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Cancerous Christianity

Posted by Michael Breznau on 9:23 pm in Bible Study, Podcast, Sermons | 4 comments

Cancer. That one, singular word cuts into the fabric of our lives with fear and anxiety, doesn’t it? Every person knows someone who has battled against cancer; perhaps you know one who is in the middle of the fight right now. This lethal, fearsome disease is waging war against their body, seeking to wrack their frame with total destruction.

Or maybe you are that ‘someone,’ and you’re in the fight right now or you just got a clearance letter from your doctor stating life might finally return to normal. Undoubtedly, cancer is an insidious and terrifying illness that clear-cuts a wide swath of victims of all ages and backgrounds every year.

The Difference that Equals Destruction

But why does cancer bring such devastation upon the human body? It all comes down a very simple difference that equals destruction. Some define cancer cells simply as, “free, independent radicals that want to break away from other normal cells and go unregulated. Wikipedia’s definition echoes the same idea: “Cancer cells are cells that grow and divide at an unregulated, quickened pace.”

Characteristics of Normal Cells (from Cancer Research UK)

Normal body cells have a number of important characteristics. They can…

• Reproduce themselves exactly
• Stop reproducing at the right time
• Stick together in the right place
• Become specialized or ‘mature’

How Cancer Cells are Different

Cancer cells are different to normal cells in several ways. They don’t die if they move to another part of the body and…

• Cancer cells don’t stop reproducing (they continue out of control)
• Cancer cells don’t obey signals from other cells
• Cancer cells don’t stick together
• Cancer cells don’t specialize, but stay immature

The end result: Cancer cells bring utter destruction to the human body. They don’t want to live in the place where they belong. They want to do things their own way…

My Way and the Highway to Chaos

We all want our own way; don’t we? We think we know what is best for our lives. Why should we follow someone else’s advice? We know what we like and dislike, so why should somebody tell us differently?

Popular culture tells us, “Have it Your Way” (thank you, Burger King). Frank Sinatra sang, “I did it my way!” The very idea having getting “our way” seems to feel and sound so right.

But then we open our Bibles, begin following Jesus, gather with other Jesus-followers – and what inevitably happens?! Things don’t go our way. People don’t treat us the way we like. Awkward moments occur when we have to sit next to people we don’t even know (God forbid!). The music isn’t our style, the food is stale, the carpet color is horribly out-of-date, the pastor preaches way too long, and people don’t smile enough…

And so we shout, “I’m not getting what I want, so I’m going to complain until I get what I want or I’m just going to leave.”

And we shake our fists, open our mouths, flap our gums (me included), and treat the God-appointed leaders over us like waiters at a 1 star family diner, who are not giving us the right meal that we think we ordered, paid for, and need (right now).

But the local church is not a restaurant; it’s a family. And just like free radicals – cancer cells – destroy the human body, so complaining, individualistic, independent Christians destroy churches every day.

Even deeper, what does our complaining say about how we think about God? Perhaps something like this, “Maybe God, you’ve given me what I need, but I don’t trust You to give me the leaders, satisfaction, and fun that I want.” Ultimately complaining seems to say, “God isn’t really all that good…I trust my opinion about what’s right for me, rather than what God has set for me.” And the cancer sets in and slowly turns out of control.

God’s Mission, Our Way?

Don’t skip this: there are actions, attitudes, and words you and I can use or engage in that are cancerous to the Body of Christ, the Church.

There are actions, attitudes, and words you and I can use that bring destruction rather than life – that tear down and divide rather than build up and unite.

And it all comes down to this simple question:

Our way or God’s way? Which mission are you on? We are all on a mission, but the question is, “Whose mission?” Your way or God’s way? Are you Dividing or Uniting?

Two Contexts. One Problem.

Philippi: The believers in Philippi, “evidently were complaining (to God and each other) and arguing (with each other). As a result they were not ‘without fault’ among the unregenerate; they were not shining like stars in their world (2:15). The Philippian assembly needed to show themselves as united and as one in Christ. Non-Christians were not being attracted to Him by the saints’ strifes and contentions.” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Philippians, 655-56). Therefore, Paul challenged them to deal with their complaining and arguing for a very specific reason and the same message connects with us today with incredibly relevance. So let’s turn to Philippians 2:14-18… [Part 1: Cancerous Christianity: When Dividing Overrules Uniting.] 

Corinth: The church in ancient Corinth was in an environment and culture not a lot different than our own. Immorality, sexual promiscuity, drunkenness, early forms of narcotics, religious pluralism, prostitution, etc… all were prevalent in Corinth. The people did life their way. Debauchery and depravity and self-centeredness were the name of the game. But then the Gospel message entered the picture and men and women started turning to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, hope, and eternal life, and their lives were radically changed.

And yet, they still were prone to act, think, and talk like they were still entrenched in their previous way of life – doing it their way. And so the apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write so that their progressive sanctification would be aligned with their positional sanctification. In other words, they had been declared “right” in God’s sight through Jesus’ work on the Cross, but their lives still shouted out that they needed to rehearse the Gospel and live righteously for God’s glory – every single day.

They were doing life their own way, and what’s the first example? They were dividing. There was a cancer spreading in the Corinthian church that could bring destruction. Dividing was overruling their unity in Jesus Christ. And the same actions, attitudes, and words can also take over like cancer among us, too. So let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:10-17… [Part 2: Cancerous Christianity: When Dividing Overrules Uniting]

Listen to the full audio messages entitled Cancerous Christianity – Parts 1 and 2 by simply clicking on the play buttons below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Sunday evening Jan. 12th and Jan. 19th, 2014.

Cancerous Christianity - Part One [ 29:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (693)

Cancerous Christianity - Part Two [ 35:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (184)

Peace in Chaos: A Christmas Poem

Posted by Michael Breznau on 2:05 pm in Devotionals, Story Time | 2 comments

_____________________________

We’re praying you have a hope-filled and blessed Christmas season and a wonderful New Year.

Merry Christmas from the Breznau clan!

Help for the Small-Church Pastor

Posted by Michael Breznau on 5:32 pm in Book Reviews, Church & Praxis | 0 comments

Book Review by Michael J. Breznau, Th.M.: Steve R. Bierly, Help for the Small-Church Pastor: Unlocking the Potential of your Congregation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995).

In this “results” driven age of church growth seminars and attention grabbing methodology, it would seem that a small church pastorate might equate as failure in the eyes of many recent seminary graduates. However, as Steve Bierly helpfully points out in his short yet poignant work: Help for the Small-Church Pastor,[1] even the smallest congregation can fulfill the biblical purpose for the local church and honor God in their ministry. Yes, some grandiose programs and outreach projects run by much larger flocks may be impossible, but this does not mean that a small church is less valuable or less pleasing to God.

Central to Bierly’s thesis is the concept that the small church should be likened to the foreign mission field (p. 23-4). Thus to implement the ecclesiological strategies of those outside of the small church culture and context will most often end in disaster (p. 24). The seminary professor or mega-church leader purporting tactical, numerical growth methodology through strict, logical steps may find it feasible in a particular context (perhaps metropolitan). However, to directly transfer these same ideas to the world of the small church is analogous to a mid-western American missionary expecting his church plant in Africa to look, sound, and operate just like his home church back in the West. While the same truths and biblical principles govern both congregations, the manner of application most often is entirely different.

