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They Don’t Like Jesus or the Church

By Jeremy Myers
6 Comments

They Don’t Like Jesus or the Church

A while back I read Dan Kimball’s They Like Jesus, but Not the Church. I highly recommend this book since it does reflect the thinking of a lot of people in our communities. However, I ran into a whole group of people today who don’t think much about Jesus either. They don’t like Jesus OR the church!

Scarborough Festival My family and I attended the Scarborough Renaissance Faire today in Waxahachie, TX. We went last year, and loved it so much, we bought a season pass this year. Today was opening day.

One of the things that amazed me last year, and was impressed upon me again today, is the amazing community of this place. I have never, in my entire life, witnessed such a close-knit and fun-loving community as I have seen at this Faire. I ache to find a group of believers that can even come close to such a sense of community as this. They are an odd bunch of people, with strange clothing, behaviors, and language, but they all love each other and welcome everybody, even those who are very different from them with wide open arms. The church has a lot to learn in this area.

Anyway, as we were strolling around, taking it all in, we came upon a certain vendor booth where they were selling juggling sticks. I have always been amazed by this, so stood there watching. One of the stick twirlers (Lance), came over and offered to teach my whole family how to do it. As we learned, we talked.

He soon found out I was a pastor, and immediately began calling me “Pastor Jeremy.” As we talked, it turned out that he has a pretty pessimistic view of the future of humanity. I said, “I don’t know… I’m pretty hopeful.”

He said, “Why? What is your hope in?”

You can’t ask for a better opening than that, so I said, “My hope is in Jesus.”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “Jesus!? Yeshua the Carpenter? That Jesus? You hope in him? How can a dead guy help us today?”

I decided to not get into the resurrection yet, and so said, “Well, as people believe in Him for eternal life, and live their lives according to His example and teachings, their lives are changed, and whole communities and even countries can be changed for the better.”

He said, “Who sold you that lie? I have never met a single person whose life was significantly changed for the better because they followed the teachings of Jesus. Jesus was a fraud, and so is the Bible, and so are his followers.”

I was astonished. He has been living in the United States his entire life, and has never met anybody who he thought had been positively influenced by Jesus! So I asked him what his hope was in, and we talked for about another 20 minutes or so about his lifelong search for truth which culminated in discovering the Mayan seven-fold spirit agreement and how, like trees, we can dig our spirits deep into the earth, and throw the energy up into the atmosphere.

I really didn’t understand most of what he was talking about.

He said he learned all this from his spiritual adviser/babysitter named Merril. I also met Merril, who hasn’t cut his hair in 38 years, is missing most of his teeth, and talks a lot about Mayan calendars and spiritual auras.

Lance gave me the name of a free online movie to watch which he said would open my eyes. I have already watched the first 15 minutes and am excited to watch the rest. After I watch it, I’ll make a blog post about it and tell you what what movie it is. I hope that by respecting him and his beliefs, and by watching this movie, he might be open to talking more about Jesus next week when we go back to the Faire.

As I think over my conversation with him today, and after watching only 15 minutes of the movie, I have two questions I want to ask him. First, I want to ask him why he dislikes Jesus. I imagine that the Jesus he dislikes is the Jesus of religion, not Jesus of Scripture. There is a vast difference between the two.

If this turns out to be the case (that he has a skewed view of Jesus), then I want to ask him if, in his lifelong quest for truth, he has ever read about Jesus from Scripture, rather than just hearing about Jesus from others.

Anyway, I hope to build a friendship with him over the next six weeks, which I hope will last for many years, and maybe allow our family to become friends with others at the Faire. These people are some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met in my life! I wonder if they need a Faire Friar…

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evnagelism, Jesus, mission

Holy Crap

By Jeremy Myers
8 Comments

I finished reading Vince Antonucci’s book I Became a Christian and all I got was this Lousy T-shirt with my wife tonight. We read through it out loud together. We laughed. We cried. We talked. It was great.

Vince’s book is unique in that he includes Greek word studies about as often as he uses the word “crap.”

Moose Poop Earrings Though Vince is already writing his next book (called Guerilla Lovers), I think the third book he should write should be called “Holy Crap.” It would be about how our lives are a mixture of holiness and crapiness, and sometimes, it’s hard to determine which is which. But if we focus on living for Jesus and loving Him, Jesus can take even the crap of our lives, and use it for good. Maybe as fertilizer to help others grow, or for use in the annual Alaskan Moose Poop Festival  (I have just put this on my Bucket List. …Do you think they really drink out of those Moose Poop Mugs?).

