Grassroots Kingdom | Dan Hinz

With the divorce rate at about 50% (for both Christians and non-Christians), it is not surprise that I know more and more people ending their marriages.  Truth is, it is hard not to get numb to the news of couples getting divorced.

What always brings me back to reality is hearing how divorce affects kids.

It is devastating.  And that is an understatement.

–

A lot of parents spend tons of time, energy, and money on their kids.  They buy magazines, invest in their education, drive them to endless activities, send them to camps, save for college, buy them all sorts of clothes and gadgets, and so on.  Parents do all sorts of things to love their children and give them a good life.  However, what if I told you the best thing you can do for your children has nothing to do with your children?  What if it has nothing do with gifts, or money, or giving them experiences, or parenting techniques?  Would you believe me?

The best thing you can do for your children is to invest in your marriage.

Healthy marriages do more for you children than anything.  You can pour endless amounts of time, energy, and money into your kids.  And that can be good.  But if children experience their parents getting a divorce, it may not matter at all.  What matters most to your children actually has nothing to do with them.

In many ways it is counterintuitive.  And in many ways it makes complete sense.

Invest in your marriage first.

–

This is a great metaphor for the church.

The best thing you can do for your local church has nothing to do with the church.  It is not serving more, giving more, or inviting more people to come.

Rather, the most important thing you can do to create a healthy church is to invest in your relationship with God.  Your time, energy, and service are important.  But they do not mean very much if you are not walking with God.

Invest in your marriage first, and your kids will be blessed by it.

Invest in walking with Jesus, and your church will be blessed by it.

Last week I lent a friend $500.

It was hard to part with that sort of money, especially in this season of life.  But my friend was in a much more difficult situation.  And it was within my power to help.  So I did… hesitantly.

The promised date to repay the money has come and gone.  For a few days, I did not call and let things slide.  Yesterday I decided to call and check in on my friend.  One of his numbers was disconnected.  The other went to voicemail.  I left a message, but still have not heard back from him.

It is amazing to me how hard this situation has been.  Here is what I have been learning:

1)      Jesus’ command to lend without expecting a return is difficult to live out. 

2)      I am not sure if I truly love my friend.  If one of my daughters were in this situation, I think I would have easily lent her the money without expecting anything in return.  And I would have done so because of my love.  It makes me wonder how much love I truly have in my heart.

3)      I am mad.  I am very mad.  However, what angers me the most is not the money (though that is hard).  It is the violation of the relationship.  I feel used.  I feel like everything my friend said about our friendship was false.  My anger has very little to do with money.  It has everything to do with our relationship.

–

This has caused me to reflect on the Jewish practice of tithing, and the church’s practice of giving.  I think there are tons of important reasons to give.  More than can be discussed here.  But what I am learning again is how giving is a deeply relational act.

Relationship to God.  The tithe was an act of worship and thanksgiving.  When the tithe is reduced to a number (10%) or a religious tax, we miss the point. The tithe has absolutely everything to do with God’s relationship with us, and our relationship with God.  The tithe reminds us that God’s relationship to us is the Giver of Life and everything in it.  All of life is grace and gift.  And the tithe is a tangible way we worship God as the Giver of Life, and thank him for his abundant provision in our life.  (Or not).

The point:  The tithe, given or not given, is a relational act (not a legal-istic act).   We are not dealing with a rule; we are dealing with the living God.  I think that makes all the difference.

Relationship with Each Other.  My mentor said it was his practice not to know what members of his congregation gave or did not give.  He said he did this to be sure he did not treat them differently.  I have taken that advice to heart, and follow it today.  However, that is a tricky thing.

Giving doesn’t just deepen our relationship with God, it deepens our relationships with one another.  First, it is a corporate act of worship.   Worshipping with one another is a communal act- singing, praying, listening, taking communion, giving.  It is communal, not individualistic.  Therefore it is relational… and that is a beautiful thing.   Second, giving deepens our commitment to the mission of the church.  Not giving is (partially) removing oneself from this worshipping, missional community.

