No Butts In the Body of Christ

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Within a church there are various people with different interests, abilities, talents, and personalities. Diversity is such a delight, yet within an atmosphere of diversity must exist unity. In fact, this is where the term university comes from, meaning unity among diversity. In a church, a diverse group of people is to be united under a single banner. They are to use their various talents and interests to share the Gospel message of Christ, forming a unified front.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul uses a brilliant, yet familiar, analogy as to how a church should function. He likens the body of Christ to a physical body. He reminds us that no part is insignificant. Each piece of the body must be present and working for the whole to function. Notice what he says in verses 15-20. “Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

He is driving a point home. There is a place for everyone in the body. No part is more important than any other. It takes everyone to keep the body of Christ functioning properly. When one part of the body is hurting the entire body suffers.

He is also emphasizing that there should be unity. It takes people working together, not against one another. When there is harmony in the body it is able to move in a graceful dance.

Paul discusses many different parts of the body: eyes, hands, head, and feet. One part Paul does not mention is the butt. Yes, you heard me right, the butt. Now before you think me crass, I might point out if Isaiah can liken our righteousness acts to “filthy rags” (look up the meaning) I can certainly talk about the spiritual butt.

So what is the spiritual butt of the body? These would be the people with smelly attitudes. They see all the problems but want no part in coming up with solutions. They want to see new ministries started, but want other people to start them. Instead of promoting unity, they sow seeds of dissent. They speak discouragement instead of encouragement. They point out mistakes, but forget to show love. They are concerned with their own wishes instead of seeking the desires of the greater body. They see ministry as competition instead of service.

The spiritual butt of the body isn’t concerned with seeking Christ, promoting unity, and seeing that the body does well. Instead, the concern is on self. The Spiritual butt asks, “What am I getting out of church?” instead of “What am I giving?”.

Hands and feet are desperately needed, but there is no room for Spiritual butts in the body of Christ. Let’s love, give, encourage, serve, and promote a spirit of unity.

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed.
Josh

My Prayer Is Better Than Your Prayer!

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Prayer is such a curious thing to examine and ponder. I have so many questions about how it works, considering God’s foreknowledge, sovereignty, and man’s free will. It is one of the more perplexing and fascinating aspects of the faith. It is incredibly complex, yet wonderfully simple. I do know that it works, though not always with the results I might have liked.

We are reminded in scripture to “pray without ceasing”, “let our requests be made known to God”, and that “we have not because we ask not.” Prayer is an important part of the Christian life and can be discussed from many different angles. In the future, I would like to explore the topic in greater detail, but for now let’s focus on a single aspect.

Have you ever examined your prayer life? What are you asking God for? I think sometimes I get it all wrong. I know God wants me to pour out my heart. I understand that nothing is off limits, but sometimes I think I approach prayer incorrectly.

If multitudes of people are praying for their favorite team in the World Series to win, whose prayer does God answer? Is it the team with the most advocates? What about the teen who is praying he gets accepted in a college out of state while his mother prays for him to remain at the local college? Who wins that prayer skirmish? Who wins when one job position is available and several people are all praying to land the job? Does God simply Eeny, meeny, miny, moe it?

Sometimes I pray the opposite of what other people pray. Is my prayer better than your prayer? Is there a hierarchy? Does God pick up the phone quicker and respond in a more expedient manner for some than others? I don’t think so. I know God hears everyone. I know God loves for us to speak with Him regularly. I also know that at times God loves to answer prayers with a resounding yes, and at other times deems it best to say no.

So who does God hear when people pray for different things? Why does He say yes and at times say no? Does God already know the answer before we ask Him? Sometimes it can all seem very confusing.

This is where I think we get confused and misunderstand much of the purpose behind prayer. Sure, God wants us to ask for things and tell Him our needs. But often, I think we approach God with a wish list and that is that. We call on Him as if He is some celestial genie ready to respond to our whims. Seems sort of narcissistic doesn’t it?

What if one of the biggest reasons for prayer were to get our wants, wishes, and desires in line with His own? What if prayer were more about affecting who we are than getting God to intervene? Perhaps approaching prayer that way would change the way we pray. Maybe then who wins the game wouldn’t matter so much. Maybe then Mom and Son would ask what God wants instead of what they want. Maybe then, we would consider whether taking a job pleases God and is beneficial in Him using our lives than simply gratifying for ourselves.

What if a big aspect of prayer were simply having a conversation and pouring out our hearts, and less about our wish list? Prayer is personal. When I talk to my wife, I don’t assail her with everything I want or things I need her to do. Much of the time I talk to her about my dreams, hopes, fears, wishes, happiness, sadness, regrets, concerns, etc. I talk to her about life and our closeness and intimacy grows. Maybe that is what prayer is supposed to be about more than anything else.

I am not saying we should stop asking God for things. I don’t feel like anything is off limits when it comes to talking with God. Yet, I think we would do well to remember that He is the all-powerful Creator of the universe and already knows ahead of time what we will be discussing with Him. Perhaps a large part of prayer is simply relational, just us spending some time talking to the One that loves us deeply. Also, just maybe, prayer has a lot to do with changing ourselves.

