One of the most amazing stories in the Gospels occurs soon after the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 8:5-13; or the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 7:1-10. Read those accounts of this story if you haven’t.

When Jesus talks to the Jews about their “enemies” he is undoubtedly referring to Rome. The Roman Empire is THE enemy in the New Testament. And everywhere they looked there were reminders of Rome, reminders of who was in charge, who called the shots, who ran the show. Israel did experience a certain level of freedom and autonomy – but only if they kept themselves in line.

But even so, Rome wanted to make sure that nobody forgot who was the boss. Their coins were imprinted with the profile of Caesar. They used these coins to pay taxes which were collected by fellow Jews who had defected to serve the cause of Rome. These taxes went to support the Roman military machine, including the occupying Roman soldiers in every town of significance.

Roman soldiers were basically the closest analog to law enforcement officers that we see in Scripture.

Maybe you can see where I’m going with this.

With all of this in mind, we now turn to the story of the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8 and Luke 7. As Jesus approached Capernaum, the Roman Centurion in command of the garrison just outside of town came out to meet Jesus (Matthew’s account) or sent someone to speak on his behalf (Luke’s account). Capernaum was a sleepy little fishing village. It was Peter’s and Andrew’s hometown, and it served as Jesus’ base of operations during his Galilean ministry.

So the Roman Centurion pleads with Jesus to heal his personal servant whom he holds in deep regard. Here’s the cool part. This Centurion is one of the good ones. We don’t know much about him, but Luke’s account informs us that this Centurion provided the funds for the residents to build a synagogue in town. He is well-respected by the people of Capernaum, which is significant and speaks volumes about the character of this man.

I don’t want to focus on the request and the miracle itself, because if we peel back the layers, the miracle is the least significant part of this exchange. There are three things I want to highlight.

1. The Centurion calls Jesus “Lord”
No, this is not a divine title. It’s not the same as saying “Jesus is Lord.” Lord means “master” or “sir.” It’s a title of respect, acknowledging the authority of a person in power.

Stop. Sit with that for a moment.

Here’s a Roman Centurion, leader of a hundred or more soldiers in the most effective military the world had ever seen. He was a man of power, wealth, privilege, honored and revered by all. And he called Jesus – a poor, homeless, dark-skinned, Jewish rabbi, one who was at the bottom rung of the Roman societal ladder – Lord. He said, “I’m not worthy to have you come to my house.” This Centurion set aside his power, privilege, and dignity in order to elevate this poor, homeless, dark-skinned Jewish man. Let that sink in.

2. Jesus commends the faith of the Centurion
Again, we don’t know much about this man, but he wasn’t Jewish. He wasn’t an Israelite. We have no indication that he believed in YHWH or held any interest in the Jewish religion at all – apart from funding their synagogue. He was an outsider. As much as a typical Roman authority figure might look down on the Jews, the Jews were also very prejudice against Roman authority figures.

But this guy gets it, and Jesus honors him for it.

3. Jesus once again reminds us this kingdom is different
I’m sure a crowd had formed at this point. At the very least his disciples were there. After praising the faith of this Centurion, he turned around and basically told his followers and bystanders, “Get used to it.” People are going to be coming from all over the place to be a part of this thing, while the locals are going to miss it entirely.
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Roman Centurions were terrible. The whole system was rigged against the Jews. They had very limited rights and freedoms. One of the most “ominous weapons” at Rome’s disposal was the cross of crucifixion. Rome loved using this torture device to snuff out rebellions and to serve as a warning to any would-be insurrectionists. Roman soldiers would carry out the floggings and beatings. They were the muscle of the empire. They would hammer the spikes through the hands and heals of anyone who dared to challenge the might of Rome. Crucifixions in the thousands were not uncommon, and they were overseen by Centurions.

Violence. Brutality. Oppression. Zero accountability.

This was a system of evil meant to keep the Jews in their place.

