Clear — Sold Out in the first year

Thanks to everyone who purchased Clear. Also, thanks for all the texts, emails, DMs and Facebook quotes. I'm honored that GOD has used my verbiage to minister to so many people. We are in our second order of product, and the orders keep coming in.


Plans for 2010 are to complete the audio version of the book. I am also about 3/4 finished with a new believers study guide to accompany the relationship aspects of the book. I hope to release this sometime in the spring.


Please continue to recommend the book to your family and friends. There are many individuals who are searching for more in GOD, true transparency is the key.


GOD bless, and have a great Christmas and New Year!

Rage Against the Machine

I was recently party to a conversation between a few individuals from varying ilk within the Apostolic Movement. Everyone involved seemed to have their own opinions as to the current status of the Movement and subsequent reasons for the attrition that is becoming all the more prevalent.

I’ve never been known to run from a good argument.

The conversation had it’s genesis in and around the subject of individuals talking about their journey, or seeking GOD, or any other such statement. I got the distinct impression that these types of expressions—in the opinions of those conversing—are not appropriate for an Apostolic. One participant made the statement, “This ain’t no journey. We’ve arrived! We are here!”

Hmmmmmmmm.

To assume that we are not on a journey to salvation is a total denial of 2 Peter 1:5-11 where the apostle provides us with a list of godly characteristics that should be added to our faith. This Text demonstrates that there is more to salvation than simply receiving the faith. Throughout Paul’s letters to the 1st Century Community we find him admonishing the new believers to move toward spiritual maturity; another example of growth, or a journey—if you will.

This also brings to mind another question: if we’ve arrived, or we are here, does that mean that we should no longer hope on Christ’s appearing? Is this really all there is? Is Spirit-baptism the epitome of our relationship with GOD. Does the fact that we’ve arrived mean that we shouldn’t seek a relationship with GOD at all? If so, why then is the underlying theme of the entire Text GOD’s plan to return humanity to right relationship with Him?

Another statement that simply made no sense to me was, “All these people who just want to analyze Scripture. Just listen to your pastor!”

Again, what?

Where in the Text does it say to blindly follow men called by GOD? This same individual denied that Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14-16 applied to anyone other than Timothy. This is yet another example of cherry picking Text to fit a personal credenda. Don’t get me wrong, I am not espousing a practice of ignoring GOD-delegated authority. However, if GOD had intended that we simply blindly follow the instructions handed down by preachers, He would have never given us access beyond the veil; there would have been no need to move away from Judaism, and grace would have been pointless.

Pastors are gifts given by GOD for the perfecting of the saints until we all come to the unity of the faith, not for us to check our brains at the altar once Spirit-baptized. GOD’s mission is not for His people to connect with Him through an intermediary; He wants to relate with us Himself. Why else would He make comparison after comparison of His relationship with His Bride to that of a husband and wife. Saying that the only way that we should interact with GOD is through our pastor is the same as saying that the only way a husband and wife should be intimate is by listening to someone else talk about intimacy. At some point you have to get up off the couch and get into the bedroom and let the relating begin. Yes, our pastors are integral, but they are not the determiner of our personal relationships with our GOD. How can we know the voice of our Shepherd if we only listen to the under-shepherd?

The sad thing is that this thinking is more the norm in the Apostolic Movement than not. It’s time to wake up and realize that this mindset is one of the primary causes of the attrition that we are experiencing, not a collective of compromise. In fact, if more time was spent teaching the laity to personally interact with GOD regularly, and if there were more personal interaction with GOD, there would be less compromise. The flip side is that many of our pulpits would become silent because too many of our preachers don’t have a clue how to preach or teach to people who are truly knowledgeable of the Text. Take away the clothesline and introduce real-life principles and far too many are left speechless and sadly ignorant of true Christianity.

Do you want to hear true holiness teaching? Here goes: talk to GOD, daily. Read His Word, daily. Honestly seek (yeah, I said it) GOD and ask Him to illuminate His Word, His Character, His Mission to you, daily. Ask Him to guide your footsteps, and to check you when you’re moving away from Him, daily. Die, daily. Fall in love with Him, daily. Do all of this and you won’t need someone standing behind a pulpit telling you the length of your shirt sleeves, or some other standard that is more based on denominationalism than on actual Text.

We can no longer complacently sit on the sideline with our collective head in the sands of our credenda-driven pathos, simply willing to accept the status quo. Now is the time for us to rage against the machine of religion and denominationalism that is choking the life out of the followers of the Apostolic Faith. We need to accept the fact that we don’t have all of Truth, but have been given a glimpse of Him, but won’t see much more until we return to Him. We need to stop converting people to pentecostalism and begin truly discipling them to GOD.

