Going Deeper

For quite some time I have wanted to be able to put the workshops I do and the messages from my local church online. I have finally set up an account that will host my audio files and it can be found at Going Deeper I look forward to sharing what I am learning with you each week. In many cases I will also post an outline of the talk or workshop to help you if you decide to follow along. I remain:

Consumed by the Call,

Marty

A Christmas Simple moment...

In the midst of the chaos and craziness of Christmas, here is one of my favorite Christmas Simple moments...take the Christmas Simple pledge.

Discovering Your Divine Calling

It seems that everyone I have encountered recently, from middle school students to middle aged adults, are in the midst of existential crisis. Perhaps it is the instability of our economy that has everyone re-evaluating their lives, or maybe it is the dawning of the realization that we are facing a seismic cultural shift. Whenever I have mentored those in the middle of struggle I try to frame the discussion in the context of their divine calling.

I believe that God has a divine calling for each of us. I believe there is a life of significance that we are called to and that, no matter what your age, it is continually being revealed. I believe that our life is one continuous spiritual journey and not a single decision or destination. Even when we go astray, God is calling us back to re-make us and re-shape. I believe you have a divine calling. I believe that the divine calling is revealed through careful study of scripture and yourself, it is revealed in the context of Christian community, and that it is revealed over time.

Your divine calling is revealed through careful study of scripture and yourself. Spending time in scripture allows you to be open to the very voice of God. Whenever I teach young people about their divine calling I am careful to explain that whatever God calls you to it will be consistent with the text. That God will not call us to a life that is incompatible with Christian teaching. I know that reading the Bible seems so obvious, but that does not mean that it isn’t essential to revealing your divine calling. If you really want to discover your calling, make a habit to spend a few moments in dedicated and focuses scripture study each day.

In addition to studying the scripture, I also believe that to understand your calling you have to do a realistic self-study. Now, I’m not talking about narcissistic navel gazing, I’m talking about a real discover of what your strengths and weaknesses are. Maybe pick up a copy of Strength Finder, read the book and take the online assessment. I agree with Marcus Buckingham that our culture focuses far too much time on our weaknesses when we should spend more time building on our strengths. Your strengths are part of your God-given gift mix as well as part of your divine calling. Scripture is full of people who understood themselves (and quite a few who didn’t but that’s a different lesson), like Paul who in 2 Corinthians admitted that he had a “thorn in the flesh” but that God provided the strength to move beyond it and use his strengths to serve the kingdom.

Your divine calling is revealed in the context of Christian community. There is no such thing as a solo-Christian. Christians are formed by community, Christians are called by community. Often people will see in you gifts and strengths (not to mention weaknesses) that you will not be able to see. You divine calling will emerge as you are in fellowship and study with a body of believers. This should include three types of community. It should include corporate worship, being with the whole body of believers. It should include a small group of believers who will hold you accountable to be faithful to your spiritual journey, and it should include a group of believers that you serve with. By serving I mean using whatever part of your divine calling and gifts you have already discovered and use them to serve God. Whether it is feeding the hungry, greeting at the door of worship or making a joyful noise through music, use what you already to have to discover where God wants you to go next!

Your divine calling is revealed over time…it’s not instant. Our culture values instant gratification, often at the cost of quality. Your divine calling is not Easy Mac! It will probably not come in one shining moment of inspiration but slowly over time. The biblical writer admitted that often we “see through a glass darkly,” we cannot see nor can we conceive what God has next for us. Often that is because we would be unable to bear the divine calling that God has for us, there must be a time of preparation before there is a time of seizing. Once again, your divine calling is a spiritual journey, not a single destination. You will never have arrived; God always has more for you if you will continue to heed the calling. A look again at the scripture reveals that most of the leaders in the text spent years, often forty or more, before they realized even part of what God had for them. Seizing your divine calling always requires a season of maturation prior to it becoming integrated into who God has called you to be.

Your divine calling is more about significance than success. Your divine calling will not be measured by your 401K, your investment accounts, or your checkbook balance. There are a lot of people who measured their lives by these things and put all of their faith in earthly vessels, only to watch them disappear overnight. History teaches us that some of the most significant people, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus, had very little by earthly standards but led lives of incredible significance. It is reminiscent of Mark 8 where Jesus asks, “What is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul?” Your divine calling may never be your vocation, it may not be your job, but it can be your calling.

Lastly, I believe that one of the greatest sins is to deny your divine calling. Even if it is costly, even if it demands something of you, even if it calls you to a place where you are not comfortable, do not deny your calling. It is God’s best and highest for your life. It is where God wants to bless you more than you can ever ask or think, pressed down and running over. You have a divine call, the question is, will you answer?

