Things are about to get pretty busy here at Isaiah 6 Ministries! Our mission is to help others worship a great God by teaching His astonishing grace through music, speaking, and writing. We want no less than to see people delight in Jesus and worship Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Here’s some things that are happening:

Levendusky Trio

·    Next month, I’m getting back on the road to begin a busy summer of travel! Some highlights: In May, I’ll be leading worship at the National Day of Prayer in Albany on live radio. In June, Gracie and I will both be ministering at a music festival called Reignfest in Dolgeville, NY. In July, I’ll be going on a 10-day tour with my family (see below). In August, I’ll be traveling to a youth conference in Toronto.

·    We’ll be touring as a family part of this summer under the name “Levendusky Trio.” It’s such a blessing to be making music with my very talented wife and children! We just started an album this week called “Hourglass.” I can’t wait to show you the music!

·    I’m presently writing my father-in-law’s biography titled They Shall Be Healed: The Story of Ford Reynolds. This is going to be a powerful book for evangelism and building faith for divine healing!

·    I’ll be writing and releasing at least one more book and a compilation album of some of my best worship stuff from the last 14 years of ministry. Gracie will also be releasing more music this year.

·    Check out my website dereklevendusky.com. Watch videos, read blogs, listen to music, download a free chord chart!

We need your prayers and support to continue our mission! Please prayerfully consider giving a tax-deductible gift to help us. You can donate online right on this website or you can send your gift to:

Isaiah 6 Ministries
2314 Dutch Hollow Rd.
Avon, NY 14414

Thanks so much!

Derek Levendusky
director, Isaiah 6 Ministries

Think of Tom Hanks’ character in the movie Saving Private Ryan saying, “Earn this.” Think of the weeping old man, James Ryan, at the end of the movie begging his wife, “Tell me I’m a good man!” How many of us live our faith like this? There was only one man who “earned this.” Jesus, our Redeemer.

But even Jesus was tempted to be a legalist. In Matthew 4, the devil said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Satan was trying to get Jesus to find his identity in a supernatural work instead of in what was already true.

When it comes to legalists, I am king. For years, I wanted to be the most spiritual guy in the room. I was a champion of spiritual disciplines, praying an hour every day, reading the Bible through every year, witnessing once a day, and fasting weekly. I was sure this was how I kept God “pleased with me.” I drove my wife crazy, and drove others from me. It was only grace that allowed me to be smashed into a humiliating basket case, until I saw that it was all grace, and no Derek. I still struggle to keep my eyes on Christ and not on self, and must “die daily” to works-righteousness.

That said, I’m not intending to condemn anyone with this blog, but to encourage the honesty and repentance that has brought such freedom to my life.

Some signs that you’re a legalist.

1. This blog makes you uncomfortable.
Legalists squirm when someone begins to talk about legalism. Thinking they’re defending God and his holiness, they cry foul, try to shut to conversation down, with stern warnings about not turning grace into a license to sin. I’ve often had legalists say something like, “There’s too much talk in the church today about legalism.”

One common tactic legalists use when discussing legalism is to reduce it to initial salvation, claiming that any discussion about legalism during sanctification is irrelevant. I don’t get it. There are as many passages that talk about legalism during sanctification (Galatians 5, Romans 7, 1 John 4) as there are during salvation. Further, sanctification is part of salvation, isn’t it?

CJ Mahaney, author of The Cross-Centered Life, has one of the best definitions of legalism I’ve heard: “Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God.”

Under grace, the object of our faith is the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Under law, the object of our faith is our obedience. There’s nothing more destructive to the life of the Spirit than this kind of thinking. Under grace, obedience is a fruit, not a condition.

Struggling with legalism is an ongoing temptation for every believer, so please don’t pull the “it’s only about initial salvation” card. That just doesn’t square with Scripture.

2. You feel superior to others because of your theology, your good works, or your spiritual gifts.
Legalism puffs you up with pride over your (perceived) spiritual achievements. Good things can turn into filthy rags if we become arrogant: a good prayer life, missionary service, a Bible school degree, correct theology, what version of the Bible you read, or speaking in tongues or prophesying. The Bible condemns religious boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 5:26). Here’s some questions to ask yourself:

Do you feel superior or more spiritual than others because you pray more, fast longer, or worship louder? Do you find your identity in that? If you do, you are a legalist.

Do you feel superior because of your spiritual gifts? If you do, you are a legalist.

Do you boast about your spiritual disciplines or exploits? If you do, then you’re a legalist.

Creepy.

