A Father Who Loves to Give

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Mark Ashley

Christmas day has come and gone.  The tree and decorations are still up and family will be arriving soon for a few more days of celebration.  I have some moments for reflection.

I was the recipient of a number of great gifts this Christmas for which I am sincerely grateful.  Having said that, I can honestly admit that I could go through Christmas and receive no gifts and be a very happy person.  I don’t say that because I am an unusually contented man.  I say it because for me, to be with family on Christmas day and watch them open their gifts with eagerness and gratitude brings me tremendous satisfaction.  My regret at the conclusion of the gift-opening time is that I don’t have more gifts for them to open.  I love to sit in my chair by the fireplace and watch them, being happy with them as they open each gift and then excitedly finding the next gift for each of them under the tree or in a Christmas stocking.

You may think I sound like an irresponsibly indulgent father at risk of spoiling my children by giving them everything they want and thereby contributing to the wanton materialism of American middle class families.  You would be incorrect.  Maybe you noticed that we don’t actually continue opening gifts because they do come to an end and soon there are no unopened gifts waiting to be opened.  None of them gets everything on their Christmas wish list — I can’t afford it.  In all honesty, the one being indulged is me.  I love giving special gifts to my wife and to my children.  I see nothing wrong with that provided I’m not spending resources I do not have or am using unwisely.

I am reminded of something Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?”  I am not comparing myself to God.  I’m just saying God loves to give to his children more than I love to give to my children.  I am not a proponent of prosperity theology and think it must be insulting and grievous to the Father to see people twist these words into prayers for BMWs, gold teeth, and financial success.  However, as much as I love to give to my children, I am a flawed, sinful, selfish giver.  God is not.  He is a greater giver than I could ever hope to be.  He doesn’t waste his time with the world’s toys and trinkets.  He gives the necessities until our days are done, but more than that, he gives from his own treasure house in heaven and he does so through His Son.  He gives the freedom of redemption, the cleansing of forgiveness, the standing of righteousness, reconciliation to the Father, inward peace, unending joy, everlasting life, and above all, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is the downpayment on an inheritance awaiting his children in heaven.  And that’s not all, as if we’ve received everything he has to give.  God never runs out of precious gifts to give.  His mercies are new every  morning.  His grace is reloaded into our lives every day to meet the situations we face with spiritual vitality.

My sadness on Christmas day comes when I have no more presents to give because they’ve all been opened.  God never runs out.  He delights in watching us excitedly open the indescribable gifts he gives.  God’s sadness is not in running out of gifts to give but in our under-valuing what he has purchased for us through his Son Jesus Christ.

I won’t feel guilty for wanting to indulge my family or for feeling sad when I run out of gifts to give on Christmas day.  I will enjoy every minute of their smiles, laughter, and looks of appreciation during the gift-opening remembering, with the deepest gratitude, that I have a Father in heaven who does the same only infinitely better.

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The Season of Advent

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Mark Ashley

A front page story in last Saturday’s The Plain Dealer read, “Black Friday brings ‘riot’ in Strongsville, pepper spray in LA.”  Now there’s a great way to begin the Christmas season — consumers gone wild!  As appalling as it is for a mob of shoppers to squabble over limited quantities of hot-ticket items and knock people down to get to them first, I don’t totally fault the shoppers.  I know, they are the ones who toppled the floor displays.  They’re the ones who threw around slippers and underwear in what was described as a “free-for-all” in the mall’s Victoria’s Secret store.  It’s true that nobody made the lady use pepper spray against other shoppers in the video game aisle of a Los Angeles Walmart.  She did it all on her own.  But what about all the pre-Thanksgiving hype about “door buster” deals enticing shoppers to camp out days in advance at the stores?  What about the merchants who couldn’t wait until Friday morning but just had to open their doors before Thanksgiving dinner had settled so they could start raking in the dough?  I don’t feel sorry for merchants who have shopper problems when their advertising gimmicks invite mayhem.  Maybe it’s just me, but I think the whole deal is getting more ridiculous each year.  I wonder if there is any hope of rescuing it.

