by the Way...

Searching for More

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:52:00 +0000

This blog "by the Way" has largely been dormant for the past year or so. Seasons change in which people are led to write posts. In the meantime, I invite you to come read my personal blog at www.SearchingforMORE.com. There I write about my search for true community in Christ. Feel free to visit.

And before you go, know that there is a lot of good stuff on this blog if you go back through the archives. Some good, some not so good. Mostly good, though! Check out the archives link to the right --->

What is the Purpose of Church?

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:24:00 +0000

[The following quote is from a book I reviewed in the previous blog post Against Christianity. I will make a few follow-up comments, but I am inviting dialogue about this. Please feel encouraged to leave your thoughts on the blog.]

The mission of the Church can be described as a double movement. On the one hand, the Church is called to withdraw from the world, to be a counterculture, a separate city within the world's cities, challenging and clashing with the world by unapologetically speaking her own language, telling her own stories, enacting her own rites, practicing her own way of life. Though she shares considerable cultural space with the world, the Church is not an institution in the world alongside other institutions. She is an alternative world unto herself, with her roots in heaven, formed by being drawn into the community of Father, Son, and Spirit.

The Church is not, however, simply a counterculture. She has been given the subversive mission of converting whatever culture she finds herself in. She works to the end that her language, her rites, and her way of life might become formative for an entire society. She withdraws from the world for the sake of the world. Having been drawn into communion of the triune God, she participates also in the mission of the triune God.

Christianity cannot carry out this mission, because Christianity proposes only ideas; it does not form a world or a city. Christianity offers the Church only as a new sort of religious association, not as a new, eschatological ordering of human life. So long as Christianity reigns, the Church cannot really be separate; and so long as Christianity reigns, the Church can never convert anything.

This author hits the nail directly on the head. I, too, am fed up with what we have created and called "Christianity." It is a false religion based loosely on the truths of Scripture, but largely upon the desires and ambitions of men. I am done with Christianity. I am ready to renounce it and begin a new life as a simple, non-religious, follower of the Son of Yahweh, known to us as Jesus (or Yeshua). He is God. He is Truth. He is Life. He is the Way.

I extend an open-handed invitation to all others who wish to pursue real life in Christ. Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Let us run with endurance the race Father has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. What we call "Christianity" and the "Church" will for the most part inhibit our running of this race. It is time to become the true Church of Jesus. It is time to be real disciples of the Messiah. It is time to begin living out its true purpose. No longer shall we build our own kingdoms and followings. Let us focus on Jesus and his mission. Are you with me?

Love,
Jason Duncan

P.S. If this resonates with you, feel free to email me and share with me what Father is doing in you. If it doesn't please feel free to share your thoughts, but know that I am not interested in arguing.

Against Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:55:00 +0000

I recently finished a book called Against Christianity by Peter Leithart. It was given to me by a good friend whom I know to be a dedicated follower of Jesus. I was intrigued by the book's title and its chapter names (Against Theology, Against Sacraments, Against Ethics, For Constantine). I started reading it on a plane ride home from Baltimore and was quickly drawn in, but admittedly confused.

I don't recommend the book unless you just WANT to read it. It is poorly written and the author makes no effort to explain or define the terms he uses and it makes for a roller coaster read. At one point you think you understand his point and then the next you feel as if he has asked someone else to write a section. That being said, it was a very interesting book and does, in fact, have some great points. The best chapter is the last one: "For Constantine".

Allow me to tell you what I THINK the author was getting at throughout the entire book. Then I will throw you a few quotes I thought were really good.

Leithart--I think--uses the term "Christianity" to define the western version of religion whose book is the Bible and whose God is Jesus. There is a failed attempt in chapter one to define the term, but he gets off track with some contrasting explanations and never finishes his definition. He uses the term "Christianity" disparagingly (and I applaud his point). According to the author, the Bible does not even teach the concept of Christianity. And he is right! What we know as Christianity is not--I repeat NOT--described or taught in the Scriptures. This is a worthwhile point and can explain the title of the book.

He goes on through the next few chapters talking about how the modern religion of Christianity is against sacraments, ethics, and theology. It took me until the last chapter to think I was "getting" his point. If the book had not been recommended by my friend who gave it to me, I wouldn't have finished it. Again, it is not because of the content, but because of the poor writing and lack of explanations.

It was the last chapter that was best for me. I plan to post a large quote from this chapter on the blog here. So stay tuned for the latest quotes from this book. I'm sure it will be good conversation starters.

Here are some random quotes that I rather liked. They are out of context, so may sound a bit more in-your-face than they are intended, but they are worthy of consideration.

The Church is neither a reservoir of grace nor an external support for the Christian life. The Church is salvation. (p. 32)

The Church's competitors are nation-states and international political bodies like the United Nations. The Church's ethos and culture are not just a challenge to the other "religions," but to the ethos of americanism and the culture of globalization, insofar as such an ethos and culture exists. But we do not preach the gospel faithfully. We preach Christianity. And therefore we avoid the clash. (p. 34)

The gospel announces a new creation. The gospel brings nothing less than a new world. If we are going to stand for this gospel, we must stand against Christianity. (p. 40)

Christianity does not offer a new language, but only some religious words and phrases to add to the stock of the existing language. (p. 52)

Reformed Protestants generally adopt only one physical posture in worship--sitting to listen to a sermon--and therefor we are trained in only one spiritual posture. We are trained to accept as a matter of course that it is possible to think our way through life--all of life. (p. 83)

Perhaps Ephraim Radner is correct. Perhaps the Spirit has abandoned the Church. (p. 120)

I will post some quotes from the final chapter (For Constantine) in a follow-up blog post. Check it out.

Love,
Jason Duncan

Under Deconstruction

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:15:00 +0000

Ever wondered what it is that the stickman is shoveling on the "Under Construction" signs on the highway? Me too. I took the liberties of altering the sign a bit by adding the nice little "fumes" and re-titling the sign: "Under Deconstruction."

Deconstruction is defined as "A process to carefully dismantle or remove useable materials from structures, as an alternative to demolition. It maximizes the recovery of valuable building materials for reuse and recycling and minimizes the amount of waste."

I am applying this term to my spiritual life in this way. For many years I was taught a certain way to interpret the Bible and the religion called Christianity. I even went on to get a degree from a certain university that upheld this certain way of understanding and interpreting the Bible. Lately, I am growing to mistrust my own understandings of interpretation. In a very real sense, I am going through a period of deconstructing my hermeneutic (way of interpreting the Bible). What I used to believe about the Bible is being carefully dismantled to remove useful truths as an alternative to walking away from everything. I want to maximize the recovery of valuable truths of the Bible and minimize the amount of waste that has accumulated in my old hermeneutic. In simple terms, I am shoveling through all of the crap and trying to find the things worth holding onto that I am absolutely sure of (And there is not much left, I'm afraid!).

Like me, I bet many of you built a nice safe little sanctuary of biblical understanding with a precept here, a doctrine there, and a bit of inferring here. This safe little place can become a very dangerous place because it lies to you and tells you to rely on your understanding and tells you that you do not need the Spirit to lead you. If you open up to the Spirit's leading, then you cannot rely on your understanding anymore. Rather, you must acknowledge your ignorance and limited ability to comprehend the things of God and rely totally upon the Spirit for truth and knowledge. Read Philippians and pay attention the how Paul threw out all of the old religious crap (he said "dung") and committed to only know Jesus and his love for us.

