Thou Shalt Not Wash Thy Hands
This blog continues the Buzz Commandments. Here is BC II.
Thou Shalt Not Wash Thy Hands [1]
The Pharisees despised Jesus because he didn't conform to their religious tradition. They got all bent out of shape because his disciples forgot to wash their hands before a meal.
Come on folks. Let's not major in minors! Don't we have more important issues to wrangle over than hand washing!
Maybe it's time to break the mold. Maybe it's time to take risks to reach people. Maybe it's time to offend the religious if that is what it takes to reach the irreligious!
It's so easy to do ministry from memory. We learn how and forget why. We keep on doing what we've always done. And we believe that our way of doing church is the only way of doing church. We think that our church tradition is somehow superior.
Word to my brother: No it's not.
I don't know many pastors who haven't had to repent of ecclesiastical pride at some point in their ministry. I've been humbled more than once :)
We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. It's not about ranking churches as better or worse, larger or smaller, right or wrong. We simply need some biblical latitude that allows churches to be a unique expression of the kingdom even if it doesn't fit with everyone else's church tradition. The key phrase is Biblical latitude!
We've got to be orthodox in belief. But it's ok to be unorthodox in practice! No one was more unconvential than Jesus! The message is sacred. The method isn't.
I grew up in a church tradition where movie theaters were taboo. The great irony is that I put my faith in Christ after watching a movie. In a church, of course! Now I pastor theaterchurch.com with a vision to meet in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the DC area.
Movie theaters make great sanctuaries! You've got comfortable seats; the scent of popcorn; and a movie screen that doubles as postmodern stained glass.
In order to reach emerging generations we may need to follow in Jesus footsteps and break some religious traditions. Maybe we should worry less about washing our hands and worry more about getting our hands dirty washing feet.
One footnote.
I'm not against hand washing :)
I highly recommend that pastors wash the fellowship off their hands following services. And definitely wash your hands after using the restroom. Or at least do the sink fake :) Come on, we've all done it.
[1] Matthew 15:1-20
Thou Shalt Not Wash Thy Hands [1]
The Pharisees despised Jesus because he didn't conform to their religious tradition. They got all bent out of shape because his disciples forgot to wash their hands before a meal.
Come on folks. Let's not major in minors! Don't we have more important issues to wrangle over than hand washing!
Maybe it's time to break the mold. Maybe it's time to take risks to reach people. Maybe it's time to offend the religious if that is what it takes to reach the irreligious!
It's so easy to do ministry from memory. We learn how and forget why. We keep on doing what we've always done. And we believe that our way of doing church is the only way of doing church. We think that our church tradition is somehow superior.
Word to my brother: No it's not.
I don't know many pastors who haven't had to repent of ecclesiastical pride at some point in their ministry. I've been humbled more than once :)
We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. It's not about ranking churches as better or worse, larger or smaller, right or wrong. We simply need some biblical latitude that allows churches to be a unique expression of the kingdom even if it doesn't fit with everyone else's church tradition. The key phrase is Biblical latitude!
We've got to be orthodox in belief. But it's ok to be unorthodox in practice! No one was more unconvential than Jesus! The message is sacred. The method isn't.
I grew up in a church tradition where movie theaters were taboo. The great irony is that I put my faith in Christ after watching a movie. In a church, of course! Now I pastor theaterchurch.com with a vision to meet in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the DC area.
Movie theaters make great sanctuaries! You've got comfortable seats; the scent of popcorn; and a movie screen that doubles as postmodern stained glass.
In order to reach emerging generations we may need to follow in Jesus footsteps and break some religious traditions. Maybe we should worry less about washing our hands and worry more about getting our hands dirty washing feet.
One footnote.
I'm not against hand washing :)
I highly recommend that pastors wash the fellowship off their hands following services. And definitely wash your hands after using the restroom. Or at least do the sink fake :) Come on, we've all done it.
[1] Matthew 15:1-20
12 Comments:
well said. i use the ministry by memory all the time. I just finished Erwin McManus's Barbarian Way. I am trying to lead a church of uncivilized Christ followers.
By offend the religious Mark, have you EVER considered how offensive it is the the Holy of Holies, God Almighty that His name is being run through the mud "supposedly" because His Spirit is viewed as too weak or too lame to carve through the hearts of those infected and infested with a pop culture that seemingly has no desire to recognize their need for a Savior?
What does that say about your thoughts about the Holy Spirit?
You say you love Jesus so much - word are cheap Mark, Perry, Tony, etc... God will not be mocked is what His word says. He will also not make room in Heaven for idolaters, fornicators, adulterers (see lust), murderers (see hatred), and so on ... then His word goes on to say and such were some of you but then you were washed clean. Why then Mark would you revel in wallowing in the mire and strike so viscerally out at those who have the mercy and the conscience to call you to task for what you're perpetuating.