I don’t know what Jesus can do with the crap in your life, but if your life is like mine, He’s got a lot to work with.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading

The Truth about Truth

By Jeremy Myers
7 Comments

The Truth about Truth

Jesus is the truthOne of the best ways to reach people for Jesus today is not to try to persuade or convince them through rational arguments and persuasive reasoning.

Certainly, some will respond to this, and so there is a place for it, but the majority of people today are relational in their approach to truth.

Most people are not asking, “Do I want to believe like you do?” but instead are asking, “Do I want to live like you do? Do I want to be like you?”

Whether you agree or not, most people today believe that beliefs result in behavior.

If your behavior stinks, people assume your beliefs stink too, without even knowing what it is you believe.  

If you want to convince people of the truth of Christianity, the best way to “argue” it today is not through reason and and rational propositions, but by becoming more and more like Jesus in everything we do.

Since Truth is a person (John 14:6), truth is best learned through knowing that person, Jesus Christ, and truth is best shown by living like Him.

Of course, it is not as easy at it sounds. I am convinced that most of us Christians and many of our churches have a very skewed idea of who Jesus was, so while we think we are living like Jesus, we may actually be living like Judas.

If you want to reach our culture for Jesus, the best (and most biblical) thing you can do is show people Jesus and invite them to follow Jesus with you.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, following Jesus, love, missional, service, truth

Does the Presidental Election Matter?

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

The first round of blogs are posted over atย PlantingSpace.com.ย For thisย first blog, we were supposed to answer the question: “Does the Presidential Election Matter?” Please go vote for me!!! (Or someone you think has a better answer.)ย Here was my submission:

When Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidential election, I thought the Tribulation was upon us. Now, in 2008, I realize I tagged the wrong Clinton as the Antichrist…

No, I’m only joking. I like Hillary. I don’t believe I will vote for her if she wins the Democratic nomination, but I think she raises some good questions that must be answered. And so do Obama and McCain.

But who will be best for America and the world? Personally, I donโ€™t think it really matters. Oh sure, it matters politically, economically, socially, militarily, and in a whole host of other ways. But in the one area that matters most, the presidential election doesn’t matter. And what area is that? The Kingdom of God.

All Christians want political leaders who uphold Christian values. But if history is any guide, countries with leaders who are antagonistic to Christianity are actually more fertile places for the advancement of the kingdom than countries with pro-Christian leadership.

While the Kingdom of God will advance no matter who wins, it may advance better under someone who is against Christian morals than under someone who is for them. Maybe I’ll vote for Hillary after all.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study

Blogging Tournament at PlantingSpace.com

By Jeremy Myers
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I’ve joined a blogging tournament over at www.plantingspace.com. Some of the best of the best church planting bloggers are allowing some noobs like me to go head to head with them in a blogging blowout! There are sixteen of us, and you are allowed to vote on which post was the best. The top eightย bloggers get to move on to the next round. I don’t stand a chance against someone like Vince Antonucci. However…my middle name is David,ย and his middle name is Goliath…

Well, half of that is true.

Anyway, the posts for this week are inย answer to the question: “Does the Presidential Election Matter?” All sixteen posts willย be publishedย Thursday morning, and then the voting will commence. So PLEASE go vote for me…well, only if you think my post is best.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study

Thanks Carl!

By Jeremy Myers
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Total TruthI received a book in the mail yesterday, and when I opened it up, thought, “I don’t remember ordering this. I know it was on my Amazon Wish List but I didn’t think I had bought it.”

Then I checked the invoice, and it had a note from Carl, saying he had bought it for me and hoped I enjoyed it. So thanks Carl! Once I finish it, I willย post a blog review about it.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading

Thesis is DONE

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

It’s 2 am. I just finished my thesis, and will turn it in tomorrow around 10 am (barring any printing problems).

Topic: Honor and Shame Before the Judgment Seat of Christ
Pages: 60
Words: 16,936
Footnotes: 183

My bottom line conclusion: We haven’t scratched the surface of beginning to understand the New Testament. (Isn’t that encouraging?) It’s probably not that bad…but it’s 2 am, and I’m a bit sick of my thesis.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study

Bad People = Good Soil

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

Bad People = Good Soil

A while back we looked briefly at the Parable of the Four Soils and how it applies to all people.

