Mike McLoughlin's Blog

There is Power in the Pain – How Authority is Earned Through the Cross

Mike McLoughlin — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 10:56:06 -0700

"I forgive! I forgive!" These were the dying words of Sister Leonella who was gunned down by Muslim extremists in Somalia last week. ("I forgive" whispers dying Italian nun).

I have heard it said, " Forgiveness is the fragrance of the violet which still clings fast to the heel that crushed it."

There is great power in the fragrance of Sister Leonella's forgiveness. Power that is greater than all the signs and wonders the church would hope to unleash to prove the love of God. Forgiveness is a power that does not overwhelm evil, but takes on board the full measure of the pain of evil. By allowing evil to do its worse and not returning evil for evil, it captures the evil act for God and uses it to demonstrate a power that is greater, the power of love.

Today I look at the notions of power and authority and how they work in the Kingdom of God. Power and authority are not the same thing. One can have power without authority. For example, those gunman in Somalia exercised their power to kill Sister Leonella. They had no authority to do it. There can be no rational legitimization for murdering an innocent nun.

On the other hand, one can have authority but have no power to exercise that authority. The recently deposed Prime Minister of Thailand has a legitimate authority to govern the country but without the military on his side he no longer exercises that authority.

One can have the authority to exercise power such as President Bush has, but by exercising that power unwisely and alienating people, it will reduce the legitimacy of the authority that stands behind the exercise of that power.

Finally, one can exercise power wisely and in doing so gain authority in the minds and hearts of the people who one wants to influence for good.

The Kingdom of God is all about that last approach. In this post I want to contrast the Charismatic approach to gaining authority through the exercise of power: signs and wonders; with what the gospel of Mark says is the true pathway to authority inherent in the gospel -- the Cross. In doing so I want to challenge the Charismatic church to earn its authority in and through the pain rather than seeking to earn that authority through the "raw power" of signs and wonders.

In a previous post on Bill Johnson’s book When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide To A Life Of Miracles, I talked about how the Charismatic Church needs to ground its hope in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the event that established once and for all that God intends to redeem creation. The resurrection is an affirmation of our creatureliness so we do not need to be insecure about the “natural” because as Johnson says “the anointing transforms the vessel it flows through.” That is, the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work even now in our naturalness empowering us to do God’s work.

Johnson’s stated purpose for his book is to raise up a generation that would walk in the “raw power of God”. By that he means demonstrations of God’s power to heal and set people free from spiritual oppression. His hope is for a Church that would operate in the authority of God and have a “dominating impact.”

He states that “vision starts with identity and purpose. Through a revolution in our identity, we can think with divine purpose. Such a change begins with a revelation of Him.” (p.34) So in his chapter on the Christian identity. Johnson states that “As He is, so are we in this world.” (p. 145) Since Christ is glorified, powerful, triumphant and holy so we are to be as well as his church. This is what ought to be shaping our Christian identity as Christ followers. This is what will give us the authority to have a dominating impact.

“His promises for the Church are beyond all comprehension. Too many consider them to be God’s promise either for the Millennium or heaven, claiming that to emphasize God’s plan for now instead of eternity is to dishonor the fact that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. Our predisposition toward a weak Church has blinded our eyes to the truths of God’s Word about us. This problem is rooted in our unbelief, not in our hunger for heaven. Jesus taught us how to live by announcing, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” It is a present reality, affecting the now.

We lack understanding of who we are because we have little revelation of who He is. We know a lot about His life on earth. The Gospels are filled with information about what He was like, how He lived, and what He did. Yet that is not the example of what the church is to become. What He is today, glorified, seated at the right hand of the Father, is the model for what we are becoming!” (p. 178)

Johnson goes on to give a list of “the heart of God for us right now.” Wise – especially as demonstrated in excellence, creativity and integrity. Glorious – with the Holy Spirit’s presence and anointing. Without spot or wrinkle; unified; knowing Christ; mature; filled with the fullness of God; with the gifts of the holy Spirit fully expressed; doing the Greater Works and seeing God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. All these are attributes of the Church God wants manifest now. Johnson quotes the passage from Haggai, where the prophet says, “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former.” (Haggai 2:9)

The problem is that most of the church is mired in powerlessness. Johnson attributes this to being on “the wrong side of the cross.”

“The Christian life is not found on the Cross. It is found because of the Cross. It ...

Empowering A New Generation To Lead God’s Church Into the Future.

Mike McLoughlin — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:53:05 -0700

I was asked to present at a ICWM Roundtable in late August on the topic “The Next Generation: Are We Missing the Boat? A look at the next generation and what we need to do to equip them.”

As I was preparing for the event, New Life Church Kelowna, was going through a heart wrenching transition in leadership. (See The Power of Forgiveness). David Ruis, a founding pastor of New Life, preached the Sunday before I left for Virginia Beach & the Roundtable. His message concerned ministry ownership. Ministry at New Life was owned and animated by God not by particular individuals or groups. This reminded me of a 1989 prophecy he had about New Life. (Note: Main Street is the building we occupy.)