2 Thess. 2 gives clear description of what will come before Christ's return, that God Almighty will send to the church strong delusion, that they would believe the lie - (a repentance-free Gospel message is in fact a LIE, a powerless message told to someone to build up another in pride for "doing the work of God" when in fact they are not). I have no doubt God is using you, Perry, Tony and Rick Warren among others - but for what purpose (pardon the pun)? To perpetuate the lie/strong delusion? Or to do the will of God?
Great job Mark. I attend NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC with Pastor Perry Noble, and it's guys like you and Perry and such that are forcefully advancing the Kingdom, in a relevant way, and I am so thankful for that. God is using you guys to reach the un-churched, and lives are being changed in the name of Jesus.
And then there's the guys that use the 15-syllable-"holier than thou"-words like above that make no sense aand are turning people away because of their negativity.
Keep it up man.....endure.
Prayin' for your ministry!
Grant,
Thanks for your enouragement!!!
KC Bill,
First of all, thanks for reading :)
I'm not sure I understand what you're saying? I absolutely believe that everything we do must be biblical, Spirit-inspired, and Christ-honoring.
I honestly think your view of the Holy Spirit is too small. The Spirit convicts of sin. He also inspires creativity. It's both/and. I think our sin grieves the Holy Spirit and we must strive for holiness. But I think our lack of creativity grieves the Holy Spirit too. Ultimately, the thing that grieves the Holy Spirit the most are people who don't know him yet. And the people you mention in your comment are doing a great job of reaching them.
I'm wondering if you would have had a problem with the disciples not washing their hands?
Mark
I understand what you are saying very clearly because I once held the same exact philosophy of ministry. I also remember how blind I was to the truth at that time. No one could tell me different because they were simply a bunch of stuffy, old-school Christians who didn’t have a clue. However as I looked deeper into God’s Word I began to understand that my beliefs and my methods were in fact inseparable. My beliefs determined my methods. What I believed about God, man, salvation, spiritual growth, etc. determined my ministry methods. To deny this is utter foolishness.
My understanding of God is that He is absolutely holy and therefore I am to be holy. Not holier than thou, as Grant put it, but rather holier than the sinful world He has called me out of. Understanding God's holiness then helps me see my sinfulness and makes me aware of my greatest need. That need is not a "happy life" but rather it is a submitted life. A life where I give up any and all rights to my will and follow the will of God. I surrender all of "my" hopes, dreams, desires, etc. to Him. Jesus was clear when He said in Luke 9:23-24 that "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." We cannot enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ unless we come empty handed.
When we understand what God expects of all mankind, then we as pastors will realize that we have one single goal and that is to call people to repentance. We are not to deceive them into thinking that they can come to Christ and remain as they are. Salvation without repentance is not salvation at all.
I have spoken to unbelievers in my community and many are very turned off by what they see as attempts by churches to be cool or relevant. Even these people understand that God has demands and that they cannot be a follower of Him unless they deny themselves (e.g. repent).
I know that there will be a day when I must stand before the one whom I claim to speak for and that strikes fear in my heart. Why? Notice Isaiah's words when he saw Jesus Christ in His glory in 6:5 "And I said: “Woe is me! For I am ruined; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"
Notice Isaiah's reaction to Jesus was not one of comfort and peace but rather fear and repentance. Jesus is not "cool." He is not a "rebel." Jesus is God, the holy Creator of the Universe, in the flesh. The same God who in his justice must judge sin (e.g. Noah's day, Sodom, Caananites, etc.) and in His love provided redemption. That is the message people need to hear and the methods with which we convey that message do in fact matter.
Imagine a young man taking his girlfriend out to a nice dinner for the purpose of proposing to her. Is he free to use any means or methods to convey his love to her? No he is not. If he wishes to convey love to her he will not take her to McDonalds and buy her a happy meal and propose to her in the ball pit. This cheapens the message he is trying to communicate to her. Granted this illustration might be somewhat subjective but I think the point is clear.
God is Holy and righteous and His demands are serious and unchangeable, therefore our methods must meet the standard of the message.
For God's Glory!
Duane
I believe that the message can not be cheapen (for the most part) by the method. Who sets the standard for what method we should use? When we bring all we have to Christ (our dreams,etc.) He replaces them (with His dreams,etc). Therefore we are never really empty-handed.
Duane - you are right that some people are turned off by theaterchurch.com. And maybe your church is the one to reach those people. But some people are turned off by your church, and theaterchurch.com is God's tool to reach them.
Method is separable from message (within reason, of course)!
For example: the lyrics to a song can be put to country, jazz, hip-hop, traditional organ-led church style or rock. What matters - the lyrics (message) or the method (music)? Obviously there are boundries with everything, but the lyrics are what matter. The message is what matters!
The message can be delivered via a podcast, or a preacher in a suit, or at a church, or in a theater, or with lights low and background organ music, or with a short film that includes humor and truth! Maybe people at your church smell potluck in the air while people at theaterchurch smell popcorn.
