Loving the Weeds

This season the rains brought incredible relief from the dry & hot months of Jan-Feb. We waited, expectantly, and we rejoiced as a family to be able to plow and hoe in our garden, mix our fertilizers (compost, chicken and cow manure), plant our seeds, and then deal with our weeds. Weeds!?!

Okay, we have not enjoyed dealing with our weeds. In fact, I loathe weeding; most people do. I hate that part of the curse. I'd rather just enjoy watching everything grow: cilantro, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, watermelon, green beans, black beans, carrots, beets, corn, and sweet potatoes. And the more I plant, the more weeding is needed. 

It reminds me of the parable in Matthew 13 where an enemy sewed weeds into a field of wheat. Instead of pulling up the weeds, however, the master declared that they must grow together until the harvest. Wheat and Weeds growing to maturity side by side? And this, Jesus says, is a picture of the kingdom of heaven; sons and daughters of God growing to maturity alongside sons and daughters of the evil one (vs. 37-39).

As I look around the villages here, I am surrounded by pain, suffering, disease, and death. I see great evil oppressing and enslaving people, holding them in bondage, wounding children and destroying men and women. I see witchcraft, drunkenness, abuse, neglect, HIV, fatherlessness, crime, and injustice. Do I ever despair? Do I hide or want to run away from it all? Honestly, at times, "Yes!"

And in all of this bleakness, I know there is more that I do not see.

But then I am reminded that as the darkness grows to maturity, as the weeds seem to be overtaking the crop, God's kingdom is growing to maturity right alone side of it all. In fact, in the mystery of God, He has ordained that it is through the weeds, through the trials and persecutions, through the sufferings and struggles, that His church grows to maturity.

And in all of this promise, I know there is more that I do not see.

The fatherless are made fatherless no more, widows are protected and defended, the broken are made whole, and enslaved hearts are set free. There is grace. There is joy. There is love. There is life. Where God's people dwell, the darkness is dispelled.

In the beauty of mystery, I am not only called to put up with the weeds, but I am called to love them, to reach out to them, to live the grace of God before them, and in Jesus' name to lay down my life for them. 

The Gospel is for the wheat and the weeds, the "good news" for the world. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for weeds like me, and through His power He transforms weeds into glorious wheat (non-GMO of course).

I better go out to my garden and give my crops and my weeds some attention. I think I love weeds after all. 

Giving the Gift of Relationship

For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples

to a pure speech,

that all of them may call upon

the name of the LORD

and serve him with one accord.

From beyond the rivers of Cush

My worshippers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,

Shall bring my offering.

                                                                     Zephaniah 3:9-10

Christmas time is always a sweet reminder of God’s faithfulness to the nations. The long awaited promises coming true, the bursting forth of the Gospel- the Good News- to the ends of the earth, beginning in the unlikeliest of places. The pagan-astrologers from the nations, drawn to come and see in order to go and proclaim, a microcosm of what has been and what will yet be. The power of Babel reversed- I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, and the sure and certain hope that indeed, Uganda (along with many other African nations) has a certain place alongside the wise men to yield offerings at the feet of Jesus and to speak to us today in our own need- From beyond the rivers of Cush (Ethiopia- Nile?), My worshippers… shall bring my offering.

Many Africans do not have much offer, materially that is. And yet how funny it is that we too often make the giving of material gifts the highpoint of the celebration of the greatest gift humanity and the world has ever known. Yes, Jesus was a material Gift, God Himself wrapped in human flesh. Yet the Gift was that which heals and sets the heart free, which reveals itself to the poor and lowly, redeems broken manhood and womanhood, and restores broken marriage and family. The Gift restores relationships, first with people and God (those who receive this gift and turn from sin and self to Jesus), which allows grace and love to flow in our hearts toward one another, grants the gift of lived repentance before one another, grants real the lasting relationship.

It is the wealth of relationship that distinguishes many Africans from those of us from the West. It is in relationships that Africans quickly note the poverty of most Westerners. And it is here, in the place of the gift of relationship, that Ugandans have much to offer to each other and to us in response to the King born so many years ago. For it is in relationship where we join together to worship God and enjoy one another with one accord.

I remember our first Christmas in Uganda. We had only one child (that seems a long way off from our current five). We were culturally exhausted. I had attempted a Christmas Eve candle-light service that left me disappointed and frustrated. We missed family. And then we had to be in church on Christmas day by 10am for a four-hour Christmas service followed by a community meal (probably not eating until 3!). Everything within me wanted to rebel. It simply went against my individualistic Christmas expectations of family time at home. But we made it through a hurried Christmas morning, enjoyed singing and dancing with God’s people, and feasted together in a community meal. But above all, we enjoyed one thing: relationship. And when all was over we crashed for a Christmas-nap!

After ten years we have made new traditions, and one of them is the joy of celebrating Christmas in the joy of relationship in community. And so this year, once again, we join with our brothers and sisters here, we join with the fatherless who have found their Father along with those who are still searching, we join with friends and true Ugandan family, to delight in the One who came to undo all of the sorrow and brokenness unleashed on the world through our self-exalting worship of the creation and desire for things above God Himself (i.e. sin). We rejoice in the hope that demolishes our pride, brings together nations, and gives us freedom to walk in the gift of relationships.

This year, consider offering to one another, to family, friends, loved ones and unloved ones, a gift in response to this Greatest Gift that we celebrate- give the gift of relationship: share the central meaning of Christmas: Jesus, and then give the gift of time (unplugged and media-free), the gift of forgiveness, the gift of serving, the gift of repentance, the gift of humility, the gift of love-in-action. This is the offering of God’s worshipers, the Gospel on display, hearts exalting in Jesus, drawn back to God and to each other, which surely is what Christmas should be all about, both in America, here in Uganda and around the world.

The Secret Idolatry of a Misplaced Identity

“It is no wonder that John Calvin called the human heart an idol factory, after all, its greatest idol is the idol of self.”

The questions fly through my mind; I can’t make sense of them. My emotions are all over the place; I can’t force them into submission. Why does this happen with each world-change, each culture-change, each community-change, each job-change?

I experience this internal agony intensely with each culture-hop, every two and a half years, give or take. No matter how much I try to prepare for it, I cannot avoid the six or eight weeks of internal wrestling, questioning, and soul-searching. In some ways I feel like a man who has lost everything, forced to take on a whole new identity. And that is the core issue, isn’t it? Identity.

All orphans wrestle with the issue of identity.

It is core to the orphan heart.

It is core to the human heart.

Who am I? Underneath it all. When all is stripped away. At my core, who am I?

Or perhaps the question really is, what defines me?

The loss of identity in the life of a child is the foundational place of the wounding of an orphan’s heart. The loss of family, and specifically the loss of fatherhood, leads to a loss of identity, which leads to a loss of belonging and purpose. But what about me?

What defines me? On the surface it seems easy enough for me to answer. I am a husband and father of five plus two. I am a missionary. I am a West Virginian. I am a Christian. I am a teacher. I am a shepherd…I am…I am…but there is more. There is more to who I am than a job, a place, or a role can capture. These are all transient things. There must be more.

When I arrived in the States a year and some months ago, I felt rattled, stripped. My confidence was lost, my very purpose questioned, my worth and value felt lowered. I felt lost and cut-off. Wandering. Stripped naked. With one step onto that airplane: 1. the culture that I had grown to feel secure in- gone in a day. 2. The relationships, friendships and community that defined my daily life- gone in a day. 3. The job and responsibilities my mind carried and delighted in- gone in a day. Without these, who am I?

I was made for more.

