Blake Bouldin

Faith in Action

Here are some valuable insights I gleaned from James on day 2. 

1. We shouldn't let public opinion influence how we live out our faith. Sounds so simple when in reality, half our battle as Christ followers is centered around trying to impress others rather than God.  In fact, one of the reasons I believe more of us don't spend more time with people who are far away from God is because we are afraid that our reputation might get tarnished. It is not public opinion that matters.  God is the one we are in the game to please.  We are playing to an audience of one.

2. God chose the world's down and outs as the kingdom's first citizens.  Wow!  What a statement James makes here.  And how many of us really understand it?  I mean let's just get real.  Our interpretation of a blessed Christ follower isn't one who lives below the poverty line and can barely spell his name.  But what James is saying very candidly here is that God operates a whole lot differently than we do.  And if and when we show favoritism to those whom on the outside seem like they have it all together, what we are really doing is sinning. Powerful stuff.

3. Merely talking about faith doesn't indicate that a person really has it. And what is faith?  Paul says that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  In other words faith is believing that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. To determine if people really have this kind of faith, look for it being demonstrated by their actions.  What James is really saying is that you can tell a person is really serious about God when they put their money where their mouth is.

4. If we refuse to act kindly, we can't expect to be treated kindly.  Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time. Dallas Willard one of the greatest theologians of all time said this, "How many people are radically and permanently repelled from the way of Christ by Christians who are unfeeling, stiff, unapproachable, boring, lifeless, obsessive and dissatisfied? Yet, such Christians are everywhere and what they are missing is the wholesome liveliness spring up from a balanced vitality within God's loving rule."  Sheldon Vanauken wrote, "The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness."  And the he asks, "Anybody want to guess what is the best argument against Christianity?  It's Christians!  When they are somber, joyless, self-righteous, smug, narrow or repressive, Christianity dies a thousand deaths."  These two quotes sum it up.  Kind mercy, compassion, joy filled lives are what attract people to Christ. Kind mercy and compassion are also what initiate kindness in return.  James says we ought to act like a person expecting to be judged by God who says, "love others as you love yourself".

Faith Under Pressure

I began studying through the book of James this morning using the paraphrase translation "The Message".  I love this translation because it provides me with a very simplistic, easily understandable text that I can understand.  Here are some of the things God spoke to me as I read:

1. It is a gift from God when test and challenges come at me from all sides. Crazy right?  My impression of tests and challenges is that they are a huge drain that I don't won't to have anything to do with, but James writes that when we are under pressure that is when what we truly believe comes to light.  It is also during the tough spots in life that God is maturing us to be more like Him.

2. When I don't know what I am doing, I can pray to the Father because He wants to help.  Talk about comforting.  This may be one of the most comforting points of the whole passage because if I am honest, it seems like half the time I don't know what I am doing.  Now I know there are some that would say you can't be a great leader if you don't know what you are doing, but I totally disagree.  Andy Stanley put it into perspective for me when he said, "My enemy is not uncertainty.  It is not even my responsibility to remove uncertainty.  It is my responsibility to bring clarity into the midst of uncertainty." How do I gain clarity?  James writes that it is our Heavenly Father who brings clarity in the midst of uncertainty.  And what's more, He loves to help.

3. Anyone who meets a challenge head on and sticks it out is fortunate.  In all of my life (42) years, there has been nothing as challenging as planting a church.  When God called me to do it over 7 years ago I literally had no idea how hard it would be.  There have been more days than I would like to admit when I have felt like throwing in the towel and asking God for a reprieve, but I haven't.  People have asked me from time to time what's kept me going?  My response has always been the same; no matter what, I will not give up until God makes it crystal clear that it is my time to begin another journey in life.  Until then, I will consider myself fortunate that I have been willing and able to meet the challenges of ministry head on and stick it out.

4. It is important that I lead with my ears, follow up with my tongue, and let anger straggle in the rear.  Sometimes my youngest son Brad will get so angry about something that he will have what my mother used to call a "Hissie Fit".  I mean he will completely lose it and say and do things that are so contrary to his character.  There have been times when he is having an episode that I have asked myself the ridiculous question, "what makes him act so crazy?"  I know what makes him crazy. It's the same thing that makes us all act out of character from time to time.  It's ANGER.  James writes that if we will listen first, and then speak, making sure that anger is removed from the equation, our conversations and relationships will be a whole lot more productive.  Brad isn't the only one who needs to hear that message. 

5. Real religion, the kind that God is looking for, is when we reach out to the homeless and loveless and guard against corruption in our world.  This point that James makes really sticks in my craw because it is so contrary to what most people think real religion is.  Most people think real religion means showing up for church on Sunday or being a part of a para church organization or listening to Christian music or reading Christian books or spending the majority of their time with other Christians. WRONG!  REAL RELIGION, according to what James writes, comes about when we move out of our comfort zones and serve those who are less fortunate, love those who aren't easy to love, and guard against those things that distort the truth that God has given us to live by.  I needed to read those words because my inclination is to allow myself to become comfortable in a false reality of what God is looking for. This point was certainly a wake up call and a challenge.

