Word of Beard

'On the 24th day of the eleventh month I had a vision...the word of the Lord came to [me]...During the night I had a vision... 

'He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord... 

'Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.'

What happens next is what has happened to every man and woman on earth for whom Christ is discovered as reality. Joshua here, in Zechariah's vision, is a symbol of Israel.

Israel was distant from the Lord, rebellious, soaking up the scraps of life and religion and self gratification. But their story doesn't end in that false-satisfaction.

'The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take of his filthy clothes." "See, I have taken away your sin and I will put rich garments on you."'

Sound familiar?

The journey the LORD shares with Israel is fulfilled in Christ and His relationship with all believers. It's an ancient journey, an ancient process where God removed the filth, the confusion, the missteps, the sin and both symbolically and spiritually would take Israel as His people again and again (Hebrews 10 speaks to this repetition and final reconciling).

That removal of the old and replacement with the New as Paul notes in 2 Cor. 5:17. That Incredible Regeneration, that Eternal Reconciliation is not new to Christs purpose with Israel, however, it is Final!

The absolute final removal of the Old ineffective human ideas of spiritual wholeness and the absolute final adoption of the New AND 2000 years later we just celebrated that final victory over sin and death in Christ on Easter! Fantastic!

'Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head."

I'm aware that we won't be wearing turbans as a religio-fashion statement here in the Western Evangeleical Church (though I wouldn't be opposed, with a fine robe and effeminate Toms-like shoes to match...), but this particular headpiece has serious significance. Check out the priestly garments in Exodus 28:36 and you'll discover that this was inscribed with the phrase, 'Holy is the Lord.'

Now that's a turban worth wearing.

The reality for you and I is that we are inscribed with that very Truth in a much more personal way. Every Christ-follower carries within them the very Spirit of the Living God (1 John 4:13-16). Hmm, what shall I prefer as a sign of my personal connection to the Lord of the Universe - turban OR Spirit of God? (Now if you prefer the turban you have a crippling addiction to religion and I can't help you, but the Spirit can. Step away from the turban and spend time in commune with Jesus.)

'This is what the LORD Almighty says: "If you walk in my ways and keep my requirements...I will give you a place among these standing here."'

He frees us from the weight and grime and false sense of reality and hope that our own dreams and creations and sins offer us.

He places on everyone who trusts in Christ (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10) a new wardrobe sourced in His Love. A new clothing line defined by Faith, Hope and Love. A new attitude (Philippians 2). A new everything as we journey with Him.

In fact, as we embark on this lifelong journey of walking in His ways and so standing among His people / His family, we experience both the One Time removal of our dirty clothes AND the ongoing cleansing and renewal that comes from living in a place that isn't yet fully reconciled to Him.

If you haven't yet seen the vision of Christ making all things new in your life and so removing the old I suggest you spend time in prayer and the Word not only painting this picture of spiritual reality, but truly believing it at that.

Read Zechariah 3 for this piece of his vision.

The Modern Church Leader

I recently rediscovered my StrengthsFinder results. I hadn't attended to this information in nearly two years after much life change and that relating to these findings and their outworking (or not) in my life and ministry. Wow.

So I've been reading a book on leadership loaded with 25 Principles for Leadership that Matter (subtitle). There really is some fantastic stuff in there. Much of which resonates within my 33 year old, white, North American, small town, 2014 time and space, middle-lower class cultured experience.

Catch that? I didn't either until somewhere around the 14th principle. His incredible experience and wisdom on leadership totally makes sense if the the Church is to function like a modern day Non-Profit Org with a CEO. A leader who is great at:
- Preaching/Speaking
- Managing
- Administration
- Finances
- Politics
- Counseling
- Writing
- Media Leveraging
- Reading everything under the sun (and Scripture too)
- Visioneering
- Sole-decision making
- Carrying the weight of an Organization...alone.
- The singular-appointed Torch-bearer of the mission

Oh yeah, and the leader totally manages his/her Time well. They disciple their families with the best of 'em, are home for birthdays and anniversaries and manage to make it to every single meeting and event and program the Church offers, fosters and convicts the body to partake in...

