Next on my mental list of churches to visit sits a contentious consideration. It’s Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS for short). I remain undecided if we should visit them or not.
Consider these three discussion questions about Church 73.
1. I read that most Mormons consider themselves Christians, whereas most non-Mormon Christians don’t. I suspect this conclusion, however, comes mostly from a lack of accurate information.
How can we form a nonjudgmental understanding about the faith journey of others?
2. The Mormons Candy and I know exemplify Christian talk, behavior, and beliefs more so than a lot of Christians we know.
Which do we esteem more, people who say they’re Christian or those who act like it?
3. Mormons hold to some beliefs that non-Mormons find strange. Yet, I suspect, the same holds true with every church.
How open are we to other spiritual practices? How sure are we of our own?
If you feel it’s time to move from the sidelines and get into the game, The More Than 52 Churches Workbook provides the plan to get you there.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Knowing Jesus and Hearing the Holy Spirit Is Better Than Formal Education
Most all churches expect their clergy to have undergone formal, academic education. Many insist on a seminary degree, especially for their ordained ministers. From a worldly standpoint this makes sense. But from God’s perspective I can imagine him laughing.
Look at the credentials of Jesus’s twelve disciples. They were ordinary people, having received no higher education beyond that which all Hebrew children underwent. They had a relationship with Jesus. Their one essential qualification is that they spent time with Jesus.
Don’t miss that. Their one essential qualification is that they spent time with Jesus.
Though today’s leaders can’t spend physical time with Jesus, they can in the spiritual sense. They should. They must. Walking with Jesus in an intimate way and having his Holy Spirit lead them—just like in the Bible—is what we most need from our church leaders today.
If they don’t have a close relationship with Jesus, nothing else matters. Their credentials accomplish nothing.
A Personal Relationship with Jesus
Instead of emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus, today’s seminaries focus on an academic deep dive into the Bible. This in-depth training ensures that graduates overflow with a substantial theological foundation, of which most church members care little about.
One common argument made in favor of seminary is that it’s a necessary protection against heresy. Yet, most all major heresies in the past two thousand years have come from trained clergy.
In truth, seminary best prepares graduates to teach other seminary students. But it falls short in equipping its students to provide the type of ministry functions that people at churches want.
Even worse, I fear formal religious education downplays having a relationship with Jesus and following the Holy Spirit, making these traits secondary in importance.
We need to select our clergy based on their godly character and not their seminary diploma. We must reorder our priorities away from man-made credentials and toward godly character.
Read the next post in this series about things we must change in our discussion about Sunday school.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Elisha dies, but his influence lives on. Yes, Elisha continues to teach us today, thousands of years after his death, through the words recorded about him in the Bible. However, he also has a practical effect on someone postmortem.
It’s one example of God’s amazing healing power through his people.
1. The Healing Power of Elisha’s Bones
A man dies, and his friends are burying him when a gang of bandits come into view. Not wanting to end up like their buddy, the pallbearers dump the body in the nearest tomb.
This is an amazing example of God’s power to heal. It’s the ultimate healing: resurrection. But that’s not all. Here are two more stories.
2. The Healing Power of Peter’s Shadow
The Bible also tells about people bringing their infirmed friends and placing them on the street where they expect Peter to travel. They hope Peter’s shadow might fall on the sick as he passes by.
Though the Bible doesn’t explicitly say that people received healing this way, why would they go to this trouble if Peter’s shadow hadn’t healed others in the past? (Acts 5:15).
3. The Healing Power of Paul’s Handkerchief
Later in the book of Acts, we read about God doing astonishing miracles through Paul. This supernatural power is so extraordinary that even handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul touches have the power to heal people.
They bring these garments to people who need healing. The people who receive them are cured and evil spirits are cast out, even though Paul isn’t physically present (Acts 19:11-12).
God’s Power to Heal Is in Us
God’s healing power occurs through a dead man’s bones, a shadow, and articles of clothing. Is God still in the business of healing people? How can these examples inform our view of miracles and how we act today?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Focus verse: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15)
John shares the story of when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. This perplexing account confuses many people and often leaves us wondering how to react. Before we explore this, let’s pull back and look at the context.