Point:  Giving deepens our relationship with one another.  Not giving is not a violation of a religious rule.  It is a violation against the worshipping, missional community.

We human are pretty good at de-personalizing everything.  But God-created life is “inherently personal.”  As it should be.

“So if something is going to be done about sin, it is not going to be along the line of laws and rules, codes and regulations.  God and every God-created man and woman on earth are inherently personal and can only be engaged in relationships that are personal.  Person, image-of-God person, is who we are.  Sin is a violation of the essential personal nature of human life with one another and with God.  We do not sin against a commandment; we sin against a person. … Sin is not a violation of the law of the land or the rules of the house; sin is a violation of a personal relationship.” – Eugene Peterson, Tell It Slant

I went to the gym yesterday for the first time this year.

It was packed.

For most of my life, hitting the gym has been a regular part of my rhythm of life.  However, in the last year or two, that discipline has been slowly slipping away.  As a new father of twins and bi-vocational pastor, time is a limited resource.  And like the millions of other Americans, I have made excuses to skip hitting the gym at the expense of my health.

So yesterday I returned to the gym.  And it was packed.  And I was reminded of how I hated the first two weeks of January when I used to work out regularly.  For two weeks, the gym would be over crowded with people living into their New Year’s Resolutions.  Slowly, the crowds would thin.  And by the end of the month everything would be back to normal.

This always filled me with mixed emotion.  First, I loved having the gym back.  But also, I was saddened to see people give up on their resolutions.

Why were people unable to fulfill their commitments?

Why the disconnect between what we believe (health is important) and what we do (work out and eat well)?

Why are habits so hard to break and re-form?

Yesterday, I found myself pondering what I need to do in order not to be like the crowds of people that used to frustrate and sadden me.

How was I going to re-form my habit of hitting the gym (for longer than 2 weeks)?

For six years of my life I went to the gym 5-6 days a week.  And I am almost certain I would have skipped half of those days if I did not have a workout partner.  For the next five years of my life I hit the gym on my own.  On average, I probably went to the gym 2-3 days a week.  Last year, this trend eventually dissipated to making to the gym a handful of times a month.

This reminded me that working out with a partner(s) makes all the difference in the world.

Think about most physically fit people and their habits.

People tend to exercise best in (small) community:

Running clubs, swimming clubs, yoga groups, lifting partners, team sports, etc.

–

How does this relate to following Jesus?

Do you pray, read scripture, minister to others when left to these by yourself?

What would it look like if you committed to doing these things with others?

What wisdom did Jesus have in sending his disciples out in pairs to do ministry?

Do you have a “workout partner” or “exercise group” to grow in faith?

There are very few things in life that are actually important. Natalie and began 2011 having just been released from 12 days in the hospital. For a brief time, Natalie’s life was in jeopardy. And the risks of a premature birth for the twins made life feel all too fragile. For two weeks, time stopped. Though scary, this experience clarified that most of the things we get worked up about in this life are trivial. This is something I need to remind myself of daily.

Being a father changes everything. I am not sure if I can describe all the things that change with having children. I see love, maturity, beauty, God, pain, and sleep in completely new ways. The fact that Jesus tells us to call God our Father is simply astonishing. The fact that I am a father is simply overwhelming.

This world is filled with voices, most of which deserve to be ignored. Never before have I been so aware of all the different voices trying to influence my life. 2011 was filled with people who told me how I should lead Grassroots, how I should manage Katie’s Cup, and what sort of life I should lead. Some of these voices carried precious wisdom. Most of them carried empty opinions. Upon reflection, I have listened to a lot of voices I should have not. And I am desperately trying to learn how to listen to the voice of God, and the wise people in my life.

Complaining is easy; Leading is hard. This has been the big lesson with Grassroots this year. In the past, I have been critical of churches and leaders. This was easy, and I was good at it. This year, I have found myself planting and leading Grassroots. This has taught me that I am a much better critic than leader. Upon reflection, I see God challenging me to quit complaining, and begin leading (something that I have not done, or done well, yet).