The time has come to rage, rage against the attrition; rage against the ignorance; rage against the lack of intimacy. Not against people, against mindsets.

There’s more that GOD desires for His people to do. Are we ready?

L'Chaim [repost from NoNegativityNow.com]

I was asked recently to write an article for nonegativitynow.com, which was an extreme honor. This is one of my favorite websites, and I encourage you to check it out often. There are great writers (myself excluded) and and lot of whatnot that will help you in your walk with GOD. 

l’chaim

Have you ever noticed those people who go through life devoid of true interaction with anything other than themselves? These sad individuals are constantly surrounded in a shroud of negativity that clouds their judgement and blocks meaningful connections. I was once one such sorry soul, but a life-changing event positively altered my existence; I discovered GOD.

Now, I know what you're thinking, here he goes on some lame conversion story, but you'd be wrong. While I had known about GOD for my entire life, had even claimed to be filled with GOD, I existed empty, void, negative. The god I knew was only full of judgement, but the GOD I discovered called me to a deep intimate relationship. It was (and is) amazing. I was almost like GOD turned to me and (in a Joey Tribbiani voice) said, "How you doin'?" I was hooked.

The most amazing thing about this relationship with GOD is, the negativity has disappeared. Where I was once judgmental, I now extend mercy. Where I once pulled away from interaction with other people, I now embrace new friends and acquaintances. All because of intimacy with GOD.

In my opinion the reason that so many so-call "Christians" live such negative lives, is because they haven't discovered the difference between existence and life. The Jews have a phrase they use when toasting a drink, "la chaim," which simply means "to life." However, this phrase doesn't simply indicate a toast to life, it indicates a conscience choice of life over existence. We exist when we absorb but never give out. The only time we truly live is when we give out of ourselves. To choose life we have to give life. For example, the money in our wallets exists, but when we take that existing money and give it to someone in need, we are giving life to them, thus altering the money from mere existence to life.

To truly live we have to spill ourselves out to the world in which we live. It is physiologically impossible for you to stay depressed when you are helping someone else. The giving of ourselves gets our focus off of us and onto others. When we stop focusing on ourselves it is easy to let go of our negativity. Could this be the "more abundant life" that Jesus talked about; a life dedicated to giving to others?

Think about it, GOD gave so that we could live. This is GOD's character. When we discover GOD, we discover the power of giving ourselves away. When we give ourselves away, we release the negativity of simply existing. When we choose life, we choose GOD.

I chose GOD and He changed everything about me. No, this is not a product nor cure-all that "you too" can receive by sending in your check or money order for $19.95 to some obscure address in White Plains, NY. This is a choice that you have to make: either to live without GOD, or to be intimate with Him.

I dare you to try it.

I dare you to try GOD.

The king is Dead, Long Live the KING

Who or what is distracting you from GOD’s mission? Have you ever really thought about it, or is this a subject that makes you uncomfortable?

We’ve all read Isaiah 6 and seen the transformation in the prophet’s life when the king died. But, have you ever truly dug into this Text to find the personal application? There is much Truth here. 

Uzziah was a king anointed by GOD. There were a lot of positives from his reign, but all his good was overshadowed by the fact that he overstepped his boundaries. He died a leper because he lost sight of what GOD wanted him to be.

In the beginning of chapter 6 we see that Uzziah has just died and that Isaiah sees GOD, sees himself, then hears GOD’s missional call. The dynamic of Uzziah’s personality, and his personal interaction with Isaiah, both served to distract Isaiah from his call to be a prophet. Isaiah couldn’t see GOD nor hear His voice because of Uzziah. We’ve all heard this subject preached time and again, how we need to examine our lives and find the things that distract us from GOD. All of these sermons are well and good, however, I believe there is a deeper Truth to be found in the story of Uzziah and Isaiah. My thoughts will no doubt damn me further into the nether regions of the pentecostal waste bin, but oh well; such is life.

Sure, we can allow things, hobbies, work, school, habits, etc. to distract us from GOD, but it is also possible for people—anointed people—to distract us from the Missio Dei. Because of the acute ministry worship in modern Pentecostalism, anointed men of GOD can become distractions from the Commission that is given to every believer. Often times people are too distracted by the dynamics of their pastor’s preaching, or his personality, or his credenda, or the mission statement of their local congregation… to truly see GOD and hear His voice for themselves.