3.  You feel superior to others because of your personal preferences.
There are matters about which the Scripture has no clear teaching; areas that are left up to personal faith, conscience, and liberty under grace. These personal convictions may be very important to you and considered very good for you: homeschooling, abstinence from alcohol or smoking, entertainment choices, style of dress, tithing, etc. Though there’s nothing wrong with these things, the legalist turns conscience issues into issues of righteousness for others. I’ve gotten slammed by legalists over music I listen to, movies I’ve watched, drinking wine, or my views on tithing. Here’s some more questions:

Do you feel superior or more spiritual than others because of your personal preferences and convictions? Do you impose your views on others? If you do, you are a legalist.

Do you group yourself with others who share your personal preferences, and avoid those who don’t? If you do, you are a legalist.

Can you celebrate that under grace that God has given liberty to his children so that some may have different convictions and preferences (1 Corinthians 8, Romans 14) than you? If not, you’re a legalist.

4. You are self-righteous.
The problem with self-righteousness is that it’s a blind spot. It’s deception. Deceived people don’t know they’re deceived. You need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this within you, but I warn you: Don’t try to analyze yourself. You’ll probably end up patting yourself on the back for your humility. Ask someone else. Ask a sinner.

This is a deadly sickness. Tim Keller said, “Morality and religion can keep you just as far from God as immorality and irreligion.” Self-righteous people have a hard time when God doesn’t come through for them the way they thought he should when they’ve done everything he told them to do (like the older son in the prodigal son story). Self-righteous people have a hard time being merciful on those who commit gross sins (especially Christians) like fornication, adultery, porn addiction, or drunkenness. “I’d never do that!” they say, but what do you have that you did not receive? Aren’t all things from the Lord? Even your ability to abstain from sin is from the Lord! Here’s some questions:

Do you feel a strong sense of “justice” and condemnation toward someone in sin? Do you have a hard time being merciful? If you do, you’re a legalist.

Do you commend yourself and thank God that “I am not like that guy” when you see someone in sin? If you do, you’re a legalist.

Can you have a loving conversation with a sinner? If not, you’re a legalist.

5. You struggle with condemnation.
Yup. That’s right. Condemnation is a sign of legalism, too. It’s just arrogance in a costume. You still believe that God accepts you based on your works. You still don’t believe that the cross accomplished what the Bible says it accomplished. Both the self-righteous and the condemned measure themselves by works. The self-righteous person thinks they got over the bar. The condemned person thinks they didn’t. More questions:

Do you live with a sense of guilt and struggle under a weight of condemnation? If you do, you’re a legalist.

Do you apply a harsh standard to others, commending them when they perform and condemning them when they don’t? If you do, you’re a legalist.

The answer for all of this is the cross! Repent of works-righteousness and place your faith in Christ’s work, and not your own. Ask God to help you learn to live under grace. He is kind and loving, and you’ll find his grace abundant and wonderful; an endless fountain of life.

I'm actually just noticing my missing hat.

Thought I’d be able to pique some interest in this blog by the epic title. Who wouldn’t want to read about apocalyptic horses with names like Death, Doom, and Carnage? Surely this is a blog about the end times and the Book of Revelation!!

No.

It’s about three perversions of the gospel that do, in fact, bring spiritual death and carnage, but aren’t as obvious as three fiery horses riding through the sky, raised in the stables of the antichrist. Sorry to disappoint, but be assured, these horses are nevertheless deadly.

Horse #1: Dualism
Dualism sets separates the world into “sacred” and “secular,” suggesting that Christians must avoid all the evil “secular” stuff by withdrawing as much as possible from it into the “sacred” places. Culture is evil, sinners are shunned, and pleasure is sinful. This is extremely life-suppressing and destroys mission. It keeps God’s people in bubbles, far away from anywhere they might impact their communities.

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything within” (Psalm 24:1). The gospel is not life-suppressing, extracting us from secular spaces and things to live in a Christian utopia, but the gospel teaches us to enjoy all things God has given without stumbling into idolatry and sin, and orient all things for the glory of God. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). Through the cross, the temple veil was torn in two (Mark 15:38), meaning that God does not dwell in buildings, but in the hearts of those who live by faith. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Jesus was known as “the friend of sinners” (Luke 7:34). He was not afraid to enjoy life among those that the religious community considered to be “sinners.” He turned water into wine. He ate at their homes. He asked them to be in his ministry.

Jesus wants us to be like him.

Incarnational mission.

Go to the world. Be with them. Love them. Live life with them. Show them the Father.

Horse #2: Legalism
I’m pretty familiar with this one. It nearly killed me.

Perhaps it did.