“I can see Main Street, and I can see hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people with their hands in the air and they’re twisting and turning and all praising and adoration is going up to God and prayer. I see us all marching, the whole congregation, we are marching, but we are not just marching. Each person has someone on their shoulders and someone on their shoulders and someone on their shoulders. It’s like this is the foundation of a huge ministry that will touch the world. This is a foundation. This is a foundation. You must listen to my Spirit, you must do all the things that I tell you, you must move in the direction that I tell you to go. You must pray for unity, for solidity and stability, for this is the foundation for a huge outpouring of my Spirit and many, many, many, in the world will ride on the shoulders of this movement that is starting right now.”

This word reflects the calling for New Life to mobilize for global mission. If you visit our sanctuary you will notice it is surrounded by flags. These flags represent various nations where members of our congregation have ministered. (See If Mission is What the Local Church is There For, New Life Church Kelowna Serves as a Model).

As I reflected on Ruis’ message and prayed for the upcoming presentation at the Roundtable, I thought about those standing on my shoulders. I represent the ground level of the congregation. Upon my shoulders is the “next” level, or the “next generation”.

The question I was asking God is how am I providing them the foundation for their calling? How am I facilitating the stability and the solidity so that they can march forward?

His answer to me was “It’s not about the next generation following you into the future, Mike. It is about you following them into the future!”

“What do you mean, Lord?” I asked.

He answered, “You want to equip them for ministry, right?”

“Yes Lord, I do” I replied.

“So are you going to equip them for what I have called YOU to do OR are you going to equip them for what I have called THEM to do?”

“Well, I suppose I want to equip them for what you are calling them to do.

“Exactly, they are on your shoulders. They have been called by me to be the future of my church. Are they following you into the future or are you following them?”

“I am following them, Lord!”

“Okay, so ask them what I am calling them to, equip them, facilitate them, and provide them the unity, the solidity and the stability so that they can lead my church into the future.”

“Amen! Yes, Lord! Show me how I pray!”

So his direction has been for me to connect with the next generation, make myself available to them, begin the empowerment process as to how I can best be the shoulders for them to stand on so they can go forward into God’s future.

This morning was my first opportunity. A friend of mine and I met for breakfast with my 18 year old son, Ben, my nephew (in the Lord), Lumuno Mutungu (also 18) and their friend Jeff (17) for a conversation about faith.

It went well. We asked questions. We shared stories. We connected. So I think we are off to a good start.

Defining Reality & Dealing in Hope - Facts, Feelings & Faith

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:56:54 -0700

Max Depree in his bestselling book, Leadership Is an Art, says that the first job of a leader is to define reality. The last job is to say thank you. In between they serve their people.

Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted as saying that “leaders are dealers in hope.”

Last night’s address on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 , President Bush gave us an excellent demonstration in these two leadership principles.

First, he defined reality. “This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. And we're fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.”

Second, he offered hope. “We look to the day when moms and dads throughout the Middle East see a future of hope and opportunity for their children. And when that good day comes, the clouds of war will part, the appeal of radicalism will decline, and we will leave our children with a better and safer world.”

Reality and hope go hand in hand. There is the present reality. There is a future hope that things will get better. This is the stuff of leadership.

Yet, many people will disagree with President Bush’s version of reality and the hope he offers. In Canada, a recent poll found that a majority of Canadians think the United States is to blame for the attacks. One out of five Canadians think the attacks were actually carried out covertly by the US government in order to provide an excuse to go to war with Iraq for access to oil resources.

A Canadian viewer commenting on the documentary “Loose Change” broadcast on CBC News: last Sunday states,

“How any rational person looking at the physical evidence and having at least a fundamental knowledge of physics can still believe the governments version is quite clearly incapable of seeing reality. I believe completely and without any reservation whatsoever that the US government murdered all those who died in the crimes committed on 9/11.”

9/11 Conspiracy theories are so prevalent on the internet that the magazine Popular Mechanics has published a book. Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts: The Editors of Popular Mechanics, John McCain, David Dunbar, Brad Reagan

Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary many people continue to believe the conspiracy theories. Why?

People prefer a version of reality that provides a better hope. Branislaw Malinowski, an anthropologist and professional skeptic stated in Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays. "Science is founded on the conviction that experience, effort, and reason are valid; magic on the belief that hope cannot fail nor desire deceive."

The facts of 9/11 tell a dreadful story. Islamic terrorists hijack airplanes and murder thousands of innocent people. There is little hope in that story.

Bush oversees a secret plot to precipitate a war against Iraq starting with the World Trade Centre demolition. It is still a gloomy story but at least we know that in the US democracy Bush’s term of office comes to an end in 2008. There is hope a new President will not act so rashly.