Ask yourself this question: are you so enamored with the pastoral staff or ministry team of your local community that you can’t hear GOD’s voice for yourself? Do you wait to hear instruction from the pulpit before you’ll proceed to fulfill the Commission? Do you run your burdens past committee prior to you embarking on a mission-walk? Does the organizational structure of your local community or your denomination dictate GOD’s will in your life? Be honest. Answering yes to any of these questions, and feeling the subsequent pain of realization, doesn’t mean that you’re not submitted to GOD’s delegated authority. It simply means that you’re finally willing to be honest with GOD and yourself.

GOD never called His Community to build small mini-franchises all over the world. He never called us to build our own kingdoms, nor to serve a man’s vision. He called us to fulfill His mission. We all need a pastor. Pastors are GOD-called men who have been given the responsibilities of an under-shepherd. But far too often we forget that GOD also called each one of us, individually. In our attempts to submit we allow ourselves to become distracted from GOD.

GOD is calling. Are you listening to your king, or are can you hear GOD’s voice? 

When Uzziah died, Isaiah finally saw GOD and heard His voice, but he also saw himself. We need to allow our Uzziahs to die so that all the distractions are gone from our lives and we can see GOD, see ourselves and hear again His Call. Isaiah didn’t receive a vision until he first saw GOD and then himself.

There is a lot of talk today about worldview. It has become a buzz word of christianity. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a worldview. In fact, more of us should work to develop a godly worldview. However, it is impossible to have a godly worldview until we first see GOD, then ourselves. Then and only then will we receive vision. Then and only then will we truly see understand GOD’s mission.

As a man who has been called by GOD to be a minister to His Community, I have to ask myself the questions: am I a distraction to the people I serve? Is my personal credenda blocking their path to GOD’s mission in their lives? Am I demanding subservience to me when I should be teaching true discipleship? Have I become like Uzziah; a GOD-anointed man bound for banishment and leprosy because I think too highly of myself? How many people in my local community aren’t fulfilling the Commission because of me?

This is not a call to rebellion, rather it is a call to true submission. Submission to GOD by all of us; from the oldest patriarch to the newest believer. Let’s let our Uzziahs die so that we can see GOD, see ourselves and hear GOD’s voice. Let this be our credo: the king is dead, long live the King.

The Call

I’ve recently been focusing a lot on the Call that GOD placed in my life. This was not something that I sought out, nor—to be honest—even wanted. Yet, despite my myriad efforts to disqualify myself, GOD still wanted me.

Thing that I’ve had the most trouble accepting this in the fact that this Call came from GOD, not man. I kept looking to man for affirmation for something with which they had no connection. Add to this the fact that I felt completely unworthy of the Call, and you can see my predicament.

How often, do you think, do we advance or quash GOD’s process so that it can fit into our system?

A friend of mine was called to be a preacher several years back, but not one door has ever opened to him. He’s come to me often asking what he needs to do with this call to preach. He tells me that he never feels an overwhelming burden to share something. When he hears sermons or lessons, he never sees himself in that position, thus his extreme discomfort with the calling. I asked him how he knew he was called to preach. He responded that a preacher walked up to him at the end of an altar service and said, “GOD’s calling you to preach, so start acting like a preacher.” 

How does a preacher act? Aren’t we all called to go make disciples? Does acting like a preacher involve over-spiritualizing life, or wearing suites all the time, or using so much hair spray held over from the 70s that your coiffure could be used as a foundation for a small house? How does one act like a preacher.

After much conversation, my friend finally admitted that he had never heard from GOD that he was called to a pulpit ministry. Since he’s stopped trying to fit into a man-created mold his walk with GOD has flourished, and he’s actually reaching people, and he never sets foot in the pulpit. The well-intentioned preacher maker was correct about one thing: GOD was calling my friend, but not to fill a pulpit. GOD was calling him to be a disciple maker.

The Call to be a minister is not a Call to a hierarchy of ϋber-spiritual leaders, rather it is a Call to be a servant to the Community of Christ and to the rest of the world. GOD never called us to a pedestal, He called us to serve. Methinks that far too often we misuse the Text that admonishes to give honor to whom honor is due. This is not a commandment for the congregation to wait on the ministry hand and foot. This is a commandment to acknowledge that anointing flows down. It is perfectly natural for the laity to want to honor the authorities that GOD has delegated above them, but those to whom He has delegated authority must never allow ourselves to be placed above the people who we are to serve.

It is impossible to serve someone while at the same time lording over them.

I thank GOD that He saw fit to Call me to His ministry. I thank GOD that He Called me to be a servant. Lord, help me to be humble as I serve Your Community and the world in which I live. Help me to lead in the same way that You led, from within, not from above.

Why Discipleship? Why Now?