Legalism is basing your relationship with God on your performance and not on the finished work of Jesus at the cross. Legalism is exactly as it sounds: a relationship based on legal terms. If you keep those terms, you are accepted. If you fail to keep those terms, you are rejected. The New Testament also calls it living “under law.” According to the Book of Colossians, it is our basic human instinct to be legalistic (Colossians 2:8). It also teaches us that legalism, not sinful indulgence, is the highest form of worldliness (Colossians 2:20-23).

Here’s the problem with legalism:

Jesus said, “It is finished.”

He paid the whole price. He did all the work. When you suggest that God accepts you based on your works, you deny the cross. “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21).

Our salvation and our standing before God are complete and secure through faith in Jesus, not our good works. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The tense of that should encourage you. It’s a done deal. You have peace with God. How?

By faith, not by works.

Faith in what?

Jesus and his work on the cross.

Legalism is the gospel of do. Grace is the gospel of done. It sows spiritual death throughout our whole spiritual lives, enslaving us to condemnation on one extreme, and pride on the other. Both of these extremes are symptoms of the same problem: legalism.

Oops...that's four horses, not three.

Horse #3: Pharisaism
Pharisaism is a form of legalism that results in causing someone, because of their perceived self-righteousness, to feel superior to another person. Pharisaism defines righteousness differently than God does. It calls righteous things unrighteous, and unrighteous things righteous. It turns issues of conscience into laws.

And it happens all the time.

Like Wyatt Earp coming to clean up the town, this kind of legalist steps into the room, pistol in hand, ready to shoot at anyone they deem unrighteous. In the end, they tear the church apart, causing division and strife.

Like a referee stepping on the playing field, they blow the whistle and throw the yellow “you love the world” flag. Anything that does not line up with their personal preferences is considered compromise, sin, and half-hearted Christianity.

We can all be “that guy.” I’ve certainly been that guy. I’ve thrown that flag many times when I shouldn’t have. I think that sometimes, in our zeal for holiness and hatred for sin, we strive in the flesh and unwittingly become that guy.

We have to be careful not to turn any good works we do, correct theology we believe, or personal preferences we have, into something that causes us to feel superior to someone else. It’s all grace. To be “gospel-centered” means we find our identity and righteousness, as the reformers would say, “In Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone.” This is something we strive for at the church I’m part of leading, GraceLife.

Let me talk about personal preferences and convictions. These are areas about which the Bible has no clear teaching, but are left to the liberty we have under grace to walk out in our own consciences: Things like entertainment choices such as music and movies, homeschooling, clothing styles, what version of the Bible you read, alcohol, end-time theology, etc.

These preferences and convictions can be very good and important to us, but the moment we make our preferences issues of righteousness for someone else, it’s Pharisaism. For example, my wife and I homeschool our kids (our oldest is now in public school). We think this is a great thing to do. However, we do not make this an issue of righteousness for other believers. But I’ve met some Christians who do. The minute someone does that, their gospel is now “Jesus plus homeschooling.” And this personal preference makes them feel superior to their brother or sister who does not practice it.

This is sin.

This is Pharisaism. Romans 14 teaches that we should love one another and not be divisive over differences in conscience.

Over the last year, I’ve been in many gospel battles, sometimes with people I love and respect dearly, who are blind to this form of legalism. They throw the “you love the world” flag over rock music, alcohol, smoking cigars, and entertainment choices. This week it was the fact that my kids and I saw The Hunger Games, and I posted something about how I expected that within the week mean-spirited Christians would begin to criticize other Christians who liked the film (sure enough…). Because I take a stand on thinking in a gospel-centered way about issues like these, I’ve been misunderstood, called arrogant (more than once), painted a dangerous or false teacher, and ostracized in some circles. It’s cost me a lot of friends, but I’m not complaining or playing martyr. This is part of being a preacher of grace.

I guess I continue to write, preach, and sing in the hopes that when I do, someone will catch a greater glimpse of the glory of grace, will be freshly encouraged, or will be lifted to a new song of worship. Maybe you are one of those people as you read this today, or maybe you love your horse, and I’ve upset you. Just know that, thankfully, the only one who doesn’t change in this kingdom is Jesus. The rest of us are under construction.

How to #dechurch a kid tip #1: Just turn Christianity into “gospel of do” instead of “gospel of done.”

How to #dechurch a kid tip #2: Be a hypocrite.

How to #dechurch a kid tip #3: When they sin, demand repentance. When you sin, don’t bother.

How to #dechurch a kid tip #4: Make your personal preferences like music and clothes issues of righteousness. Add them to the gospel!!

How to #dechurch a kid tip #5: When they sin, tell them how mad God is. (Ignore that Jesus took all God’s wrath on the cross already.)

How to #dechurch a kid tip #6: Don’t teach, but assume, the gospel.

