Jan 19, 2011
Tommy Shelton
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs 31:8
Living on mission as a follower of Jesus Christ involves aligning our social concerns with those of our Father as laid out in scripture. Throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments we see God's special care and concern for the most vulnerable members of society: children, orphans, widows, lepors, aliens, immigrants, etc. Pursuing justice on behalf of these members is one way we can live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our world. In doing so, we help usher in God's Kingdom.
Children who fall victim to human trafficking are one such group of vulnerables that we are sadly confronted with today. Statistics give evidence to the fact that human trafficking goes on the rise dramatically in cities that host the Super Bowl. With that event coming to our area in a matter of weeks, we serve ourselves and our community well by helping to raise awareness. To that end, I point you toward a recent blog post by Gail Seidel, the wife of Fellowship Dallas elder, Andy Seidel, for more information and action steps you can take:
http://blogs.bible.org/tapestry/gail_seidel/human_trafficking_and_the_super_bowl.
Here also is a recent Dallas Morning News article that makes the reality of this threat to our community all too real:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20110118-pimp-pleads-guilty-to-forcing-underage-girl-to-turn-tricks-in-dallas-authorities-say.ece
And, of course, let's not forget our most poweful weapon against such evil--prayer!
Jan 17, 2011
Tommy Shelton
Today is an opportunity to remember Martin Luther King and all that he stood bravely for, fought non-violently for, and was killed ultimately for. One under-girding truth that motivated him is clear from this excerpt of his sermon entitled "The American Dream".
"You see, the founding fathers were really influenced by the Bible. The whole concept of the imago dei, as it is expressed in Latin, the "image of God," is the idea that all men have something within them that God injected. Not that they have substantial unity with God, but that every man has a capacity to have fellowship with God. And this gives him a uniqueness, it gives him worth, it gives him dignity. And we must never forget this as a nation: There are no gradations in the image of God. Every man from a treble white to a bass black is significant on God's keyboard, precisely because every man is made in the image of God. One day we will learn that. We will know one day that God made us to live together as brothers and to respect the dignity and worth of every man. This is why we must fight segregation with all of our nonviolent might."
(Preached at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, July 4, 1965, as printed in "Generous Justice" by Timothy Keller, Dutton, 2010, pp 86-87.)
This same humbling truth--that we are all unique carriers of the image of God and that He created us for relationship with Him--should motivate us as well in all our dealings with one another and especially in our efforts to fulfill the Community Transformation outcome of the vision God has given Fellowship Dallas.
When you think of each person as a unique expression of the image of God and as a relative of God, how does that change your attitudes and actions toward them?
Dec 11, 2010
Tommy Shelton
I’m two chapters into Tim Keller’s latest book, “Generous Justice – How God’s Grace Makes Us Just” (Dutton, 2010). I know for me personally and, I think, for the community of Fellowship Dallas this is a book for such a time as this as we continue to learn what it means to live missionally in the world. As with pretty much everything I read or hear from Tim Keller, this book is taking me to a deeper, richer, truer understanding of who God is, the revelation of that in the Bible, the implications of that on every aspect of living, and the requisite transformation that my soul needs in order to align myself and my life with God. It is profoundly humbling and hopeful. I’m humbled because I see my ignorance, blindness, brokenness, and failure to love God and others on so many levels and to such sorrowful and unjust degree. Yet, I feel hopeful because, at the same time, I see God more clearly and thus worship Him more dearly. I have inspired vision and new passion. I experience a peace that comes from knowing truth from lie, order from chaos. And, I rejoice in God who allows me to grasp what I do and empowers me to share it with others and live it out to His glory.
In the book’s introduction, Keller tells the story of how he came to be interested in the subject of justice and for whom he wrote the book. In chapter 1 he begins to answer the question “What is doing justice?” Starting with Micah 6:8, “And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” he shows that justice is care for the vulnerable, that it reflects the character of God, that God is on the side of the poor, that it means right relationships, and that it includes generosity. In chapter 2 he works through justice and the Old Testament. He puts into perspective for Christians today the relevance of Jewish ceremonial law and the civil law of Moses that existed when Israel was a theocratic nation state in covenant with God. Though that is by no means what we have today, Keller argues that “everything in the Old Testament has some abiding validity, though it must be applied with great care.” He then gives many examples of how that can be done today. He also attempts (and succeeds I believe) to explain biblical justice and our political categories, as well as the complex causes of poverty. In typical Keller genius, he lifts the discussion to a level that rises above contemporary poles, categories and models.