So does this interaction between Jesus and the Roman Centurion mean that he approved of the system and supported all Roman officers? Absolutely not! It was this very system that would ultimately torture and kill Jesus on false charges, without a fair trial, and with no mercy. But even from the cross Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Here’s the takeaway. As a follower of Christ, I can support, respect, and love law enforcement officers – while also being critical of the system of violence, brutality, oppression, and injustice. I can show my respect and appreciation for American soldiers – while also standing against war and needless bloodshed.

Jesus shows us that we can and should love the people while also speaking out and advocating for change within the systems. In other words – “Love the sinner, but hate the sin.”

Jesus certainly wasn’t advocating for the Roman occupying forces. But he honored the lives of the Roman soldiers he encountered and even prayed for the forgiveness of those killing him.

And it’s not just Jesus. We see the same thing happen with Peter and Paul. Peter famously travels to the house of Cornelius, another Roman Centurion. He preaches to his entire household and baptizes them all. Peter would later be crucified upside down by Roman soldiers under the orders of Caesar Nero.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans for them to follow the laws and obey those in authority. But then  Paul would later be beheaded, also under Nero.

By now we’ve all seen the videos. We’ve all heard the accounts. There are dozens of videos circulating of police officers kneeling with, marching with, and praying with protestors. But there are also dozens of videos of police officers beating, pepper-spraying, and needlessly arresting protestors. I want to echo the words of Jesus when he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

As Christians we are encouraged and instructed to pray for those in power, to obey those in authority, and to honor the king. But we are also told to take up the armor of God so that we can stand against the evil schemes of the devil, “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

I appreciate the sacrifices that our law enforcement officers make on a daily basis. One of my Elders is a State Trooper. His Facebook post the other day really pricked me. It’s easy to scapegoat the police right now as the cause to all our problems. But I don’t think that’s fair because a) they are victims of sin just as much as any of us, and b) systemic problems by definition are multifaceted and complex. So I support and respect our officers of the law. I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now.

But the system should be challenged and critiqued. Those with the authority to enforce the law should be held to a higher standard of accountability than regular citizens – just as I as a minister am held to a higher standard of judgment before God than those under my care.

Racial inequality has plagued humanity since civilization began. Anyone who fights for equality will meet incredible resistance. But the way of Jesus shows us what it looks like to fight the system. It looks like the Oppressor calling the Oppressed “Master.” It looks like intentional diversity, forcing us to get outside our comfort zone. And it looks like an innocent man wrongly executed by the state crying out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

As a Christian and a minister I try my best to base my worldview on the life and teachings of Jesus. He is the lens through which I view the world, society, religion, politics, the news, etc. So obviously I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how Jesus addressed some of the very issues we are facing today.

Particularly I’ve been thinking about the way of Jesus in response to the protests concerning police violence and systemic racism.

Yikes.

These are difficult waters to navigate, but we must brave the rough waters ahead.

IT’S NOT JUST FOR YOU
I want to begin by drawing your attention to two of Jesus’ earliest sermons. His first real “sermon” was delivered in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30). One Sabbath he got up to read from the scroll of Isaiah. He reads what we would label Isaiah 61:1-2a –
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

Then he sat down and declared that this passage had been fulfilled in their hearing. In other words, Jesus is the one through whom these things would come about. The kingdom of God is now here. The kingdom of heaven is breaking into the world. This is purposefully set over and against the Roman Empire and the corrupt religious system in Jerusalem.

We must contextualize Jesus. He didn’t preach in a vacuum.

So far so good. But then he went on to remind them about the stories from 1st and 2nd Kings where the widow in Sidon (not Israel) was saved by God’s miracle through Elijah and where Naaman, the general of Aram’s (not Israel’s) army, was cured of leprosy through Elisha. The crowd immediately turned on Jesus to the point of wanting to kill him! Why? Because he is reminding them that God cares about other people, too, not just the children of Israel. He was calling out their deep-seated prejudice against outsiders, the gentiles. And he is making it crystal clear that this kingdom is not just an Israel thing. It’s a kingdom for everyone.

