Youth Conference Blog on The Book

As some of you know, this year's youth conference was held in Portland Oregon. After the conference, one of the organizers, who saw the book, had a chance to write a short review on it.

The review can be found at http://youthconvention.philadelphiaro.com/conference-blog.rdl and will give you someone else's opinion on the book.

INTRODUCTION (The actual intro)

Below is the actual introduction to the book.

As a boy I can’t forget the memories of having to endure
discussions about church topics that were considered
controversial. Adults sat around for hours dissecting and
disagreeing about the way certain things were done.

I remember one incident that took place after a prayer service
at my parent’s house. There had been a powerful prayer time
that lasted past midnight and then as people readied to head
home, a discussion about communion arose.

I observed from the shadows as the heated discussion about
“how to administer communion” ensued. I have to admit that
tuning in to the debate could be compared to the excitement
of watching a thriller.

Some were unhappy with the fact that our local church had
changed its practice of administering communion from large
glasses, to individual cups.

I sat in silence and shock as some
took shots at the Pastor and church leadership for allowing
such a change to take place. I could not understand how these
people could on the one hand stand so firmly for something
and on the other hand possess so much hatred toward God’s
representatives in the church.

This book addresses the effects of legalism as I encountered
them. Even though this is a topic I have refl ected on often, my
goal is to discuss it in light of God’s Word. My experiences are
only a contemporary picture of biblical principles.

I grew up in a family and attended churches that had
members on opposing sides of controversial issues that they
debated regularly. I remember listening to discussions and
arguments on topics such as music, dress, jewelry, makeup,
birth control, entertainment, head covering, women’s clothing,
communion, food in church, and many others.

Individuals stressed that their music style, dress code and
entertainment was God’s will for everyone, and the only road
to obedience.

Practices like the ones mentioned above, rather than
helping Christians become united in serving God, have often
contributed to much division and legalistic behavior in our
congregations.

The crusades were a time when people killed
in the name of God, but I have sadly found out that the
crusades continue today. People battle to force others into
certain practices even if those practices are not at the core of
our faith.

I titled this book The Christian Behind Closed Doors because as
believers we tend to hide behind certain practices. The “closed
doors” in the title stand for at least two things.

First, the doors stand as a “cover” for ungodly living. Some
Christians cover their faults with religion; their inner life is
hidden behind a heavy door of religious practices, not allowing
anyone to see that they are in actuality spiritually bankrupt.
Someone upset about the way communion is administered
has deeper issues. Their tantrum is only a “cover” for the true
state of his heart, which may be far from God.

Second, the doors stand as a “barrier” between our savior
and us. Ironically, the things we think are getting us the edge
in better knowing Jesus, are actually pushing us farther from
Him. This often gives birth to salvation by works; Thinking
that what I do for God, not His sacrifice, will ultimately get
me saved. The people arguing about communion thought
they were doing God a favor by preserving a holy practice,
not realizing that their practice became a “barrier” between
them and Jesus.

My hope is to challenge every Christian into evaluating his
practices. Is it possible that some of our practices and some of
our attitudes will be separating us from our Jesus and causing
us to cover rather than change our faults?

Look at each chapter of this book as a journey away from
legalistic attitudes and practices, toward God-centeredness.
Below is a description of each chapter’s journey.

Chapter One: From Deception to Acknowledgment
Chapter Two: From Burden to Joy
Chapter Three: From Exterior to Interior
Chapter Four From Traditions to Commands
Chapter Five: From Performance to Obedience
Chapter Six: From Sunday to Everyday
Chapter Seven: From Methods to Principles
Chapter Eight: From Selfi shness to Sacrifice
Chapter Nine: From Man Favor to God Favor
Chapter Ten: From Disputes to Acceptance
Chapter Eleven: From Then to Now
Chapter Twelve: From Desperation to TransformATION

Though some chapters address similar principles, each has
its uniqueness. Various principles are examined from different
perspectives, many sprinkled with real life experiences.