Marty

Gracious God who calls us, give us the courage and the strength to answer. In the name of the One who answered a call, suffered a cross, and paid the price for our calling, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Its NOT Ministry When...

Every church has them, the folks that volunteer for a job, a task, or a ministry, and then spend an equal amount of time complaining about how hard it is, making sure everyone knows what they are doing, and expecting to be lauded for their accomplishment, however minor. When I read the gospel I am becoming more and more convinced that these three traits are signs that what they are doing is NOT ministry. It is just causing everyone around them misery. Ministry is when we do work for God and God gets the glory.

Its NOT ministry if you complain about it. Jesus made it clear that the path to following him was a cross not a cruise when he said,“take up your cross.” Throughout the ministry of Jesus he was surrounded by people who were demanding something from him, faced immeasurable opposition, and ended his earthy days by carrying a cross to the place of his own crucifixion. Even in the Garden of Gethsemene he didn’t complain, he took his cares to God and then accepted the call that was placed upon him. The moment we complain about how hard the ministry is, is the moment it ceases to be ministry and becomes misery. 

Its NOT ministry if you are quick to take credit for it. Once you wave the flag of your accomplishment it becomes about you and not about God. Jesus was pretty clear that we are not to “let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” What we do, we do for God. We don’t put plagues on it, expect banners for it, or make sure we do it when everyone sees us. Real ministry doesn’t care who gets the credit as long as God gets the glory.

Its NOT ministry if you have to be begged to do it and expect to be praised for it. Jesus told the story about two men praying. One, a religious man stood and listed his accomplishments with great volume so everyone would know how “godly” he was, the other bowed low and whispered prayers of repentance. Who did Jesus honor? The one who went to God realizing that he needed God and not the one who thought God needed him. Some how in the church we have created a culture that there is the expectation that God needs us. To the contrary, God is going to do what God is going to do, we can be part of the miracle or part of the problem, its our choice. God’s hand is always open, issuing an invitation to join with Him in the great work of redemption, but it’s a divine calling to accept, not a resume builder to be praised for.

Ministry is about doing what we are called to do, regardless of accolades or adoration without complaint or complicity. Ministry is about accepting our divine calling which may include menial tasks so that God sized things can be accomplished. Sure, nobody will know if you vacuumed the carpet, cleaned the bathrooms, or folded the bulletins. Nobody will realize who cleaned the windows or organized the mission project, but we aren’t doing it for them, we are doing it for Him! Ministry is not about who gets the credit, its about God getting the glory, Its not about me, its about Jesus. So the next time I start to think, “nobody notices all the things I do,” I will try to remember that I must decrease so that He can increase!

Just a nobody trying to get everybody to meet Somebody who loves them!

Marty

Tuesday's Free Day...

I always like to pass along resources that I find that are free. Sometimes its books, sometimes its websites and services, but no matter what, leaders always love things they can use and pass along. Here are some good things you can pass along to those you serve:

Simple Ways to be Missional is a great e-book about incorporating your faith into your life allows you to build bridges relationally and serve faithfully. I love the folks at VERGE conference because they are always generating new ideas.

Write That Book Already! Yep, for those of us with great ideas who have a problem executing them into being a book, this is a kick in the pants. Good practical advice, now if I'll only take it.

Dropbox...okay I know I've referred this before, but it has saved me more than once. The ability to share files with my administrative assistant and staff, access stuff from any computer on the internet, and store documents to review later. Once you start using it you will realize how awesome it is!

Have a great week, and share something with somebody today!

Marty

Can My Church Make a Difference?

Can My Church Make a Difference?

Being a Radical Church in a Mediocre World

Things you have to realize before you can be radical…

1.     Other people exist_____________…there is a world, a community, a neighborhood, a school, a business, there are people outside of your church.

2.     Other people matter___________ to God…the church does not have a monopoly of God’s affection. Luke 15—lost coin, lost sheep, lost son.

3.     If other people exist, and other people matter to God, they had better matter to us.

1. Do people matter to God?

^{MT 18:12} "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”

God initiated reaching people. (Jn. 3:16-17, Mt. 18:14)

Prevenient Grace__________________________: God goes first!

Justifying Grace___________________________: God gives first!

Sanctifying Grace__________________________: If we grow, we will go!

2. People are a priority with God! (17; 2 Peter 3:9)

“We have met tonight to reach people. Every decision we make as a church will either help us in that cause or hinder us.” Jamie Buckingham

So if we accept other people exist; other people matter to God; and other people should matter to us what is the strategy? What is the plan? How do we move from being sitting people to being SENT people?

