A new start at Rosarito Beach

We’ve been very busy getting started here in México so the blog went on an unplanned hiatus; thank you for your patience! There will once again be a new post every Wednesday..

Karen and I are amazed at the turn our lives have taken lately. We expected to be living in Chapala, near Guadalajara, but we’ve been moved to Rosarito Beach in Baja California instead.

We are now leading a church here called Baja Christian Church. It is a very young church that meets at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, a historic hotel that was first opened in 1925. The hotel used to be a favorite hangout spot for Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, as well as many of the Hollywood favorites. Rita Hayworth and the Shah of Iran rented a whole floor of the hotel during their stay in 1954, and a sign over the entrance says, “Through this door pass the most beautiful women of the world.”

Now the hotel is the base of our operations as we reach out to this growing community. Since the room where we meet is right on the main street, new people come in every week and share their stories with us. The people who come have as rich and varied histories as the hotel itself does. We have people in our church from Australia, Jamaica, Alaska, the Deep South, various parts of México and, now, even Scotland. Some of our people are deportees who spent most of their lives in the US but are currently stuck south of the border against their will, and others are people from America and other countries who are here by choice.

There is a great liveliness amongst the people as this church is already growing and experiencing vibrant new beginnings. Not only have the Sunday services experienced significant growth in our first four months here, we’ve also started Tuesday Bible studies in Spanish, 12-step recovery groups for people dealing with addictions, a food-bank program to help provide food for people who are hungry, and exciting classes for new and growing believers on Sunday mornings and nights. The church’s Wednesday night Bible study has grown so much that it’s already outgrowing the smaller Activity Center where it has been meeting.

Of course, the most exciting thing is not simply the growth in numbers. The most exciting thing is that we are seeing dramatic changes already happening in people’s lives right before our eyes. People who had all but given up on life have found new hope, and we can hardly wait to see what happens next as more and more people are finding that hope in Christ! One woman’s father experienced a dramatic healing in response to the people’s prayers, and his doctors are baffled by his recovery; other people who had spent their lives bound by the mistakes of their pasts are finding new starts; and even the mayor, Hugo Torres, has taken notice and come to speak to the church and express his support and gratitude for what is happening through this group that meets at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Karen and I will also still be involved in important work throughout México as we pursue various opportunities for evangelism, church planting, and the training of leaders and evangelists across the country. But, in addition to that, we’ve found a home in Rosarito where the potential for the miraculous is being converted into reality day after day before our eyes.

Thank you to all of you who are supporting this ministry both with your prayers and financial support! There is no doubt that God is blessing the part you are playing in the work here. Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we continue serving the Lord here and across México!

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If you are interested in visiting Baja Christian Church, our services are at the following times:

• In the Salon Las Americas at Rosarito Beach Hotel:
  Sunday Service in English — 11am
• In the Baja Christian Church Activity Center, Rosarito Beach Hotel:
  Christianity 201 — Sundays at 9:00am
• Christianity 101 (the basics of the Christian faith) — Sundays at 6:30pm
• 12 Steps Recovery Groups — Tuesdays at 2:00pm & Thursdays at 6:30pm
• Spanish Bible Study — Tuesdays at 6:30pm
• English Bible Study — Wednesdays at 6:30pm

Christians against social justice?

“I’m a Christian who is against social justice,” is what one Christian basically said in a recent discussion about Christians’ role in social justice. To be honest, the comment made me sad. It made me sad because I know that there are a number of church-people out there who would agree with this statement even though it is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Christ they seek to follow.

How could Christians be against social justice? Have they been so politicized that they have forgotten that caring for the orphans and widows, looking after the aliens among us, and standing against oppression are biblical ideals that are both encouraged and commanded in the Bible?

Jesus himself said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” — Luke 4:18-19

From a theological perspective, I think the big problem is something called dualism. Ancient Greek philosophers taught that there is a divide between the spiritual and the material. Plato, for example, taught that the soul is the real person and that true freedom means being released from the prison of the material body. Largely as a result of this kind of thinking, a lot of Christians have opted to focus on caring for the “soul” and decided that looking out for the needs of the body are irrelevant.