Daune - do you think your wife would have said no to your proposal if you did take her to McD's? Don't you think people can say yes to Jesus in a McD's sytle church and a Fancy-Dressed-Up-Act-All-Proper-God-Bless-You-Brother-Church?
You need to read the post above about Hanging Out At The Well. Jesus would have been at McD's, not Ruth's Chris (sorry PM)!
Actually, I take that last statement back! Jesus would have hung out at BOTH McD's AND Ruth's Chris!!!
You are absolutely right, Robbd. And there would have been one group of people angry that he was stooping to a low level, being unhealthy and hanging out at McDonald's. And there would have been another group angry at him for being too uppity and spending all that money at Ruth's Chris. Personally, I think like you. Jesus would have hung out at McD's AND at Ruth's Chris. And I want to do the same.
Just so you guys know where I am coming from; I am not an uptight, hymns only, 3 piece suit pastor. But I do stand by my statement that our methods do indeed stem from our beliefs and message and are therefore inseparable and therefore the pendulum can swing both ways. Also, it is not whether I am turned on or off by theater church because, I honestly know very little about it, what matters is, is God pleased with theater church. That is the question I ask myself every day as a pastor when I evaluate my ministry. When I preach I preach to please Christ. Paul was clear that he alone is the judge. If I am faithful in that He will bless the ministry with fruit, that fruit being people being regenerated and growing toward spiritual maturity.
Robb, your music illustration is interesting. Let me give you a recent quote by none other than Gene Simmons from the band KISS (had sex with over 1,000 women). He was a guest judge on American Idol a couple of seasons ago and here is what he told a contestant singing Christian Music; "I think you're a country artist, and I’ll tell you why. If you sing pop lyrics, you’re going to have a problem with your ministry. Because rock and roll by definition and popular music is about sexuality. The rules are different for country. You can sing Christian oriented lyrics and be acceptable, and you can sell millions of records."
Even the world seems to see a clear connection, why can’t we? Now don't get me wrong. I don't believe that all contemporary Christian music is wrong. We use some in our church, but I think it is very telling when a guy like Gene Simmons sees the contradiction and we can't.
Heather, the point of my argument has nothing to do with Jesus reaching out to the "lower level." I'm not sure what that means seeing as we are all on the "lower level" (None righteous, filthy rags, etc.) My point is we must communicate the message of repentance with the utmost of care and seriousness because it is a life or death issue. I believe that we should reach out to people, even the downcast of society, but we do not go to make them “feel” better or make them “comfortable”, we do as Jesus did, we lovingly confront them in their sin and point them to repentance through Jesus Christ and a transformed and holy life as a result. Our church pursues the “down and out” of our community. In fact we have a sizeable group of former prisoners in our church, as well as former and struggling drug and alcohol abusers. These people will be the first to tell you they needed a wake up call. God had to rock the foundations of their lives and tear every last ounce of pride from them before their lives were changed.
There is this huge misconception about Jesus that is floating around out there. Yes He was love but He was also truth. It was the truth that got him killed, and it was not only the religious leaders who cried out crucify Him but the masses did as well. What was the truth He proclaimed? Repent of your sins and follow me! Remember Jesus is the same God that judged Sodom.
Robb, would my wife have said yes at McDonalds as opposed to Ruth Chris? Yes, (at least I would like to think so) but she would have no doubt been disappointed and hurt that I didn't feel the situation was important enough to take seriously. It no doubt would have put a damper on the whole experience. The point of the illustration was that the manner in which I communicate love to my wife is directly impacted by the methods I use to do so.
As far as my job as a pastor, I believe Scripture is clear that I am to lead those God has entrusted to the ministry in which I serve, away from the mindset and philosophy of the world. That doesn’t mean we do not understand our culture, or we do not rub shoulders with unbelievers, but when we come to faith in Christ we are new creatures. We are to e the light of the world, and our lives should inspire others to come to the light. Methods that are based upon the philosophy and principles of the world only serve to dim our light.
David, you asked who set the standard for the methods we use. The methods are determined by the one who authored the message. While there is no single verse that says “Thou shalt do church this way” it is as we read the word of God in its entirety that we get a clear understanding of His character and His purposes and in turn that will guide us in our methods.
I remember thinking that how we do church was up for grabs and that God doesn’t really care how we worship Him as long as it is heartfelt and sincere. It was during a study of Exodus that God really convicted me of this thinking. God devotes a large portion of Exodus (6 chapters) to detail his orders for worship in the plans for the tabernacle.
Why do we think then that God no longer cares how we worship Him today?
God bless,
Duane
I submit the following fact:
1. People need to be saved
I submit another fact:
1. Accepting Jesus Christ as your savior is the only way to salvation
I go to Newspring in Anderson, South Carolina and I hear this message every single time I go.
I tremble with fear in the knowledge that I will stand before God in judgement, not because of my sins (I am saved) but knowing that I have failed to do everything that I can do within God's will to reach out and save souls.
As long as the message is the truth, why does it matter in what venue the messenger stands.
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