Even hough in the book I use examples and stories that deal
with the upbringing and environment I was raised in, this does
not mean that you can’t take the elements and apply them to
your family or church setting, even if that is different than the
one I was brought up in.

My desire is for every believer to get to the place where,
through God’s grace, he will have the power to destroy the
doors that are separating him from Jesus.

I would like to see every believer move from the negative
characteristics that legalism brings into our life to the positive
characteristics that will help us live God-centered lives. Let’s
move from being a Christian behind closed doors to being a
Christian that lives a life in intimacy with Christ.

Chapter 2: From Burden to Joy

Chapter two in the book focuses on some of the fundamental disciplines of a Christian.
I really enjoy this chapter because it is very personal to me. Well, I can say many of the chapters have a personal relevance but this one deals with the disciplines that really got me in trouble as a child.

In writing this chapter, I went back to the roots of my life of prayer, worship and fasting, which took place in my elementary years. It is fun to see my parents' approach to instilling disciplines in my life as a child and also my resistance to their approach.

I strive to make believers aware of how our prayer and fasting often become legalistic. I share of how prayer and fasting became very burdensome to me in my childhood years and try to use that as a lesson to help us make adjustments.

Christians get to the point where their prayer, their bible reading and all the other spiritual discipines become a bore as well as a great chore. Interestingly enough many put their head down and continue pushing forward, thinking that if they give God a little extra, the Lord will be impressed.

This chapter has the purpose of inspiring us to see our life of prayer, our bible reading and our fasting; as great privilleges and opportunities to fellowship with God and know Him better. It gives us some practical pointers on how to pray and study the Word so that it would be refreshing and relevant.

Instead of making our devotion to God a burdensome experience we need to start approaching it with the mindset of a child. We need to simplify our approach to prayer and bible reading so that we can truly meet with God.

Lastly, we will be challenged to trust God. One of the fundamental problems of legalists is that they try hard to save themselves. We will point out our responsibility as believers, but at the same time, challenge us to trust God to save us, not our spiritual disciplines or our abilities.

From Hollowness to Holiness Part 2

In my last post I started the sermon outline and shared a few charateristics of hollowness.
This post will be a presentation of the characteristics of holiness.

Characteristics of Holiness

Holiness:

Is about a lifestyle

When we are serious about holiness, we will focus on God regardless of the place we are at.
(John 4:23) The true worshipper, worships God in Spirit and in truth.
When our worship is a lifestyle, our focus will be on God continually.
Genesis 5 - Enoch walked with God or had a lifestyle of Godliness.

Is about SERVING God

It is sad that people use God and ministry in order to bring glory to themselves.
We must make the decision whether our service is meant to bring Glory to God or to ourselves.
The way we serve will determine if we are headed toward hollowness or toward holiness.
John the Baptist took all the attention off himself and put it on Jesus.
Jonn 3:30. "He must become greater; I must become less."
John was willing to become unpopular and invisible in order for Jesus' ministry to be most effective.
-Are we willing to step out of the spotlight if we knew such action would bring more effectivness to God's work? Are we willing to work behind the scenes?

Is About Falling in Love with God's Commands

Luke 19- Rich young man was devoted to rules but was not devoted to the one who gave those commands.
John 14: If you love me, you will do what I command.
-People that love God's commands are head over heels in love with Jesus Christ.
Test of love: Are you willing to give up everything and follow Jesus? The rich young man from Luke 19 was not willing to make the sacrifice.

This is a great way for us to regularly evaluate our love for God and His commands.

FROM HOLLOWNESS TO HOLINESS PART 1

I had the privillege of attending, and speaking at the 2009 Romanian Youth Conference in Portland Oregon this past weekend. I was the youth speaker on Saturday night havin a message on Holiness, which was the theme of the three day conference.

I will outline the message in two parts. You will find an outline for the first part of the message today and the second part tomorrow:

From Hollowness to Holiness

(John 1:48). Jesus liked Nathanael because of who the man was when alone/ in secret.
It is important that Jesus likes our life when we are in our secret place.