Loving All the Sheep

In the same way as missionaries must adapt to the new, foreign context, Bierly makes it clear that both the pastor and the congregation should realize their place in God’s plan and respond to their situation correctly. First, he illustrates the two most common responses to the context of a small church: (1) the pastor escapes the challenge by simply “getting out” or (2) the pastor moves forward with ministry realizing his parishioners to be “beloved and valuable” brethren in Christ (p. 10-11). Each of Bierly’s points is heavily illustrated by true, everyday stories, and this first issue is no exception. He relates how one older pastor counseled him to “get out” of the small church he was shepherding, remarking on his own severe dissatisfaction with tiny congregations. Yet as a counter point, the author tells how another recently retired pastor, who had led small churches his whole ministry, exuded an entirely different perspective. Instead of viewing the unique struggles and challenges of that environment to be hostile towards advancing God’s kingdom, this elder chose to rejoice in each difficulty and fostered strong relationships with his congregants. As a result, his lifetime of small church ministry was marked by the life-changing love of Christ.

While a myriad of other illustrative examples fill a good portion of the remaining pages, this latter response is essentially held up as the prime benchmark to follow. Therefore, with this renewed perspective in mind, Bierly sets out to explain just how one can follow in the steps of this faithful and fulfilled small church pastor. Gleaning from his lifetime spent in small churches and the preceding eleven years as a pastor of the same, he remarks that the first step towards this end is to have a correct understanding of what God thinks about small churches. He states, “I believe God looks at the small church and sees much good there. He calls leaders to discover and focus on that good and to find ways to strengthen and increase it (p. 12).” Thus in an effort to encourage pastors toward this goal, he essentially outlines the main body of his work in alignment with these themes of discovery, focus, strengthening etc.

Bierly does an excellent job bringing the many advantages of the small church setting to the fore, while being wholly realistic in his expectations. His stories clearly show that he has been involved in or aware of a significant number of disputes and difficulties. However, for all the challenges found in small churches, he successfully makes a case for their biblical validity and unique value in the sight of God. The differences between the small and larger church are many, yet Bierly also points out that most of them may be thought of as special advantages for the pastor. Whether it may be the ability to know every parishioner or even to commune truly as a “family,” these opportunities can result in great blessing for both the pastor and his people (e.g. chap. 4).

No doubt difficulties will come (as they will in a large church as well), and this book is replete with negative examples. However, the author convincingly demonstrates through positive illustrations just how one might “redeem” a tough situation. For instance, a youthful and enthusiastic pastor may arrive at a small, older congregation with dozens of “new” and “recently proven” ideas. Most often this established church will resist many if not every single “new” idea presented. However, if the young pastor wisely studies the church’s history, he may likely find a time long ago when something “new” was successfully presented and implemented (p. 62-4, 97). If he lovingly and carefully demonstrates the parallels between the past and the present, some of his newer ideas are far more likely to be accepted.

In keeping with the main thesis of discovering and strengthening the “good” found in the small church context, Bierly offers four helpful principles for those leading small congregations. These primarily involve attentiveness, relevance, patience, and helpfulness (p. 82-86). Encapsulating all four of these ideas is the simple word: love. On this key term Bierly rests his case. He writes, “Organisms will only prosper in healthy environments that are conducive to growth. The healthiest environment for the church is love. Love begins with the leaders” (p. 99). Thus the central admonishment to those serving in the small church context is to self-sacrificially love those whom God has placed under their leadership. To this end Bierly makes not only a strong case from personal experience but also from the Word of God (p. 103-104 cf. John 4:21; 1 Cor 4:14-15; 2 Cor 1:23-24; 6:11-13; Gal 4:12-16, 19; Phil 1:7-8, 16; 2:1-2; 4:1; 1 Thess 2:7-12; Phil 8-11, 19-20). Regardless of the size of the congregation a pastor is to shepherd with love for each individual. He is to think of his church as a blessing rather than a burden (p. 103). This attitude and perspective in the ministry is only possible through the Spirit’s power and the application of wise and godly counsel. Here Bierly has presented just that – wise and godly counsel for those who wish to glorify God and serve others through pastoral ministry in the context of a small church.

Critical Interaction and Evaluation

This book could essentially be understood to contain two major themes or theses. The first is a negative warning: the strategies and methodological instructions of those outside the small church context (i.e. seminary professors or large/mega-church leaders) will not work when applied to a congregation of lesser size (p. 9-10, 15-24). The second is a positive exhortation: the small church is pleasing and valuable to God and can fulfill the biblical role and purpose of the church regardless of its size (p. 12, 41, 74-5). Furthermore, leaders who realize their parishioners to be beloved brethren in Christ will discover many excellent ways whereby they can together see lives transformed by the power of the Gospel.

The first major thesis, which warns those attempting to apply mega-church methods to the small church context, is a much-needed admonishment in our time. All too often the young and enthused storm into aging congregations as bullying change agents, without any mandate to do so.[2] While there are some smaller churches which desire rapid and drastic change, most do not. Bierly contends that small churches are like big families that wish everything would just operate as usual and where everyone may enjoy the traditions they have always enjoyed (e.g. chap. 3).

As previously mentioned, he draws an analogy between church-growth methodology and missionaries vociferously applying western concepts to a distinctly different foreign setting. This analogy however, only works in a basic way for the author’s purposes. He can simply and only point out that those in a small church context must consider information from other settings or situations in need of translation per se, before it can be utilized. Unfortunately, he does not adequately qualify this first thesis until the appendix section (cf. p. 111). Thus readers could be left wondering if any suggestions or pointers from “outside” the small church context are worthwhile. Bierly seems to allude to the contrary as the book goes on, however, this issue is not satisfactorily addressed. Certainly, there are some methods that work in a western church setting that may also work in a foreign missionary setting as well. It is not coherent to rule out all outside information and methodology as “alien” and therefore unworkable.

In continuing the contrast between large-church and small-church methodology, Bierly puts forth that small-church pastors are predominantly in the “people business” (p. 33-5). Such is often why the “B” or “C” seminary students are often far more successful in ministry than those who consistently receive “A’s”. The author points out that the “C” student is probably so because he spends more time with people than with books (p. 35). He is more “relational than rational”. In much the same way, a successful pastor must be a people person, a shepherd who expends a great deal of time and energy for his sheep. In this way, a small church has a unique advantage over the larger fellowship, so says Bierly. Such a pastor has the opportunity to know every single parishioner. Thus he commends pastors to understand and apply this opportunity to their ministry.

The only minor fallacy in this argument is again, what goes unstated. The author does not explain that most pastors of medium or even mega-sized churches are also much more relational rather than rational. It would seem that the large-church pastor has the opportunity to study alone in his office to the exclusion of everyone else, only to prepare for that “perfect, flawless” message on Sunday morning. Such an idea is obviously not the case at all. In fact some large-church pastors may be required to be even more relational than their small-church counter-parts. Although Bierly presents an important warning to those entering the small-church pastorate, he does not provide enough solid balance to his argument in this regard. Instead, his first thesis is supported by dozens of short stories that seem to hold up his viable exhortation on fluffy-white, cumulous clouds.

Unlike the first thesis, the second exhortation consists of a much more exegetical and balanced structure. Short stories still abound and surround this portion of the book with helpful and interesting tidbits of information. But again they seem far too numerous in places and are used to support his argument rather than illustrate it. Besides this weak joint, Bierly successfully contends that the small church is indeed pleasing and valuable to God and can fulfill the biblical role and purpose of the church (p. 12, 41, 74-5).

This book shines predominantly in two areas and both are found in the construct of this second theme. First, Bierly defines what a typical small church looks like. These are given in four consecutive points: (1) the small church is a group determined to stay together, (2) the small church is a group that works to preserve their traditions, (3) the small church is a group led by a few key figures, and (4) the small church is a group who are often suspicious, if not contemptuous of outsiders (p. 41-48). These four basic principles are well supported and seem to be especially true in light of the relevant evidence. Again, the author seems to see no need to adequately qualify his statements with balancing nuances. But the basic points are logical and relevant. His evaluation of the small church as a “group who are often suspicious, if not contemptuous of outsiders” seems somewhat overstated to one who has also spent his life in small churches. However, these concepts will prove invaluable to those who serve in the pastorate.

