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Washing soles to save souls

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ...I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master... Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:14-17 NIV).

When we are looking for leaders at WCC we talk about the importance of them going through a "time of testing." One of the tests that we use is the test of sacrificial service. Will the person do whatever it takes or will there be certain tasks they consider too menial? If they won't stoop to serve, then we don't think they are ready to be lifted up to lead.

In Jesus' school of leadership, He modeled and taught His disciples to wash one another's feet. He taught them that in order to be leaders, they must first be servants. But He also taught them that there was a particular blessing for those who stooped to serve.

I believe there is a Christian habit or discipline here that Christ wants us to practice. It seems to me that there is something about sacrificial service that not only qualifies us for leadership and results in blessing, but it also causes us to grow up in our salvation, becoming more like Jesus.

I think we have to look for ways to offer sacrificial service. Is it working in the nursery, changing diapers? Is it serving on the WCC RoadCrew, setting up and tearing down on Sundays? Is it giving out bulletins or offering a greeting? Is it volunteering at the Wesley Shelter or Hope Station?

Or maybe it's like this church in Atlanta that I recently heard about... They really take sacrificial service seriously. They believe in washing soles to save souls.

Check out this video...

Who ya pullin' for?

"So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ" (Colossians 1:28 NLT).

"Hey Dad! Did you notice who's playing in the first round against UNC? It's your old alma mater, Radford. So, who ya pullin for?" (I received this via text message from my son earlier this week. He enjoys teasing me. I don't know where he gets this habit.)

"Aye, I'm a pullin for the Highlanders o' course." I responded with the appropriate Scottish burr in my thumbs as I "texted" (is texted a word?) him back.

We all know the score now. The number one ranked Tar Heels overwhelmed my Radford clan. I figured as much. This is only the second appearance Radford has made in the NCAA playoffs. The first time they drew Duke in the first round with similar results.

I believe that you have to pull for your team regardless of the odds though. I think most people agree. March Madness seems to bring everyone's passion to the surface. Being a basketball fan is a way of life living in North Carolina. People are wearing their colors and proclaiming their team everywhere you go around here.

And speaking of "everywhere you go," what about those first-century Christians? They were certainly passionate fans of Jesus. They wore their "colors" and proclaimed the Christ everywhere they went. They weren't ashamed of the King's team. For them, talking about Jesus was natural. It was a way of life.

I've noticed that the same people that paint their faces blue and yell fanatically can become strangely silent on the subject of faith. I wonder what it would look like if Christians learned to proclaim Christ as a way of life? Not screaming like a belligerent fan, but naturally talking about the King they love?

I wonder what it would look like for us to pull for the King everywhere we go as a way of life?

Of fish symbols and generosity

"You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ" (2 Cor. 9:13 NLT).

"How did work go today?" I asked my son, Jonathan, who works at a car wash in Raleigh trying to make a living while being a husband, an expectant father, and full-time seminary student at SEBTS in Wake Forest.

"Fine." He replied with his usual non-specificity.

"Any tips?" I asked (He makes most of his money on tips at the car wash).

"Yeah, some." He said. "It was a decent day."

"Who gives the best tips?" I questioned, hoping for a more inspiring dialogue.

"Well, I'll tell you who doesn't tip." He answered. "People with fish symbols on their car. They rarely if ever tip!"

"You're kidding." I said, hoping he was.

"Nope. If you see a car roll in with a fish symbol, you can be sure they will be the most likely to complain about a spot we missed and also the most likely to stiff you on the tip." He stated in scientific fashion, like a researcher who had obtained results that were disappointing.

"That makes me mad!" I exclaimed. "People should either pull those fish off of their bumpers or start giving generously like the Lord they say they follow!"

"Yep." My son replied, not seeing the need to add to my outburst.

I've been thinking about this conversation with my son a lot this week. So, this Sunday, as we continue our series on the Seven Habits of Growing Christians, we'll be looking at the "Habit of Gracious Giving."

I think it's time that Christians started being known more for their giving than their grumbling. Don't you?

So, either reel those fish in or start giving generously like Jesus! We should be the most generous "tippers" in America!

Tabernacle tribes that count

"So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. All the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle and for its transportation numbered 8,580. Each man was assigned his task and told what to carry, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses" (Numbers 4:46-49 NLT).

Numbers is an aptly named book. It is filled with counting. No one can say that God doesn't care about the details because this book proves otherwise. God cares deeply about the details, especially in regards to His Tabernacle. He even had certain groups or tribes of Israelites specially set apart for setting up and tearing down their place of worship.

Many WCCers have committed to read through the Bible in a year again this year. Our Old Testament reading this week has taken us through very detailed descriptions of how God wanted Moses to divide the people into small groups for fellowship and service. As I read, I couldn't help thinking about how much God still cares about who is in what group, and how important that group's work is to Him.

One group that God told Moses to set apart for service was the tribe of Levi. He wanted the Levites to be in charge of setting up, tearing down, carrying and caring for the Tabernacle. He told Moses to divide the tribe into smaller groups with specific assignments within the Tabernacle. Every piece of furniture, every curtain, every pole and pedestal had a detailed way to be handled and an assigned tribe and person to handle it.

When I visited Wayne Cordeiro's church in Oahu last year, I was overwhelmed with the number of workers it took to set up for their weekend services. Over 700 volunteers start working at Midnight every Friday evening and work all the way up until Saturday afternoon to prepare for their two Saturday night services and three Sunday morning ones. Appropriately, Wayne's church calls these workers, "Levites."

The pastor in charge of Wayne's Levites said, "These guys don't come out here with a sense of duty and dread. They love it! A cook who works at a restaurant gets off his shift and brings food for his crew. They set up and then they fellowship and pray together. Another group pauses to watch the sunrise and thank the Lord as they finish their setup shift. These people have a sense of calling."

I think God is still calling us to join "Tabernacle tribes" that count. He still calls people together in small groups for fellowship and service. We've been a church of small groups for 17 years now. We've been setting up and tearing down and carrying the Tabernacle to the next location. And God has taken notice. What we do and how we do it counts.

I'm fired up about how so many of our people are answering God's call to get into small groups and get busy doing God's work. We don't need 700 like Wayne or 8500 like Moses on our setup teams yet, but we're growing.

One number that really counts is your number. Have you joined those that God numbers among the faithful? Are you in a "Tabernacle tribe" that counts?