This is a classic example of a phenomenon we see happening even today in society. Let’s say a certain people group enjoys a level of privilege, power, or special status among society (in this case, the Jews were the People of God and no one else was). There is a nice, obvious Us and Them set up where everyone knows their place. But then things start to change. Suddenly THEY start to gain access to the special privileges that have only been reserved for US. When THEY start gaining rights and privileges and status and wealth and power and freedoms, then it can feel like losing for US. WE haven’t lost anything. But since THEY are gaining, it can feel threatening for US. Again, in this case it was the Jews’ status as God’s chosen, special people. But Jesus assures them that there are going to be a lot of THEM in the kingdom, too.

KINGDOM OF GOD
v.
EMPIRE OF ROME
Next we move to his greatest recorded sermon, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). The comparisons and contrasts of Jesus’ sermon with the Torah were evident to all his original audience. Jesus is setting himself up as the New Moses, so to speak. But this new constitution of the new kingdom doesn’t start with a list of requirements and laws, dos and don’ts. It begins with blessings. But these blessings are not like the list of blessings and curses found in Deuteronomy. There is nothing we have to do to earn the blessing. It is freely given. The kingdom of God is not a meritocracy.

The ethics and values of the Sermon on the Mount are also purposefully juxtaposed to those of both Israel’s corrupt religious system and the Pax Romana. Yes, the kingdom Jesus established is the anti-empire, anti-Rome, anti-Caesar kingdom. But not in the ways we might think.

Do you remember that whole thing about “going the second mile” (Matthew 5:41)? That was a direct reference to a common, hated practice. Any Roman soldier could force any Jew in Israel to carry his pack and gear for one mile. Jesus says, “go with them a second mile.” By willingly going the second mile, his followers would be highlighting the abuse of this system by those in power.

When Jesus told his followers to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), who are those enemies he’s talking about? Rome, of course. Rome was the power house. Rome was the occupying military force. Rome was the vile beast of Daniel 7 and the harlot “Babylon” in Revelation. It was at the hands of Rome that countless Christians would die, including Peter and Paul. Rome was systemically evil, violent, and corrupt.

There were basically four responses to the systemic evil of Roman power within the Jewish ranks. There were those like the Sadducees and the Temple Priests who buddied up with Rome. Then there were the Zealots who actively fought against the Roman occupation. Some opted to simply retreat from society altogether, like the Essenes of Qumran (think Dead Sea Scrolls). And finally there were those like the Pharisees who believed that through religious piety and adherence to the Law they could win God’s favor, causing him to deliver them from Roman oppression, like had happened with Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Greece.

Jesus introduced a new way, the way of love and self-sacrifice. It wasn’t the obvious way. In fact, it was the more difficult way that not many would find and follow (Matthew 7:13-14). But it was the only way. A mere forty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jerusalem would be sacked and the Temple would be razed to the ground never to be rebuilt. The Jews would revolt against Rome, hoping to overcome violence with more violence. The result would be utter catastrophe. But by that time (70AD) the Good News of the Kingdom of God had already spread across the Roman Empire and beyond. This new kingdom was defined not by borders or race or language, but by submission to Christ the King.

KINGDOM CITIZENS
v.
SYSTEMIC EVIL
Empires come and go. There may come a day when the United States of America is no more. But the kingdom of God will never fail. There is undeniably systemic evil and racism built into the American way of life – from income inequality to healthcare access to education opportunities to law enforcement and adjudication. But our citizenship is in heaven, Paul reminds us (Philippians 3:20). Our fight is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), but against those ingrained, unconscious evils that persist in our human power structures – in our precincts and court rooms and statehouses and even among our churches.

So how do we, as citizens of the kingdom of heaven, address and confront those evils? That’s where we will pick up next time.

So you want to discover your Enneagram number? Awesome. Welcome to the movement.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as taking a test. Discovering your Enneagram type isn’t like taking a Buzzfeed quiz to find out what Disney Princess you are. In fact, you will notice that taking an online questionnaire is the last thing I mention. Online quizzes should NOT be your first go-to for discovering your type.

