John Ballenger: The bar of discipleship

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33

Here’s a poem from this Advent book I have been enjoying. It contains a powerful message that comes into view more clearly each time I read it.

If we want to get ready for Christmas, we must raise the bar. It starts with repentance, moves to renouncing our former relationship to possessions, and then reorients how we think and live from greediness to generosity.

“A Lament for What is Best”

How long Lord will You allow us to lower the bar?
How long will You permit us to reduce discipleship
down to this sticky syrup of mere conversion?

Our greedy hands withhold the broken bread and shed blood.
Our mouths are full of barbed wire. Our feet carry us
Always to the places of comfort and ease.

All the world enters our eyes upside down. But You
Oh Lord made the brain to turn it, to orient life toward
What is best. Deliver us from arrogant, unthinking certainty.

Save us from ignorant addiction to inalienable
rights and all of our piled-up offences and slights.
Make us to walk in the way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Press our hands into the rich soil of creation and harvest
the Good News of His character grown in us on Earth
as it is in Heaven. May it be so.

John Ballenger in “A Lament for What is Best” in Not Yet Christmas: It’s Time for Advent by J.D. Walt (Franklin: Seedbed, 2014) 29.

Today’s verse and the poem together illustrate the whole new way of life celebrated at the Hillsong Church campus at which I worshipped this morning (Remember I am 18 hours ahead of Denver time). Hillsong has raised the bar of discipleship and God is working through them to help people see the world right side up.

Father in heaven, forgive me for lowering the bar. Reveal to me the thinking and actions that I must renounce and shape Your character in me by Your Holy Spirit for the glory of Jesus this Christmas. Amen.

The crowds kept asking him, “What, then, should we do?” He answered them, “The person who has two coats must share with the one who doesn’t have any, and the person who has food must do the same.” Luke 3:10-11

“Two coats. It’s quite a call to repentance. I like coats. I must have a dozen coats; one for every possible climate I might face. There’s that Banana Republic warm-up coat, and the Barbour all-weather coat, and the Diesel pull-over coat, and the J. Crew barn coat, and the Mossy Oak camo-hunting coat, and the L.L. Bean denim coat and … you get the picture. I like them all so much that when it comes time to give a coat away, I’ll go into the way-way-back of the closet and pull out an old one I don’t wear anymore.

This year I’m finally going to do it. I’m going to take one of the coats I like, maybe even one of the new coats, and give it away to someone who doesn’t have a coat. It’s too bad John didn’t tell me how many to give away if I had twelve coats. And you? Have you counted your coats lately? We so often think of repentance as an inner feeling of sorrow over bad behavior and a resolve not to do it again. John says it’s a lot bigger than this. When there are people without coats and I have twelve … you get the point. Count those coats.”

J.D. Walt in Not Yet Christmas: It’s Time for Advent (Franklin: Seedbed, 2014) 26-27.

This is a great little Advent book in which Walt astutely notes that “when the Church reclaims Advent, the culture will behold Christmas.” Imagine if every Christ follower preparing for Christmas focused on sharing coats with shivering people rather than baking cookies and hanging stockings?

Now I am not saying that Jenni, who is back home baking cookies for us to enjoy and share and getting our home ready for Christmas should stop. With Walt and John the Baptist long before him, I am saying let’s show the world who Jesus is not through “inner feelings” but by way of “outward actions.”

With Walt I will admit that I have been acculturated to have a coat for every occasion. I need to learn from my own son, Sammy, who has only three: a fleece for cold, a shell for rain, and an all-purpose coat. When I get home I need to count my coats and do some sharing before Christ arrives.

I notice less “commercialization” linked to Christmas down under. Sadly, many in Australia pay little attention to Christ, though they have the most beautiful Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the world (pictured from my ferry ride between meetings today). Let’s show them Christ through our outward actions!

Join me in counting your coats and doing some sharing. Whatever you give to the poor you give to Jesus.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5

I post this today as I meet with the board of Christian Super in Sydney to discuss biblical suggestions for helping them better serve their 26,000+ members.

“Since accountability is one of the three principle lenses of steward leadership [the other two being ownership and motivation], it is important to define to whom the board and chief steward is accountable, and for what? We have already demonstrated that the board as steward and trustee of the organization is accountable to the explicit and implicit owners for how the organization is governed. So, in general terms, the board is accountable for achieving the goals and objectives of God and the stakeholders.

A board puts itself in a position of accountability when it develops an accountable relationship with God and the stakeholders. Boards of faith-based nonprofits will often engage in certain religious activities such as prayer and Bible reading to develop their relationship with God as the primary owner of the organization. However, in my experience, I have found that often these activities are either engaged in minimally (such as starting each board meeting with prayer) or the board leaves the spiritual relationship with God up to each individual member to pursue.

