Subculture

Why is it that as Christians we seem so intent on building our own ghettos? Instead of connecting with out culture and bringing light and influence to it we separate ourselves and build our own little world. We create our own activities and even our own language. All the time we create a huge disconnection between ourselves and the people we are supposed to be reaching. We become so separate that our salt and light affects nobody. We have our own little disneyworld where we just connect with Christian people and do Christian stuff. We wrap our lives up in nice bits of cotton wool and then spend our lives focused on how we live in the ghetto. How we can make the ghetto bigger. Here are a few things that we have created;

Christian bookshops and Christian books

Isn’t it wonderful to be able to have our own bookshops where we can buy books on wholesome Christian living by good Christian writers. All of them very successful at what they do. 20 easy steps to have a bigger church. How to bring revival. The keys to the most amazing prayer life. Have a cell church. Have a mega-church. Live in prosperity. Bias to the poor. Always nicely tucked away down some seedy arcade on the edge of town along with the tattoo artist and the comic store. But these are our books. Some of these writers even write books for evangelistic purposes. Why? How many non-believers just stumble into a Christian bookshop? Not many. And if they do, when they discover where they are they aim for the door as quick as possible. And bookshop workers! I’m not going to say anything in-case you are one reading this (lol). C.S. Lewis is still recognised as one of the world’s greatest writers. I think he would have been horrified to think of his books being sold in ghettos. He was a man who wanted to engage with society. With the people he lived amongst. And Tolkien as well. They used to meet and discuss life and theology in pubs and clubs. C.S. Lewis loved to smoke his pipe. Not good Christian bookshop living. Yet there books continue to impact society and speak Christ into the darkness. The recent brilliant Hollywood films give tribute to this. And today we are seeing a new generation connecting with society and culture; G.P. Taylor, Stephen Lawhead, Cole Moreton, to name but a few. Their books are sold in W.H. Smiths alongside Harry Potter and Katie Price. Surely that is where salt should be.

Christian music and record labels

Yes when I became a Christian I burned them. No not my bra’s, I burned my record collection full of evil Satanic rock. Well I didn’t burn them, I sold them to a second hand music dealer. All my Bee Gee’s stuff was evil, especially with the backwards masking. Those messages made me want to smoke marijuana On Another One Bites the Dust. Now I was a holy person that had to listen to holy music. Being an ex-punk the Gaithers were not quite the same. But it was doing my spirit good. Songs about Jesus and for Jesus. There was one problem to a music lover, Christian music was on the whole a load of crap. Always behind the times and always naff. When I finally found some Christian punk and new wave it was so bad. And that is not bad in a good way!!! Somewhere on the journey I had an awakening. I discovered U2. They were believers but not on a Christian label. They sang about eternity but were also singing about life. Many Christians didn’t like them. Bono swore on some songs and in interviews. That clouded the fact that they were involved in poverty issues and standing with aids victims. That started a road of discovery of bands on a journey with God. The Alarm, Deacon Blue, Lone Justice etc. And today there are many around. Part of the culture, not a subculture. Sometimes their belief statement is a mystery but they bring light. They are sold in HMV and not the aforementioned bookshops. They are played on Radio 1 and 2 not Christian radio. Surely this is where the salt belongs! For some fun delve into people like Mumford and Sons, Over the Rhine, David Bazan, McIntoshRoss, Iain Archer etc. So much light out there.

Christian ministry

Either paid or voluntary or even bullied into. But every Christian is encouraged to discover their work of ministry. Everyone has a gift, a ministry, an ability given by God to minister in the church. Could be preaching and teaching if you are very good, or it could be the music ministry leading worship, it could be something nice and small like flower arranging or making after service tea. Whatever it is you will become such a blessing as you minister to the Body. Don’t forget to do this as well as go to all the meetings. Lack of commitment may mean being asked to step down from your ministry for a season. Your heart is obviously not in the right place. To my shame I have done this to people. Not even taking into consideration what these people are going through in their private lives. No commitment, no ministry. The pinnacle of every Christian life is Christian ministry in the ghetto. Giving to the ghetto. Speaking in tongues and moving mountains, but forgetting to connect and love the world in which we live in. Ministry or service was meant to connect with the whosoever. Ministering to people where we are is key to seeing transformation come. Affecting the culture not building a subculture or even a counter-culture. Being salt wherever we are.

