Who is Louie, Matt or Francis?

I love Passion City Church. I have followed Louie Giglio for years and when he started a church in Atlanta, I knew that would be my home church. The music is incredible. The speaking passionate and empowering. The worshippers engaged and sold out for Jesus.

So too I am a huge fan of Matt Chandler. Not only am I drawn to his teaching style, the depth of wisdom and the grace of Christ revealed, but I’m inspired by how he responded to his cancer diagnosis. Though I have never met him, I am often reminded of his humble, God-fearing, God-honoring response. It helps me battle my own bouts of bitterness.

And I was first introduced to Francis Chan when a friend sent me a book of his. After reading it, I heard his preaching for the first time, and I was immediately drawn in. His passion, his humor, his vulnerability all drew me, along with many others, to listen and eagerly seek out more of his talks.

Tim Keller is another well-known pastor and author who strengthens my faith. I am drawn to his gospel-centered approach to, not only his teaching, but all of life. The gospel changes everything; Keller helps me understand how.

And how can I forget Beth Moore? I’ve completed almost all of her Bible studies and read many of her books. I love her speaking style, her devotion to Christ, her down-to-earth way of teaching.

So it’s not uncommon for you to hear me throw these names, along with others, around. I often suggest listening to a Matt or Louie sermon. I recommend Beth’s Bible studies. I encourage New Yorkers to attend Keller’s church. I boast how a Francis Chan talk has started to change my life.

But the other day I began to wonder if I, along with others, have begun to cross a line in our praise for these men and women of God. At times our conversations even seem to turn into a type of competition for who is a better teacher, speaker, author, or overall communicator. It's as if we pit our super-hero (of the faith) against our friend's super-hero and see who is stronger. Thinking of this, I was reminded of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth, “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one” (I Cor 3:4, 5).

The reason I am drawn to Louie, Matt, and Beth ultimately has nothing to do with them. Don’t get me wrong. I think they are talented, gifted, graced individuals. But they are not the end. Jesus is. Jesus saves. Jesus heals. Jesus restores. His Spirit empowers. His Spirit transforms. His Spirit moves in our hearts. So it’s not Francis Chan’s talk that is changing my life; it’s the Spirit of Christ in me who is.

While I know we would not intentionally put these men and women in the place of God, if we aren’t on guard as we sing their praises, I wonder if our hearts could elevate them to idol status. I wonder if it could be possible to adore the servant instead of the Savior.

So as we rejoice in their gifts and gladly receive what the Spirit has given them for the building up of the Church, may we ever be mindful that it is not the one who plants nor the one who waters who is anything but God who moves in grace (I Cor 3:7). As Paul summarizes, “So then let no on boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God” (I Cor 3:21-23).

Call Me Gomer

I’m an adulterer. My heart bleeds lust. I pay a lot to get quick and momentary pleasure. Many days I struggle to stay away from brothels. And I’m not alone.

Throughout Scripture God’s people continue to prostitute themselves. Instead of the true God, they prefer to serve trendy gods they can see and touch.

Perhaps most vividly in the story of Hosea God gives us a living picture of how He experiences His relationship with Israel. God tells Hosea, a righteous man to marry Gomer, a prostitute. Though he pursues and cares for her, she refuses to rest in his love. Instead she leaves the safety, comfort and provision of her husband to pursue lovers who abuse. She exchanges love for lust, met needs for insatiable desire, union for loneliness.

I see myself in Gomer. I see my friends and fellow churchgoers too. The human heart seems to beat in accord with Gomer the whore. While most of us don’t literally sell our bodies in return for money, we give our hearts to lovers who end up taking all we have, leaving us empty. Desperate and foolish we keep returning thinking this time it will be different. It seems God’s people have not changed much over the centuries.

But why? Why do we stray? Perhaps one reason is because at our core we hate faith. We prefer something tactile. Something our five senses can perceive. Something we can manipulate to do our bidding.

Like the people of old we make our own golden calf. Our calves just look different. Perhaps like a spouse we beg to give us our identity; we speak words that will elicit a desired response. Or alcohol we down to drown out a painful existence; we decide when and how much to drink to numb our emotions. Or a country-club membership to make us feel valuable; we name-drop to friends and co-workers, feeling alive and desired as their eyes respond with envy.

When we look to created objects, however, to bring us hope, healing and salvation we abandon Christ, and He becomes of no value to us. (No wonder Sunday morning worship seems so quiet, so tame. We have lifted our hands and voices to countless others throughout the week.)

In this world, though, we must hope for some sort of salvation to continue on. It could be salvation from pain, loneliness, meaningless, insecurity, monotony. If we are honest not many of us actually long to be rescued from sin. The effects of sin done to us, yes. But to admit we have contributed to the ravages of sin and affronted God with our dirty infidelity is another matter. We expect God to fix our pain, make our lives work, bless us with good things. But to suggest that in our confusion and longing what we may need most is repentance seems offensive.