Recently we had a discussion about a well-known story from the book of Acts with some good friends. This was the first time I actually practiced a distrust of my own understanding in the face of questions about the Bible. Certainly, I could have given an answer--one that I have preached many times before. However, I simply found myself not trusting my own knowledge. I re-read the portion of Scripture in question and found that what it DIDN'T say spoke much louder that what it DID say. Admittedly, I wanted to be sure of myself in my answer, but I simply did not know the answer.

Why is it that we in the West want to have an answer for everything? It strikes me as arrogant that we followers of Jesus find it hard to say "I don't know". I know it is hard for preachers to say I don't know--I used to be one. I was "paid" to know. Now I am growing comfortable in not knowing many things over which I used to fervently debate. What I am finding great joy in is being absolutely sure of the love of God. That is what I know. That is what I can rely on. That is what I can trust. I don't know anything else.

I invite all followers of Jesus to join me in this deconstruction. Hang this sign on your heart and wait for Father to build his love in you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Your brother in Jesus,
Jason Duncan

We're Selling Freedom (And It's Free!)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:08:00 +0000

One of the coolest thoughts I've had in a long time came to me as I was sitting at a table talking with someone at the Spring Family Retreat. It was with someone who only recently was introduced to this idea of walking in a relationship with God without the need for a religious institution. During the conversation I was struck with the overwhelming sense that Father was saying to me that what we are offering is freedom. Freedom from religious performance. Freedom from guilt and manipulation. Freedom from empty rituals. Freedom from an endless list of religious activities that seem to rob us of time. This person already knew and loved Jesus, but seemed to be tired of the religious machine offered by many churches. When people realize that they are "allowed" to leave the institution, they seem to come alive with joy at the thought of living in true freedom.

All of this made me think of a story from American history that relates to our current situation in the church.

In 1863 during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the United States and in the Confederate Sates. This executive order earned Lincoln his nickname as the Great Emancipator. A story is told of a newspaper interviewing a recently "freed" slave in the south. "What do you think of the Great Emancipator? He set you free." The slave responded bluntly, "I don't know nothing 'bout no Great Emancipator and I don't know nothing 'bout no freedom." This slave either didn't actually know about Lincoln's proclamation or he simply chose not to take the risk of exploring his new freedom.

In many corners of the church we have turned into slaves. We are slaves to the system and lifeless substitutes for community. We have spent millions of dollars trying to improve the system with bigger buildings, more high-powered AV equipment, more polished speakers, etc. It is the same way that slaves tried to get better living quarters, tried to get the slave-drivers to treat them better, tried to get a better workload when all along they were free. Just like the slaves on the 1860s, we spend time trying to improve our current situation rather than embracing our freedom. Why? It is dangerous. For a slave to embrace freedom and claim the truths of the Emancipation Proclamation meant certain dangers and risk of death. The slave-drivers and owners did not want the slaves to be free. This would topple their businesses. This would spell immediately financial ruin for these rich slave owners. And today what are the consequences of leaving the machine of modern Christianity? We risk losing friendships. We risk losing family members' approval. We risk being ostracized in our neighborhoods and communities. We risk being called "arrogant" or "heretics." We sometimes even risk financial loss.

Freedom is worth it. There is much to gain. I know the first Great Emancipator. I know of the proclamation He issued on Calvary. I know how hard it is to risk the escape, but I was willing to do it. Life is fuller. Life is freer. Freedom smells sweet. As we exit the machine of modern Christianity, we risk a lot--much like the slaves in 1863 who had just been set free. I plead with you not to deny your freedom in Jesus. Many gallons of blood were shed to prove that the Great Emancipator was justified in freeing American slaves. A war tore our country apart. Likewise, blood was shed by Jesus to free us from the tyranny of slavery to sin. Let us not again become so entangled with empty rituals and lifeless laws and deny the freedom we have been freely given.

Your underground railroad conductor,
Jason

Reflections from 2010 Spring Family Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:50:00 +0000

On the weekend of April 16-18, 2010, 100 people gathered together from all over the Western hemisphere to participate in a retreat at Hillmont Camp in White Bluff, Tennessee just west of Nashville.

The retreat was hosted and organized by the Way Network, a community of followers of Jesus based in Gallatin, Tennessee. Jason Duncan headed up the organizing and helped make the retreat become a reality. Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings, hosts of the weekly podcast The God Journey, were in attendance to help guide some dialogue about living loved.

We had in attendance people from Tennessee, California, Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, and Indiana. Three lovely ladies flew all the way from London to be with us, too. Friday evening we got all checked in and played a cool game of People Bingo so we could get to know one another better. After the game we "schooched" our chairs all in towards the center of the room in no particular order or design so that we could all be together to hear from and talk to one another.

Wayne began the weekend's dialogue by asking us why we came and what we expected. There were as many different reasons for coming and expectations for the weekend as states that were represented. It was great to hear what Father was doing in and around us. We broke up for bedtime around 10:00 PM. Many stayed way past that time to carry on small group conversations about various topics. A group of about a dozen people stayed up past 2:00 AM talking about Jesus with Brad. (We paid dearly for that the next day!)

Saturday brought a beautiful morning with a great breakfast in the Hillmont dining room. We all sat at tables where we were encouraged to sit with folks we didn't know--which was easy because most of us didn't know each other anyway. Jason Duncan had prepared "starter" questions for us at each table that we could use to jump start conversations around our meals. After breakfast we all gathered in the worship center for another group discussion. A few of the musicians were playing in the worship center so we all joined in and sang a few songs before our discussion time. The discussion revolved around more pointed ideas about what Father is doing in and around us. It was great to sit and dialogue--even with 100 people--rather than sitting and being lectured to. In addition, the lack of a regimented schedule or agenda for the weekend was quite refreshing. It allowed us time and opportunity to talk with others whenever the Spirit prompted us. It was very relaxing.

After lunch, the kids and about a dozen adults spent the early afternoon up on the ball field with "Coach" Eric Anderson. He brought lots of fun equipment he uses as an elementary school PE teacher. The kids had a blast--and there were LOTS of kids. It was so good to see so many kids. After the games Eric brought for us to play, we played a big game of two-base kickball. It was a blast! About 3:30, thirty of us piled into one of the classrooms at the camp and set up a mini recording studio for Wayne and Brad to do a "live" interactive podcast. They started the conversation and invited us to chime in with questions and comments. They are planning to run it on The God Journey over the next two weeks.

Saturday evening, we enjoyed another dinner getting to know new people. Afterwards, we all hung out in different pockets of the retreat center talking, singing, praying, or whatever Father led us to do. At dark, we started a little campfire where some of us sat around and laughed and talked as others sat nearby and played old rock-n-roll, some country, and some worship songs on our guitars.

On Sunday morning, we gathered for our final meal together as a group and then gathered in the worship center for our final group conversation. It was a magnificent conversation about life, living loved, and the meaning of the cross. You are encouraged to listen to Wayne's "Transitions" series on the Lifestream website. (Click here to go to the site.) On this free MP3 download, you can hear Wayne's teachings on the cross and what living loved really means. It would be a good follow-up to many of the conversations we had over the weekend.

As we departed without much fanfare, hugs were shared and contact information was exchanged. Lots of laughter and a few muffled cries were heard as we departed, not knowing whether we would see each other again this side of eternity. Only Father knows if He intends for us to reunite again any time in the future. Some would definitely hope that we will. Only He knows.