Christian TV

Am I the only one who cannot stomach watching the God channel anymore, or cringes at the quality of Christian channels under religion on sky? I admit the only reason I got Sky was for the Christian channel. I was blessed by the revival meetings and having church in my front room. The chance for unbelievers to stumble across it while looking for the porn channels. They were near each other in those days, so I was told. But over time I got bored. Now I see more of God in normal TV. I would rather sit through Songs of Praise than another American or Australian mega-church meeting. The testimonies on there are still very powerful. Even if we have to put up with Aled Jones. Programmes like the recently shown Rev have been amazing. And I have had more conversations about Christianity because of the murdering vicar Lucas in Eastenders than any message by Kenneth Copeland. People moan about the lack of Christian programming on the TV, but God is everywhere. The recent Bible documentaries were amazing on Channel 4. There is some salt out there. Including my mate Dave on Big Brother.

Connect and affect

It is time for the death of the Christian subculture!!! We are called to be in the world but not of it. We are called to connect with the earth, the dirt, the people. We need to get out of the ghetto and be a part of society. Realise our ministry and service is to people where we live and not towards the church. There is much light creeping through the shadows at the moment. We may need to look closely but it is there. Christian writers and film producers, musicians and artists, actors and health workers, volunteers and teachers, all contributing often without the Jesus badge on or bumper sticker. Just contributing to society. Affecting it with salt and light on a daily basis.

Stop hiding away in ghettos, our culture needs us and all we can contribute. What we can give will transform the world bit by bit, until a shaft of light will be seen. Then communities and lives can be changed.

People’s labels.

It seems as if name-calling or labelling someone has been around a long time. The characters of the Bible were not immune to a bit of a labelling. Even the name ‘Christian’ was not a God given term but a degrading label thrown at the people of the way by the pagans of the day. Totally taking the michael out of the way these people wanted to be little christs, just like Jesus. The New Testament equivalent of ‘Bible basher’. Funny how of all the labels that that one stuck. We can be a strange race sometimes.

Jesus Himself was not immune to a bit of labelling and name calling. Some trying to explain a bit about His character and quite positive, like a good man, a prophet, a Rabbi, John the Baptist the sequel. Others less inspiring like the one from the dead end town of Nazareth, the winebibber (love that old King James term), the glutton, Beelzebub and the one I am growing to love more than anything, the friend of tax collectors and sinners.

Matthew 9:10f

many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? Those who are well have no need of a physician…

Eating with sinners

When I think of the whole process of becoming a Christian and then being assimilated into church life I realise more and more how anti-Gospel and the Great Commission this whole way of life becomes. At the point of decision or discovering Christ (if you are brought up in church you face this problem from birth) there comes this whole emphasis on change of lifestyle, way of living and even circle of friends. Life that was full of relationships of various kinds with people of all kinds of backgrounds all of a sudden gets a once over. A new circle of friends and acquantances is thrust upon us, and a new place that we must attend to protect ourselves from evil begins to be alomost forced upon us. It does not take just heavy shepherding to see how much of life is carefully dictated to us. Now we are ‘saved’ we must attend a local church, twice on Sunday, the prayer meeting, Bible Study, house group, youth, kids work etc. Now is the time to ‘be ye seperate’. Surround ourselves with godly people. Stop going to evil pubs and clubs with those evil people who swear and get drunk all the time. Stop watching 18 movies, and even some fifteen movies are very dodgy. Read the Bible instead of the Sun. Listen to Hillsongs instead of Oasis. But make sure that you show people that Jesus has changed your life, turned you around, 180 degrees, now you are walking another way.