Jesus’s days on earth are nearing their end. He loves his followers. And despite the physical and spiritual pain he will soon endure when he dies on the cross as a sacrifice for the collective sins of humanity, his love will persevere.
At this challenging time, he wants to show his disciples how much he loves them.
They’re reclining around the Passover meal, when Jesus gets up to wash his disciples’ feet. Feet washing is an expected custom of the day that should occur before the meal, but no servants are around to perform this menial task.
The disciples may assume they can skip the tradition this one time.
Jesus has other ideas. He’ll do it. Taking on the role of servant, the master intends to serve his followers. He will wash and dry their feet before they eat.
This makes Peter squirm. The idea of his Rabbi doing this humble job doesn’t sit right with him. And he may feel guilty for not volunteering to do this himself instead of leaving the task to Jesus.
When he objects, Jesus says, “Though you don’t understand what I’m doing now, you will later.”
Peter says, “I won’t let you wash my feet. Not now. Not ever.”
Jesus persists. He washes the disciples’ feet, including Peter’s. Completing his task, Jesus returns to his place at the table. After the meal, he explains what he did.
“You call me ‘Teacher,’ and you’re right to do so. I’ve taught you one more thing through my example. As I have washed your feet, wash each other’s. Now that you know this, do it. You’ll receive blessings when you do.”
In an act to show his love, Jesus humbled himself to wash his disciples’ feet. Since a pre-meal foot washing is no longer a custom today, we’re left to ponder if we should physically wash one another’s feet or treat this as a figurative command to serve one another.
If we pursue a literal foot washing, we do so as a rite since the act no longer serves the practical purpose it once did. The practice carries no value now.
The better practice may come from applying Jesus’s example and looking for ways to serve others. When we do, we act in his name. Our actions will bless the people we help, and our obedience to Jesus will bless him.
Questions:
How can you better love others?
How willing are you to serve others in a menial way?
Where do you fit on the humility/pride scale?
What can you do to figuratively wash one another’s feet?
What do you think about your actions serving as a blessing to God?
Discover more about washing feet in 1 Timothy 5:9–10. What insights can you glean from this passage?
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Some people view Jesus as a great historical figure, an insightful teacher, or a guru who taught and exemplified the importance of loving others. They’re intrigued by him and want to learn more. They are Christ curious.
Other people go all in for Jesus. They follow him with zeal. They revere him as their savior and esteem him as their friend.
But making such a grand commitment it’s too big a stretch for the Christ curious. They’re intrigued by Jesus and want to learn more. Maybe they’ll take a cautious step toward him, or maybe they won’t. First they want information. What should they do to learn more about Jesus?
Ask Others
One way the Christ curious person can learn more about Jesus is to ask people who know him—or at least know about him. Once you’ve identified the person to talk to, simply ask, “What can you tell me about Jesus?” or “What does it mean to follow Jesus?”
Most every person, however, has their own ideas about Jesus. And they may not align with others. In fact, ask ten people about Jesus, and you’re get ten answers.
This may be an intellectually stimulating exercise, but it might not yield much clarity about Jesus.
Go to Church
If you are Christ curious, you could also try going to church. This is where you can learn more about Jesus—at least in theory. Although many churches focus on Jesus in their services, others have wandered so far away from him as the source of their beliefs that they rarely mention him.
For this reason, you may need to visit many churches before you find one that clicks with your mission to learn more about Jesus.
Read Jesus’s Biographies
If you are Christ curious, you could also read books about Jesus, but why not go to the original source? The Bible contains four biographies of Jesus. Each one is named after its author: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
These biographies of Jesus are also called gospels. They cover his life: what he did and what he said. John was a disciple of Jesus and an eyewitness to what he did.
Matthew and Mark may have been eyewitnesses, too, although not as close as John. Luke was not an eyewitness, but he did thoroughly research everything before writing his biography about Jesus.
Recommended Gospels for the Christ Curious
Which one should you read first? Though I suggest every Christ curious person read all four of the biographies of Jesus, here are some ideas to get you started.
