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What if it is possible to move through frustrations with church and live vibrantly for Christ? What if there was a way to align our focus so that no matter what church situation we are dealing with, we can respond in loving, Christ-exalting, God-honoring ways? What if we could be free of the bondage of feeling held back? Free to live as Christ calls us to while not needlessly fracturing relationships?
In conservative Anabaptist circles, we often get hung-up on issues of modesty that don’t really matter.
What is modesty, anyway? If I’m going to be a modest man does it mean I wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants? Or is that completely beside the point and I just need make sure I have a humble, self-deprecating spirit?
I believe a good definition of modesty is an attitude of heart that causes us to live in such a way that does not bring attention to ourselves, but to the glory of God. For purpose this post, I want to point out seven things Anabaptists often consider “modesty issues,” but don’t really matter.
It’s not a new discussion. Ever since it hit the market, there’s been tense controversy over it. So why would I dare waste my morning writing a few thousand words that may only cause more arguments?
Because Plexus exposes something about the American church. Not the product itself, although I do plan to share a few statistics and resources concerning it. But rather, the phenomenon of Plexus Worldwide exposes something about the hearts of American christians.
This article is not about finalizing an opinion on the brand, but on what it exposes and how to deal with it. This issue has everything to do with the future spiritual life and health of the church. That’s why I feel compelled to address it.
Within the Christian culture, we don’t do well at caring for broken people, especially in a church mainly filled with multigenerational believers. We’ve known all of our lives how to live appropriately and so Christianity becomes more about living rightly than faith and transformation in Christ.
Requirements for church membership focus more on outside sins (smoking, dress, habits of leisure) instead of internal sins such as gluttony, gossip, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, anger, rebellion, materialism and many more. The idea is, once you have your outside life altogether you can become a member. And then, don’t show anymore imperfections after that.
The problem is, that only cultivates fake Christians.
What comes to your mind when you hear that we’re going to have “a discussion on modesty”?
Perhaps you think, “Oh no! Another person is going to tell me how I should dress.” Or maybe you think, “Modesty is not a type of dress, it’s a principle.”
Do you recall a particular sermon that left you feeling sour and used? Or do you think of a really good sermon that you recommend to everyone?
What’s a guy to do when he asks the girl of his dreams out and she turns him down? Or maybe they were dating, but she decided to break it up. Does that mean it’s over for good?
This week my wife and I are celebrating our third anniversary. I find it hard to believe it has been three years already because I remember so clearly how scared I felt when I first called Teresa’s Dad. I pushed it off for about a week. I was afraid that I would receive a “No.”
We have this thing called courtship, modeled after our “romance patriarchs”: Isaac and Rebecca, and Boaz and Ruth. As I understand it, the goal is to have a romantic relationship built by serving each other and around the purpose of pursuing marriage as opposed to simply having fun. But is what we call courtship in crisis?
Is it ever wrong to call it quits on your church?
My generation is hungry for authenticity and spiritual life. It often feels like we don’t get that in our churches. I know, church isn’t about what we get out of it but about giving to others.
But what if we’re getting absolutely nothing out of our church? Is it ever wrong to leave?
I learned a lesson on a recent trip I took by myself: actions have consequences.
More importantly, sin has consequences. When you and I give in to sin we will face excruciating consequences. Even though we may repent in brokenness, we cannot prevent the consequence of our actions.
I was traveling by myself and I should have known that I would be tempted, but I hadn’t experienced failure for a long time and assumed I’d be okay. Actually, I just didn’t even think about it. Life had been busy at the time, it never once dawned on me that Satan would attack me.
Heritage is powerful. God saved Lot because of his family heritage through Abraham. If it wasn’t for Abraham’s intercession, Lot would have destroyed along with Sodom.
Everyone who knows the story of Lot remembers that his family became enemies to Israel. God pronounced judgement on them. The godly heritage of his uncle, which could have been passed on, was destroyed.
Why? Because of Lot’s choices. He chose the better fields, subsequently, “pitching his tent toward Sodom.” (Gen. 13:8-13) He later lived in the city of Sodom and would have gone up in flames with it if it wasn’t for Abraham. (Gen. 18:22-33)
I took a risk in asking some questions last week about Mennonite distinctives. I framed the questions so they would be probing, yet wide-open for any and all to answer. It felt risky, and proved to be so.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a pressure point. Call me naïve, but I honestly didn’t realize asking these questions would produce as many fireworks as it did. My intention was not to create an argument or discredit our Anabaptist heritage. It’s just that there are a few things I wanted to share with my generation and felt I had to first ask some (risky) questions.
Telling a story about how my Dad hurt me feels like turning in my best friend for stealing. I care more about him than any other man on earth.
Yet, at the same time, I have been at odds with him more than any other person. Not just because he hurt me. I’ve rebelled against him, too. But an older friend once helped me realize how all the rebellion goes back to an underlying bitterness towards him.
When I saw that, when I repented and began forgiving him, the chains broke. The wall that separated us began coming down and in the last five years I have experienced an increasingly deeper, and more empowering relationship with him.
Engaging unchurched people is often difficult to do. We churched people use different lingo and different jokes. It’s hard to know how to build the bridge from here to there so “they” can become one of “us”: churched.
Or more importantly, a follower of Christ.
Personally, relating to unchurched people isn’t that abnormal for me. Not that it’s any easier, it’s just that I’ve grown up doing it. I homeschooled all twelve grades, but when I was nine years old I started playing Little League baseball. I played four years of Little League and then got invited by our local public school to play for the Junior High team. After two years of Junior High, I moved up to the High School team. There I played two years on the varsity team—starting center fielder.
Author Asher Witmer knows what it’s like to want freedom from sexual sin only to continually fail. We’re often told we need more personal discipline, that we need to think godly things instead of fleshly things.
What if I told you that discipline won’t solve your problem with lust?
Our male sexuality is given by God for advancing beauty and goodness. But somewhere along the line it becomes something that causes devastation and guilt. The good news is we don’t have to live with guilt. In Live Free, Asher Witmer shows us how we can find freedom from sexual sin, live with nothing to hide, and be able to fight for others.
