Dr. Charles W. Ferguson

Daniel 3:13-18, ESV

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.[c] But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.[d] 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

I have been a part of many discussions about the nature of the universal church. Many people find themselves at a significant crossroads regarding addressing their faith, progressive methodology, and framing an informed theology. Many people that I have encountered have become withdrawn from the church. They are not sick of Jesus. No, no, no. They have become tired of the non-profit organization. Truthfully, I understand the sentiment. Many of you that will read this may not admit it, but you have become disconnected from it as well.

What do you mean, preacher?

The church has become synonymous with many negative connotations. I am not going to dive to far into the those particular issues at the moment. Many of the problems have their own specific nuances. However, the organization known as the church has demonstrated many attributes that they happen to speak out against.

The church speaks to equality, yet we still have debates about women in ministry. The church talks about having more youth in the movement, but it despises methodology that reaches younger generations. The church speaks to God as Creator, but it neglects to promote innovation from the created. Therefore, many conventions, state and national organization, and other entities reflect the one attribute of Christ that should only be left with Christ–being the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The rebellion that many feel in their hearts is addressing a way to return back to a genuine authentic approach to experiencing the presence of God; developing strategies that empower the people of God; and reaching the least, last, maligned, and disenfranchised for the Kingdom of God.

When I was reading the scripture displayed above, I was looking at the text for a message in the future. However, God brought my attention to a unique concept that we don’t talk about. In the scripture, we see the imposition of a type of worship on the people. The people were forced according to the rule of law to worship an image of a leader who thought he was God.

Three men that were employed by the government that imposed this decree refused to sell out. They were ostracized for it. They were punished according to the anger and angst of the establishment. Yet, God showed up for them in the midst of man made exile and rejection. It was only after the horrible reaction that the establishment acknowledged the validity of the stance of those three Jewish brothers.

I grew up as a convention kid. It was the one time that I could hook up with my friends from around the state and talk about everything that didn’t have anything to do with Jesus. (Oh you thought we just talked about the Lord? LOL) Many of us developed friendships and associations that have lasted 20 or 30 years at this point.

We can remember times when we first caught on fire. Many of us began preaching in our teens. We were learning the challenges of navigating adolescence while committing our ways to the Lord. We are still here. We were told that we were the future. We were sold a bill of goods that our association and innovation would be important to the future of the various organizations and connections we made.

Now that we are at the point where many of us have done our due diligence to prepare and show ourselves approved (studied, preached, taught, gone to seminary, obtained degrees, gained experience, etc) the institutions that helped us don’t want our help unless it is at the cost of worshiping the idol of organization. Jesus did not die for that bull!

Many progressive thinkers across many different generations have offered many solutions to this ever growing problem, yet the answers have been ignored. The rejection of freshness has only bred more opportunities for fractures, splits, and new movements that might be incomplete. More options do not necessary mean better. Yet, we must begin to heed the thought that people will go out on their own willing to die for what is right than settle for the dying establishment worship at the feet of yesteryear.

Since I know that people will ask for suggestions or solutions, I offer four.

1. Find an organization that speaks to your growth, development, and creativity. Nobody should find themselves lying dormant in the same hamster wheel forever. Be with like minded individuals who want to see the Kingdom of God grow, people loved and enhanced, and where fellowship is not based on title and pretense.
2. Refuse to bow to the same old idol. If you know something is inherently wrong with the direction and purpose of an organization, make up in your mind to challenge the status quo with the foundation of the Church–the well exegeted Word of God. Bring the leadership back to the Word. Get people up off the law and do what is right according to God. The Scripture has unveiled more demonic and dysfunctional mess than any other tool. It is useful to keep the focus on Christ rather than our foolish and selfish ambitions.
3. Renounce and cast out the demon of intimidation. I should never have an issue with people who have varied gifts and skills. I should never feel so small that I can not learn from others. At the same time, I should never become so petty that I worry if someone takes my spot. The beauty of serving God is that many gifts have been given to the body (remember Ephesians 4). Diversification of gifts, talents, and personalities provide a fresh perspective to ministry and execution of the works of God.
4. Remember that you should not “rep your set”. That is not Kingdom. Ultimately, people could care less about your denominational affiliation if your Christ mindset is off center. You and I have an obligation to represent Christ in the most complete manner possible. We are responsible for making sure our walk and talk reflect Christ more than our way desired way of life (if it is outside of God’s plan).

