Church Involvement in Haiti

One of our own from NRHBC at work in New Orleans after Katrina

While our hearts are broken over the situation in Haiti, we must keep a couple things in mind. First, we need to keep the best interests of the Haitians in mind and work towards long-term solutions. In disaster-relief situations, sometimes relief efforts can do more damage in the name of good intentions because short-cuts are tempting. We cannot forget that whatever we do as a church reflects on Christ. There have already been reports of people doing damage to the name of Christ even though they intended to "help." (for example - http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/31/haiti.border.arrests/) Second, we need to work together to accomplish this task. No one church, group or denominational entity can solve the problem. This is time for the church to be the church - to come together, work together to help Haiti recover physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Ephesians 3:10-11 gives testimony to the importance of the church at times like these, "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV)

People have asked why would God allow such a terrible tragedy to hit Haiti. It is my desire that in the weeks, months and years that follow, people will say, "Thank God for his Church - which steps up in times of need to help the people of the world." Haiti gives us the opportunity to obey the second greatest commandment - to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Now to turn to specifics about the situation, as I understand it after attending a couple meetings this week:

On this past Monday (1/25), the first assessment team from the North American Mission Board (NAMB), the International Mission Board (IMB) and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Disaster Relief team returned from Haiti. Therefore, everything right now still has a hint of conjecture until more assessment has occurred.

The reports are that the first relief teams will not be able to go to Haiti for 90-120 days. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) difficulty of travel to Haiti (the country has only one international airport capable of receiving a jet, and the airport only has one runway; the country has only one operational port with one pier and one crane functioning) - it is not like New Orleans, where it was possible to drive down and help within days of Katrina. The Dominican Republic is an option, however, for the time being, it is very difficult to travel from the Dominican Republic into Haiti. 2) Instability - political, material, - in other words, in just about every way the country is unstable. Therefore, until organized relief efforts begin, there is very little mission teams can do to help. (Unless, of course, the team consists of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel)

The first teams to go with the SBC will be Disaster Relief teams exclusively. The needs are so immense that in 3-4 months and for the next 12 months, disaster relief teams will be the only ones sent because they will be the only ones needed - disaster relief teams can help with feeding and "cleaning" before reconstruction can occur.

In order for someone to go with NAMB or the IMB, when teams will be allowed to go in 90-120 days, they need to do the following things:

1) Attend disaster relief training (in SBC Disaster relief jargon - attend yellow cap training)
2) Procure a passport
3) Receive the following vaccinations: Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid and Tetanus - and procure Malaria medication
a) Only healthy people should go - conditions will be very difficult for the foreseeable future (tents, canned food, etc)

As of right now, they do not expect "regular" volunteer teams, especially student teams, will be able to go to Haiti for 12 to 18 months. They have no idea about costs or precise dates.

I am attending another meeting this week. As soon as I know more information, I will pass it along.

The best thing we can do now is pray for the people of Haiti - pray for their spiritual, emotional and physical restoration. Pray that when we can help, we will provide long-term care.

God Bless,

Mark

Ministry Must Make a Change in the Minister

Lately God has been teaching me about change. Specifically, how I must be changed as I continue to seek to become more like Christ. As a minister, one of my goals is to help others to find their identity in Christ and to be continually transformed by Him (that is sanctification).

Here are 2 key thoughts about our identity and character as ministers:

1) Who you are is more important than what you do.
A few years ago pastor Ronnie Floyd of First Baptist Church Springdale wrote a book entitled 10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know. Dr Floyd says that every minister must understand that who we are is more important than what we do. Often we have a tendency to find our value and our identity in what we do, or how well we do it instead of recognizing our identity as blood bought, unconditionally loved children of God.
Pastor Floyd encourages readers to look to Ephesians 1:3-14. Concerning identity, check out this statement:

Who am I? In Jesus Christ, I am chosen miraculous, accepted, completely, forgiven freely, planned providentially, and rich spiritually.

2) The ministry we do must make us who Christ wants us to be.
Once we recognize who we are, we must allow God—through reading, studying, and teaching His word; through intercession; through worship; and serving—to change us. We must recognize in our own lives what we teach others: that as we encounter God, we cannot remain the same. As believers we are destined to become more like Christ. As ministers this is critical: we must live out this truth if we ever hope to teach it.

