You’ve all heard the cliche, “It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it.” Well, it seems like youth ministry could probably be lumped in with those “dirty jobs” when it comes to church work. Anything to do with children or teenagers will happily be left up to a select few – or even a select one.


I’m also reminded of a song by Acappella – “Everybody Said but Nobody Did.” The chorus is fitting:

When a church hires a minister specifically for youth the burden of spiritual development is then placed on his shoulders. You will have the youth minister, some select volunteers, maybe some substitute teachers, but that’s it. And we somehow expect a couple hours a week to be enough.


No one will ever develop expertise in a certain field through one or two hours of lecture-based study each week. But we are shocked when our teenagers lack spiritual development and thus leave the church during their college and young adult years.


No. There has got to be a better way.


And there is. It’s been there all along. Right in front of us.


“Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9, The Message


Spiritual development of the children is first and foremost the responsibility of the parents. Truth is, parents aren’t talking to their children, especially their teenage children. But as I read it, this is not a suggestion. It’s a command. And if you haven’t noticed, God doesn’t care what our excuses are when it comes to commands.


This is your child’s eternal salvation we’re talking about! And believe it or not, parents are still the number 1 influence on a teenager’s faith development.


But what about those teens who don’t have faithful parents?


“Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.

Have you ever noticed that we have a category for just about everything and everyone? Take a look around the lunch room or the office. You have your nerds, your jocks, your free spirits, your band geeks, your drama queens, your gamers, your potheads, your overachievers. We just tend to divide ourselves up by some arbitrary system of categorization. We call them cliques, and they’re as old as the human race.

These cliques are a common and even expected part of school and work, but what about our churches. We have the conservatives, the liberals, the traditionalists, and the progressives. We have the one cuppers, the multi-cuppers, the hand raisers, and the amen shouters. There are the clappers, the non-clappers, the pre-millenials and the amillenials. The institutional, the non-institutional, the Saturday night instrumentals, and the absolutely 100% non-instrumental, period.

There is definitely an “us and them” mentality within the church…and it’s been that way since the beginning.

We like to know what makes us us and what make them them. Where do we draw the line? What distinctions can we make so that the boundaries are clear? How can we nuance ourselves out of relationship with people we don’t necessarily like?

We are right.
They are not us.
Therefore, they are not right.

John had this same mentality. After all this time of following Jesus, look at what he proudly says to Jesus:

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 

The great irony is that just a few verses earlier, Jesus’ own disciples were unable to drive out one demon. And now we’re told that there is someone not of the Twelve who is casting out multiple demons in Jesus’ name. And the disciples tell him to stop!

Why? Because he was defaming Jesus? Because he was wanting attention for himself? Because he was leading other people astray? No. Because he was not “one of us.”

We’re familiar and comfortable with the saying “Whoever is not for us is against us.” If someone doesn’t say the same things, believe the same things, dress the same way, support the same causes, sing the same songs in the same style…then they must of course be against everything we believe. If they are not for us, if they in fact are not us, then they must be against us.

But what does Jesus say?

“Do not stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”

Did you catch that? Whoever is not against us is for us. Jesus completely reverses the old adage that we love and cherish. He takes all our categories and labels and throws them out the window. Our way of determining us and them is turned on end.

And here’s the difference: Jesus is saying to start at the points of unity, not the points of division. What common ground do we and they both share? Let’s focus on that.

The disciples did it then, and we do it now. We tend to focus more on that which divides. We like to highlight the things that keep us on one side of the line and them on the other.

Jesus simply erases the line.

Begin on common ground. This man was doing the work of God in the name of Jesus. He was promoting the name and mission of Jesus. Sure, he may not have been one of Jesus’ closest disciples. He may not have had all the right answers. He may not have known as much about the Bible as others. He may have looked different, spoken differently, and worshiped differently. But that did not make him part of “them” rather than “us.”

I believe that the work of God is WAY bigger than we can ever realize. If there’s one thing we know about God is that he shows up and works in people and places we least expect. Who are we to limit God to working solely through “us?”

Whoever is not against us is for us.

So Jesus and his three disciples
come down from the mountain having just caught a glimpse of the true glory and
power of Jesus. The transfiguration was a key point in the life of Jesus and
the faith journey of his disciples. Heaven and earth embraced for but a moment.