“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me.” –C.S. Lewis

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed.
Josh

What have you learned about prayer? Please share.

Marriage Monday: Love Maps

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How well do you know your spouse? One important aspect of loving your partner is to become mentally familiar with their world. Remember when you first started getting to know your spouse? You would sit with them for hours over cold coffee and ask question after question. It is an exciting part of the courtship process. Just like with anything else, things change; old information must be replaced with new knowledge. At times, we even do a poor job of getting to really know our spouse in the first place.

John Gottman calls knowing your helpmate in this mental capacity a “love map.” He says, “Without such a map, you can’t really know your spouse. And if you don’t really know someone, how can you truly love them? No wonder the biblical term for sexual love is to ‘know’.”

So what exactly is a love map? Well, actually the Statler Brothers, of all people,  give us an excellent example of what a love map looks like in their song “The Official Historian of Shirley Jean Burrell.” Now, I get this is cornball stuff, but humor me. It is spot on.

I’m the official historian of Shirley Jean Burrell.
I’ve known her since Lord only knows and I won’t tell;
I caught her the first time she stumbled and fell,
And Shirley, she knows me just as well.
I can tell you her birthday and her daddy’s middle name,
The uncles on her momma’s side and ones they don’t claim
What she got from Christmas since nineteen fifty-two
And that’s just the beginning of the things I could tell you.
I can tell you her fav’rite song and where she’d like to park,
And why to this very day she’s scared of the dark;
How she got her nickname and the scar behind her knee,
If there’s anything you need to know ‘bout Shirley, just ask me.
I know where she’s ticklish and her every little quirk,
The funnies she don’t read, and her number at work;
I know what she stands for and what she won’t allow.
The only thing I don’t know is where, where she is right now.

The guy singing this song knows Shirley quite well! Knowing your spouse is a vital aspect to loving your spouse. Become a student of your partner. Ask questions. Watch their behavior. The more you two know about each other, the easier it is to remain plugged in as life does it’s best to disorient and distract. Part of a healthy marriage is creating your own love map. It is knowing what makes your spouse tick, their passions, fears, dreams, favorite flavors, treasured memories, and insecurities.

Do you know your spouse? If not, maybe it’s time to do some studying.

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed.
Josh

I love to hear people’s stories. What is something you know about your spouse that no one else does? It is your perfect chance to do some bragging.

I know that Devon loves to be artistic. It is her therapy.
She can’t stay awake through movies.
She sleeps on her right side by default.
I know the patterns in Vera Bradley that she likes.
I know better than to say “Everyone knows that” to her.
I know she secretly likes that I make up songs that she pretends to be annoyed by.
That she loves people.
That she got her teeth stuck in pavement riding a bike when she was a kid.
I am learning to become the Historian of Devon Fults and having a lot of fun doing it.

Things I Have Never Heard Anyone Say

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Recently, I was reflecting on life and its fragility. It is unnerving how quickly circumstances in one’s life can change. I see it all the time. One day things are going immeasurably well, and the next, a storm shipwrecks a life upon the rocks. I think it is extremely important that we examine our lives to refocus and find center periodically.

What will be important to us later in life? I think this is a good question to ask because it demands that we set priorities and hopefully live by them. I have heard many people wish they could correct course earlier in life. I have heard some spill out buckets of regrets they would love to have changed. Yet, there are some things I have never heard anyone say as they looked back across their life.

A list of things I have never heard anyone say:

  • I wish I wouldn’t have wasted so much time spending hours with friends.
  • So happy I consistently chose work over my kids.
  • Glad we waited until our problems were out of control before we got help with our marriage.
  • Why in the world did I spend every Sunday at church?
  • Glad I held onto that grudge and never forgave so and so.
  • Wish I would have spent more time watching television.
  • Happy that I spent more energy doing things I enjoy than spending it with people I love.
  • Sure do regret those Saturdays I stayed home with my family.
  • So thankful I paid more attention to the temporal than the eternal.
  • Glad I made a big deal out of the small stuff my kids did wrong.
  • It is a good thing I never got involved in my church.
  • So glad I kept people at an arm’s length.
  • I wish I had never taken my wife on our dream vacation.
  • So happy I lived my life for just me.

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
-James 4:14

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed.
Josh

What is something you have never heard someone say?

Don’t Judge Me!

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We often hear the phrase “you shouldn’t judge.” Most people are familiar with Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” This passage is often used as a justification for our own actions. “Who are you to judge me?” Recently, I was discussing a minister’s teachings that I believe to be inaccurate when held up to the rest of scripture, and was told “judge not.” Is that accurate? Is it wrong to judge? Well, that depends on what you mean by the word “judge”.

When someone tells us not to judge, are they not judging us for judging? Essentially they are saying, you are doing wrong for saying someone else is doing wrong. Evaluating the correctness of what others say and do is unavoidable. If we read further down from Matthew 7:1 we run into verse 6 which states, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” That sounds like a judgment. In fact, Jesus makes judging statements all through scripture. He reminds the religious leaders that outside they look nice, but on the inside they are dead men and filled with corruption (Matthew 22:35).

