It is not uncommon for Christian people to ask each other this question; “When did you become a Christian?” Many can tell the story of the exact time they decided to start following Jesus. Some refer to their baptism. Some will tell about the time they prayed to receive Jesus. However, many will also say, “I’m not sure I can point to a specific time or event.” My wife is one of those people. Having been raised in a Christian home, she never had one of those total life changing moments or decisions to follow Jesus. Yet, her faith is real.

I believe that God knew that most of us need a time we can mark that was the beginning of the faith journey with Jesus. For many that was baptism. But it seems to me now that while it is very important and helpful to mark a time when our faith journey began, there is something also very vital. It isn’t just when I became (past tense) a Christian, but it is that I am becoming Christian (present tense). Everyday I want to be more like Jesus. I’m a faith project that is not completed. There is no time to just sit back and enjoy salvation, but I am in the process of being saved from selfish and sinful self. I’m broken and God is day by day putting the pieces back together again. I’m becoming Christian.

In John 5:24b Jesus says that whoever hears and believes him “has crossed over from death to life.” I have always understood that “crossing over” to be a one time event - like baptism. But now I realize that daily I’m crossing over from death to life. Daily I should be experiencing real life in Jesus and putting away the things that bring death.

Take a look at Colossians 3:5-17. Paul is writing to Christians. They are to put to death a whole list of things. These were things like anger, lust and greed. They used to do these things. They were still doing them. They needed to put them to death and (starting in verse 12) they were to put on new things that reflect Jesus - a process of becoming Christian. This is one of our core values of discipleship pathway that is reflected in STEP. The “T” of STEP is becoming Christian by “Transforming into Christ’s Likeness.” May we all be on the journey of becoming Christian.

Together, becoming Christian;
Glen

As you receive this blog I am actually in Kherson, Ukraine at the Tavriski Christian Institute. I am teaching a mission’s class and we will be celebrating their 10th anniversary. I had the honor of helping start this institute when we were missionaries here. It’s a great reunion!

A couple of weeks ago Time Magazine ran a cover story on the private letters of Mother Teresa. These letters describe her times of extreme doubt, spiritual dryness, spiritual pain and loneliness. She talks about how she had trouble hearing God and agonized in the silence. She described what felt like a huge distance between her and God. None of this is unusual for any saint, but this occurred over many decades - yes, that’s right - decades!

I am grateful that they chose to publish these private letters. There is no other Christian in my lifetime that is better known in the world than Mother Teresa (Billy Graham is a close second). Her acts of love, service and sacrifice are nothing less than miraculous. When she died, the Hindu and Muslim nation of India (1/6 of the world’s population) mourned her death. A Hindu-Muslim nation honored a Christian! Why? Because she loved and sacrificed like Jesus.

So how can a true saint have such overwhelming doubts and spiritual struggles? A few Christian bloggers even went so low as to suggest this proves she was never really a Christian (How dare they!). Some wondered if she was “faking” it all those years.

Jesus felt very alone on the cross. Job asks God question after question and never got an answer. Many a saint has doubted and questioned God. That makes God no less real. Because we can’t feel or sense God does not mean God is not here. In the harshest of circumstances (like Mother Teresa experienced in Calcutta), it is quite normal to feel alone and spiritually dry.

My respect for Mother Teresa only deepened after reading the excerpts from her letters. She followed Jesus and was sacrificially obedient in serving the poor EVEN WHEN she didn’t feel like it and didn’t sense God’s presence and blessing. That’s a huge “Wow!” for me. You see, so many of us who claim to follow Jesus (as Mother Teresa), quit living like Jesus when things go bad and/or we don’t feel like it and/or we don’t sense God close to us.

In the end I guess I sense that she had the strongest of all faith - she truly walked by faith and not sight or feeling. She lived as Jesus would apart from feeling Jesus. This seems so “not right” to those of us Christians who live in America. But remember this, nowhere does Jesus call us to obey and follow him only when we feel close to him. You won’t find it. He invites us to obedience and sacrifice period. That’s faith - doubts, questions, pain, aloneness, dryness and all.

On the journey of faith,
Glen

In a blog by one of our Elements leaders he refers to the “secular.” It’s a great read and you can find it at http://pccwired.org/elements. In the Elements service description the writer says;

If secular (non-Christian) culture offends you, then you may feel a bit uncomfortable as much of the atmosphere in our gatherings will be built around the culture that emerging generations are comfortable with.

As soon as I read that I thought that some might misread its meaning. Of course much in the world offends us. But in context of the entire description (You can’t take this out of context!) he is saying what Jesus says in John 17:16-18 - we are in the world but not of the world. We are not removed from the world, nor are we to reject everything of the world. The world that we “reject” or are against is the world that is against God. There is much in the secular world we shouldn’t and can’t reject.

We are to follow Jesus faithfully, sacrificially and uncompromisingly while being in the secular world and using whatever we can of the world to reach the world with Jesus. That’s a tall order and a huge challenge.

The apostle Paul really helps us here. He said it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:22; “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” Paul uses whatever in any culture to reach as many as possible. He’s willing to use “any means” that won’t compromise his faith and example in Christ.

Paul gives us permission to use the legitimate aspects of any secular culture or the world to reach people for Jesus. That’s exactly what we are doing with the Elements service (which meets Saturday evenings at 6:07pm in Towne Hall).

I can’t be more excited. We are trying to reach people we are not currently reaching. Like I’ve said before, there are folks missing from God’s family. We need to find and reach them and show them how compelling Jesus is. And we can’t do that if we avoid them and the secular world in which they (and we) live.

Let’s not live in fear of the world, but let’s live as people who are strong and courageous in our Lord (Joshua 1:9) and enter that world with his love, grace, forgiveness and truth.

Together to make the world different;

Glen

Don’t forget our PCC Live on Saturday night begins at 6pm (instead of 5:30pm) starting this Saturday!

I am so excited about our first new style of service that begins this Saturday at 6:07pm in Modular E (They will meet there until Towne Hall is completed - soon!). As you probably know, it’s called Elements. It will have various ELEMENTS like worship, arts, teaching and discussion in a flexible and experiential way. Communion will be offered every week and it will be a great place to develop and deepen friendships as we follow Jesus.

I want to stress again the “why” of a new kind of service. LifeWay research just reported that 7 of 10 Protestant church goers between the ages of 18 and 30 who went to church regularly in high school, quit church by age 23. A small number started going back to church by age 30, but most never did.

We have observed this also. Many of our teens had a great youth ministry experience while in high school (and we do have a great youth ministry!). But when they “graduate” to the adult church world, they experience a disconnect.

The primary reason for adding different worship service styles is to reach people we are not reaching. We have a great team leading the Elements service and ministry. They are solid in their faith and know how to share Jesus in a relevant way to a younger generation. You’ll enjoy reading the description and reason for Elements by Phil Cain, one of the leaders at http://pccwired.org/elements.

Please pray for this team and this service. Pray about folks you might invite to Elements. Feel free to participate to get a feel for it.

Here are the details again for Elements - Saturdays at 6:07pm normally in Towne Hall (but Modular E this week). The café will be operating before and after the service and feel free to hang out afterward (they are planning fun activities). PCC Live (our “normal” service) and children’s ministry will be operating at the same time - these start at 6pm sharp! Our full meal service is provided after the services.

Loving people to Jesus;

Glen