Loss of real relationships

At 15 years of age I had some great friends. We had loads of fun together. I sung (to be debated) in a punk band called Acne (we were never spotted). I spent hours with my band mates. I had some amazing friends at school. We had some real fun  times together. Then I became a Christian. Instead of practicing with the band I went to prayer meeting. I loved going to watch Speedway, a motorcycle sport. It was on Sundays and clashed with church. Had some amazing friends there. Stopped going to go to church. Had to show my priorities. Put God first. When I look back I realise it did not take long to totally cut off the old friends and have a new set of nice friends. After a couple of years I only did ‘Christian’ things with ‘Christian’ people. Then I went to Bible college and really lived the holy life, separate from all evil nasty people. Then became a pastor where nobody was really your friend but at least I was surrounded by ‘Christian’ people 24/7. What has gone on here? Was this really the plan of Jesus and what He wanted to build? Did He want ghetto people living ghetto lives trying to kidnap more and more people from this evil world to go and live in the ghetto? Surely we have got this so wrong.

Dwelt amongst us

Jesus came out of His holy place, took on flesh and dwelt amongst us. He lived amongst the dirt. He touched people who had not got it all worked out. He lived and breathed with outcasts and sinners. So much so that it made the religious people very uneasy. After all he spoke to women, and some of them were prostitutes. He touched sick people, even those with leprosy, thus making Himself ceremonially unclean. He loved foreigners and even spoke about their faith. And not only that, the greatest horror of them all, He had dinner with tax collectors. Now that is beyond shock! The religious wanted to know, why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?

Sinner – an archers term for missing the mark or a traveller leaving the familiar road and therefore losing his way.

Be in the world

Would we be able to be accused of being friends of sinners? I love it that the tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with them. They wanted to be around this Jesus and His disciples. They wanted to eat with them. How many unbelievers and travellers would want to sit down and eat with us? Someone once said in a message, how many non-Christian friends have you got? If you have more Christian friends than non-Christian friends you are not living the Gospel. Many church people would find it hard to name three non-Christian friends.

The new landscape demands new and real relationships. I’m not saying we make relationships for the sake of it with the only intention of reeling them into the kingdom. We just need to be friends. Do stuff together that is not just inviting them to meetings and so called seeker services. Just because we get excited that the Christian celeb is in town it does not mean anyone else gets excited. Most people who are celebs in the ghetto are unknown outside of Christendom. We just need to build real relationships. That is what I so love about my life now. Whereas before I spent 99.99999% of my time with believers and 0.00001% of my time with bait on my line for an unbeliever to make them believers, now outside my family I spend 99.9% of my time with unbelievers and journeyers. I eat with them, laugh with them, chat about everything under the sun with them, love them. And every now and again Jesus pops into the conversation, but not to get them to church or even believe, but because my friend wants to know something. I love being around these people. When I realise that I too am an archer who has missed the mark, a traveller often on uncharted territory just like them, I feel at home. The mask of pretending relationships has gone, this is day to day, shoulder to shoulder real stuff. We talk music, sex, tv and religion. And they come and sit down to eat with me.

I love my facebook friends. Different people at so many stages of different journeys. Some doing stuff for God, others in marriages that are falling apart. Old friends from school, new friends I have never met. Rock star wanabees getting drunk every weekend, to an ex-girlfriend who is now a lesbian. A missionary in the Phillipines, to a lonely soul in Suffolk. All sharing life and experience. And I love it when I write my comments and people who have never been to church respond by resonating with what is being said. Recently a cousin loved my quote, ‘we need to be more like Jesus and stop being so religious’. He wrote and said He is not religious in any way but something in that quote stirred him for some reason. I love it. I love being a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Because I know that I too am one.

They accused Jesus of many things. This is one accusation I want thrown at me as well. Why? Because I realise that without relationship there is no Gospel. No good news. The dirt of the world may tarnish my feet, but I want to tarnish the world with my feet. Because the Word says my feet carry good news. Not words of judgement and preaching, but actions and words of hope, love and peace. And real friendship. Let’s find someone to eat with today.