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, the season on the Christian calendar stretching from the fourth Sunday before Christmas to Christmas Eve.  It is intended to be a season of preparation for Christmas.  This preparation is not about Christmas shopping, cookie baking, or gift-giving.  Advent is about spiritual preparation.

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming, arrival” or “visit.”  Its focus is on celebrating the birth of Jesus in His first coming.  It recalls the Old Testament prophecies foretelling the Messiah’s coming and reminds us that the reason for His coming was redemptive.  But Advent does not stop at the manger.  It looks ahead to another coming, a second advent of Jesus.  Advent isn’t just about the Christ-Child born into humble surroundings in Bethlehem.  It is equally about the Conquering King returning in glory for a second visit to Earth.  Just as Israel was called to prepare for His coming through repentance, so we today are called to prepare for His return.

It is the remembrance of His first Advent and the anticipation of His second that fills this season with expectation and hope.  It calls us to celebrate Christ, to be satisfied with Him, and to long for His return.  I remember as a child counting down the days until Christmas, the excitement of Christmas Eve and the eager anticipation of the next morning.  That is  the eagerness Advent impresses upon us for the return of our Savior.  The hope inspired by this season does not reside in the goodwill among men seen in their cheery dispositions or their “niceness” to others (though that seems a rarer commodity in the shopping centers these days).  The hope of this season is Christ.

Though I didn’t grow up observing Advent, I see value in expanding the celebration of Christmas Day into a whole season, but not the way we do it now with our shopping, cookie-baking, Christmas movies, parties, programs, and tradition-keeping.  Rather, its real value will be discovered by making it a season of spiritual reflection, true heart repentance, and a time for hoping in, loving, and above all treasuring our Savior.

The colors symbolic of the Advent season are not red, green, silver and gold.  They are purple (or dark blue) and pink.  The purple symbolizes the seriousness of the season, the need for repentance, and the sovereign royalty of the One Whose arrival we celebrate.  Compared to purple, pink is a lighter shade, a minor color that symbolically points to the joy associated with the season.  It reminds us that the true joy of this season is not in the family traditions or festive celebrations.  It is a deeper joy that is connected to the seriousness of our need, and that in our neediness God is with us!  It is a joy that flows out of not being abandoned by God, but being forgiven and reconciled to Him.  That is the joy of this season.  That we settle for lesser joys is why December 26 is such a let-down.

You may not be an Advent observer.  It seems to me like we could use a little more of it these days, especially among Christians, lest we find ourselves caught up with the pushing and shoving shoppers who seem to find their greatest joys in the phenomenal deals they get.  Nothing, and I say it again, nothing tops the deal we got when Jesus came.  And nothing tops what’s in store for us when He comes again!  Nail that one down and those hot-ticket items that rev up shoppers will look like nothing but cheap tricks.

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The “Arab Spring” – What’s Really Blooming?

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Mark Ashley

As Spring blossoms and then gives way to Summer in one part of the world, Autumn descends and gives way to Winter at the same time in another part of the world.

The media is ecstatic about what has been dubbed the “Arab Spring,” a revolutionary wave that is sweeping through the Arab world, in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.  Freedom-lovers in our country celebrate what is happening, aided by NATO and the U.S. government.  I have to confess that I’m not so thrilled with it.  I’m not seeing this as some new birth of freedom breathing hope for a more democratic world.  I watch and listen with a sense of foreboding.

I don’t say that because I feel it would be better for people living in the Arab world to remain subjected to dictatorial leaders and suffer unjust treatment.  I don’t say that as if Americans are the judges of who is or is not worthy of living in freedom.  I celebrate freedom because the history of humanity is the endlessly repeated story of rulers oppressing their adversaries.  Invariably the downfall of one tyrant does nothing more than clear the way for the rise of the next one.  This has nothing to do with Arabs not deserving freedom.  It’s just that dictators falling from power should not deceive us into thinking that this will actually translate into freedom for the citizens of these countries.

Of greater consequence in this “Arab Spring” is the Winter that is descending upon  Christians in those lands.  In a recently published article, Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors USA, cites the following incidences from the past few weeks:

  • Violence against Christians in Egypt has resulted in 24 dead.
  • An Iranian pastor continues to be under the threat of execution, and millions more are fearful of the same.
  • An Indonesian church was bombed injuring 30.
  • A Christian evangelist in Nigeria was killed by an Islamic extremist group less than three months after a pastor was killed.
  • Christians continue to flee Iraq because they are targets of ongoing violence.

