Silence in the Noise

Our world is a noisy place that gets even noisier every day. The news has always focused on worst case scenarios, but worst case scenarios now overshadow the news. Earlier this year all eyes were glued on BP’s infamous “oil cam” that showed crude gushing into the gulf 24/7. One prognosticator after another offered his dire predictions. Some spoke in apocalyptic terms painting grim pictures of 1,000 miles of irreplaceable wetlands and beaches at risk, fisheries damaged for seasons, fragile species wiped out and a region and an industry economically crippled for years. Some scientists suggested that the oil might hitch a ride on the loop current in the gulf, bringing havoc to the Atlantic Coast. Now we’re back to focusing on worst case scenarios regarding the economy. The scenarios du jour have us fretting over a possible “double dip” recession and an unemployment rate above 9% a year from now. Then there’s noise about the war, about the presidential election in 2012, and whether we’ll be able to get out of Afghanistan in 2014. Thanks to cable news and talk radio our preoccupation with hypotheticals won’t go away any time soon.

“Every part of our life is inundated with words—urgent words, random words, trivial words, hurtful words, managing words, religious words and on and on. Could it be that what we need is time alone with God and a lot fewer words?” (Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, 108). We desperately need to stop talking and stop listening to others talking. We need to escape the noise and be quiet. We need to practice the discipline of silence.

Here’s all you need to know to practice this disciple: no talking, no listening to talking (no reading either). It doesn’t have to be quiet; you have to be quiet. You can practice silence while you do household chores or drive to work. You can practice silence while you walk or run or sit eating at the kitchen table. I shared a meal with monks at an abbey in British Columbia that ate in silence something you do just by eating lunch alone. Walking is my favorite way to practice this discipline; sometimes I read a psalm before I go but not always. How far I walk determines how long I engage in the practice. I don’t always walk the same distance or the same route. I like a change of pace. Sometimes I take Rose the beagle dog.

Utilizing Everyone for Serving

As leaders, we step up whenever there is need...but we were not meant to work alone. Check out this quick word about utilizing everyone in your community for serving.

Utilizing Your Community to Serve from Pantego Bible Church on Vimeo.

We Value Simplicity

It would seem incongruous to go on and on with 14 different principals on how to simplify your life. Let’s face it - You already drank the cool-aid! What I mean is that you probably already believe in living a life of simplicity. The unfortunate reality is that we can all believe in it, but continue to struggle living life through the filter of Simplicity. This value can be much like working out, or eating healthy...we know that we should eat healthy, but it is a completely different thing to live life through the filter of eating healthy.

Simplicity is “keeping” it simple.

The aim of this post is not to inform you of a new reality that you didn’t know. The aim is to remind each other through accountability that the filter needs to be continually checked for snags and gaping holes that are preventing us from living life as we know we desire to live.

Instead of 14 more paragraphs to convince you that you are doing too much let’s take a test.

Which of the 2 images below more closely resemble your life with God, family, work, church…

Let's assume that these 2 computer desktop images represent 2 people with a very similar set of responsibilities. Both photos have multiple colors and are full, but the difference is obvious. The first represents a life that feels cluttered and out of control because the person only reacts to the immediate, while the other represents an intentionally simplified and ordered life.

If we believe that God values simplicity in our life, let’s be active in preventing chaos so that we can make time for the things that most honor and glorify God. Simplicity is actively saying no (or not now) to some things in order to have priority for the “God things”.

Jesus gave us some very clear direction in this, when He said: "Seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness, and let God take care of the details" (my version). Check out the context of the passage HERE...and I love the Message version HERE.

We Value Mission

I see our missional core value as the central theme of the Christian calling. Certainly, we are called to be a communal, worshipful, incarnational, transformational, evangelical, simple people; and I believe all of that culminates in the Christ-follower as missional living.

*Before I go further, let me note that over the past 15 years, many have confused the word "missional" as simply a new and trendy tag used to mean seeker-sensitive, home-group driven church, or as a new method for growing a church. As a result, missional is often looked upon as just another phase or program. But we error when we do so for missional is more than just another movement, it is a full expression of who the people and church of Christ is and what we are called to be and do.

"Missional is a Shift in Thinking"
Missional Living is the view that being a follower of Jesus Christ involves simultaneously both an inner transformation toward Christlikeness and an active participation in the mission of God's Kingdom.

-Tom Bulick has covered why I highlight inner transformation in his blogpost HERE.
-I highlight active participation in God's Mission because there IS a difference between being mindful and supportive of God's Mission and being participants in gospel mission of reconciliation with God. (*for the call to participate, see 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 and 1 Corinthians 9:23)

-I highlight simultaneously because it would be a mistake to believe that you must achieve some higher level of personal spiritual formation before you begin serving, leading, and loving others as participants in the mission.

As a Missional Church, we view our own context as a constantly changing mission field. We are both engaged in and supportive of missions. We recognize that mission includes both the Great Commission (making new disciples) and the Great Commandment (loving God and loving others as self); and that all people are both the “subject” and “object” of God’s mission. We are engaged in the transformation of people, churches, communities and cultures as we multiply disciples, our church, and our mission.

What should this look like in your community?

A missional church is a gathering of believers who participate in God's mission because they understand themselves as a sent people. This shifts us from a supportive "come-and-see" mentality to a "go-and-be/tell/do" mentality.