The following area in which his second thesis is strengthened is closely aligned with the specific terms in the thesis itself. The small church is pleasing and valuable to God and can fulfill the biblical role and purpose of the church regardless of its size (p. 12, 41, 74-5). Furthermore, leaders who realize their parishioners to be beloved brethren in Christ will discover many excellent ways whereby they can together see lives transformed by the power of the Gospel. Thus Bierly believes, “[God] calls leaders to discover and focus on that good [in the small church] and to find ways to strengthen and increase it” (p. 12). For this reason he outlines four more practical principles that will help guide a pastor: (1) a small church leader is primarily a problem presenter not a problem solver, (2) leaders should present problems in as graphic and as personal a manner as possible, (3) it takes time for small congregations to decide to take action, (4) a leader must help his or her people remove obstacles that prevent them from seeing the problem clearly (p. 82-85). Observing the first point, this may be confused with the pastor being a complainer, yet this attitude was rejected earlier in the text. Thus this principle more accurately means that pastors are not to be the “guy who knows how to do it all and fix it all.” Instead a pastor should attentively, yet humbly point out a need and graciously enable others to use their own expertise. This idea is counter-intuitive to those of us who are of the “take charge,” type-A personality. However, in order for the people of a small congregation to feel needed they must be given responsibility. Certainly such a concept cannot be taken to the extreme. If this happens to be the case, the pastor will find himself run over by the board. Again, it seems due to the brevity of this book, the author does not engage in any of these nuanced or counter arguments to his principles. This is unfortunate, yet forgivable because of the intended audience of this work.

The second and third principles given specifically speak of wise relevance and patience. The pastor is one who makes his people acutely aware of whether or not a need is urgent or vitally important. Furthermore, he is one who demonstrates enduring patience during the many deliberations that may ensue. Lastly, the fourth principle is characterized by sincere helpfulness. Bierly contends that a small church pastor will need to realize their board members have lives (sometimes exhausting lives) outside church (cf. p. 85-6). This must be lovingly taken into account. Thus attentiveness, relevance, patience, and helpfulness are keys to a successful and faithful small-church ministry. In these very practical and tangible lessons, Bierly’s experience and counsel shine with wisdom.

The author remains realistic as he honestly and openly talks about the failure of some churches even when good, loving leadership is present (p.33). In the latter half of the book he wisely moves away from the numerous and fluffy illustrations to sound biblical support and historical validation. However, this comes almost as a surprise to the reader who is by then used to each chapter being seventy to eighty percent short stories and examples. Also, the author is obviously writing from an egalitarian point of view, as a significant number of his illustrations involve a female serving as pastor/elder. While his content is thoroughly evangelical, this more moderate view on church leadership may hinder some evangelicals from hearing his message. Otherwise, this book presents two strong ideas that need to enter the contemporary evangelical discussion. In conclusion to his main thesis, Bierly encapsulates his message with the centrality of serving in love (e.g. chap. 9). Regardless of the size of the congregation a pastor is to shepherd with love for each individual. He is to think of his church as a blessing rather than a burden (p. 103). This attitude and perspective in the ministry is only possible through the Spirit’s power and the application of wise and godly counsel. In Help for the Small-Church Pastor, Bierly has presented just that – wise and godly counsel for those who wish to glorify God and serve others through pastoral ministry in the context of a small church. This book provides seasoned instruction from a pastor surrounded by other loving pastors in an easy, readable style that should prove to be a great resource for numerous pastors and lay-leaders alike.

Personal and Ministerial Application

For one who looks forward to serving as a pastor in a local church setting after graduation from seminary, this book has provided a great deal of insight into the structure and thought make up of the small church context. I have not only grown up in and around small churches, but also would wholeheartedly accept a call to such a congregation if God directs in that way. After reading and studying this useful text, three concise points of application seem most important.

First, a small church pastor must be especially attentive to the needs of his people. He must know when they are hurting, sad, or overjoyed. A pastor should understand what the spiritual and physical needs of his congregation may be and work towards assisting them in both arenas. If the church facility is impeding the toddler’s ministry, the pastor must know what is going on and take steps to help enable improvement. The pastor should take thought to that marriage which is in disarray or rejoice with the parents of the wayward child that has come home. Whatever the case may be, a small church pastor must be relational attentive.

Second, a pastor must be thoroughly patient with his congregation and board. He must never seek to force his way upon the people but instead show appreciation for the history and current position of the church. New ideas are not dropped, yet they are held with a patient, understanding, and loving hand. The small church pastor must move forward with the “long-view” in mind.

Lastly, all pastors must operate and minister with self-sacrificial love. The must learn to put others before themselves and serve in humility – even those whom they may disagree with. They will need to learn how to appreciate the differences between their congregants and between their church and the “bigger” one down the road. This idea includes going the extra mile for those who may never be able to give anything in return. Self-sacrificial love might be demonstrated in changing dear old Mrs. Beardsley’s tire on a Saturday morning so she can get to church on Sunday, or a number of other little loving projects. When the pastor sincerely loves his flock, his sermons will suddenly become relevant and more importantly his parishioners may start listening too. What may be the result? Lives changed for the glory of God by the Spirit of God. Such will be the result of those who, by the Spirit’s power, serve and minister with attentiveness, patience, and self-sacrificial love.

Spirit of the Rainforest

Posted by Michael Breznau on 4:52 pm in Book Reviews, Mission | 0 comments

Book Review by Michael J. Breznau, Th.M.: Ritchie, Mark A. Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman’s Story. 2nd ed. Chicago: Island Lake Press, 2000.

Clash of Worlds

Two worlds of vastly different fabrics radically collide in this provocative and emotionally gripping story. Worlds of spirit and spheres of tradition and culture clash with both violence and tranquility in this eye-opening perspective of the Yanomamo people of the Amazon. Author Mark Andrew Ritchie has brought together in this book, an amazing narrative of the most unusual kind. Instead of gathering information about these often fierce, fearful people to simply adapt to his own personal reflections and perspective, Ritchie wisely chooses to write this non-fictional story in the raw and rather pejorative manner of a great shaman, named Jungleman. 

Through the eyes of this great ruler of these tribal people, the author helps us encounter the Yanomamo in a way never before seen in similar ethnographies.[1] To put it simply, this book is about a fight. It is a fight of both the physical nature and the spiritual. It is a fight of long-held bitterness and vengeance. It is a fight between deeply rooted tradition and contemporary ideals. It is a fight of those who are at peace and those who are at war. It is a battle between good and evil. It is a fight of life and death. It opens with a fight and essentially ends with a fight.[2]

The Violent Cycle of Revenge

As this book recounts the life of Jungleman and his people, one cannot help but be overwhelmed by their battle after battle for revenge. This story unfolds as Jungleman describes the opening scene of a fight, that as he tells us, has a long story that goes before it.[3] Slowly and deliberately, our narrator unwinds this shocking tale of how the Yanomamo people had lived life, for perhaps hundreds of years. As a shaman with deep involvement in the demonic spirit world, he often describes each account as if he were actually in the shoes of another person. He, in a sense, is able to get into the mind and thoughts of all kinds of people, to actually convey their thoughts, feelings, and motivations.