Persistent Prayer

I was having lunch with a friend on Wednesday when the topic of prayer came up.  As it turned out, not only am I this guys friend, I am also his pastor and so, of course, when the topic of prayer was raised it would seem like I would be the one to ask the penetrating questions.  Not this time.  As we talked, he asked me how often and how boldly I went to God in prayer?  Not sure of where he was going with the questioning I asked why?  His answer was so convicting.  He said, "Blake God wants us to come to Him again and again and again and ask for what we want.  He isn't looking for pleasant sounding, anemic prayers that we think God wants us to pray, but rather He is looking for the truth about how we feel and what we desire.  Those are the kind of prayers He answers."  I thought for a moment and said, "You're right!"

Now that I have been convicted, let me ask you.  What prayers are you taking to God again and again and again?  What is the desire of your heart?  What victory do you need God to give?  What mountain do you want Him to help you climb?  What problem do you need Him to help you solve?  Have you asked?  If not, my suggestion is ASK!  Check out this passage from Luke 18 that demonstrates the principle of persistence that I was reminded about this week.

The Story of the Persistent Widow

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: My rights are being violated. Protect me!'

"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.'"

Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?

Quiz Time

I gave a little quiz to all my WCC peeps today just to see how biblically literate they were.  My point centered around the fact that many of us claim that we "believe" the Bible is the inspired word of God and the ultimate source of authority for our life and yet we don't really know what it says.  Here are some questions that I asked them about the Bible.  They are pretty general in nature.  See how you fare.

1. Who was Noah's wife?

2. Name 1 of the 4 canonical gospels.

3. Who preached the Sermon on the Mount?

4. True of False: Is the passage, "God helps those who help themselves." in the Bible?  If not, who said it?

5. Who was the most "humble man on earth?"

Answers:

1. Noah's wife is not named in scripture.  Many Jewish scholars say her name is Naamah.

2. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

3. Jesus Christ

4. False.  This quote can be attributed to Ben Franklin.

5. Moses (Numbers 12:3)

The Cost of Following Christ

"Faith is not about escaping the realities of this world but about grappling with them, and struggling with the harshness of this world. It is about abandoning our own desires and opening ourselves to God’s desire to give us himself and to change this world.

Being open to God means that we may find ourselves being led to places which are not comfortable, it doesn’t make us immune to the struggles and difficulties of this world, on the contrary for those of us who see with eyes of faith the brokenness and pain of this world and the evidence of the ongoing effect of sin is all the more apparent." Alastair McCollum

Cartoon by Asbo Jesus

In the line of fire

Another great one from ASBO Jesus.

Compassion vs. Confrontation

I received quite a bit of feedback on my sermon yesterday on baptism.  One of the things that really hit people hard was my statement that "when it comes to unbelievers, compassion works better than confrontation".  I didn't have an hour to elaborate, but this is a huge subject that needs to be addressed.  Dan Kimball, pastor of Vintage Faith Church wrote a book entitled "They Like Jesus But Not The Church" and the whole emphasis is how society at large views Christianity.  It awakened me to the fact that militant Christianity does not work!

In fact, I was reading a blog recently about an author named Sam Harris who wrote a book called "Letter to a Christian Nation".  Harris' premise was basically all religion of any kind is bad because it contributes to wars and violence and militant behavior etc.. Now, as Christ followers, that might make us mad to hear, but you know what makes me mad?  The response to the book from Christ followers.  Check out this quote from Sam Harris.

"Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God.  The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians.  This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own.  The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ's love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism.  While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible.  How do I know this?  The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse." 

Dave Kinneman works for the "Barna Group" and not too long ago he reported what the perceptions are of unbelievers ages 16-29 are of Christians. It supports much of what Harris reports.  Here are the top 3 perceptions:

1. Christians are anti-homosexual: 91% of people surveyed said that they thought Christians were fixated on homosexuals and leveraging political power against them.

2. Christians are judgmental: 87% of people surveyed said that they doubt Christians really love people like we say we do.

3. Christians are hypocritical: 85% of those surveyed said that Christians don't act like they tell everybody else to act...with love and compassion.

What is my point?  My point is that Christ followers have some work to do.  Christ said be light!  Fill the world with hope.  Demonstrate my love.  Sacrificially serve.  Be kind.  Be compassionate.  Be forgiving.  Be filled with grace.  Show mercy.  Essentially, He said, Church be me!  From the looks of it, we (Christ followers) need to evaluate our strategy.  So,where does it start?  It starts by understanding the heart of an unbeliever.  And when it comes to unbelievers, compassion works so much better than confrontation!  Enough said....