Seasons of life thrust this reality upon all of us: Birth, Death, Marriage, Retirement (or the thought of it), Kids Moving Out, Job Change, World Change.

In all of these, at my core I am revealed. In what am I placing my confidence? What am I basing my purpose on? Where are my worth and value grounded? My heart, that so quickly latches on to unstable, changing, or even false reality for pleasure, purpose, fulfillment, definition, identity, is painfully revealed.

I am not…but I am…becomes so crucial to this wrestling soul. Truth that confronts this ever-changing reality.

I am not a missionary. I am not defined by culture or state or country or ministry or stuff or savings or possessions or even extended family…all of these are gifts to point me to the One who defines me, makes me, calls me, entrusts to me (often for a season).

I was made for God.

I am an adopted son of the Most High God. I am loved with an everlasting, unchanging, unfailing love. I am part of a family that transcends nations and languages. I am a part of a Kingdom that is bigger than my understanding and more valuable than my earthly treasures. My worth and value are grounded in God and God alone.

I am His.

In this light my secret and seductive idols are revealed. Beyond the external ones that cling so tightly for control and affection, down deep to the internal ones that lie embedded in “good things” that wrap themselves in insecurity or false security, in titles or praise of men, in familiarity and cultural norms and values. My misplaced identity in culture, community, profession, entertainment, standard of living, comforts and stuff, are brought to nothing in the light of His Kingdom and calling.

When all else is stripped away, who am I? I am simply His. What else can I do with the idols that claw at my soul like thorns in my side, the fruit of my misplaced identity? The Spirit cries out: Cast them down.

He is enough.

The Beauty of Growing Into Two Families

                If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Lk. 14:26

                The call of the Gospel comes to each one of us in different ways and in different circumstances, yet it always comes powerfully with the same foundational calling- die to yourself, count the cost, lay down your life and follow. Our Lord’s words have hit us in our complacency over and over again on our journey of faith, revealing our comfortable self-seeking hearts, while gently drawing us back to the place of surrender, even of those things that we hold dearest.

                When we left the States ten years ago with our ten month old, ten bags, and anxious hearts, we felt deeply the rending from family and cultural familiarity. I remember Laura Beth crying as we sat on the airplane as she thought about her Mom missing out on Elisha’s growing up. She shed tears because she couldn’t even say ‘I’m sorry’ for taking away the joy of a grandparent watching their grandkids grow up. The rending we felt was painful, yet the joy of surrender and following Jesus was before us.

                Over the years we have had the privilege of growing into two families, one on each side of the world, as we have experienced the reality of God’s Kingdom, where we are adopted into this beautiful cross-cultural, multi-ethnic bride, and given the gift of Family. When we left Uganda a year ago to return to the States, we felt the rending from family on this side of the world more powerfully than ever before. It was genuinely difficult to return to the States for the year, a testimony to God’s grace in our lives and the depth of relationships that He has gifted us with here.  We both found ourselves saying “I’m so glad we’re not leaving permanently”.

                Now, after a year in the States, incredible time with both of our families, the birth of a new niece, the wedding of a precious sister, weekly taco night with cousins, the healing touch of the life-giving community at our church, we sat on the airplane with that ol’ so familiar feeling of rending. But this time, as we count the cost, we know the beauty of the gain that accompanies it. We are looking forward to what our Father has for us in this season that He has us planted here in Uganda. Will you pray with us as we settle back into life here? Pray that our Father would give us clear leading and direction- that we would be a blessing to the family here, as we labor to live the Gospel and bring God’s Fatherhood to the fatherless and to the families of Uganda.

                After probably the best flying experience we’ve had as a family (which of you were praying for God’s grace and covering as we traveled?), we arrived safely in Uganda and back in Kasana almost two weeks ago. We have settled in well, even as we had the joy of hosting a team from Alpine Church in Utah. It was a great week with them, even as we were upside-down trying to adjust and unpack. It was fun to be back with the children of Samuel Family, and of course a Saturday of fun, games, and a pig roast was just what we needed to feel back at home!

                Finally, for those of you who have been praying for Laura’s little cousin Gabriel, thank you. If you have not seen the updates on Face Book, here’s the situation in a nut shell.  After seeing his life nearly slip away, God has graciously in his mercy been healing him day by day.  He’s completed his first round of chemotherapy and has been responding very positively. Please be praying for God’s grace to him and his family.  He has a long road ahead of him. If you wish to follow their updates or give to them financially, here’s their blog via Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gabrielfleming/journal/view/id/53a9d70cab28b96517bd8bdb.

Super excited about this!

Follow up to Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship

Just watched this and LOVED the vision laid out in "Tapestry: A Vision for Transcultural Church":

http://vimeo.com/73358181?utm_source=Desiring+God&utm_campaign=475ccf0571-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6da5f8315b-475ccf0571-99486237

Enjoy.

Kony2012- a Response from Uganda

Before you read this- follow this link to watch a 5 minute video that New Hope Uganda has put out concerning Kony: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150633238866705

Are you tired of hearing about Kony? I hope not. We’ve been living with him in our backyard for many years. I am truly thankful for the publicity that the video Kony2012 has generated regarding Kony and Northern Uganda. Many people are asking, What do I do with this? Can we really make a difference in this whole Kony issue and the suffering he has caused? What should our response be? It is my hope and desire that every person who has watched the video and been touched by God for Uganda can understand the BIGGER picture of what's behind Kony, can grow in understanding the shortcomings of the video itself, and also understand how to be a better part of the healing of his atrocities here in Uganda. I’ll try to briefly hit on these three issues.

1. The BIGGER Picture of What's Behind Kony and God’s work in his Wake
Let me begin by saying that I would LOVE to see Kony brought down and taken in to stand trial for his crimes. I would love to see those who have been "ruined" by him gain some sort of vindication in this world and I'd love to SEE justice prevail against Kony on this side of the veil. But I also know that our view of justice is not always God’s view. As Job reminds us, God does not govern the world according to our view of His justice, but according to His Wisdom. God has not forsaken His people nor made his people to suffer in vain. I know that this thing has not caught God off-guard, that He is in control and that Kony is working on a divine time-table and that his end WILL come. The Gospel will go forth and the healing of the nations will come. So how do these work together and what is God calling His people to do in response to the reality of this man’s abuses, injustices, and atrocities?

The video creates a response for many of us of “Wow, we really can do something to bring Kony down! All we need is to get involved and get the US military involved and we can do this. Then there will be NO MORE abduction and children can sleep easily at night. The bad guy will lose.” If only it were that simple. But for the goal of the video it is that simple, and that’s its appeal. Yet the issue is NOT that simple and is truly beyond the scope of this article.

While the West tends to simply view Kony as a terrorist who can be brought to justice through military power, the reality is that BEHIND Kony is deep Satanic bondage and power. Kony is in a line of witchcraft-using children-abusing “warlords” who love POWER- demonic power, material power, and power over people through fear. There is deep and serious spiritual bondage here, beyond the simplicity of a simple “Let’s go get him!” This Satanic ritual did not begin with Kony, but was passed on to him from his predecessor in the “use fear to control people” line of control.
The reality that we all need to face is that to bring Kony down will not change the foundations on which his regime was established and currently uses to maintain its “power,” that is apart from God Himself intervening. Another Kony will arise and terrorize wherever he can get away with it.