Jungleman’s vivid stories center on a handful of little villages in the southern Venezuelan rainforests.[4] These small bands of tribal south-Indians lived in poor communities that survived by hunting the land and by constant raiding of each other’s goods (including people, i.e. especially women). They are described by Jungleman as often living in perpetual fear of each other and embroiled in embittered war. Their normal routine of life, as described throughout the book, is a cycle of fighting, killing, raiding, looting, and raping. This sequence was often started by supposed encounters with the spirit world by the local shamans (including Jungleman), who would “use” these spirits to attack other tribes with curses of disease, death, or some other malady. The author describes this process of cursing as going back and forth from village to village and eventually ending in an all out battle between tribes. These vivid spirit encounters by the shamans always seemed to be acquired or greatly enhanced by their use of what was called “ebene,” which is described by Jungleman as a strong narcotic they would shoot up their noses. This type of experience seems to be “glorified” somewhat by our narrator in the first half of the book. But as the story wears on, the reader senses a growing discontentment in Jungleman with the manipulation and power of these spirits.[5] This sentiment would continue to deepen as more and more of his people died, both from enemy attacks and disease.

In desperation, after living in constant fear of their enemy’s vengeance for weeks, Jungleman decides, through the counsel of his spirits, that he and his tribe must go find the “nabas,” so they could get help, tools, and food. After a long journey they finally reach the land where the nabas (westerners) lived. This was the beginning of a pivotal relationship, that unbeknownst to them would change their people forever.

“Western” Wars

The infiltration of westerners (“nabas”) into their culture at first seems like a harmless occurrence. But as the story goes one, it makes very clear that some nabas would cause more trouble than they were worth. Jungleman defines two kinds of nabas. The first are comprised of what appears to be a young missionary family with children. This family would later become loved and endeared by the Yanomamo, especially the father, Pepe and his son, Keleewa. Jungleman talks about several other groups of missionary minded individuals who also came to help, some with good results and others not so significant.

The second group of nabas included the merchants, spectators, and anthropologists. These men are largely described as inhumane and practically downright criminal.[6] While some descriptions may have been slightly exaggerated, one is greatly compelled to trust the word of the Yanomamos over the testimony of the money and sex hungry nabas (as described by Jungleman). Between these two groups of westerners ultimately arose the greatest battle the Yanomamo people had ever faced. This would not be a fight like any other. The fight this book ultimately holds on pivot is a fight for the future of the Yanomamo people. The Christian missionaries such as Keleewa had amazingly brought what appears to be a whole village to Christ and produced a far more civilized community than Jungleman could have ever previously imagined. God (known as Yai Pada) had wonderfully broken through the demonic control that had kept so many oppressed.

Yet for this very reason, several leading anthropologists and liberal government agents were enraged.[7] They were absolutely convinced that the Yanomamo would be better served by reverting back to their “old ways” as tribal people.[8] Jungleman tells us that these men tried all sorts of ploys to rile their people and stir up their old revenge. As more people came to the village of Honey, where Keleewa the missionary and his family now lived, the angrier the other men became. This tension continues to build until finally the people of Honey, of whom many had completely changed from the old ways, were ready to snap.

What choice would they take? The decision they had to make would in itself go against everything they knew to be Yanomamo. Yet, our colorful narrator describes it as the only way to lasting peace – something they as a people had never truly known. Now what choice would they make? Would they side with those who wanted to push them back to the “old ways?” Would Jungleman and his friends continue to follow the guidance of their ebene and the spirits who controlled them? Or would they walk the new path they had learned to follow, called “Yai Pada’s trail?”[9] This choice was the hardest fight of all, until they learned about a little word called love.[10] Their decision to follow Yai Pada and His character of love ultimately prove to change them forever.

Worldview: Comparisons and Contrasts 

There are several key components in this writing that seem to reflect some distinct cultural characteristics of the Yanomamo people. First is the remarkable isolation from western influence. Of course, this book details the progressive infiltration of such influence, but for a significant portion of this text, the reader is afforded a rather vivid look at what life was like for the Yanomamo before a western tincture was added to the mix. This isolation from modernity appears to have resulted in a unique innocence. Certainly they were not innocent of wrong-doing. In fact, they were guilty of all kinds of brutal acts and murder. Yet, there still remains, in my opinion, an underlying innocence among these people. They were in no doubt guilty before God just like the rest of us through the conveyance of original sin, (Rom 3:9-18; 5:12-14). However, their almost child-like innocence toward the blatantly selfish behavior of such personalities as “A.H.” and “Irritating-Bee” were initially quite naïve.[11]

It does not appear to be a terrible stretch to say that this type of naiveté could be likened to that of a young child in our own western culture. Perhaps this was why some leading anthropologists wanted them to retain their old ways, in order that they might not lose that attractive innocence. However, whether fortunately or unfortunately (for the anthropologists) they very quickly saw through the motives of these more selfish and oppressive characters.[12] Let it not be understood that naïve innocence should be equated with low mental capacity. The Yanomamo people display in this story a very keen awareness to logic and purpose. There is more than one account of them out-witting the “so-called” educated westerners – so much so, the reader cannot help but chuckle.

As a second comparison, while it may be argued that the Yanomamo people seemed void of logic when they charged off in revenge to attack another tribe; there are lucid examples of those from the educated West making equally illogical decisions.[13] Would it not be permissible to draw a moderate comparison here? Do not those in our own culture also perform the same acts of violence and drug abuse in our inner-city, concrete jungles?[14] Sometimes our western culture is so closed in its ethnocentricity, that we lose sight of the same sin nature working not only in “tribal” people (as some would like to call them) but also in our own wicked and depraved culture, albeit “civilized.” We are all completely helpless apart from Christ, (Rom 5:6). Therefore, how dare we look at other people groups as lesser humans or as more depraved than ourselves? If it were not for Christ, we would be still stained with the black spot of sin that cannot be worked off or rubbed off by any amount of education or good will, (Eph 2:8-9; Rom 3:23-25). This should be the perspective of those who call themselves by the name of Christ. I applaud those missionaries mentioned in this book who endeavored to do so. From the sweat of their brow and the exhaustion of their hands, they gave and gave for these wonderful people – people made in the image of God, (Gen 1:26-27; 1 Cor 11:7).

Thirdly, as a contrast in their culture, is the widespread fear and pervasive use of the demonic realm. Our storyteller, Jungleman, describes in explicit detail the inner workings of his deeds as a shaman. Traveling in time and space through the power of his spirits appears to be a normal occurrence. What is more amazing is that, as testified by Ritchie, all the information Jungleman gave through these travels was verifiable.[15] This kind of lifestyle in the demonic world is, to say the least, quite rare or kept in private in western culture. The fear and control that these spirits held over the Yanomamos is shocking. Jungleman even uses the term “ruled” for the type of bondage they were in.[16]

Certainly the cultural gaps are wide. Adjustment to Yanomamo culture would undoubtedly take considerable time, some may never be able to adapt. However, the correlations between our culture and theirs may be closer than many believe. What is meant here is that when looking into the eyes of a Yanomamo, we should see as Christ sees. We should view them with love, a love that reaches out to any who are deceived (as Jungleman explains it),[17] hurting, or oppressed, (John 8:1-11). Viewing our lives in light of Christ and eternity suddenly changes everything. It may even send us to the Amazon.

Mission: Yanomamo. What would you do?

The admission must go forth that I was deeply shocked and grieved by the grotesque explicitness contained in this book. It was not the very existence of this content that affected me, but the reality of such a lifestyle being followed. The Yanomamo people are portrayed with such severity, that one cannot help but feel his stomach curl at times. Yet into this dark culture filled with spiritual bondage, the light of God now shines so brightly. How did this happen?

If I, as a young missionary, were to endeavor to reach out to these people in a similar setting, I believe I would do well to take several lessons from the missionaries predominant in this book. Gary Dawson (known as Keleewa) and his father Pepe, serve as prime examples of those who physically minister as incarnational missionaries. I found several key points of their outreach that nicely facilitate the following discussion.