John; The book of John is unique among the four biographies of Jesus. It is beloved by many. As we’ve mentioned, John was both a disciple and an eyewitness to what he wrote about.
John, however, was likely the last to write his biography of Jesus, so there’s a time lag between when the events occurred and when he recorded them for us to read. John’s writing is lyrical, at times poetic.
If you want to reach slowly and marinate in the text as you contemplate multiple levels of meaning, John’s biography of Jesus is the place to start.
Luke: In contrast, the book of Luke is an easy read and contains some delightful details not covered in the other biographies of Jesus. It’s my go-to gospel.
Mark: The book of Mark is the shortest of the four biographies of Jesus. For the Christ curious person who wants a quick read to cover the essential facts, Mark is the book for you.
Matthew: This isn’t to discount the book of Matthew, which many people know best, perhaps because it appears first in the New Testament of the Bible. But it may not be the place to start.
Move Forward
If you’re Christ curious—and even if you’re not—don’t rely on secondhand information. Go to the original sources and read the four biographies of Jesus in the Bible.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Next on my mental list of churches to visit sits a contentious consideration. I refer to Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS for short).
I read that most Mormons consider themselves Christians, whereas most non-Mormon Christians don’t, viewing them as a sect or even a cult. Vitriol emerges.
I suspect this non-Christian label, however, comes mostly from a lack of good information. The Mormons Candy and I know exemplify Christian talk, behavior, and beliefs—more so than a lot of the other Christians we know.
Most people I’ve talked with about the subject hold strong views on the topic. Yet their opinions are seldom based on firsthand experience.
Instead, they form their assessment using secondhand information and citing the views of others, which may spring from questionable motives.
Mormons hold to some beliefs that non-Mormons have difficulty accepting or comprehending. Yet, I suspect, the same holds true for every Christian church in existence.
At our various churches we all do things that seem normal to us as insiders and questionable to those on the outside looking in.
The closest LDS church is a fifteen-minute drive away, making it the most accessible of any of these final four churches under consideration.
Still, I remain undecided if we should visit or not. As such, visiting a Mormon church remains an academic consideration and nothing more.
Get your copy ofMore Than 52 Churches today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Jesus talked about the kingdom of God, but we made a church instead. What if he never intended us to form a church? After all, Jesus did tell his followers to “seek first the kingdom of God,” (Matthew 6:33, ESV).
Let’s look at where else the Bible talks about the kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven and where it talks about church. (Mark and Luke write the kingdom of God, whereas Matthew prefers kingdom of heaven. The phrases are synonymous.)
Kingdom of God, kingdom of Heaven, and church are New Testament concepts. These terms don’t occur anywhere in the Old Testament. Jesus talks much about the kingdom of God/heaven and little about church: eighty-five times versus three (and then only in Matthew).
Clearly Jesus focuses his teaching on the kingdom of God. Since Jesus comes to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17), the kingdom of God must be how he intends to do so. If the call to seek first the kingdom of God is so important to Jesus, it should be important to us too.
Jesus’s Parables about His Kingdom
Today’s church should push aside her traditions and practices to replace them with what Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God. Jesus explains the Kingdom of God through parables:
We should use these parables to inform our view of God and grow our relationship with him and others.
The Kingdom Is Here
In addition, when Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, he mentions how close it is, saying that it’s near (Luke 10:9 and others). It’s within his disciple’s lifetimes (Mark 9:1), even present (Luke 17:21).
How do we understand this immediacy of the kingdom of God? Isn’t kingdom of God a euphemism for heaven? Doesn’t it mean eternal life? If so, how could it have been near 2,000 years ago but now something we anticipate in our future?
Though an aspect of the kingdom of God looks forward to our eternity with Jesus in heaven, there’s more to it. We must view the kingdom of God as both a present reality and a future promise.
Yes, the kingdom of God is about our hope for heaven when we die, but it’s also about our time on earth now. The kingdom of God is about Jesus and his salvation, along with the life we lead in response to his gift to us. The kingdom of God is about eternal life and that eternal life begins today.