So I recently discovered my StrengthFinder results and found it refreshing that I'm not even remotely wired to function as a CEO in the modern day local church. Not that this test defines who I am but it's amazing how it confirms what I've been relearning and rediscovering about the Church as it unfolds and takes shape in the Scriptures and so in my own life.

In Acts the Twelve gathered their disciples and so instituted another level of leadership in the Body. Maybe this was the Deacon, maybe it was the Elder, doesn't really matter, what does matter is what the Twelve decided was most important in their role in fostering the first-fruits of The Movement of the The Way.

"It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables (finances, politics, media-wrangling, Microsoft Office...). Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (sharing the burden of leadership with trustworthy brothers and sisters in Christ, differently gifted and full of the Spirit). We will turn this responsibility over to them and give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word." Acts 6

I'd say we've added a few things to the list of 'leadership' wouldn't you? Culture and Context aside, we've heaped an unnecessary mountain of burdens onto one man...no wonder burnout is epidemic in the Church.

Listen, if we are the Church and we are first and foremost His family, as I tell my kids on a daily basis, then it is up to us to re-claim the culture of the Church back from the mindset/attitude of Corporationism. My immediate family is not a business, nor is it an organization, and my extended family (the Church) is to be living out His mission in like manner. Yes in unity and in organized form but we have to ask ourselves if our current forms look and act more like business' than families?

What if. What if we did totally reevaluate and reestablish norms in the Family of God?

This would begin with those called and so Gifted to lead the Church. If leaders aren't willing to change the language and dynamic of the Pastor who singularly holds the reigns on the vision for the untold number of believers living in the cracks and crevices of our culture and so equip all believers to live according to their appointment as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers (beyond paid and degreed staff) and each with a local vision for their family, neighborhood and workplace...if we aren't willing to equip and release our disciples to cast their own vision in Christ then we will continue on receiving the very same results that has brought the American church to it's present small place in culture.

So I found my StregthsFinder results and realized that being filled with a healthy dose of Rebellious Visioneering in the Church today is probably a role that lends itself to the Early Church movement more than we lend credit.

If God is One as Paul notes in Ephesians, and We, the Church are One with Him as Paul notes in Corinthians, then it stands to reason that it takes more than one man to carry a local vision for a local Body. Yes we need a King to follow, and last I checked that is most notably Christ, while our local kings in the Church possibly ought to look more like heads of families, elders of the community who are banded together and so gather to lead, innovate, brainstorm, pray, study the word, struggle with community sin and struggles, make disciples and invite more and more into that inner-circle of leadership. Co-CEO's if you will.

Are you willing to put your form of 'church' on the table and evaluate in light of the early movement? Are you as a leader willing to truly exegete your culture and change your life as a missionary accordingly? Are we as the Church willing to tear down those forms that model Corporationism while our mouths preach disciple -making?

Read Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 once again - leadership in the Church and the movement of the Body truly is a beautiful thing that needs to be reevaluated in the context and rhythm of our current systems and forms and definitions of the Church.

Albert Mohler, The Conviction to Lead

Quality AND Quantity 3

You know what, let's go ahead and put some healthy parameters on Quantity and Quality just to make things interesting. Let's extract some key statutes The LORD asks of the Israelites as He sends them on their journey to possess the Land He has Promised them.

As it pertains to Quality:

• Fear the LORD your God
• Walk in all His ways
• Love Him
• Serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul
• Observe the LORD's commands and decrees given for your own good

As it pertains to Quantity:

• Fear the LORD your God
• Walk in all His ways
• Love Him
• Serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul
• Observe the LORD's commands and decrees given for your own good

Following the call to journey steadfastly as a family unit (an oikos) with parents training and equipping their children to inquire of, seek after, know, serve, love and worship the LORD (Deut. 6), the Lord follows up with the above attributes of an extended family, a chosen people on mission together.

Together moving towards the Promised Land. Moving towards a greater fulfillment of the very Covenant God made with Abraham and fulfills in Christ.

The question the above parameters sets before us is not whether we are engaging in each one (Fear, Service, etc.) - but whether or not we are engaging with those we're most directly and divinely entrusted with daily?

Enjoy fostering some immediate prayer, discernment and practice in relation to each aspect above.

Read Deuteronomy 10:11 - 11:32. Dig into a Gospel and note the Quality and Quantity of the life of Jesus with His nearest and dearest.