Those of you who know me or have spent time with me over the past seven years or so know that I have a passion for studying the Text and applying it to my own life as best I can. One of my favorite passages in the Text is Matthew 28:16-20 where Jesus gave His rabbinic yoke (His doctrine) to His disciples. When we understand just how important Jesus’ words on the mountain were to the eleven remaining disciples, we can begin to understand how this Commission applies in our own lives.

Throughout the three-and-a-half years of His earthly ministry, Jesus continually reiterated—whether by word or by action—that He had no intention of establishing an earthly kingdom. This somewhat flew in the face of the zealot-leaning twelve that He had chosen to be His talmidim (Hebrew idiom referring to a group of rabbinic students), as they believed—as did many of the common Jews—that the Messianic Reign would be earthly in nature, banishing to nothingness all dictatorial rule over the Chosen Nation. It wasn’t until the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry that they began to comprehend that His Plan and Purpose was to establish a Spiritual Kingdom within the hearts and lives of people.

Let’s fast-forward a couple thousand years or so to our time. Are our out-reach methods fulfilling the Commission, or are they building our churches? Are we making converts to our brand of religious, denominational Christianity, or are we making disciples, one individual at a time?

Jesus commissioned His disciples to individually and collectively go and make disciples themselves; teaching the new believers everything that Jesus had taught them. He never commissioned them to go build denominal religious organizations or mini-franchises of the same. He never commissioned them to go make converts; individuals who have been swayed by the veracity of our argument rather than by personal intimacy with God. Are we—when we examine our collective efforts today—willing to admit that we have somewhat drifted from the original Commission?

Do we invite people to church or do we take Jesus to them? Let’s be honest, would we spend as much time in an out-reach effort if we knew that the people we reach would never become members of our local congregation? How much funding would we apply to efforts that didn’t butts on the chairs or pews that we purchased?

A disciple-maker doesn’t have the agenda of adding numbers to a roster. A disciple-maker is only concerned about one thing: taking Jesus to individuals, then teaching those individuals about His love. Getting those individuals to become a part of our local congregation should be at least secondary, if not even further down the priority list.

Somewhere along with way we lost sight of the fact that our responsibility is to plant the seed, care for the seed and to bring the plant to fruition. God has reserved the right of harvest for Himself. If we do our part, God will do His. If we begin to put His missional Purpose (the Missio Dei) first, then He will fill our congregations with individuals who are not only hungry for more Truth, but who are believers rather than converts to pentecostalism.

Why now? The answer is simple: we’re running out of time. Jesus said that if we aren’t gathering for Him, we’re scattering against Him. The time for gathering disciples for Him is now. We don’t have the luxury of passing this responsibility down to future generations. This task is ours; we have to assume full responsibility and begin to fulfill the Commission to go everywhere and make disciples for Jesus Christ.

If the congregation you’re a part of doesn’t have a discipleship effort, start one. If it does, become a part of it. Get involved in the Kingdom. Grow His Kingdom. You’ll never experience true spiritual fulfillment until you bear fruit. Let Hanna’s passion become your own: give me children or I’ll die!

South County Burden

Last night some friends and I were talking about the burden that God has given us for South Orange County. God has definitely opened doors for us to reach people here, but it is also very easy to become overwhelmed by the task. The initial demographic study of the area designated as South County is roughly 750,000+ people living between the intersection of the 405 and the San Diego County Line. To further overwhelm us, while there are many churches in South County, there remains a mass of unchurched people in the area.

The burden that God has laid so heavily on Olga and I and the team that is working with us is not to make any of these people churched, but that we can shine God’s love to them where they are. God hasn’t called us to bring these lost and hurting people religion, He commissioned us to go to where they are with the Good News of His Love and Salvation.

We’re beginning this work with little or no budget, no building… only the burden. Our first few gatherings have been held at the Mission Viejo Community Center, outside in their park area. I know this is really out there for some of the more traditional blog followers, but South Orange County is a different kettle of fish. Traditional methods of growing a church simply won’t work. We’re surrounded by the pinnacle or mega-churches from all over the religious spectrum; emerging, fundamental, charismatic, evangelical, etc. Coming in to this area with just another average congregation will end in failure; and frankly, failure is simply not an option.

After much prayer and discussion from within the team, this is the direction that we feel God is directing us. We are beginning a viral campaign that will direct people to our website, http://lifepointcommunity.cc. On the website we’ll be adding a series of Bible studies and Life-Lessons that will introduce them to God in a fresh, innovative way without the confines of a church building or religious structure. We will direct people to our website through direct mailers, posters and flyers all over the area, one city at a time. In addition to this, the LifePoint team will continue our efforts to connect with people individually through our small groups and social events (BBQs, dinners, ballgames, parties, etc.). We will also continue to teach one-on-one Bible studies to anyone who is hungry to know more about God.