How to #dechurch a kid tip #7: Turn the gospel into moralism. Tell them to “Do better” & “Try harder” not 2 trust in the power of the cross.

How to #dechurch a kid tip #8: Demonize culture and overshelter them. Withdraw into a hole and don’t come out except on Sunday.

After I posted tip #8, one woman asked me: “Can you explain a good balance on sheltering your kids and give me examples on demonizing culture? I homeschool, would love your insight.”

I thought some of you might be interested in reading my answer. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

My reply:
Sure! Heidi and I don’t believe that culture is evil, but neutral. Man can pervert it with sin, but culture is simply where we interact with our world. That said, Heidi and I practice moderation (Phil. 4:5, 1 Cor. 6:12) not abstinence. This gives us a chance to coach our kids through what they hear and see, recognize truth and lie, worldviews, and how to interact with culture. 1 Chronicles 12:32 mentions “sons of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” This is the fruit in children when we train them and trust that they don’t have a “junior Holy Spirit.” As you engage in culture…

1. Look for idols
Look for the things that people “attach happiness to” other than Christ and teach your kids to recognize them. Common idols: fashion, beauty, romance, friends, things, entertainment, etc. Seeing these in culture helps our children recognize them when they see them again, and especially in themselves. We often have the conversation after watching a movie or hearing a song: “What idols did we see in that song/movie?” When it comes to sensuality, we teach our children to recognize virtue vs. vanity. We tell our girls, “There’s a difference between being beautiful and being ‘hot.’”

2. Look for redemptive pictures
Don’t under-estimate God’s power to sanctify something. “The spiritual man appraises all things” (1 Cor. 2:15) and “to the pure all things are pure” (Titus 1:15). Look for good principles (forgiveness, honor, sacrifice, etc.), bad principles (selfishness, pride, etc.) and look for Christ pictures. You can turn a movie or song into a Deuteronomy 6 moment. I remember talking about the power of fear in Anakin during the Star Wars movies, overcoming fear in Batman, the lure of sin in Lord of the Rings. These things stick with our kids. Interestingly, even when we’ve made a “mistake” and let our kids see a movie that we regret, God redeems it through gospel-centered conversation. We’ve been delighted to see how our kids process it through Scripture, because we’ve trained them so often to do so.

I had a conversation recently with Gracie about a Demi Lovato song. Though the song is to a boy, we were able to sanctify it by seeing it through the eyes of Christ to a wayward believer. There’s a Kelly Clarkson song called “Before Your Love” that, when sung to Christ, is more moving than most stuff I hear on Christian radio.

Of course, we veto some stuff by saying “That’s not what our family is about” and they totally get it. Appeal to the Holy Spirit in them sometimes. I remember once asking a few of my kids about a show they were watching, “Is the Holy Spirit saying anything to you about this show?” They never watched it again.

Anyway…perhaps this has helped?

Listen to this original song recorded at Excel 2012 in Saratoga Springs, NY. Click here to download >> Complete in Christ chords.

What it comes down to is that our human nature wants to solve all of our problems with human intuition. God gave us intuition, to be sure, but this cannot be the gauge or means for acquiring biblical theology, especially when God himself said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Such words should cause us to concede that God often operates outside the realm of our human intuition. If His ways are higher, than we must concede that they are not found within the way we would normally act or think. Intuition is only useful if the Bible is our starting point, not the limits of human reasoning.

We in the western world are heavily influenced by Greco-Roman culture. One of the symptoms of this is that we solve everything through debate, carnal reasoning, and laboratories. The danger is that intellect and education become idols, and we reject, often with hostility, anything we can’t fully comprehend with our minds.

The writers of the Bible didn’t live in such an environment. The Hebrews were content not having all the answers and living by faith (Job 38). Paul the Apostle didn’t attempt to answer all the questions he himself had, and was satisfied leaving some things in the realm of mystery (Rom. 9:19-20).

They understood that we can’t fully grasp God’s math. There are certain things we must accept as true even though we can’t fully comprehend them with human intuition. We already do this in the natural (time and space); then why is it so hard to do it with spiritual things?

God’s Math:

The Trinity
The Bible teaches that God is one God, but is eternally expressed in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Isaiah 6:8, Matt. 3:13-17, Matt. 28:19-20). Human intuition says, “I get it! God is 33% the Father, 33% the Son, 33% the Holy Spirit.” Nope. Here’s God’s math:

1 + 1 + 1 = 1

He’s fully the Father, fully the Son, fully the Holy Spirit simultaneously. Human intuition also might say, “Well, I believe in three ‘manifestations’…God did express himself as Father, Son, Holy Spirit, but never at the same time because that doesn’t make sense.” This is called modalism and is not Christianity. It undermines the nature of God, the biblical Jesus, and is a departure from orthodox Christian faith.