If I could just be a “fly on the wall” for just one event of Jesus’ ministry, this would be it. Hands down.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a mountain top and was “transfigured” before their very eyes. His clothes became bright white. Light radiated from his flesh. His truest, divine nature is revealed to these three guys.

Then Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus and strike up a conversation. (I’ve always wondered how they knew it was Moses and Elijah. They didn’t have pictures of them. I doubt they were wearing name tags. Hmm…)

Finally, after a *facepalm* comment by Peter, a cloud surrounds them and the very voice of God booms out, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”

Chills.

Anyway, I asked my teens what questions come to mind when reading this passage. The one question we kept coming back to was “Why?” Specifically, 1)Why was Jesus transfigured?, and 2)Why Moses and Elijah? Here’s what we concluded.

Why did Moses and Elijah appear?

There is always the initial answer that Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the Prophets. God is saying that Jesus is greater than the Law and the Prophets. You no longer need to listen to Moses or Elijah. Just listen to Jesus.

And while that is true, I think there is something more going on here.

1) Who comes after Moses? Joshua. Who comes after Elijah? Elisha. Joshua, Elisha, and Jesus are all essentially the same name – God delivers. And that’s exactly what God is doing through Jesus. So it makes perfect sense that the mentors of Joshua and Elisha are now here conversing with Jesus.

2) If you’ve read your Bible enough, you know that God likes to do things on mountains. And mountains played a big role in key moments for both Moses and Elijah.

On Mount Sinai, God’s presence rested at the top in cloud form. After basking in the glory of God, Moses’ face shone so brightly that he had to place a veil over his head. On Mount Sinai the glory of God was revealed more fully than it had ever been.

On Mount Carmel, Elijah went head to head with the prophets of Ba’al. After an day long stand-ff, Elijah prayed to God, and God sent down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice placed on the altar. On Mount Carmel the power of God over other gods was revealed more fully than it had ever been.

The glory of God and the power of God are now coming together to be most fully revealed, if only for a moment, through his Son, Jesus.

Why was Jesus transfigured?

This is just past the half-way point in the book of Mark. Why bother at all? Jesus is going to be resurrected soon and everyone will understand, right? Well, yes, but his disciples needed something more right then.

The transfiguration is sandwiched between two predictions of Jesus’ suffering and death (8:31 and 9:12, 31). The disciples needed to know that this was not the end. Not all the disciples went, though. Just the three leaders and close companions. They needed to know that suffering and death are coming, but the coming glory is infinitely greater.

But, the glory could not come without the suffering. Just like gold cannot be refined unless it is first melted down, so Jesus could not be resurrected and take on his truest form unless he first experienced suffering and death.

You cannot separate glory and suffering.

So it is with us. When we die with Christ in baptism, we put to death our old selves. We bury our past in the water and are resurrected into a new life in which the glory of the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Jesus took the suffering on himself so that we might share his glory.

Glory comes after suffering. And the transfiguration reassures us of that hope.

Sure, I’m a Christian. I go to church. I listen to Christian radio sometimes. I sing when I feel like it. I even listen to the sermons sometimes. I where Christian t-shirts. I went to Six Flags with the youth group last summer. I try not to cuss. I guess I’m a pretty good Christian…

Is this where we’ve come as Christians? Have we watered down discipleship to church attendance and a list of dos and don’ts? Do we realize that the term “good Christian” isn’t even in the Bible?

It’s as if we think there are degrees of Christianity – I’m a better Christian as so-and-so, but I guess I should try to be more like that person. She’s a great Christian.

Really? If only it were so simple.

Following Christ is much more than that. It’s supposed to be a challenge. If it’s easy to follow Jesus, you’re probably doing it wrong…

In Mark 8, Jesus gives a wake-up call to his disciples and the crowds following him. It’s gut check time.

According to Jesus, here’s what it takes to come after him:

1. Deny yourself.

Now, we want to add something to that. We think Jesus is saying, “Deny yourself (x).” If you want to be a Christian you’ve got to deny yourself this TV show or that movie. You’ve got to deny yourself those friends or these vices. But he doesn’t say to deny yourself things. He says to deny yourself. Deny your very self – the thing that makes you you. Your identity, your self-worth, your image, your reputation. You no longer define yourself by yourself. You define yourself by Jesus. Your life is no longer about you – it’s about Christ. It’s not about what you want – it’s about what he wants.