We also feel strongly that God is calling us to make more than just a religious impact on South County. There are thousands of people who are in need of food, clothing and other essentials. We are partnering with the OC Food Bank to provide food for as many families as we can reach. Each Sunday afternoon we’ll be delivering grocery bags with food and other items to families all over South County. It is our prayer that by our shining God’s Love to these hurting and needy families that God will open the door for us to teach them the Good News.

God called us to be disciple-makers (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8), and this is what we intend to do. I’m not asking any of you to support our efforts monetarily (although we won’t turn down a donation, lol), but I am asking that each one you pray for the work in South County. I know that there will be some who don’t agree with our approach, and might even criticize, but we can all agree that God loves these people and that they need to hear the Good News. Partner with us in prayer. Share with us this burden to see God revolutionize people’s lives with the power of His Love.

Thanks to all of you who have sent the many emails of support and love. Your words have encouraged and strengthened. We’ll keep y’all up-to-date on everything going on in South County.

LivingClear.net

Hey all viewers and followers, both pro and con. LivingClear.net is launched and operational. So, I'll be updating the onsite blog rather than this one.

Thanks for all your reading and comments. Follow us on over to LivingClear.net and stay connected with this ministry that God is opening.

Audio Clear

Started pre-production today on the audio version of Clear. Hope to have the first few chapters completed by the end of next week, with the rest completed by the end of September. The audio book will be available online at clearimitation.com and through iTunes.

I'll keep you posted as to the progress as we make progress (that's from the department of repetative redundancy department).

Clear - Chapter Two

The second pericope of seven from Clear.

Chapter Two — Confession

Where did we get the idea that we have to be perfect to lead?

Have you ever taken the time to examine the lives of the people that God used in the Text? A mötley crüe if ever there was one. In fact, the man that was designated after God’s own heart had a fetish for virgin flesh. So much so that on his death bed his physicians attempted to revive him by having young virgins go to bed with him. He was also a murderer, an adulter and much more.

Noah was a drunk. Moses disobeyed God and had an attitude about it, dashing his chance to enter into the promised land. Rahab was a prostitute. Samson was a womanizer. Job felt sorry for himself. Solomon—the wisest man in the world—had some sort of sick addiction to women and just couldn’t stop himself from saying, “I do.” Jonah went AWOL, then got ticked off at God for forgiving Ninavah anyway. Jeremiah was a cry-baby. Hosea married a whore.

Matthew held orgies at his house and—according to some scholars—even had the audacity to invite Jesus to the party. John the Baptist was offended by Jesus’ not rescuing him from prison. Martha doubted Jesus. Her sister Mary was lazy and also doubted Jesus. Peter doubted Jesus and only threw one net out when Jesus told him to throw out several. Judas had a horrible attitude and questioned Jesus’ motives, then planned His arrest, but he was still one of the twelve closest people to Jesus.

Back to Peter, who first attacked a man, inflicting bodily harm, then—in his willingness to give his all for Jesus—he denied Him three times. He took the Lord’s name in vain; yet he was still chosen to preach the inaugural sermon for the 1^st Century Community at the Feast of Pentecost. Later in his life, Peter didn’t want to reach beyond the Hebrew race, then—after he finally accepted the fact that God could save non-Jews—he wanted Gentiles to convert to Judaism in order to demonstrate that they were true followers of Christ. Paul, the writer of the majority of the New Testament, orchestrated the mass murder of the followers of Jesus. He tried to preach when he was a bit full of himself and failed miserably. He even argued with Peter about Peter’s apparent spiritual racism. And don’t forget his thorn.

The Bible is filled with these vivid stories of imperfection and many more. Are you starting to get the picture?

From this glowing list of candidates we could determine that the only qualification that God is really looking for in a person is availability and a pulse. It is men acting with human ideals that require these pristine oracles of God’s goodness. God doesn’t want perfection and neither do His followers.

So why do we keep hiding?

Special Thanks

A good friend of mine purchased a copy of Clear last night at the SoCal Campmeeting. When I say good friend, I should probably clarify that this man is one of the elders in my life, Pastor Bryan Claborn, who is a good 15-20 years my senior. The mere fact that he was willing to read my ramblings made my night.

I bumped into him tonight at service and the first words out of his mouth were, "I read your book. I stayed in my hotel all morning… I couldn't put it down." I was blown away, and deeply honored.

Thank you Pastor Claborn for your kind words, and the encouragement that you gave me to stay the course in this Call that God has placed on me.