I plan to write more on what I’m learning from “Generous Justice” in future posts, but, for now, I leave you some quotes from the book:
“…there is a direct relationship between a person’s grasp and experience of God’s grace, and his or her heart for justice and the poor. …those most affected by the message [become] the most sensitive to the inequities around them.” (Introduction, page xix-xx)
“We began to see how, in so many ways, we made our cultural biases into moral principles and then judged people of other races as being inferior.” (Introduction, page xvii)
“I want the orthodox to see how central to Scripture’s message is justice for the poor and marginalized. I also want to challenge those who do not believe in Christianity to see the Bible not as a repressive text, but as the basis for the modern understanding of human rights.” (Introduction, page xx-xxi)
"...if you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice when we give all human beings their due as creations of God. Doing justice includes not only the righting of wrongs, but generosity and social concern, espcially toward the poor and vulnerable." (Chapter 1, page 18)
“It is the generosity of God, the freeness of his salvation, that lays the foundation for the society of justice for all.” (Chapter 2, page 40)
And, if you want to read the first chapter of "Generous Justice" on line, here's the link http://timothykeller.com/images/uploads/pdf/Chapter_One_Generous_Justice.pdf
Thanks for reading and, as always, your comments are most welcome!
Dec 04, 2010
Tommy Shelton
This Sunday at 9:30 and 11:00 at Fellowship Dallas (Dec 5), come meet a panel of Fellowship friends who will be sharing how they live out the Gospel in their day-to-day lives. These folks are just like you and me. By that I mean, God uses them because they love Jesus and make themselves available to be used by him to draw others to his light and truth, and God wants to do the same thing with all of us. You will be encouraged and inspired by the stories of these friends, and I bet God will prompt you about how he wants you to be the Gospel and live it out in your life.
May 04, 2010
Tommy Shelton
What an incredible day Sunday, May 2nd was in my life and the life of Fellowship Dallas. In my 25 years of involvement with this church I’ve never been so blessed to be part of our fellowship as I was that day when we all went out honoring God and blessing our community (or, better, our neighbors) in such tangible and meaningful ways. Gary reminded us in the commissioning service beforehand that Jesus gave us in Mark 12:30-31 the greatest commandment of all: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. For at least a few hours in Vickery Meadow, God fulfilled this "Great Commandment" through the 1400 or so people who took part in our "Fellowship Serves" day.
After we got everyone on the buses, I drove around the area before going to my work site at Town North Bible Church. I saw orange and yellow (T-shirt wearing) embodiments of Jesus everywhere I looked. It was a vivid picture of 2 Corinthians 2:14-16(a) and 5:20.
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us [Fellowship Dallas, especially on May 2] in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere [in Vickery Meadow, Town North Bible Church, etc.] the fragrance of the knowledge of him [and the beauty of the sight of him wearing yellow and orange T-shirts]. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life… . We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
I served with my small group at Town North putting a new coat of paint on their exterior doors. Then I went back to Tasby Middle School for the festival and graduation of the latest Refugee Empowerment Pathway students. What a beautifully diverse sight all of that was. Then I joined the team at the Biltmore Apartments as they were finishing the installation of playground equipment. It was there that I had "my moment". Young Hispanic and Arab boys pitched in to help us build their playground. The pride and joy on their faces was a tremendous blessing that has stuck with me. It makes me want to go back and get to know them and their families. See how it works? We go out and bless others in the name of Jesus and we end up getting blessed and wanting to bless them even more. That's the kingdom being extended. What a wonderful thing to be part of and, obviously, I don't need to wait for next year's "Fellowship Serves" day to experience it again.
Thank you to everybody who served so beautifully and effectively, for being a sweet fragrance of life and a bright—yellow and orange—light of life and hope in Jesus. We loved God well on Sunday, May 2nd and we certainly loved our neighbors as ourselves. I know for sure that it can now be said of Fellowship Dallas that, if we weren’t here, we truly would be missed by our neighbors. And don't fail to realize that who they would really miss is Jesus who they are seeing in us. Let’s keep making that more and more of a reality.
It is important that we all recount and celebrate our experiences of that day. I invite you to share your stories and moments here on this blog.
For the Kingdom,
Tommy