To the degree that this Arab Spring is a Muslim resurgence, to that same degree we will witness increased persecution of Christians in those lands, violence against Israel, and subsequent threats to our own country.  Of the three, my greater concern is for our brothers and sisters in Christ whose lives are under increasing risk for following Jesus.

In a fallen world, religion and politics don’t mix real well.  History pretty much confirms that political institutions will use religion for their own political ends of acquiring and maintaining power and that religious institutions will invariably use politics for their own self-preservation and comfortable-living ends.  Evangelism is at its purest when disconnected from the political arena.  Some Christians living in a relatively Christian-friendly environment (like America) will disagree with me on that.  I’m not saying there is no role for Christian to play in the public arena.  But let other faiths begin to gain power and influence in the legislatures, and let their presence grow stronger in the public arena, and in the local community (as is happening with Islam in Europe), and our support of mixing religion and politics won’t be quite the same.  Ask our brothers and sisters in Muslim lands.

What’s blossoming in this Arab Spring is most likely not greater freedom but more persecution for the followers of Jesus Christ.  We need to pray for them.

For more information on the upcoming International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 13, go to this site.

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The Disney Effect

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Mark Ashley

Disney World turns 40 today.  I remember reading about the plans for this futuristic park in my Scholastic Weekly Reader in elementary school.  It looked like something from another galaxy.  Disney is its own brand and has left its mark on leisure, pleasure, and entertainment like no other with its movies, resorts, cruise ships, and theme parks with all kinds of enchanting characters, big parades, and nightime fireworks.  It really has set the standard.  I find it interesting that “it” used to be “he,” but “he” has been swallowed up by “it.”  You can read more about this Disney milestone here.  “One of the biggest things it changed was where we vacationed,” said Chad Emerson,  author of the 2010 book Project Future: The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World.  “Before the Disney World property became what it did, the area was a swamp. Back then, when people went to Florida, they went to the beach,” said Emerson. “Disney World proved that if you build something and make it compelling enough, people will go just about anywhere.”

That last statement caught my attention because I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere before.  Where was it? Oh yeah, in nearly all the church growth books I’ve read the past thirty years.  If your church is going to grow, those books told us, you must “make it compelling enough” so that “people will go just about anywhere.”  That has has worked for many church and that’s not all bad.  However, it has impacted the way many churches “do” church.  “Doing church” became more of a weekly production.  The sanctuary platform became a stage.  The congregation an audience.  The foyer became the lobby.  “Lights, camera, and action” became the call to worship.  Expectations went way up as to the “quality” of the production that needed to be presented each week.  A coordinated and complete experience was key that started with the appearance of the property and  the directions in the parking lot; it continued to the front door greeters, to the accessibility, friendliness, and appearance of the nursery, and then on to the production in the worship center.  It was all about the total sensory experience.  Meet those expectations and you had a shot at getting the guest to return.  Oh yeah, somewhere in the mix of that was a worship service.

Don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not saying that I think it’s wrong to plan for a “total experience” that touches the senses of the guest.  We’re about ready to launch an auditorium and foyer remodel project because we believe appearances count for something.  We pay attention to landscaping and cleaning our building.  I’m just saying the Disney-factor has effected how churches do church and I’m not convinced the effect is positive.  I’m not questioning the ministry integrity of churches that put on great weekend productions.  I can’t judge their motives or their hearts.  Bill Hybels and his “Willow Creek” network and Rick Warren and his “Purpose-Driven” network have had a huge impact on how churches do church.  My take, as I’ve read their works, heard them speak, and studied their paradign-shifting ministries is that these men have been driven by pure motives to reach people for Christ and lead them into a life devoted to following Christ.  Is there any more compelling purpose one can have in life?  I may not agree with everything that lies behind their methods, but I’m not into bashing them.  I think the problem has come when marketers took these men’s successful ideas, packaged them up, and sold it to Hybels- and Warren-wannabes.  What the marketers couldn’t package up and sell was these men’s personal passion to love and serve God.  In my opinion, the result of packaging theses church growth ideas without the heart and vision of their developers, has been a Disney-approach to church, a wholistic experience rooted in rehearsed, perfectly coordinated, multi-sensory, staged performances.  Please hear me when I say I am not impugning the motives of every church that follows these models.  I am simply expressing my opinion that Disney ought not to be the church’s trendsetter.