We have to put this one in the box that says, “I Believe It’s True But Do Not Fully Comprehend It.”

The Incarnation
The Bible teaches that Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:1-2, Phil. 2:6, Col. 1:13-20). This is called the Incarnation. He was God and man. Human intuition says: “I get it. Maybe something like 75% God and 25% man?” Nope. Here’s God’s math:

100% God and 100 % man simultaneously

Box: “I Believe It’s True But Do Not Fully Comprehend It.”

Sovereignty of God, Human Responsibility
Wars have been waged over whether God is sovereign and predestines all things (Eph. 1:11) or whether man has a free will. I would say, as Wayne Grudem says, “That depends on what you mean by free will.” If you believe that God has no power to move the heart of a person to do His will, this simply does not square with Scripture (Romans 9:16-18, Acts 13:48). But if we’re talking about real choices with real consequences, then yes, we have “free will.” But if you’re suggesting that we have a “free will” outside of God’s sovereign will, then no, there is no such “free will” taught in Scripture. I personally don’t use the term “free will” because it’s not in the Bible, nor is it implied as a biblical reality (i.e. I use “Trinity” because it’s clearly implied). I simply say “freedom” though this freedom is never outside of the sovereign will of God. This idea is called “concurrence.” It’s the concept that man is responsible and God is sovereign. Both are true. There is no case in Scripture for either extreme of fatalism or dismissing God’s omnipotence.

God’s math:

God 100% sovereign, Man 100% responsible simultaneously

Box: “I Believe It’s True But Do Not Fully Comprehend It.”

Whether it comes to the Trinity, the Incarnation, or God’s Sovereignty vs. Man’s Freedom, we must begin with the Bible, not human intuition. Worse than starting with intuition, we must not base what we believe on our feelings, which further complicates human intuition. This creates a very dangerous brand of feeling-driven Christianity. For example, one might say, “I just don’t like the idea that God would send anyone to hell!” Such a one “intuitively” believes in God’s love (which is real) but then perverts that love into universalism that has absolutely no foundation in Scripture. Another might say, “I just can’t accept that God would choose some and not choose others.” Does your objection make your view true? Set your assumptions and anger aside, and study the Bible. Give it time to speak to you. In the end, we find very real mystery among very real truth, our awe of God increases, and we are no longer in bondage to carnal reasoning like the world is. God’s math begins to make sense when we live by faith.

This topic is of crucial importance. We live in amazing times. We are literally on an off-ramp of an era that has lasted for over 1700 years*. When Constantine declared Christianity the church of Rome in 313 AD, the age of “Christendom” began. This blurred lines between state, church, and culture, essentially placing the church at the center of society. This was good and bad. It certainly created grand cathedrals and large congregations, but it also created the possibility of a Christian faith that was cultural and not actual. However, over the last 250 years (and especially the last 50), the western world has moved out of the Christendom age into the post-modern, post-Christian era. The western church as a whole, however, is not seeing this shift and is still trying to assert itself as the center of society, failing to see that our society isn’t paying attention. The Body of Christ must recognize this shift, and keep in step with the Spirit. The church must return to it’s primal state, where it is defined more by its mission than by its buildings, just like the early church was.

On a more personal note, this conversation about missional church has largely taken place outside the charismatic movement, a movement that I grew up in, and still have many ties and friends in. This has left many charismatic pastors lost without a compass, attempting to implement archaic or dysfunctional methods and frustrated with the results.

So let’s dive in, but first, a few disclaimers.

First of all, the term “missional” was hijacked by the Emergents (as opposed to “emerging”). To the Emergent, the missional church tends to refer solely to social justice and has no gospel-preaching mandate. To be truly missional means that the gospel is the center of the mission. So please don’t be put off by the term itself if your understanding of the term is liberal.

Second, I do not intend to indict any friends or enemies with this blog. I’m just trying to describe the missional church as I understand it.

So what is it?

Linear vs. Heirarchal*
The missional church must begin with a gospel-centered theology. That means that grace shapes the entire culture. This results in an ecclesiology (how a church gathers) that is far more linear than heirarchal. Because the missional church understands grace, it also understands the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). It understands that we’re all sheep, from the pastor to the baby Christian. It understands that Christ Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and though there are under-shepherds (pastors, elders, deacons, etc.), all are still sheep (Hebrews 13:20). The elder (pastor) sees himself at the bottom of a pyramid, serving, helping, building up to spiritual maturity, not creating a heirarchy where he is at the top, creating a co-dependent culture where those below access God from those above.