The Enneagram, in my understanding and opinion, is different than other personality typing systems. Yes, the Myers-Briggs, or the DISC, or the Strength-Finders tests can all give you a good overview of who you are. But those tests and systems tend to be more descriptive than proscriptive. Here’s what I mean. The Enneagram is not just a personality typing system. Think of it more as the art of self-discovery and transformation. It doesn’t just tell you who you are, it tells you who you don’t want others to know you are. It reveals the masks and defense mechanisms you’ve come to hide behind. It tells you what happens when you are at your lowest, and it gives you a path of growth toward health and wholeness.

To find out more, check out my two-part posts on “Why the Enneagram?”
WHY THE ENNEAGRAM, PT 1
WHY THE ENNEAGRAM, PT 2

So you want to discover your Enneagram type, but don’t know where to start? Here are some way to help you get going on the journey.

0. Self-Awareness and Brutal Self-Honesty
The journey of the Enneagram is not something to be taken lightly. I know it’s a huge fad right now. It’s really hip and trendy, especially among Christians. But not everybody is ready for this journey. It’s not recommended for people under about age 20. And if you don’t have a certain level of self-awareness and cannot be honest about the darker sides of your personality, then you won’t get very far. This is a wisdom tradition, so there is a certain degree of maturity, honesty, and vulnerability that goes into this.

1. Read a Book
Specifically this book: The Road Back to You, by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. This is THE primer on the Enneagram. It’s an easy read, and you will be hooked in no time. The temptation will be to skim through the types until you get to one that sounds like you. But I promise, patience is critical when learning about the Enneagram for the first time. You must take the time to learn about all nine types to understand the interplay between them all. The wings, the stress and security lines, the stances – it’s very dynamic, and all the numbers interact with each other. So read, not just blogs and internet articles – read this book.

2. Research Online
Specifically, look to websites like The Enneagram Institute for further research and insights into the Enneagram types. Many sites like this will have a quiz or questionnaire section. You’re not ready for that yet.

3. Stress and Security Lines
Ok, say you have read through the types, done a little extra research, but you’re still not quite sure. If you have it narrowed down to two or three different numbers, pay special attention to the stress and security lines. On the Enneagram symbol itself, you will notice each number has two arrows connected to it. The arrow pointing toward another number indicates the security line. In other words, in health and security your number takes on the positive aspects of that connecting number. The opposite is also true. In stress, your number takes on the unhealthy aspects of the number with the arrow pointing away.

For instance, I am a type Three. When everything is going great and I’m in the groove, then I tend to go to the healthy side of type Six. But when I’m stressed, anxious, etc. then I take on the unhealthy aspects of type Nine. That was the real kicker for me. I wasn’t sure if I was a One or a Three. When I read about going to Nine in stress, my jaw dropped and I got all tense. Who could ever know that about me? That sealed the deal. So if you’re between two or three numbers, check out those stress and security lines.

4. Stances
This is a little bit more technical. The numbers can be subdivided into three sets of three stances – Aggressive, Dependent, and Withdrawing. The Aggressive Stance includes types 3, 7, and 8. These types tend to move toward others, and they tend to be future-oriented. The Dependent Stance includes types 6, 1, and 2. These types tend to come alongside others, and they have a present-focused relation to time. The Withdrawing Stance includes type 9, 4, and 5. They tend to move away from others and are more past-oriented. This is highly simplified, but if you are between a couple of numbers that happen to be in different Stances, this might help you home in on one.

5. Subtypes
Each number can be further subdivided into three different subtypes: Social, Sexual (or One-to-One depending on who you read), and Self-Preservation. These subtypes are all about how you relate to others. Are you more social and like to have a lot of relationships? Are you more geared toward fewer but deeper relationships? Are you more concerned about how others perceive you and tend to stick to yourself more often? One of these subtypes will actually be the “counter-type” for a given number. This can make it more difficult to nail down sometimes. Your subtype may mean that your behavior tends to look very different than the “normal” type. For instance, I’m a Self-Preservation Three, which I believe is the counter-type. That explains why Social Threes (the typical, almost caricature of a Three) bug me so much.