The first evident factor that would be beneficial to reaching the Yanomamo context is the need for “staying power.” Meaning, it would be absolutely vital to set up a long-term plan for ministry. This is seen clearly in the two generations of ministry found in Keleewa and his father. To make a real difference in a vastly contrasting culture takes time. It would be necessary for anyone hoping to reach through the spiritual and physical barriers to literally become “family” to these people.

Secondly, through the longevity of the ministry, I would be able to take the time to learn about all the elements that may be causing the people to resist the Gospel. Staying in the villages, working and living with the people, and knowing their language would aid in the perceptivity of these evaluations. Once I had a bearing on how the people viewed life and the motivation behind some of their actions, I would have a much greater ability to bridge a gap to their hearts.

Third, the Yanomamo people appear from this book, to have a very spiritual outlook on life. Therefore the best way to reach them would be to talk on their terms. As the missionaries are shown employing this method, the affects are tremendous.[18] To talk of the spirit world in raw terms was normal for Jungleman, and it would also have to become easy for me as the missionary.[19] The key point in reaching across the spiritual barriers, as found in this book, was a single phrase that was repeated over and over, “Our spirits hate us – Yai Pada loves us.”[20]

To be effective in reaching out to these people the key word and attribute would have to be love. It would also have to be love in action. This character is exuded by our exemplars over and over again throughout this book. They helped the people obtain tools, they nursed their sick back to health, they listened to them tell stories, they even tried to break up fights. Through love in action and by serving the people, I would prayerfully have a more open door to sharing with them about Christ. Also, their view of humanity was often enlightened by the medical care given by these missionaries. Through laboring over a mutilated body for hours and slowly nursing the individual back to health, they were sharing through their deeds about the value of life to the people. To merely talk to them about how killing was a sin would simply not work. I would have to meet their felt needs. If they wanted peace and life, they would have to stop killing. If they wanted joy and posterity, they would have to stop stealing and raiding. Through these felt needs, one would be able to show them first-hand, how change could actually occur.

Lastly, I noticed that often the best evangelists were the saved Yanomamos themselves. This should probably come as no surprise, but their effectiveness was truly amazing. One of the most beautiful renditions of the Gospel message I have ever read was told by Shoefoot to our story teller. Shoefoot said, “So Yai Pada became a Yanomamo himself… He came as a baby, grew up, and showed us a completely different way to live. Even though he knew he would be killed in the end, he did it all anyway. His death was a death for all of us Yanomamo. Because he was Yai Pada he was able to come back from the dead. That’s how he cut the trail to where he lives.”[21] As you see from reading this short story from the mouth of Shoefoot, they amazingly adapted the message of Christ to their culture and language. For this reason, I would decidedly work towards discipling even just one man who in turn could affect hundreds, if not thousands for Christ. Through much prayer I believe that this kind of one on one evangelism and discipleship would be vital to reaching these people with the story of Yai Pada.

Touching on their innate need and longing for peace, I would prayerfully make every attempt to share with them, through my words and actions, of the amazing peace they could find down the path of Yai Pada. Those as Jungleman who for so long had lived in fear amidst the lies of the enemy, now had found the Light. This Light which they followed down a new path, would make all the difference in the world. This is the Light that must be shared, for it is the only way to the peaceful throne of Yai Pada. May they remain in my prayers.

Purchase Spirit of the Rainforest through Amazon by clicking here:

Satisfied

Posted by Michael Breznau on 4:31 pm in Podcast, Sermons | 2 comments

Are your priorities in order? Pastor Chuck Swindoll heard about a couple from Atlanta who simply loved the story of the famous musical “My Fair Lady.” When they found out about a special re-release of their favorite show on Broadway in New York City, they deliberately planned a vacation 8-10 months in advance in order to attend the opening night.

Arriving extra early, they found their choice seats – just 4 or 5 rows from the front. The theater quickly filled up…until every single seat was filled, except for the seat right next to the husband.

Just before the show was about to begin the man turned to the elderly woman seated one space over from him on the other side of the empty seat and said, “How could anyone purchase such an expensive seat in a sell-out crowd and miss this show – and not even bother to show up or give someone the ticket?”

The woman quietly turned to him and wistfully remarked, “Well, I happen to know the person who purchased the ticket for this seat…it was my husband. He and I had looked forward to seeing My Fair Lady for so long, but he recently passed away.”

“Oh! I am so sorry!” The man replied, “And you couldn’t find anyone, perhaps a close friend or family member, to take his place?”

“Oh no.” the elderly woman replied. “They are all at the funeral.”

Sometimes our priorities can be totally skewed… 

Our Priority Chart

What do we value most? What kind of value do you and I place on our money, homes, cars, reputation, vacations, recreation, jobs, success, spouse and children, mom or dad, brother or sister…? It’s not that good jobs, money, homes, or most of all, our family members are bad things to hold as dear. My family is incredibly precious and dear to me. But what do you and I value most… more than anything?

What do you value most in this life? What is most precious to you? Your money? Your job? Your wife? Your children? Your reputation? Your vacations? Your pension?  Your health? (That’s a big one for me as I write this, since I’ve been dealing with a terrible wisdom tooth problem…it’s so easy to lose our joy when we lose the thing we value most). What’s at the top of your list? Be honest with yourself and with God. What do you treasure and love more than anything else? What do you fear death would take from you? Take a moment to write down 2 or 3 top items on your value list…

Ok, you have your list? Here’s what the apostle Paul’s list look liked early on in his life, when he was known as Saul, not yet the apostle Paul: (from Phil. 3:4-6; cf. Phil 1:20-21)

Pedigree! He was a thoroughbred Jew (not a half-breed Samaritan), circumcised on the eighth day, he was born in the right tribe, to the right group of people, into the right family. His name meant something when people heard it echoing around Jerusalem, and he knew it! It was like hearing a name like Rockefeller, Forbes, or Buffett, Gates, or Bush. His name got people’s attention because he had the right pedigree.

Education! He was trained by the best educator in the land, the renowned and esteemed Gamaliel. Being trained in the Law by Gamaliel would be like saying, “by the way, I went to Harvard” or “I received my law degree from Yale University.” He was at the top of the pack, from the right family, with the right name, and with the best education. (cf. Acts 22:3)

Perfection! He lived according to the law as a Pharisee (the super-religious, holier-than-thou group who prided themselves in being better than everyone else), he thought he fought the right fight (“in my zeal for God I persecuted the church”), he followed the dos and don’ts to the inth-degree (“according to the righteousness stipulations in the law I was blameless/without fault.” (Phil. 3:6)

Power! He could get what he wanted, (obtained warrants from the High Priest for the arrest of Christians in Damascus (see Acts 9:1-2)!

The Change…

BUT then Saul, who became known as the apostle Paul, met Jesus, or rather Jesus met with Him on the road to Damascus when he was on his way to arrest Christians and haul them back to Jerusalem… and everything changed. It may be the most dramatic reversal of values and priorities seen in the story of the Bible. Paul moved from seeking self (and all the credentials/values) to knowing Christ.

Look again at Paul’s letter to the Philippians in chapter 3:7-11, where we find in sitting in Rome suffering under house arrest…in prison for preaching Christ.

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Satisfied” (Philippians 1:20-21) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday morning, November 10th, 2013, being my final message to EBC before my transition to Lead Pastor of North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI.

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Slow Down. Remember.

Posted by Michael Breznau on 11:25 am in Devotionals, Worship | 0 comments

Slow down. Relax. Remember.

In stark contrast with the hyper-busyness and sometimes ADD nature of many Christians in North America, actions like reflecting and remembering are very biblical forms of true worship. The idea of “remembrance” is repeated over and over again throughout the Old and New Testaments in conjunction with worshiping our God.

