Willy Reimer’s Blog

Books that are changing my understanding of what it means to be a Christ-follower:

Stuart Murray, “Beyond Tithing.”  Murray traces biblical texts on tithing in both the old and new testaments.  His treatment challenges the reader to review their thinking on money and giving.  Murray suggests that the New Testament norm for giving was spontaneous sacrificial generosity for the purpose of taking care of the poor and helpless.  New Testament giving, according to Murray went far beyond tithing.  To paraphrase one of the early church fathers, “If you’re not really going to follow Jesus then at least tithe.”

Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch, “ReJesus.”  Great book on our need to reorient our lives around the life and teaching of Jesus rather than continuing to form Jesus in our image.  This book is both inspiring and convicting. I’m inspired to live with a renewed passion and commitment to what Jesus invited me to and what my soul longs for. I am convicted because I can see how thoroughly I have capitulated to a cultural interpretation of Jesus that strips him of his radical, life giving nature.

Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears, “Vintage Church–timeless truths and timely methods.”  Driscoll and Breshears combine scriptural/theological insight in the Reformed tradition with practical suggestions that have been applied primarily in the context of Driscoll’s church on how to be the church in the 21st century.  I enjoyed the book and gained some good insights from both the articulation and application of biblical truth within Driscoll’s ministry context.  The Reform emphasis on “right thinking” which leads to doing was a little disappointing for me.  While I need to confess that truth that I need my sins forgiven and Jesus is the only one who can forgive we also need to teach that embracing Christ’s forgiveness opens the door to a relationship with him that grows in intimacy, maturity and strength.  Vintage Church maximises the truth of Christ and how that plays out in/through church but fails to address how Christ actually leads the church relationally. while the authors give a good description of the function of elders and deacons there is little regarding the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher and their role within the church . I also found it interesting that the authors say that Anabaptists disappeared during the enlightenment–I guess I along with the hundreds of thousands of Anabaptists are a myth.

next read, Thomas Finger’s 500plus page “A Contemporary Anabaptist Theology.”500 plus pages of Anabaptist history.  I know, I know you’re all on the edge of your seats.  I got through a couple of hundred pages before I faded out.  It’s good to know where I’ve come from spiritually and what events and experiences have shaped our denominational and family history.  Many, many people died for the freedom to follow Jesus apart from state/church political-spiritual ruler-ship.  Many would rather die than capitulate to the state.  They simply wanted to follow Jesus and did so even though their lives were at risk.  To say “yes” to Jesus and to act on that commitment through the act of baptism was like signing one’s own death warrant–and many did. I’ll say more once I get back into the book.

I think it was Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE who said, “the kindest form of leadership is the truth.” I’ve thought a lot about that statement.  As Christians we/I seem to have an overwhelming desire to want to be nice at the expense of the truth.  It seems to me that we think that avoiding the truth is somehow more gracious, more loving than speaking the truth.  In reflecting on my own aversion to speaking truth I have come to believe that avoid speaking truth to each other is not kind it is selfish.  It is not that I want to help you avoid pain, the truth is that I want to avoid pain. 

The apostle Paul said, ”So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.” Ephesians 4:25 (NLT).  In other words if you really care for each other you will speak truth.  You will be gracious, clean up your messes but you will speak truth.  No more dancing around the truth, no more “white lies” for the sake of “peace” which is really pseudo-peace. Just the truth.

I’m spending this week at a cabin just outside of Inveremere, BC seeking God’s truth for my life and for our church.  I’m reading, reflecting, writing, walking, listening and praying.  I need God’s truth and nothing but his truth in my life. I can’t speak truth if I can’t see and hear the truth which means I need to focus on Jesus because he is the truth.  Ironic ins’t it that truth is a person–Jesus.  I can’t speak truth if I don’t know him because I won’t recognise the truth.  So, if you want to know truth you need to cultivate your relationship with the Truth.

If we have a relationship with the Truth (Jesus) and we see people like he does then we speak truth because Jesus’ love has filled us and we truly want the best for those we speak truth to.  Instead of protecting our feelings we get over ourselves to serve others with the kindness of the truth.  Often we can see waht is truth, what needs to be said but we live in fear of the repercussions of speaking the truth.  We love ourselves so much that we won’t risk discomfort for the sake of others.  Self-preservation combined with Canadian political correctness make for shallow relationships and empty community.  Ironically we then lose the very thing we hope for–authentic community.