Clear - Chapter One

Several people have asked me to post some excerpts from Clear, so here's the first of seven posts with a pericope from each of the chapters.

Chapter One — Clear

LET ME BE CLEAR… MONTE YOUNG IS A LIAR.

I have told so many whoppers in my life that if—for some reason—I would be required to correct the lies, I would have no idea where to start, nor with whom to begin the confession.

I figured I’d get your attention right off the bat with that acknowledgement. While some readers may be laughing, others are slamming their fists into their hands saying, “I knew it!” Still others of you are a bit intrigued by this open confession so early in the narrative.

Standards of writing compel me to softly entice you into my web of prose, then—when you’re completely surrounded by the verbiage—deliver the crushing blow of syntax and jargon. Well, I’ve never been one for standards, as they tend to mutate the individual into a faceless drone of conformity that is devoid of passionate personality and God-inspired expression. So I’ll dispense with the status quo and drop the bomb first then work backwards from there.

Yes, I am a liar by nature, but this is not about me, it is about the God Who lives in me. While I’m am a sinner extraordinaire, my God is pure and holy, and beautiful. If at any point you see me rather than Him, then I’ve become less clear. The purpose of this tome is to tell a bit of a life’s story and to share the illumination that came from hitting the very bottom. My prayer is that this may in some way help people who are struggling with their identity in God by showing them the power of transparency.

I want to tell some of the story of my life, primarily focusing on the last seven years or so. While there may be other details of my past that would make great book fodder, I’ll save those for possible future endeavors. The reason the past seven years hold such great import for me is that these are years in which I have been learning to be a true Christ-Imitator.

While I’ve known about Jesus basically my entire life, it has only been in the recent past that I have truly attempted to get to know Him on a personal level. For the better part of my life I’ve relied on the experiences and commitments of other people to establish my walk with God. My parents are great people, and I come from a long history of spiritual patriarchs on both sides of the family, so it was easy to pick someone from whom to leech.

Sadly, despite my stellar heritage, I had no idea who I was or what God wanted me to be. In fact, I had no personal knowledge of God whatsoever. My entire teen life and all through my twenties I waged an inward war with myself over whether God really had a purpose for my life. I didn’t feel worthy of the calling that weighed so heavily on my soul, nor did I have any idea how to change who or what I was. I was completely and totally lost.

My life was empty and meaningless. I felt dirty. I was dirty. If God was looking for a vessel to use, He definitely would look past me. I was like the misshapen mass that is not unlike the fledgling attempt by a child in art class, required to fashion a bowl from some form of low-quality modeling clay. I was not something nor someone God could—or would even want to—use.

Or so I thought.

I know that I am not alone in these sentiments. There are many people in our congregations who feel completely worthless, yet they remain, sitting stoically in their seats at every gathering. They go through the motions devoid of passion, all the while their spirit is screaming for release.

Let me tell you what I’ve learned.

It helped me.

Maybe it can help you too.

It all begins with a jar.

In his letter to the Body at Corinth, Paul tells us about God shining the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ into our hearts. He describes the recipient of this illumination as jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.¹

This metaphor is interesting because of the contradiction between God’s glory being housed in something so temporal and sans value. What Paul was trying to get across to these 1^st Century believers—and subsequently us—is that while we may hold God’s glory within our fleshly and carnal jars, we can never allow the jar to become the focus. Our focus must always be on Who and What we are containing, never on the fleshly Tupperware® with the seal-in-the-freshness pop-top. When the jar—or container—becomes the most important thing, then we are putting the creation before the Creator. God has never tolerated this. Sometimes we place the jar before the Substance filling the jar, but we have to remember its not us that has the power to change our world; it is God in us.

Jesus’ cousin, John, said it best, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”² John understood the power of being clear, transparent, translucent—pick your poison. The point at which our identities as jars become more important than the One we are housing, our clearness lessens and we become the focal point. This ties directly in with Jesus’ teaching on spiritual works. Jesus said to His disciples, “…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”³ It’s important to understand that Jesus is not referring to good religious or spiritual works; He is not talking about outreach, door knocking, etc. He is talking about His people doing good for the world in which we live. It’s not enough to have the Truth; we have to shine Jesus to our world through our actions.

1. 2 Corinthinans 4:6-8 (ESV), my personal Sword of choice. This passage of Scripture is dissected masterfully in Petrus J. Gräbe’s, The Power of God in Paul’s Letters .

2. This is a quotation of John the Baptist found in John 3:29-31, again quoted from the ESV.

3. Extracted from Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV).

Random Testimony

I went to the first campmeeting for the SoCal District of the UPCI last night. Because it was being held in Orange County, Pastor Morgan dismissed our mid-week Life Principles Class. I normally don't enjoy campmeetings, but I have to say that last night was fantastic.