So what does it mean when we are commanded not to judge? I think we can draw several things from this verse. First, we don’t judge what others do or say by our own standards, instead we hold others to the same standard all Christians are held, God’s word. Judgments aren’t to be based on our own preferences or opinions. They should be made according to what scripture teaches. We must be reminded that we are held to the same standard. Jesus, in fact, told us to look at our own lives first. In Matthew 7:5 we are told, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” We have our own stuff to be dealt with, as well, that is in conflict with what scripture teaches. Let’s make sure we are examining our own lives and not pointing out what others do wrong so we can become self-inflated and minimize our own sins.

Judgment does not mean condemnation. It is never done to belittle. It is done out of love. As with anything, we must treat others the way we would like to be treated. There have been times I needed someone to inform me that I was doing wrong, and I was receptive to that correction because they addressed me with respect and kindness. We must also challenge what people say if it is incorrect and has potential to do damage. I certainly would want someone to point out to me if my teaching was incorrect and could potentially cause harm. We must not shy away from making moral evaluations. If something is wrong, it is wrong. Yet, we must remember that love cannot be divorced from judging.

Remember, making judgments only includes behavior and what others say. We are not to judge other people’s motives for we cannot see their hearts. We do not know for what reason others do certain things and should not doubt what they tell us.

Judge not by your own standards. Love others. Evaluate the accuracy of what others say and do in light of scripture, but evaluate your own self by that same standard first.

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed.
Josh

10 People I Would Love To Have Coffee With

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Recently, I was thinking about interesting or intellectual people, living or dead, who I would love to share a conversation with over a cup of coffee. This was a difficult task because there are so many different people I would be elated to meet at the local Starbucks, but I decided to narrow it down to ten. You will notice Jesus is not on this list. It seems obvious that he would be the first choice, so I did not add Him. Besides, I do talk with Him on a daily basis. My list of ten people I would love to have coffee with follows in no particular order.

  1. The Apostle Paul
  2. C.S. Lewis
  3. The All State Mayhem Guy
  4.  Moses
  5. Abraham Lincoln
  6. Ravi Zacharias
  7. Ted Dekker
  8. Norman Geisler
  9. Thomas Aquinas
  10. Jon Acuff

If by some chance, I were to be able to meet the Apostle Paul down at Hebrews coffee shop, here is what our conversation might be like:

Me: So, what are you drinking?

Paul: Coffee. I take it black as Tar…sus. That is a hometown joke. What are you having?

Me: A White Chocolate Mocha with extra whip.

Paul: That sounds like some sort of sissy drink.

Me: Nervous chuckle…So, tell me about your experience coming to know Christ.

Paul: Haven’t you read my writings? Well, it was pretty intense. I was walking down the Damascus road, and all of the sudden this blinding light practically knocks me on my rear, and I hear this booming voice. I have no idea what is happening, so I cry out, who are you? And the voice answers, “I am Jesus, who you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

Me: What’s a goad?

Paul: An epic word for a cattle prod.

Me: Oh, neat.

Paul: Yea, so I knew in that moment my life was changed. I felt instant remorse for all of my prior actions. Everything was different from that day on. I was a changed man. I felt free.

Me: Some people wonder if it was a hallucination or something you had.

Paul: Seriously? Me? With no previous history of mental illness? No, I know what I saw. You don’t lay your life down over some hallucination that you might question. Trust me, when you see Christ, you know you just had an experience with the transcendent.

Me: That is some story. Speaking of you dying, you sure suffered a lot for your faith.

Paul: Yea, but I counted it as a privilege. I was beaten within an inch of my life. Shipwrecked once, that was sort of fun. People were stuck listening to me preach. I was also imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. I just couldn’t stop sharing it. Everything goes back to when I met Christ. When you experience Him, everything changes.

Me: Your determination and love for God are so inspiring to millions of people.

Paul: So what persecution have you had to endure for Christ?

Me: Well, sometimes people talk about me and give me snarky looks.

Paul: …

Me: Yea, plus church is really early. We have to be up around 8:00 AM to go sit in a padded pew for a couple of hours.

Paul:…

Me: Finding the time to read the Bible and pray can be difficult as well. There is only so much time in a day. Then there are people always judging your motives and saying that you’re hypocritical these days. Yea, in todays times being a Christian and sharing your faith is hard.

Paul: Uh…yea. Sounds like it.

Me: So what do you think are some of the largest problems facing Christianity today?

Paul: People not engaging their minds in regards to their faith, along with a lack of discipline. It is really hard for me to understand how people can be lazy when they have experienced the Christ.

Me: That sounds exactly on the mark. You have really challenged me.

Paul: Glad to hear it! Well, I have to run now. It was good having a cup of Josephus with you.

Me: Josephus?

Paul: Yes, Josephus. Aka. Cup of Joe. Sorry, that was another ancient joke.

Me: Awkward chuckle. Thanks Paul. So great to have met you!

Paul: You too. See that you walk circumspectly. The days are evil you know. Make sure you are redeeming the time. Blessings friend.

Walk good. Live wise. Be blessed.
Josh

If you could have coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?