Heaven is just phase two. We’re living in phase one—at least we should be.
We’ll do well to embrace Jesus’s teaching about the Kingdom of God to how we should act today. We should seek first the kingdom of God.
Check out the next post in this series addressing seminary.
Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
When king Solomon dies, his son Rehoboam assumes the throne over all of Israel, following his father, Solomon, and grandfather David. A delegation comes to him and asks him to lighten their load, to decrease the burden placed on them by his father.
Rehoboam doesn’t answer them right away. Instead, he seeks wise counsel.
Rehoboam first consults with his father’s advisors, who had faithfully served Solomon during his reign. They recommend he do as the delegation requested. Then the people would follow him as king and serve him.
Rehoboam doesn’t like their advice and chooses not to follow it.
Instead, he asks his friends, his buddies who he grew up with, to see what they would say. They give him the opposite answer. They tell him to make a bold statement of power, that he will demand much more than his father ever did.
From a human perspective they may have said this because they saw he already rejected the wise counsel of his father’s advisers. Or it could be they told him what they knew he wanted to hear. Or perhaps they were arrogant and out of touch with the people’s outlook.
But we’ll later learn that God brought about the bad advice from Rehoboam’s friends to accomplish his objective.
Rehoboam foolishly follows his friends’ advice. Most of the nation rejects him as their king, leaving him only the tribe of Judah to govern.
Today’s Lesson
When faced with important decisions or confronted with dilemmas that elude us, we’re wise to seek wise counsel from trusted advisors. Then we should follow it. To do anything else would be folly.
I often have people ask me for advice. I’m happy to share my opinion or impart what God has revealed to me. Most receive my words gladly, but for a few their eyes go glassy, and they stop listening.
For these folks, their minds were already made-up. They knew what they wanted to do and hoped I’d tell them what they wanted to hear. They didn’t seek wise counsel from me.
Instead, they hoped I’d confirm what they were going to do anyway as being the best choice.
It is good for us to seek wise counsel whenever we need advice. But it’s even better to follow the wise advice we receive.
This is why it’s important that we choose our advisors with care, selecting godly counselors who will tell us our Lord’s truth and nothing else.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Focus verse: Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. (John 12:42)
After John writes that many people believe in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead, John seems to flip-flop. Next, he says the opposite. He writes that despite the supernatural signs Jesus performed, the people still don’t believe in him.
John sites Isaiah, who asks, “Who will believe?” (see Isaiah 53:1). Another time Isaiah prophesies that unbelief will result from those who interact with Jesus (Isaiah 6:10).
After building a Scriptural case that no one will believe Jesus, John reverts to the outcome of Lazarus’s resurrection. He confirms that a few Jews believe in Jesus.
John explains this discrepancy. Yes, some Jews believe Jesus, but they keep quiet. They’re afraid to tell anyone. Their belief is secret. They keep their faith to themselves. Why?
They stay quiet because of threats from the Pharisees. Jesus’s growing popularity threatens these religious leaders. He’s taking their followers. They can’t tolerate that.
The people’s approval is more important to them than God’s. So, they oppose Jesus and his miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead. They pressure anyone who believes in Jesus.
The Pharisees threaten to expel from the synagogue anyone who professes their faith in Jesus. This would block them from taking part in any religious practices. It would remove them from spiritual interactions with other Jews.
These are both key parts of Jewish society. In effect, the Pharisees will ostracize anyone who believes in Jesus.
This isn’t the first time the Jewish leaders make this threat. Recall Day 16, “Rule Follower,” when Jesus gave sight to the blind man.
When they interrogate the blind man’s parents, they cover two items. First, they confirm that the man was born blind. Then they ask how the man can now see.
The parents are afraid to give credit to Jesus. Instead, they defer to their son, saying “We’re not sure. Ask him. He’s an adult.”
They respond this way, not because they don’t know the answer, but because they fear the ramifications if they acknowledge Jesus as the source of their son’s healing.
Though these parents believe Jesus healed their son, they won’t say so out of fear.