6. Podcasts
There are some great podcasts out there for those of you who are into that sort of thing. You can start with The Road Back to You podcast hosted by the authors of the book, Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. Then there is Ian Cron’s podcast called Typology. Suzanne Stabile has her own called The Enneagram Journey. The Sleeping At Last podcast featured Chris Heuertz, another Enneagram expert, as Ryan O’Neal wrote a song specific for each number. I’m sure there are plenty of others, but these are some I’d recommend.

7. Ask Someone for Help
By now you may know someone who is well versed in the Enneagram. It might help to have a conversation with someone who knows you well. But I’ve found that if there is a little bit of distance in the relationship it can go a lot better. The Enneagram reveals what’s best about you and what’s worst about you. If you are getting help from someone to figure out your type, be sure it’s someone with whom you can be completely honest.

8. Attend a Workshop
I know it’s not really possible at the moment to attend an in-person workshop, but I know Enneagram teachers who host them multiple times a year around the country. You might even be able to catch an online seminar or two in the time being. Hearing a professional Enneagram expert discuss the type and answer questions can open up the whole world.

9. Take a Test Online
After you’ve gone through multiple steps above and still aren’t sure, then you have my permission to go online and take some kind of a test. But not all tests are created equal. For one of the very best tests, you can pay around $70. It will also include a comprehensive overview of your type along with multiple, high quality resources. For the free quizzes….well, you get what you pay for.
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There you go. These are nine tips to help you discover your Enneagram type. Are there any other methods or insights that I missed? What did you find most helpful in learning your number? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to check out these other helpful resources.
11 GREAT ENNEAGRAM RESOURCES

As churches across the country and around the world wrestle with the question of opening up their in-person worship gatherings, I think we all need to take some time and ask ourselves three questions.

1. What are some things that we need to leave in the past?
2. What are some things from the past that are worth bringing into the future?
3. What are some new things we need to focus on or implement?

There is value in remembering and honoring the past. There is a legacy of faithful men and women on whose shoulders we are now standing. We each can look back and think – if it weren’t for this person / these people, then I wouldn’t be where I am today in my journey of faith. Last time we looked at beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that we need to leave behind in the past. Today I want to think for a bit about what from the past is worth bringing into the future.

TL;DR – 1) family, 2) serious Bible study, 3) confession/forgiveness, and 4) big-T Tradition

WHEN YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE FAMILY
Olive Garden had such a good slogan. I really hope that we can carry this into the future of our churches. Jesus redefined family when he said, “Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and mother.” People have been in varying degrees of isolation and separation for a long time. I think people are going to be starved, not just for human contact and socializing, but for belonging and love. When someone is a part of our church, they are family. Period. Families are there for each other through thick and thin. We laugh together and cry together. For too many people, church is something they do once a week. But church is a family we belong to, no matter what.

BE LIKE THE BEREANS
I’ll be completely honest with you. I’m disheartened at the decrease in biblical literacy over the last few decades. It’s not just in society as a whole, but specifically in the church. Committed church members can’t list the 10 Commandments, the books of the Bible, the apostles. They don’t bother memorizing Scripture. They have to reference their table of contents when turning to any given book in the Bible. This may seen trivial, but there is a reason we have the Scriptures – “so that the man of God may be complete, not lacking anything.” They are there to help us “correct, instruct, and train in righteousness.” We are told that “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” I don’t think we need to deify or idolize Scripture, but neither do we need to shrug it off as unimportant. We need to follow the example of the Bereans in Acts 17 who “searched the Scriptures daily” to see if what Paul told them was true. We should be doing the same to see if what our preachers and teachers are telling us what is true – or our TV talking heads and politicians and Facebook “friends” for that matter.