However, the Bible teaches the salvation of the whole person and the resurrection of the body. Ancient Hebrew thinking, which influenced biblical thought considerably more than Greek thought did, knew of no distinction between body and soul. And when Jesus ministered to people, he fed the hungry whilst also ministering to their eternal needs.

Jesus ministered to the whole person, and anybody who claims to follow Him is obligated to do the same.

Years ago, a number of Christians reacted against a dualistic faith that went to an extreme. Calling itself a “social gospel,” it sought only to minister to outward physical and social needs. Rightly recognizing that they were missing the heart of the Gospel, many Christians reacted by going to the opposite extreme and deciding that they would have nothing to do with social needs and simply minister to the “spiritual” needs of the people.

They were equally in the wrong, though. Either extreme misses the heart of Jesus, who was sent to bring good news to the poor and to release the oppressed — not just in a “spiritual” sense but in tangible, practical ways.

To stand against social justice is to deny the heart and mission of the God of justice, the same God who said these words in Holy Scripture so many years ago:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” — Isaiah 58:6-7

Many Christians in America have fallen into a unique problem with a political Christianity wherein they put the platforms of their political parties above their faith. As a result, depending on which political party they belong to, they tend to gravitate toward one heretical extreme or the other.

Some say that it’s all about personal morality, while others say it’s all about social justice. Both miss the heart of Jesus and condemn their expressions of Christianity to the realm of irrelevance. Those who say it’s all about personal morality present a Christianity that offers a “pie in the sky” but hardens its heart to the needs of hurting, hungry people all around the world. Those who say it’s all about social justice forget that true justice can’t happen in a world where sinful, selfish hearts are not changed.

May God bring Christ-followers together across America and around the world who are willing to let Jesus’ love shine through them in a holistic, realistic way. May we remember to tell people about the personal redemption and eternal life made available through the blood of Jesus Christ, while at the same time demonstrating the heart and compassion of Christ in the ways we respond to a broken world in need.

Sorry Pat Robertson, but that’s not a Christlike response

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about. [Haitians] were under the heel of the French… and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, ‘we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’ True story. And so the Devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.” — Pat Robertson

A spokesman for Pat Robertson’s ministry has since issued a statement attempting to backpedal this shocking statement, but the reality is that the statement implied the Haitians went through the recent earthquake because they deserved it. The comment, unfortunately, displays the same spirit that the late Jerry Falwell exhibited in 2001 when he blamed 9/11 on “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way.”

Is there any merit in their statements? First of all, let me say that I understand where they are coming from. I wholeheartedly disagree with them, but I understand where they’re coming from. They’re coming from a particular theological view, based largely upon a specific interpretation of the Old Testament, that sees God as a God who avenges sinful nations. They expect judgment from Him whenever they see people living in ways that they believe to be against the morals of the Bible.

There are a few problems with their logic, however.

1. “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “the wages of sin is death.” Those words are from the Bible (Romans 3:22-24 and 6:22-23) and what they tell us is that, from God’s perspective, we ALL deserve God’s judgment. Where we get off deciding for God that certain groups of people are more deserving of it than we are, I do not know, but such an attitude is definitely not biblical.



2. “It is not God’s will that any should perish.” This verse from the Bible shows God’s heart for people. In the Old Testament, we see His judgment exerted upon nations that have turned against Him. We can’t deny that. However, even in the Old Testament, we see that God was already working out a plan wherein people could be saved from the judgment they deserved. And that plan was made available to EVERYONE, regardless of what nation they were born in!
3. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Although, according to the Bible, we are ALL deserving of judgment, Jesus took the judgment for our sinfulness in our place. He paid the price for all the junk in our lives, and then He rose again. Now He’s alive, and He says to EVERYONE who will believe in Him that He will forgive them and give them the gift of eternal life. Those who focus more on blame and threats of judgment than upon grace seem to have forgotten that we now live in the age of the New Testament, on the other side of the cross!

Rather than trying to cast blame when bad things happen, we need to realize that we live in a broken world and that we need to demonstrate God’s LOVE in every situation. The best thing we can do as followers of Christ is to pray for Haiti and seek out ways we can demonstrate His love in practical ways by helping the people who are hurting. This is the best thing we can do for ANYONE who is suffering. That’s part of what following Christ is all about.