When I decided to take the invitation of my United Methodist brothers and sisters to explore possible opportunity to minister, I said to myself simply that we will see what God will do. I was still pursuing opportunity in the Baptist denomination that groomed me. Yet my experience, training, prayers, academics, and living witness as a believer was not enough. What do you mean? The moment I heard someone say that I didn’t look like a pastor was the moment the Lord fully delivered me from demon of pretentiousness.

Who wants to be associated with anyone that will limit a person’s witness and ministry to clothes and vestments. My mission became crystal clear–go where God will send me. It is for this reason that I will never tell anyone wrestling with the same old nonsense to settle. God did not call you to settle for synthetic high of three days of decent whooping. God called you with a mandate to shift the culture and change lives through the transformative power of God. Anything less will make you a snitch for the idol or prostrate before the powerless image. Try something new. Be the church of the Living God.

I began today with a post addressing the most recent blow up in Black Christendom. LeAndria Johnson is currently feeling scrutiny and blow back for an incident of being ignored or overlooked by Bishop Marvin Winans. She got on her Facebook Live feed and expressed her disgust and anger with the church, church politics, and Bishop Winans. Since that outburst, LeAndria has issued an apology for her statements.

I have watched as many people have taken to social media and other platforms to express their thoughts on the matter. What could have been an opportunity for introspection has turned into another moment for mockery, self-righteousness, and hyper defensiveness.

When I read scripture, I am challenged daily to assess my walk and actions with all people. The Word gives me a guidepost that holds me accountable for the type of human being I am among the 7 billion people in the global community.

Yes, I do not have perfect days. Times come when I am not my best. Nevertheless, the pursuit of being a better person is a daily goal and task. I must grow. I must learn. I must represent the best of the Christ I say I follow. I know many people that have the same mentality when it comes their faith walk. People are striving to be their absolute best. Yet, we fall short. When that happens, we must step back and say, “I must get better”.

Basic human interaction states that if someone says “hello”, you respond. If for some reason you missed the opportunity, find the opportunity to apologize for the oversight. Why take the time? It demonstrates your interest in the individual (their feelings, state of mind, etc). Instead the person who expresses their initial angst is ridiculed.

So we get up in arms about the institution called the church being dragged through the mud. But brothers and sisters, help me answer this query of mine. Ain’t the people of God the church? The answer according to Baptist ordination is that the church is a group of baptized believers. Which leads me to a great question. When did we move from organism to institution?

The very nature of the criticism that comes toward the institution of the church should serve as pause for all of us who are believers. At one time, I would have found myself in the number that would have seen this type of outburst as some spoiled, entitled person getting upset about nothing. Yet prayer, experience, and education has taught me something very different.

People hurt. Hurt is expressed through the lens of my comfort, but the internal realities of the hurting. Therefore, my response as a disciple of Christ is not judge the methodology of the expression of hurt. Rather, I am called to offer space, support, and love to see the hurt party healed.

Remember that story of Jesus healing a lame man at the pool (Mark 5). People always exegete this text a little off. Let me sum this up. Jesus sees a man laying a pool that is said to have healing power. Man has been there for over 30 years. Others got in the pool before him because no one would help him. Jesus sees him. He asks the man if he wants total healing. This point the story gets twisted.

The man explained to Jesus that he had no help. At this point, preachers begin to paint the man in the spot of an excuse maker. Upon second look, the man is expressing his frustration with his initial option of finding healing. He is lamenting about years of being in a place that espoused the concept of wholeness, but he has not experienced that deliverance. Why can you make such a statement? Read how Jesus responds.