WARTS AND ALL
We need to wrestle seriously with the mistakes of the past. We need to own them and make restitution for them. The church has not always been blameless. Every local church has a checkered past, and the church universal has committed atrocities under the banner of Christ. I think we should know our history, warts and all. The world is looking for people to be genuine. They are looking for authentic disciples. They aren’t going to listen to anybody who pretends to be holier and more righteous than others. But if we confess our sins and truly face down the muddied past (crusades, support of slavery, pro-segregation, oppression of women, etc.), then we can move into the future to really reach the world with the love of God. Paul did this all the time. He recounted his conversion story to whomever needed to hear it. He would own his sin and his past mistakes, holding himself up not necessarily as one to follow (although he did that once or twice in his letters – but even then it was “follow me as I follow Christ”), but as an example of how great the grace of God was to sinners – even sinners like him. We are not perfect, but we are forgiven. As as we own our own failures and accept the forgiveness of God through Christ, we can then offer that same hope and grace to the world around us.

TRADITION!
Ok, hear me out. I think there is a difference between big-T Tradition and little-t traditions. I’m good with Tradition in that it gives us roots, keeps us grounded, and reminds us that we are a part of something bigger and older than ourselves. That Tradition of the church is to be honored and celebrated. So much in our lives right now is temporary, single use, throw away – even relationships. People are less committed to family or jobs or colleges or civic clubs than they were a few generations ago. And while little-t traditions (“this is the way we’ve always done it because reasons”) can be a big turn off for many younger people, I think that big-T Tradition can be a major draw. We don’t have to pretend like we’re reinventing the wheel here. Just because our own local church may be autonomous doesn’t mean we should be disconnected from the larger Christian Tradition that spans two millennia and encircles the globe.
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So what do you think? What are some things from the past that are worth bringing into the future of the church? What is good and worth holding on to? Let me know in the comments and feel free to share this with others.

Previous Posts in this Series:
ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO RESTORE THE CHURCH TO ITS FACTORY DEFAULT SETTINGS?
FIVE THINGS OUR CHURCHES NEED TO LEAVE BEHIND

As I begin this post, I want to make one thing clear. Our churches are not re-opening. I’ve been guilty of using that phrase, too, but I don’t think we should talk like that anymore. It belies a sense of location-based organization, like a business or school or restaurant. But as the classic AVB song reminds us, U Can’t Go 2 Church – ’cause the church is you. I pray that our churches haven’t closed. We’ve just been scattered for a bit.

So when we come back together as a body for that all-so-important one to one and a half hour worship gathering on Sunday mornings, what is that going to look like? It’s going to be different for sure in the immediate future, what with social distancing, sanitation guidelines, etc. But I’m not talking about that. When the dust settles and the real threat is over, what will it look like?

I think there are things that we need to bring with us into the future. I think there are some new things that we need to implement or improve. And I also think there are some things that need to be left behind – which is the topic of today’s post.

Here are five things I think need to stay in the past.

1) “We’ve never done it that way before.”
This phrase can kill a church faster than just about anything. We get comfortable with the way things are. It’s like the opening line of the Full House theme song: “Whatever happened to predictability?” Well, guess what? Things are anything but predictable right now. Yes, we need some form of consistency. But the “habit” is “meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25). There doesn’t have to be a set form or order to our worship. God doesn’t want two songs, a prayer, a song, communion, song, scripture, sermon, song, prayer. God wants your heart that continually seeks after him. The attitude that resists change might very well be fighting against the work of the Holy Spirit among God’s people.

2) Replace the mirrors with windows.
I’m getting tired of the inward-focus of many churches and church goers. We care about attendance numbers and contribution. We care about paying utilities and mortgages. But how many of us are intentional about getting out and serving our community? We show up to worship just to look in the mirror at ourselves when we should be looking out the windows to the world in need. Let’s be more outwardly focused as we come back together. If nothing else, this pandemic has exposed some serious needs in our world that are not being filled by the government or the free market. Church, it’s our time to shine and to show that we exist for those outside our walls.