Writer Gore Vidal once said, “It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, no matter how suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how true” However, in today’s Postmodern world, facts are not what they used to be. Feelings are the dominant criteria for judging the believability of assertions. If facts do not fit your version of the story then they get jettisoned. If somebody 'feels' an alternative version based on a different set of facts is more hopeful, their spin on the story becomes more believable. Especially if their spin supposedly unmasks the hidden agenda behind the official version of the story. This is what the conspiracy theorist are so good at exploiting – the general cultural suspicions of truth claims.

As Tom Wright states in his audio series Christian Hope in a Postmodern World,

Facts are not important, spin is everything. And every country of every locality can produce examples of this. Reality is no longer divided into facts and values, or truths of reason and truths of science; it’s whatever you make it. You invent it as you go along, choose your value, choose your spin and the story will follow. Too bad if unenlightened readers think you’re simply telling them the facts. So this is one of the main features of post modernity, that reality seems to be in a state of collapse, we don’t know about the world out there, we only know about the inside of our own heads.

So if reality is what ever you make it to be and you want to manipulate people with the hope for a better reality than you can do that in today's world through political spin.

The problem is that people are also suspicious of people who make truth claims. As Wright observes, “All truth claims are made by someone or some group, and all persons and groups have agendas.” These agendas are smoked out by the postmodern skeptics. They are in it for the money, or for the sex or for the power.

As the conspiracy theorist argument goes, George Bush is a person with an agenda. He seeks power to dominate the world. Therefore his assertions about reality and his statements on a future hope are suspect.

The critical eye that is cast towards President Bush is also cast towards the Church. The Church makes assertions about its version of reality. It has a claim to knowing the truth. It has an agenda for converting people. It seeks influence and control in society. Therefore, in the postmodern culture, its claims are suspect until proven.

As my pastor once said, “The Church must hold ...

Christ’s Revolutionary Ideal is Love. Is your Local Church having Problems? Ask How You can be a Part of the Solution Because Love is as Love Does.

Mike McLoughlin — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 09:56:39 -0700

This post continues my series (I, II) on George Barna’s book, Revolution. Barna is predicting, that by the year 2025, only one third of the Christian population will be connected to local congregations, another third will be doing alternatives such as house churches and finally the last third will be worshipping at the altar of the “personal church of the individual.” gleaning their spirituality from media, ...

Fuller Seminary to host Faith at Work Event.

Mike McLoughlin — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:54:19 -0800

Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, will host the 14th Annual International Consultation on Ministry in Daily Life sponsored by the Coalition for Ministry in Daily Life. The dates are Friday to Sunday, April 21^st to 23^rd. The theme of this year’s event is Serving God in the Workplace: People Making a Difference.

Visit this link for more information and to register online. ...

Earning The Moral Authority to Govern

Mike McLoughlin — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:35:21 -0800

Pundits say the Conservatives have set a record for the shortest political honeymoon in Canadian history. (globeandmail.com: The curse of the Conservatives: Not again!) It is a record unlikely to be broken since it is a negative 25 minutes! That’s the time between when erstwhile Liberal David Emerson arrived at Rideau Hall and his swearing in as a Conservative cabinet member. A surprise that confounded the expectations of the ...

Supreme Servant Leadership - A Faith at Work Ideal.

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:29:07 -0700

Yesterday, John Roberts, nominee to be the Chief Justice for the Supreme Court of the United States stated in his opening remarks, " Judges and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around." I find it significant that a man who aspires to the position as the top judge of the most powerful nation in the world should begin his confirmation hearing with ...

What Would Jesus Do At Work? Cultural Engagement through Serving Others in Love

Mike McLoughlin — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 12:28:26 -0700

or Christians to be successful in living truly integrated lives in their workplace or business, they must be challenged by a holistic world view that unifies their thinking and goes beyond a set of rules, ethical guidelines, Scriptural principles, etc. An example of an integrative question that challenges all our behavior is – What would Jesus do? WWJD is a popular trend with Christian youth, but it is ...

Fireproof for God - True Success in Adversity AND Prosperity

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 18 Jan 2005 09:12:57 -0800

avid Livingstone came to Africa with a vision to end the slave trade. He proposed to accomplish his vision by preaching the gospel to the people of Africa and opening the interior of Africa to lawful commerce.

He said to a friend in a letter written in 1865: "I would not consent to go simply as a geographer, but as a missionary, and do geography by the way, ...

Serve Your People - Staffing for Success

Mike McLoughlin — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:02:18 -0800

contemporary definition of management is "getting things done through people". For the workers to do the things management wants done, they must be motivated to do those things. The typical way in which management gets things done through people is by exercising its authority over people. The motivation is a "carrot” or “stick" approach. The carrot is the monetary benefit of employment; the stick is ...