I didn't go to church this week. Sunday morning, I woke up and realized one of the year’s most significant spiritual moments happened outside of a traditional church setting. And since this experiment is primarily about reconnecting with God, it would have been silly to ignore the revelation simply because it didn't fit within the constricting box of my experiment.
In other words, this is the post I believe I am supposed to write this week (even though you’ll notice this week’s date is actually before last week’s date), regardless of official protocol, so here we go.
In early August, I attended The Leadership Summit—hosted by Willow Creek Church in Chicago; satellite-hosted by Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati. It was my eighth Summit in a row. I highly recommend you attend. It's the one Christian event I put on my calendar every year. Renewing, educational, inspirational. In a word, it's Fergasmic (inside joke). Bill Hybels is a wise dude with excellent leadership insights, and he always invites a solid group of men and women to share unique leadership principles.
Last week, I mentioned how much Jessica Jackley's interview concerning KIVA stirred me up. This week, I want to discuss how Tim Keller's message at the Summit absolutely shook me to the core, and how I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the implications of his message.
Two new words have entered my spiritual lexicon. And they have the potential to change everything about my relationship with God:
Elder Brother.
(This post is heavily inspired by Keller’s original talk concerning Elder Brothers. You can click here to listen to that message. It will be forty minutes well-spent.)
First, take out your Bible and read the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. Even if you have read it before, take a minute to reread the parable.
Next, notice something in Luke 15:1-2. Jesus is telling this parable to two groups of people—sinners and Pharisees (religious leaders of the day that cared more about rituals than people). While most Christians have focused on the younger brother (which is a great story about the way God welcomes all people back into his arms, no matter how much you have screwed up in the past), Jesus also wanted his religious listeners to learn from the elder brother.
So, what happens in the story?
Two sons. The younger brother resembles the sinners listening to Jesus. He wants to go his own way. He wants God to fulfill his desires, but he wants to play by his own rules. The younger brother essentially says to his father, “I want your stuff, but I don’t want you.” So, he takes an early inheritance and runs away, eventually squandering everything. Then, having nowhere else to go, the younger brother comes back, and his father runs to him with open arms, welcoming his lost son home.
It’s a beautiful story of God’s unconditional love for us.
The elder brother resembles the Pharisees listening to Jesus. He stays home and plays by all of the rules. He is good. He also wants God to fulfill his desires, but he is willing to go through the motions in order to ensure his inheritance. When the younger brother comes home, the elder brother is furious. The elder brother essentially says, “I want to control God through my morality.”
Jesus says to both groups, “You’re missing it.”
As Keller said, “The red states think the blue states are the trouble, and the blue states think the red states are the trouble, and Jesus says, ‘You’re all in trouble, and I love you.’”
We probably understand why younger brothers are missing it. When you want to make your own way, it’s usually not going to work out very well. It didn’t for me. That’s why I follow Jesus. I know my own way leads to an unfulfilling life.
But do we understand why elder brothers are missing it? Because I made a very scary realization recently—I have become an elder brother. Most likely, so have you. And if we don’t figure out why our elder-brotherness is keeping us separated from God, we’re all in big trouble.
Elder brothers become lost because of their righteousness. Not in spite of it, but because of it. Younger brothers are lost because of their badness; elder brothers because of their goodness. They are moral and righteous; they read their Bibles and say their prayers; they attend church and tithe every week. And all of it can potentially separate them from God. When you follow all the rules in order to control God and other people, you aren’t really interested in God; you’re interested in what God can give you.
Keller brilliantly said, “Religious people obey God to get things. Gospel people obey God to get God.”
Let that bad boy sink in.
Keller went on to say, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is not religion or irreligion; it’s not morality or immorality; it’s not moralism or relativism; it’s off the scale. It’s not half way in the middle; it’s something else.”
Do we get that? Because everywhere I look—including my own bathroom mirror—I see religion. Angry, religious folks more concerned about being “right” than experiencing God. More concerned about younger brothers getting punished than being welcomed home by our Father.
Wrap your mind around this quote from Keller: “Everyone repents for what they have done wrong. The difference between a Christian and a moralist is that a Christian has also learned to repent for the reasons they did right. They recognize the reason for the right things they do is self-justification and the desire to control God and others.”
