Pantano Christian Church

I’m just about finished reading Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God based on the parable we often call “The Prodigal Son” found in Luke 15:1-32.  I have wanted to do a message series on this for several years and I’m planning on doing this after Easter 2010.

Keller’s view of the parable helped me put several pieces of a puzzle together.  For a long time I’ve been speaking against “religion.”  I deeply believe that Jesus did not come to found a new religion but to give us the Gospel and I believe the two are antithetical.  I’ve seen religion hurt people over and over.  Keller suggests (and I agree) that the older brother who dutifully stayed home has sinned and is just as “lost” as the younger brother who ran off and wasted his inheritance in sinful living.  The older brother represents the religious world (reading the book to capture this idea).

Here’s why I’m so against religion and why the “older brothers” of the world really scare me.  The younger brother comes to his senses, realizes he’s lost and comes home in deep humility.  The Father (representing God) runs to him, embraces him and restores him to the family.  They are reconciled – grace and forgiveness freely given and received!  That’s the Gospel!

But the older brother who stayed home, never got in trouble, was very right and moral and worked hard is upset at the party for his brother.   The text says “The elder brother became angry and refused to go in” (vs. 28).  After the Father pleads for the older brother to come into the house and join the party, the elder brother says:  “All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders” (vs. 29).  There you have it.  He is angry.  He’s been so good and “religious” that he’s superior to the younger brother.  Anger and superiority is always present in religious people.  Step out of line and you’ll feel their anger and pride!

I’ve been more hurt by religious people than irreligious ones.  Why have so many people left the church?  They’ve encountered the older brother religious types who are trying to save themselves through their good works.  They are angry at the “sinners” and irreligious of the world.  They communicate they are superior to those who live “riotous” lives.  They are religious, but have not really understood the unconditional and abundant outrageous love of God.

Religion is “slaving” to earn God’s blessing.  Religious people don’t have or want a Savior – they are earning their own place in heaven.  The Gospel, in contrast, is when we humbly receive grace and a relationship with the Father, something we can’t earn.

May we all, younger brothers who go out and sin like crazy and older brothers who stay home and try to be good, realize that we are all sinners, alienated from the love of the Father.  May we all come to the deep realization that we are all a mess and need a Savior.  It’s not about what we’ve done or haven’t done – it’s all about a loving Father.

Together may we all live in and by grace,

Glen

Last Tuesday morning I got a call from Dan Leeder.  His wife Michele, who had lung cancer, had just hours to live. I got to their home as quickly as I could.  It was clearly her final morning.  Her breathing was labored.  As the morning wore on, her family and friends began to gather at the house.  As we gathered around her bed, we cried and we prayed.  We read scripture.  We told stories about Michele and remembered the serious and funny things about her.  At 11:15 she took her last breath.  There was an amazing peace in the room.  There was no fear, only faith.  This dear sister was at home with the Lord.

At one point I decided to stand back and just observe what was happening.  I watched the dozen plus people around her.  I saw their love for her, their admiration of her and the gratitude of having lived life with her.  It was clear she had a deep relationship with each person.  She had impacted each person’s life in a special way.  She had given of herself to others, put others first and really loved these people.  And they loved her in return.

As I left the house after she passed, a thought kept running through my head. It actually stayed with me all day.  In fact, I still think about it.  I wondered who will be around my bed as I die.  Who have I impacted with my life?  Who have I loved so well that they would be with me in those final hours?  I couldn’t shake these questions.

On one hand that is an easy kind of question.  After all, I lead a “mega-church.”  I speak to thousands on the weekends.  I’ve helped start churches in several countries around the world.  I’ve touched lots of lives.  But here’s what I realized.  Touching lives is not the same thing.  Who are the folks in my life that I’ve really invested in at a deep level?  Who have I connected with at a soul level?  Who have I spend tons of time with, had deep conversations with, cried with and suffered with?  Who is my real family (not just biological)?