Ideally, if we are good planters for the Kingdom of God, we want to be planting seeds in the best soil. It is this soil that gives a 3000%, 6000%, or 10,000% return on your investment.

But who is that soil? Which type of person should we focus on for the greatest return in our spiritual investment?

good soil

If you look in the average church, we think that the good soil is the rich, powerful, pretty people. Those with seminary degrees, nice hair, and big smiles.

But are these sorts of people really the “good soil”?

I am not so sure.

After all, what makes good soil?

Good Soil People

When I was young, my mom had some flower gardens, and every spring, she would go down to the lawn and garden store, and buy bags of “Manure” to put in her gardens. One year I asked her, “Mom, what is manure?” She said, “It’s cow poop.”

What made mom’s garden grow? Poop.

So what makes good soil? Good soil is that which has a lot of nutrients in it. Good soil is that which has a lot of fertilizer.

I am convinced that the “good soil” people are those who have a lot of sh*t in their lives.

Which people are these? The people we would normally think of as “bad people.” Sinners.

And yet in most of our churches, we work hardest to keep these people out. We say “come as you are” but the fine print says “only when you can act like us, talk like us, and look like us.”

But when we look at Jesus, who did He pick to work with, minister to, and pour His life into?

good soilJesus was friends with tax collectors, sinners, thieves, murderers, prostitutes, and drunkards. Why? He knew a good investment whenย He saw one.

In bad people, Jesusย saw fields upon fields of rich, fertile soil just waiting to be planted. Bad people make good soil for the seeds of the Gospel to take root.

So who are you and your church trying to seek after, love, and embrace?

(P.S. Credit goes to Neil Cole and his book Organic Church for most of this idea. Buy this book and read it!)

God is Redeeming Church Bible & Theology Topics: church growth, Discipleship, evangelism, friend of sinners, Parable of the Four Soils

The Parable of the Four Soils Revisited

By Jeremy Myers
18 Comments

The Parable of the Four Soils Revisited

parable of the four soilsI’ve been mulling over the Parables of the Four Soils for several years.

When I stopped pastoring a church in 2006, I was preaching through Luke and had made it as far as Luke 8:3. I did preach a sermon on Luke 8:9-10, but I never did preach on Luke 8:4-15, the Parable of the Four Soils. I was a bit relieved, because at the time, I had no idea what this parable meant.

And the scary thing, Jesus says that the Parable of the Four Soils key to understanding the other parables (Luke 8:10).

But as I have thought more and more about it, the meaning has slowly emerged.

The Parable of the Four Soils as Traditionally Taught

I firmly believe that the Parable of the Four Soils has nothing to do with determining who is a Christian and who is not. This is the way most people read this parable. They see that word “saved” in Luke 8:12 and think that it is referring to how to determine who has eternal life. Since only the fourth soil produces an abundant harvest, some people think that only the fourth, fruitful soil represents a Christian.

An alternative view, held by some who are a bit more gracious, is that the final three soils represent Christians because they at least have life. At least they sprouted and grew a little bit.

However, I don’t hold to either one of these positions. 

The Parable of the Four Soils Reconsidered

If you have read my blog for a while, you may know that I always invite people to try to define the word “saved” in the Bible within the surrounding context of where it is used. Why? 

Because although most Christians think “saved” means “get forgiveness of sins and receive eternal life so you can escape hell and go to heaven when you die” (or something like that), the truth is that the vast majority (99% or more) of the times the word “saved” is used in the Bible, it has almost nothing to do with such an idea. 

Most often (nearly always), the word “saved” in Scripture refers to being delivered from some sort of temporal problem or calamity. Things like physical sickness or death, enemies, drowning, financial ruin, slavery to sin, etc.

And THAT is what the Parable of the Four Soils is about. The Parable of the Four Soils is about the four basic responses people have when they hear what the Bible has to say about how to be delivered from whatever problem is in their life (Luke 8:11).

The Context of the Parable of the Four Soils

The context of the Parable of the Four Soils makes this abundantly clear.