Thanks to all who came and shared their life, their gifts, their ideas, their passions, and their love with us. Jesus is the most important person among us all and He is the One who united us. Praise Jesus from whom all blessings flow.

20 Questions (#20)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:48:00 +0000

Well, we are finally at the end of my list of questions and answers to make us think about our spiritual growth. I hope that this has been helpful, even if only a bit. Remember that you can see all 20 Questions on our blog at theWay247.blogspot.com. Here's the last one (for now...)

20. How often do I REALLY think about other people and their relationship with Jesus?

As we grow in Jesus, shouldn't we naturally think more and more about people in terms of their place in the Kingdom? Specifically their relationship with Jesus? One would think so, but I find it very rare to meet followers of Jesus who think of people in this light. I, myself, am even embarrassed to admit that I typically do not think of people in these terms.

What I usually find is people who typically only think about others' relationship with Jesus when on a mission trip or a door-to-door evangelism blitz of their community. We are all eternal beings made in the image of God. But we mostly only see people in terms of what they give us. We are nice to people from whom we get things--or hope to get things. we are indifferent or down-right rude to those from whom we can get nothing.

As we grow in the Spirit, we need to put on new glasses--glasses that will allow us to see all people as special, image-of-God, precious souls who need a relationship with Jesus. The Kingdom of God exists in other places besides our comfortable church. We need to expand our view and begin regularly seeing people the way Jesus does--from a Kingdom perspective.

Your friend,
Jason Duncan
theWay247.com

20 Questions (#19)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:33:00 +0000

We are approaching the end of my 20 Questions designed to help us contemplate our personal spiritual growth. This question was originally intended to be my final question, but it has been weighing heavily on my heart the past few days, so I thought I'd go ahead and write about it today. Maybe it is because you needed this message today...

#19. Is my desire to please Father fueled by love or by fear?

I don't know about how it was for you growing up, but I heard a lot about "fearing" God. Many preachers, teachers, and kind-hearted elders told me about the need to fear God. Sure, a good number of them tried to explain to me that the word "fear" wasn't about being afraid, but more about "respect". Nevertheless that message never really made it to my brain. I suppose it goes back to the old saying that actions far outweigh your words. You see, even though I was taught to have respect for God, I grew up afraid of God because of the way older Christians acted towards Him. I was told by people very close to me that no sin would enter into heaven. I was told that I must ask for forgiveness for EVERY sin I committed or I would not be forgiven. I saw people mortified and scared after sermons about repentance and hell who would sob as they "rededicated" their lives in fear of being cut out of the Book of Life. This kind of theology drives us to fear God--real fear (i.e. being afraid of or scared of God). The natural outcome of this kind of theology is people either try to please God for fear that He will "whack" us for our sins or we give up on Him totally because we know we aren't that good enough and could never please Him anyway.

What I find conspicuously absent from much of the teaching I received as a young Christian is the love of God. While there are over 120 verses in the Bible that refer to our need to "fear God" there are over 500 that refer to the love God has for us and our love for him. The most poignant sections of Scripture about love comes from John's first epistle when he says the following things about God and love. Do not its familiarity keep you from focusing on its profound truth.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

I find these verses so very refreshing. I no longer fear God! Love is greater than fear. Love is a superior motivator for God's children to please him. God--who is Love--drives fear out of me. God does not desire me to tremble at the thought of judgment or punishment. Rather he desires me to live in love. No father wants his kids to obey him out of fear of punishment. No. No. No. We want our kids to respond to us in trust and obedience based on a love relationship. God feels the same way. Love must come first.

I sincerely regret that I used fear of God (i.e. being afraid or scared) as a motivator to get people to fit into my mold of what being a Christian really meant. Father has already forgiven me for this stupidity, but I hope that those upon whom I used this will also forgive me and see how much better a motivator love is. My prayer is that Jesus' church will stop focusing on the "fear" of God and begin overwhelming people with the love of God. Love is the most important thing. Period.

Love,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

Christian Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:38:00 +0000

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of [the twentieth] century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will not be one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.

-A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963)

From the "Are You Kidding Me?" Files

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:20:00 +0000

In the Friday, March 19 edition of the Tennessean newspaper, a front page article in the "Local & Business" section of the paper, the headline reads: "Churches consider ban on trespassers."

I read the article with interest that quickly turned to disgust and a feeling of absolute bewilderment. [click here for article] Two different Nashville churches were interviewed as the subject of the story. One was a Church of Christ and the other was a Methodist church. The denominational affiliation is unimportant; what they said was the shocker.

I am a follower of Jesus, so my perspective is from one as a brother to these churches who were interviewed. I can only imagine the perspective of those who do not follow Jesus at all. Allow me to share with you one of the 60+ comments left on the newspaper's Web site about this article:

Religion is the biggest fraud in the history of man. I see the hypocrisy continues, maybe after they remove all the undesirables they can make things all pearly white and pure the way Jesus would want it.

What was it that caused this person to say such a thing? Allow me to summarize the article for you. Some area churches have experienced vandalism, drug deals, and homeless "invasions" on their properties and they want it to stop. The Metro Police Department has offered to area churches the ability for them to sign a waiver, allowing cops to arrest anyone caught on church property after 10:30 PM, charging the individuals with a misdemeanor. If the church does sign the waiver, police must first call church leaders to authorize the removal or arrest of "trespassers." One of the churches interviewed has already signed the waiver while the other one is considering it.

Here is the most shocking quote from the article. It is from an elder's wife of the church who has already signed the waiver:

We have people gathering on our front steps engaging in what appears to be drug deals. We have vandalism on an almost constant basis. One day, we even had a homeless guy walk in on us during a meeting.

WHAT? You mean that the world is actually coming to your doorstep and into your meetings, yet you want them to stop. Why? Does this mess up the bleach-white clean religious world you want to live in? Heaven forbid a homeless person actually mistake your building as a place where he come come to receive help! Oh, the horrors of modern churchianity!

Another quote from the article is just as disturbing. In talking about a homeless man that had taken up residence on the church's property, a representative of the church who had not yet signed the waiver said this:

It was really sad because we were literally watching him kill himself with alcohol. We did everything we could to help him. We offered to help him go to rehab, but he couldn't accept what we offered. He was a good man, but his life was not progressing and we didn't want to see him die on our property.

This type of attitude toward the world is exactly what has caused the church to lose its respect and relevance in our culture. We continue to live our lives with blinders on, thinking that the only ones worthy to be a part of our "clubs" are those who look, dress, act, and smell like us. Heaven forbid a homeless man dying on the property owned by the church. So what if he refused to go to rehab? Does that make him any less worthy to be called our friend? Does it make him less worthy of receiving the love and care of folks who claim to follow Jesus?

I can't really think of anything more to say. Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.

-Jason

20 Questions (#s 17-18)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:18:00 +0000

#17) Is your grip on money and things loosening?

It is absolutely amazing to think that Jesus spoke more about money and materialism than almost every other subject. The only thing he talked about more was love. Jesus made it very clear when he spoke these words: "You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both."

Jesus wasn't just talking about "dead presidents", he was talking about all things financial and material. The materialism of America and the West has contaminated our faith. If your grip on money and things is tightening, then your faith may very well be weakening. On the other hand, if your focus on and desire for material things is loosening, then your faith my in fact be growing.