Update in the aisles

There have been some interesting days in the Asda aisles. Some personal stuff and some stuff to do with those brilliant work colleagues. Have been asked by a girl called Lyndsay if I would consider “christening” her children. Talked about doing a dedication instead and asking God’s blessing on her kids lives. She would love to go ahead but her husband is a bit anti at the moment. Some prayer would be great. Has been an amazing opportunity to share some stuff and again make a connection. Lyndsay has gone from being an atheist to somebody seeking so much.

Have also been chatting about marriage and relationships. Have been able to share some of my own difficulties and relate to what someone is going through. I think people are surprised and relieved to hear that I am human and have gone through tough times in my marriage and relationships. It is time to be real and honest. Too many masks have been warn already when I was trying to keep up the lovely pastor image. People want to hear the grit of real life but the faith that holds stuff together. The church has often preached a standard so unobtainable by so many. A target only a select few could ever obtain. Jesus has always loved hanging around the misfits and mistake makers. The ones full of issues and not the one’s that have it all together. The aisles of Asda have been places of truth, reality, honesty and hope. I am praying along with this couple that God will do something special in their lives.

On a more personal note some interesting things have been happening. A vacancy came up for a colleague circle representative for the night shift. This person represents the night staff at a meeting of the manager, personnel manager and other reps from all departments. The job remit is to be a link through the store and to bring any issues that arise in the team. I put my name forward and got the job. Seems like a very pastoral thing to do. Within days I was offered a small promotion to be a team leader on days. This would take the shape of more hours, leading a department and a possible stepping stone towards management. After much thought I turned this down. I felt the relationships that have been developed and born on the night shift are far greater than more pay and promotion. I love those guys and do not feel my time with them has come to end yet. Also felt going on the steps to management was like becoming a leader on a pedestal again, an empire builder again. Prophetically I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people and be one of them. The Asda journey continues.

I doubt it

This week I have realised how my belief and faith in God is just growing all the time. The dependence on Him is paramount in this post-congregational walk. And yet at the same time I have realised that doubts still exist in my life over so much. As a charismaniac pentecostal I was not aloud to admit to doubts. I had to have certainties. Be certain of my salvation, the existence of God, that answers to prayer will come and must come. That all of Scripture is true and God breathed, even the difficult verses. I am a believer and therefore I cannot stop believing no matter what. To question was to doubt, and to doubt was not proper for a Christian living with the assurance of heaven. Doubt was for liberals. To question was folly, and definitely not for pastors. They must have all the answers and always be positive and full of joy. Preach uplifting faith filled messages. Full of answers because Jesus is the answer to everything.

But I have not got all the answers anymore. I have many questions. I do not believe anymore that faith means the absence of doubt. I think faith without doubt is not really faith, it is a certainty. You do not need faith for certainties. Faith grabs on to what it cannot see. What is not visible. What is not certain. Martyn Joseph once sang ‘treasure the questions’. I am beginning to treasure mine. They do not rock my faith in God but strengthen my faith in Him. I can relate to the father in Scripture that wanted Jesus to heal his son. Jesus said to him just believe and anything is possible. The man’s reply is so honest and it touches the heart of Jesus into action. He said;

i believe, help me with my unbelief.

Can you relate to that? I can when it comes to so much around me. Healing, suffering, tragedy, sorrow, hope, death. Emotions of great joy and yet also embracing the emotions of pain. Jesus with all my heart I believe. Yet help me with my unbelief. I’m not going to pretend for anyone anymore that I have all the answers. Each day brings new questions, many unanswered, but there is an embracing in this place rather than a panic and an act. I will not stop believing, but it will not always be with glee. Life is too real to live in a place of unreality. Stuff happens. It does effect us. Yet through it all there is faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love. Love is a cornerstone to living with the doubt and believing in Him even if He never gives us the answers. Don’t you just love this journey.

We love to tie up loose ends

God loves to untie the knots and make more loose ends.