There is a group here made up completely of Ugandans called “Intercessors for Uganda”. They understand the various spiritual aspects to Kony and they have been engaging in serious prayer for many years that God would break down these spiritual strongholds and that the Kingdom of God would shine forth, both through his evil and atrocities and in their coming to an end. We often do not think about how God IS WORKING through all that Kony has sought for evil. In the words of Joseph in Genesis 50, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” Granted, we will never understand the full picture until eternity, but in-country it is incredible to see how the Church has risen up and been challenged to love and live the Gospel, to reach out with tangible compassion and mercy on those in need. Amid many stories, one place in particular that was hard-hit by Kony witnessed an incredible Jesus-centered reconciliation movement between various tribes that had both believers and even some non-believers seeking forgiveness for past wars and wrongs committed against one another. There are other stories like this that point to God’s Glory being unveiled even through the atrocities that Kony has committed, yet in the light of the darkness that Kony has spread, it can be easy to miss the light of the Gospel shining forth in its midst.

2. The Shortcomings of the Video Itself
I was a bit surprised to NOT see or hear more about the reality of the peace in Northern Uganda over these past years (the video would give the impression that Kony is still troubling Uganda to people who are being exposed to this for the first time). One article I read put it like this, “Moreover, analysts agree that after concerted campaigns against the LRA, its numbers at this point have diminished, perhaps amounting to 250 to 300 fighters at most. Kony, shadowy and illusive, is a faded warlord on the run, with no allies or foreign friends…” Of course, this is debated, but Uganda is not the Kony hot-spot anymore. He seems to be lurking in DR Congo and Southern Sudan. But at the same time we do NOT want to see him return to Uganda either!

My biggest concern was when the video was speaking about the help being given to the children of Northern Uganda. This is where you move into what’s really happening on the ground. The focus was on one MAIN thing- SCHOOLS. One Ugandan woman in the video spoke and said, “The best you can offer a child is by letting them be independent and that is by providing education (bold mine).” In essence, this captures a pervasive and dangerous philosophy.

While most of us here in Uganda understand the need for GOOD schools and education that has the ability to touch and impact lives, education must be seen in the context of the needs that are much GREATER and DEEPER in the lives of hurting children. Is the BEST thing you can offer a child really INDEPENDENCE through EDUCATION? The answer must be NO. Education cannot replace family, and independence (a characteristic of the orphan heart) leads to self-reliance, isolation and ultimately death. We need to beware of the danger of meeting the external needs of orphans instead of their greater and deeper needs, creating cultural orphans who simply perpetuate the cycle.

We are convinced that the best thing you can offer a wounded child is loving, caring FAMILY. And of course the greatest thing you can offer is ultimate HEALING through the Gospel of Jesus, discovery of the perfect Father-God, and inclusion in the great, beautiful and diverse family of God- this is true and freeing DEPENDENCE, and is also the place where healing is lived out. This is what we need to be looking at for the long-term care and healing of the children of Northern Uganda.

Obviously, working with New Hope Uganda, I am very keen to what “Western baggage” and philosophies can do to children. I’m also aware of the danger of meeting external needs of orphans instead of their greater and deeper needs, creating cultural orphans who simply perpetuate the cycle. New Hope’s ministry in Kobwin is focused on healing children recovered from Kony, and though “small” in the light of the great need, we rejoice that right now there are around 20 children living in “families” who are gaining an education, but on a deeper level are experiencing true and genuine healing- and that is a beautiful thing.

3. How to be a Better Part of the Healing of Kony’s Atrocities Here in Uganda
While I’m all for the tangible ability for young people to get involved in bringing Kony down and helping (which the video makes possible), I also want to guard against an “America can save the day” mentality, which quickly reminds Ugandans of colonialism and the mentality that has been perpetuated here by many well-intentioned westerners that we have all the answers, even to questions you don’t have. We as westerners need to understand that Ugandans are doing MUCH to lead in the care for the children of the North, they have done much to resist and see Kony brought down, and many Ugandan organizations are having great impact without western leading- even our Kobwin ministry is almost completely Ugandan led and run (as one example).
The book When Helping Hurts has some good insights into this discussion, as much Western “help” can actually end up hurting. We need to remember that partnership in the truest sense of the word is a two-way street, one where both parties recognize they have needs the other can meet, both seeking the good of the other. It does not fill the “need to be needed” mentality that I have seen many Westerners carry over here to Uganda, and it does not bolster an “I’m helping you from up here, you who are down there” mentality. To move beyond these natural initial responses takes good teaching and solid cultural exposure.

So what is a proper response for people being touched by God in a genuine and compassionate way to help in Uganda? 1. Pray- consistently and with purpose. Pray in the larger realm for God’s Glory to be manifested in the midst of the darkness. Pray for the works going on in Uganda and for broken children to find genuine healing through God and His people. 2. Research and find out what is happening in-country. What are Ugandans doing? What are solid local organizations and churches doing who understand the broader issues and what are THEY saying that they actually need? 3. Support is good, but partnership is best. Find out how you can truly partner. 4. Check financials of any ministry you are considering working with. If only 30% or 50% of the money given is actually getting “on the ground” or directly to those in need, you should step back and re-evaluate. Any organization has overhead, but HOW MUCH is being used and for what purpose?

Feel free to write with any thoughts or comments.

My Wife's Amazing Blog

Hey everyone, my incredible Laura Beth has begun a FUN blog about life in Uganda titled: Savoring the little things of life in Uganda and the address is: http://laurabethmc.blogspot.com/

Check it out for more of the day to day life things we experience here in Uganda. Her latest post is titled GLUTEN FREE LIVING : )

Orphans, Abba and Mission

I just came across this article in the July issue of Christianity today- WELL WORTH CHECKING OUT. I love hearing others speaking my language!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/july/10.18.html

Rethinking Orphan Ministry- Introduction

I have been involved with orphan ministry and visited or read multitudes of literature of various orphan ministries or those seeking to partner and work with orphan ministries to know that we as a people (and I'm speaking mainly of Christians) need to do some serious rethinking about orphan ministry, both those caring for orphans and those partnering or supporting.

My family and I are preparing to head back to the US for a 6 month leave, and in that time I hope to put much of what is in my head into writing (as well as on this blog). But first, I would really like some feedback from each person who reads this. Please help me with the following questions:

1. What issues do YOU think need to be carefully thought through by those who are working HANDS ON with orphans? Why? (i.e. Vision statement, cross-cultural baggage, etc.)

2. What issues do you think need to be addressed by those seeking to support/send teams/partner, etc. with ministries caring for orphans. (i.e. cross-cultural baggage, etc.)

And I guess finally, is there anything specific that you'd like to see this blog address on this topic.

I'm going to wait a good month or more before taking this up again, mainly in hopes that some of you will take the time to think on these things and answer, and also because our family will need some time to transition cultures!

Looking forward to taking this one up.

Keith

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part 4

Unity in Diversity- I find this little phrase to be marvelously beautiful and paramount to the various issues and concerns raised below. It's an incredible three words, something that seems so impossible in the context of a fallen world marred by both Division in Diversity and Division in Similarity. And even though there is a lot of talk about UNITY, it is often simply a lofty concept devoid of any genuine meaning or foundation. Yet I see this is absolutely foundational for the discussion taking place here.

How incredible that God has revealed Himself as ONE God, yet revealed in THREE persons. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet they are perfectly (and uncomprehendingly) ONE. Their diversity is seen most clearly in the way they relate to the world- or in their economies as Wayne Grudem describes in his Systematic Theology. In John 14 and 17 Jesus describes Himself as "in" the Father and the Father as "in" Him, and in John 17 He states that He shared the Father's glory before the world ever existed (vs. 5). This is an incredible Unity in Diversity.

Because of God's own Unity in Diversity, it should not be surprising that God's creation (the unveiling of His Glory) reveals an incredible unity in the context of extreme diversity, with so much of life here on earth dependent on the entire ecosystem.

