“Knowledge puffs up, love builds up” (8.1). It is more than a truism, or a bumper sticker. Understood in context it is as relevant today as it was to the original Gentile believers in Corinth. The gospel was brought to Corinth by Paul (Acts 18.1-11). Now, Paul is in Ephesus and responds to questions from Gentile believers regarding marriage, sexual ethics and eating food sacrificed to idols (7.1f).

Corinth embraced all kinds of deities with no shortage of gods displayed in the streets and homes. It was an accepted practice to offer a sacrifice of food to the gods for their favor in daily living. There were many gods and temples (Aphrodite, Apollo, Poseidon, Helios, Asklepios). Once the food was presented as sacrifice, (meat), then it was sold in the marketplace for consumption. Consequently, Paul’s use of knowledge is not merely a matter being smarter. “Knowledge” in context is relational. That is some believe that eating meat sacrificed to idols is a NO and for others, it is a YES. This impacts relationships. And so, he clarifies.

· Idols are nothing. No God but one and Jesus is the one Lord.
· Not everyone has this knowledge.
· Some still consider sacrificial food as to a god.
· Their conscience is weak and so to eat is defilement.
· Food does not bring one closer to God.

For the sake of others, be careful how you exercise your rights. Your “knowledge” may allow you to participate, but example matters. You may influence someone to sin because of their weak conscience.

Paul concludes, if I eat this meat and someone falls into sin, I won’t eat meat again. Love builds up. Deference not preference is the way.

“Food sacrificed to idols” is not our concern in the church today. How Paul answers their question, however, addresses the malady of personal preference church. Which is very relevant in “the church of your choice” time. There are many applications to consider (i.e., regarding alcohol, movies, modesty, language, priorities). If my preferences about church and what I want is the only criteria that matters, maybe the way of Jesus is lacking.

When our preference will not yield to deference, love is not our reference.

It not what my knowledge allows, rather if I am practicing loving deference. Sometimes, I just need to withhold what I really think for the sake of others.

Lord, help!

A wise elder and teacher shared with me years ago— “If you do not take care of yourself, no one will—no matter how well-intentioned people are.” It is not a judgment, but it is a reality.

Ministry is a calling and there is a price to pay. Most people in a church have no clue the quiet, often challenging unseen aspects of ministry. The personal conversations, restless nights, grappling with Scripture and the application for the people, week after week. And the interruptions where so much opportunity and ministry happen. Add to this walking through the valley of sorrow (grief, funerals, etc.) with people. And of course, the disappointments, and frustrations of fickle participation and attendance with busy, distracted and at times, “my way or the highway” preferences.

Granted, there are moments of joy —baptisms, worship, and even a sermon that you have poured your heart into and people let you know.

So, how do you keep a minister you know is good for the church? Replacing ministers is costly. It’s not just about “the preacher” but other full-time ministers as well. Know this: it is not always about more money. Here are a few things that come to mind from my experience and years of listening to ministers.

1. Respect the minister as a human being who have needs just like you.

2. Encourage a collaborative relationship with the elder group—gift based mutual ministry.

3. Provide time and margin for study and reflection for not just preaching but his own life and family.

4. Talk with, not about the minister.

5. Accept the minister as God’s servant and honor his/her giftedness.

6. Invest in mentors outside the congregation with whom they can share, safely.

7. Invite the spouses and children to join a meeting to bless and pray over them.

There is way to much pressure for ministers to be defined by what happens with a sermon. Steady teaching of God’s Word from a good heart and willingness to care for people is best over the long haul.

Finally, it goes a long way for Barnabas type people to actively encourage (cards, notes, texts, emails) and face to face conversations.

Remember, they are not employees per se, rather partners in the gospel.

It makes a difference. See 2 Corinthians 4 for a powerful description of the heart of ministry.

Praying for healthy ministry and churches!

I’ll get to the point!

It is time for communion to be at the center of the gathered church not the periphery.

It is only a few seconds of my week, probably yours too— 15 seconds, at most. Others around us do the same, mostly in silence. I chew a sliver of dry cracker—smaller than the tip of little finger. I drink a tiny plastic cup of grape juice—half the size of a medicine cap.

They are symbols of remembrance—of Christ, for who he is, what he did for me, us, the world. With hair wet from my baptism into Christ and shaking from the chilly waters (the heater was out that evening) I took communion for the first time at age 11. That was 60 years ago and lost count of how many times I have taken communion. Through the years, I have taken communion with God’s people in a variety of settings (retreats, camps, homes, etc.).

I am thankful my heritage that follows the teaching of Jesus about his presence in communion—in the kingdom and the command of Paul to “proclaim the Lord’s death” until he comes (1 Cor 11.26).

