The Complaint Trap

The Complaint Trap

by | Jul 19, 2021

For three days in an Airbnb rental in a cozy Atlanta neighborhood, my team and I took a spiritual retreat that led us to the topic of polarization.  Nine of us worshiped together, laughed and played together, ate meals together, envisioned the coming year together, and worked on some detailed processes together.

We built team spirit, shared organizational knowledge, and strengthened our commitment to a shared vision of the future.

But that’s not all we did.  We also complained. And contributed to polarization.

I wish I could tell you that we were high-minded the entire time we were together.  But the truth is, we weren’t. We met during the impeachment process in 2020. Since then, we’ve seen even more polarizing issues including the battle against COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ protests. It almost seems like, during the last year, there was a new issue each week creating a divide amongst the public. During the retreat, we spent time worrying and wondering out loud. Worrying and wondering quickly devolved into complaining.  Complaining led to polarization.  That is, until one person piped up and said, “Hey people!  it’s time to either take action or be quiet.”

This happens frequently in congregations as well. Complaining keeps congregations, and people, stuck in the problem rather than taking action to solve it. By taking action, we can identify a solution to the problem at hand. Don’t let the complaint trap snare your congregation.

I wonder if that’s what happened in Jesus’ day as well

After all, he lived in a time of religious and political polarization.  Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t have much love for each other: they disagreed on matters of faith, culture, biblical interpretation, and relations with Rome.  Neither group saw eye to eye with the Zealots or the Essenes.  Each of the four parties related differently to the Temple, and envisioned different futures for the Jewish people. Independent folks not aligned with any Jewish party were often overlooked.  Overall, folks were upset, torn, and afraid.

In the midst of it all, Jesus stood apart from the prognosticators of his day.  He didn’t align fully with the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Zealots or the Essenes.  While he borrowed from the wisdom of each group, he kept his own counsel.  Instead of following prescribed party lines, Jesus lifted up a vision for the future that transcended any of the narratives of the day.  That’s why he could have such a diverse following.  His “tribe” included a tax collector, Pharisees, independents, Zealots, and Temple authorities.  Even Romans and non-Jews.

How did he do it? His Kingdom of God vision preferenced ethics over politics.  Consider his various teaching.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Whatever you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me. Judge not lest you be judged.

With Jesus at the helm, the apostles didn’t, couldn’t, sit around and complain.  They had to move into action.

My team and I took a hint from our team member, and from Jesus, and moved from complaint to accountable actions, from partisan polarization to Kingdom ethics. Organized around Micah 6:8 (NIV)—”He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”—I want to share with you some of the actions members our diverse team have committed to:

Act Justly

  • Participate with Justice for our Neighbors, a United Methodist organization that works with immigrants and immigration issues
  • Talk with members of the local community to see where justice is needed
  • Volunteer with Solidarity Now to advocate for children’s rights at the Mexican border
  • Make sure adult children are educated on our nation’s history

Love Mercy

  • Teach daughters to name three gratitudes daily
  • Family check-in on how each member served or helped another human being each day
  • Speak up about cancerous “isms” and how they reinforce injustice

Walk Humbly with Your God

  • Pray to love those whose views/beliefs differ
  • For the members of minority groups throughout this country
  • For the nation daily
  • And for one’s own soul

Partisan politics is a spectator sport, a blood sport, in which there is actually very little personal participation. Like football, the spectators react to the players on the field, but risk very little personally.

Kingdom ethics, on the other hand, requires personal involvement, and the opening of one’s heart, mind and soul—and sometimes even home—to connect with people who are very different. Kingdom ethics strengthen the whole.  If it’s us v. them, then it’s not the Kingdom.

When polarization wins, we all lose. There is a Christian alternative.

If you’re interested in learning about How to Create a Culture of Renewal, sign up for one of our upcoming courses here. Our next session is on August 3rd!

Copyright © 2021 rebekahsimonpeter.com, All Rights Reserved.

Beyond the Hands and Feet of Christ

Beyond the Hands and Feet of Christ

by | Jun 1, 2021

Beyond the Hands and Feet of Christ

 

A recent pastoral prayer I heard reminded me that it’s time to up your prayer game beyond praying to be the hands and feet of Christ. Longing to be a mere appendage of Christ is aiming too low. Rather than being the hands and feet of Christ, aim for the consciousness of Christ.

