Determination.

Determination.
With God, all things are possible. So buckle up, show up, and NEVER give up.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

The Christian Franchisee


So many things in life can feel impossible at times. Those of us possessing melodramatic tendencies know especially well how it can feel overwhelming to do this thing called life. For the Christian, it can be even worse if you, like me, are a hypocan'triac. 

(Okay, okay, I'll pre-emptively oblige my wife's request to explain the geeky made up term: a hypocan'triac - not to be confused with a hypochondriac, someone who always believes they're sick - is someone who's always up against something impossible.)

See, the hypocan'triac suffers from a disease of the mind. It's all in their head. After all, Philippians 4:13 encourages us with the message that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." When God's power attends the man or woman who truly wants to be about his will and his business in life, their missions and pursuits cannot be stopped. Successes may not always come in streaks or bunches, and may not be to the scale that our human perspective feels entitled to require of God for us to see proof. But with God, nothing is impossible (hence the name of this blog site). 

But the hypocan'triac just continually feels overwhelmed by something that CAN'T be done. Maybe it's a pesky temptation that hasn't been defeated, and it's become a vicious and debilitating pet sin. Maybe it's circumstantial; the checkbook just refuses to be balanced, the favorite sports team just will not have a winning season, or the spouse fails over and over to meet some very *cough* reasonable expectations about coexisting in the same household. Or it might be more big picture stuff, like discovering a true and defined purpose in life to really feel invigorated by. 

To be honest though, whether you share the symptoms or behaviors of a classic hypocan'triac, or you're just someone who has experienced feelings of impossibility in life a couple times...there's good news for all. 

[Spoiler alert: I already tipped it off in a general fashion with the Philippians passage.]

I've had some things really get in my way this year so far. I realize that much of this hindered feeling is self-generated and overplayed in my mind, but there's truth, too, in the reality that obstacles have sprung up in my way as I seek to move forward as a husband, father, friend, church volunteer, citizen, employee, and grad school student. Just one big example of these things to get me wearing out the word "impossible" again is a year's worth of neck, shoulder, and back pains that have culminated in an MRI diagnosis and surgery recommendation for July. I'm not over-exaggerating when I say that'll throw a bit of a wrench in our summer's spokes. But I've gone farther than that in my mind and heart as I anticipate that event and its before-and-after ramifications. Suddenly, having a good summer and a successful rest of my 2015 seems to be leaning toward "impossible." 



What a wuss I can be! Would I really succumb that easily/quickly to "just getting by" mode, or to having a "damage control" year?

Thankfully Pastor Jason at our church, Hope, recently gave a powerful sermon to close out a recent sermon series called "Undone." His message that particular Sunday, "Right Hand Man" (check it out on hopeinjesus.org - see Messages tab), made a life-giving point:

"Jesus' life is not only to be admired, it is to be experienced."

When hearing again that day about the deeper meaning to the day of Jesus' ascension back to heaven, I was reminded that as a Christian, all this defeatist talk is just so counterproductive. The idea has taken time to set in and take root because, well, we hypocan'triacs are a little too set in our ways sometimes. But God keeps knocking at the door of my heart with his truth-o'-grams, waiting for me to be ready to really let it in. 

Do you get that? Do you grasp that we've got so much important and amazing work to be done, as Christians, that we can't afford to sit around whining and wondering if something is possible or not?? 

Your life is God's work. OF COURSE it's possible!!

Matthew 28's final verses hold something for the reader that's considered by Christians the world around to be the "Great Commission." In other words, if you're a follower of Jesus and you wrestle with the ages old existential query, "Why am I here?" you may want to start with Matthew 28:19-20. It'll guide so much of your ambitions, and begin to heal wounds and solve problems faster than any other manmade philosophy. And the passage of the sermon I'm citing refers to the same account from a different angle, in Acts chapter 1. 

Therein lies the empowerment to "do work, son." Because Jesus left behind his mission for us to carry on, we know we are meant to succeed.  

You see, while it's wrong thinking and false theology to want to act like Jesus because we think it'll put some icing on the cake of our salvation, which only his blood won for us on the cross, it IS acceptable and spiritually enlightening to recall that every Christian is an embodiment of Christ's roles of prophet, priest, and king in our own individual lifetimes. We have been endowed with the mission. We have been left with the humbling responsibility to keep his kingdom growing in the hearts of mankind even today!