It was good to hear Pastor Anthony Mangun preaching with passion and vision. As he admonished us to strive for sacrifice, God began to speak into my spirit with confirmation, and pulling me to a deeper walk in Him.

Thank You God for Who You are to me. Thank You for Your Call. Thank You for your mercy and grace that saw past me.

Clear

I want to thank all of you who have read Clear and have sent me emails in response. Your kind words mean a lot, but the most moving thing is the fact that God is using the book to minister to you. I hope and pray that the ministry continues.

Spread the word. We'll ship the book anywhere to anyone who is hurting.

Comments

Hey y'all.

I just found out that for some reason no one has been able to comment on any of my posts. I've updated the settings, so feel free to re-blog 'til your heart's content.

M

Look Mom... No Training Wheels!

Sunday afternoon—after my grueling, mostly uphill mountain bike ride (how is it possible to go uphill both leaving home and returning?)—I was back home watching my brood and their friends ride their various bikes, scooters, big wheels, etc. Jade was having trouble with her bike because the training wheels were stuck and wouldn't turn. She was forced to push so hard to try to turn the wheels that she could barely stay on the bike.

After watching for a while I could take it no longer; I promptly turned her bike over and performed a trainingwheeldetactomy (medical term for sure). She was none too happy. So as not to embarrass her in front of her friends, I called her off to the side to find out why she was so upset. I wiped the tears from her eyes and as calmly as I could told her that she was a big girl now and needed to ride her bike without the training wheels. Amidst her snuffles, she said, "but Jefe (that's what she calls me… means the boss in Espanol), I'm scared." "Of what?" I asked. Her response made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. She said, "I'm scared of growing up."

Yesterday afternoon, when I returned from my myriad errands, I walked into the house to the peels of laughter from my three and their friends. The chicks were ecstatic that I was back home. Eden—despite her stuttering—informed me that I had to go outside with them because Jade was going to ride her bike with "no trainin wheelds," (exact quote). We all marched outside (they marched, I sauntered… for some reason Aerosmith's Walk This Way comes to mind) and pulled the bikes out of the garage. After some brief explanation, Jade was on her bike with me walking beside her, holding her steady. I walked her up and down the alley behind our house a few times, then told her it was time for her to try it on her own. At first she was a bit nervous, but I talked her into it.

Then—without warning—I let go.

She warbled, but then corrected herself and was off down the alley without me. Eden was beside herself with glea. She ran inside the house to get Olga. I could hear her yelling all the way out in the street, "Look Mom! No trainin wheelds!" Jade wasn't laughing or talking, she was too busy concentrating on not falling. It was awesome.

After a couple of small tumbles she realized that she wasn't really going fast enough to hurt herself, so she ventured further down the alley. Then, without me having to teach her, she turned around (without having to get off the bike) and came back to me. Just as she got even with me she said, "Jefe, look what I just learned." She turned around me and headed back the other way.

She is—of course—now a pro, and ready to get her own wristband campaign started.

I thought about our afternoon all evening. Jade had said something the day before that I didn't understand. I called her aside and asked her why she was scared to grow up. Her answer was, "I was scared I would hurt myself if I fell. But I'm not scared anymore, cuz I fell, but it wasn't so bad."

Now, y'all know me well enough to know that I can't simply let this kind of good stuff go by without a comment.

I began to think about my own journey to salvation and Christ-imitation. When I started really trying eight or so years ago I was so scared that I would get something wrong, that I would stumble, that I would disappoint, that I would hurt myself… During that time God was patient with me; He held my hand, He guided me through my pastor to fall in love with His Word, His Character, Him. At first, I could only handle the milk of the Text, and Pastor would have to prepare a warm bottle so that there would be no shock to my fragile system. Then, as I developed and grew stronger, I could handle stronger Spiritual food. God never left me, and yes, I still relied entirely on my pastor to feed me what God had prepared, but I was stronger.

Then the day came that God wanted to speak to me directly. I heard a Voice (not literally, but go with me on this journey for a bit). I didn't recognize it. It was almost as if the Voice spoke from within me. The Voice called my name. I ran to my pastor and told him what had happened, he patiently told me to respond to the Voice. So, I did. The next thing I knew, God was talking to me, speaking things into my character, illuminating His Character…

But… I didn't understand… how could God speak to me directly? As I became more brave I told God that I was scared to go where He was calling me. I was scared because I knew this was a place I had to go alone. This was a place that Pastor couldn't take me. God was calling me to a relationship with Him. The lyrics that Toby Mac wrote for DC Talk came to mind: "What if I stumble, what I fall, what if I lose my step and make fools of us all…" But God was gently pulling me, reassuring me all along the way. Pastor was right there supporting me as I moved toward God.

