God is in Charge of the Change

In my last post I talked a little about change and how Martin Luther King, Jr. would not just sit idly by and wait for much needed change to "roll in on the wheels of inevitability." Since writing that short piece I have had many more thoughts about it, because it's just not as easy as deciding to take action. Truth is, I think God is just as interested in change as are we. Furthermore, in the Life of God and in the Body of Christ, God is also in charge of the change. Or at least he always should be. And I am in charge of letting Him change me. Or at least I should be.

This is not some civil rights movement with a figurehead. This is the very mission of God on the Earth, through His people, where Christ is the Head. We must surrender all our hopes and aspirations for that "greener grass" to the One who created the grass in the first place. No one is more interested in transformed lives than God. We must not begin to think we are somehow the most important tool at His disposal. And we must not entertain the idea that if it were not for my grand ideas our church would go nowhere. God is in charge of the change.

If we force change ahead of His schedule; or if we despair because the need, in our opinion, has been too long waiting, we are in great danger of undoing the very thing God really desires, that is, the change in us. You see, I believe God is always and forevermore just as interested in working some change into our hearts at the same time He works a change into the Body as a whole. These two changes, one outward in the whole scope of God's fellowship and the other inward, in the deep recesses of my own soul, happen simultaneously. What I mean is this. If I ever set out to change something in the Body, as a matter of conviction or opinion, without being completely open to that thing or some other thing coming right back at me I will miss it. And I will likely miss God. God is always at work in both ways, inward and outward. He may even change that thing which I desire but because I remain closed to His change in me I will not see it. No. God is in charge of the change. We must always remember this. And when He changes me, and I can see that change, I give Him credit. And when He changes that thing in the Body, after or at the same time changing me, I will see it as well, and again, I will give Him the credit.

God is in charge of the change. It's His Body. Not mine. It's His movements on the Earth. I am but a thumb or another part of the Body. In the Body of Christ there should never be a great figurehead. There should always be Christ, the Head. Martin Luther King Juniors are fine for social reform. But for reforms of the Soul and of the Bride we turn only to the King of Kings. Again and again and again.

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Martin Luther King, Jr. changed the course of my life....

I'll never forget reading the Letters from a Birmingham Jail in 1998. After working in churches for several years and experiencing all the difficulties, politics and even splits that come with the "job" I was truly questioning my future as a "professional" minister. I was part of a club of young "change" agents, so we were called by the religious establishment. We felt called to work from within the system to slowly effect progress. In fact, that's what we called ourselves: "Progressives." Most Elders called us Liberals. It was, and I assume still is, a mess. Then I read King's response to a bunch of religious leaders in his day, a powerful and amazing declaration of vision! As I read something began to rise up in me, a sort of identification with his struggles for change, and the extent to which he was willing to go in order to see his vision a reality. You see, his adversaries were encouraging him to just wait; change will come in due time, they encouraged. But King was far from content with such advice. And so he wrote:

Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. (http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html)  

At that point I knew I couldn't just sit still and wait. I have great respect and admiration for my good friends who are still working everyday for that slow change. I pray for them. And I believe they are used by God for His purposes, when they follow His Spirit and work for that change. I understand their struggles first hand and know they want to see God's Kingdom come. But I had to go a different route, one really less traveled, and one I feel is a great leap forward in the change so many of my friends in churches long to see. Actually, and honestly, I'm still trying to go that route. There is still so far to go. For me.

I thank God for the courage and convictions of Martin Luther King, Jr. His belief has changed a nation. I only wish we could have one ounce of the energy for God's desire as did he. King wanted social freedom. God wants us to be free spiritually. The question is how far are we really willing to go -- to march, to sit, to ride, to stand, to preach, and to die for this promised freedom in Christ!? How far?

Fun in the Snow!

Wow, that was a cold few days! We had some fun, even in spite of the .... danger!

N0-snow sledding:


Frozen Findings in a Frozen Pond:


Sled, Round + Hill, Icy = Danger, Serious