I confess. At times it feels perfunctory, like my mother telling me, “Wash your hands, it’s time to eat.” Like baptism, communion embodies and proclaims the essence of the gospel. It’s so inextricably woven into who we are as God’s people. Then, consider. Why is it on the periphery of far too many churches? Why does it continue to be practiced as a highly individualistic and private experience? What does it look like to be more intentional and thoughtful about communion in the gathered church?

Communion is at the tap root of community! At times, when eating and drinking the simple elements I imagine being with Jesus at a low table in a dimly lit upper room with 12 other men. The food is that of the Passover meal, lots of conversation, memories of ancestors, and recounting the haste in leaving Egypt with the bread not having time to rise; hence, unleavened bread. The symbolism is powerful, sobering and a matter of identity. And then, right in the middle of the meal, Jesus speaks about someone in the room who will betray him. No name mentioned. Everyone is shocked. They began to speak up— “Surely not I!” (Mk 14.17-21). Jesus clarifies. It is the one who lacks bread or is dipping from the same bowl. Then, they know who. And the soul of Judas must have been under the table by now.

But I digress. In the time I took me to write the preceding paragraph, we move on in the assembly usually with a song of gratitude—a lyrical transition to something else. There is little time to process during the efficient way of taking communion in the gathered church. The emphasis is not on sharing with your neighbor, but a private experience. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the long tradition and pattern of weekly communion from my heritage. It is a gospel experience, past, present and future of participation and anticipation. It was a big part of the early church meeting together. And one could argue that it was at the center of the fellowship. After all, baptism and communion are core to our faith and identity in Christ. Not to earn God’s grace, rather because of God’s grace. Both sacred rhythms in our life are more than acts to obey. They embody the gospel and calling to be God’s people with each other and in the world. This was particularly relevant for Corinthian believers experiencing division (1.10) and a host of other scruples and ethical struggles (See Chptr 5-8).

Maybe there’s an application for church today. You know there is, don’t you?

“Until he comes” 

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11.26).   

This came home to me last Sunday while worshipping with a rural church around 60 people. I was to preach, following communion. The elder presiding at the table explained the rationale for taking communion by quoting Paul. And for some reason, this time, the phrase, “until he comes” seized my thoughts. I keep thinking about the connection between communion, community and his coming. Jesus didn’t use the phrase “until he comes” per se, only that he would not break bread or drink the cup until he would drink it new in the kingdom (Mk 1.25). Paul shares about communion, drawing upon what he received from the Lord with believers in Corinth—a church divided and lacking maturity. “Until he comes” is for orienting them to the future for the purpose of unity. Christ is not divided. They are. To proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes means we must die too, here, and now for the sake of others. We cannot take communion and simply hold on to that which divides us, no matter what.

Communion is both participation and anticipation—“Until he comes.”

Here are three dynamics to consider.

1) Remembering: What Christ did, why and who we are as his people.

2) Repenting: Changing our mind about how we live for the sake of others—in the church and the world—because of Christ.

3) Renewing: Allowing our soul and spirit to praise God in Jesus Christ with others.

Participating in communion proclaims the Lord’s death—an all that it embodies. The what, the why and the when for all time. This participation equally anticipates the coming of the Lord. This compels us to re-frame the manner and experience of communion. It is in every way an holistic experience defining our identity. To remember has theological weight more than a thought about the past.

Remembrance, in Hebrew is to re-live the experience not just mental assent. I recall a tour guide, who was a Jewish Armenian Christian in Jerusalem who talked, AS IF he had just shard the Passover meal with Jesus the night before. It was so fresh and relevant for him and me. It was a re-framing of my thinking and a longing for my soul and experience.

So What?—for those and assemble and particularly for those who plan worship, thoughtfully.

1) We would do well to re-consider that amount of assembly time and thoughtfulness we give to communion, together.

2) Spiritual substance and application should be primary, not merely an efficient activity to get preaching, children’s worship and announcements.

3) When you and I leave the assembly, after taking communion, what will we be compelled to remember, repent and renew fo the sake of others.

4) Any consideration of “discerning the body of the Lord” (another Pauline application) meaning the brothers and sisters with whom we gather should be considered as well (1Cor 11.27-33). Lots to unpack and apply for a fragmented, diverse and busy people called church.

This is enough for now.

Let’s commune!

*Special note: The art work is by my friend, Rolando Diaz, Dallas, TX—Jesus carrying the cross as the expression of self-giving love for a series on the Fruit of the Spirit at the So MacArthur Church of Christ (circa 2008). I would tell him the fruit I was to preach on and he would sketch a scene he felt symbolized the fruit. I would meet him at the church building early Sunday morning to display on large canvas for the service. Whatever text he chose, I would then preach on that text.

This is why we, in HOPE Network are committed to pouring into young ministers particularly those who are within the first five years. Timothy had Paul. Many times, young minister struggle to find their Paul. Their professors are helpful but long term relationship is not practical given their academic demands and the number of student they have.