Jesus did not condemn the man for his expression. Jesus did not beat up the perspective of this individual’s experience. Jesus did not tell the man to adjust the method and tone of his frustration. Jesus met the need. Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. But that is not the end of this man’s story.

The religious folks so the man in the temple. The man was celebrating his deliverance. Yet, all they worried about was the fact that the man was healed on the Sabbath. They cared more about institutional piety than God healing the inner pain. In the midst of that misguided view, Jesus returns, sees the man, rejoices with him, and encourages him to never look back.

When we are walking with Christ, we are challenged to do more than observe. We must walk with the maligned through to their delivered end. Here is the rub. Most of us do not have the patience or endurance to walk. We are excited about the instantaneous. We flip over a good bump, shout, and holler. However, we bemoan the opportunity to witness real change happen before our eyes.

We (the people) are the church that folks are looking for. We are the church that must daily inspect if we are exhibiting the same energy that Jesus was on. We are the church that are commissioned to go a walk with people. We are the church that are sent to provide a balm of healing. We are the vessels that have the love of God that must penetrate the wounded soul. Shift the conversation. Let’s be the church. Let’s be the introspective witness of the Almighty…

For many years, I prided myself in being as competitive, focused, and goal driven as any individual I knew. When I played sports, I only had one losing season ever. Winning was in my DNA. Losing was not an option. I had to win. Period. Winning was an escape from my inward pain. Winning was the validation that others did not provide. Winning gave me hope that I would be accepted. Winning gave me “friends”. Winning made me successful.

The problem with using this line of logic is that one loses the ability to learn how to recover from defeat, become introspective in a challenge, and ask for help to grow and become better. My greatest hang ups as an adult were rooted in the idea of being self-reliant. I believed the hype about my giftings, skills, and abilities. To some degree, I allowed people to inflate my misguided understanding of myself so I did not lose any personal value to my existence.

How wrong I was…..

For the past few years, I have found myself very hesitant to accept praise or encouragement from people. Most of that resistance has come as the result of experiencing people hyping me to my face while tearing me down behind my back. It is the worst kind of cruelty. You are set up to believe that you are making a difference or impacting lives, only for someone to take the time to tear down your name or make a mockery of your existence. It is never an easy proposition.

The more I think on it, I realize that every single heartbreaking moment has served as an opportunity to strip my former way of thinking. The challenges have aided in my shifted perspective on how I engage my life at this point. Many people that have been in my life do not realize how much impact they have made on my mentality. Some of them do not know that the negative things that have been done humbled me.

Now, I live in a manner where nothing is taken for granted. I don’t take moments with true friends lightly. I don’t take opportunities to serve as entitlements. I can’t look at the world with bootstrap mentality. People will never be addressed from the place of their outward condition. The soul, mind, and spirit matter much more than ever before. I no longer pity the person grinding to put one foot in front of the other. I honor the person who has tangibly little, but is profoundly wealthy in spirit.

My greatest desire now is to live humbly under the guidance and hand of God. I know that sounds so over the top and super spiritual. The truth is that I can not make it in this life without God’s guidance. I don’t need to debate with people about my understanding of God. I don’t wish to get into the semantics of gender/no gender assignment of God. I don’t need people to attempt to change my understanding of my relationship with God.

I know that nothing that I do for the rest of my life will be strictly by my own effort alone. I will not be a good husband without paying attention to the best way to love Myrissa. I will not be the father CJ needs without the willingness to continue to learn constantly. I will never truly win in life without maintaining a healthy understanding of what God has entrusted to me to use for enhancing the lives of others.

Many of you have lived with similar realities. You wanted to please everyone, enhance your world only, or position yourself to be superior. It is a futile enterprise. Nothing good comes from unhealthy ideas of self over the rest of humanity. There is nothing wrong with confidence. There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself. Yet, consuming ourselves with the “me” mentality can ultimately destroy us. Humility will keep and elevate us.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. –James 4:10, ESV