Typically the heirarchal church model is heavily-influenced by the secular corporate culture. The senior pastor is the CEO star and genius and everyone on staff and in the pews strive to make the organization a success. The missional church tends to have a functional plurality of leaders who seek to build a series of discipling communities.

Incarnational vs. Attractional*
The missional church seeks to “incarnate” Christianity through a series of loving, relational, authentic communities and by seeping into every nook and crack of society for the sake of the gospel. This stands in contrast to the attractional church, which tends to be Sunday service-driven, reaching people through its highly-produced gathering in a religious environment. In a sense, the missional church says “Go!” and the attractional church says “Come!” Buildings are crucial for the attractional church, where the missional church can function with or without one. This is not to say that Sunday services are unnecessary or unattractive for the missional church, but they are not the primary organizing structure—the missional communities are.

An example of incarnational versus attractional at GraceLife is an event we’re hosting called “Avon Live.” This is an open-mic night that we’ve opened up to artists, poets, and thinkers far and wide. We are strictly trying to avoid the typical attractional mentality of being a “Christian coffee house” because we simply want to engage our community relationally by setting them up to look good. A classy local restaurant (Avon Inn) has opened their doors wide for this event, shutting down their dining room for the night so we can take it over. They make good money from us, have lots of exposure, and we get to meet people from the community. Our rules are: “No preaching” and “Anything goes” (within moral reason).

We’ve been contacted several times by well-meaning Christian artists looking to be our feature artist for the night, but creating a “churchy” environment is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. We don’t mind Christian singers sharing their music or even sharing a testimony, but we want them to contribute as a member of the community, not as a church talent show. By creating a “proximity space” where the church and the world can collide*, we’re creating an environment where relationships can begin and the gospel can be seen and heard.

Another family in our church community just opened a bakery to be missional (Sweet Arts in Avon). One of our elders and a friend started a baseball team in a local Rochester league. I’ve heard of others in missional movements opening shoe stores, art galleries, running support groups for alcoholics, etc.

Culture vs. Programs
The missional church seeks to have as a culture that which the attractional church has as a program. Where community might be a polished program of small groups in the attractional church, the missional church seeks nothing but authentic, and sometimes sloppy, community. The same can be said of evangelism. I recently said to the believers at GraceLife, “Do you really think that when Acts 2 says ‘house to house’ that it means the early church had a community group program? I really doubt it. They liked each other! They wanted to be together. They had authentic community that flowed so effortlessly that they literally began to do life together.” This so profoundly affected their worlds that people were coming to Christ every day (in the early church). That means the gospel was preached every day through missional community.

May the Lord lead us and give us “grace for grace” that we might find ourselves in the rhythm of the Spirit. These are exciting and sobering times, and I’m aware that some will not make the change because “that’s not how things were done in the past.” Others are so committed to mortgages, institutions, and traditions made of men that it will be impossible to make the shift. But in the end, Jesus said he would build his church and I’m quite sure he’ll do just that in exactly the way he wants.

Here’s some tweets I posted during this last week as I’ve meditated on missional church:

The #missionalchurch seeks to assimilate itself into society for the sake of the gospel, not separate itself for the sake of religion.

The #missionalchurch sees discipleship as something that happens in the context of community, not simply by “professional” clergy.

The #missionalchurch is a return to primal Christianity before the age of cathedrals and heirarchies. #gracelife

The #missionalchurch isn’t about visiting Jesus on Sunday morning, but is the incarnation of Christianity in real community. #gracelife

The #missionalchurch says “go” not “come.” #gracelife

The #missionalchurch is defined more by its beatitudes than by its building. #gracelife

Acts 2:42-47: The #missionalchurch is not a community group program, but a culture of relationship and community. #gracelife

* I gained some insights from the book The Shape of Things to Come, by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

The Lord was not in the earthquake.

He was in the low whisper.

I believe we’re in a day when we need to hear that low whisper.

A quiet revival.

Some will miss this revival because it doesn’t have the fireworks and trumpets they might expect.

After years of experience in the charismatic-pentecostal movement, I found that “we had a good meeting” was often defined by an emotional climax at some point during the gathering, usually during worship or during an altar call. Sometimes, the preacher would incite the crowd until it seemed to be achieved. We shouted, we wept, we got excited, we were inspired, we “met with God.” We had a “good meeting.”

Though I’m in no way undermining the need to experience God (nor writing off all that happened in those meetings), I do think it’s easy in such an environment to become an experience-driven Christian. Unwittingly, a lower view of Scripture sets in, at least in practice, and the marks of true faith, it is thought, are zeal, visible passion (“fire”), and pursuit of these experiences.

Some call this revival.