Introducing . . .

Early Ministry Leadership Cohort

Helping young ministers thrive while strengthening

the churches they serve

https://hopenetworkministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Early-Ministry-Leadership-Cohort-Flyer-Printer-Friendly.pdf

Let your young minister know about this.

First cohort begins this Fall. Registration is open.

It’s worth it the investment! It benefits the church greatly. Elders can fund this because it is a relatively inexpensive investment compared to the cost of losing a minister quickly, managing church morale, finding a new minister, or worse, burn out and leaving ministry all together.

HOPE Network walks with you in prayer and discernment about your leadership and church with God’s mission as the guiding compass.

Broken and Mended connects people to Jesus and each other online and in person. Read about David’s own struggle and ministry that God is using. Congregations are human to say the least and being human means all kinds of brokenness—body, soul and spirit. Some in our churches have chronic pain for a variety of reasons. For this reason, and from his own experience, David Heflin, long time minister began Broken and Mended.

Every church talks mission, but what does it mean and how does it happen in everyday life? Founder, Marvin Bryant is committed to moved from complaining about the world to making a difference through equipping others.

In forty years of church ministry, I well understand the problems, busyness and demands that plague leadership. We won’t be able to avoid all these, nor should we. But we can keep from being so overwhelmed by them that Satan thwarts our efforts to make a difference in the world. An indispensable part of the solution is to place a strong focus on God’s mission of changing the world. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

This training is practical, interactive, fun and grounded in what it means to minister like Jesus for anyone who has a heart to share their faith and make a difference.

These are a few helpful resources for God’s people in your own congregation and community. Ministry is contextual and remember—we have a mission from God.

More coming soon.

Lost is a big four letter word. We use it to refer to things, people, travel, and as a metaphor—“He’s a lost soul’ (identity, meaning, purpose, etc.). When Jesus speaks of gaining the world but losing one’s soul (life) he is getting at the heart of lostness. Not in the future but now. We can loose our life, long before we die. It is possible to die before we die—a sense of hollowness. An empty life is void of energy, joy and hope. Hollowness is a real experience.

Albert Gyorgy is a Hungarian artist who lost his wife and wanted to express his grief in a sculpture. It is in a park in Geneva, Switzerland. The stark image is called, Melancholoy.

Much of the ministry of Jesus is in the trenches of lost souls. He communicates lostness in several parables with a the storytelling pen of Dr. Luke. In one chapter he shares three parables of lostness about sheep, coins and a wayward son (Luke 19.10). The way Jesus uses parables is intriguing because they are embedded in familiar things to people of the time. And, for the most part, the point is hard to miss even though the disciples asked Jesus what it meant (i.e., the parable of the sower (8.4f). We read the parables and are perplexed how they missed the point. Not all parables are pointed and require reflection, and certainly, application.

When Jesus shares about lost sheep the people understood but the metaphorical application is about people. When something or someone is found, there is great joy. Luke wants us to know that God searches, seeks, looks for lost souls. It is clear in the story of the wayward (prodigal) son. And when he comes home, the father runs to meet the son. And throws a feast with great rejoicing. When anyone turns (repents) changes their mind or direction toward God.

God runs. What an image for how we view God. He runs toward us long before we reach home.

But the older brother stands aloof —“He refused to go in” to the feast even when the father begged him. In essence, he says, “I stayed home, worked like a slave and did what you asked of me.” Resentment and bitterness took over.

It’s hard to miss the point of the parable. Mainly, lost and found. And our God who seeks us passionately with grace and mercy and inexpressible joy when we are found.

Since Luke write to and for early disciples and the church, it implores us to consider how we will imitate God and whether or not we embody the spirit of the older brother.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. But that’s another story.

I am still looking for my wedding ring!

These are intentional behaviors for endurance. Here this. He’s not preaching to people who aren’t at the assembly, rather those that are to engage in exhortation with one another (10.25).

The body is called to mutual exhortation in Jesus Christ.

Listen closely to a preacher who loves his people and concerned about their spiritual warfare. He is exhorting discouraged people to “lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.” This is language for spiritual weariness and the need to get back on course (i.e., straight paths for your feet. Their lives are out of joint and are in danger of being spiritually lame. Healing is needed (12.12-13).

“…But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering , and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to a better word than the blood of Abel” (12.22-24).

Read the words again..slowly, thoughtfully and allow your imagination to kick in.

It is doubtful that you hear worship at your church described in such terms. And is doubtful that your preparation and expectation of “coming to church” is focused participation in contrast to passive consumerism. Don’t misunderstand. Coming to church on Sunday morning is a good habit. But like all habits the routine can be way too comfortable, manageable, and predictable. And then leave the assembly having experienced another Sunday of greeting, singing (maybe), staring at the back of someone’s head, listening to a message (maybe) and passing the bread and the cup, quickly.