Then… there was a peace. A peace that far surpassed anything that I could have imagined. I was completely and totally surrounded by God Himself. I floated for a bit, simply because it was so amazing. Then, as I got my bearings, I began to move deeper into relationship with God. The ride was (and is) amazing. For a while I didn't even notice that it was just me and God. Then, I felt fear bubble up from my belly into my throat. Where was Pastor? Doesn't he know that I can't make it without him? Why did he let me go? I looked down to where Pastor had been, supporting me as I moved deeper into God, but he wasn't there. It was then that I heard him, I turned to the side and saw him running beside me, calling out encouragement, warning me to watch out for the obstacles that were strewn across the path. He wasn't holding my hand any more, but he was still there.

It was like my training wheels were gone.

I was lost in God's Essence.

Sure, this was mostly allegory, but I hope you see my deeper point. I truly thank God for a pastor who was willing to let me go into God. If any of you ever get the opportunity to sit under their ministry, Jeff and Sandra Morgan are the greatest pastors to have ever filled the sacred desk.

Traditions 2

I want to continue on the discussion that we began in previous posts on the subject of traditions. It has recently come to my attention that there are those in the Apostolic Movement who are are preaching and teaching the credenda that if there is anyone among the congregation who does not follow the traditions of that congregation that they should be shunned, ignored... basically, the rest of the congregation should have nothing to do with that individual. The Text that they have used to back this contention is 2 Thessalonians 3:6. So that we are all on the same page, I'm including exact quotations from both the KJV (the translation that is most often being used to back this teaching) and the ESV.

KJV

"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us."

ESV

"Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us."

First, let's look at the biblical definition of the word tradition. Tradition comes from a koine Greek word which is transliterated paradosis. Paradosis has several definitions, but the one that contextually applies in this usage is as follows:

1. a giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing, i.e. tradition by instruction, narrative, precept, etc.

• objectively, that which is delivered, the substance of a teaching
• of the body of precepts, especially the ritual which in the opinion of the later Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written Torah, as they did were to be obeyed with equal reverence.

By the context of Paul's usage of the word paradosis we can glean that he is referencing a previous teaching that ties directly into this particular letter to the Thessalonian Community. Also—by the context—we can see that Paul used paradosis in its singular voice, referring to a specific tradition or ordinance rather than generally all previously taught traditions. Paul is obviously reminding the Thessalonian Community to remember his previous teachings in regards to individuals who are not willing to work and provide for their families and the Community. In reading the remainder of chapter 3 you'll see that contextually Paul is specifically dealing with laziness.

Paul was not giving the instruction that individuals who do not follow any of his other teachings should be avoided. He was writing to a group of people who lived as a community, providing for the needs of their individual families, and those of the collective; an action in which Paul himself participated during his stay in Thessaloniki. He was specifically dealing with the issue of people not pulling their weight in the collective, then spreading discord through their verbiage.

People who are too lazy to get involved are normally wonderful arm-chair quarterbacks.

For anyone to cherry-pick verse 6 of this Text and establish a teaching or instruction that if an individual does not follow the traditions established in a local congregation they should be shunned or excluded in any way from the Community is adding to the Text, not to mention a huge stretch hermeneutically.

I would like to again reiterate the fact that the Paul instructed the 1st Century Community to not abolish the traditions taught to them simply because they were traditions (2 Thessalonians 2:15). However, a practice to which Paul continually adhered was to identify traditions as just that, traditions, and not as doctrine. The danger is not in traditions but in deifying our traditions as doctrine.

Another stretch that is often made is to assume that the traditions established in a local congregation apply collectively to the entire Body. Who are we to assume that our opinions and ideals are that close to God's doctrine? As we've discussed previously in other posts, Jesus condensed everything given by God to Moses and the prophets of the Old Testament to two commandments: the Shema (Deut. 6:4) and the fact that we should love this one God with everything in us, and that we should love our neighbor in the same manner and with the same veracity in which we love ourselves (Matthew 22:40). Is it possible that now is the time to teach this rather than our own private interpretations of the Text? By the way, is the Text open to any private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20)?

The time has come to collectively examine our traditions to honestly see if they are bringing individuals closer to God or blocking their path to God. This is not rebellion nor lack of submission to the God's delegated authorities. Peter admonished pastors to shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock, (1 Peter 5:2-3, ESV).