But as I study church history, and observe what is happening in our day, I see a different kind of revival. Though the 18th Century Revival (the U.S. and the U.K.), for example, did have spiritual and emotional manifestations, these were often considered a sideshow and were surrounded by controversy. The real mark of this revival was gospel truth exploding in the hearts of hearers as the likes of George Whitefield, John Wesley, Gilbert Tennant, and Jonathan Edwards preached. Whitefield preached “the new birth”; Wesley preached “the witness of the Spirit”; Tennant preached “love to Christ”; Edwards preached “sin and grace.” All preached the finished work of Christ.

Biblically, what is the fruit of a real move of God when the gospel is preached?

Paul said, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5, NASB). The marks of a gospel-revival?

Love from a pure heart.

A good conscience.

A sincere faith.

This is the quiet revival. It’s not as flamboyant, demonstrative, and Hollywood as some would hope. It’s the inward work of grace transforming the heart, rescuing it from fear of punishment (1 John 4:16-18), from condemnation (Romans 8:1), from pride (Galatians 2:21), and from vanity (John 5:41). It’s the joy of sonship (Galatians 4:6-7) and true worship (John 4:23).

Some who experience this quiet revival may have previously known guilt for not fitting into the frenzy that sometimes accompanies the experience-driven worlds. But when revelation comes, and they place their faith in the finished work of Christ, all is at rest. They finally find the solace of mind and heart they seek. And then true worship begins. Love emerges and all its fruits. But those requesting signs may dismiss such a work. They cannot hear the thunder, see flashes of lightning, or feel the earthquake. But the Lord was in the gentle whisper.

Does that mean we shouldn’t pursue experiences with God? Of course not, but if we will obsess more about being gospel-centered than about euphoric experiences, we’ll find that there is an “experience” that is so real, so deep, and so permanent when we see the glory of the finished work of the cross that all else will pale. Further, anything we do experience will only build on the gospel’s work in our lives, not replace it.

Perhaps some in the church have become obsessed with miracles, signs, and wonders because they’ve failed to see the glory of the gospel itself? When we fail to see the beauty, magnificence, and glory of the gospel, it becomes necessary to replace it with other obsessions. This will only lead to emptiness, no matter how good in its own right a sign or a wonder may be. Such gospel-omission is what gives rise to many of the trends in the church today.

Paul said, “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24, NASB).

As in Paul’s day, we have those who pursue signs and those who split theological hairs thinking they’ll attain special knowledge, but Paul puts the cookies on the low shelf when he says, “We preach Christ crucified.” He points to the gospel as the thing that will really provide what all search for: the life of the Spirit.

Join this quiet revival by rejecting every other affection that may capture your imagination, and make your great goal to understand this simple concept that bears infinite glory: Jesus Christ crucified. Then enjoy the journey of vista after vista of discovering the grace of God. Then, when you smile at the thought of it, and someone asks you what they are seeing, just tell them you are experiencing revival. A quiet one.

Order Derek’s book Discipleship By Grace at www.amazon.com.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Jesus made this thing simple.

The arrogance of man made it complex.

Pride loves complexity because it creates elitism, special knowledge, and hierarchies; pyramids that give a high perch and lots of control to the one who has accomplished the most.

But that’s not the gospel.

That’s not Jesus Christ.

That’s not the spirit of true Christian faith.

Beware the center.

What’s in the center of the gospel? Paul taught nothing more than “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:17-23). To be gospel-centered means that Christ’s finished work on the cross ALONE is the center…nothing more, nothing less. We add nothing to the cross to determine or define our righteousness, but rest our faith in the simple fact that God accepts us based on our trust in Christ’s work.

Paul took this gospel to Galatia, where he battled false teachers who believed that we must add circumcision to the center.

Jesus plus circumcision.

Paul, like a furious father protecting his children, refuted their teaching and reminded the Galatians of the grace to which they were called when he said, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:21).

Jesus plus nothing.

To be gospel-centered means we keep “extrabiblical excess” away from the center. By “extrabiblical” I don’t mean “unbiblical” but I’m referring to things that would fall under the category of personal convictions and beliefs about which the Scripture has no clear teaching. These are personal areas left up to liberty and conscience. When these things are brought to the center and made one of the pillars of the gospel, it creates legalisms, divisions, and splits.

Jesus plus wear a head covering.

Jesus plus don’t have a TV.

Jesus plus homeschooling.

Jesus plus be a republican.

Jesus plus pre-tribulation rapture.

Jesus plus don’t listen to secular music.

Jesus plus don’t drink alcohol.

Jesus plus tithing.

Jesus plus pray an hour every day.

And the list goes on and on and on.

This has an enormous bearing on how we relate to other Christians. If we allow areas of personal conviction or conscience into the center, we remove Christ from the center. It becomes about our work and not His work. Love is now conditional. Fellowship is a minefield.

