March 2024 featured Article
RAISE THE BAR
My wife spoils me and our family. When she is home, our house is immaculate. I joke with her all the time that it is so neat and clean I feel like I am in a museum, and that it is so organized I need a spreadsheet that I can use on my computer to search and know where to find everything!
When she is home, everyone knows that the shoes go in the basket by the door when you walk in, the toys stay in their designated areas of the house, food wrappers are thrown away, the lid goes back on the milk and stays in the refrigerator, and all the cabinets doors and drawers are closed.
But when she’s not at home and Dad is in charge, well that’s a whole different story!
That was the case a few weeks ago when I ever so graciously offered to stay home with our three kids so she could have alone time to get her nails done (and so Dad could lay on the couch and watch basketball). Let’s just say it didn’t take long for toys to scatter everywhere, milk to be drunk out of the carton, shoes to be strewn about, and enough popcorn plastic wrappers to be laying out that it looked like a concession stand had taken over the kitchen.
Then the text came. “I’ll be home in 15 minutes!”
I’ve never hopped up so fast in all of my life to rally the troops. It was like a five-alarm fire for those next 15 minutes as the four of us pitched in to return Momma’s nest to its rightful condition.
What happened in that moment was the bar was raised. Dad’s bar is lower – MUCH lower – and because of that, the behaviors and actions that followed reflected the level of expectation. But when Mom was on her way home, the bar was immediately raised, and every one of us responded to the new expectation we were now under.
The same thing happens to each of us in our walk with Christ and as church leaders. In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus raises the bar regarding what it takes to follow Him. His expectation is far higher than what our culture and religious expectations may lead us to believe. One man, likely a wealthy scribe who was accustomed to comfortable living, says that he will follow Jesus wherever He goes. Jesus responds by basically telling him that he has to first be willing to live as a homeless nomad to follow Jesus. Not that he has to live this way, but he has to at least be willing to take the risk of losing it all.
The next man tells Jesus that he will follow Him, “but first” he has to go to his father’s funeral. Jesus ups the ante big time with this one when He responds, “Let the dead bury the dead.” Can you just imagine if you called your pastor on a Sunday morning and said that you wanted to come serve, “but first” you have to go be with your family because your dad died? What would you expect your pastor to say? If he responded to you, “Let the dead bury the dead. I better see you at 10am,” what would your response be? That pastor would probably be fired!
The third and final man in this passage also says that he will follow Jesus, “but first” he wants to go say goodbye to his family, because he likely knows how Jesus and His disciples have been traveling far and wide so he’s likely to not see his family for a while. This seems like a reasonable request, right? But Jesus raises the bar when He tells him that anyone who starts the hard work of following Jesus but turns back to look where they come from is not fit for service in the Kingdom of God.
These responses by Jesus could seem harsh and void of grace. His point is not to be merciless, but to illustrate a point – there is nothing more important than following Jesus and living on mission, and He expects each of us to be willing to give it all up for Him in order to do so.
I wrestled with this passage and confessionally asked the Father, “Why am I not always willing to do this, Lord?” Almost immediately I sensed the Spirit whisper, “Because you and your religion are setting the bar. You aren’t letting Me set the bar.”
I am full of “but firsts” when it comes to following Jesus personally. My local church and yours will have plenty of “but firsts” when we sense the Spirit challenging us to aggressively pursue His mission. Our denomination will have them, too.
“I’ll give my tithes one day, but first let me pay off my debts and get my kids through school.”
“I’ll apologize and ask for forgiveness from those I’ve hurt, but first let me see if they are humble enough to care or receive it.”
“Our church will plant a church one day, but first we have to make sure we have enough money and volunteers here before we do.”
“Our church will support missions and the shared ministry of our denomination, but first we have to get our building taken care of.”
“I’ll share my faith and make disciples at work and in my neighborhood, but first I need to get through this busy season of life.”
“We’ll start new churches and districts one day, and we’ll send out new missionaries in the future, but first we have to meet all the needs of the people we already have.”
The list could go on and on. And it does go on and on because we are setting the bar for what we think is or should be expected of us rather than letting Jesus set the bar for what He expects of us.
Just like my kids and I adjusted our behaviors and actions to the level of expectation and accountability that we were soon to be under, when you and I and our churches allow what is expected of us to be set by Jesus rather than by our comfort, tradition, or preference, then we will be able to rise up to the challenge and the charge of the Great Commission.
This story from Luke 9 of three men who were unwilling to rise up to the bar Jesus set comes right after another group of followers – the 12 disciples – have completed their first mission trip where they were literally required to leave everything behind and trust Him. What was the result?
They witnessed miraculous multiplication. That group of 12 grew to at least 72. Immediately afterward they witnessed miraculous multiplication again when Jesus took a few pieces of bread and fish and fed upwards of 15-20,000 people (5,000 men plus the women and children).
Which experience would you rather have as a result? Which group would you rather be part of, the three who missed out because they set their own bar or the 12 who saw miraculous multiplication because they rose up to Jesus’ radical expectations?
I challenge you to pray today and ask the Spirit to reveal to you what His bar is for you and what His expectations are for your church and for our Church.
Let’s raise the bar – together.