Jesus doesn’t just want hearing; He wants obeying (Luke 8:16-21), just as He gets from the wind and the waves (Luke 8:22-25), demons (Luke 8:26-39), and a Jewish leader and a sick woman (Luke 8:40-56). Jesus then sends out the twelve to see how they will do at hearing and obeying, and also to give them some experience at seeing how others respond to the Word (Luke 9:1-6).

The bottom line point of the Parable of the Four Soils is this: Whenever the Word of God is proclaimed, to whomever it is proclaimed, there will be four basic responses. How do you typically respond?

parable of the four soils

The Parable of the Four Soils goes on to describe the types of things that get in the way of us hearing God’s Word and obeying it. Sometimes, the devil gets in the way, and simply keeps us from hearing and understanding the Word of God (Luke 8:12).

Other times, it is sin and temptation that stifles our growth. We initially hear the Word and believe it, but after a while, we return to our old patterns of sin, and the Word of God fails to take root in our lives (Luke 8:13).

Then there are the times that we truly want to follow God’s instructions in the Bible, but the cares and business of life just get in the way. These things aren’t bad things, they are broken dishwashers, family vacations, bills that need to get paid, and flowers that need to get planted (Luke 8:14).

Ideally, ultimately, we want God’s Word to take root in our lives and product fruit (Luke 8:15).

Looking at the Parable of the Four Soils this way, we can see that any Christian can fall into any of the four categories at any time. In fact, since Scripture contains so many truths about various aspects of life, a single Christian can have all four types of soil in their life at one time! There are some areas in our life where we simply ignore everything the Bible says. Then there are areas where we initially obey the Bible, but then fall back into old sinful patterns. Then there are areas where we want to obey, but life gets in the way. And then there are areas where we are successful and fruitful in following Jesus. 

The life of following Jesus then, is to make more and more of our life into the good soil. This is what discipleship is all about.

The Parable of the Four Soils Applied

Ideally, if we are good planters for the Kingdom of God, we want to be planting seeds in the best soil. It is this soil that gives a 3000%, 6000%, or 10,000% return on your investment.

If you look in the average church, we think that the good soil is the rich, powerful, pretty people. You know, those with seminary degrees, big smiles, and nice suits. Is that what good soil looks like?

I don’t think so.

So what makes good soil? When I was young, my mom had some flower gardens, and every spring, she would go down to the lawn and garden store, and buy bags of “Manure” to put in her gardens. One year I asked her, “Mom, what is manure?” She said, “It’s cow poop.” What made mom’s garden grow? Poop.

What makes good soil? Good soil is that which has a lot of nutrients in it. Good soil is that which has a lot of fertilizer. Excuse me for putting it this way, but I am convinced that the good soil people are those who have a lot of sh!t in their lives. Which people are these? The people we would normally think of as “bad people.” The sinners.

And yet in most of our churches, we work hardest to keep these people out. Of course, we’re all sinners, but we try to hide that fact from everyone else. We say “come as you are” but the super fine print says “only when you can act like us, talk like us, and look like us.”

But when we look at Jesus, who did He pick to work with, minister to, and pour His life into? Tax collectors, sinners, thieves, murderers, prostitutes, drunkards. Why? He knew a good investment when He saw one. In bad people, Jesus saw fields upon fields of rich, fertile soil just waiting to be planted. Bad people make good soil.

So are you upset about a particular area of sin in your own life? This may be just the area in which Jesus is about to plant some seed! So watch out! The plants are about to sprout! And you thinking of trying to minister to a certain group of people? Before you do, consider how much sh!t is in their lives… If there is not a lot of fertilizer getting tossed around, you might have trouble finding good fertile ground in which to plant the seed of Scripture. 

Have you ever heard this interpretation of the Parable of the Four Soils? If so, where? If not, how does it strike you? Weigh in below!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Discipleship, following Jesus, good soil, Luke 8, Parable of the Four Soils

How To Read Blogs

By Jeremy Myers
4 Comments

I read about 70 blogs a day. It takes me about 20 minutes. I do read pretty fast, but the real key is to use a Blog Reader.

I used to use Google Reader, but now I use Feedly.

If youย still read theย blogs you likeย by individually going to each one, save yourself some time and use Feedly. It’s simple, easy, and free.ย To sign up now, just click on the “Bloglines” button in the left column. You can thank me later.

God is z Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study

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