Derek & Miranda Brown

As the pastor of Harmony Church, I have a huge heart for Uptown Greenville and the surrounding area. As a community, we have a strong presence in the neighborhood, and hope to continue to have one as the neighborhood blossoms and flourishes, which it will do. People from Harmony have intentionally moved into the neighborhood, loving the area, and visiting the businesses. Our prayer is that this only continues to happen.At Harmony, we refuse to be consumeristic tourists in our own city.

Angus McKellar has written a very poignant op-ed piece for the East Carolinian that has definitely struck a nerve with people who care about Greenville…and I thank Christ for it. Many of the points he touches on are fantastic points, and his systemic solutions (from the Pirate Bucks to ECU having classes in Uptown) are creative solutions to a large problem. I also know he puts his work where his mouth is, as he and I have served alongside one another in a renewal project in Uptown.

That being said, the solutions he provides are on a systemic level, but there is much to be said for some grassroots initiatives that can be had as well. Here are a few I can think of. Feel free to leave more suggestions in the comments, to keep it all on the same page.

1. Regularly Frequent Uptown Businesses

Regardless of an existing Pirate Bucks system or otherwise, spend your money at Uptown businesses. From Tipsy Teapot and the Scullery to Catalog Connection and Emerge, there are some really fantastic stores and restaurants in the area. Here’s a great directory of businesses in the area. Invest in the area with your money, not just your mouth.

2. Enjoy What Uptown Offers

In addition to frequenting the businesses, frequent the area! First Fridays are a phenomenal opportunity to explore the neighborhood, including the galleries. Art Avenue, Emerge, and Dirty LAM, among others, usually have some fantastic things going on the first Friday evening of every month. Check it out. Every Tuesday, Copper & Vine hosts a free beer tasting, which may I add is fantastic (disclaimer: I host it). Tipsy Teapot regularly hosts music concerts of all genres, as well as comedy shows and plays. Armadillo Grill has some great specialty beer releases and, as you may already know, Winslow’s also has a great beer selection. Uptown Greenville regularly hosts special events from Freeboot Friday (before every home game) to the Umbrella Market (late Spring-early Fall open-air market) to PirateFest. Check it out!

3. Join Uptown Greenville

Uptown Greenville is a great organization seeking the good of the area. Under the leadership of Denise Walsh and board, the Uptown neighborhood is poised to become a phenomenal area in our already great city. Check out what Uptown Greenville does here and join here.

4. Volunteer in Uptown

These events don’t happen by magic. They take work. And lots of it. You can volunteer with Uptown Greenville here.

5. Read the Greenville Times

Ryan Webb, editor of the Greenville Times, has a true heart for Uptown, as well as produces a pretty great alternative newspaper. Pick it up (it’s free!) and advertise in it. Definitely worthwhile.

6. Get Involved in the Politics

Not all of our councilmembers view Uptown as an opportunity. Some see it as an obstacle. Write the councilmembers, attend the meetings. Know what’s going on (like the Merchant’s Alley project or the newly erected signage).

7. Get Involved in a Community

Whether it’s karaoke night at the Scullery, Sundays at Harmony Church, one of the various clubs at Tipsy (check the bulletin board), or the arts scene, I would encourage you to simply spend time in Uptown!

I mentioned it on Facebook and Twitter, but it’s so easy to complain about the “grass being greener on the other side”. I’ve lived a bunch of different places, interacted with various people, and over time I’ve found that the grass is greener where you water it.

Let’s invest in Uptown not just in words and in articles, but with our time, our finances, and our effort. I look forward to your feedback below.