One of my heroes, Great Awakening preacher George Whitefield, would often say, “We will love all those who love Christ, even though we disagree on some points.”

At GraceLife, our new church plant, we are asking the Lord for his grace to help us build a gospel-centered community on a mission together. But if we don’t embrace the simplicity and purity of the gospel ourselves, how can we complete our mission? That’s why it’s important to constantly exalt Christ and His finished work among us every chance we get. We believe that even as we teach practical Christianity, it’s important to connect every message to Christ. Otherwise, we’re just moralists introducing another gospel, and if we’re not careful, another Jesus.

I’m on the gospel-centered train not because it’s cool or trendy, but because it’s true. It’s biblical. Anything else is just traditions of men.

Check out Derek’s book Enoch Walked With God.

To be specific, my personal policies were that I would attempt to read the Bible through every year, witness to at least one person every day, fast once a week, give at least 10% of my income, and pray an hour every day.

But the things that were supposed to give life brought death.

Any work, no matter how good it is in its own right, if performed under law, will sow death and not life (Romans 7:9).

Then I died. I went through the worst wilderness of my life. Depression. Anxiety disorder. The brink of insanity. Uselessness in ministry. Public humiliation. And worst of all, what seemed to be the disappearance of God in my life.

But God was merciful to me and opened my eyes to grace.

When I began to live under grace, all things began to change for me. When it comes to spiritual disciplines, the whole face of my experience was transformed from rigid ritualism to pure passion. I began to see a delight-driven way that was far removed from the lifeless legalism that I’d known.

When under grace, the law does not dictate your course. The Holy Spirit does. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” says Romans 8:14.

For a time, I had to set my personal disciplines aside because they had become such a self-righteous pursuit. I trusted in them and my work rather Christ and his work. They were death to me. Perhaps I should more accurately say…I was death to me because I trusted in my zeal and works.

Under grace, the Holy Spirit began to restore spiritual disciplines to my life, but all was new and wonderful. Fear and pride were replaced by love. And duty was replaced by delight. That’s what I wanted to communicate to you this round.

God wants us driven by delight–but not merely our delights, mind you. His delight!

When we live under grace and not under law (Romans 6:14), the Holy Spirit places God’s desires in us. Psalm 34:7 shows us this when it says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

This doesn’t mean that God will give you whatever thing you want, but that God will give you your wants! He will give you HIS desires.

This is why we see Scripture often mentioning God’s generosity in fulfilling our desire. The Scriptures presume that it is God’s desires within us that we seek to see fulfilled. They are planted in our hearts by His grace.

“Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:30, emphasis mine)

“Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24, emphasis mine)

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7, emphasis mine)

When I saw all this, I began to approach prayer, Bible reading, fasting, and evangelism according to my desire. Here’s how these areas were affected:

Bible Study
I stopped ritualistic Bible reading and I began to study passages that I desired to study. Bible study is like an appetite. If you go to the kitchen at midnight for a snack, you’re going to eat what you want, right? It’s not different with the Bible. What are you hungry to learn about? In my journey through the wilderness, I was starving to learn about God’s grace, so I began to devour passages like Galatians 5 and Romans 8. It was my desire. It was my delight! (I included “Steps to a Delight-Driven Bible Study” from my book Discipleship By Grace at the end of the blog.)

Prayer
I stopped praying the daily laundry lists and began to pray my desires. C.S. Lewis talked about delight-driven prayer when he said, “We must lay before him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” On days when I didn’t have a lot of prayer requests, I wouldn’t put pressure on myself to gab at the mouth before God, and would sit in silence or just worship.

Likewise, evangelism, fasting, and financial giving were saturated with the delights of my heart. I want to encourage you to allow your pursuit of God to be delight-driven. Pray your deepest passions and desires. Study what you’re hungry for. Reach out to others when moved by love not law. Give your offerings cheerfully. May you know the joys of being driven by delight.

Steps to “Delight-Driven” Bible Study
1. Choose a verse or passage that interests you.
2. Get a notebook and designate it for Bible Study.
3. Write the passage reference on the top of the first page.
4. Pray David’s Prayer in Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your Law.”
5. Write the first verse on the top of the page.
6. Read enough of the passage to gain the context.
7. Make your personal observations. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
8. Study words or phrases that raise questions or interest.
9. Read some commentaries and write anything down that speaks to you.
10. Discuss the passage with your close friends or family. You will naturally begin to meditate on the verse if you study it and it will naturally become a topic of your conversations.
11. Do not move on until you fully understand the entire verse. This may take days or weeks. Don’t feel pressure to move on.