Do you really need that new [fill in the blank]? Do you get upset--really upset--when your [fill in the blank] gets scratched, broken, or crumpled? Does your [fill in the blank] consume more of your routine thoughts than Jesus' work in your world? Then you may have a problem. You cannot worship Jesus AND [fill in the blank].

#18) Am I more drawn to things filled by Jesus’ presence and less attracted to the world’s offerings?

This question is a follow-up question to #17. As we grow in our faith, our desires should naturally gravitate towards things filled by Jesus' presence rather than things this world offers. Consider the amount of time you spend watching TV. I would venture a guess that 99.5% of your TV viewing is not edifying spiritually, nor does it focus your thoughts on Jesus. Consider the amount of time you spend working out, talking on the phone, surfing the Internet, playing golf, gossiping, listening to your iPod, etc. If you are honest, do any of those things rob you of quality time with Jesus?

Since I can only speak from my point of view, I will share a small snapshot of my life with you in relation to this question. As a family, we decided to fast from TV for 40 days. We are about half-way through and I must say life is so much better than with TV. We are spending more time together as a family. We are reading more. We are more active. The kids are more well-behaved. But the most important thing is that since we are not wasting time on TV, we are more focused on Jesus and his work around us. I have become more interested in things of Jesus simply due to the fact that we are not watching TV.

For my family it was TV that robbed us of focusing on Jesus. For you it may be something else. Spiritual growth is occurring when we realize that we are drawn more to the things that keep us focused on Jesus and less drawn to things offered by the world. Remember Jesus' words to you: "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and he will give you everything you need."

Your brother in the Way,

Jason Duncan

www.theWay247.com

20 Questions (#s 15-16)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:55:00 +0000

This post is continuing my series of 20 questions designed to make us contemplate our walk with Jesus to see if we are growing as his disciples. You can check out our blog archives to read the first 14 questions and/or post comments about the questions.

#15) How often do I genuinely pray for Father to reveal Himself to me?

This question is designed to make us consider the level to which we seek Father's hand and face in our lives. As we grow in the Spirit, we should be sensing His presence more frequently and with greater power. For true followers of Jesus, the power and presence of Father should be evident in our lives. I must admit that there are times in my own life where I do not sense Father's presence. I am reminded, though, that even during those times I can rely on the promises of God that assure me that he will never leave me. We cannot base our understanding of God and who he is on our feelings about him. Are we genuinely praying for him to reveal himself? Are we asking to see him and experience him? This is not just about super-miraculous revelations only, but mostly about the "touches" of God that we get in our encounters with his creation. If we are not seeking to experience him in this world we are missing out on the best part of being a follower of Jesus--that is the part that allows us to walk with him in a real and authentic way, not just as a religious concept.

#16) How often do I genuinely pray for the Spirit to come upon me and my family?

Ok. I admit it. I don't think I ever really prayed this for my family until this week. I guess I never really thought about it as a specific prayer. As you read throughout the New Testament you see the Spirit being poured out on people at various times and for various reasons. On one hand, all those who are redeemed are given the Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing their place in eternity with God. On the other hand there are times at which the Spirit is poured out where the recipients are able to accomplish a miraculous or supernatural project. Some folks refer to this as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Whatever you call it, we are exhorted by Paul to continually be filled (i.e. overwhelmed) with the Holy Spirit.

As we grow in our walk as children of God, we need to pray frequently for the Spirit to be poured out on us and our family. The Spirit is the power of God given to us to enable us to accomplish all that Father intends. This power was at work in the creation and was at work in the patriarchs and prophets. This power was at work in Jesus and is at work in His church. Do not try to walk alone without asking for the power to accomplish Father's purposes. It is a sure sign of growth for those who pray for the Spirit to be poured out on themselves and their families.

Your brother in Jesus,
Jason Duncan
theWay247.com

20 Questions (#s 12-14)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:17:00 +0000

Today I continue my series of 20 Questions to help us evaluate our growth in Jesus. I have three questions to share today that all go together and deal with freedom in Jesus. If you have missed any of the previous questions, you can see them in our blog archives.

#12) Do I feel more freedom in Jesus as I grow or less?

One day early on in Jesus' public ministry, Jesus went into the synagogue as was his custom. On this particular day the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
(from the Gospel of Luke, emphasis added)

Jesus went on to tell the men sitting there that day that it was He who would fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah. Over the next three years, Jesus did indeed do these things. Most folks think upon first look that Jesus meant the "financially poor," the "legal prisoners," the "physically blind," and the "politically oppressed." However, a closer look at Isaiah's prophecy and Jesus' ministry will reveal a much deeper meaning to the words "poor," "prisoners," "blind," and "oppressed."

While Jesus did indeed have compassion for the financially poor, his ministry was primarily to the poor in Spirit who had no hope. He was sent to set free those who were imprisoned by sin and Satan. He was on a mission to open the eyes of those who were blinded by the Jewish religious system that placed a higher value on rules than relationship. Finally, Jesus was passionate about releasing us from the oppression of sin.

As we grow in our relationship with Jesus , we must become more and more free. If we are not experiencing more freedom, then we are stunted in our growth and are missing out on the abundant life Jesus promised to bring us.

#13) Is my list of things Christians "don't do" growing or shrinking?

I remember as a kid forming my list of "Do's and Don't's" as a Christian. My preacher, youth ministers, and Sunday school teachers were quick to help. "We don't ever go anywhere that Christians shouldn't go--even for good purposes--because if someone sees us, we may make them 'stumble.'" "We don't watch certain TV shows or movies or listen to certain kinds of music because Christians need to stay pure." "We don't drink alcohol because that is a bad witness."

All of these things were done, of course, with the best intentions. The problem, though, is that they negate the freedom Jesus came to give us. They make us slaves to the sin we are trying to avoid. Sure, you can be a slave to sin by doing the sin, but you can also be a slave by focusing on NOT doing it, too. This is the problem of the Pharisees and their legalism. As we grow in Christ, our list on "don'ts" must fade away into the freedom of Christ. Let us not focus on what we shouldn't do, but what we get to do in Him.

#14) Do I feel guilty if I don't DO something I think I am supposed to do?

Guilt is a powerful motivator. Ashamedly, it is a tool I used for many, many years as a preacher. It is handy to get people to do something that you want them to do. The sad part of this is that the Scripture clearly teachers that followers of Jesus should not walk in guilt. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," Paul reminds us in the letter to the Romans.

Walk in freedom. Do not let well-meaning people guilt you into doing something you don 't want to do. Don't let guilt rob you of the joy of life. As one brother says, "Don't should on yourself. Furthermore, don't let others should on you." This means that we don't need to let people tell us (i.e. guilt us) by telling us what we should do as opposed to what we are doing. It is for freedom that Jesus has set us free. He is the audience of One that we live to please.

Your brother in the Way,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

Religious Observances Gone Bad

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:36:00 +0000

This morning I was reading from "The Daily Bible" edited by F. LeGarde Smith. It is a wonderful chronological version of the Bible and does a fantastic job of ordering the events as they happened to make much more sense of the events as they unfold. I particularly enjoy the Gospels as they are put together into a single seamless story. I do not follow its reading plan for 365 daily readings, but I do like how it is divided into nice portions for each day of reading. Smith adds a few of his own thoughts at the beginning of each daily portion. Today's thoughts and following Scripture were illuminated in my spirit and I wanted to share with you what I saw and get your feedback.