The Word of God, the Scriptures, reveal an amazing unity in diversity, from the multiplicity of authors, cultures and history, to the various purposes which brought each book about, yet throughout the story of Scripture, there is amazing consistency and unity weaved throughout in such a way that only God Himself could accomplish such a feat. The ESV Study Bible does a wonderful job drawing this out in the context of salvation history.

The Church, the Body of Christ, follows the same pattern, revealed in Jesus' prayer in John 17, "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (vs. 23)." This "perfect" oneness is ONLY possible through what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection, the unveiling of the Gospel that alone can unite peoples, economic levels, tribes, languages, and nations into ONE incredible worshiping Body of believers, willing to lay down preferences, history and sin in order to love and serve one another, delighting in the unity in diversity reflected in His body.

Marriage also reflects the possibility of amazing unity in diversity, as the two become one (what a mystery!), pointing to the greater reality of the unity and diversity of Jesus and His Church (Eph. 5). Again, this true intimacy and oneness is found through the work of Christ, declared in the Gospel, as two redeemed people come to Him in desperate NEED for grace to love and forgive, both dying to self in order for Him to be glorified.

And finally, family reflects unity in diversity, when the Gospel turns the hearts of the fathers toward their children and the children toward their father (and mother) (Lk. 1:17) and God's own character is seen in the unity possible through individuals diverse in character, personality and giftings.

It is in the context of all of this that the doctrine of adoption should come as no surprise at all, that through the death of Jesus, God not only justifies sinners but also adopts them back into His very own family, where the true Father is unveiled (Jn. 14) and our King Jesus becomes our brother (Heb. 2:11-12) through the incredible work of the Holy Spirit.

We can not escape it. We are called to pursue unity in diversity, intentional multi-ethnicity, at all costs, as it is the call of the Gospel and the purchase of God through the blood of His own Son. We are also called to live out this adoptive relationship of diverse unified family through adopting fatherless children of all cultures into our homes and therefore churches. We are also called to celebrate the diversity of the Body, rather than force ONE ALL CONSUMING CONFORMITY that robs the beauty of unity in diversity, which is a celebration of the Gospel itself. Old and young, Spanish speaking and Luganda speaking, light and dark skin, "family" made up of many cultures, all coming together in worship of the Lamb who was slain to purchase a bride on the earth. What an incredible vision our Father has set before us!

May we each truly seek first this incredible kingdom of God, and truly the world will know that God did indeed send Jesus. He is, indeed, building His church. May we pursue unity in diversity at all costs. To the praise of His glorious grace.

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part 3

I once asked a very aged and respected Christian about the issues of ethnicity in the American church. He has authored books, pastored, and is one of the wisest men I know. He also has preached in various churches around the country (and around the world), addressing both “white” churches and “black” churches. I was quite surprised by the answer he gave me when I spoke to him about what I see as the Biblical vision of intentional pursuit of ethnic diversity (since God the Father has intentionally purchased a multi-ethnic bride at infinite cost, the blood of His dear Son). He agreed with the things I said, but finally stated that it is just NOT possible because of the vast chasm that divides the white and black church in America. He sighted both preaching style and worship as the two main dividing factors, unbridgeable because of the vast differences in heart-expression and practice.

Since that conversation I have thought much about that conversation, trying to see the issues clearly, yet I am unable to come down on the side of “unbridgeable” simply because of differences in heart expression or culture, especially after living here in Uganda. Of course, if the goal is simply to have a church that is multi-ethnic for the sake of being multi-ethnic, IT WILL FAIL (it is not humanly possible as we are too selfish by nature). Yet, if the goal is the very heart of the Gospel itself and if the commitment is grounded in pursuit of our Glorious God and His Kingdom above all things then through the work of the Holy Spirit it is more than possible.

It helps me to think about marriage. Rarely do two people get married who come from the exact SAME family culture, expression, ways of doing things, ways of looking at things, etc. That’s what makes marriage SO MUCH WORK in those early years. It takes two people committed to each other and to moving towards oneness out of their two-ness. Throw in cross-cultural marriage and the issues are even greater and the work harder. Yet, no Christian in their right mind would say, “Hey, don’t even try to get married, after all people are just too different to be able to come together as ONE and survive as husband and wife. The gap is unbridgeable.” The world has no problem agreeing with that statement, especially when things just “don’t work out” because of the vastness of differences in two people often clearly seen AFTER marriage (selfishness exploded), and divorce is common and almost expected in our Western cultures. Yet, Christians are pushed to fight to make things work in marriage both because of the sanctity of the covenant entered into and what keeping that covenant means before God Himself (not to mention the effect on the children). And of course, through the beauty of living out the Gospel in relationship with one another and through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, two selfish and vastly different people ARE ABLE to come together as ONE. Yes, it takes a dying to self and for God Himself to intervene IN that marriage, yet the product is a “new” culture (a family culture) that comes from the uniqueness of the two individuals entering into covenant relationship, while the uniqueness of both individuals is also maintained. The children see the power of God at work in their homes and they are able (therefore) to grow up with a vision that marriage CAN actually work and be a good thing (which is a vastly different view that most children grow up with).

How much more should this be lived out on a church level!?! We are truly a Covenant Community, brought together through Jesus’ unveiling of the bride He came to purchase for Himself through His death and resurrection. He has stated the incredible implications of this purchased and available ethnic oneness (John 17), and while it takes MUCH WORK to push through our own “preferences” and cultures, much revealing of our selfishness and even ethno-centrism (viewing our own ethnicity as better or superior to others), Jesus meets us in that place, offers cleansing forgiveness to our repentance, and empowers His people through His Spirit to love beyond ourselves and to come together in committed love.

I attended a church in Chicago for a couple of years that was incredibly diverse ethnically. One Christmas the church decided to begin its Christmas program with a procession of flags representing the various cultures within the church. A non-Christian journalist came to write an article on the Christmas program. As she sat and watched the procession of flags, the procession of men and women of many different colors, it was obvious that she was not prepared for what she was beholding. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she witnessed the awesome display of Christ’s Bride, an ethnic unity she had never seen before. It IS as Jesus said, “then the world will believe that You sent me.”

The beginning point for all of us is recognizing that this intentional pursuit of ethnic diversity within our communities of worship is a Biblical mandate, not just a “good thing” to pursue. And like broken marriage, there is also a GRAVE effect on our children. When churches remain ethnically isolated, children grow up assuming that it is "just how it is", and what is assumed is that their own expression is the right one, and the issues are propagated through the generations, both directly and indirectly. The opposite is also true, that when children grow up in a diverse community, there is a natural love and respect for the various ethnicities and expressions, and they are able to see their own culture in relationship to all of the others, not as superior, but in its proper relationship to the others. What a vision of the Kingdom of God is held out for our children!

One other issue that often comes into play here is the way churches deal with differences in age groups within the church (as one friend who commented on the facebook post noted). Isn’t it interesting that churches often deal with the whole “traditional” versus “contemporary” issues like they do with ethnicity, only the division isn’t as clearly seen. The quick answer is to separate age groups by holding the hymns service for those who find their HEART EXPRESSION being met there, and then the contemporary service for those who “prefer” that (or because of the outreach appeal to a “modern” or “postmodern” people. What happens is a clear division between the generations, and what is lost is the age diversity that is also desperately needed in the Body of Christ for its health and building up. Rather than intentionally pursuing diversity of style (expression), one group is typically called to die to its own preferences for the sake of the other or the two are completely separated. Churches can't even see how this way of dealing with age diversity is an outflow of how they deal with cultural diversity!