2. Take up your cross.

This imagery has been so skewed over the years that it’s hard to break people out of their old notions. To be clear: Jesus is not equating a cross with your own personal burdens. I’ve heard it preached that we all have a cross to bear, and some are heavier than others. But if we stick with it and bear our burdens, God will reward us in the end.

That’s Paul talking in Galatians, not Jesus talking in Mark. Jesus’ words are much scarier than that.

If the cross equals burdens, then that implies that some people will have an easier time following Jesus than others. Compared to prison inmates or homeless drug addicts, my burdens are extremely light. Does that mean I have a better chance at following Jesus? If the cross equals burdens, then that opens us up to the comparison game. But if the cross means…the cross – an instruments of painful execution – then we’re all on the same level.

Sure, some people may be stronger and more able to carry that bit piece of wood, but the physically strong and the physically weak will both die on that cross. Your strength won’t save you. No matter what our lot in life may be – whether rich or poor, smart or uneducated, strong or weak – the cross and the death it represents is the great equalizer of us all.

3. Follow Me.

Two points on this one. First, we can’t have salvation on our own terms. It’s either God’s way or no way. Sure, mankind has come up with all sorts of alternatives throughout the millenia. But God has shown us the way to eternal life – and it comes through self-denial and death. Jesus never once taught that we could follow him and come to God any way we want. He never said that we should choose whatever way seems best. He says, “Follow me.” And we can only truly follow him once we’ve denied ourselves and taken up our cross.

Second, Jesus is not asking us to do anything that he has not already done. In coming down to earth and becoming a man, he denied himself to a degree that we cannot even fathom. He “emptied himself” and “made himself nothing” (Philippians 2:7). And it was he who would first carry that cross all the way to his death. He’s not asking us to do anything he has not already done.

* * * * *

I think we fall into the trap of comfortable Christianity. But there is nothing comfortable about Jesus’ words here. In fact following Jesus is a commitment that is guaranteed to break you out of your comfort zone, to tear down the walls of safety you have built up around yourself, and to get you outside of yourself. Once you wear the name “Christian,” your life is not about you anymore.

Paul summed up perfectly what it means to be a follower of Christ:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

So Jesus is the Messiah. Period. Done. Pack it up and let’s get going. We have a military to organize.

If Jesus is the Messiah, that means Israel is about to regain its power. God is going to overthrow Rome and the Herodian dynasty in order to establish the throne of David once again in Jerusalem. No more oppression, no more slavery, no more Gentiles telling God’s people what to do.

This is it.

At least that’s what the disciples thought. That’s what everyone thought the Messiah was coming to do. He would be God’s anointed one to lead Israel’s armies into battle against their oppressors. He would be the one to become the great an final king of Israel whose throne would last forever. God’s shalom would finally come to fruition.

They were ready for war.

And they would get war, but not for another 30 years and definitely not with Jesus as their general.

And that war did not turn out so well for them.

Just when the disciples had finally caught on to who Jesus was (“You are the Christ”), he turns their whole understanding on end. They were right in calling him the Christ, the King, the Anointed One. Now he says that he’s going to be killed.

The Messiah, the deliverer, the King of all kings – had to die?

This did not compute.

The Messiah must suffer and be rejected by the chief priests and teachers of the law? The Anointed One must be killed and rise again on the third day? What?

Imagine you are just putting the finishing touches on a 20 page research paper, about to press save, when suddenly the computer freezes and displays the dreaded blue screen of death. All that work – just gone. It’s like a punch to the gut.

Now imagine the fate of your entire country – your spouse, your children, your friends – was in the hands of one man, and he tells you that he’s going to be killed. Enter Peter.

There’s got to be a better way. Jesus, you must be confused. Don’t say things like that. You’re only joking, right?

But Jesus says something striking:
“Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”



Ouch. When was the last time you called someone “Satan” and got away with it? But Jesus says that Peter doesn’t have in mind the things of God but the things of men. How often are we guilty of the same thing? We want Jesus on our own terms. We want God to act how we think he should. We think, like Peter and the Jews, that if God would just wipe out every evildoer and punish the wicked, everything would be great! Just swoop down with his army from heaven and be done with it.

But, like Yoda says, “Wars not make one great.” No war has ever made as much of an impact on the world as the sacrificial death of one man. Wars make history – they can’t change it. Wars will never redeem the world. Wars will never bring life – only death. Wars only breed hatred – not love.