But what if we, me and you, reframe “coming to church” as being in the presence of God?

What if we take time to prepare our minds and hearts long before we walk through the doors and sit in the same place, around the same people?  And what if we  acknowledge that our identity in Christ and God’s presence is all that matters as we lay every part of our lives before God.  It’s about pursuing peace, holiness, grace and applying Jesus to our lives (12.14-17). 

Then, maybe then we will join in mutual exhortation. You know, those conversations that need to happen.

How are you doing spiritually?

It’s a good exhortation question.

It begins with me.

This is, in many ways David’s reality in Psalm 89 in the context of worship. It is, as the heading notes “A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.” Ethan was a sage, a musician and known for his wisdom. He was appointed by David to lead worship in the tabernacle. A Maskil is a contemplative lament questioning God’s covenant with David after a national disaster. A lament of 52 verses beginning with singing the steadfast love forever and ending with blessed be the Lord forever (v 1, 52).

The language of belief in God is a thread throughout the lament. Steadfast love and faithfulness are coupled 7x’s. God’s righteousness and justice are sought in light of God’s promise/covenant to David. After all, God promised not to remove his steadfast love and has showed up in the past (v 28, 33, 49).

“Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?” 
“How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

David is feeling spurned, rejected and questions if God has renounced his covenant. God is not supporting him in battle and it appears God has removed the scepter from his hand. He is being taunted and insulted—his very life is in jeopardy (v 36f).

No doubt, there is a gap between belief and reality. Yet, God’s character is declared and appealed to as the foundation of the lament.

So What?

For me, the goodness of God is embedded in this lament regardless of what he is experiencing.

For me, if I let go of the goodness of God, I have no way to go forward, no hope, my tears have no meaning, my soul shrivels.

This is why worship in these times is a must, regardless of the gap I am experiencing. Singing, and at times, listening to the songs, hymns and spiritual songs of faith and the church is what keeps me from letting go of God’s goodness.

Thank you, Ethan for leading worship and sharing the song of lament.

Read more

For me, doubt is a part of faith—an act of trust. Getting the questions out with God is essential for my own spirit, struggle and journey of faith—of doing life. I do this BECAUSE I believe. Granted, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief” is reality—-a statement of a father to Jesus whose son was possessed by an evil spirit” (Mk 9.24).

Questioning is essential for a life of faith with God. We have questions—why not go ahead and verbalize them to God. It’s not like God doesn’t know or is surprised by them.

Psalms are filled with prayers that question why, what and when addressed to God. 

But the other side of questions is present in Scripture as well. That is, not human questions for God, but God’s questions for humans.

When God finally answers Job out the whirlwind he says, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me” (38.2-3).

What follows is God firing one question after the other to Job—a total of 70+ questions from chapter 38-41. Whoa! Imagine how many times Job must have thought, “Okay, enough, I get the point.”

God is communicating the humongous gap between Divine Wisdom & Human Comprehension.

Job finally respond, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know…” I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (see 42.1-6).

Have questions for God? He certainly has questions for you!  

Jesus asked 50 questions in Mark’s gospel. And with all the gospels combined there are 183 questions Jesus asked. Three main themes:

1. Who do you say that I am? IDENTITY

2. Do you still not understand? JESUS’ TEACHINGS

3. Why are you afraid? FAITH & TRUST

These are questions of invitation and confrontation.

For me, it’s time to repent (change my mind) so I will follow Jesus more fully.

Help me, Lord! Your questions are more important for my life, than my questions. Amen!

This is a three-part series that will post on consecutive days.

1) A call for a redemptive orientation of politics for the church and establishes a foundation for understanding the historical assumptions about the United States as a “Christian Nation.”

2) A critique of how politics is synonymous “down at church” as being partisan, confessing a truncated gospel and an overview of biblical/theological perspectives.

3) An exploration of Jesus and the Kingdom as political engagement; the Prophets; the church as an alternative community and what does it mean “down at church.”

Enter Politics and Partisan

All my life “down at church” I have heard, “Politics and church don’t mix”—referring to “the separation of church and state” or “Just preach the Gospel” or “God’s kingdom is not of this world.” Being political is tantamount to endorsing a party—partisan. For most of my ministry life, the claim that the church should not get involved in politics meant endorsing the political values of the other party. Even though addressing abortions, LGBTQ issues and co-habitation were not political, rather simply moral issues. Poverty, the “red lining” of neighborhoods, race and justice however, are “political issues.”[1] This results in standing on moral issues or principles when they are in favor of our party and renouncing moral issues or principles when they aline with the other party. Unfortunately, this is far too common among Christians these days, thinking that our mission is restoring America through voting for the right party, rather than living the kingdom of God, no matter what.