I have to admit, it’s been too long since I made an asserted effort to slow down. It’s ironic how those two actions smack of oxymoron when placed together in the same sentence. Perhaps that is proof how far off-track we’ve become in this age of efficiency, productivity, and hyperactivity. Now, I know there is a time for hard work and a strong ethic that produces calluses on the hands. Jesus knew about hard work and carpenter’s calluses, and the rest of us do, too. Yet he also approached the world at 2.1 miles an hour.

The Speed of a Walk

Yes, that’s right – just the speed of an average man’s walk. He might have traveled just a bit faster than this when he rode on the back of a donkey. But considering the stubborn nature of those ornery animals, he probably didn’t top out much better than 5 miles per hour. I wonder… how much time would you and I have for remembering God and His story in our lives if we traveled at the speed of a walk? What if there were no cell phones? … no TV shows to watch or Internet apps to download? … no cars, trucks, planes, or even bicycles?

Reflect. Give Thanks.

I wonder... if the things we sometimes are most grateful for are the same things that crowd out our daily clock from time to simply remember God. So, as we approach Thanksgiving this week, let’s remember to set aside time to slow down to the speed of a walk (and leave the smartphone at home). I think we might be amazed by how much time we may have to worship God, by simply remembering. I think I just might go for a walk…. see you along the trail of life!

Sit back, reflect, and remember all God has done in us, for us, and through us.

Something to think about: Let’s follow King David’s call to praise and thank the Lord Almighty!

“Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!” (1 Chron. 16:8-13)

The Apostle Paul also calls us to remember in Ephesians 2:1-6, 11-13:

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. . . .  Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands – remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (NASB)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him and lean on His Word! Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving season.

Bad Neighbors

Posted by Michael Breznau on 4:21 pm in Devotionals, Marriage & Family, Mission | 0 comments

“Michael! Duck below the window… now!” shouted my mom at the top of her lungs. I was probably the most scared eight-year-old on the planet as I hunched down into a corner of our living room.

She yelled out again, this time to my older sister, “Sarah, get down! Our crazy neighbor across the street is waving a shotgun around on his front porch and he just pointed it at our house!!”

What a way to spend a summer morning. Apparently the always drunk guy across the street, who lived with his elderly parents, had somehow obtained an old shotgun. And in his alcohol-induced delirium he thought it fun to wave the gun around the neighborhood.

Yep. The crazy neighbor action around our crowded urban street on the eastside of metro-Detroit was rapidly going out-of-control. Law enforcement calls were becoming increasingly frequent. Front yard fights; break-ins, and late-night parties were weekly events – especially in the hot and humid summer months.

Once a comfortable bedroom community near 9-mile road, our block of postage-stamp homes now resembled a concrete jungle of confusion, fear, and chaos.

Crazy Memories

I will never forget the afternoon when my neighborhood friends and I found a spray of large pills all over someone’s front yard. One little girl pulled up on her bicycle and nearly put one of the capsules in her mouth, thinking they were candy. The police later told us they were illegal drugs.

I will never forget the Saturday morning when my sister and I climbed up our backyard swing-set, peered over our neighbor’s fence, and found a half dozen people sleeping on their lawn, surrounded by piles of beer cans.

I will never forget the evening I saw the neighbor girl’s boyfriend desperately trying to break-in to their house.

I will never forget the weekend ritual of our home shaking at every beam because one neighbor guy liked to blast rockin’ oldies at 140 decibels. Ironically, his amp blew out while we were playing classical music.

I will never forget the summer afternoon when I saw the neighborhood drunk beat his poor dog almost to death with a “40” (for those of you in the suburbs, a “40” is urban slang for a 40 ounce bottle of cheap liquor or beer). Fortunately, the local vegetarian animal-lovers walked by just in time to stop him before the fatal blow and call the police yet another time.

I will never forget the day our neighbor packed one-too-many cigarettes into his large maple tree – and it rapidly caught fire in the dry summer heat. Not wanting to call the fire department, he instead enlisted several other neighbors to point their garden hoses at the towering limbs, while the vinyl siding melted off his garage. 

I will never forget the night a police helicopter focused its huge light on our house and yard in search of a marijuana dealer who had escaped from the city or county jail. He just so happened to be the neighbor girls’ boyfriend, and apparently was attempting to seek shelter. I remember my dad gathering us into the center of the house, ready to protect us with my little league baseball bat. They found the crazy runaway hiding in our front bushes.

Bad Neighbors? Good News.   

There is no question some of our neighbors were not State Farm quality. Oh sure, they were there, but they certainly were not ideal community residents. In fact, I would have no problem adding twenty more short stories to my list of neighbor antics and crimes.

As our neighborhood grew increasingly difficult and unsafe, I remember us forming a distinct habit: we would constantly tell our friends and other family members how bad our neighbors were behaving. We would eagerly tell them how stupid the guy was who broke his hands to pieces while trying to use metal nun-chucks (he was drunk of course… and on his front porch of course). With a laugh, we would describe the crazy stunts of the wild skateboarders who would break bones as they went down the middle of our street. And with a serious tone, we would talk about the drug dealers, the break-ins, and most importantly, how we needed to move away from all these “bad, horrible neighbors.”

We were so caught up in sharing the bad news about our neighbors that we mostly ignored God’s command to share His good news with our neighbors.

Now don’t get me wrong, I fully understand my parents desire to move us to a safer and quieter home. I totally know my own longing for my wife and children to live in peace and protection. But in all of this, I can’t shake the nagging thought that we missed the heart of God’s mission. Certainly, we talked with some of our neighbors about Christ. They probably knew exactly where we stood politically (I’m sure the Bush/Quayle campaign signs out front helped make the announcement). I remember my mom and dad occasionally leaning over the fence to talk with the neighbors. And I recall my sister leading a little girl named Jennifer to faith in Christ.

But over and against Gospel communication was the constant thread of conversation about the bad neighbors who surrounded us… perhaps I became the worst instigator of such discussion.

Last week I heard Pastor Steve Viars (from Faith Church in Lafayette, IN) say: “Don’t tell me how bad your neighbors are. Tell me how bad you want your neighbors to know Jesus.”

I cannot get Steve’s challenge out of my skin or cleared out of my mind.

Sure, my mom and dad probably needed a bigger home for the five of us and moving to a safer location wasn’t unwise. But looking back at how I’ve handled “bad neighbors” ever since our time in eastern metro-Detroit, I see I’ve been very quick to point out their problems without genuinely caring for their souls. I have been far more concerned about getting a laugh or moving away, than I am about sharing the message and mercy of Christ Jesus.

The Halloween “Thing”

Today the calendar flipped to Halloween, October 31st, and my mind is swirling with numerous memories from my childhood in metro-Detroit. Why was I surprised when our house got “egged” on Halloween? Had we shown the good will and love of Christ to the neighbor kids? Or were we more concerned about moving into our holy huddle to share the bad news about our neighbors rather than sharing Christ’s Good News with our neighbors? Perhaps we might have sweetened up the conversation with some chocolate or marshmallow?

Last night we welcomed more than 1,200 visitors to the campus of Evangel Baptist Church for our annual Trunk R’ Treat outreach event. God incredibly blessed the night of love and generosity. But you know what? I bet some of them would not be perfect neighbors. Some of them might even be “bad” neighbors. But all of them need to see and hear the love of Jesus.

Our Rescuer, Jesus Christ, responded to the Pharisees’ question about “the greatest commandment” this way:

“ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Don’t rush over Christ’s words here. We cannot say we love Jesus if we don’t love all the people Jesus made. The central way you and I demonstrate our holistic love for God is by loving all the people made in His image – including the difficult ones. We cannot say we love God if we don’t love people… even the bad or irritating neighbors next door.