The measure of our ministry is not solely how it impacts others, but also how it changes us. Imagine what a miserable existence it would be to minister to others, yet not be changed ourselves. Still, there are many even today who work in God’s name, but have not experienced the power and transformation that is brought by His presence.

Let us never simply do ministry and walk away unchanged. We must know who we are in Christ, and we must become who He has created us to be.

Toms Shoes

Blake Mycoskie, Toms founder, Amazing Race participant and Texan, founded a non-profit company in which for every shoe purchased, one is donated to children in need.

Blake says, "While traveling in Argentina a few years ago, I met barefoot children who were struggling just to get through their daily lives. I desperately wanted to give them shoes for a better tomorrow, which led to the creation of TOMS. Since that time you -- the TOMS community -- have given away over 400,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world through our giving partners.

I couldn't have imagined that one simple idea -- all children deserving shoes -- would create such an astonishing movement. Thank you for embracing this dream and helping to create the TOMS community we have today."

For Christmas, I bought a pair of Toms Shoes. It was gratifying to know that with the money spent to buy a new pair of shoes, another was sent to a child in need.

If you are interested, click on:

What I Learn About God By Being a Father (Part 1)

My two sons, Parker is on the left, Jonathan on the right.

In the last year, I have become the proud father of two sons. They are not twins. For an explanation you can check out -losspences.blogspot.com/.

I am entitling this "Part 1" not because I have immediate plans for any subsequent parts, but that I fully expect to in time.

My older son, Parker, turned a year old a little over a week ago. It has been a delight to be his father.

A few months ago, Parker discovered how to clap his hands. He now does it all the time. It is his favorite means to express himself. He claps when he is happy. He claps when he is sad. He claps on cue whenever someone sings, "Patty Cake."

Recently, when he climbs into my lap, he has discovered that he can "force" me to clap. He places his hands on the outside of my hands and brings them together then separates them and repeats. He thinks he is making me clap - it is rather precious.

Little does he know that if I didn't want to clap, he doesn't have the strength to force me. It is out of love that I allow him to clap my hands.

As a Christian, and especially a minister, I face the temptation to believe that what occurs in ministry is a result of my efforts. People accept Christ, are moved by a lesson or sermon, churches are planted - the temptation is to believe I accomplished these things. Especially when commend for doing a good job.

The truth of the matter is no different then with my son. Parker is not clapping my hands, I am. I am not reaching or teaching people about Christ, God is.

Instead of "this is what I am accomplishing for God," the truth is, "this is what God is accomplishing through me. "

To him be the glory!

A Humble Certainty Explained

It is time for me to explain what I mean by "A Humble Certainty."

It should be the desire of every Christian to be like Christ. One of the main characteristics of Christ is his humility. Therefore, every Christian should desire to be humble. In the reading for the class, a few of the authors misapplied the characteristic of humility in the development of their theology. Humility, for them, means that a Christian must be, if not ambiguous, then at least fluid in regards to doctrine. While I agree that doctrine should be open to reexamination, I disagree that it is not possible to be humble and certain at the same time. After all, Jesus was both certain and humble. While this seems to be counterintuitive, it is possible to be firm while remaining humble if the source of the certainty is not in oneself. The confidence is in the truth of God’s word, and that there are some doctrinal truths that are clear in the scripture and therefore can be held with certainty.

The incarnation, in which Christ left heaven to live on earth, was an incredible act of humility. Paul describes this act of meekness in Philippians 2:3-8, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!” (NIV) Even the nature of his birth and life was humble. Jesus’ birth in a manger and life in obscure Nazareth belie the fact that Jesus chose a humble life when he could have chosen to be born into royalty and live in luxury. The great British poet, William Blake, painted the picture of Jesus’ humility perfectly in his poem, “Little Lamb.” Blake wrote, “Little Lamb, who make thee, Dost thou know who made thee…Little Lamb, I'll tell thee; Little Lamb, I'll tell thee: He is called by thy name, For He calls Himself a Lamb He is meek, and He is mild, He became a little child.” Jesus left the glory of heaven to become a man in order to die on the cross. That Jesus chose humility is an example, especially to every Christian, to make the same choice.

