In the Name of Jesus - Week #4

This book went fast! What a blessing it's been to share it with some of you. I've received comments in person and via email (which don't appear on the site) that indicate that Nouwen's simple little book has had an impact. Be sure to read the Epilogue!

(One more reminder that the next book that we start this week is Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together. See the schedule for reading at the bottom of this posting. The one after that will be Tom Marshall's Living in the Freedom of the Spirit.)

In this final posting for In the Name of Jesus, I will share personally about the three temptations. I read this years ago and was impacted by it; rereading it has been wonderful. At every stage of our journey these temptations are part of how we grow in trust, and they appear in many and subltle ways...

First, the temptation to be relevant has come to me in the form of wanting to be needed by many. It's gratifying to the flesh with all of its sinful independence and woundedness to find its identity in how sought-after I am by those in need. The desire to help and minister to people is God-given, and for the believer the temptation lies in wanting to find my sense of importance in this life through how much people seek me out and how busy I am meeting people's needs. Eventually, this can burn you out because human need is endless; that's why Nouwen's suggestion that contemplation (getting truly quiet long enough to consider/ponder reality through God's perspective) is so good. This discipline has been and continues to be powerful for me to help me keep perspective in a very needy world.

Second, I shared last week how the temptation to be spectacular (the best or the most sacrificial...) in order to have the applause of people has expressed itself in my life, so I won't repeat that here. Nouwen suggests that the discipline of confession and forgiveness helps move us from popularity to ministry, and I have seen this to be true for me. In true ministry (which is done in relationship with others), I am known both in my strengths and weaknesses and so am known to be human and not any more or less special than others around me. It's in the close company of others that I'm saved from getting big-headed about myself, because the Lord will make sure there are those who not only don't think I'm that special, but who don't especially like me, and yet they love and accept me. This is a true gift from the Lord, and I have learned to be grateful for this! Popularity may feel good but it's full of unseen traps that are easily fallen into. It's those around me that help clear the spiritual ground I walk on of the land mines that I can't see on my own.

Third, the temptation to be powerful plays out in my life in the desire to control people and situations. The tricky thing about this for the believer is that this is so tied to the desire for good for those we care for, and we unwittingly pervert the place of influence we have in their lives by resorting to abuse of that influence. There have been many times in the course of my life and ministry when I have taken advantage of my "position" (which can be in a church or organization or in the family, etc.) to strong-arm my way, and I thought it was ok because it was for the benefit of those under my influence. Over the years the Holy Spirit has made me acquainted with myself in the Lord so that now I detect in my spirit when this temptation is at work in my desires, and I can back off from following through on this sin. Henri Nouwen suggests that the discipline of theological reflection will help us move from leading to being led.

He says that "Theological reflection is reflecting on the painful and joyful realities of every day with the mind of Jesus and thereby raising human consciousness to the knowledge of God's gentle guidance." In other words, for me not to abuse the influence that I've been given, I must be a person that understands God and others and the world through the heart and mind of Jesus, not through the lens of psychology or sociology, etc. While these areas of study are important, they should not be the dominating influence in my way of thinking and relating to people. The cross of Jesus and all that it stands for, both for me personally and for others in time and eternity must be central in my heart and mind in order for me to be empowered to handle power and influence in the spirit of Jesus Who didn't cling to His position but made Himself subject to those He had created (Phil. 2). Without this, I can't walk a "leadership in which power is constantly abandoned in favor of love." True spiritual leadership has in it the ability to rightly give way to those under one's influence, thereby being led by them.

I don't believe a person has to go through seminary or Bible school training to practice the discipline of "theological reflection." This can be practiced through study and meditation on the Word of God with the help of other believers and good books, etc. I do believe it's imperative in our day to have a worldview grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ and what we see and know of Him in the Scriptures, and we will need the help of the Divine Helper and one another in this!

Lord, thank You for Your servant, Henri Nouwen, through whom You shed more light on Yourself and Your ways. Continue Your delicate and decisive work of discerning between soul and spirit in our lives so that we increasingly reflect the life and ways of Your Son Jesus through our ways of relating with You and with others. Thank You that You really do hear our prayer and are doing this, for Jesus' sake!


For next week, please read and make your comments on the Introduction and Chapter One of Life Together. The chapter lengths vary in this book, so I think we'll plan on the following schedule for it (note the two weeks for chapter two):

Week of August 25-31................Introduction and Chapter One
Week of September 1-7..............Chapter Two
Week of September 8-14............Chapter Two
Week of September 15-21..........Chapter Three
Week of September 22-28..........Chapter Four
Week of September 29-
October 5.....................................Chapter Five