As the opposition began to rise against Jesus early in his ministry, it found its root in the fact that Jesus blatantly disregarded the Pharisees', Saducees', and scribes' oral traditions. Smith writes, "In addition to the written law given through Moses, the Pharisees accept as equally binding the oral tradition of the rabbis, which traditions have evolved into a highly ritualistic set of religious observances. So when the Jesus and his disciples violate some of these traditional rules, the Pharisees are highly offended."

As I read these words this morning, I immediately began to think about the parallel between how the Pharisees had turned God's law into something it wasn't by adding little "extras" here and there and how the modern church has turned God's grace into something it's not by adding little "extras" here and there, too. Granted, most of the "extras" the Pharisees added were firmly based in the true law of God, but they went too far and required too much and ultimately became equal (or greater than) God's original law. In like manner, the modern church has added these things to the Gospel of Jesus based on their understanding of Scripture, but have made these "extras" more weighty than the simple relationship with Jesus taught about in the New Testament.

Allow me to give some examples of how the Pharisees changed God's law into "a highly ritualistic set of religious observances." The Pharisees would not allow anyone to carry a mat on the Sabbath, saying this was "work" and violated the 4th commandments. Also, they would encourage people to give their money to the temple treasury even if their elderly parents were in need because tithing was commanded in the law. Both of these traditions had a basis in God's true law, but severely missed the point and even maligned God's law in the process of teaching their own interpretation of it.

Now for some examples of how the modern church has done similar things to the Gospel. Church leaders teach that good Christians "go to church" each week as a display of their faithfulness to Jesus and submission to church leadership. A careful reading of the New Testament certainly reveals a pattern of regular gatherings of the church, but no where will you see a requirement for a scheduled weekly gathering in a special building and a liturgy of special ordinances and observances. Another one is the doctrine of tithing in the modern church. Many modern churches require and record tithing as a mark of church membership. After all, the modern church would not be able to operate without the tithes in its current set up. Once again, a careful search of the Scriptures will not support the doctrine of tithing for Christians, much less a requirement for "church membership."

We must be diligent not to make our understanding of the Gospel equal to or greater than the actual Gospel and then place demands upon others to follow our understandings (i.e. new laws). There are many practices and teachings in the modern church that have evolved from a desire to explain the Gospel into a desire to control the people. Church buildings, permanent paid pastors, tithing, youth groups, Communion, etc. all have good intentions, but unfortunately have morphed into nothing more than empty rituals and teachings that are devoid of the truth of the Gospel.

Trying to be honest,
Jason

20 Questions (#11)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:46:00 +0000

#11) Do I still use the word "church" to describe events, places, or group activities with other Christians?

This is a hard one because at first it seems so insignificant. But the truth is, the words we use become the reality we live. If we use wrong words to describe things, then the way we live out the reality of those things becomes altered and less than intended.

A friend of mine recently had their third child, a son. Within the next few months, this little boy will go through the same experience that most kids all over the world will go through. His parents will point at objects and recite the name, trying to teach him what things are. "Apple." "Bowl." "Door." "Ball."

Imagine if you will a boy who grows up calling a table a "chair" because that is what his parents taught him a chair was. Every time he saw a table, he would call it a chair. His paradigm is set: a "table" is a "chair." Period. (A paradigm, by the way, is a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that makes up your view of reality.)

At some point in this misguided boy's life, someone will challenge his view on what a chair is. When that happens, a crisis will occur in his paradigm. He will either accept the plain truth that a chair is a chair and a table is NOT chair, or he will argue against it based on his previous life experience and teaching. Most people who hold tightly to beliefs do so based on their paradigm about that particular thing or concept. People are not open to shifting to new paradigms without sufficient proof to the contrary.

What this boy will need is a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift is a fundamental change in our understanding of how something works. It is a radical change in thinking from an accepted point of view to a new one. These radical changes are necessitated when new discoveries produce anomalies or abnormalities in the current paradigm. When enough anomalies occur, the previous paradigm cannot continue to stand because our brains' sense of truth cannot tolerate the old paradigm any longer.

If the boy who was taught that a table is a chair begins to have his paradigm challenged based on empirical evidence, anomalies will certainly occur. "I have always wondered why chairs were so uncomfortable." "I wondered why people at restaurants ate off of chairs." "I wondered why people thought I was weird for sitting on the big round chairs in their dining rooms."

As these anomalies occur, his brain will begin fighting against the need for a paradigm shift. "But my parents taught me that this big flat thing is a chair." "But I have always sat on these things and called them chairs." "I will have to make a huge change in my behavior--and my furniture purchases in the future--if this is true."

Eventually, enough anomalies will occur that will force him into shifting his paradigm to accept that the things he had always called "chairs" were in fact not. Once this shift from one paradigm to another occurs, it will be impossible for him to accept the notion that a table is a chair any longer. For once the shift occurs, it is highly unlikely and psychologically improbable for him to revert to his old paradigm.

What does this have to do with us as followers of the Way? Well, for me--and perhaps millions of other Christians all over the world--I grew up with a certain paradigm about what "church" is. As I grew up "in the church" I was taught certain fundamental things about church: It is a building; it is a place where Christians gather to worship; it is an event that I participate in (as a spectator mostly); it is an organization. As I grew older and began developing my own understanding based on my own experiences as a vocational minister in the church, my paradigm about church grew to incorporate ideas about church leadership, organizational structure, ministry styles, etc. In short, I learned how to manage the machine I called "church" and was somewhat successful at doing so.

About four years ago, my paradigm about "church" began to be challenged. I began reading books by other followers of Jesus that pointed out anomalies in my understanding of what church was. I read ideas and assertions about church being the people and not being an institution to be managed. I read about church being the result of individual followers of Jesus doing what they were supposed to be doing. This made me view the New Testament and its descriptions of the church in an entirely different light. I began seeing that the church I fought and worked so hard to maintain was not anything like the church in the New Testament. "Could this be true?" I asked myself.

Scripture confirms that the church is indeed not a place, an event, or a list of group activities. The Church is a community of people who have been redeemed by the Father and empowered by the Spirit to live life as Jesus in all of their relationships--individually and collectively. If we are growing in our understanding of Jesus and His teachings, then we will all undergo a paradigm shift in our view of what "church" really is. It really does make a difference.

Your friend in Jesus,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

20 Questions (#s 9 & 10)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Happy Sunday morning Followers of the Way! I have enjoyed my Sunday morning very much. We had chocolate chip pancakes and spent some time worshiping Father around the table as we ate. Today I continue my series of 20 questions dealing with true spiritual growth. Check our blog archives for the previous eight questions.

#9) Do I still compartmentalize life into the sacred and secular?

In their book Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, Robert Littlejohn and Charles Evans boldly state, "It is a characteristic of un-Christian thinking to separate the sacred and the secular." Abraham Kuyper, a renowned journalist, theologian, politician, and educator adds, "There is not a square inch in the universe that Christ does not claim, 'This is mine!'"

The Lordship of Jesus embraces all of life. As Paul admonished the Colossians and the Corinthians on separate occasions: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God and in the name of Jesus." If all of life belongs to Jesus then nothing we do can be separated into a compartment that he has no access to. Our prime example of holiness was Jesus, a man who never once saw any aspect of life as "secular." In all that he did, in all that he said, in all that he witnessed, he acknowledge Father's control and ownership. This means that our work--whether we are teachers, engineers, politicians, realtors, or trash collectors--is a sacred exercise of the lordship of Jesus. By extension, this also means that we cannot clearly delineate between "sacred" activities of the church and those that are not. (See question #10 below.)