God with shoes on

I’ll never forget the day the great Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama, spoke to us at the college in Glasgow. He said many things that I will never forget, but one of the most profound things he said was the following:

“Christianity is the only religion that is allowed to worship a God with shoes on.”

What did he mean by that? Well, basically all he meant was this: Jesus left his throne in the heavens to become one of us.

I remember a popular song back in the mid-nineties that asked, “What if God was one of us?” A lot of Christians were scandalized by the song, but it’s actually a very relevant question.

And here’s the thing. That’s what the message we are encouraged to remember at Christmas is all about. GOD DID BECOME ONE OF US!

John 1:14, referring to Jesus as “the Word,” says:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He was born as a baby, grew up to become a man, put on a pair of sandals, got his feet dirty, worked in a carpenter shop, and experienced life in this broken world. That’s what the Christmas message is all about. And that’s why its message is an intensely personal one. It means that Jesus Christ is not some distant entity but a very real personal one who has made a way that God in heaven can touch you and me on earth.

Several very practical thoughts come to mind when we consider how the reality of God becoming “one of us” can affect our daily lives. This reality can affect us in very specific ways and I’d like to offer four of the most significant:

1. BECAUSE GOD BECAME ONE OF US, HE UNDERSTAND US.

   There are two basic kinds of knowing.

   The first is the kind that deals with data. We can know all sorts of things about something or someone.

   The second kind of knowing is the kind that comes from experiencing something. We can’t really know what it feels like to do or be something unless we’ve experienced it ourselves.

   God always had the first kind of knowledge because he knows everything, but He didn’t have the second kind of knowing until He became one of us in Christ.

   What would happen if, for some reason, I decided that I wanted to learn everything there is to know about ants? If I devoted my whole life to it, I could learn a lot. I could amass all kinds of knowledge about their behavior and what they’re made up of. In fact, if I were dedicated enough, I could probably learn to know them so well that I could predict their behavior and do lectures around the world about the benefits of the ant population to humankind.

   However, I could never know what it was like to be an ant unless somehow I could lower myself and become one of those tiny little creatures crawling around and disturbing your picnic. Then I could tell you what it feels like to be an ant, and I would finally be able to understand the intricacies of the ant’s personal struggles, needs and concerns.

   Of course, that’s never going to happen for two reasons. First, I don’t love them enough to go that far for them. Second, I don’t have the power to do it even if I wanted to!

   Yet, God loved us enough to do it for us, and He had the power to make it happen.

   Because He came down to the anthill and became one of us, He knows by experience what it’s like to be a human being walking in a broken world. When we’re tempted to say, “God, you can’t possibly understand what I’m going through! You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to be rejected, scorned and betrayed by the people I love. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to live in poverty. You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to suffer in the midst of all this world’s demands, assumptions, bigotries and fears. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to suffer loss. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to be me.” He can say, “Yes, I do know. I understand because I’ve been there.”

   

   Because of the Christmas message, we can know that we have a God who understands us in a very personal way.

2. HE BECAME FULLY HUMAN SO THAT WE CAN BECOME FULLY HUMAN.

   How many times have you heard people apologize for their failures and imperfections by saying, “I’m only human?” It’s unfortunate that we have such a view of humanity when God actually has a very high view of humanity indeed!

   Under the influence of Plato, many ancient philosophers believed that human life was separated into two spheres: the material and the spiritual. They believed that the body was part of the physical world, which was imperfect, and the soul was part of the spiritual realm. Salvation, to them, meant being released from the prison of our bodies so that the real us, our “soul,” could be set free to live unencumbered for all eternity.

   Then, when Jesus came in bodily form, He demonstrated forcefully that God does not see things in this way. Whereas many believed that the material world was too dirty for God to touch, Jesus became the very thing they thought was beneath Him. He became flesh and, by doing so, He showed the world that there is nothing wrong with being human.

   The problem was never about being human. The problem was that humanity was broken and Jesus came as a perfect, unbroken human because His purpose was to restore humanity to its original purpose. Far from seeing the body as a mere shell while the soul lives as the real us, Jesus showed that bodily existence is something so holy that even God can choose it for Himself.

