3 Reasons why I’m encouraged in overhearing this conversation:

1. God is already doing stuff is Lawrenceville.
2. There are countless other Christians out there struggling and fighting for their faith.
3. Nothing this guy is saying new (It’s the same stuff that Christians have wrestled against since Jesus ascended).

God should be a cosmic nanny–running behind us to pick up our messes, so that we are never inconvenienced by them.

In the Christian faith, God invites us to participate rather than simply watch from the comfort of a cozy chair. God deeply cares for the poor (Jeremiah 22:3), He is Call the Prince of Peace(Isaiah 9:6), he even makes special rules for how we should treat the forests(Deuteronomy 20:20)–but rather than snapping his fingers and making the problem go away he says to us “come help me with this.”

For all our calls to action and our high respect for social justice, would we prefer to watch things get repaired, than actually help in the clean-up efforts?

Some might ask was Paul simply going with the flow? Was he just giving into peer pressure? Furthermore, Did he leave an example of conformity for Christians after him.

The answer to this question is no. Paul writes that he was aware of his change and lets the reader know that he wasn’t simply acting uncritically. Instead he writes that he was very intentional about how he interacted with other people, many times avoid certain things, and often acting out of a different motivation, than that of those around him.
The more interesting question is: Was Paul faking it? Was he some sort of religious con-man, changing his persona on command to best ensnare his audience? More subtly, some might ask was Paul authentic with people around him?
This questions is particularly interesting when we consider the implications on the Church today, Our society takes authenticity very seriously. Recently this idea of inventing ones personality to win someone over was the recurring joke in an episode NBC’s “30 Rock”. In the show Liz (one of the main characters) opens the mail of her neighbor and copies his interests in order to win his affection. Throughout the episode Liz is chastised for her conniving, and in the end is told by her neighbor that he wished she would had been herself.

I would suggest that Paul is leaving a positive pattern, but that he is not sacrificing authenticity for the sake of accessibility.

So the answer to “how is Paul being Paul if he is constantly changing the way he acts?” lies in how Paul Identifies himself.
Paul says in the letter to the Galatians “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ” Unfortunately, the radical nature of this statement has been diluted. What Paul is saying here is that his identity is directly taken from Christ, where he was once Paul the Hebrew of Hebrews he is now Paul the follower of Christ. Paul is saying here that the things that once defined who he was, have now been superseded. The ideals, preferences and values he once held as primary, have now become subject to the will of Christ, and this is what allows him to act different around different people. Not as con-man or a trickster but as someone who identity had moved beyond tribalism, race or anything else which naturally separates people from each other.

A Change in our Point of Reference
If Paul sees himself as primarily connected to God, than he can appreciate and value all people in a God-like way. He can move past defining himself by his race and upbringing. He can appreciate different food, and music. He can attend events that the Old Paul might have grimaced at, because he can see the image of God in all people.

Are you still defined by your race or culture or upbringing? Rejecting or Resting on any of these ideas still means that they define who you are and who you are not.
Only when we are connected to God can we move past race, culture, and upbringing, to embrace the beauty of all people, because our point of reference is no longer some other group of which we are not a part. If our reference point is God, we can cross those lines of division. We can explore and enjoy many different things.

If our Reference point is God:
we can appreciate the strength and struggle of both, Hip Hop and Blue Grass.
we can see the beauty of Abstract impressionism and Baroque Landscapes.
we can get over ourselves and love and appreciate all kinds of people.

One of the exciting and challenging parts of ministry at City Reformed has been the large amounts of young professionals connected to our church. In recent months it has been challenging in a different way, because we have recently started to feel the effects of the economic climate. I now know of several people in our church that have had major financial losses including being laid off, many because they were the newest hires they are becoming the first to be laid off.

I know that I have personally shrugged off the economic times, figuring its not as bad as people say it is, but I am becoming convinced that Christians need to start asking some tough questions about how we should respond to the current economy. Many lower income churches wrestle with how to deal with the poor around them, but I think that many more affluent churches might soon begin to feel the same tightening. The Bible is full of examples of how the poor should be taken care of during famines. I am beginning to think that in our current American context people out of work in a recessed if not depressed economy should care for in similar terms. Several of the NT books are penned to thank givers, to challenge those in better positions, or to encourage those in the midst of famine.

At what point do Churches fall into a James 2:16 situation when we simply pray for our members who are falling on tough times?

Are we willing to server and to be served if need be?

If economic depressions are the modern equivalent to famines how should the example set down in the books of Acts effect how we minister to other churches?

Does anyone know of any church taking up an offering for another church even within their denomination for our present famine? I am especially thinking of places in the midwest where automotive plants have recently closed.

Are churches beginning to ask themselves how can we care for people who have recently been laid off in our church? Especially when we consider that the chances of finding another job is becoming more difficult.

Could God be using our current situation to break much of the American church of its prideful and individualistic understanding of finances?

*by the way click on the picture above.

I wanted to spend a few minutes explaining some of the reasons why I am really happy to be a part of the Presbyterian Church in America.