As we grow in Jesus, we must learn to view that the church is the people of God, empowered by the Spirit, and indwelt by the Son of God to proclaim the message of the Kingdom. We do not have to attend a special church service in order to be "sacred." We can accomplish our goal over a cup of coffee with a friend, driving to work, mowing the lawn, or watching a movie with friends. The danger begins when we try to separate what is "sacred" and what is "secular" into different compartments of our lives. Growth in Jesus requires that this division decrease until it is totally absent in our worldview.

#10) Do I still use the word "church" to describe events, places, or group activities with other Christians?

One of the worst legacies of westernized Christianity is the evolution of the word "church" as defined in Scripture to the word "church" as defined by Webster. Webster defines church as “a building for public Christian worship; a public divine worship.” Webster has it wrong. Jesus and his disciples never used the term church to refer to a place or an event. They always used it to refer to the people who follow Jesus. Period.

Church is not an event, a place, or a list of group activities even though that’s how we’ve come to think of it. We say things like, “I go to First Baptist.” “We are members of St. Luke's.” “We’re going to be late for church.” Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all. When one asks me where I go to church, I can honestly say that I do not. Why? Because I cannot “go to” myself. I am part of the church, so there is no specific place I can go that is church. The Church is a community of people who have been redeemed by the Father and empowered by the Spirit to live life as Jesus in all of their relationships--individually and collectively.

Growth in Jesus is evidenced by the fact that we do not see special gatherings of the church as "real church." Like in question #9 above, we must not make a division between what is sacred (i.e. singing songs, praying, reading the Bible, etc.) and what is secular (i.e. going out to eat, watching TV, or just hanging out with friends). When the church gathers collectively, we do not have to do any particular thing in order for it to be a spiritual/sacred event. Simply being together in the name of Jesus is enough--no matter what we do together.

Your friend in Jesus,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

20 Questions (#s 7 & 8)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:27:00 +0000

It has been a few weeks since I posted on the blog. With the holidays and and trying to get back into the groove of going to work, things have been busy. I hope all is well with you and your families as we begin this new year. Today I am continuing my series of 20 Questions. You can check older posts on the blog to read up on the previous questions in case you missed them.

#7) Are you growing in your understanding of the things of God?

There is an old saying that goes something like this: "He's been a Christian for one year, twenty years in a row." Does this describe you? If we are truly growing in our walk with Jesus, then our understanding of God will be changing significantly as we walk along.

For me, I can remember long periods of time in my life where my understanding of God did not change at all. Much of that time I was deeply immersed in "church culture." That is to say that I was a three or four times a week church-goer, I was involved in basic and extra-curricular church activities, I helped lead portions of the worship service, etc. (That was just as a teenager.) Then when I graduated high school, got married and began my career as a minister, there was even a pretty long time when my basic beliefs about God did not change significantly. Looking back, I can see it was because I was not growing--I was just maintaining.

The past five to seven years of my life have been the time of the most radical changes in my beliefs about God. I can tell and sense that I am growing in my understanding of the things of God. I consider this a healthy thing. As you read through Scripture, you can read about the apostles admonishing followers of Jesus to GROW in their knowledge--this ain't just memorizing Scripture, folks. It is about true growth and changes in your views of who God is and what He is about. Are you making any new "discoveries" about God? Does learning new-to-you ideas about Jesus excite you? If not, then you may not be growing at all. God is too big for you to say that you already know enough about Him.

#8) Have any of your core beliefs about God, Jesus, the Spirit or the Church change significantly in the past five years?

This question is practically the same as #7, but with a slightly different focus. I want you to think about where you were spiritually five years ago....(go ahead, I'll wait).... Now compare that with where you are today. Is there any difference? Are you still in the same place? Doing the same things week after week? Dealing with the same issues? If nothing has changed, beware.

Paul talks about how his understandings of God changed as he grew physically. "When I was young, I thought like a child. When I became a man, I began thinking like a man." This is true in the natural sense for all of us. Our worldview evolves slightly as we grow older because we have experienced more and more. The same can be said about our lives in Christ. As we grow older in Christ, our views of who God is, who Jesus is, who the Spirit is, and who the Church is should be changing and evolving as we have more experiences.

Let me encourage you to think deeply about your core beliefs about God. Have any of those beliefs changed in the last five years? Have you read any books or talked to others who have walked this journey a bit longer to gain insight into the nature of God? Stretch yourself and begin thinking more about your core beliefs about who God is. This is part of the growth process.

Walking with Jesus,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

20 Questions (#s 5 & 6)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Today I am continuing my series of 20 Questions that will help us contemplate our growth in Jesus--or lack thereof.

#5) Do people annoy you, or are you learning to show love to everyone?

What a good question to ask in a week when we will probably rub shoulders with more people in a few days than we usually do in two or three weeks. Family gatherings. Christmas parties. Shopping malls. Grocery stores. We will run into lots of people who will not all be easy to love.

One of the top-shelf characteristics of Jesus was his love for people. I find it interesting that his "Me Time" was always done very early in the morning--a time when people were not up and about. Rarely if ever did we see Jesus going off to be alone in the middle of the day. He didn't want to miss face time with people. He loved people. He loved being around people. He was not annoyed by people. Even when the disciples tried to "shoo" people away, Jesus said, "Ah, let 'em come on over guys! It's okay. They're why I'm here!"

Do you ever find yourself being annoyed by people in general? Do you have repeated desires to be alone for the sole purpose of not being annoyed? While it is healthy and appropriate to be alone at times, as humans we were created to live and work together. Some of us are wired to want to be around folks 100% of the time and others not so much. Nevertheless, Father wired all of us for relationship. Look at the beginning: "It was not good for man to be alone." My encouragement to everyone who wants to know Father's will for them is this: "Love the people Father puts in front of you. Love Him. Love others. Period." If this is our goal then true spiritual growth is sure to come.

#6) Do you find it easy to be angry, flippant, or rude to anonymous people?

This is a natural follow-up to question #5--especially in a week when there will be hundreds of "anonymous" people around us.

Have you ever met that guy? You know the one: he turns into a maniac behind the wheel, yelling at other drivers, giving hand-gestures for people to move on, pull over, or "get the hell out of the way!" This is the guy who thinks everyone else on the road is stupid and doesn't know how to drive. Oh, but if you get him out of the car and have a cup of coffee with him, he seems normal, polite, even winsome with his friends and family. What causes such a "Jeckle-and-Hyde" approach to people? It is the anonymous factor.

For some strange reason, we humans find it very easy to talk despairingly of people with whom we have no relationship. Like in the example above, we find it easy to yell at people in other cars when we are pretty sure we will never meet them. Other examples of those with whom we find it easy to be flippant, rude, and critical are: servers in restaurants, check-out clerks, order-takers at fast food places, telemarketers, politicians on TV, people in the news, and even random strangers on the street.

Think of the last anonymous person you were rude to. No matter the situation, as ambassadors of the Risen King of the Universe we have no authority to be rude. I don't care if they were incompetent, slow, annoying, or even rude to us in the first place. Father's kids have no authority--no right--to be this way to others. I won't take the time to tell the whole story here, but there is a great little story in the book So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (Jake Colsen) about how everyone on the home team despised the quarterback of the other team because he "deserted" their school the year before and transferred to the rival school. Good Christian folks "hated" him for betraying them, but once the real reason for his transfer became known, all the hate seemed to melt away. The "anonymous factor" was erased and then respect was given.