Some churches that have gone that route have since modified or turned away from this approach because it’s left them rather empty.  The emergent church, at least in some cases, has been a reaction against both the perceived rigidity of fundamentalism and the “Disney Church” of the megachurch movement.  Graceless rigidity is suffocating.  Spirit-less Disney productions may be interesting, but you get tired of them after a while because there is no life changing power in them.

I don’t argue the fact that Disney has proven that “if you build something and make it compelling enough, people will go just about anywhere.”  It’s not wrong to offer something as a church that is “compelling enough” to attract people.  I’m just saying that the Disney-effect may not result in what Jesus is looking for in His church.  It may attract a crowd but to what end?

Have fun at Disney, but maybe what’s said and done at Disney ought to stay at Disney.

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The Religious Right Gone Wrong

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Mark Ashley

A Moody Broadcast Network station in Texas recently dropped David Barton’s radio broadcast “Wallbuilders Live.”  The reason was his defense of Glenn Beck.  Three bits of information are important to understand this action.

First, David Barton is an American evangelical minister, conservative activist, former co-chair of the Republican Party of Texas, and founder of WallBuilders, “an organization dedicated to presenting America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built” (the quote is from their website).  Their goals include educating the nation regarding its godly foundations, developing public policies that reflect biblical values, and getting Christians involved in the public arena.  I heard Barton speak seventeen years ago at a “God and country” conference, but honestly I don’t remember what he spoke on.

Second, popular radio show host Glenn Beck is an avowed Mormon.  This faith that he embraces believes in the principle of continuous revelation which means their canon of Scripture includes not only the Bible, but also the Book of Mormon, and writings by Joseph Smith, and they believe the latter writings are more accurate than the Bible.  Beck’s religion believes that there are many gods and that God used to be a man on another planet before he became God.  Mormons believe that God is married to a goddess wife and has spirit children, the eldest of which was Jesus who was born in heaven and came to earth on a redemptive mission.  Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers.  More could be said, but that is enough said.  Mormons want to be considered Christian, but 1 John 4:1-3 forbids it.

Third, while discussing Glenn Beck on his recent radio broadcast (9/13), David Barton said that he believed Beck was a Christian because of his confession that “the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Redeemer.”  If you understand Mormon belief, you will realize that Beck’s confession is consistent with his Mormon beliefs.  Beck may have confessed Jesus as his Savior and Redeemer, but the Jesus he confesses is not the Jesus John was talking about in his gospel or his letters.  In endorsing Beck’s confession as a true Christian confession, Barton was either ignorant or recklessly ignoring a huge theological chasm in favor of political comraderie.  Barton’s endorsement of Beck’s confession as “Christian” is contrary to the gospel.  As much as Mormons want to be considered “Christian,” they are not and we betray the true gospel if we act like they are.  You can read about it here.  I applaud the Moody station for cancelling the program.

As if that wasn’t enough, along comes Pat Robertson, televangelist, host of the “700 Club,” founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Christian Coalition, and the American Center for Law & Justice (a conservative Christian pro-life group), former Republican presidential candidate, and recognized leader of the Christian Right.  I’ve never been a Robertson fan.  Just last week Robertson surprised (the report I read was “stunned”) his viewers by endorsing a friend’s decision to date another woman while his wife was still alive and suffering from Alzheimer’s.  Robertson chided that we ought not to put a “guilt trip” on someone divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s because, according to Robertson, Alzheimer’s is a kind of death, and marriage vows are only until “death do us part.”  Check the story out here and here.  Robertson’s statement is an affront to God’s design for marriage and simply adds fuel to those who want to make marriage something other than what God has made it to be.

Two leaders of the religious right in one week making statements contrary to God’s Word?  The religious right is going wrong.

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