Living In The 3rd Culture: 2018

Personal Worship

“We must remember that God will never drag us along the path of true-hearted discipleship. This would greatly lack the moral excellency which characterizes all the ways of God. He does not drag, but draws us along the path which leads to ineffable blessedness in Himself; and if we do see that it is for our real advantage to break through all the barriers of nature, in order to respond to Gods’ call, we forsake our own mercies. But alas! Our hearts little enter into this. We begin to calculate about the sacrifices, the hindrances, and the difficulties, instead of bounding along the path, in eagerness of soul, as knowing and loving the One whose call has sounded in our ears” (C H Macintosh).

Having consistent times of private worship can be challenging in our fast passed, distracting world. Yet, the reward we get from spending time with the Father is well worth overcoming any obstacles. As an encouragement and challenge to make this a high priority in your life, here are some suggestions from my routine,

1) Find a time the works - Blocking out a time on calendar is essential. It needs to be a time where you are alert and not overly distracted. Though David rose early in the morning, that doesn’t mean you need too. Remember, he started his career as a shepherd, so he lived by the rising and the setting of the sun.

2) Find a place that works – You need a place where you can be alone, and where distractions are kept to minimal. Starbucks is not that place! I do my best study in places where there is a lot going on around me, but it is a horrible place for a personal worship! Getting beyond the distractions, I am not sure it would go over well if I started to sing, pace, or lay on the floor to pray! You get my point!

3) “Be Still and Know that I AM God.” – Take time to quiet your heart and mind. Ask God to help you lay aside the many distractions and give you focus. Confess any sins that are tugging at your heart. Turn the sound off on your phone, I-Pad and computer, so you don’t hear texts or e-mails when they come in. If you remember something important that needs to be done, make a record of it and let it be.

4) Read Devotionally – This is not the time for academic study of Scripture. Until you are fluent in Greek or Hebrew, just use your favorite translation. Read slow and reflectively. When your mind wanders, stop, go back and read again. Let it sink in. My pattern for Scripture reading for the last twenty years is that I read through the Psalms and Proverbs every month and then work through the rest of Scripture at a rate of 2 to 5 chapters a day. .If you prefer using a devotional book along with the Bible in your quiet time, I recommend Spurgeon's Morning and Evening.

5) Reflect – Once you are done reading, take time to reflect on what you have read. Let the verses sink deep and be a means of grace for you. Remember, don’t rush through this!

6) Pray – There is no magical formula for a fruitful prayer life… it is hard work! I like to prayer through the Lord’s Prayer as it keeps balance to my prayer life. When I pray through the Lord’s Prayer, at “Our Father” I start with a season of praise and thanksgiving. In addition, I make it a point to not skim through “forgive us our sins.” Confessing to God what He already knows, and basking in His grace is always refreshing. I have also made it a habit to be sure to pray both morning and evening.

Happy New Year!

It is time once again for the often-superficial commitment to change something about ourselves: The New Year’s Resolution. According to a recent Marist Poll, “being a better person and weight loss share the top spot as the most popular New Year’s Resolution for 2018. Among Americans who plan to make a resolution, 12% say they want to be a better person, and the same proportion (12%) say they want to lose weight. Exercising more, eating healthier, and getting a better job garners 9% while 7% want to improve their overall health. Six percent of U.S. residents resolving to make a change want to kick the smoking habit, and another 6% plan to spend less and save money. 30% mention another resolution altogether.”[1]

There is no harm to making a New Year’s Resolution, though I must confess “being a better person” is quite ambiguous. Nevertheless, making a commitment to change is not only good, but it is Biblical, as we are to be committed to “grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). Paul clearly made a resolution when he wrote “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (2 Cor. 2:2). Growing in Christ, knowing Him in deeper and fuller ways should be every Believer’s year-round resolution.

Taking from our study of Hebrews here are a couple of suggestion that will assist you in a resolution to growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Draw near to God (10:22). Don’t sit back and let your faith happen; actively move toward God. Remember that as a Believer your sins have been paid for and you can confidently come to God as your daddy who loves you more than you can comprehend.

Hold on tight to your faith (10:23). When tough times, doubts and discouragement, come your way, grab hold of your faith and don’t let go! Remember your confidence is not in your ability to keep your faith, but in the reliability of the Promiser: because He who promised is faithful.

Help other people grow in grace (10:24). A lack of concern for the well-being of other Believers is symptomatic of self-concern and egocentricity. The fastest way to hinder your growth in grace is to be self-absorbed in your own spirituality.

Attend Worship on Sunday (10:25). The New Testament knows nothing about solitary Christianity. Meeting together for worship is essential for growth in grace as it is the place where we practice faith, hope, and love first to God and then in our encouragement of one another. The Lord’s Day worship is a gift from our Father, where we receive special grace through Word, prayer and sacrament.

I trust you will join me in this resolution, as together we discover more and more the “incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7b).

[1] http://maristpoll.marist.edu/1220-being-a-better-person-weight-loss-top-2018-new-years-resolutions/

Third Culture Defined

The term “Third Culture” has been used in various ways. One “Third Culture” group “consists of those scientists and other thinkers in the empirical world who, through their work and expository writing, are taking the place of the traditional intellectuals in rendering visible the deeper meanings of our lives, redefining who and what we are.”Another common use of “Third Culture” in fact describes my personal experience. The term was first coined by sociologist Ruth Hill Useem, professor emeritus of sociology and education at Michigan State University. She used the term to describe children growing up outside their citizenship countries because of a parent’s work abroad. A “TCK or Third Culture Kid has since been defined as, “someone who as a child has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture" Though I am a TCK, it is my desire to use the term in referring to the people who make up the true Christian Church (Theologically defined as the “Invisible Church”). In other words, the Church is a Third Culture. Scripture teaches us that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law and the punishment of Hell, and through faith in Him we become citizens of His Kingdom, receiving not only the full benefits of citizenship in His Kingdom, but indeed the right to become sons and daughters of God. The moment, we step into this Kingdome we experience a new and different culture. We are no longer in the kingdom of darkness, but now live in the kingdom of light and that changes everything! At the same time we never went anywhere physically as we continue to work, live, and play with the same people as before, we see the world differently, we no longer truly fit – we are “in the world, but not of it” -- we have a new culture. For most of us this life changing experience occurs within our birth culture and our Christian experience is saturated by those influences. For those who grew up in non-Hispanic White North America, Christianity is uniquely different than those who grew up in an African American context. Our birth culture effects how we live out our faith in the Kingdom of Christ. Yet the Kingdom of Christ requires one more cultural shift and that is away from birth culture and into a culture made up of people of every ethnic and cultural group that has ever existed on the face of the earth. This Kingdom is no more North American than it is Tanzanian or Tibetan. It is a unique or shall we say a “Third Culture” that integrates elements of all cultures into one new and better one, where there is no Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male nor female“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:26-298). In fact Revelation 7:9-10 gives us a description what this will look like one day:“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." A Third Culture Perspective is one that understands and appreciates that God gathers people from every ethnic and cultural group and brings them into the new culture of His Son Jesus Christ. It is a perspective where birth cultures are appreciated and respected as coming from God, but none are superior. It seeks to have a deeper understanding of the Gospel, pays attention to culture, our own as well as others, and then attempts to bring them together. It is a perspective that “seeks first His Kingdom and His Righteousness” and lovingly and passionately enjoys and glorifies God in all we do. It is a perspective that welcomes immigrants….