A Few Confessions
First, as someone weaned in the pews of church and as minister of the gospel, I accepted this reasoning verbatim. But through the years of reading Scripture, I realized that the Gospel I proclaim is a confrontation with the powers and principalities at work in this world—a spiritual war with tangible manifestations. (Ephesians 6.12f). Walter Wink in his first of a trilogy of work defines “principalities and powers” as spiritual dimensions of human institutions — governments, corporations, ideologies, and social systems that take on a life of their own and work against human flourishing. Manifestations include systemic racism, exploitative economic structures, corrupt political systems, and dehumanizing bureaucracies.[2]

Second, for many years I had a truncated view of the gospel. Preaching the gospel was primarily about getting to heaven. I did understand that the gospel not only saves us, but as his people called us to live a certain way. I still hold the gospel as God’s power for salvation and look forward to heaven. What I resisted, however, was how the gospel includes speaking up and standing up to abusive power, injustice, and unrighteousness. In other words, seeking the welfare of the city (polis) grounded in what God’s kingdom (rule) is to look like in everyday life.

Before you make assumptions or worse, quit reading, stay with me.

Words matter. The mere mention of the word politics is anything but good. It is a dirty word for sure, evoking negative connotations, even disgust. Rightfully so because of politicians who barter power at the expense of the people who chose them. Being political is associated with hidden agendas, manipulation, and lying. An honest politician is too often an oxymoron. Granted, not all politicians are dishonest, manipulative, and self-serving. The news media, however, with their own agenda puts their spin on politicians in the name of truth and objectivity. Really? Add to this all the social media posts and we are swimming in a cesspool of confusion and political consternation. This results in a quagmire of confusion as to who and what to believe? Character and truth are archaic relegated to vestiges of days gone by and partisan commitments to justify any means to an end.

Redeeming politics is a tall order. But a good place to start is the word itself. The origin of the word comes from the Greek, “polis” meaning community or city. It concerned the activities, relationships, and responsibilities of citizens within a community. Sharing responsibility for what is good and best for the community. Over time it went from Greek to Latin and broadened from local civic life to governance and power. Today, it is associated with government, systems, and politics as self-serving, coercive power (i.e., the ends justify the means), mostly unhealthy, and at times, abusive of the “polis” (community). I certainly do not intend to say that all politics/politicians are corrupt, and we certainly need politicians advocating for the common good, including Christian politicians.

One should not confuse dogmatic partisanship (Red, Blue, etc.) with politics for the common good. It is thin line these days coupled with a deep bias against it “down at church.” But it matters. It is the advocating of partisanship that is to be avoided “down at church.” Think of politics as influence for the common good and power defined by Jesus as service (Mark 10.45) and righteous behavior and influence. Consider all the times Jesus called people to repent for “the kingdom is near”. In other words, change your thinking and behavior because God’s rule is present and different than how the kingdom of this world acts. God himself is political. Read the last sentence slowly keeping in mind the key phrase—for the common good as the tap root of politics. Let me explain.

God Was Never Apolitical

God has always been political — not partisan, but deeply, unavoidably political. The Bible is not primarily a private devotional manual. It is the story of God reclaiming and reordering human community under his reign. From the first pages of Genesis, where human beings are made in God’s image (imago Dei) and given shared stewardship over creation (Genesis 1.26-28), to the final vision of Revelation where the nations bring their glory into the renewed city of God (Revelation 21.24-26), Scripture is relentlessly concerned with how human beings live together — and who gets to say so.

The Exodus is the defining political event of the Old Testament. God did not merely rescue individuals from personal guilt — he liberated an entire people from the abusive political machinery of Pharaoh’s Egypt. When Moses stood before the most powerful ruler of the ancient world and declared, “Let my people go,” that was theology expressed as political confrontation. The basis of that confrontation? Human beings bear the image of God, and no earthly empire has the final claim on them. The Law given at Sinai was not merely religious ceremony — it was a social covenant governing how the redeemed community would treat one another. Care for the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, and the poor were not optional acts of private charity. They were binding obligations rooted in the character of God himself: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords… who executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10.17-19).

The Prophets Didn’t Stay in Their Lane

The Hebrew prophets were not quiet mystics focused only on the inner life. They were God’s spokespersons confronting the corrupted politics of their day — and they paid for it. Amos thundered against economic exploitation and the powerful who “sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals” (Amos 2.6). Isaiah declared that God held religious worship in contempt when it was disconnected from pursuing justice: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean… seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1.16-17). Micah distilled Israel’s entire covenant obligation: “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6.8). Jeremiah told the exiles in Babylon — of all things — to “seek the welfare (shalom) of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29.7). Even in captivity, under a pagan empire, God’s people were not to disengage from the polis. They were to invest in it.