Faith-based boards often justify this hesitancy by saying that one’s spiritual relationship with God is an individualistic matter and are hesitant to push any one approach to spiritual engagement on all of its members. But as Christians and believers in God’s generous desire to share His will and wisdom with us (James 1:5-8), shouldn’t the board as chief steward lead by example seeking to continuously improve its relationship with the owner of the resources and its ability to hear from Him concerning His desires and objectives for the organization? As board members, we owe that level of commitment to a growing and vibrant relationship with God.”

Kent R. Wilson in Steward Leadership in the Nonprofit Organization (Downers Grove: IVP, 2016) 165. This is a great book for nonprofit administrators. Hot off the press. It was a privilege to endorse it.

Wilson’s wisdom applies to my meeting and relates to each of us who serves on a board or has any responsibilities linked to oversight. Because we are accountable to God for our governance, let’s position ourselves to hear from God during our board sessions because He desires to richly, generously, and abundantly give us the wisdom we need to steward His organizations.

How might this thinking shape organizations that you know and support? God generously desires to lavish wisdom for steward leaders from above. I thought of this as I snapped this header photo from above the clouds over the Pacific Ocean a few hours outside of Sydney.

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise. Ephesians 5:15

“Redeem your time. Give your time back to God this Christmas, every second of every day. Look to Him to lead you and expect to be surprised. Some things you planned may never get done, some may get delayed and still others may need to be passed off to someone else. It is likely God will have a very different idea of how He would have you use your time. And it will always be redemptive, meaningful and rich. Stewarding your self means giving this most intimate gift of time back to God that He may fill your days with His peace and joy.”

R. Scott Rodin and Lindsay Kittleson in Stewarding Christmas (Colbert: Kingdom Life Publishing, 2015) 33. It’s a wonderful little ebook with great ideas for stewarding Christmas. Click here to visit the KLP webpage to download it for free.

I will spend today over the Pacific Ocean. I hope to get some sleep, but also have various things to read and study to make the most of my time.

In the journey of life, however, I am learning to be open to interruptions, schedule changes, and other spontaneous additions to my calendar. When we view time not as our own but as belonging to God, we approach each day (or each flight) differently. We welcome rather than resent interruptions. We go with the flow instead of grumble when schedules change. We smile rather than complain when extra things are added to our to-do lists.

All this rings especially true at Christmas. During this “jingle all the way” season, in which everyone moves at a hustle and bustle pace, everything magnifies. If we are kind and generous, it makes a person’s day, because so many are self-absorbed and demanding. If we are unkind and stingy (like the Grinch), well, you know what happens. It’s not good.

Generosity is fruit of God’s work in us. If we want to exhibit generosity at Christmas, perhaps we must start by “stewarding” the season (and every other day of the year) as a gift from God, like Scott and Lindsey suggest, and see what “redemptive, meaningful and rich” ways God will fills our days with His peace and joy.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

“I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose He needs men [and women] who make the best of everything. I believe that God gives us all the strength we need to help us to resist in all times of distress. But He never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on Him alone. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future. I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them than with our supposedly good deeds. I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that He waits for and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in “After Ten Years: A Reckoning Made at New Year 1943” in God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas (Louisville: WJKP, 2010) 79.

Today I fly to Los Angeles and then Sydney, Australia, to teach and speak numerous times in Melbourne, Leura, and Sydney for Christian Super and Christian Ministry Advancement until I return home on 19 December 2016. I’d appreciate your prayers for a fruitful trip.

Likely you too have a busy schedule with much happening in the days leading up Christmas. Let us rejoice that God’s generosity flows toward us in real-time. How wonderful that He gives us strength sufficient for the day, but never more, lest we cease depending upon Him!

God, You are so good. You wait for and answer “sincere prayers and responsible actions”. Your coming is not reserved for Advent, but year-round You show up in our lives at just the right time with just what we need. Thank you. We declare our dependence on You anew and afresh today with gratitude for your faithfulness. Amen.

You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 2 Corinthians 9:11

“Make us rich in ways that result in generosity on our part so You will be praised.”

Sandra Higley in prayer #9 of “12 Prayers to Keep Christ in Christmas” (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2003).

Today’s post is dedicated to all those who like short meditations and one-sentence prayers!

Freely you have received; freely give. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts — no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff. Matthew 10:8b-10a

“God of generosity, may we emulate you in passing on to others a portion of the gifts you have given to us. In giving we experience Advent joy; in giving we are true to our being made in the image and likeness of you. Keep greed far from our hearts, Lord. Help us to experience the graced poverty of being open to your coming.”