Missional churches see the church body as the place of ministry and conversion. Every person in our HG's and CG's should be participating in loving and meeting the needs of unchurched peoples. We should begin to see conversion happening outside of Church walls, which then becomes a gathering place for sending.

**I also like this definition from Wikipedia: "Missional living" is a Christian term that describes a missionary lifestyle; adopting the posture, thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in order to engage others with the gospel message.

We Value Transformation

The president I used to work for when I used to work for Trinity Western University had a habit of saying, “We need to be end result focused.” Faculty thought the expression redundant. “Isn’t focusing on ends and results the same thing?” they would ask. And, of course, it is, but redundant comes in handy when you’re trying to make the point that mission accomplishment is everybody’s business.

Pantego Bible Church has a mission, to see people transformed by the Holy Spirit into fully developing followers of Jesus Christ, and rightly so. Personal transformation, expressed in three New Testament words, is the end result that God has in mind for all of us. The three words are morph translated “form,” summorphizo translated “conform,” and metamorphoo translated “transform.

About these three one author writes, “Paul used this word [morph] in his letter to the Galatians: ‘. . . . until Christ is formed in you.’ He agonized until Christ should be born in those people, until they should express his character and goodness in their whole being . . . Paul used another form of this word when he told the Christians in Rome that God had predestined them to be ‘conformed to the image of his Son.’ This word, summorphizo, means to have the same form as another, to shape a thing into a durable likeness. Spiritual growth is a molding process: We are to be to Christ as an image is to the original. Still another form of the word appears in Romans when Paul says we are not to be conformed to the world around us but ‘transformed b the renewing of your minds.’ This word is metamorphoo, from which comes the English word metamorphosis. A creeping caterpillar is transformed into a soaring butterfly—yet as the child of God we are to undergo a change that make s that one barely noticeable” (John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, 23).

Spiritual transformation, this discipleship process we go through to become like Jesus, is both intentional and incidental. It’s intentional because we can intentionally pursue a more thorough understanding of the 10 Core Beliefs and a more consistent exercise of the 10 Core Practices. As we do, the Spirit of God transforms us. It’s incidental because the Spirit of God also uses the circumstances of our lives to transform us. For example, he uses unexpected trouble to teach us patience and involvement with others in community to sharpen us.

As Pantego leaders we need to be end result focused; seeing people transformed and being transformed ourselves by the Holy Spirit into fully developing followers of Jesus Christ is our business. We do that by helping people develop the 30 Core Competencies through their own involvement in biblical community.

We Value Connection

Most of us have heard it said that “there is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian”. You might be surprised to hear me say that I disagree with that statement. The reality: it is possible to be a Christian while relationally isolated from other believers. Therefore, I suggest modifying the saying – “there is no such thing as a GROWING lone-ranger Christian.” Christians can indeed isolate themselves from the world and learn a great deal about the Christian faith. But they will never be able to live out their newfound beliefs if they are not connected to others in biblical community.

The one passage we continually refer to regarding this is Acts 2:42-47. In it we see most of the essential elements necessary for one’s faith to grow: biblical instruction, fellowship, worship, communion, meeting needs, enjoying life together, etc. Biblical community offers love, acceptance, fellowship, encouragement, accountability and so much more. It is also the “training lab” for refining our ability to love as Christ has loved us. The more connected I am to my Christian community, the more refined becomes my understanding of what it means to live like Christ (John 13:34-35). As a result, my walk with the Lord will deepen and my ability to love (i.e. – exercise what I truly believe) grows dramatically over time.

Lastly, with all the distractions the world has to offer, simply promoting biblical community can sometimes seem more trouble than it’s worth. But I want you to think what your life would be like today if you were to strip away all the relationship connections you’ve had with your church family over the past 3 to 5 years. For most, if not all of us, this should be a haunting thought. I believe God has entrusted us to communicate, promote and live-out the sacred value of biblical community. Together we can celebrate (one victory at a time) each person who God brings into, and transforms, through the heavenly fraternity known as biblical community.

Common Values

What are values? Values are those things that really matter to each of us. They could be a certain set of beliefs, a mission (or cause) or a philosophy of life. Everyone has a set of values, whether they are aware of it or not. Your values may be different than mine, but we all live according to our values. Values are not something that you are born with, but could have been passed on to you by your family, school or other influences. Values guide the decisions that you make. For example, if you value an intimate relationship with your spouse, then you will do certain things that contribute to that relationship, and you will NOT do things that detract from that relationship. If I value health, then you will avoid unhealthy behaviors (like smoking, drugs, overeating, etc.) and you will participate in activities that foster a more healthy lifestyle (exercise, rest, proper diet).

Healthy organizations also hold to a set of values, which could be unique to that organization. But the strength of these values is greatly enhanced by their common acceptance…the fact that they are shared. If the members of an organization (like our church) share the same set of values, there will be a focus, an intentionality and momentum that cannot be underestimated. Common values help us to determine what we do and what we do not do as a church. They guide the programs that we create, and free us up to invest our time and resources wisely.

At Pantego Bible Church, we recognize four common values that we rally around and call our people to champion in their own lives.

1st: We value connection: Intergenerational, geographic community
2nd: We value transformation: Life-change through the 7 Functions of Biblical Community
3rd: We value mission: Evangelizing in our neighborhood and into our world
4th: We value simplicity of life: Makes the other 3 possible

Our next four leadership blogs will unpack each of these common values and address how, when shared as a community, these values give us laser-focus to accomplish the mission of our church.