What do you need courage for today? In Acts 4 Peter and John had been told to stop preaching Jesus or else!!!  When they returned to the thier friends and thier disciples here is what htey prayed,

“And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.” Acts 4:29

They prayed, “bring it on God! We want more of you in our lives so that we can share who you are with everyone!”  Wow!  I need more of that! I want more of that!

In the next verse it says, “Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:30

Oh God would you please make me bold for you. Please.

I just finished listening to Bob Roberts told 3000 church planters, pastors and denominational leaders “Christians around the world fear for their lives whereas we worry about how many people we have and can we pay the bills.  What are we doing that is literally putting our life on the line for the gospel?”  Sobering question. I’m in the midst of attending Exponential 09, the largest church planting conference in North America where I am being challenged, inspired and broken before Jesus once again.  I look forward to come home and sharing with my community what God is teaching me  

Do you trust me?  That’s the question Jesus seems to be asking me lately.  The quick answer is “yes, of course I do.” But how does my trusting Jesus show up in my life?  Will I speak to those he leads me to or pray for those he places on my heart?  Will I pick up the phone and call the person he has brought to mind repeatedly? Will I ask people if I can pray for their healing when I feel prompted to do so by the Holy Spirit?  Do I really trust him?

Last night I was visiting a friend in Seattle who was teaching a seminary preaching class.  Towards the end of the class he interviewed me and asked if I would help him pray for all the students.  I gladly agreed and as I prayed felt the Spirit giving me specific prophetic words for some of these students.  They didn’t know me at all.  Yet trusting Jesus meant stepping out in faith and praying out God’s words for them.  If I didn’t trust Jesus they would miss out–and I would miss out. Are you missing out?  I know I often do when I’m afraid to trust.

  I have a confession to make. I want to be liked. That’s probably not a surprise to since most of us want to be liked.  But it can be a real problem for us–for me.  You see if I want to be liked more than I want to be truthful, more than I want to be authentic, more than I want to be godly then I have a problem. If I care about people like I say I do, I mean realy care then I need to love them more than I want to be liked.  This means that I will speak or preach truth even if people may not like me for it. For someone in the people business this is a double edged sword.  I got into vocational ministry because I love God and I love people but if I speak truth the people I love may not love me back which I have to be willing to risk if I love them as much as I say I do. 

Do you see the problem? The apostle Paul was addressing this same issue when he said, “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” Acts 20:20 (NIV)  Like him or hate Paul had integrity. He was consistent regardless of who his audience was.

I recently attended a conference where Pastor Tim Keller of Manhattan Presbyterian said, “Our hearts contradict our message if how we feel in our hearts about our salvation is based on how we do in ministry even though we preach the opposite.”  Let me take that one step further.  Our hearts contradict our beliefs if how we feel in our hearts about our salvation is based on how “spiritual, caring, giving, etc.” (you fill in the blank) we are in the eyes of others. 

As I reflected on Keller’s words I had to look deeply into my own soul–and frankly I didn’t like what I saw.  As I reflected on my own duplicity I penned a brief apology to my own faith community.

“I’m sorry for not speaking as authentically as God has called me to in order to really be honest before God and before you.  I have wanted to be liked by you too much. I have wanted a growing church more than I have wanted a godly church.  I’m sorry.”

The identity of a Christ-follower comes from the one we follow, not his followers.  So let me ask you, what motivates you?  Why do you do what you do?  If you are reading this and you are not a Christ-follower let me ask you, where do you draw your identity from?  Can you step back from your life enough to reflect on your baseline motivators?  Regardless of what our belief system is motives are elusive.  We think our motives are noble when in reality we often live by mixed motives.  There is something we hope to gain by what we do or say.  When we see it in others we are often quick to label them a fraud.  But what about our own mixed motives?  Can we recognize the subtelties of mixed motives in our hearts?  What motivates you?

I recently read Shane Claiborne’s “Jesus for President” and the experience has left me wanting.  Wanting to change the way I live but struggling to know how.  Wanting to see my church, my faith community, my family embrace the fullness of the Kingdom of God but feeling like we not only have far to go but don’t know where to go or how to get there.  Wantingpeople to travel with but fear everyone will think I’m nuts—and that’s just the Christ-followers!