Jesus’ humility did not change the fact that he was absolutely certain about many things. Jesus was certain about who he was. In John 8:58, Jesus existed before creation, “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” (NIV) According to John’s account, Jesus’ statement about himself was so inflammatory that his listeners picked up stones to kill him. Another example of Jesus’ certainty is found in the account of Jesus cleansing the temple, which is found in each gospel account. Jesus was convinced that what was occurring in the temple was wrong. Physically clearing the temple was hardly the act of a man with ambiguous beliefs. It was possible for Jesus to be humble and certain about his beliefs. It is possible for his followers to follow his example and be humble and certain at the same time.

Diana Butler Bass vehemently argues that it is not possible to be humble and hold strong convictions on the scripture. She writes, “As soon as certainty replaces humility, it leaves little room for the intellect to transport the faithful to awe.” I disagree. It is possible to make claims on Jesus Christ, eternity, salvation, while remaining modest. In other words, it is possible to be humble and certain when the certainty is not founded on one’s own abilities such as intelligence. Instead, one can be humble when making confident claims when the foundation of the claims is God’s word. Resolute statements on difficult issues such as eternal destiny are possible because the scripture makes resolute statements on difficult issues. As a result of her misunderstanding of humility, Bass avoids concrete statements about truths that are clear in the scripture, which can damage the ability of a church to fulfill the mission God has given to it, namely to proclaim the gospel of Christ and to make disciples.

Ambiguity on the ability to make authoritative doctrinal statements has a negative effect on the mission of the church. There is a proclivity for those who are ambiguous on scripture are also ambiguous about eternal destiny. Bass champions a view of a church that “makes few grand claims about eternity and salvation. Rather, these communities emphasize life in this world.” Granted, many churches that are resolute on the scripture have a tendency towards focusing more on heaven than life on this earth. However, because the scripture is clear about how the choices we make about Christ effect our eternal security, the church can be clear about these doctrines as well. In Romans 6:23, Paul states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASU) Jesus says, according to John 14:6, “‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (ESV) In 1 John 5:11-12, the apostle John writes, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (NIV) This stands in sharp contrast to Brian McLaren’s perspective, ““Maybe it’s not that there are two places beyond the door of death, heaven and hell.” The scriptures make clear statements about the consequences of sin and the existence of heaven and hell. Furthermore, God’s people can be confident in stating the truth from God’s word while remaining gracious and humble because the truth is found in the scripture rather than in themselves.

Mankind is fallible. This much is clear in scripture and in daily life. As a result, Christians should be open to the reexamination of doctrines. In this respect, humility is required to ensure that what we can be certain about is clearly stated in scripture. Olson argues, “reconsideration and reconstruction of doctrines in the light of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ and in Scripture is required by our own finitude and fallenness…” Reconsideration is always important, especially due to humankind’s fallibility and the ever consistent change of culture. Application from the scriptures must be consistently reexamined to discern how the truths from scripture apply to cultural idiosyncrasies. McLaren offers a perspective on how humility and doctrine collide, “if you have an infallible text, but all your interpretations are admittedly fallible, then you at least have to always be open to being corrected about your interpretations…” The basis for correction must be from the infallible scriptures. Christians must be willing to reexamine their doctrinal positions. However, the reconsideration is not on a whim or on someone’s opinion. We must always be willing to change our position if it is proven to be unbiblical. The scripture is the standard therefore the scripture is the source. Humility comes into play when we understand that it, not our opinions or positions, is the standard of belief. This is how we can be certain about what we believe and remain humble.

American evangelical Christianity needs a dose of humility. We have come to the point where the hallmark characteristic of evangelicalism is not humility but arrogance. In this sense, we have become exactly what Christ was concerned most about the Pharisees, proud of our religious observance but spiritually empty. The correction is not found in becoming ambiguous in our beliefs, but maintaining a certainty. Humility and certainty require the balance of knowing what we believe, while being willing to reexamine our beliefs because the foundation is not found inside ourselves but in the scriptures. This is what I plan to apply in my ministry context. More specifically, I plan to make this a part of my ministry “DNA” with the goal of sharing this value with my faith community. It is my opinion that we will not convince many Americans of their need for Christ through arrogance or doctrinal debates, but through a community that humbly loves one another and knows what we stand for.