So what is the way forward? How should our view of the Gospel, and hence the Spirit’s work in our world, drive our churches in all of these areas. What can be done practically? I still see the doctrine of adoption as central here and all that I’ve written below becomes a key factor, but first I want to ask:

Do you agree?

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part 2

Alright, I admit it! I bit off more than I can chew in the last post. It seems that most of you agree with me, as I don't see any comments or feedback below. However, I do want to push forward on this theme, mainly because I think the implications for the church today are desperately needed, as are the implications for Christian families seeking to model the Kingdom of God (or better stated, living out the Kingdom of God through family). I realize that I am insufficiently equipped to unfold all of the answers to the questions I raised, but I hope to at least lay some foundation that we can toss around and build on. Let me begin my just talking about our church here.

Kasana Community Church is truly a unique church both in Uganda and in the world at large. At one point last year we had men, women and children gathered in worship of God from the United States, Canada, England, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Congo DR, and Uganda (including over 14 different tribes represented). It is quite an incredible sight to see that kind of ethnic diversity gathered together in one place! It is incredible that the English language is able to act as a unifier of such vastly different people-groups. It would be easy for us as a church to simply adopt ONE new worship expression using ONLY English as the dominant language...but what would be lost would be the HEART EXPRESSION of the individuals represented. Let me explain.

As Westerners here in Uganda, most of us have grown up in the context of Western worship. Regardless of whether we are singing songs in English or Luganda (local language here), the style is different, the length of songs, the instruments (most Westerners struggle with the electric keyboard!), etc., even if we are singing familiar songs. But we adjust.

I can remember during our first year here when we were struggling to adjust, missing our "familiar" worship style, a team came on a short-term trip. One of the team members was a gifted worship leader in his home church, so our church leaders decided to allow him to lead a portion of the worship. He stood in front with his acoustic guitar and the second he began leading I felt my heart come alive. Both Laura Beth and I LOVED that short 15 minutes of worship that we had, yet towards the end as I looked around, most of the Ugandans were quieter and obviously NOT enjoying the time as much as we were. Then something incredible happened. The man sat down and our Ugandan worship leader came forward. The second he started in with a song in Luganda, the place about came apart! It was like they were waiting for what was familiar to them. I looked around at the Westerners and they looked very much like the Ugandans had during the "Western worship" time. They were enjoying the time in worship, but not like before.

What I came to understand at that moment is how important HEART EXPRESSION is for those engaging in worship. I enjoy singing in Luganda, or singing the Ugandan English songs that we sing, but I typically find myself coming MORE alive when we are singing songs that I have grown up singing. It's the same with each nationality and people group represented in the church. Our Ateso brothers and sisters enjoy singing in English and Luganda, but something happens when suddenly an Ateso song gets thrown into the mix- men who were standing and clapping before can be seen suddenly jumping high into the air, up and down, up and down, throughout the church (which is how the Ateso worship). The same could be said for each ethnicity represented.

If this were simply a context where Western missionaries were co-existing with people from the Buganda tribe, good missiological practice would call for the Westerners to simply die to their own cultural worship expression and integrate into the larger culture here (which is how many Western churches function when it comes to cultural integration). I have no problem with this in our context, especially in the light of the past missionary practice of simply establishing/imposing Western practice and worship in other cultures (at the expense of local culture and expression). But when it comes to other tribes within Uganda who are gathered here, the answer is not so clear-cut.

It is great that the churches planted within various tribes each have their own unique expression of worship (non-Western), but now that tribes are beginning to mix in both the city and even within different tribal territory in larger towns, what is the way forward for the Ugandan church? Is the answer to follow the common US pattern of keeping different ethnic groups separate in their worship? Hopefully our response is a resounding: NO! It would be a shame for it to be said here in Uganda that the 10am hour is the most segregated of the week.

How awesome to see our church here as a rallying point for the different tribes, intentionally seeking to bring the various ethnic expressions out in the context of our worship service, instead of forcing everyone into ONE "common" expression that in essence is the expression of none, or perhaps one dominant group. I see this as the beauty of the Bride of Christ gathered around His throne in Revelation 7, from every nation, tribe, people and language, singing out "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Granted, we don't know if in heaven those in Rev. 7 were singing in ONE language or each in their own, but down here on earth where the curse of Babel is brought back to blessing for the nations through the unifying Gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit, when the nations and tribes gather together it is as Jesus said in John 17, "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

I think it is in the context of where the Ugandan church stands today, and the way forward that God is calling His church to, that will serve as an example to the direction that the Western church needs to pursue if it is indeed to be a true expression of the Kingdom of God.

Before I move forward, I'd love some feedback here. Thoughts?

Adoption, Ethnicity and Worship- Part I

I can remember the first time I watched the movie Losing Isaiah. I cried throughout the movie, first for the plight of the birth mother (played by Halle Barry) in the abandonment of her new-born (already drug addicted) son, then for the plight of the white woman who adopted and in essence “saved” the child who had been thrown away into a garbage can. After some years the birth mother got “cleaned up,” found out her abandoned baby was alive, and then wanted her child back- a child who had solidly become a part of a white family. The movie centered around the issue of ethnicity in cross-cultural adoption (in this case white versus black). The birth mother's attorney believed that a black child should be with his black family, yet within the white home the point is made that in the eyes of the child, color is not what matters but love, a love that is given through the adoptive mother and the family. Though the issues raised by the movie were pointed and heart-wrenching, the movie offered up no real solution for the issue, ending with the child “divided” between both the birth mother and the adoptive mother.

Sadly, the church of Jesus Christ has also often been plagued by these same polar sides when it comes to looking at ethnicity within the church. On one side, churches tend to think that mono-ethnicity is best when it comes to worship, fellowship and church growth (it certainly is easiest!), and therefore the leadership and DNA of the church is made up of one singular ethnicity which expresses itself in both a preaching style and worship style that reflects that ethnicity and culture (even when the church is located completely within another ethnic group). Each different church, of course, views their own expression of worship and style as either “historical” (and thus a-cultural) or culturally inclusive, as opposed to viewing itself as intentionally mono-ethnic in its expression and thus culturally exclusive.

Often, churches that are “open” to different ethnicities attending their churches can not see beyond their own cultural bias for their own expression of the historic faith. If someone from a different ethnicity comes into that church, it is expected for that person to “conform” to the style of church/worship that forms the identity of the church, leaving that individual to either “yield” to the dominant worship and teaching expression or to leave and find a church with similar cultural expression (it is supposed in this situation that this person has had contact with a specific ethnic expression of Christianity as opposed to a “new” believer).

On the other side are churches that want to be multi-ethnic. They often seek to create a contemporary worship style that each individual ethnicity can rally around and more easily “conform” to. Often, these churches are made up of first generation Christians who are drawn to these churches, those who have not been a part of a church made up of their own unique ethnic expression. Unfortunately, the individual culture and expression that God has granted the various “ethnic” cultures are either lost or blurred within the newly created expression.

What is to be done by the church today in such a confusion of “models”? What is the way forward and what are the biblical and theological foundations to keep us on the right track? And what does all of this have to do with adoption and the doctrine of adoption...

Adopting Music

I realize I am way behind on posting! I haven't forsaken this blog! Here's something my pastor in Chicago (and good friend) sent me that fits right into the discussion going on right now in the blog. It's exciting to see more people catching a vision for the adopting grace of God and wanting to express that through worship back to Him. The quote by Packer is right on as well! Enjoy.

New Album Features God’s Adopting Grace
via Between Two Worlds by Tony Reinke on 8/5/09


Posted by Tony Reinke.