In the same way, many of the people who put their faith in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead, give in to fear over retaliation from the Pharisees should they take a public stand.
Questions:
How valuable is your faith if you won’t share it with others?
If you are a silent believer, what must change?
How can you make sure you don’t elevate the approval of others over the approval of God?
Have you ever ostracized or threatened another person because their theology was different than yours? How can you correct that mistake?
When have you let fear keep you from saying or doing what is right?
Discover more about the blind man’s parents in John 9:18–23. What insights can you glean from this passage?
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
We must exercise caution with using these confusing words. These terms are more likely to cause confusion than clarity.
Consider the word cleave. It can mean to split apart or to come together. If a couple decides to cleave, what does that mean? Are they breaking up or committing to one another. Without clarification, we can’t know. Even worse, two people could draw opposite conclusions about what’s happening.
Here are some confusing words that I try to avoid in my writing. And if I must use them, I strive to make my meaning clear.
Charismatic
The first of our confusing words is charismatic. Its primary, general meaning is a person full of charisma, signifying their charm, magnetism, or enthusiasm.
Its second meaning refers to a branch of Christianity which emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit’s power within people. This includes speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing.
If we say that a minister is charismatic, either definition applies. As a result, it’s unclear if we’re talking about a personal characteristic or a spiritual perspective.
Progressive
The second of our confusing words is progressive. In a general sense, it means moving forward, advancing, or open to new ideas. On the surface, these things seem positive.
Yet progressive often applies to politics, as well as education and economics.
If we say a church is progressive what does that mean? Is this a political statement or a spiritual mindset? Usually when I listen to progressive Christians, it’s a nice-sounding way to say they’re politically correct.
Modern
The word modern came up as a confusing word when I wrote my dissertation.
In a general sense, modern means relating to the present. Yet we also talk about the modern era, in contrast to the pre-modern era that preceded it or the postmodern era that follows it. Our world has largely left the modern era and moved into the postmodern one.
When we talk about a modern church, what does this mean? Is it a present-day church or one that’s stuck in the past—in the modern era—and resists postmodernity?
Contemporary
The word contemporary is another one of our confusing words. It’s used in the definition of modern. But contemporary is not without its own set of confusions.
When we talk about contemporary architecture, it refers to a style that started in the 1960s and continued into the 1990s. Though contemporary architecture still exists today, we primarily see it as dated, emanating from a prior era.
The same is true when the church talks about playing contemporary music. It’s more of a style than the music of our world’s present day.
Then there’s contemporary church services. At best this means they’re not traditional, yet these contemporary services often fall short of befitting present-day perspectives.
Liberal
Liberal is another word that often causes confusion. In one sense it means generous. In another sense it’s a political perspective. In the third sense it’s progressive (see above).
So what does it mean when we talk about a liberal church or a liberal Christian? Ideally, it should reflect generosity. Yet it seldom does. Instead, it carries with it the connotations of liberal politics or progressivism.
Conservative
For the penultimate word—another confusing word, which means second to last—we’ll talk about conservative. Conservative is the opposite of liberal. Or is it? The answer lies within how we define it.
Conservative can be in embrace of traditional values. From a Christian perspective this means embracing a biblical worldview.
Evangelical Christians—which we’ll cover in our final word—embrace a conservative perspective in studying, understanding, and applying scripture. Yet, for many the idea of a conservative Christian carries a political label and not a spiritual one.
Evangelical
The final one of our confusing words is evangelical. Evangelical is an embrace of the good news of Jesus and telling others about him. It’s that simple.
But to the world, many consider evangelical as a political label. And, indeed, it is increasingly that. In the past few decades well-meaning (and fearful) evangelicals took a stand against things, embracing politics to accomplish their goal.
As a result, evangelicals have become known for what they stand against, and not what they stand for: telling the world about Jesus and showing them his love.
Moving Forward
Our list of confusing words includes charismatic, progressive, modern, contemporary, liberal, conservative, and evangelical.
To communicate clearly, we must use these words with care. If we don’t, we’ll confuse the people we talk to. And what good is that?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