This is what the prophets understood that we too easily forget: silence in the face of injustice is not holiness. It is complicity. The prophetic tradition refuses to let the covenant community simply tend to its own spiritual garden while the surrounding culture burns down. As Martin Luther King Jr. — himself a theologian in this prophetic tradition — wrote from the Birmingham jail: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.”

____________________________________________________________________________

[1] Churches of Christ have a mixed and tumultuous relationship with racism. Dr Wes Crawford shows it clearly in his work: Courage in the Sheer Silence: Challenging Racism in the 20th-Century Churches of Christ (See Amazon).

[2] See Walter Wink. Naming the Powers: Power Language in the New Testament. 1984 and Engaging the Powers.1992; Charles L. Campbell. The Word Before the Powers: An Ethic of Preaching. 2002). Also, see The Bible Project: The Bible and Spiritual Beings

As always, I welcome your respectful comments. Still learning.

This is a three-part series that will post on consecutive days.

1) A call for a redemptive orientation of politics for the church and establishes a foundation for understanding the historical assumptions about the United States as a “Christian Nation.”

2) A critique of how politics is synonymous “down at church” as being partisan, confessing a truncated gospel and an overview of biblical/theological perspectives.

3) An exploration of Jesus and the Kingdom as political engagement; the Prophets; the church as an alternative community and what does it mean “down at church.”

Jesus and the Politics of the Kingdom

Jesus did not enter a political vacuum. He was born under Caesar Augustus, raised under Herod Antipas, and crucified under Pontius Pilate — all men whose names carry the full weight of political power. His central announcement — “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1.15) — was not simply an invitation to personal transformation. In the world of first-century Palestine, it was a staggering political claim. Caesar called himself Divi Filius — Son of God. The Roman Empire offered its own gospel (euangelion) of peace and prosperity through conquest. When Jesus arrived proclaiming a different kingdom, a different Lord, and a different kind of peace, the collision was inevitable. Jesus was not crucified for being merely religious, rather because he was a King. The gospel writers make it clear that Pilate tried to release Jesus three times. The Jews labeled him as an insurrectionist— “…but the Jews cried out [to Pilate), if you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to a king sets himself against the emperor” (John 19.12-13). The political move/power in this case was by religious people fueled by the fear and jealousy of the High Priest, and many of the Scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus modeled a radical reorientation of power. When his disciples argued about position and greatness, he redirected them entirely: “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark 10.42-44). This is not a withdrawal from influence — it is a complete redefinition of it. Power in the kingdom of God is always power deployed in service of others, especially the last, the least, and the lost.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is the fullest expression of what kingdom politics looks like in practice. The Beatitudes describe not just individual spiritual attitudes, but a community shaped by an entirely different value system than the dominant culture — one that honors the meek over the mighty, the merciful over the merciless, the peacemakers over the powerbrokers. Jesus then tells this community that they are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5.13-14) — both metaphors of public, transformative presence. Salt does not flavor food from a distance. Light does not illuminate a room from inside a closet. The people of God are called to be in the world, actively seasoning and illuminating the common life of the polis/community.

The Church as an Alternative Political Community

The Apostle Paul understood the church itself as a new kind of public body. Writing to Philippi — a proud Roman colony — he declares that “our citizenship (politeuma) is in heaven” (Philippians 3.20). Crucially, this is not a call to retreat from earthly civic life. It is a call to live as resident aliens — people whose ultimate allegiance shapes how they engage the surrounding culture rather than simply conforming to it. Earlier in the same letter he urges the church to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1.27) — the word translated “manner of life” is politeuesthe, to live as citizens. Paul is saying: conduct your public, communal life in a manner consistent with the gospel.

To the Roman church, situated at the very center of imperial power, Paul writes one of Scripture’s most politically charged instructions: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12.2). What follows in Romans 12 and 13 is a sustained vision of community life — marked by genuine love, honor for one another, care for the poor, blessing of enemies, and yes, appropriate engagement with governing authorities — all framed as the “living sacrifice” that constitutes true worship (Romans 12.1).

What Does this Mean “Down at Church”?

1) It means we cannot afford the false comfort of disengagement. Saying “politics and church don’t mix” sounds humble and holy, but it is neither. It is, in fact, a political choice — one that defaults to the status quo and leaves the vulnerable without advocates. Every time the church goes silent in the face of injustice, it has made a political decision. The question is never whether we will engage the polis/city. The question is how — and whether that engagement will be shaped by the kingdom of God or the kingdoms of this world.

2) It means reclaiming the distinction between partisanship and prophetic witness. The church does not belong to the red team or the blue team. The moment the church becomes the chaplain of any political party, it surrenders its prophetic voice and its gospel credibility. Our allegiance to Jesus Christ creates a freedom — and a responsibility — to affirm truth and call out injustice regardless of which party or politician is involved. As the prophet Amos showed, God’s people have always had to be willing to speak uncomfortable truth to power — and to their own community.