In his classic book Knowing God, J.I. Packer wrote:

If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. "Father" is the Christian name for God. … Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption. (pp. 201—202)

The adopting grace of God is a major theme of the Christian faith, and today this theme has a new soundtrack. Bob Kauflin and Sovereign Grace Music today released their latest project, Sons & Daughters, a 12-song album accenting God’s gratuita adoptio. The album was intentionally written for congregational worship settings.

On his blog Kauflin wrote,

… The project came out of a perceived lack of songs that help us meditate on the unfathomable love God has shown us in adopting us through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5). We are now part of God’s family—in Christ we will forever be the objects of God’s particular and passionate mercy and love. We are not only forgiven, we are co-heirs with Christ, and never again have to doubt God’s care for us. That biblical reality, rather than leaving us focused on ourselves, drives us once again to proclaim the greatness of the God whose grace turns hopeless rebels into precious children.

The album can be sampled online and purchased as an audio CD ($12) or as a set of MP3 downloads ($9.00). Guitar charts, lead sheets and lyric sheets are available as free downloads.

Sons & Daughters is the third album released by Sovereign Grace Music this summer. In June they released a children’s album, To Be Like Jesus. In July they released a live conference recording titled, Next 2009 Live.

Calling God "Daddy"- Part 3

I can hardly believe that it's been a month since I was last on here! Please excuse my delay in finishing up these series of posts- in this month we have finished up this current session of the Institute of Childcare and Family and then Laura Beth and I headed off for a week in India (yes, this was a spur of the moment trip- and without our boys!). It was an incredible trip, exceeding all of our expectations, but that's not the point of this post. For more info feel free to e-mail us (keithandlb@gmail.com).

In my last post I alluded a couple of times to the multi-ethnic implications of the doctrine of adoption. I want to expound on that a bit here and then pick up on it more in the posts ahead (hopefully). The foundation for this discussion is of course the incredible privilege that all sons and daughters of God have in addressing our God and King as "Daddy" or simply "Father". There is now a beautiful unified crying out to God together in every tongue and language out of hearts set free from sin and bondage to Satan and brought into intimate relationship with our now Father God. Yet what does the doctrine of adoption and the implications of the "Abba!" cry mean for us in terms of ethnicity.

If we look at the "new birth" alone as that which brings us into the family of God, then what appears is a unified family all rallying around the Lamb- Glory to God, yet there is a richness and fullness that is yet lost. In reality, we are "born again", brought from death (Eph. 2:1) and given spiritual life, a life and awareness that frees us to confess "Jesus is Lord" and submit to His rule over all of our lives. Yet it is here that He goes beyond redeeming us as simply His subjects, but He then adopts us into His family- that's the glory of the doctrine of adoption.

What is incredible about this new family is that we are not all consigned to simply ONE language or simply ONE newly created culture. There is an incredible beauty in the diversity of languages and cultures together, redeemed and free to cry out to God from the multiplicity of terms and expressions that each culture has to offer. This is also at the heart of the Galatians and Romans passages. Though intimacy is the foundation, there is beauty in the fact that Jesus cried out not simply in the language spoken at that time by the Jewish people (Aramaic- Abba!), but also in the language of the Gentiles (Greek- Pater or Patros), both of whom may now address God out of the uniqueness of each individual culture and language. This is also part of what Paul is picking up on in both the Romans and Galatians passages.

Before Jesus came one had to come INTO Judaism to be brought into relationship with God, a relationship that demanded one to conform to this new culture, laws, and even language (before the Septuagint was translated into Greek, everyone was dependent on Hebrew to know God and His requirements for His people as laid out in the Law and the Prophets). Yet because of the death of Jesus, each culture is now free to come to God where he/she can experience the redemption of their own fallen culture, while also coming to God in worship, expression and the language offered by each culture. This is a great significance found within the "Abba! Father!" cry.

So the picture both around the throne of God (as well as down here on earth) is not a picture of a mono-ethnic group coming to God in one language and one culture, but it is that of a group made up of multiple-ethnicities each redeemed out of their fallen cultures, yet also each distinctly marked by the beauty of that ethnic group- every tribe, language, people and nation. No culture is above another- not in THIS family! Instead, because we have been adopted INTO His family, we each are free to share in the family Name, the family inheritance, and the family culture (Kingdom culture), while at the same time delighting in the beautiful diversity represented by all who now cry out "Father! Papa! Tata! Baba (I picked this one up in India)!"

So what does this mean for the church? What are the implications of the doctrine of adoption for local churches in terms of ethnic make-up, cultural expressions and worship? Any ideas?
[pic by Corrie Heinrich for a kid's book I'm working on]

Calling God "Daddy"- Part 2

The question of the day is: Can we call God "Daddy"? In my last post I surveyed how we naturally tend to view God as King and therefore relate to Him that way, as well as the fact that most Evangelical Christians have never called God Daddy (and most would probably agree that the term seems just a bit too familiar). I hope this post helps those of us who are longing to understand just what God holds out to us in the hope of the Gospel and in our identity as His children.

If the Gospel is true and through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we are truly able to find forgiveness of our sins through Jesus' bearing our punishment for sin (justification), then the question of what we are saved UNTO has to be just as clearly spelled out for us. It seems that many Christians live the Christian life as if we have attained the status of angels- you know, able to be in God's presence, serving Him and worshiping Him, free from sin. Yet God did not create us in His image nor send His Son to die for the redemption of angels or to bring us to the status of angels. God's redemption of fallen humanity goes far beyond our freedom from and victory over sin. The Scriptures clearly reveal that God has adopted us INTO His family, with all of the blessings that come with being joint-heirs with Christ.

Romans 8:15-17 and Galatians 4:4-7 are our key passages here, both which speak of the doctrine of adoption. What stands out in these passages, though, and what most of us (myself included) have a hard time grasping is when Paul states that we have received the gift of adoption as sons (Galatians) and the Spirit of adoption (Romans) by whom we cry (Romans) and who Himself cries out within us (Galatians) "Abba! Father!" The implication for us is that we who were slaves (both to the Law and to sin) are now free to cry out by the Spirit (who is also crying out!) "Abba! Father!" So what does this mean for us as we approach our now Father God? Is He Daddy or simply Father?

I recently was on a blog of a highly respected Christian who loves to write about the doctrine of adoption. His subject was the "Abba" cry. He, along with some other very good commentators, have argued against “over-sentimentalizing” the Abba cry into such affectionate terms as “Papa” and “Daddy”. Though I understand these arguments from the standpoint of etymology, they fail to recognize the most powerful argument for precisely using these terms, and thus the unifying result of being a people who united are free to cry out “Daddy!” (along with the multi-ethnic unifier that it provides- next blog). Let me explain.

Any title for “Father” can at the same time be the most endearing of all terms or the most cold and distant of all terms. For example, in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the rich and spoiled girl Veronica says over and over again, “Daddy, I want…” or “Daddy, get me…” (of course, you have to say it in a snobby British accent). This cold use of the term “Daddy” is a far different use than a child who dearly loves his or her father and who finally sees him after he was away on a four day trip. Can't you see that child running to be embraced in the arms of his father shouting with tears in his eyes, “Daddy!”? I have experienced this myself!