3) My personal micro kingdom
I’m a minister in a Church of Christ. There are maybe half a dozen or more other Churches of Christ in my county. Do you know how many of them work together with us on anything? Zero. I’ve been here for five and a half years. Only one other Church of Christ minister has had any contact with me. And yes, part of that is on me for not reaching out to them either. I need to get better about that! But we get so caught up in building our own little micro kingdoms and are unwilling to partner with fellow Christians in serving our communities. God’s kingdom should not be divided. We are all one church. Let’s start acting like it.

4) Strong opinions about “disputable matters”
I don’t think it’s wrong to have convictions. However, some of us have a stronger opinion about politics than we do about serving the poor. Some of us have stronger opinions about gender roles than we do about spreading the gospel to every nation. Some of us will find any and every reason to leave a church family because of something that really doesn’t matter in the long run. Love covers a multitude of sins. Do you want to be “right” or do you want to restore the relationship? Which is more important to Jesus? Maybe it’s time we started holding our opinions more loosely for the sake of preserving the body of Christ.

5) Us vs. Them, Martyrdom Complex, and Culture Wars
This is specifically for Christians in the US that I know and have seen on social media. We are not being persecuted because of a Starbucks Cup. We are not being persecuted because of stay-at-home orders. We are not being persecuted. Period. The main stream media is not your enemy. Hollywood is not your enemy. We have one enemy. By engaging in this endless “culture war” and crying “martyr” every time a show mocks our faith or a law is passed we don’t agree with, we are taking up our swords to defend the name of Jesus just like Peter tried. But Jesus healed his enemies, too. Jesus prayed for their forgiveness as he was nailed to the cross. He warned us that the world was going to hate us because they wouldn’t understand us. But he also told us that they would know we are his disciples by our LOVE, not by our bumper stickers, our virtue signaling, or our Christian subculture.
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So what do you think? What would you add to the list of things that need to stay in the past as we come back together? Did any of these hit close to home? Let me know in the comments, and feel free to share this article with others.

Have you ever read the Bible straight through? Congratulations! I hear your room in heaven will have a little more square footage.

For some people, that is your thing. I’m happy for you! I really am.

Full disclosure, I’ve read through the entire Bible once. And yes, I still consider myself a Christian. You see, I think there is a problem for modern readers. The Bible isn’t laid out or organized in a way that makes sense to us. I understand that the Hebrew Bible is actually arranged differently from the Christian “Old Testament.” It’s still not in chronological order or anything.

I’m not writing today about the Hebrew Scriptures, though. I want to focus on the New Testament canon. Sometimes it can be difficult to even read through the Gospels, much less the sustained sequence of Paul’s letters. Each Gospel was written for a different purpose, occasion, and audience. Each of the four was written by a different author with a slightly different agenda and worldview.

Does that make them contradictory and thus null and void as a document on which to base our faith? Um, no. Quite the opposite. It shows that these stories were important enough to be written down and distributed by real people to real people in real places facing real challenges.

Based on this, I think it would be interesting to take a context- and purpose-oriented approach to reading and studying the books of the New Testament. I propose the following order so we can see the story of the Gospel and its impact across first century Rome unfold and evolve as a movement. This would not necessarily be the same as a chronological reading, but more categorical.

Let’s just get on to the list and you’ll probably see what I mean.

PART 1
Writings for a Jewish Audience

The Gospel according to Matthew
James
Jude
Hebrews

PART 2
Peter and the early spread of the church

The Gospel According to Mark
Acts chapters 1-12
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
Galatians
1 Peter
2 Peter

PART 3
Paul, the nations, and the development of the church

The Gospel According to Luke
Acts chapters 13-28
1 Corinthians
Philippians
Philemon
2 Corinthians
Romans
Ephesians
Colossians
1 Timothy
Titus
2 Timothy

PART 4
John and the victory of God’s love

The Gospel according to John
1 John
2 John
3 John
Revelation

I’m certain I’m not the first one to organize the New Testament books this way, but let me explain a little.