I am not on a traditional career path, and I have to be okay with that. This year I turned 30. Most of my high school and college friends are starting to get promoted and begin their own businesses. They are just beginning to reap the fruit of their skills and hard work. And they are beginning to taste success. It has been amazing how difficult this has been for me. This year, like never before, I have been tempted to abandon church planting and ministry. Opportunities to start my own business or begin a new career have seemed crystal clear. I have felt like I am wasting my time, talent, intelligence, and education. And I felt like I am doing a dis-service to my family for not being more “successful”. I am not sure if any of this will ever change. But, at the end of the day, deep in my soul is God’s call on my life and promise of daily bread. Unfortunately, he never promised success as many define it.

Growth is not always visible. Much of 2011 was about growth. But almost all of this growth was under the surface of my life. When you plant bamboo, nothing happens for five years (at least above the ground). Under the surface, bamboo is growing a deep root system. After the fifth year, the bamboo stalk shoots up and grows at an incredible rate. I have no idea what “above the surface” growth will look like for me, next year or five years from now. I do know that 2011 was about growing under the surface. We live in a culture that wants to see “the fruit”. What we forget is that the fruit is end result of a long process of planting, cultivating, growing roots, and developing health. Without deep and healthy roots, there is not fruit. And you cannot rush the process.

The focal point of Jesus’ Great Commission is “to make disciples.”

A disciple is a student.  Jesus tells his students to go and make more Jesus-students.  Making Jesus-students seems to be a priority, the priority, given by Jesus to his followers.  (this fact alone should disturb our churches).

We say that a disciple is someone with walks with Jesus, to learn from Jesus, how to be like Jesus.

But here is the rub:

After Jesus commissions his disciples to make more disciples, the term “disciple” almost disappears from the scriptures.  It can barely be found in the writings of Peter, Paul, and other early church leaders.  If “making disciples” is the priority Jesus gives his students, why the disappearance of word?

It is not that disciple-making disappeared.  Rather, the teacher-student metaphor used by Jesus in guiding people in the Way got replaced with other metaphors.  The most prominent of these metaphors is parent/child.

If this is true (which I believe it is), what does this mean for the church?

First, I believe it still means “making disciples” needs to be the priority of the church.  Secondly, the priority of disciple-making can adapt to things like our need to become “mature” in the faith.  As a new parent, I am beginning to understand this metaphor in profound ways.  As much as I love the fact that Chara and Grace are infants, I understand that it is my vocation to raise them to maturity.  (And it would be exhausting for them to remain infants forever).

Currently, it seems as if the American Church has lost the Jesus-given priority of disciple-making and/or raising people to maturity in Christ.  Part of this, I believe, is due to the paradigm of getting people saved.  And part of this is due, I believe, to churches feeding into peoples’ immature desires.  The solution, however, is to reinvigorate the Jesus-given priority of making disciples.  To realize that one of the most important things we do as a community of Jesus followers is to help one another grow into a mature faith.

For fun, here is a list of “marks of maturity”.  How would these things apply to our faith in Jesus?  To the ministry of our churches?

• Thinking before acting and having control over one’s behavior
• Self-reliance and the ability to take responsibility for one’s life and actions
• Patience
• The ability to connect with others in a cooperative and positive way
• Genuinely caring about others and demonstrating that ability
• Honesty and living by one’s principles
• Having moderation and balance in all things
• Having the ability to follow through, even when it is difficult
• Humility and the ability to say, “I was wrong. I am sorry.”

Acts of the Apostles is written by Luke.

Luke writes the gospel of Jesus- the story of what God is doing in the world through Jesus.

Luke writes the story of the church- the story of what God is doing through the world through the church.

Luke 1 and 2 is the story of Jesus being conceived by the Holy Spirit

Acts 1 and 2 is the story of the church being conceived by the Holy Spirit.

This is a different way of seeing the church. Not conceived by a church planter, or a program, or a launch, or a fund raising campaign- but conceived by the Holy Spirit. Sure, all these things may be part of the birthing process. But the deeper truth is that the local church is always conceived on the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ words to his disciples’ in Acts chapter one should still ring in our ears today-

Go to Jerusalem and do not do anything until the Holy Spirit comes.