But what Gomer needed was not to find a lover who paid her enough, or excited her pleasure to another level, or soothed her insecurity with vain words about her beauty. What she needed was the presence of her husband. She needed to repent of her harlotry.

So what do we think we need to have peace? To have value? To feel secure? Perhaps freedom from pain. Or close and fulfilling relationships. A steady income. Meaningful work. Verbal validation. While all these things are good, they will never fulfill. And when we demand that they do, we commit adultery.

So if we answer the question with any other answer besides Christ we are sleeping around. Instead of placing our hope and trust (our faith) in what is seen, we must look to the God we cannot see. Even now He invites us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heave-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:28).

So let’s leave the brothels. Let's abandon our current lovers who promise healing but leave us wounded (Jer 2:13). Let’s come home to the one true Savior. Let us rest in His grace, in His sacrificial provision, and in the promise of paradise to come. And in doing discover in Him our heart's exceeding joy.

Percy Jackson's Lotus Cookie Slumber

I recently saw Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It’s the story of Percy, a demi-god whose father is Posiedon, the god of water. Posiedon’s brothers (Zeus and Hades) believe that Percy has stolen Zeus’ lightning bolt, and now Percy must find the true culprit and rescue his mother from Hades’ prison in Hell before the deadline is up. So he and his two friends set out on a journey that leads them through encounters with dangers, excitement and evil gods.

In one particular adventure they must visit a casino in Las Vegas to recover a pearl that will help them out of Hell once they get there. As soon as they enter the casino, they are bombarded with waitresses offering them pink, flower-shaped Lotus cookies. They hesitate at first but eventually succumb to the scrumptious treat.

As they bite into the cookie they discover it is the most delicious treat they have ever tasted. At once they forget their original purpose. They forget about the pearl. They forget about Percy’s mom. They lose track of time. Instead they believe their sole purpose is to have fun. So they set out on evening of gambling, laughing, playing games. All the while consuming more of the special pink cookies.

After awhile Percy hears his father’s voice, “Percy, you must wake up. Don’t eat another cookie.” Percy slowly wakes from his slumber to realize the delicious treats had lulled him and his friends to sleep, away from reality, away from their mission. Though it only seemed like an hour to them they wake to realize they had “slept” for days and now they were upon their deadline. The gods had deceived them.

As I watched this scene I thought of how too the enemy of our souls lulls us to sleep. How many things in our lives serve as Lotus cookies? How often, for example, television invites us to sit down, take a rest from our busy days, only to find we’ve spent our whole evenings lost in a world of fiction. Or, how often does alcohol beckon just one drink and then just one more. An hour of relaxing becomes another night of partying in which we’ve shirked responsibility. Lotus cookies can come in many forms—romance, fit bodies, sex, wealth, living the American dream, comfort, happiness. Like Percy and his friends, when we consume too much of these pleasantries, they can take control of our hearts, singing our minds to sleep.

These potential idols have the power to distract us, to pull us away from our true purpose. We don’t exist to have fun. Our purpose is not to find the one true love. Meaning does not result from having purchased a flat screen T.V. over which we can spend all evening watching sports or sitcoms or so-called reality shows.

So like Poseidon’s father, the Holy Spirit whispers to us, “Awake sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you” (Eph 5:14). Many of us have fallen asleep. We have lost sight of our purpose. The things of the world, the things of comfort and ease, the pursuit of the American dream has cast a drowsy spell on us. Paul reminds us that our purpose is to “be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph 5:1, 2).

We are on a mission to live for the glory of God, to reveal His love, mercy, justice and hope to the people in our world. Paul warns us to “be careful how [we] walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of [our] time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15, 16). How often, I wonder, do I live as an unwise person because I waste my life on things that don’t ultimately matter? Watching a T.V. show in and of itself is not evil, though it can be. Drinking a glass of wine is not a sin and seeking to be physically is not mere vanity.

I just wonder, however, as I examine my own life and the culture of the American church if many of us have fallen asleep. Are we making the most of our time? Instead of investing our hours in TNT dramas or late nights at the office, should we perhaps spend our time in pursuits such as, serving the homeless, mentoring a college student, mowing a neighbor’s yard, conversing with our family at dinner, coaching a basketball team in the inner-city?

As those on a mission to reveal Christ to the world, we ought to live as He would live. Would Jesus spend most of His evenings watching sitcoms or reviewing reports at the office or spending hours playing the Wii?* I just can’t imagine the answer is yes. With Christ as our Teacher, then, why should we live any differently?

So let us not slumber. Let us give heed to the Spirit’s whisper. Let us wake. And let us continue on this adventure of living for the glory of God, of seeking His kingdom, of fighting the good fight of faith. For we know that “all that is the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (I John 2:17).

*I do believe that if Jesus were in human form today He might very well play video games, especially with a group of people. Christ focused on building relationships, and I think He could enjoy playing Super Mario Bros with some buddies. But I don’t think He would continually spend hours lost in the world of fantasy to the exclusion of present-day realities, like caring for the poor, helping the needy, and developing the spiritual growth of others.