So beginning with Matthew, it is obvious that the Christian movement started out among the Jews. Matthew emphasizes the Jewishness of Jesus more than the other gospel accounts. Jesus is a traveling Rabbi who is also the new Moses, the new Elisha, and the son of David. I follow up Matthew with James, which is written to Jewish Christians scattered throughout the Empire and reads very much like the Sermon on the Mount/Jewish Wisdom Literature. Then comes Jude, a short enigmatic letter filled with Jewish insider language and references. James and Jude are also the brothers of Jesus who would become pillars in the Jewish church around Jerusalem and Antioch. This section ends with Hebrews (author unknown), which is a transcript of an early sermon to predominately Jewish Christ-followers.

Part two focuses in on Peter, Jesus’ closest friend and de facto leader of the apostles. The gospel according to Mark, according to early church tradition, is really a collection of Peter’s stories. John Mark is the scribe for Peter’s memoirs. Keeping the focus on Peter, we move on to the book of Acts, specifically the first 12 chapters in which Peter is the main player. We are also introduced to Paul as he begins his missionary journeys, but those will feature more prominently in part three. Part 2 continues with the earliest of Paul’s letters to the churches in Thessalonica and Galatia (where Paul and Peter got into a pretty public argument). We wrap up with the two letters attributed to Peter which were relatively late.

Part three features Paul and his work among the gentiles. We go back and start with the gospel according to Luke, who emphasizes Jesus’ ministry among the foreigners and the outcasts of society. Then we pick up the last two-thirds of Acts which recounts Paul’s missionary journeys in detail. Then we move on to a somewhat chronological reading of Paul’s other letters to the churches and ministers. Here we get to see Paul’s passion come through, his theology evolve, and the church develop.

Finally, part four highlights the writings of John. (I’m not going to argue here whether these were all written by the same John. In my opinion, they are all similar enough to be grouped together regardless.) John was the latest New Testament writer, composing his gospel and letters as late as the early 90s. John’s gospel is quite different from the other three to say the least. 1 John is a natural overflow of John’s gospel. Second and Third John contain little nuggets of wisdom and insight for church leaders. And then there’s Revelation, which is a fitting ending to the Christian Scriptures, revealing where this is all heading and reassuring us that no matter what – God wins.
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If you find this reading and study order helpful or interesting, feel free to share it with others. I truly believe the words of the writer of Hebrews: “The Word of God is living and active…” This may be one way for it to come alive for me and for you.

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Ecclesiastes 7:10

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

As churches across the nation prepare to open back up (or have already opened as is the case for some), one thing I think church leaders need to be intentional about is leading the church into the future. There are going to be far too many members who just want to “get back to normal,” as if “normal” was a good state to be in. We can’t go back, and we must not foster an unhealthy nostalgia for the past. Not everything was bad, but I’m sure it was far from perfect.

There is no going back. There is only the present and the future. So the questions I’m wrestling with, (and am inviting you to tag-team with me) are:

1. What are some things that need to stay in the past?
2. What are some good things from the past that need to be brought into the future?
3. What are some NEW things our churches should embrace moving forward?

Maybe it’s because I’m a dreaded Millennial who is out to kill everything from napkins to fabric softener to Applebee’s, but I’ve never been a fan of “the good old days” talk. It’s all well and good to remember the past fondly, but we must not get stuck there. As it says in Ecclesiastes, it’s unwise to sugar coat the past and think it was so much better than the present. It seems like too many Christians serve the God who was, not the God who is and who is to come. We must celebrate what God has done for us in the past, yes. But we also must learn from our past failures. We should recognize that God is moving and working in the present, and he is surely there in the future.

As A.W. Tozer once wrote, “God is always contemporary.” And as Jesus said, “God is not the God of the dead but of the living.” In God’s reality, past, present, and future are all under his control and jurisdiction.

The church has a beautiful and broken past. But the cool thing is we get to be a part of God’s future.

This is the perfect time to ask ourselves: what practices, ministries, and traditions are worth leaving in the past? Every ministry has a shelf-life. Every church practice has evolved over time. Is there something that needs to be revised? Edited? Updated? Do we need to hit the factory reset button on some practices? Do we need to move some programs to the recycle bin?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
(Hebrews 12:1-2)