As it just so happens, my family and I currently live in a terribly safe and quiet neighborhood with charming neighbors and meticulously manicured yards. But I’m sure we’ll see lots of neighbors tonight we have yet to meet and they need to see and hear the Good News of Jesus through us… so that’s just what we’re going to do as we pass out irrationally large amounts of candy to show the extraordinary grace of God to people who need Him.

I invite you to join the mission of sharing the message and mercy of Jesus with every ‘bad neighbor’ you can find…

May the Holy Spirit guide and empower you as you communicate God’s Good News in Christ!

By the way, here’s a great 3 minute film explaining how Jesus-followers can reclaim “All Hallow’s Eve” as a celebration of Christ as the Victor over the Evil One:

Halloween: Trick or Treat? from 10ofthose.com on Vimeo.

Construction Zone

Posted by Michael Breznau on 3:15 pm in Church & Praxis, Devotionals | 0 comments

A farewell letter to our dear Evangel Baptist family… 

All across the Metro Detroit area, road construction is backing up traffic, creating noise pollution, and wreaking havoc on seemingly everyone’s schedules. Just a few weeks ago, I cringed as I read an all-too-familiar sign: “Construction Zone – Detour Ahead.” With a sigh, I pulled off the highway into the wild unknowns of yet another detour. Frustrated by the delay, I anxiously glanced at the clock, checked my phone, and wondered if I would ever arrive at my intended destination. 

Have you ever been forced into a detour only to find you’re heading in a totally different direction, away from the place you actually planned to go? Sometimes on the journey of life, God graciously interrupts our plans with a dramatically unexpected change in direction. I like to plan out all the details of life and presuppose how, I think, He will work out His grace-construction plan in me. But quite often God takes us through a series of unanticipated turns along the roadway that land us in an entirely different location. And it’s all part of His plan in constructing you and me into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ – whether or not we understand it all.

During the last seven months God has brought some unexpected turns in our journey on the mission of Jesus. And just a couple weeks ago, God brought us to a destination that we had certainly not drawn up in all our plans or projections. As of Sunday evening, October 6th, North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids overwhelmingly called me to serve Christ as their senior pastor. Pending some final details, our last Sunday here with all of you will be November 10th and I plan to preach my first sermon as the senior pastor of North Park Baptist Church on Sunday, November 24th.

Our hearts are full of joy in God’s direction and grace, yet the joy is mixed with sorrow. Our now impending departure from you is deeply bittersweet. Over the past three years we have grown close to many of you in the love of Christ. We have worked with you, loved ones, in the trenches of ministry in so many ways: mission trips, retreats, camps, outreach events, conferences, evangelistic meetings, visitation, worship leading, communion services, Christmas concerts, and youth gatherings.  You joined with us in welcoming and dedicating our dear little Everlynn and have cared for our son, Hudson, with much love. I count it a deep privilege that you gave me the opportunity to regularly preach God’s Word, be ordained as a minister of the Gospel, lead some of your children to faith in Christ, and even baptize some of you as believers. We sincerely love each and every one of you and will greatly miss you.

We want you to know we are not leaving Evangel for any negative reasons, whatsoever. I believe in the mission and vision that God has given Evangel and stand in complete alignment with how Pastor Ken Pierpont is leading you to be on the mission of Jesus Christ, so that you can more effectively reach the Downriver Area with the Gospel. I call you to follow Pastor Pierpont and the other leaders of this church as they, together, guide you down the path of change for the sake of the Gospel. I wholeheartedly believe these unexpected turns in God’s roadway for us and for Evangel Baptist Church are deliberate and ordained by the mind of God – through His grace – in order to produce in us greater Christ-likeness to the glory of God. We request your prayers for all the details of our soon-coming transition and want you to know that you will remain in our thoughts and prayers for many years to come.

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” ~ Colossians 2:6-7

Love in Christ,

      Pastor Michael, Stephanie, Hudson, and Everlynn 

Two-Faced Faith

Posted by Michael Breznau on 5:45 pm in Devotionals | 0 comments

I will never forget that beautiful summer day when I saw cascades of bright light invade the auditorium through the rear center door of Friendship Baptist Church…

There in the middle of the light was Stephanie Anna Clayton, dressed in glorious white. From my anxious position at the front of the altar, I could see her radiating smile and sparkling eyes shimmering like diamonds behind the veil. Our eyes locked together and we never lost our gaze. As she drew closer and closer, my heart began to beat faster and faster. Could this be real? It seemed like an amazing miracle.

Stephanie’s Bridal Procession at Friendship Baptist

And then, suddenly, she stood before me in all her beauty. Her eyes stared deeply into mine as we joined hands, shared communion, declared our vows, and embraced for our first kiss (yes, it was amazing). She became mine and my last name became hers. Today, by the mercy of God, our gaze is still locked together and our love grows richer each day. Like a multivalent oil painting on a fresh canvas, God is brushing new strokes and bright colors that are forming into a beautiful portrait of love, ordained by His grace.

God’s Look of Love

In a close parallel, God in Christ brought each of us into a beautiful love relationship with Himself. He chose us in Jesus Christ before the world was even formed (cf. Eph. 1:4). He brought us into His family by the immeasurable and amazing kindness of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace (cf. Eph. 1:5-6).

Christ the Son poured out His life on the Cross so that we could receive His life in exchange for the eternal death we all deserve (cf. Eph. 1:7; 5:25). The Spirit sealed the relationship and gives us a sure and certain hope of final redemption, when we shall see the Lover of our souls face to face (cf. Eph. 1:13-14; Rom. 8:14-25). And God the Father looks at us with complete and unending love, more certain than the rising sun.

Cold Shoulder

But we look away. We get distracted. We move on to the “important” things of everyday life. And Jesus Christ is left in the dust of a past-tense relationship that we hope will work out in the end but don’t really care about right now. We show up at a church building to look at Jesus, focus on His face, marvel at His grace, and maybe even give some money towards His mission. But as soon as we walk out the door we look away. Again and again and again.

The canvas of our lives so often looks like this: Sunday-in, Sunday-out, now let’s go do what everybody else is all about. Most of us would not say we don’t love Jesus Christ – we enjoy looking at Him and loving Him occasionally and sometimes even passionately. The big experience of a “worship concert” emotionally excites us… and we love looking at Jesus when everybody around us is doing the same thing. Relevant conferences, mission presentations, or rallies get us pumped-up to passionately pursue Jesus.

But then we go home, turn on the screen and watch violence-riddled or sex-soaked movies as if Jesus doesn’t care.

And our Savior and Lover is still looking at us with eyes of unending love, yet we choose to look away so that we can go and play.   

Cosmic Killjoy?

Now don’t misunderstand me. God is not a cosmic killjoy wanting to rain down on our parade. Actually, it’s quite the opposite; God wants us to enjoy life to the full – experience true joy and love and peace even in the midst of a fallen world.

Furthermore, I’m not one of “those guys” who goes around yelling, “If you listen to contemporary Christian music, wear shorts above the knee cap, have a television in your house, go the theater, play euchre, or watch PG movies…then you better question whether you’re really saved – you need to be afraid of hell fire!”

What’s wrong with this riff? First, styles of music, cultural clothing preferences, and the subjectivity of television or movies are all personal choices that believers need to make individually. God’s Word does not give dogmatic, specific mandates for music, clothing, or entertainment. Instead, God makes it very clear what He does hate and the guidelines Christ-followers should follow in the grayer areas of life across all time and culture. Second, the motivating heart of the Gospel is not fear but faith, hope, and love. A Gospel that incites fear in people without the balm of grace is misplacing God’s love and merely manipulating behavior.

But don’t miss this: Loving Jesus Christ is the only way to true happiness. If you say you love Jesus but love what Jesus hates, you are missing out on the love and life He offers.