While Teresa of Avila popularized the idea that “Christ has no body but yours; No hands, no feet on earth but yours,” the scriptures make an even bolder assertion. You “have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor 2:16)

While being the hands and feet of Christ denotes doing good deeds and offering compassionate service, having the mind of Christ denotes unity with God. The truth is anybody can do good deeds. (And thankfully, many, many people do.) But you are called to more than that. You are called to operate from divine consciousness. This consciousness is what enables the move from discipleship to apostleship, and from believing in Jesus to believing like Jesus.

As I write elsewhere belief in Jesus means trusting in his power, his love, his teachings, and his saving grace. This is the kind of faith commonly taught in church. You’ll hear this motif reflected in songs and hymns, sermons and Bible studies, as well as children’s messages and youth curriculum. It is the focus of much teaching on salvation. Belief in Jesus is the stuff of discipleship.

But having the mind of Christ, of believing like Jesus, is more apostleship than discipleship. This divine consciousness leads to a deep knowing that you are one with God and one with the Holy Spirit. With it, you cultivate an unwavering trust in your life purpose. You have rock-solid faith that all things are possible. As a result, you entertain an ever-ready expectancy of miracles. Most of all, with the mind of Christ, you live in constant communion with, and surrender to, God. Here’s the bottom line. When you have the mind of Christ, you operate in an elevated state of consciousness in which there is no separation between humanity and divinity, between you and God.

I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we prayed for the consciousness of Christ. When the disciples moved into the apostolic mode Peter healed a paralyzed man. Paul and Silas sang in jail until the chains broke. Mere shadows of the apostles caused people to heal. The apostles oversaw the rapid multiplication of the church, with thousands upon thousands becoming believers.

What could be possible now, in these post-pandemic times? What new visions might you dream? Are there new miracles you might manifest? New areas of growth you might shepherd?

Learn more about our step-by-step approach that moves you from discipleship to apostleship: Creating a Culture of Renewal®

 

Believe in Your Potential

Believe in Your Potential

by | Mar 22, 2021

Believe in Your Potential

As vaccinations for Covid become increasingly available and case numbers begin to fall, the many impacts of this virus linger on—the loss of work, the loss of human contact, and, most devastating, the loss of life. With new variants of the virus seemingly hitting the news on a weekly basis, the loss of a predictable future looms large. When will life truly return to normal?

Will life ever return to normal? The uncertainty can be debilitating.

I wonder, though, if this loss of certainty, of predictability, is what Jesus felt as he set his face toward Jerusalem. If so, your Lenten journey is likely more closely aligned with his than ever before.

Jesus had to deepen his faith to make it through an uncertain future. The same is true for you. I want to tell you how Jesus did it, and how you can too.

Believe in your potential

During this 40-day journey, we have been exploring how to expand our faith from simply believing in Jesus to believing like Jesus. This expansion accompanies the move from discipleship to apostleship. Are you ready to take the next step?

Jesus Believed in His Potential

Because Jesus believed that he and the Father were one and that he did nothing apart from the Father, he could maintain an abiding belief in his own potential. In other words, Jesus trusted that with God, he was capable of accomplishing what he had been sent to accomplish. That he could be all he was meant to be. Even on the way to the cross—in the midst of great suffering and uncertainty—Jesus leans into this belief. Listen in as Jesus talks with God: “Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17: 1, 4). You can hear the trust and confidence in Jesus’ prayer.

But what does this prayer actually mean? I had to look up glory and glorify to be sure myself. The glory of God refers to the radiant presence of God. To glorify, then, means to confer this quality on another. It’s done as a sign of divine approval. Jesus, through the quiet confidence of his belief, is asking to share in the glorious presence of God as a sign of God’s divine approval.

Soulful Step 

When you are facing extreme uncertainty, belief in your own potential is essential. It is one thing to know that God fully approves of Jesus, and that the Divine presence and radiance is with him. It is another to know that Jesus and God fully approve of you. And that the radiant presence of God dwells within you. Yes, it truly does.

Check this out. After Jesus prays for himself, he reveals his desire for every believer to be welcomed into divine unity. “I have given [all believers] the glory that you have given, that they may be one as we are one.  I in them and you in me.” (John 17:22-23a)

Embrace the Belief

Do you believe that you can fulfill your potential? Or do you wrestle with the 7 fears of highly effective leaders? If fear gets the best of you in uncertain times, you are not alone. So, let me ask you this: Would it make a difference to know that you bear the radiant glory of Christ within you? Not as an afterthought or an earned reward, but simply by virtue of your connection with him? Most of us yearn for God’s “attagirl” or “attaboy.” The scriptures say you have it.

As you embrace this belief, it becomes easier to believe in your own potential. Your ability to do what is in front of you.

