the courage to join the dialog, even though I may be dead wrong, what's the point? Theology is relational! Theology is relational and always aimed at discovering how to be in that one, primary relationship.

Okay... so... Acts!

The first 11 verses of Acts blow me away. There is just a ton of stuff right at the outset. Like... The ascension! What is the ascension and why is it basically ignored by evangelicals? I have some thoughts on that but... for another time, when my fingers have more energy.

Or... What the heck happened during those 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension? What kind of things did he say as he taught them about the kingdom? That must have been awesome. He basically blew the doors off their understanding and turned their world upside down.

First, they put their trust in this Messiah, were convinced by him, and had hope come alive because of him. Nevertheless, while they were relationally committed, at least half of what he said was confusing and misunderstood.

Then, after finally finding the one for whom their hearts longed, their universe shattered when he turned out to be a failed Messiah dying at the hands of the Empire. Then, while they are reeling from this immense disillusionment, he showed up raised from the dead. Then, he spent 40 days "emmaus-ing" their understanding. Wouldn't you love to have been their for the breakfasts and ah-has that must have filled those forty days?

But again, my fingers are too tired for that topic.

And yet another cool part in that first eleven verses of Acts is how Luke says his first book (the gospel of Luke) was all about what Jesus BEGAN to do and teach.

BEGAN. In other words - the virgin birth, the silent first thirty years (excluding the incident as a boy in the Temple), the initiating of his public ministry with the call of the disciples, the temptation, the travels in Galilee, the teaching in synagogues, the controversies, the time in Samaria, Jerusalem... His persecution, the last supper, his arrest, his trial, his death, his resurrection, his appearances, his teaching for forty days, and his ascension. ALL of that... All of it! Is just what Jesus BEGAN to do and teach?

How cool is that? We don't follow a Savior who "was" but a Savior who "is." He lives and breathes and DOES and TEACHES and ACTS now! He was dead and he is alive and, behold, he holds the keys to death and hell.

Okay. I keep trying to communicate that my fingers are tired... So the last thing I was impressed about in those first 11 verses was tipped off by an online article I found by NT Wright arguing that the whole book is about KINGDOM. The disciples ask the question: "Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom?" Jesus responds, "It's not for you to know the dates and times." We usually read that as a "no" whereas we ought to read it as a "yes."

"Yes. I rose victorious as king! Now, I ascend into heaven to take the throne of the kingdom that will never spoil, fade, or end. And YOU! YOU will be my witnesses! To carry THAT declaration of good news to Jerusalem, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!

In the crucifixion of Jesus, he was brought on trial to the kings of his day. He was taken to Herod who represented the "kingdom" of Judea. He was taken to Pilate, who represented Caesar and the kingdom of Rome. But meanwhile, his was the kingdom that mattered. He was given a purple robe, a crown of thorns was placed on his head, and, mockingly, the title "king" was hung upon the cross.

This was the true coronation of the true king, against the kingdoms of the world.

And this is the pattern that the book of Acts follows. The good news proclamation is that Jesus is Lord and King. Chapters 1-12 show the church bringing this message over and against the kingdom of Herod, with Peter at the forefront, and Judea as the arena. Then, Chapters 13-28 show the church bringing this message over and against the kingdom of Rome and Caesar, with Paul at the forefront, and the Roman world is the arena.

And we, I suppose, carry the implication at the end of the book that the proclamation is to go out to "ends of the earth." Whether Venice Beach, 2010, or anywhere else. Who are the kings and lords of our age? Whoever they are, the good news is the same. Like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (which is stuck in my ipod as a Christmas leftover) declares: "Born a king on Bethlehem plain, gold I bring to crown him again, King forever, ceasing never over us all to reign."