Ka-boom.
Does that quote make sense for you? If not, keep rereading the words until it does. Because, honestly, once you grasp what Keller is saying, it will rock your foundation.
In terms of my life, the reason I am doing the Church Experiment (a good, right thing) is self-justification and the desire to control God and others.
Bingo.
Practically, elder brothers are judgmental and angry. They look down on others. As Keller said, they “loathe.” I have been living as an elder brother for a very long time.
There have been a handful of Christians pass through my life that, in my limited view, do very little for God. No ministry leadership position, no conversions, no consistent platform to share Jesus. And yet, they are loved by God and others. That drives me crazy. I work hard serving God. I produce. People read my blog. I have notches on my Christian bedpost. I went to the Church of Scientology! Other people have none of that, but they are loved just as much as me? It seems incredibly unfair, and it makes me resent anyone who doesn’t play by my rules.
I have always wondered what the heck is wrong with me. Why do I have so much anger and resentment toward those who don’t live like me? Then, it became so clear at The Leadership Summit. I am an elder brother. EB Disease. I am infected.
What’s sad is that I used to be a younger brother (and still am in many ways). Through the years, I have become what I always hated. I now judge what I once was. What a sad realization.
It explains why Christians get so angry about “immoral behavior.” It explains why Christians seem more interested in telling everyone else how to live. It explains why Christians are so filled with hate. EB Disease. We are infected.
I don’t want to be an elder brother. I don’t want to be filled with hate. I don’t want to be angry when a younger brother is embraced by the Father. I want the “something else” Keller spoke about. Not making my own way. I have been down that road before, and it was a dead end. But also not religion. Both of those paths lead away from God.
My brain is still trying to process Keller’s message. I fear my words did it very little justice.
If the link to his message isn't enough, Keller has also written eloquently about this subject in his book, Prodigal God.
If you are a younger brother, maybe it’s time to come home. Your Father is waiting. If you are an elder brother (like me), maybe it’s time to let go of the resentment. Maybe it’s time to set aside religion and embrace the Gospel. Life is too short to be angry all of the time.
As Keller concluded, “Lay your deadly goodness down at Jesus’ feet and stand in him alone, gloriously complete.”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
In other words, this is the post I believe I am supposed to write this week (even though you’ll notice this week’s date is actually before last week’s date), regardless of official protocol, so here we go.
In early August, I attended The Leadership Summit—hosted by Willow Creek Church in Chicago; satellite-hosted by Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati. It was my eighth Summit in a row. I highly recommend you attend. It's the one Christian event I put on my calendar every year. Renewing, educational, inspirational. In a word, it's Fergasmic (inside joke). Bill Hybels is a wise dude with excellent leadership insights, and he always invites a solid group of men and women to share unique leadership principles.
Last week, I mentioned how much Jessica Jackley's interview concerning KIVA stirred me up. This week, I want to discuss how Tim Keller's message at the Summit absolutely shook me to the core, and how I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the implications of his message.
Two new words have entered my spiritual lexicon. And they have the potential to change everything about my relationship with God:
Elder Brother.
(This post is heavily inspired by Keller’s original talk concerning Elder Brothers. You can click here to listen to that message. It will be forty minutes well-spent.)
First, take out your Bible and read the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. Even if you have read it before, take a minute to reread the parable.
Next, notice something in Luke 15:1-2. Jesus is telling this parable to two groups of people—sinners and Pharisees (religious leaders of the day that cared more about rituals than people). While most Christians have focused on the younger brother (which is a great story about the way God welcomes all people back into his arms, no matter how much you have screwed up in the past), Jesus also wanted his religious listeners to learn from the elder brother.
So, what happens in the story?
Two sons. The younger brother resembles the sinners listening to Jesus. He wants to go his own way. He wants God to fulfill his desires, but he wants to play by his own rules. The younger brother essentially says to his father, “I want your stuff, but I don’t want you.” So, he takes an early inheritance and runs away, eventually squandering everything. Then, having nowhere else to go, the younger brother comes back, and his father runs to him with open arms, welcoming his lost son home.
It’s a beautiful story of God’s unconditional love for us.