None of us really know the answer to who will be at our death bed.  Michele would tell you that it wasn’t her greatness or goodness that brought all those people around her in her final hours.  It was all about Jesus.  Her impact had everything to do with what Jesus had done in her life.  Jesus not only leads us to the Father, he not only shows the way to heaven, but he works in our lives so that we can become the kind of people who love well, serve selflessly and make a difference in others.  That day I re-committed to knowing and following Jesus so well that I would become more and more like him.  I want Jesus to continue to fill my life and transform me into his likeness.  It is not about a Michele or a Glen or anyone else.  In the end, the very end, it’s all about Jesus.

Joining Jesus to make a difference.

Glen

I recently participated in a pastor’s survey for those who lead churches with an attendance of over 2000.  The results were very interesting.  What I realized was how “normal” I am (I know I can’t convince some of you, especially my wife!).  Here are a few facts:

• Average age of the pastor was 51.  I’m 53.
• Pastors have been married to one woman for an average of 27 years.  Jolene and I beat the average as we’ve been together 29 years.
• The average hours spent a week preaching, teaching and preparing – 19 hours.  Yep, that’s about right!
• These pastors are very satisfied with their relationship with the staff, elders and volunteer leaders.  Yep!  I love our paid and volunteer leaders.
• The three highest spiritual gifts of these pastors:  leadership, teaching and encouragement.  Yep again.

And there was more that we all shared in common.  Some of the questions they asked us were:  What keeps us up at night?  The most common answer was “concern over church finances.”  No surprise there.  Then there was this question that really intrigued me:  “What’s the main thing you’d like your church to pray for you?”  The answer we collectively gave was way higher than all the others.  We want members of the church to pray that we gain and use WISDOM.  Wisdom, that’s what pastors need the most.  That’s what I need most!

Every morning when I wake up and begin my day in prayer I ask God for wisdom for the day.  Every day I face new challenges, often uncharted territory that requires wise leadership.  I deal with folks who have gotten themselves into terrible situations and I need to provide wise counsel.  I teach God’s Word and want to be wise in how I teach it.

But we all need wisdom.  That’s one of the reasons why we are starting a new teaching series next weekend called “The Game of Life.”  This series will explore God’s wisdom in how to play this game called life.  And one of the very best places to find God’s wisdom is in the book of Proverbs.  Proverbs is part of a section of the Old Testament that’s called “wisdom literature” (along with books like Job and Ecclesiastes).

Wisdom, according to Proverbs, is not about having lots of smarts and a great IQ.  Wisdom is about knowing how to live life well.  Living life by our standards will usually lead us to trouble.  Living life by God’s ways, will lead us to a blessed life – the best life possible.  Putting God’s principles to work every day is wisdom.  May we all grow in wisdom so we can experience God’s blessing and then be a blessing to others.

Together to make a difference;

Glen

Our church name is Pantano Christian Church.  Of course, the source of Pantano is the usually dry wash near us by that name.  “Pantano” is a Spanish word often translated “swamp.”

Years ago we helped a village in Africa get clean water.   They had been going to a filthy, vermin infested swamp to get water and now had a clean supply of water.  The church in the village sent us a picture to say thanks and they renamed their church “Pantano Baptist Church.”  I just laughed not because we are not Baptist (but non-denominational, but because they unknowingly named their church “Swamp Baptist Church” after we just helped them get out of the swamp!

When we became one church in two locations and anticipated opening more campuses around Southern Arizona in the future, I had considered the arduous process of changing our name so that it would not be tied to a physical location.  Something kept telling me that the name is okay.  Well this week it finally hit me why I’ll keep embracing the name.

We do live in a swamp!  Our lives are like a swamp of dirty water.  We are broken, messed up people – all of us.  My message this week is about spiritual poverty.   We are and we need to recognize we are spiritually bankrupt (Mt. 5:3).

I’ve been meditating on Paul’s very transparent anguish in Romans 7:14-24.  Let me quote here from the Message translation.  This is our story in the swamp.

I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

If you miss my response to what it means to live in the swamp this weekend, you can see the video or listen to the podcast on line.  There is hope and it all rests in Jesus!

Together fully dependent on Jesus to rescue us from the swamp,

Glen