3) It means faithful gospel preaching includes the full range of human life under God’s reign. Preaching the cross without proclaiming the kingdom produces converts without citizens. The gospel calls people not just to be saved from sin, but to be transformed into agents of renewal in their families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and yes, their civic and political communities. The Great Commission sends disciples to teach people “to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28.20) — and all that Jesus commanded has everything to do with how we treat our neighbors, steward power, and pursue justice.

4) It means the church itself must be the first and best demonstration of redeemed politics. Before we can speak to the polis around us, we must embody an alternative polis within us — a community where the last are honored, the broken restored, the powerful held accountable, and the common good genuinely shapes common life. The world does not need the church to tell it how to run its politics. It needs the church to show it what human community looks like when under the lordship of Jesus Christ. This is being political in a redemptive sense.

“Down at church,” that is worth preaching and living.

This is a three-part series that will post on consecutive days.

1) A call for a redemptive orientation of politics for the church and establishes a foundation for understanding the historical assumptions about the United States as a “Christian Nation.”

2) A critique of how politics is synonymous “down at church” as being partisan, confessing a truncated gospel and an overview of biblical/theological perspectives.

3) An exploration of Jesus and the Kingdom as political engagement; the Prophets; the church as an alternative community and what does it mean “down at church.”

“Seek the welfare of the city… for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
— Jeremiah 29.7

Jeremiah speaks God’s message to his people in Babylon tempted to isolate themselves from the city. They are 700 miles from home (Jerusalem) and yearning for God to deliver them. Yet, God says, you are going to stay awhile (70 yrs to be exact). Get involved in the city for its sake and yours. It is this prophetic word that grounds this re-thinking of what it means to be political “down at church.”

Today, Christians are on the margins of our culture and merely living in isolation and preaching to ourselves in hopes that someone will walk through our doors to hear the gospel is self-defeating. Being in relationships with people in the community with genuine non-manipulative hospitality and service is a primary strategy for seeking the welfare of the city. It does, however, require a re-ordering of how we think about politics. A bit of history that challenges some assumptions is necessary before jumping into the murky waters of politics and church.

What Has Shaped Us—A Bit of History

As followers of Jesus Christ, living in the ‘land of the free and home of the brave” we are no longer at the center of the culture. As if, we ever were. This is hard to accept because for so long we have equated being an American and Christian as synonymous inheriting the belief that the founding fathers were Christian. Some were active members of churches. Most however, were more of Christian deists. That is, God is creator and rules through natural laws but does not intervene in human affairs (no miracles, no direct revelation, no ongoing involvement). Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the New Testament did not include any miracles reflecting a deistic philosophy of the times (The Enlightenment).

An Evolving Reality

1) The founding fathers valued freedom of religion in response to the state-controlled church of England.

2) The foundation of the Constitution (1789-1791) did not include the phrase “separation of church and state.” But the principle was present with the Constitution ratified in 1791– “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

3) Not until 1802 was the phrase used by Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.

4) The Pledge of Allegiance by Francis Bellamy (1892) did not include “under God” until 1954 during during the Cold War.

5) Irving Berlin’s wrote “God Bless America” in 1918 during WW I.

Many more facts could substantiate how being Christian and American evolved over time to be synonymous. Religious fundamentalists, Protestants and Evangelicals co-opted the flag in the name of restoring America to Christian values. This is also present in my tribe as well (Churches of Christ)—part of the American Restoration Movement. This tension is seen in many congregations that display the flag; sing God Bless America, pray for America to return to being a “Christian nation” and restoring prayer in public schools.

So What?

First, one cannot ignore that Judeo-Christian ethics were part of the of DNA of the founding fathers. At the same time, from the context and founding documents, religious pluralism is also part of the DNA and continues to be a tension.

Second, for followers of Jesus Christ with a commitment to Scripture, our primary identity is in Jesus Christ and at the same time I am glad to be American and fly the flag proudly.

Third, the teachings of Jesus transcend being American. The parable of the net reminds me of the global Jesus consistent with God’s mission of every tribe and nation before the throne (Matthew 13.47; Revelation 7.14).

Think about it. I welcome your respectful comments, as always. Still learning.

Part 2 Tomorrow . . .

Recently, I was a guest on Zoom for a ministers mentoring group of a friend, Jim. The topic was habits that sustain me and I shared the following.

Through the years of preaching in a congregation and engaging in the work of pastoring (feeding and caring for people), I have learned a few things; mainly, the hard way. After briefly sharing my two year health struggle, due in part to the pace of ministry and life in which I was going and five months in the hospital, I shared the following.

For me, the greatest challenge in ministry is myself. As the late Landon Saunders said, “There is nothing quite as sick as being sick of yourself.” All the education one has cannot make up for bad habits and the addiction of approval from others. God’s grace is sufficient and this includes the preacher.

