HeartQuest 101

I read a Homelife Magazine article this week by and about Tullian Tchivijian (Billy Graham’s prodigal grandson who admits defeat) called a magnificent defeat at the hand of God. He discusses that as a teenager he rebelled against all he knew to be right and was sucked into sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll… now jump to the present, he is currently founding pastor of New City Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

As I read, my first question was… “What?” Did this guy know who his grandfather was? Did this not influence him at all? Billy Graham was/is God’s ambassador to sitting presidents, heads of state as well as the common people all over the world, who preached the message of the resurrection to more people than the apostle Paul could ever had hoped for. Yes, he knew; and that’s why his life went awry.  

A great quote from the article: 

“The problem between knowing about God and knowing God is as massive as the Grand Canyon. That distance, that separateness, is something that must be resolved.” 

That’s why his life was bankrupt. Now back to my original question, “What is a Christian?” We have all heard various definitions: 

o    One who believes in the resurrection of Christ

o    One who trusts in Christ for his salvation

o    One who believes a certain set of propositional truth

o    One who participates in an organized church

o    One who follows the teachings of Jesus or the Bible

o    One who tries to live by the Ten Commandments

o    The list goes on…

Another amazing quote from the article: 

When my kids ask me, “Dad, what’s a Christian?” I always answer, “A Christian is one who can say, ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, 0 God. My soul thirsts for God”‘ (Ps. 42:1-2). A Christian is someone who hungers for God more than anything else; more than health, wealth, status, good looks, or a spouse. Make no mistake: What we love is a surer test of who we are than what we say. Actions are much easier to fabricate than affections. 

That’s the point of HeartQuest 101, to love God more than anything else; to find that pearl of great price and risk everything to get it; to risk getting out of our comfort zones; to step out of our boats of mediocrity and experience water-walking with Jesus (a story from Matthew 14).  

This lifelong journey is a quest of the heart, to actively search for God in order to bring a sense of meaning and purpose to this life, then to bring honor and glory to our Creator and Sustainer of this world. So, how does your life reveal the love of your life? If we claim Christ has that number one spot, how does life lived out back up our affections?

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I’m fascinated by a book by Gary L. McIntosh called, One Church Four Generations. I am a part of a congregation full of Builders, often called The Greatest Generation that built this country into what it is today. But as I think about the future of the church, how will we reach the younger generation of Boomers, Busters and Bridgers? 

McIntosh writes about the conflict over worship styles: 

While not every member of each generation sees things the same way, essentially the areas of difficulty are as follows: 

o    Pace of the service. Builders like worship services to move along slowly and predictably. Boomers like worship to move at a fast clip, while Busters and Bridgers want it to move even quicker. Both Busters and Bridgers look for variety and spontaneity.

o    Brightness of the lighting. Builders prefer softer lighting as it gives more of a worshipful feeling. Boomers look for a brighter lighting so they can see people well. Most Busters and Bridgers also like brighter lighting, but some prefer a darker setting, perhaps with candles or other subdued lighting.

o    Loudness of sound. Builders appreciate being able to hear well but dislike sound that blasts. Boomers and Busters want the music loud enough that they can feel it. Some Bridgers also appreciate louder sound and in some situations are comfortable with lots of interactive noise from videos, music, and talking.

o    Length of service. Builders have a longer attention span and thus are willing to sit through longer services. The attention span of Boomers, Busters, and Bridgers has been increasingly shorter.

o    Formality of service. Builders expect a certain level of formality and decorum, whereas Boomers prefer somewhat of a dressy casual. Busters and Bridgers like things to be flexible and casual. Builders equate reverence with formality of dress. They experience great frustration with Bridgers who may wear baseball caps in the church, perhaps even while in the worship service.

o    Feel of the service. Builders look for a worship service that is quiet and reverent. Boomers and Busters desire an upbeat celebration time. Bridgers, however, appear to appreciate worship that is real and honest regardless of the style.

o    Participation in the service. Builders tend to watch and enjoy while Boomers and older Busters who grew up in church like to participate with clapping and similar forms of involvement. Bridgers like a highly interactive worship service that allows for multiple forms of involvement. Unchurched Boomers, Busters, and Bridgers want to be entertained to some extent.

o    Type of music. Builders love the hymnal and the familiar songs of the faith. They like their music to be slowly paced and reverent. Boomers appreciate the praise music of the ’70s and ’80s, while Busters and Bridgers like to “sing a new song” to the Lord using a variety of music styles.

o    Quality. Builders associate quality with the effort that is extended. Thus a person may sing off-key, but Builders appreciate the quality of his or her effort. Boomers see quality as being mistake free. They expect the music, sound, announcements, and message to be well done. Busters and Bridgers tend to view quality as equal to authenticity. To them a Boomer worship service comes across as too slick and contrived. A few mistakes in the worship service are fine with them, as it is more authentic and real.

So how do you work through these issues? What about a blended service trying to be all things to all men? What about starting a contemporary service to reach the younger generation? Would it meet on Sunday morning or maybe Saturday evening? What about meeting in a different venue than the church property? Is it OK to have two separate congregations in one church, each service meeting the needs of their “target” audience?

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Today, we are all supposed to be Irish, wearing green, displaying the shamrock, looking for leprechauns or pots of gold at the end of rainbows, drinking green beer and eating Lucky Charms… it all appears to be just another excuse to party, and we don’t have to wait for the weekend. So, what’s it all really about? Who was this Patrick fellow anyway?  

Robert Morgan writes (in Amazing Stories About Saints, Martyrs and Heroes) that Saint Patrick died March 17, 461, a day that has since borne his name. Patrick was born about 389 in Britain. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest. Roman protection of England had deteriorated, and bands of Irish invaders tormented coastal areas, pillaging farms, slaughtering villagers, kidnapping teens. Patrick was taken at age 16. The Irish farmer who bought him put him to tending sheep, and somehow through all this Patrick found Christ. “The Lord opened to me a sense of my unbelief, that I might be converted with all my heart unto the Lord.” 

Following a daring escape at age 22, Patrick returned home to joyous parents who prayed that he would never again leave. But Patrick’s heart burned for his captors, and one night he dreamt an Irishman was begging him to return and preach. After several years of Bible study, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. The Irish were almost wholly unevangelized at the time, worshiping the elements, seeing evil spirits in trees and stones, and engaging in magic, even in human sacrifice, performed by the druids. “It very much becomes us,” he said, “to stretch our nets, that we may take for God a copious and crowded multitude.” And so he did, planting 200 churches and baptizing approximately 100,000 converts, despite a dozen attempts against his life and violent opposition from civil authorities. In his Confessions, he wrote, I am greatly a debtor to God, who has bestowed his grace so largely upon me, that multitudes were born again to God through me. The Irish, who had never had the knowledge of God and worshipped only idols and unclean things, have lately become the people of the Lord, and are called sons of God. 

Think of the love this man had for God and also for his captors. Patrick would sense the call of God to a foreign land to share the good news of Christ with those living in darkness. He thought of others more highly than himself. He was willing to get out of his comfort zone and step out into a risky future. So, on this day of Irish celebration, how is God leading you to get out of your comfort zone? How will you take a risk for God and allow Him to work through you? Peter was called to step out of the boat and walked on water for a while (Matthew 14). How is God leading you? Remember, Peter would never had experienced the thrill of walking on the water had he not stepped out of the boat!

What we experience here in America on March 17 is a far cry from what I read about the real St. Patrick.

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