So no, Peter, there will not be a war. There will only be sacrificial love and complete surrender to God. Wars do not make one great – only God can do that.

I’m serious. Don’t read it.

I don’t want to be guilty of doing the very thing Jesus told his disciples not to do.

I don’t want to make the mistake of telling people that Jesus is the Christ. I think that would probably get me in trouble. Not with the government or friends or family, but with Jesus. He didn’t want his disciples to spread the word, so I’m not going to.

So stop reading this post.

….

….

Okay. Now that nobody is reading, here it goes.

I believe that Jesus, the Jewish teacher from Nazareth, is the Christ and that he is the Son of the Living God. I believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, the promised One who came to take away the sins of the world. I believe that Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life. I believe that he was killed on the cross anyway. I believe he was put there on that cross not by the Jews, not by the Romans, but by me. He came to save me, and I killed him.

I believe that if there is any hope for the world, it is Jesus. I believe that Jesus died not just for me but for the entire world. He bled out on the cross so that his blood could cover over our sins. And I believe that he rose from the dead three days later. And if Jesus was raised from the dead, I believe that I will also be raised with him.

People talk about Jesus like he was a good teacher, a moral example, a visionary, or even a peace-loving hippy. I don’t buy it. I believe that he either is who he says he is, or he is not. If he claimed to be God and he knew he really wasn’t, then he is a deceitful liar who doesn’t deserve a second thought. If he claimed to be God, believed he truly was, but in reality was just a normal guy, then he is certifiably insane. He belongs in an asylum, not venerated in church buildings. But if he truly is who he claims to be, then he is Lord. There is no way around it.

I believe he is Lord. I believe that he is reigning in heaven this very moment. I believe that his Spirit is at work within me and those who believe. And I believe that because of Jesus I have hope of an eternal home with him from this moment forward.

….

….

If you’re still reading this, I hope you figured out that I was being facetious. I also hope you see the irony in these statements.

Throughout Mark’s gospel account, Jesus keeps telling people not to tell anyone else about the things he has done. And do they listen?

No.

But then Jesus plainly tells his followers to teach the good news to all creation…and what do we do?

We treat the gospel as if Jesus wanted us to keep it to ourselves. We hold it close, not wanting others to be put off or offended by what we believe and know to be true. Dare I say we seem ashamed of Jesus and his words (Mark 8:38)?

Just compare for a moment: Have you ever shared your faith with someone only to have them reject you? Have you ever intentionally suppressed your faith around someone, never even mentioning Jesus?

Which situation leaves you with more regrets?

We live in a country in which we have BOTH freedom of speech and freedom of religion. But, shh… don’t tell anybody about Jesus.

Right now I’m reading though Miracles by C.S. Lewis. I’m trying to read more as a goal for 2012, and in reading more I would like to read a wider variety of authors. I have read quite a bit of Lewis’ stuff in the past, but it has been a while…and my brain can tell.

For being such a prolific and popular author and apologetic, I wonder how well-accepted his material would be if he were just beginning his writing career today. We’ve become so accustomed to the happy-go-lucky, feel-good material from the likes of Lucado and Osteen that we seem to have lost our desire and ability to think deeply and critically about the Faith.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some authors out there who do present their material in a concise, simple way while still challenging their readers to think for themselves. But I can’t help wonder what Lewis’ reaction would be to the spiritual and intellectual depth of the current Western American church?

Walt Mueller, a leading youth ministry guru, recently posted about a new book debuting soon. It’s called The Juveniliazation of American Christianity by Thomas Bergler. I would encourage you to read the article and watch the interview at the end. His premise is basically that we are not pushing ourselves to pursue spiritual maturity, and the church is suffering because of it.

Since when did Christianity become something that must be palatable for the masses? Why do we think that we must dumb down or simplify the message of Christ so that everyone can get it?

Last time I looked, it’s not man’s job to bring understanding. That’s the job of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15).

Jesus didn’t grade his students on a curve. He didn’t give extra credit. He didn’t cut them any slack just because they were “unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13). In fact, Jesus held his followers to a higher standard than even the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law (Matthew 5:20).