The way we live our life when no one sees us will determinine whether we are Hollow or Holy Christians.

The Characteristics of Hollowness:

Hollowness:

Focuses on a Place

RESPECT AT CHURCH-Old Testament Jews, at some points in their history, showed respect for God when at the temple but that was only a formality.

It is not enough to show God respect when at church because we don't spend all of our time at church. We need to respect Him at work and at home etc.

EXPERIENCE AT CHURCH - The Corinthians experienced God at church (see 1 Cor. 14) but they had serious problems in their personal lives (see 1 Cor. 1; 1 Cor 5; 1 Cor 6).

It is not enough to lift our hands in worship during a church service; we must experience God in the quietness of our room.

Focuses on People

WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK-

(Galatians 2) Peter, the great Apostole, was controlled by the opinion of his brothers and acted in hipocrisy, being afraid of what they would think.
We often fall into the trap of living out our walk with God in such a way as to be approved by man.

WANTING RECOGNITION -
Matthew 23:5...The Pharisees were always serving to make sure others saw their actions.

Sometimes our serving is conditioned upon whether people see us or reward us.

Focuses on Performance

There are individuals that try to show God how holy they are. There are at least three types of performers.

RESTRICTIONS - Some, through their restrictions, try to show God and others how holy they are and even make the claim that if everyone does not practice their restrictions, those individuals are hell-bound.

MINISTRY - Some, use ministry, as a tool to show God and others how great they are. They visit the sick, Evangelize, sing in the choir etc. in order to prove their holiness.

PERFECTION - Some try to make their services, their worship time, their messages perfect and try to impress God in this manner.

All three of the above performers push God out of the picture and try to do things in their own strength, something that is not Biblical.

Chapters of the Book

Here is how the chapters of the book are organized. You can find this list in the Introduction to the book as well. The key concepts are underlined with words written in bold.

1. From Deception to Acknowledgment
2. From Burden to Joy
3. From Exterior to Interior
4. From Traditions to Commands
5. From Performance to Obedience
6. From Sunday to Everyday
7. From Methods to Principles
8. From Selfishness to Sacrifice
9. From Man Favor to God Favor
10. From Disputes to Acceptance
11. From Then to Now
12. From Desperation to Transformation

Some of these words carry a history with many believers. As I mentioned, each chapter can be read individually. If as you are reading the chapter keywords one of them jumps out at you, don't hestitate to go straight to that chapter in the book. You will be able to have a clear understanding of the principles even if you read that chapter individually.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Chapter 1

Every few days I will post discussion questions for a different chapter of the book. This will help those of you that want to get more out of your reading.

The first chapter of the book is a dark chapter. I titled it "Going Deep" because, as we evaluate the deepest part of our being, we each uncover deception.

This first chapter comes across as a bit depressing, but I felt it was necessary to write on our human tendencies, which are at times depressing and even horrifying (you will see what I mean when reading some of the stories).

It is when we see our fallen nature, what we are really capable of as people, that we are able to repentently come before God asking for forgiveness/ cleansing. Only then can we do like David and come before God understanding that He sees everything (Ps. 51).

Here are a few questions to ask yourself, as you read this first chapter, to see if there are traces of deception within you:

1. Is your church/ ministry life, different from your home life?
2. List five inconsistencies between your church and your home life.
3. (Personal) What activities/habits, that you would never practice in the real world, are often in your mind?
4. What areas of your life do you find yourself constantly failing in (in thought or practice)?
5. What personal struggle that you constantly encounter, seems almost beyond cure?
6. What are some religious practices you tend to hide deceptive behavior behind?
7. Why do you think people often try to elude repentance?
8. How do you think repentance and overcoming deception go hand in hand?
9. What behavior that is wrong in your life, don you need to own up to?
10. What people in your family and/or your church help you acknowledge deceptive behavior?

These are some questions to ask yourself as you search to see if the enemy has had success with infiltrating deception into your life. Ask God to give you the strength to overcome any of the activities/ habits you may uncover, which lead you away from God.