   Far from teaching an eventual release from bodily existence, the Bible teaches “the resurrection of the body.” It’s true that our bodies are less than perfect right now. In fact, they can be downright bothersome! God’s goal, however, is not to do away with bodily existence but to restore it to its original intention. The Bible teaches that our bodies will be remade at the resurrection in such a way that all sickness and imperfections will be done away with but, in so doing, we will not stop being wholly and completely us.

   In eternity, you will still be you, but you will be a redeemed and perfected you. Jesus didn’t come to demolish humanity. He came to restore it to its original beauty.

   Ever since the fall of humankind, we have been like broken mirrors. We are still the image of God, but the image is cracked. Rather than throw away the mirror, His plan is to restore it so it will reflect its Maker perfectly again.

   God doesn’t want us to stop being human. He became fully human himself so we too can become fully human.

3. HE WAS BROKEN SO THAT OUR BROKENNESS COULD BE HEALED.

   As I said, the problem is not that we are human. The only problem is that we are broken.

   When God made man and woman, He made them perfect. The first people on this earth lived in a perfect world, and they lived in perfect relationship. In fact, every relationship they were made for was perfect: their relationship with God, their relationship with one another, their relationship with Creation and even their relationship with self. This, after all, was a key part to their being made in the image of God, the fact that they were capable of reflecting God’s love in relationships.

   Yet, when they rebelled against their God, the image became shattered and grotesque. Have you ever looked at yourself in a severely cracked mirror? The result is usually less than pleasing!

   Every relationship they were made for was then broken. Whereas they had walked in the garden with God, now they were separated from Him. Whereas they had lived in perfect relationship with each other, now their own sons were killing each other. Whereas they had named the animals and lived in a world where nature never fought back, now all of Creation seemed to fight back in the form of disease, destructive weather, dangerous wildlife, etc. And, whereas they lived in perfect relationship within themselves with no inward struggles, now they were torn apart on the inside.

   But Jesus came to fix what was broken. He would eventually allow Himself to be broken on the cross. His body would be pierced and He would experience the brokenness of relationship even with His Father as heaven fell silent and He cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

   It was our sin, our selfishness, our rebellion that caused the mirror to break. So he took our sin, our selfishness, our rebellion, every one of our failures and regrets upon Himself and allowed Himself to die in our place so that death could be defeated.

   As a little baby lay in a manger, nobody suspected it yet, but all this was part of the plan. God became a little baby, vulnerable in the arms of his mother, and — the moment he entered into this world — he entered into our brokenness so that one day we could enter into His perfect healing.



4. NOW HE WANTS TO WEAR OUR SHOES.

   The most amazing part of this Christmas message is that, after Jesus died for us and then rose again on the third day, the enfleshment of God didn’t stop there.

   When Jesus walked this earth as a man, God walked in human flesh in one pair of shoes. After He died and rose again, however, He sent His Spirit to live within all who believe in Him. Now God is in us. Now He wants to wear our shoes.

   Have you ever thought about that? If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you carry Him wherever you go. He has chosen to visit our workplaces, our homes, our shopping centers, our movie theaters, our restaurants and streets… and He’s chosen to do it not by sending angels blowing trumpets but by sending us.

   Wherever you go, God goes with you.

   Are you allowing Him to demonstrate His love through you? You do that every time you give to the needy, every time you stand up for justice, every time you reach out in an act of love. In some mysterious way, the Bible teaches us that when we reflect God’s values in our lives and actions, God lives through us.

   Your hands are no longer just your hands. Your mouth is no longer just your mouth. Your feet are no longer just your feet.

   That’s part of the mystery of the Christmas message. We’re the only ones who worship a God with shoes on and, no matter how smelly your Nikes may be today, it’s your shoes He’s wearing.

Long after Christmas, may we remember that the birth of Jesus is not just some abstract idea or nice story. It’s a historical event, and it’s also a deeply personal one.

The One Who became human understands us humans better than anyone else in all of history. He became fully human so that we too can become fully human. He was broken so that our brokenness can be healed. And now He wants to wear our shoes.

In what ways will we let the Jesus who lives within us demonstrate His love to the world around us in the year to come? May the gifts we give, the words we say, the acts of service we offer, and the love we share reflect the life of the One Who lives within us today and forever.