Robert F. Morneau in Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas 2016-17 (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2016) 19.

Our neighbor, Carol Sharp, whose faith it’s been our joy to encourage, blessed us this weekend with this prayer from her Advent devotional. Rather than keep the blessing to ourselves, we are sharing it freely and widely as today’s meditation. It’s beautiful!

Notice the posture it invites us to take before our generous God. It’s a posture of “graced poverty” which reflects dependence with anticipation. We are so confident that our Lord will care for us that we obey His instructions to “travel light” through life as we live our lives in mission: freely receiving and freely giving.

We also ask Him to help us avoid the desire for things (a.k.a. greed), so that our dependence remains fixed on Him. That’s what “graced poverty” is all about. Since our God is generous and each of us in made in God’s image, let’s reflect His generosity to the world this Advent.

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12

“Advent is, of course, first of all a preparation for Christmas; which commemorates God’s saving entrance into history in the incarnation of Jesus Christ…All men saw was a poor girl unconditionally submitted to God’s will, and a baby born in difficult circumstances…He comes and the revelation is not a bit what we expect.

So the next lesson Advent should teach us is that our attitude towards Him should always be one of humble expectancy. Our spiritual life depends on His perpetual coming to us, far more than on our going to Him. Every time a channel is made for Him He comes.

Every time our hearts are open to Him He enters, bringing a fresh gift of His very life, and on that life we depend. We should think of the whole power and splendor of God as always pressing upon our small souls. “In Him we live and move and have our being” [Acts 17:28].”

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) in Advent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by Christopher L. Webber (New York: Morehouse, 2006) 1-2.

What does “humble expectancy” have to do with generosity? Everything!

It’s how we who live as conduits of material and spiritual blessings must position ourselves to receive so that we may richly give. Try taking this posture this Advent season and see what happens. Likely God will show up in ways you could never imagine, just like the first Christmas.

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1-2

“We want to avoid suffering, death, sin, ashes. But we live in a world crushed and broken and torn, a world God himself visited to redeem. We receive his poured-out life, and being allowed the high privilege of suffering with him, may then pour ourselves out for others.”

Elizabeth Elliot in A Lamp unto My Feet (Ventura: Regal, 1985) 34.

Today’s post reminds us of the purpose of the incarnation, that is, why God came to the world. He came to suffer to redeem a messed up humanity. Our proclivity is to avoid suffering. Jesus calls us to embrace it while no longer living for ourselves but for the will of God.

As we draw closer to Christmas, our greatest act of generosity will not likely be the material gifts we give, but the spiritual blessing we impart when we set aside our desires and will and pour ourselves out for others as Christ did.

For further reading on this topic, I wrote an article for the Christian Leadership Alliance Outcomes magazine that you may wish to click to download: “Disciples of Accountability: Four Instructions for Exiles Awaiting the End”. I pray it’s a blessing to you.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. Mark 12:41

“Jesus’ attention to people giving their offerings calls us also to look at giving. Jesus did not just happen to be watching. It was no accident that he noticed the poor woman putting in a few coins as her offering. Jesus was acting intentionally. He sat in front of the treasury – the offering box – in order to see.

He watched people giving. And it was not the amount they gave that interested him but the way they gave. This shows that Jesus paid close attention to the money question. He spoke of it often, and here we see that in money matters, no behavior escapes Jesus’ observation.

We must not deceive ourselves: our honesty and generosity are not being questioned, but how we give. Even if Jesus does not make a negative judgment here, we know by the positive judgment he expresses that he is judging. This implies then that we must pass under Jesus’ scrutiny each time we handle money. He sat there on purpose.”

Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) in Money and Power (Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2009) 90-91.

In recent meditations, we have considered heart-related matters linked to giving. We’ve reflected on the “why” of giving and about whether or not we have repentant and obedient hearts. Today’s post follows along those lines, and comes in the wake of Giving Tuesday when many organizations fixed our eyes on digital offering boxes.

Ellul’s work is a classic and well worth reading. He candidly reminds us that Jesus is observing us, and not just observing, He’s judging, scrutinizing, and teaching us based on what He sees. It is not until He witnesses humble sacrifice that He celebrates a giver as a model for the rest of us.

Jesus watched people give then and is observing us today. With precision, Ellul rightly notes: “no behavior escapes Jesus’ observation.” As you think about your giving now and at the end of this calendar year, what will Jesus see when He looks at you?

Father, regardless of what everyone else is doing, work in our hearts so you see humble sacrifice when you observe our giving. Make it so by your Holy Spirit at work in us I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.