If you find it easy to be flippant, rude, or angry with anonymous people, then I want to issue a friendly caution. Remember that you are an ambassador of the King of another country. He would not like for His country to be represented that way.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

The History of Christmas in America

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:22:00 +0000

20 Questions (#s 3 & 4)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Happy Friday, Followers of the Way! I greet you in the powerful name of Jesus, who was, and is, and is to come. This week I am continuing my series of questions aimed at helping us reflect on our growth in Jesus--or lack thereof.

#3) Would my coworkers or casual acquaintances be shocked if I told them I was a follower of Jesus?

There have been plenty of times in my life when someone revealed their claimed faith in Jesus to me when I did not previously know of it. My responses to their claims have been varied: shock, surprise, sometimes affirmation, sometimes joy, and a few times utter horror. Unfortunately, I am sure of at least a couple of times when I revealed my claimed faith in Jesus the response was not relief or affirmation.

Francis of Assisi is credited with a saying that goes something like this: "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." As followers of Jesus, we will be known by our actions--good or bad. What we DO will always win out over what we say. Period. Talking a good talk is okay, but walking a good walk is what really matters. In a much lesser known quote, Francis of Assisi said this, "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." Good stuff! Live in such a way that other followers of Jesus will be glad to know that you follow Jesus. Live in such a way that those who do not follow Jesus will be impressed with your lifestyle and give credit to our Father. Over the next few days, try to pay attention to your actions as if you were a casual observer of your own life. Would YOU be surprised to know that YOU claim to follow Jesus? A faithful walk is evidence of true growth in Jesus.

#4) When with other Christians, does my vocabulary and conversation content ever move from the temporary to the eternal?

This one is tough. I grew up in a Christian home and enjoyed a large extended Christian family. Nevertheless, I cannot remember regularly blessing the name of God in conversation. There were not many times I remember talking deeply about the things of God. I cannot recall having Jesus as the topic of many meaningful conversations. Unfortunately, most of the "spiritual" conversations I remember having around the house was about what we didn't agree with that the preacher said Sunday. (I paid for that once I myself became a preacher that people talked about at home!) ;-)

I say this to not to shame me or my family, but to illustrate that conversation is one way to test the depth of devotion to the ways of Jesus. Let me give you an example: if you get around people who love horses and are devoted to horses, guess what they will talk about? You guessed it. People who love horses may also enjoy discussing football, or the weather, or family issues, or political points of view, but their conversation--when together with other horse-lovers--will ALWAYS return to horses. Why? Because it is their commonality. It is the glue that holds them together. (No pun intended.) It is what gets them excited and rejuvenated. Pick any topic you like: football, Harley-Davidsons, history, crocheting, cooking...you name it. When people who share that same love and devotion to an activity or subject get together, their conversations--while not 100% about their common love--will always return back to their devotion to that common love. On the other hand, you can always tell the poseur in the group: he or she will answer questions about the topic or subject that everyone loves, but they won't ever initiate the conversation. They won't go too far with the topic, because it just doesn't matter that much to them. They just like being in the group.

As followers of Jesus, shouldn't HE be the topic of many of our conversations? This is what I love about people who really love Jesus: they talk about Him a lot. I have two friends in particular that encourage me very much with their constant focus on the things of God when we get together to talk. There are others to be sure, but I want to affirm these particular two men specifically as great encouragements to me because of the content of their conversations when I am with them: Chad Rue and Ray Carman. I encourage all of you to consider the content of your conversation this next week. If our vocabulary and conversations rarely move off of temporary things to eternal things, then a red flag needs to be raised in our lives. Growing followers of Jesus find themselves talking more and more about their Savior.

Your friend,
Jason

20 Questions (#s 1 & 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:16:00 +0000

As we approach the end of another year, I want to begin a short series of letters to you--my church family (immediate and extended)--that will help us all reflect on our position in Christ. Each letter will be anchored with two overarching questions that will be followed by some of my thoughts about those questions and its implication for us as followers of the Way. (These will also be sent out in the weekly email newsletters. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.)

#1) Do I notice any real change in myself as the years pass?

As we grow in Christ, we are supposed to "grow." That seems obvious, right? However, all of us know from our experience in the church that there are many people who have been Christians for one year many times over. In other words they come to a saving relationship in Jesus, have their first year experience where they learn and grow, but then they stop growing and remain in a "holding pattern" waiting for Jesus to return. Does this describe you? Are you noticing any real change in your life? Are you still praying for the same things (i.e. patience, self-control, etc.) that you were praying for five years ago? Then growth may not be occurring.

True followers of Jesus have the Spirit of the living God in them. This Spirit in us will produce the fruit in our lives that reflects the true nature of God. If we are not experiencing these changes and noticing these new characteristics in our lives, then we need to seriously reconsider our relationship with Jesus. Growth is a necessary and vital part of life in the Way.

#2) Do I still get angry at stupid stuff?

I know that early on in my life as a Christian, anger was a normal part of my routine. I wasn’t an “angry person” mind you. I didn’t go off in fits of rage, but I did frequently exhibit unrighteous anger over stupid things. I'd get angry at "stupid" drivers. I'd get angry at slow checkout clerks at the store. I'd get angry at just about anything that didn't meet my expectations.

I love the way Eugene Peterson translates Solomon's advice in the book of Ecclesiastes when he said, "Don't be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head." I think the church has many lumps on her head because of the unrighteous anger we wield in our treatment of others. Anger is not a sin, but Jesus made it clear that unrighteous anger is as serious as murder. If you still find yourself getting angry at others for stupid stuff, if you fly off the handle at the drop of a hat, if you find yourself mad at people for no reason, then please consider your error before it consumes you. Unrighteous anger is not becoming of the bride of Christ.

-Jason

Provocative Videos about Jesus, Santa, and Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Jesus and Santa

Santa & Christmas: The True Story

Letting Go of Old Church Paradigms

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:26:00 +0000

This is a great article written by a fellow Christian, Roger Thoman, who has a blog called www.simplechurchjournal.com. I thought it was worth re-posting here. Enjoy!

-Jason

Stage 1: Letting Go of Old Church Paradigms

I want to reflect the “stages in the journey of simple church life” that I outlined in a previous post by looking at each stage one at a time.

The first stage is: Letting Go of Old Paradigms of Church Life.

Frankly, this first stage is much of what I have been blogging about right here for nearly six years.

So… I thought this would be a good excuse to go back over past resources and posts and list those that still seem particularly relevant to the basics of letting go of old ways of thinking.

What Is Church Part 1-A and Part 1-B still seem insightful to me (if I have to say so myself):

Our first challenge in grasping what God intends church to be, is to stop looking at it through the lens of our background and through the lens of 2,000 years of “church” as a formal institution. Dee Hock says: "The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out..." So our first challenge is to de-program old definitions and wrestle with some accurate new ones. Continue reading here.

The second chapter of my book, The Simple/House Church Revolution, is entitled “Defining Church (Webster Has It Wrong).” This is also a good, brief attempt to re-think our paradigms of church.

Perhaps the best way to describe the church of the New Testament is as small, vibrant, caring families of believers who are loving others and reproducing themselves into every corner of the world. You can download this chapter only here if you wish: Download SCRevChapter2

A Way to Do Life—Not a Way to Co Church is an old post that I re-posted recently (upon request), but I think it deserves a mention in this list. Also,Planting the Kingdom Not Churches is in a similar vein.