It is not necessarily the word employed for "Father" as it is the intimacy of the relationship behind the word when it is used. In Jesus’ case, there is an intimacy with the Father that goes back from before the world began (Jn. 17:1-5), a perfect intimacy that we can only get a taste of here on earth. And it is in that intimacy of relationship that Jesus knew with the Father that He had in his heart when he cried out to His Father in the garden (just before His coming death!), “Abba! Father!” (Mk. 14:36) So there is nothing wrong with translating the term "Abba" as “Papa!” or “Daddy!” or “Father” or even “Pa”, so long as the understood intimacy of the word is at the center. If we have genuine intimacy with our Father God (the intimacy promised by Jesus Himself in Jn. 17), then we are free to address Him as Papa or Daddy or any other endearing word that our language might have to offer. And the beauty of this is that it does not matter what language or nation you come from, we are all free to enjoy our Daddy God together as His children.

Author George MacDonald understood this as seen in his classic children's story The Princess and the Goblins. In one scene the Princess Irene is awaiting the return of her father, the King of the land. As he approaches on his white horse she runs to him crying out "King Papa!" Truly that is what He is.

It is a beautiful thing to hear a child here in Uganda who was once fatherless and who has come to know their TRUE Father (the true Father of the fatherless) pray addressing God as "Tata" (Daddy). May we begin to lead others (spiritual and physical fatherless) into the glorious freedom of the children of God where we are set free to come before our God and King who is in reality our King Papa and Tata.

Calling God "Daddy"- Part 1

The last time my family and I were in the States I was able to preach at a number of churches. The message that I spoke was "What Uganda Has Taught Me", which is a bit unusual for a missionary to speak on. After all, haven't I been sent to Uganda to teach others? Well, I guess that is partly true, but I am not afraid to readily admit that Uganda has taught me FAR more than I have had to offer myself. It is in this place (New Hope Uganda) and in this community of believers that I have learned family, fatherhood, manhood, and a much greater vision and understanding of the Gospel of Jesus. One of the greatest truths to radically penetrate my heart has been the doctrine of adoption and all that is held out for us in relationship to our Daddy God. Yes, Daddy God, I know that is a bit "personal" for a reference to God, at least by most people's standards. Yet it was here that I first began comfortably referring to God as Daddy.

I can remember the first time I heard someone call God "Daddy". I was at Bible College and my good friend Drew Kelly prayed and addressed God as "Daddy". I was stunned. "Did he just say THAT". I thought he was weird (after all, God is too big and mighty to be called Daddy), yet deep down I knew that I longed for that kind of freedom in my relationship with my heavenly Father. I just didn't understand that that was what the Gospel truly frees me to do. I have found that is true of most Christians. When I was preaching in those churches about what Uganda has taught me, I focused on the doctrine of adoption. I asked the congregations how many of them have ever called God "Daddy". Do you think it was the majority of people? Of course not. In fact, in a crowd of around 200, I found that if 10 people raised their hands that was pretty good. It was typically around 5. Why?

For most of us it is much easier to relate to God as King and Master (which He is!), yet often I think we are naive as to just why that is. I think it comes back to our reductionist Gospel and the way we have been "taught" to read the storyline. Our emphasis on justification alone tends to bend us that way. For example, when we read Genesis 1-3 we naturally read it through the lens of God as King, though that term is not there. If you read commentaries on creation in Genesis, God is pictured as a King issuing forth his commands. My favorite kids' Bible (The Big Picture Story Bible put out by Crossway) does an amazing job of presenting the consistent development of the theme of God's rule, God's people, God's king and God's place throughout the Old Testament, and the grounding for the Kingship of God is of course in Genesis 1-3. Yet why do we naturally read it through the lens of Kingship when the motif of God's Fatherhood is just as clearly unfolded there?

Why do we naturally read the text this way? Well, part of the reason is that God IS KING over the world, there is no question of that, so it is quite a natural reading of the text to see God as the King and us as his subjects, those who will be shown to break his commands and therefore come under his judgment. This is the clearest way we present the Gospel looking back on the OT to introduce the concept of sin and our need of a Savior for violating our Just King God's commands. But remember, our reductionist Gospel simply emphasizes our need for JUSTIFICATION and presents the Gospel only in that context. What is lost?

Here is what is lost- the reality that God is the true Father of all of humanity (see Acts 17:28-29 as well as Luke 3:38 where Adam is called the son of God) and at creation our amazing and loving and perfect Father provided us with everything we need (identity, security, provision and protection) all found in Himself and in the security of the garden. At the fall we rebelled against our Father (and King) and began life "outside the family". But the Father was not done with His children. He had a plan that was set from eternity to send the PERFECT and UNIQUE Son of God to die for our sins and to undo what was done at the fall, and to bring His children back into His family through adopting us back (wouldn't that make a great kid's Bible!).

You can then read through the entire OT and see how God unfolds the fact that He is Israel's Father (as well as King), all culminating in Jesus' coming (the true King) who came to reveal the Father (read John 14) and how to be in relationship with the Father. Because we don't tend to read the storyline this way, we naturally lose what it means at salvation to be brought into the family of God (a HUGE NT theme) and to be able to call God "Father" and even "Daddy" (more on this later) through our spiritual adoption by God.

That is why most of us simply assume that we have been "born again" into the family of God and never think much about what it means that God is truly our Father. We have little foundation for walking in relationship with this true and perfect Father as the one who IS our identity, security, provision and protection. Eph. 3:14 says that it is in God that every family (or literally every fatherhood) in heaven and on earth is NAMED, yet we have very little understanding of what Paul is talking about here because we don't understand the storyline in terms of family. We also so often fail to grasp just what is held out to us in relationship with this amazing God and Father.

May we as God's people begin to be confronted by who God has revealed Himself to be and who we truly are IN Him as His children and as the bride of our Lord Jesus. And wouldn't it be awesome to find a kids' Bible that traced the themes of Kingship and Fatherhood throughout the Bible as well. Who knows, maybe someday...

(the pic is of me, Isaiah and my "son" John around a growing Jackfruit- which is the most unique fruit in the world! I chose this pic simply because it pictures the natural intimacy of my sons and I. They don't hesitate to call me "Papa")

Reductionist Gospel and the Doctrine of Adoption

My friend Godfrey typifies exactly what this post is about- how many Christians know that they are saved from their sin, yet in their hearts they remain detached from day to day genuine joy in God. Godfrey grew up in western Uganda and never knew his father. Rooted in this not-knowing was a desperate longing for identity, something he never gained. After leaving home and moving deeply into the things of the world, God amazingly brought him out to New Hope where he met Jesus and found forgiveness and new life in God. Though now saved, he lacked day to day joy in God and could never understand how the Christians in church could worship God with such obvious joy. Godfrey, though saved, was still an orphan in his heart. His relationship with God became one of slavery, doing this and this (and not doing this and this) in order to please God. He knew that New Hope's ministry was "bringing the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless", but in his mind he had a father, he just didn't know who he was. His heart was restless and he was spinning downward quickly. It was at this point that he one day read the words of Psalm 68:5 painted on the side of a New Hope vehicle, "A father to the fatherless is God..." Suddenly, his whole life's search was over. He saw clearly that God is his father, that he is NOT fatherless, but has a clear identity IN God. Since that time, Godfrey has continued growing in his relationship with God as his Father, and he as a son. The doctrine of adoption is the sweetest of all biblical teachings for him, the truth that he is an adopted son in the family of God.

It is a proclamation of the Gospel that those who put faith in Jesus are justified sinners now called saints. It is assumed that God is father, after all, we are born again, but the depth of that relationship typically goes unexplored. In fact, if you ask most Americans to define "the Gospel" they will say something like this: Jesus Christ, the unique eternal Son of God, was born, lived, and died on the cross so that those who put their faith in Him can be forgiven of their sins and live forever with God. Of course, you can add or take away various parts, but the essence is the same: we are justified- finished. YET, the glory of the Gospel is that it goes far beyond most of our simplified versions and includes many other glorious truths, including the fact that after we are justified, God literally ADOPTS us into His family.