3. If other people exist and the matter to God they had better matter to us.

Luke 10 as a personal patter to be radical.

Pattern for being a Radical Church

A.   See________________ your neighbor.

a.     We hide in our churches and expect people to come to us.

b.    “Go” is not an option, it is a mandate.

c.     You will never know the needs of your community until you spend time in it.

d.    Brainstorm ways you can “see your neighbor?”

                                      i.     Volunteer in the local school

                                    ii.     Attend city council meetings.

                                   iii.     Show up at every community activity.

                                   iv.     Participate in community organizations outside of your comfort zone.

B.    Help________________ your neighbor.

a.     Get your hands dirty.

b.    Why did the priest and the Levite leave the man alone? They did not want to be defiled by him. Who is it in your community that is untouchable?

C.   Make a commitment that is evidences of relationship_________________.

a.     One-time events are great. Long-term commitments are better.

b.    The difference between a summer fling and a marriage.

c.     Start with a one-time effort. See if a relationship develops.

d.    Williford

                                      i.     Kids school supplies

                                    ii.     To bookbags for fifty kids

                                   iii.     To supporting teachers with $3,000 in supplies over the last two years.

                                   iv.     To providing lunches and special items they need.

                                    v.     To backpack buddies feeding two dozen kids every weekend

                                   vi.     To…what’s next? We do not advertise it, we just do it. God gives the increase.

“We cannot all do great thinkgs, but we can all do small things with great love.”

Mother Teresa

Your church can be radical, but it probably has to begin with you. Will you be radical?

For more information missional ideas visit www.MartyCauley.org

Saying "NO" to Drive-Thru Faith...

A couple of years ago the movie Super-Size Me came out about a young man who spent a month only eating at a noted fast food restaurant. During that month he gained weight, became lethargic, and generally saw his health decline. As I came across this movie again recently it dawned on me that this is what is happening in so many of our churches. We are creating drive-thru spirituality, fast-food faith. This type of practice creates consumers, not Christian. It promotes affirmation for showing up, not blessings for sacrifice. It makes us less healthy as the body of Christ.

Drive-thru spirituality creates consumers. They expect to drive up to a window and be served, hot and fresh, the religious experience of their choosing. They want it fast, hot, and tasty. No concern is given for the value of the content or the depth of the theology. If it fills us up then that’s all that matters. The question is, what is it filling us up with? Consumer faith creates believers who think that God exists to meet their needs, to literally serve them. This is little better than ancient pagan practices that sought to control and influence the “spirits” with ritualized behaviors. If we follow a particular formula or recipe suddenly all will be well, our children will be happy, and we will become wealthy. Please pull around.

Not only does fast-food faith create consumers, it promotes affirmation for showing up. Don’t misunderstand me, showing up in worship is vital to Christian maturity, but it is only part of the plan. In addition to encountering God in worship, we must pursue a process of maturity, and practice a life of sacrifice. In our world of “more, more, more” the Church should be proclaiming, “less, less, less.” Nowhere does Jesus commend anyone for the accumulation of “stuff.” Actually, one parable remarks how building “bigger barns” is actually a practice of self-worship, turning your reliance upon self rather than upon God. Do you want fries with that?

Drive-thru spirituality actually makes us less healthy as the body of Christ. When we practice consumption without activity, lethargy takes over. It becomes easier to consumer more and more. We say things like, “I’m just not being fed,” which translates, “its not entertaining enough,” or “it challenges me more than I’m willing to admit.” Most of us actually already know far more than we are willing to practice. We know that Christ calls us to a life of sacrifice, not one of consumption. We know that we should be continually challenged by the word of God, but prefer to be comforted by it. We want our french-fried faith super-sized, please, no pickles.

So what’s the answer? Discipline. Yes, I know its no fun, but it’s the spiritual equivalent to a balanced diet and exercise. We must practice the discipline of worship, being regularly in the presence of God among the people of God yielding ourselves to the will of God. We must practice study and prayer, both corporately and personally. Spending time with God in the presence of a few trusted believers and then supporting that small group time with personal, daily encounters with the holy, molds and shapes our spirit into the image of Christ. We must practice sacrifice and service. It is not enough to learn, we have to respond to our times of worship and growth with times of sacrifice and service. Serving the poor, giving of time, talent, tithe, and witness (sounds awfully similar to our United Methodist membership commitments). These are the disciplines that make us healthy and get us out of the habit of making our spiritual lives a drive-thru disaster.

Jesus gave it all, do you really want to settle for fast food faith? I remain:

Consumed by the Call,

Dr. Marty