But check out this interaction between Jesus and his disciples in Mark 8:14-21

  The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them.“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”  They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”  Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”   “Twelve,” they replied.   “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”   They answered, “Seven.”    He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

I’m afraid that Jesus would have very similar things to say to us today. The disciples had been with Jesus for probably over a year at this point, if not longer. They had traveled with him, ate with him, lodged with him, preached with him, and they had witnessed incredible miracles. Yet they still had no understanding.

We’ve had the words and accounts of Jesus and Jesus’ followers for the last 2000 years. And we still haven’t figured it out either? We have the entire story readily accessible in hundreds of different languages. Scholars and theologians have been pouring over the words in red for centuries. Thousands of preachers across the world proclaim the message Sunday after Sunday. And yet Jesus’ words still ring louder than ever: “Do you still not understand?”

I know this post sounds a bit harsh. I hope I haven’t crossed the line into arrogance or self-exaltation. That is not my intention, especially since I am speaking to myself as well. I’ve got to hold myself to a higher standard.

My point (and Jesus’ point) is that we need to stop making excuses. It’s time to open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts. I don’t want Jesus to say these words to me. Furthermore, I don’t want Jesus to say these words to anyone under my care.

I pray that God will give all of us Christians eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand.

A little switch up today. Here’s one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands from my high school years.

The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows by Brand New

How many of you have ever thought that it would be SO much easier to believe in God if he would just give you some sort of sign? If he would just speak to me directly… If he would just show me once and for all… If he would just (________), then I would (____________).

Throughout history mankind has desired and sought after “signs and wonders” from the gods. Especially now that we live in such a science-driven, secular society, we think that the only way to truly believe something is to have tangible evidence. Honestly, the ancients weren’t much different. They didn’t just blindly believe in things they could never experience or test.

Ever since humanity first stepped on the scene we have been faced with death. It’s the one experience we know better than any other. Was it any easier for the ancients to believe a dead person had come back to life? Absolutely not. They needed some type of proof.

And some of them got proof.

And that seems unfair to us.

The thing we need to realize, though, is that even when we are staring the evidence in the face, it doesn’t mean we’ll automatically believe and everything will be better.

• Some people got to see the resurrected Christ face to face – and they still didn’t believe (Matthew 28:17). 
• Peter was able to hear God’s voice and see Jesus transfigured into his true divine nature right before his eyes (Mark 9:2-7), but he still denied him three times (Mark 14:66-72). 
• The Israelites were given so many signs from God that it’s hard to count. They heard God speak, they saw his power, they witnessed his Glory fill the Tabernacle and the Temple – and they still rebelled and sinned against him.

The reality is that seeing doesn’t always lead to believing.

Maybe on some cognitive level it would be reassuring to know for a fact that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. But that cognitive assurance does not equal faith. Those who want to believe will believe. Those who refuse to believe will refuse to believe even in light of solid evidence.

Faith is a choice.

In Mark 8, some Pharisees came to “test” Jesus. They asked for a sign from heaven. Note that they didn’t ask for a sign from God, but a sign from heaven. The implication, according to some commentators, is that they were seeking some type of apocalyptic sign, i.e. a sign that would demonstrate the restoration of Israel and the judgment against their oppressors and the Gentiles. Simply put, they probably wanted a sign to show them that Jesus was who they thought he should be.

But Jesus did not come to bring judgment on the Gentiles. In fact he had just come from feeding thousands of them. Can you sense the irony? So, no. That sign would not be given.

Another irony is that Jesus had given signs time and time again. Mark’s account is full of them to this point. He had calmed the seas (twice!), he had healed incurable diseases, he had shown his ability to forgive sins, he had even raised a dead girl back to life.

And they want a sign? No, Jesus did not owe them another sign if they are simply going to ignore all the others.

So what about us?

Well, if we’re honest with ourselves God has given us plenty of signs already. We just have to open our eyes to see them.

• We want God to speak to us. He already has through his Son, Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2). 
• We want to know what God’s will for us is, how we’re supposed to live, what we’re supposed to believe, etc. He’s already given us everything we need (2 Peter 1:3-4). 
• We think that if we could just see a miracle or a sign we would believe. Like Thomas we want to see for ourselves the power of Jesus before we fully commit. But we have something better! The Holy Spirit actually lives in us and is there for us always (John 16:7).
• We just want God to make his presence and his power plain to us. But all we have to do is look around (Romans 1:18-20).