The fact that the early church clearly saw this relationship between salvation and our new standing in God is seen not only in amazing passages like Romans 8:12-17 and Galatians 4:1-7, but early church fathers like Origin who expounded quite a lot on the amazing adoptive relationship that we believers now have with God. It is a reductionist Gospel that fails to bring believers into the depth of glorious truth contained in all that is held out for us as adopted believers into the family of God. Many Christians in our day (especially as fatherlessness grows) have no earthly concept of God as Father (or if he is father, then he's distant and far away) and find it easier to relate to Jesus then to God the Father. We desperately need to recapture who God has revealed Himself to be as the TRUE Father, as the source of all redeemed fatherhood, and as the one who frees us to enter His presence proclaiming, "Abba! Father! Daddy!" as sons and daughter who are accepted not on the basis of what we do to please Him, but simply because He has chosen us, loves us and has adopted us, all because of the perfect son, Jesus.

This all becomes quite clear when sharing the Gospel with fatherless children (orphans). It is wonderful to see children responding to the call of the Gospel, to find forgiveness and true life in Jesus, yet it is equally exciting to see children set free from their lifelong wandering and search for both identity and fatherhood through coming to know the perfect Father, God. May we all be among those who point others (and especially those who are fatherless in our midst) to the true Father, that we might truly come to know and walk in what is called "the glorious freedom of the children of God (Rom. 8:21)."

Feeling the Effects of a Reductionistic Gospel that in Uganda has led to TWO Gospels- one of Salvation and one of Deliverance

When I was a teenager, wrestling with thoughts of heaven and hell, feeling the pull between going to church and doing what I wanted to do, I really just wanted to know one thing: WHAT DID I REALLY NEED TO KNOW and DO TO GO TO HEAVEN WHEN I DIED. I didn't know it at the time, but I (like many people out there) simply wanted the Gospel reduced down to its lowest common denominator so that I could be sure to go to heaven and yet continue on living as I wanted to live. The answer I received, of course, was that I needed to pray, confess my sin and need of a Savior, and ask Jesus to forgive my sin. Saved. I liked being saved, knowing I was saved, but not living like I was saved- that was the tough part- and after a while I fell into the common "backslider" category and had stopped going to church, entranced by the things of the world.

Unfortunately, this is a common story for many, and while many wouldn't like to admit it, the truth is that much of Western Christianity has bought into a reductionist Gospel that flows out of the very question posed above- what is the base line for being a Christian. This is a question that the early church would NEVER have asked, and if they had, there would not have been a short answer. Our reductionism, however, flows from the church's defense against liberal Christianity that with the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment thought began to call into question the heart of Protestant Christianity- the doctrine of justification by faith alone. While it has been a much needed defense, the sad reality is that with that defense, much of the church simplified the Gospel down to a formula for getting to heaven, for forgiveness of sins, for living for the "pie in the sky", and that has become THE GOSPEL.

If you had to boil down the early church's understanding of the Gospel, it would have encompassed at least three components. There was an understanding that Jesus, in His death AND resurrection, defeated the three great enemies: sin, death, and Satan. There was an understanding of what this meant for believers for their lives HERE and NOW, and great doctrines (like the doctrine of adoption) were enjoyed and expounded. Interestingly, in a secular society dominated by science and the dispelling of the supernatural, the understanding of Jesus' victory over Satan and freedom from bondage to demons and spirits was lost, after all, what good westerner actually lives in fear of Satan or demons?

The truth of what I wrote above is seen quite clearly in the efforts of the western missionaries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Take for example one of China's pioneer missionaries, James Fraser. He was 22 years old when he set out from England to China where he would spend the rest of his life working among a tribespeople known as the Lisu. Fraser would journey on horseback or on foot across rugged mountains for days and weeks on end to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to people who had never heard that name before. Entrenched in demon-worship (spirit-worship/ancestor worship) Fraser was disheartened when an entire family that had professed faith in Christ (and an influential family at that) had been attacked by the spirits and out of fear had gone back to their old ways. His daughter writes, "In spite of the convictions growing upon him James was still slow to believe that demon-possession can be as real today as when our Lord was upon earth." And again she writes, "It was during this survey that the hold demonism had over these people came home to James. This was not a childish belief in something non-existent. The demons were real: their power was demonstrable. The fear the villagers lived in amounted to total slavery."

James Fraser had not been prepared for what he would meet in terms of the spiritual war that would be waged among the Lisu turning to God. He had proclaimed the Gospel, many had accepted the message of Jesus and wanted to follow God, but the hold of demonism was too strong and because their core beliefs (their core worldview) was not touched with the message of the Gospel, they naturally went back to what they knew and to what had controlled their way of life for years on end.

Interestingly, the same could be said about many Christians in Uganda today. Fraser was wise enough to come to see what the Gospel proclaimed about Jesus' victory and authority over Satan, and so he was able to lead the new Christians out of slavery and fear of Satan. Sadly, it seems that many of the early missionaries in Uganda were not able to present the Gospel in the fullness of its message concerning Satan and demons. It seems that when the Gospel was proclaimed and people were "saved", for most the "high" Christianity proclaimed by the missionaries (high meaning how to get to heaven) had little to offer the reality "down here" of dealing with Satan and demons.

Early on in my time here I noticed how controlled people are when it comes to fear of Satan. I found church services unable to begin until Satan was bound and removed, along with the "spirit of dozing" or any other spirit of something. I found people still paralyzed by the shrill of an owl at night, as culturally it is proclaiming the looming death of a family member. I found people up in the night binding and casting demons because they heard a noise on their roof, along with many other practices born out of fear. In reality, the more I got into the "Christian" culture, what I found was that because of the lack of understanding the Gospel's message concerning Satan, here there is in reality many who proclaim TWO different Gospels.

The first Gospel is the Gospel of salvation. This is what a person needs to know in order to be saved. But that Gospel doesn't deal with Satan and demons, so there is a second Gospel, a Gospel of deliverance. I have even heard some of these teachers try to scare people with the reality of demons and their power, telling them that they first need to get saved, "and then we can deal with the demons and your family curses". What I am speaking about is not a small "part" of Ugandan Christianity, but it is very active under the surface of almost every major denomination because it is under the surface of most Christians (it is entrenched in the worldview). Once, during my first year of ministry here and after doing a teaching on Jesus' authority over Satan, one of my students discussed the issue with me until finally he admitted that (to him) "Jesus has the authority, but Satan has the power." This is the reality regardless of what the Bible says. That is the mindset of many Christians.

Galatians 1 is very poignant in its proclamation about the guarding of THE Gospel, to the point where even if an angel comes and preaching another Gospel, he is to be accursed. The centrality of THE Gospel is seen as the motivator and the empowerment of Paul's ministry throughout the Epistles. There are not two different Gospels, but ONE Gospel that proclaims Jesus' victory of sin, death and Satan, the same Gospel that is inexhaustible in its scope and depth of both mystery and blessing for those who believe its message. I am thankful that my eyes have been opened up to this reality and my lips have been privileged to proclaim its message- and I love seeing my Ugandan brothers and sisters SET FREE from fear and bondage to Satan by simply coming face to face with Jesus' victory and authority over Satan.

May we as God's people not promote a reductionistic Gospel any longer, but may we begin to see the centrality of the Gospel to all areas of our lives and the freedom that it brings in all areas. I want to use my next post to dialogue about this a bit more, but specifically in relationship to the doctrine of adoption and the healing of the orphan heart.