GUEST POST - Rick Lawrence - Jesus Wants Your Skin In the Game

There He is again, playing a game of verbal “Battleship” with the Pharisees in the temple court—they take a shot at him, and he fires right back. Jesus has, once again, so grossly offended the teachers of the law that they intend to stone him to death… Typical of His in-your-face style with the teachers of the law, He’s just pulled the pin on this little grenade: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him” (John 8:44).

John records what happens next with elegant simplicity: “Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” If an angry mob picked up stones, intending to kill you, “hiding yourself” would require a) Harry Potter’s “cloak of invisibility” or b) fast feet. John leaves out the details. This is all merely the prequel to a bigger drama that’s about to unfold…

Likely breathless from his escape, Jesus runs across a man who is blind from birth (John 9). When the disciples catch up, they ask a question that’s quintessentially human: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” They want to know why bad things happen to good people—a conundrum that’s fundamental to our life in a broken culture.

“It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents,” Jesus replies, “but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Then, without permission or hesitation—or, it has to be said, apparent rationality—the Master spits on the ground, fashions a little clay, then smears it all over the man’s eyes and face.

As shocking as all of this must have been for a blind man who’s suddenly been sucked into a big moment, the next words out of Jesus’ mouth must have seemed no less astonishing: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:1–7). The pool is on the other side of town, a long trek away. And this man has just been told to walk there on his own. Still blind, his eyes smeared with spit and mud, he’s supposed to find his way to a specific pool where he can wash his face. If he can find the place…

What’s the point?

Why would Jesus ask this man to do something that will so obviously require him to take a great risk?

Why, when He has healed multitudes with a simple touch, does Jesus ask the man to jump through hoops in order to find his freedom?

It makes no sense—unless Jesus wants the man to put his skin in the game.

Risk, Jesus says, is our primary language for communicating the great works of God. And when the man offers his skin in the game, he’s really setting the stage for God to be known and worshiped.

The blind man is used to poor treatment, and getting clay smeared on his eyes smacks of same-old, same-old. So why should he obey Jesus’ bizarre instructions, after an equally bizarre and inexplicable act of apparent disrespect? We don’t know the calculus going on inside the man’s head, but we do know his response. He accepts Jesus’ challenge and finds his way to the pool of Siloam, where he washes the clay from his eyes—and then runs back through town to declare the impossible: He can see! For the first time in his life, he can see!

We may not like the hard edge of risk, but Jesus requires it of those who would wash away their blindness. And so, we must consider the dimensions of the man’s risk, and our own, because our courage is proportionate to its impediments. Like the man born blind, we’ve heard an Accuser’s voice our whole life, planting lies in our soul.

On a men’s retreat a couple of years ago, my friend Bob Krulish asked a group of sixty gathered in a mountain auditorium to answer this simple question: “What’s one lie you are right now believing about yourself?” Here’s a sampler of their anonymous responses:

I’m not really desired by my wife

I’m not enough (listed multiple times).

I always feel like a failure.

If you really knew me, you’d reject me (listed multiple times).

I’m not worthy or capable of success.

I’m invisible.

I’m inadequate.

My life isn’t worth much or special.

I’m dirty.

I’m a loser.

I can’t do it.

I don’t have what it takes

I can do it all by myself—don’t need others.

There is something wrong with me.

What about the man born blind, with mud smeared on his beaten and weathered face? His own interior collection of lies may well be legion—a toxic stew of the entire bulleted list. But he chooses to risk anyway, stumbling his way through town, past the averted eyes of others, all the way to Siloam and a miracle that exceeds his deepest hopes. For the man is about to gain more than his eyesight alone. His newfound vision will turn the tables of his entire life. Before, he was defined by what he needed, but henceforth, he will be defined by what he gives.

This blog is adapted from the just-released book Skin In the Game: Living an Epic Jesus-Centered Life.

- For a free excerpt of the book, go here: http://store.kregel.com/client/excerpt/978-0-8254-4359-6.pdf

- To order the book, go here: http://www.amazon.com/Skin-Game-Living-Epic-Jesus-Centered/dp/0825443598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422108013&sr=8-1&keywords=Skin+In+the+Game+Rick+Lawrence

-  To connect with Rick Lawrence, go here…

Web Site: RickLawrence.com

Twitter: @RickSkip

Facebook: Facebook.com/RickSkip

Rick Lawrence is an author, ministry leader, and the longtime executive editor of GROUP Magazine, the world’s leading resource for the “Navy SEALS” of ministry—youth workers. He’s the general editor for The Jesus-Centered Life Bible (Fall 2015), and he’s the author or co-author of 37 books, including his newest, Skin In the Game: Living an Epic Jesus-Centered Life (Kregel).

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Book Review: Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick

I'm usually late to the party.
I usually get books and read them later than many others.  I like to read... but my backlog of books to read is quickly overwhelming me.