Forty Days of Apostleship: Six Soulful Steps to Believe Like Jesus - Rebekah Simon-Peter

Perhaps you have heard of the “human potential movement.” It’s the idea that even ordinary people have extraordinary untapped capacity. While it’s a movement that gained footing in the 70s, it’s actually a biblical concept. If mere fishermen could be trained into apostleship, then you can rise to COVID-19 and the leadership challenges it presents.

The truth is, you not only have untapped human potential, you have untapped spiritual potential. Share on X

Believing like Jesus means that you have divine partnership, your prayers have power, you have superpowers, and a purposeful life. The more you believe like Jesus, the more your spiritual potential begins to take shape.

Apostolic Action: It’s time to let the glory of God shine through you. Co-create a positive future with God, by rising to the challenges that are before you now. Join me on my free online seminar, “How to Create a Culture of Renewal” to reconnect your pandemic-weary congregation to the spiritual values of the gospel.

Finally, practice seeing the glory of God in yourself, and in the people around you.

© Copyright 2021 Rebekah Simon-Peter.  Adapted from the upcoming volume, Believe Like Jesus.

A Christian Alternative to Polarization

A Christian Alternative to Polarization

by | Feb 10, 2020

For three days in an Airbnb rental in a cozy Atlanta neighborhood, my team and I took a spiritual retreat.  Nine of us worshiped together, laughed and played together, ate meals together, envisioned the coming year together, and worked on some detailed processes together.

We built team spirit, shared organizational knowledge, and strengthened our commitment to a shared vision of the future.

But that’s not all we did.  We also complained. And contributed to polarization.

I wish I could tell you that we were high-minded the entire time we were together.  But the truth is, we weren’t. We met in the middle of the impeachment process.  We spent some time worrying and wondering out loud how things had gotten to this point. Worrying and wondering quickly devolved into complaining.  Complaining led to polarization.  That is, until one person piped up and said, “Hey people!  it’s time to either take action or be quiet.”

I wonder if that’s what happened in Jesus’ day as well.  After all, he lived in a time of religious and political polarization.  Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t have much love for each other: they disagreed on matters of faith, culture, biblical interpretation, and relations with Rome.  Neither group saw eye to eye with the Zealots or the Essenes.  Each of the four parties related differently to the Temple, and envisioned different futures for the Jewish people. Independent folks not aligned with any Jewish party were often overlooked.  Overall, folks were upset, torn, and afraid.

In the midst of it all, Jesus stood apart from the prognosticators of his day.  He didn’t align fully with the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Zealots or the Essenes.  While he borrowed from the wisdom of each group, he kept his own counsel.  Instead of following prescribed party lines, Jesus lifted up a vision for the future that transcended any of the narratives of the day.  That’s why he could have such a diverse following.  His “tribe” included a tax collector, Pharisees, independents, Zealots, and Temple authorities.  Even Romans and non-Jews.

How did he do it? His Kingdom of God vision preferenced ethics over politics.  Consider his various teaching.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Whatever you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me. Judge not lest you be judged.

With Jesus at the helm, the apostles didn’t, couldn’t, sit around and complain.  They had to move into action.

My team and I took a hint from our team member, and from Jesus, and moved from complaint to accountable actions, from partisan polarization to Kingdom ethics. Organized around Micah 6:8 (NIV)—”He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”—I want to share with you some of the actions members our diverse team have committed to:

Act Justly

  • Participate with Justice for our Neighbors, a United Methodist organization that works with immigrants and immigration issues
  • Register with Vote Run Lead, an organization that trains women for public office
  • Talk with members of the local community to see where justice is needed
  • Open up home on weekends for local organizing and voter turnout activity
  • Volunteer with Solidarity Now to advocate for children’s rights at the Mexican border
  • Make sure adult children are registered to vote

Love Mercy

  • Teach daughters to name three gratitudes daily
  • Family check-in on how each member served or helped another human being each day
  • Raise justice concerns to the congregation and to elected officials
  • Speak up about cancerous “isms” and how they reinforce injustice

Walk Humbly with Your God

  • Pray to love those whose views/beliefs differ
  • Pray for the President
  • Pray for the Senate and House of Representatives
  • Pray for the nation daily
  • Pray for one’s own soul

Partisan politics is a spectator sport, a blood sport, in which there is actually very little personal participation. Like football, the spectators react to the players on the field, but risk very little personally.

Kingdom ethics, on the other hand, requires personal involvement, and the opening of one’s heart, mind and soul—and sometimes even home—to connect with people who are very different. Kingdom ethics strengthen the whole.  If it’s us v. them, then it’s not the Kingdom.

When polarization wins, we all lose. There is a Christian alternative.