The elder brother resembles the Pharisees listening to Jesus. He stays home and plays by all of the rules. He is good. He also wants God to fulfill his desires, but he is willing to go through the motions in order to ensure his inheritance. When the younger brother comes home, the elder brother is furious. The elder brother essentially says, “I want to control God through my morality.”
Jesus says to both groups, “You’re missing it.”
As Keller said, “The red states think the blue states are the trouble, and the blue states think the red states are the trouble, and Jesus says, ‘You’re all in trouble, and I love you.’”
We probably understand why younger brothers are missing it. When you want to make your own way, it’s usually not going to work out very well. It didn’t for me. That’s why I follow Jesus. I know my own way leads to an unfulfilling life.
But do we understand why elder brothers are missing it? Because I made a very scary realization recently—I have become an elder brother. Most likely, so have you. And if we don’t figure out why our elder-brotherness is keeping us separated from God, we’re all in big trouble.
Elder brothers become lost because of their righteousness. Not in spite of it, but because of it. Younger brothers are lost because of their badness; elder brothers because of their goodness. They are moral and righteous; they read their Bibles and say their prayers; they attend church and tithe every week. And all of it can potentially separate them from God. When you follow all the rules in order to control God and other people, you aren’t really interested in God; you’re interested in what God can give you.
Keller brilliantly said, “Religious people obey God to get things. Gospel people obey God to get God.”
Let that bad boy sink in.
Keller went on to say, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is not religion or irreligion; it’s not morality or immorality; it’s not moralism or relativism; it’s off the scale. It’s not half way in the middle; it’s something else.”
Do we get that? Because everywhere I look—including my own bathroom mirror—I see religion. Angry, religious folks more concerned about being “right” than experiencing God. More concerned about younger brothers getting punished than being welcomed home by our Father.
Wrap your mind around this quote from Keller: “Everyone repents for what they have done wrong. The difference between a Christian and a moralist is that a Christian has also learned to repent for the reasons they did right. They recognize the reason for the right things they do is self-justification and the desire to control God and others.”
Ka-boom.
Does that quote make sense for you? If not, keep rereading the words until it does. Because, honestly, once you grasp what Keller is saying, it will rock your foundation.
In terms of my life, the reason I am doing the Church Experiment (a good, right thing) is self-justification and the desire to control God and others.
Bingo.
Practically, elder brothers are judgmental and angry. They look down on others. As Keller said, they “loathe.” I have been living as an elder brother for a very long time.
There have been a handful of Christians pass through my life that, in my limited view, do very little for God. No ministry leadership position, no conversions, no consistent platform to share Jesus. And yet, they are loved by God and others. That drives me crazy. I work hard serving God. I produce. People read my blog. I have notches on my Christian bedpost. I went to the Church of Scientology! Other people have none of that, but they are loved just as much as me? It seems incredibly unfair, and it makes me resent anyone who doesn’t play by my rules.
I have always wondered what the heck is wrong with me. Why do I have so much anger and resentment toward those who don’t live like me? Then, it became so clear at The Leadership Summit. I am an elder brother. EB Disease. I am infected.
What’s sad is that I used to be a younger brother (and still am in many ways). Through the years, I have become what I always hated. I now judge what I once was. What a sad realization.
It explains why Christians get so angry about “immoral behavior.” It explains why Christians seem more interested in telling everyone else how to live. It explains why Christians are so filled with hate. EB Disease. We are infected.
I don’t want to be an elder brother. I don’t want to be filled with hate. I don’t want to be angry when a younger brother is embraced by the Father. I want the “something else” Keller spoke about. Not making my own way. I have been down that road before, and it was a dead end. But also not religion. Both of those paths lead away from God.
My brain is still trying to process Keller’s message. I fear my words did it very little justice.
If the link to his message isn't enough, Keller has also written eloquently about this subject in his book, Prodigal God.
If you are a younger brother, maybe it’s time to come home. Your Father is waiting. If you are an elder brother (like me), maybe it’s time to let go of the resentment. Maybe it’s time to set aside religion and embrace the Gospel. Life is too short to be angry all of the time.
As Keller concluded, “Lay your deadly goodness down at Jesus’ feet and stand in him alone, gloriously complete.”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