When you look at the words of the Great Commission, it's sobering to note that Jesus didn't say it was somehow optional to be an evangelist with your life if you've become a Christian. It's no add-on, custom feature when you buy into following Jesus (and, theologically speaking, for the record, the Bible shows there's no actual buy-in, per se, it's a free gift, a true inheritance). He said in Acts 1:8, "...You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When he said, "...you WILL BE my witnesses," that was a little stronger and more affirmative language than, "You can decide to maybe be witnesses if you want," or "If you feel like you've got the gift of sermonizing, and nothing stands in your way, you can consider being witnesses." 

Also worth noting about this passage is its timing. Christ's words came as an answer. His disciples' question was the same type of question we often ask of God. They were out there in that meadow, gathered together, and as the sensation that Jesus was about to doing something else really big was mounting in everyone's minds, disciples asked, "Are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom of God?" 

Jesus' answer: Nope. You are. You're my witnesses. You know the truth. You have facts, a real actual story of salvation for all people, and YOU get to be the ones to go share it. I'm leaving you behind with that mission. 

We too more often than not spiritually rest back on our laurels and ask this sort of thing. Not necessarily about a full, dramatic restoration of the kingdom (which, in the disciples' case, meant that Christ would ruthlessly overthrow the Roman empire's presence in the Judean province and set the Jews free of their political and earthly oppression). But we have our own preconceived notions, whimsical dreams, or even real issues in life that seem insurmountable to us, and we just want God to solve it. Maybe it's because we're thinking about how powerful God is, and it's as natural to ask him to step in as it is for a pipsqueak little boy to ask an MMA fighter to go take down the neighborhood 3rd grader bully. But maybe it's also laziness. I know for me, it usually is.

But we're meant for more. God had a reason for his plans to not include Jesus converting the entire human race before returning to his home in heaven, next to the throne of the Father. His reason was that he delights even more in having entrusted that huge mission to his children, his redeemed sons and daughters - YOU and ME - and letting us share in the tremendous glory of accomplishing it. We get to be the Lord's tools. We are his hands and feet, bringing that saving word of truth with us. We are his megaphones, calling out hope in the midst of confusion and darkness and spiritual hopelessness. 

There is some serious work to be done. We have been left something big to get done. It won't be all on us to make it happen, because luckily the power of God has also been left behind to us to use in his name. 

Here's an analogy I think is very fitting. The Christian, the Jesus-follower, is very much like a franchisee. 

Think about it. Any entrepreneur is going to automatically be striking out on their own to accomplish their goals of financial freedom and business autonomy. But to buy into a pre-existing franchise and utilize all the tools, resources, programs, services, and reputation of the franchise in one's own individual business endeavor is very savvy. It's the act of harnessing something that was started without you, that you just carry forward, and as long as you stick to the program, you yourself can be a successful embodiment of the franchise's brand which you represent. 

As a Christian, we receive the already existing, undeniably effective, all-important enterprise of the one true faith, and the commission of the Kingdom of God whose reign expands within hearts and minds of people. We're not mere representatives. We're not meek, bored, underpaid employees who don't qualify for any benefits, or can be laid off at any moment. We are the owners of the kingdom too, because it was left behind by the original founder, Jesus Christ. He has given us the rights of children, and with his advocacy and empowerment, we're not meant to fail. 

So if there was ever something to aspire to that could never be labeled futile, or impossible, it's carrying out God's work. You don't have to be a pastor or a Sunday School teacher, you don't have to be a Seminary professor, you don't have to be the most knowledgeable elder of your local congregation. You don't have to be this or that. You just need to be a Christian. 

Is a Christian someone who's morally better than others? Someone who sins less, or commits puny, PG-rated sins? Someone who's memorized every Bible passage? No. Every Christian is someone whose evil heart has been made new by faith, whose slate of unspeakable deeds and thoughts is washed clean, and who now belongs to God instead of being his damned enemy. 

All you need is the laminated tag of being a franchisee of the Kingdom. And you got that handed to you for free - no entrance fee, no capital, no solid credit score requirement - all because Christ found you worthy of his sacrifice on the cross. 



Hypocan'triacs really run clean out of excuses when joining those slack-jawed disciples on that grassy hill, watching Jesus ascend to heaven, with those words fresh in the mind...

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

There is no "can't." There is no impossible. There is just a mission, a Great Commissioner who set me free with his own death and resurrection, and a promise that I'm never alone in my endeavor. 

I am the Kingdom. I am the temple of God. I am the franchise headquarters. His mission is mine. His power is mine. 

Now that we know that success is promised, and victory is sure, and nothing's impossible, let's get to work!