When I got a copy of Steven Furtick's books... "Sun Stand Still"... it jumped to the top of the pile.  Check out Steven Furtick's page for this book with a video HERE.  I had read and heard a great deal about this book when it was released last fall.

But to be honest... I was skeptical.
Even after I got it in my hands, I was still skeptical.

I didn't read this book fast.  This 208 page book would have taken me about 3 days to read if I read it at my normal pace.  But I read it slower.  I wanted to take it in and digest it along the way.

For much of the beginning of this book, my skepticism remained.  I kept thinking, "I've read books like this... with big promises... big ideas... that ended up on my shelf without impacting my life in the long run."   But I kept reading.

Steven's book was captivating.  He encouraged me to dream in a way that I haven't dreamed in a while.  When I finished the first couple of chapters, I sat for about an hour and wrote down ideas.  I had thoughts about my current ministry that I hadn't had before.  I dreamed dreams about our youth ministry that I hadn't dreamed before.  And honestly, that was almost six weeks ago and I'm still thinking about those dreams and thoughts.

Steven's book challenged me with Biblical ideas, stories and illustrations that challenged me.  Steven challenged me to approach my prayer life differently.  Steven challenged me to think about my ministry and leadership position differently.

This book is a book that church leaders should read.

Far too often, we find ourselves with small dreams... thinking about things that we can accomplish... and not relying on God to do what only God can do by dreaming big dreams.  Steven encourages you to dream big audacious God-sized dreams that only He can accomplish.  Over the past couple of months, I have found Steven's words popping up in my mind as I have sat in meetings, retreats and other planning functions... and I've been challenged to pray things that I probably wouldn't have prayed before reading this book.

On the flipside, Steven is honest.  He acknowledges that it isn't easy (something that many who write books like this don't do... they paint a 'pie-in-the-sky impression and don't paint the flipside... that it's hard and some times doesn't work out as planned).  Steven tells it like it is.  And he shares enough stories from his current ministry that give him credibility.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  It will be interesting to read more from Steven over the years to see how God continues to work in his ministry.

To pick up a copy of this book for yourself, you can go to AMAZON or WALMART.  Happy reading!


Jim

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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Book Review: Renewal for Mission

Recently I finished up a short read in a book called "Renewal for Mission: A Concise History of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ." Actually I finished it up a couple of weeks ago but haven't had a chance to review it.

I had interest in this book for a couple of reasons. First, one of the authors was a professor of mine at Milligan College, Dr. Dennis Helsabeck Jr. When I saw it advertised in the Milligan alumni magazine, I had to pick up a copy of it.

Second, it claims to be a history of the "Christian Churches and Churches of Christ." They are the independent wing of the Restoration Movement alongside the Disciples of Christ and the Churches of Christ Non-instrumental. There aren't too many histories written from the Independent's perspective.

I was pleasantly surprised. (Not that I was hoping to be disappointed.) It was a very quick read (I read it in about 90 minutes) and as very concise in its details. This book would be a great read for someone who is moderately interested in the history behind the Restoration Movement, Christian Churches, or Fox Valley Christian Church.

There are several things about it that I liked:

• It was very concise and easy to read.
  
• It had pictures (which seems odd... but for someone who is unfamiliar with who Robert Milligan is (and his crazy hair, pictures are helpful. For me these weren't necessary, but I could see the helpfulness.).
• It contained information about the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ... something that many other books don't.
• There were questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. This little aspect makes it useful in churches were a church might provide a history class about their congregation.
  
• The authors included a "further reading" section where they recommended some potential resources... many of which were familiar to me.
  

While there were several things about this book to like, the dislikes outweighed the likes overall. Here are a couple of things that I didn't like about it:

• There was very little footnoting. That is frustrating for me, since the authors made a couple of claims that I didn't think they could support. But I was unable to check their sources, since they didn't list them. It also made it difficult for someone to study further if they so desired.
  
• The amount of information after the split with the Disciples was minimal. Part of what I was hoping was that the authors would give the basic background and then really give us some meat after the split from the Disciples. Instead we got 3 or 4 chapters of less than 50 pages of the overall 13 chapters and 150 pages. That was disappointing considering it billed itself as a history of "our" movement. Many of these pages were names and dates and occurrences without much development as to the meaning and impact of these events.
  

This book is part of a 3 book series published by ACU about each of the three branches of the movement. I would like to pick up the others, just to complete my set. And while this book was good and short, it left me wanting more. I wanted more detail about what makes us distinctly "us." And I felt the authors spent a great deal of time covering material that others have already done and done well (mostly here I refer to the details of the movement's founding with Stone and the Campbells through 1906) and left uncovered the information that would have made it stand out (1906 to the present).

I give it a C-. (Who would have ever thought that I would give one of my college professors a grade?)

If you are into Restoration Movement history, it might be worth picking up. Although much of the information can be found in other more developed volumes. If you are a church member wondering where Fox Valley Christian Church and other Christian Churches/Churches of Christ have come from, it may be a good resource for you.

Jim