1. The PCA is full of people who care deeply about Jesus, and seek to honor him in all aspects of their life.
2. Churches all around the denomination are routinely asking themselves are we caring enough, and serving enough and submitting enough.
3. There are tons of great churches serving in every conceivable contexts. Here are some examples:
   • Mision Vida Nueva in Escondido, Ca.
   • All Souls Fellowship In Decatur, Ga.
   • The Liberti Churches in Philadelphia
   • St. Roch Community Church in New Orleans
   • City Church in Nashville
4. The PCA gives disagreeing men platforms to discuss things in a gracious and loving manor. See articles here and here
5. Some of the great christian thinkers have been in the PCA. (Francis Schaeffer, Ed Clowney, John Frame, Tim Keller and many others )

Now I understand that people have beefs with people in the PCA and therefore have biases again the denomination in general. But I am convinced that it is a good group of people. But these are a few of the reasons why I like the PCA

1. Roman Ships. With a simply glance at a bible map it is obvious that the expansion of the Gospel in the first few years of the church took place by means of sea transportation. The thing that is striking about the use of this technology is that it must have been apparent to the disciples that Christianity was being transported in a similar manor to other religious sects of the Roman world. In the Roman world, religions and philosophies of the day in large part moved around the empire from port to port, carried by passengers or crew on trading vessels. What this points to is the fact that the early church utilized methods that were very similar to the rest of the empire. It seems that when given the choice between appearing to be similar to other religious/philosophical movements OR the most effective expansion of the their message, the disciples choose the latter.

2. Roman Roads. Like the use of the employing ships for transportation, Roman roads allowed the Christians to quickly travel from city to city in the empire. While most people in the Presbyterian Church in America would agree that God expanded his church, “in the fullness of time” I wonder how many of them have realized that the Roman roads are not entirely unlike many modern technologies which folks in the PCA are not anxious to utilize. I can think of things such as email lists, the internet, and even social networking, which might be seen as similar to in their usefulness.

3. Letters & Books. Finally stepping a century in the future. The church was in fact a strong adopter of the earliest form the of book. Christians were able to transport, and therefore share larger amounts of information because of the more compact nature of books compared to the more clunky scroll. What this reveals is that the church decided to implement and even become an early adopter of a new technology for the advancement of Christianity.

Though I’ve included a few modern comparisons, I am not trying to argue that the PCA must use specific technologies. I am arguing that we should be considering how we can follow the example set before us in using every means possible to minster to as many people as possible.

Early Christians realize that the same roads and ships that they used, were used at other times, for sinful purposes. How could Paul not understand that the roads which he walked to share the gospel, were built to quickly move violent military units through out the empire, and yet he choose to redeem what was available to him.

But I thought to myself–did they just say that in the New York Times?!?

The article makes me proud and a bit sad.

At one point the idea of living in the city was seen by most people as a foolish thing to do. After all cities are dangerous, they are polluted and its harder to be a Christian. In recent years, this has begun to change. Gentrification has made it socially acceptable to dwell in cities. While men like Tim Keller, and others, have also encouraged Christians to see the strategic importance of Christians living in and loving cities.

To those who live in the suburbs this might come as a shock, but I have to admit when Christians who live in cities get together, they tend to bad mouth anyone who doesn’t share their passion of the urban context. There is perceived mutual enlightenment among those who live in the city. After all, we have the culture and the community that others wish they had, or should wish they had if they knew what was good for them. Folks in the suburbs might hear this and chuckle, while folks from the country might laugh at both groups and offer up their simple, one with nature life style, as a rebuttal.

Though I think Dr. Keller has many good reasons, why Christians should live in the city, I think the question that all Christians need to be asking themselves is why should I live anywhere? If you have realized your brokenness and sought redemption and reconciliation with God, than you will respond. All Christians are called to live differently, their are called to see their lives as more than simply the pursuit of comfort or safety. More than simply the accumulation of family and happiness. Too often Christians do not examine their own lifestyle choices. It is not enough to send money to missionaries who have been called to a far of place. Though not all people are called to live in some far off place, God calls all Christians to become missionaries, in a broader sense of the word.
All Christians must ask themselves where is God calling me to live?
Is God calling you to live near work so you can be home more often? Is he calling you to live in a smaller home rather than a larger one? Is he calling you to an at-risk neighborhood? Or to one of great affluence?
Let me offer up some simple principles that I have come to accept:
God wants you to love people. Pick a place where you can get to know people. Or find local ways to interact with people that you would not meet otherwise.

You should care more about God and people than about your house. Jack Miller rightly points out that most of us are too worried about scuffed furniture and wear and tear, and not worried enough about caring for people who live around them.

Your trust should be in God not in your choice of neighborhood. Christians need to go beyond buying the smallest house in the best neighborhood. People need to realize that every place is safe when you trust that Christ is on his throne, just consider the Chinese church. If you are worried about living in an “unsafe” place I would challenge you to consider how much you are truly trusting God.

Figure out how to live where God is calling you to live. People need to be loved and they need to learn of the love that died for their sake. People need this in places that are very expensive and, they need this in places that are very poor. This means that folks should choose to live in high priced neighborhoods, and others should chose to live in lower cost neighborhoods. Each brings risks and rewards.

Live where God is calling you not necessarily where you want to live. “Not my will but your will” ring a bell?

Some might look at where Jo and I live and say: you are less safe, or making less money on your investment. You could get more home for your money, in different area. Our answer is that as far as we can tell God has called us to live in Lawrenceville, and we plan to be their for better or worse until he calls us to move somewhere else.
I hope that all Christians will continue to ask themselves why did we move here? or where is God calling us to live?

I know that no matter how I dress some people will be put off by my appearance, with that in mind, how should I dress? I’ve put pictures of three styles of dress with which I feel comfortable.

Casual

Psuedo-Formal

Formal

Read the 9 Things Tim Challies Learned About God from “Planet Earth”