Here are five essential habits that I continue to practice for health and longevity.

1. Read Scripture for yourself, not a lesson for others. Preaching is all consuming and occupies the mind constantly. We are always thinking of what needs to be addressed and studied. But without reading for ones self, we miss our own spiritual formation. Preaching must emerge from our own transformation.

2. Carve out time for reflection. There is no learning without reflection. Simply because we have knowledge does not mean we have wisdom. Reflecting on our experiences, thinking, and emotional cues is essential.

3. Do something with your hands. The preaching life is certainly holistic—mind, emotion and body. It is work, both thrilling, humbling and exhausting at the same time. What do you to do relax? For me, doing something with my hands balances the mental work and helps me relax, put my mind in neutral. Gardening does this for me—getting my hands in the earth, dirt under my fingernails, planting, watering, etc.

4. Identity compass people for your life. Compass people are the very few trusted friends who care about you and will tell you the truth. They point you back North to Jesus and needed growth. The question I learned from my friend Jon invites compass people to speak into my life: “What do I need to know that you need to tell me that I don’t know? It is a vulnerable question, but essential for health and growth. I have had a few compass people for different reasons: paying attention to my spirit, or actions, or content of preaching, or priorities.

5. Listen to your spouse. This is huge. No one knows us like our spouse this side of heaven. Usually, we marry people different than us, (i.e., introvert/extrovert, etc.). It’s good because it gives us balance—if we listen. It’s taken us a long time in ministry and marriage to now say, without reservation—“We’re a team!”

Habits form us. I am still learning, reflecting and adapting. Preaching weekly in a congregation is an act of vulnerability before God and people. Our spirit matters. People read us and see through us more than we realize.

Toward the end of the Zoom call, one of the ministers said, “You are writing a book, “Trusting God with the Life I Have, Not the One I Want” so, how do you trust God with the church you have, not the one you want?

Great question.

Reflecting on it, and most likely an epilogue to the book.

• Wednesday (Trial—Jesus before Pilate)

• Thursday (Crucifixion: 9 AM and Darkness: 12-3 PM); Evening: Laid in a tomb)

• Saturday (Sabbath—Begins at sunset on Friday until nightfall on Saturday)

• Sunday (The Resurrection: 1st day of the week).

What about Friday? It depends who you are. For Romans, it was Just another crucifixion. Rebellion squelched. For some Jews, the blasphemer was finally dead. For the prince of darkness—a win.

But for followers of Jesus. Love crucified. Deep grief. Lost hope. Fear of the future.

We all have hopeless Fridays waiting for Sunday. Not a Friday to breathe because it is the end of a hard week. No, a Friday more like the followers of Jesus who sat in the darkness of their own homes with only the candle of Sabbath burning. Silent grief. Holy disappointment. Praying—“O Lord, you promised . . . When will you…and what are we going to do?” As the minutes and hours pass from sunset Friday-nightfall Saturday, the despair remains. This can’t be my life.

And then, Friday passes. Saturday is done.

AND SUNDAY COMES!

This is for you my Friday friend.

It’s sunrise Sunday and you go to the tomb. You see the stone rolled away. Your heart begins to pound, your mind races and a young man, dressed in white robe frightens you. He says, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here” (16.6)).

And all that Jesus had said floods your soul with joy.

And you can’t help but tell about this good news.

Dark Fridays don’t last! Sunday is coming!

Praise God!

Bear with me for a moment.

The King James Version translates “pascha” as Easter in 1611 (Acts 12.4). In most other versions it is Passover the specific word. In the 17th century translators chose Easter for contextual, not linguistic reasons. William Tyndale’s translation preceded KJV and did the same (1526). Easter was in a sense, code for the the Passover season in the context of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (See See Seder).

Why does it matter? Because the meaning and practice of Passover is about redemptive experience and memory. Of God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. Every symbol in the Passover meal brings the past to the present. It is collective hope through the centuries of God’s redemptive purpose and power for his people. It is, in a word, HOPE! And hope is not a dream, rather confident expectation in God’s mighty acts throughout history and now. This is why hope is an anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6.19).

Like other religious holidays, the context and meaning can be reduced to ONLY a day and not always for holy reasons. Easter can be more cultural tradition, rather than a life of faith.

 Before Sunday, it might be good to walk through what Passover was all about (Exodus 12.1f; 13.1-10). And then, make the intricate connection to the Feast of Unleavened bread—with Jesus and for us. 

This Sunday, when we partake of communion (unleavened bread) let us engage our memory of the times God has delivered us and given us HOPE!

May we share in the bread and cup with gratitude with the people of God!

This is why I love weekly communion! And when I participate in communion, I proclaim the Lord’ death until he comes. And he is coming! This is Easter hope!

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Joyful Pascha!