Two-Faced

Many, many people in North American evangelicalism are living a 2-Faced Faith: we act like we love Jesus Christ more than anything this world has to offer, but as soon as we walk out of the church building we check to see if the next horror movie is in Redbox or who won the VMA awards.

If you find yourself laughing at and enjoying violence among human beings – who are all sacred image-bearers of God – than you need to ask yourself if you really love the God you claim to know.

King David, the Psalmist, wrote, “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. (Psalm 11:5)

Violence and immorality always go hand-in-hand, and God hates both. If you have no check in your conscience or tinge of remorse, if you can freely enjoy violence, profanity, horror, and sexual immorality, then you need to question whether your know the God you claim to love.

The Savior and Redeemer is looking at you with eyes of love and He is calling for total love rooted in genuine belief, not two-faced faith that only shows up on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Jesus Christ echoed the central cry from the Father’s heart when He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). Every part of your life is to show your love and display your Lord, because your life in God is rooted in your love for God and God’s love for you.

Jesus is longing for us to love what He loves and hate what He hates so that the world will see His life in us. When we love what Jesus loves and hate what Jesus hates then we will be displaying a single face – an accurate picture of Jesus – to our friends, family, and co-workers… instead of a two-faced lie. And we will experience the true love, life, and joy that come through abiding in the love-relationship God offers to all who believe.

You see, obeying Christ is not a maintenance plan to keep His love but an expression of the love that has changed your life (see Galatians 5:6). Our life in God is rooted in our love for God and God’s love for us. The more you love and believe in Jesus the more you’ll want to follow His words and mirror His actions…and He’ll show His life through your life. So let’s return to God with focused love by reveling in His unending love, refocusing on loving Him through joy-filled obedience, and by reaching out to others with His love.

Jesus: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Christianity on Steroids

Posted by Michael Breznau on 10:55 pm in Church & Praxis, Devotionals | 0 comments

Have you ever awakened early with the sole purpose of seeing the first exquisite glimmers of daylight? Well, I remember one morning I decided to begin my day of work with an extended view of the beautiful sunrise. Looking forward to those sweet, yellow and orange hues, I awoke just in time to enjoy the bright dawning of the sun before a long day of landscaping. Yet as I peered out of my bedroom window at the first shaft of light on the eastern horizon, I heard some clanging noises coming from the dark, damp annals of our basement room. This was a noise I had heard consistently, even quite incessantly for more than four years, but today it prompted me to walk down two short flights of stairs to speak with the one making all the racket.

Sweat and Steel

As I approached the door to the basement, the noise grew louder. I heard a “swish” and a boom, then a grunt followed by a deep sigh. Finally I arrived where I found my brother sprawled out on a bench as he pumped hundreds of pounds of solid iron. Through the dim light of one bare light bulb one could easily see he was sweating profusely. His veins bulged from under his torn muscle shirt and his tendons seemed to twitch at every breath. He was the picture of physical strength and fitness.

As I stood there looking down at my “little brother” who now was not so little at all, I kind of got jealous. Who wouldn’t? The guy was tossing up over 275 pounds on a bench press and he only weighed 165 pounds!

Somewhat inspired by my jealously, I fell to the ground and starting vigorously knocking out push-ups on the concrete floor. A few moments later as my face bulged from strain, I heard a chuckle come from the weight bench area. My brother now sat up with a grin on his face as he watched me press on with my undisciplined workout routine. When I finished my little round of exercises, my brother had one thought for me. He said, “You know Michael, I could easily compete in a body-building competition if I made one compromise. All I would have to do is take steroids for about six weeks and I would be in prime condition. But, you know what? Three weeks after I quit taking steroids, you know what I would look like?” To which I replied, “sure you would be huge!”

He responded, “Wrong. I would have already lost 50% or more of the muscle mass I would have gained in the six weeks of steroid use. That’s why you see body-builders running around in loose-fitting jogging suits when they are not in competition. They don’t want people to see they really are nothing more than fakes.” He then responded with one final thought that has never left me. He remarked, “It has taken much longer for me to build up muscle mass without anabolic steroids, but if I were to stop working out or lose the ability to do so, I would still have 90% or more of that same mass more than a year later.”

The Workout of our Lives

As I sat down on a pile of laundry, and pondered the lasting effects of body-building the “natural way,” I was reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Here Paul admonishes the believers in the often undisciplined or disorderly church in Corinth to look at spiritual growth and maturity through the lens of a serious, professional athlete. This ought to get our attention:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 

Now listen here. Paul is not talking about “earning” our salvation through our works, but instead telling us, as already Spirit-regenerated believers in Christ, that we can gain eternal rewards and grow in Christ-likeness through the continual actions of Spirit empowered self-control and discipline. The question is, do you and I run the race of our lives and the boxing match of our days as if it is a real event? Or, do we actually swing our spiritual fists as if we are only in an imaginary fight? It takes serious endurance, strength, and discipline to complete a marathon. Certainly those who run do so for a tangible prize. In Paul’s day, they ran for the glory of Rome and a wreath of honor on their heads. Today, most professional athletes compete for the power of the dollar and honor among their peers. No doubt, there are some who, in the faith, compete professionally for righteous reasons. But nevertheless, all the accomplishments of any sports competition will fade and the satisfaction of victory rapidly slips away.

But for us who run the race of our lives for the Glory of the King, our prize is “imperishable!” Our rewards will never fade and never wane in their satisfaction! For they are not of this world, but for eternal dividends that calculate unto glory for our Lord. Therefore, our motivation for discipline should be all the stronger. This race we run as followers of Christ is the real and lasting event that truly matters for all eternity.

Real Strength

Thinking back now to the discipline of building muscle tissue, there seems to be something wrong with many “new” ways of becoming spiritually strong. Many of us have bought into a mentality that Christ-likeness can be gained at weekend conferences or quick evening seminars on spiritual growth. Yet lasting, godly maturity is often left unnoticed. People such as myself; think that if we can just have a few pick-me-ups here and a strong dose of spiritual steroids there, then we will somehow end up mature Christians. Yet, there seems to be a strong parallel between spiritual body-building and the physical realm of muscle tone.

Too often the tissue of our spiritual maturity is as lasting as that steroid-pumped bodybuilder three weeks after the competition. Because we do not develop consistent, disciplined patterns of prayer, Bible Study, worship, and service, we end up weak and flimsy Christians who rely on once-a-month doses to guard against the temptations of the flesh. It takes lasting and persistent resolve to develop lasting strength in our spiritual lives. If our desire is to display Jesus Christ and become more like Him every day, we need to do more than a few spiritual push-ups here and there. We are in need of something much more persistent. We need the kind of incessant desire to “be strong” as I saw in my brother early that one morning. We are going to have to be “clanging around making noise” when other people may still be resting, in order to develop the kind of spiritual growth that will result in one who is daily progressing in sanctification.

We will do much better in the workout as well, if we pump spiritual iron with people alongside of us. Perhaps for this same reason, body-builders flocked together in gyms so they can work off each other in their progress of strength. The church, the local community of faith, is like a workout gym, where we intentionally gather together to grow together in order to become more like Jesus together for the sake of the Gospel and the glory of God…

Flabby Suits or Steel Armor?

The time has come for us as disciples of the living God, to shake off faulty notions that are pressed on us by pop-the-pill Christianity, and decide to get serious with our Savior. As we dive into the riches of His Word and the strength of the Holy Spirit’s power, we shall truly make a difference in the world at large for the glory of God. Perhaps we also will be able to get out of our loose-fitting jogging suits and instead aptly handle a set of spiritual armor. May His glory be known and His power shown in and through our lives!

This article was originally written on 2/07/2009 by Michael J. Breznau in Dallas, TX.

For more muscle building sessions check out Galatians 5:16 and Hebrews 12:1-3.