I think that John Eldredge has contributed much to the process of re-thinking church. I blogged on him here and here:

Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, it's how we've come to think of it. “I go to First Baptist.” “We are members of St. Luke's.” “Is it time to go to church?” Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all.

There are obviously other key voices that have added much to the shift in paradigm of church-life including Wolfgang Simson, George Barna, Neil Cole,Frank Viola, Tony & Felicity Dale, and John White.

Also, don’t miss Wolfgang Simson’s diagram of the transition from institutional to organic.

I believe the issue of letting go of old paradigms does not just involve church life, but also entire systems of religiosity that we have often encumbered ourselves with. Wayne Jacobsen’s “The Jake Book” does a good job of breaking religiosity off of our spirits. Also, I wrote a post on Reflections on the American Church Culture as well as one entitled, I Don’t Like Christians:

There are, truthfully, many, many Christians that I really like… But we can also be miserably religious, ridiculously petty, unbelievably shaming of others, and embarrassingly judgmental. My passion for "counter-cultural" church is not just a desire to "do church different" nor even an attempt to "do it better." It's really just a passion, in any way I can, to stand up as a contrary voice to the spirit of religion that destroys true spiritual life, leaves wounded people wherever it goes, and yet is so often touted as Christianity despite the un-Christlike nature of it.

The subject of “leadership” is an important part of this paradigm shift. Two posts to note are Hierarchies Create Dependencies and What About Leadership:

The number one issue (in my thinking) is simply this: New Testament leadership had nothing to do with c-o-n-t-r-o-l. When this is fully digested then, and only then, can we begin to grasp what leadership is meant to be.

I think that’s probably more than enough for one post. But I will offer one last link to a fairly recent post called A Tale of Two Voices:

It feels like there are two paths to go down. One path is called church and it makes you want to have a meeting, set up structures and a church name and define who is in and who is out…

Today I feel encouraged again because I genuinely think that Jesus would be doing what we are doing. And that is all we seek - not a big church - just to be doing what we see the Father is doing every day...

What is a Church?

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:44:00 +0000

Just today I got an email from someone who had read a book we recommended (Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola). They had some questions about the stuff in the book and about us as a church family. I am going to leave their names out, but I did want to post their questions and my answers so that others might benefit from this dialogue.

Their questions:

What did you think of Viola's discussion about "Joe Housechurch" who starts his own housechurch?! After reading the book I feel we didn't really do it "right" when we were leading housechurch meetings in past years. . . that we need to have a "traveling apostic church planter" help us--did you feel that way after reading the book?

Are your gatherings like Viola describes an "organic" church gathering to be, ie. "marked by face-to-face community, every-member functioning, open-participatory meetings. . ." ?

My answers:

Good to hear from you. It has been a while. Glad to know you guys are still following Jesus and are seeking greater revelation of truth.

It has been a long time since I read the book Pagan Christianity. I vaguely remember Viola talking a lot about "apostolic" leadership. I remember it being a bit odd, but not terribly disconcerting. I guess the thing I have learned over these past few years as I followed Jesus out of the institutional church system is that following Jesus is a lot simpler than most people make it out to be. I'm not talking about "easy": I'm talking "simple."

Jesus never gave "instructions" on how to "do" church because church is not something you "do." Rather church is a life lived by the power of God in which you exude the essence of Jesus in every relationship. This is most clearly and completely lived out when done in community with other followers of Jesus.

Are there modern day apostles who help guide the church? Certainly. Is it absolutely necessary to have one of these folks who is clearly identified in your midst and under whose instruction and authority you serve in order to be a valid "church"? Absolutely not. The New Testament does not make such claims. I think what Viola is getting at is that for the most part the church has lost touch with the idea of apostolic leadership. I agree with him on that point, but I do not see how he can take that to conclude that apostolic leadership is necessary to have a "real" church. I believe his definition of church--if this is the correct understanding of his teaching on this--is severely limited and narrow.

Church is the people of God who are called out and empowered by God to live the life of Jesus in every relationship. Ideally this is done in community with others who have been called out and empowered by God to do so as well. My advice to all folks is not to try to "start" a house church or simple church or organic church, etc. Simply live life as people called out and empowered by God. Do this in all of your relationships--friends, family, coworkers, strangers, enemies, etc. When you do this consistently and love others, the Church will happen.

As far as our gatherings go, the answer is yes. Our gatherings--when we have them--are indeed marked by face-to-face community where every-member functions as Father leads them and they are always open for all present to participate. However, the farther we walk down the path of following Jesus the less and less we are focused on scheduled corporate gatherings. Rather we are trying to encourage everyone to live the life of Jesus in every relationship and pay attention to what Father is doing around you and get involved. For example, we are being more intentional about inviting neighbors, friends, and individual families from our church group over to our home for dinner. When we do this, it obviously leaves us fewer opportunities to schedule large corporate gatherings for our entire church family. That's okay. We still talk via email, Facebook, and phone as often as we can. We are not living in isolation, but rather interdependently. When we were focused on our gatherings and what our church looked like (i.e. house church, organic church, simple church, etc.) we realized that we were becoming codependent on each other to validate our existence as a church. This is the same thing that has happened within the larger institutional system of church. Their meetings eventually became their identifying mark. We must guard against this at every turn.

I highly recommend The God Journey podcasts with Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings (www.thegodjourney.com). They are very good at describing and encouraging true Christianity separate of all institutional system thinking.

Let me encourage you with these words: Father loves you more than you know. There is nothing you could ever do to make Him love you any more or less. You are His child by faith in His son, Jesus Christ. As one who has faith in Jesus, you have been set free from the power of sin in your life. There is no system of religious rule-keeping that can enhance this freedom in Jesus or your relationship with Father. You are free. Free indeed. Love God with all of your thoughts, prayers, and actions. Love others in the same way. This is all we need to know.

Your brother in Jesus,
Jason Duncan
www.theWay247.com

One Nation Under God?

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Duncan) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:29:00 +0000

When you see cartoons like this one, what do you think? What feelings crop up? Do you get patriotic shivers or do you get a little sick at your stomach?

When did it become fashionable for Christians to tell people they are not Americans if they don't hold the same belief in the Bible? In which of our founding documents does it mention that belief in God is necessary to be a citizen? As a highly-qualified, state licensed teacher of American history I can tell you without doubt that there is no place in the Constitution that makes any "Christian" claim. There is no utterance of God, Jesus, the Bible, or the title "Christian" anywhere in the Constitution. In the Bill of Rights, which were added to the Constitution in 1789, it only mentions the word religion once in the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

The ACLU has no legal leg to stand on when it demands the removal of long-held American traditions that flirt with the values of Christianity. On the other hand, the Christian church has no right to demand that all people in public places hold to their set of beliefs or worldview.

As followers of Jesus, we must remember that we are strangers in a foreign land. Our citizenship is in God's kingdom first and foremost. Where we live here on earth is of no consequence to our standing in God's kingdom. Continued opposition to all things politically "conservative" continues to be a blemish on the face of Jesus' church. We must stop being political bullies and start loving people. As the apostle John said, "If anyone boasts, ['I am a Christian'] and goes right on hating his brother or sister (of an opposing political party or religious view), thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both."

I know that these views are not popular. I'm okay with that. However, I would love to encourage some respectful dialogue on this topic. Feel free to leave a comment.

-Jason