The Relational Mission

“[W]e preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” —1 Corinthians 1:23 CEB The Bible is the most unique book ever written. The reasons for this are many, but the fact that it claims to be the word of God and that the central figure claimed to be God, but that God was killed on the cross makes this the most unusual kind of story ever. As Paul wrote, it is foolishness and a scandal. This one attribute, the reality that God died on a cross, while the most shocking claim in history, reveals a God that is at work in this world in ways that we cannot predict or control. It reveals truth that comes to us from God, not something that we could ever drum up. This foolish truth of the Bible must cause us to ask: What kind of book is this? Of course, we often read the Bible by domesticating it. The truth of the Bible is so beyond what we expect that we try to fit its message into already conceived notions. We read it to confirm what we already believe. Li...

Like many who grew up in the church, Sunday school small group Bible studies shaped my life. Then I added home Bible studies. Then I got involved in the early days of the cell church movement in the 1990s. Sermons, Bible studies, Bible teaching sessions, conferences—how could I ever count the hours of information that I've poured into my brain about the Bible. My situation is not that uncommon. Many in the church know a lot about the Bible. I've even heard it say that we know more Bible than we can obey. As an alternative, many propose a focus on Bible application. So the point of a sermon or a Bible discussion time in a small group is to get people to the question of How can I apply this to my life? Or What am I called to obey as a result of this study? Or How is God calling me to respond to this passage? I don't think that the problem in the church is having too much Bible information. Nor is it about having the right information. And I don't think the solution is...

I wrote this post and then I deleted it by accident. So here's the second post. I think it turned out a bit better. I've found that most Chrisitan know that they are supposed to pray. But I've also found that prayer can be a very frustrating experience. This is especially true when we view prayer as a something we have to make happen. You know the kind of thing that we do by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps and we do out of effort and discipline. I've been there, oh so many times. I've prayed ACTS, through the Tabernacle pattern, and by walking through the Lord's prayer. I've journaled my prayers. I've forced myself to get up far too early in the morning. And I've copied the patterns of those held up as prayer warriors. Effort, effort, effort. Trying to make prayer work can be exhausting. Over the years I've found that prayer can be a joy when I don't focus on trying to make it work. Instead, I allow a different way of praying to ...

In the mid-1990s, I relocated to Vancouver, B.C. to study with Gordon Fee so that I could develop the exegetical skills and a background in first century history in order to effectively teach and write about the nature and practices of the first century church. Well, I've yet to write that book, but I become well-versed in the best titles available on the subject. In the exploration of the vast number of titles, I've found that most of the more accessible resources—some of which have become popular—have an "ax to grind." In other words, they grab hold of one or two aspects of historical research that supports the kind of church they want to see manifest today and they limit their presentation of the data on the first century church in such a way that it supports their preferred model of church life. For example, those who advocate for the house church model find all kinds of support for the house church and therefore determine that the house church is the intended u...

“In the beginning God …” --Genesis 1:1 The Bible begins with God. If we want to get inside what the Bible means, we must begin with a basic understanding that God is the primary actor in the biblical narrative. He is the one initiates the story. He is main character of the story. And he is the producer of the story as the one who holds together the various actors who seem to never quite get what God is doing in his story. As I reflect on my years of reading the Bible, I realize how I failed to see this basic, foundational point about the Bible. I read the Bible as “God’s love letter to me” as if I was the central focus of the story. When I was in college, I began in Genesis and worked my way through the Bible on a daily basis, and I would stop and journal my impressions and reactions to what I read. Recently, I looked at what I wrote. I must confess that almost every journal entry was about what I was doing for God, what God wanted me to do or what God was calling me to do. When on...

I have begun to ponder the fact that most of our theological conversations have been shaped in the age of Enlightenment, which has been shaped in a large way by the agenda of individualism. After 300 years of imagining life as centered around individuals instead of around a community. Our imaginations are shaped in a way that we think first about the benefit to the individual and then for the wider community.  This directly impacts the way we read the Bible. For instance, Paul says in Gal 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." All of the pronouns her are first person singular. So when we read this today, one might assume a way of reading and interpreting Paul that makes this about his personal salvation and personal relationship with Jesus. This seems like the obvious common sensical reading of this verse. However, when you...