When Jesus told us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” he had in mind something much more significant than how we have historically responded or applied (at least in the western world) this prayer.  He called us to bring freedom to the captives of this age and empire.  Freedom that was made possible by his radical act of subversive peacemaking—the crucifixion.  Jesus’ response to his arrest was to heal one of men who had come to arrest him when his ear was sliced off.  Then he disarmed his disciple.  The sword was not the answer then and it is not the answer today.  The US spends 450 billion on its military every year—450 billion!  Many Christians endorse the military policies of the US because we’ve endorsed the idea that “peace” will be “won” if our side possesses the biggest hammer and yet we proclaim salvation through the One who very intentionally renounced any right to holding the biggest hammer. 

What does it mean for us to pray that Jesus would establish his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven in every realm of society?  What does God’s Kingdom look like socially, economically, spiritually, relationally, judicially, multi-ethnically ….?  How do we, God’s people bring justice to this world?  I was raised under the teaching that freed Christians from taking any responsibility for our care for this world.  We would all be raptured any way so the increasing chaos, anarchy and human suffering were merely a sign that our time here was short.  Jesus’ command to preach theKingdom of God or to teach everyone everywhere everything that he taught as translated simply as “get souls saved.”  No more, no less.  If that was Jesus’ primary concern he would not have given us the words of judgment in Matthew that focus on our care for humanity not our doctrinal correctness.

 Jesus calls us to a new way of thinking, living and being that is transcultural, counter-cultural and life and culture transforming.  Do you follow him or some other leader, doctrine, empire that you ask Jesus to bless?  The US has place a great deal of hope and faith in thier new president.  Will that “save” them?  I don’t think so.

Christ-followers need to decide who thier president/prime minister really is?  And then follow him.

I have renamed this blog “Transformational” because Jesus invites into the reality of the Kingdom of God which transforms us and our world.  We’re not here to simply know about Jesus or to pursue self-fulfillment or self-realization–we are here to understand and experience Jesus’ reality in our lives and our world.  To be transformed and to be agents of transformation.  The world as we see it is not the real world (think Matrix).  We’ve bought a lie when we think that God is here simply to take what we have and pull the bad parts out.  That is far to small a vision of reality.  Jesus invites us into a new reality, a reality in which the reign and rule of Christ permeates our lives, our world-view, our thinking so thoroughly that we are continually transformed into what God created us to be and we are transformers who live out Jesus’ kingdom reality.  A reality that is counter-intuitive, counter-cultural, subversive, love driven, truth permeated, power-filled, self-aware, servant oriented and justice focused–to name a few characteristics.  It is at the heart transformational.  It is bringing Jesus’ reality into our pseudo-reality.  It is the essence of hope, the power of love, the security of truth, the joy of sacrifice.  It is life transforming, community altering and life giving.  Transformational

In 1994 my family and I moved to Calgary with a dream of being part of a church that would see people discover and enjoy the reality of Jesus Christ; that we would be part of a community that did life together and that my boys would grow up in a faith family that would truly show them Jesus.  I have to say that as I reflect on the past 14 years God answered my prayers.  I would not trade what God has allowed my family and I to be a part of for anything!  God has been so good to us and many of you are the reason we have experienced God’s goodness.

What are you greatful for this thanksgiving?  How has God blessed you in both expected and unexpected ways?  This weekend take time to reflect on God’s goodness to you.  Talk about what you are thankful for with your family and friends and come and celebrate God’s goodness on Sunday.

with deep gratitude,

Willy

This weekend I’m preaching on the text that creates the greatest amount of angst within my own soul.  C.S. Lewis is reported to have said that it wasn’t the parts of the Bible that he did not understand that concerned him most, it was the parts of the Bible he did understand that concerned him most.  Well, Matthew 25:31-41 is one of those passages.  I don’t think it is difficult to understand just to live out–especially in the suburbs where we work so hard to insulate ourselves and our children from the perceived dangers of city living.  In addition to preaching this passage I made the “mistake” of picking up Shane Claiborne’s book, “The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical.”  It is wrecking me.  All that to say it’s going to be a great Sunday!  When God stretches me I have to grapple whether I will truly be a Christ-follower or just one who watches Jesus from a distance.  Jesus did not call us to care simply by giving away our surplus goods he invited us to be in relationship with him and with each.  True community, true caring is relational first and material second.  Claiborne writes that the point of generosity is not how much we give away but how much we keep for ourselves.  That statement can be applies materially but it can also be applied relationally.  Caring, true caring is more about time than it is about stuff.  Jesus gave what he had.  He passed on the reality of God his father and he gave of himself–what could be more vital than giving ourselves, our time, our friendship?

 It’s going to be a great Sunday!