Occasionally, I have the honor of speaking at various functions and ministries, including ECU’s FCA and, earlier today, the Brody School of Medicine chapter of CMDA. Today, I taught from Luke 24 on the subject of having hearts set on fire with passion for Jesus. It’s one thing to have truth…another matter entirely to have tenacity. Here are some notes, in bullet-point form, from the lesson:

• The chapter starts out with the story of “them” (at least 5 women: Mary, Martha, Joanna, and at least two others) finding the empty tomb and encountering the angels. Immediately, they run back to the disciples (the Eleven and the 120) and let them know about the empty tomb.
• The disciples hear the news about Jesus and believe it to be no more than an idle tale. Some “Christians” in the Church intellectually affirm the Resurrection of Jesus, but live like He remains in the tomb. It’s just an idle tale to them.
• We can learn a lot from Peter who, when faced with a truth too good to be true, runs to the source and investigates the empty tomb himself, out of a motive of hope.
• The “them” in the story then switches: from the 5 women to 2 of the disciples that were told about the supposed empty tomb. We only know one of their names (Cleopas).
• As they are walking on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appears in their midst and asks what they are discussing. They tell Jesus the story of His life, as they mourn His absence (!). Some (perhaps you?) are holding on to a past experience of Jesus…when He stands before you wanting to do something in your midst now. We do not serve a distant God, but a Savior King who is close.
• The disciples come to their senses when Jesus both preaches the entire Old Testament to them (which is about Himself), then serves them communion. He then disappears.
• As they are reflecting with their time with the post-Resurrection Jesus, the two disciples mention this: “Did not our hearts burn within us?”. That is, weren’t our hearts on fire?
• This is my prayer for every Christian: that their heart would be aflame for Christ. That the soul would sizzle.
• The very next thing the two disciples did (that hour!) after realizing that their hearts were aflame was to share the Good News of the Resurrection with others. A burning heart leads to a life on fire. In other words, a heart passionate about Jesus leads to a life of mission for Jesus.
• If you’re not living on mission, realize that is not your fundamental issue. It is simply a symptom…but not the disease. Not living on mission is a symptom of a smoldering heart.
• The question is not “How do I live on mission?”. The question is How do I gain white-hot affections for Jesus?
• First things first: you meet Jesus. Just as Cleopas and friend met the Risen Christ. Just as Paul was knocked off his literal high horse. You must see Jesus. Alive. Face-to-face.
• The second thing? You see Jesus everywhere. In the Old Testament. In the New Testament. In science. In life.
• My concern in looking at Bible-belt Christianity is that some who would claim it as their faith have a Christ-less Christianity. A Christ-less Christianity is a Christianity that has been neutered.
• To the cold-hearted: Stare at Jesus until you see Him.
• To those with hearts on fire: Be missionaries. Not only overseas, but in your backyard as well.
• To those who are lukewarm, I let Jesus speak: “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16

If you were there, I’d love some feedback and comments. If you weren’t there…I’d still enjoy some feedback and comments.

Today at Harmony Church, we discussed maturing as individual believers, that we may mature as a church. Part of that discussion was talking about moving from spiritual milk to spiritual meat. A question was asked during our weekly Q&A as to what qualified as milk, and what qualified as meat. Here are some very generalized guidelines to assist you in assessing where you are…along with where you’re headed next.

Spiritual Milk

• In the Beginning, God
• What Sin Is
• Who Jesus Was
• What Jesus Did
• What It Means to Be “Saved”
• Repentance and Faith
• How to Read the Bible
• The Basics of Spiritual Disciplines
• What is the Church?
• How the Gospel Affects ________ (Family, Work, School, etc.)

Spiritual Broccoli

• Identifying Idols & Living in On-Going Repentance
• How the Holy Spirit Functions In Us
• What Does It Mean to “Live on Mission”
• How Can I Serve & Love the Church?
• Preaching the Gospel to Yourself
• The Value of Community
• Rebellion, Religion, and Redemption
• Relational Evangelism

Spiritual Bacon/Steak/Tofu

• Systematic Theology in Salvation (Election, Justification, Sanctification, Glorification)
• The Five Points of Grace
• Leading Like Christ
• Training Others to Live on Mission
• The Structure of a Biblical Church (Deacons & Elders)
• Getting Involved in Church Planting

I would also say that a large difference between people drinking spiritual milk and people eating spiritual meat is the proportion of learning to teaching. As a new Christian, you’re taking in everything, learning from everyone, and processing a lot of information. As a mature Christian, you become the person who is leading others, discipling others, teaching others, and living alongside others…all the while remaining a disciple of Jesus yourself.

For more information and resources, check out the Journey page and the Resources page.

Below are four things that come to mind when I’m thinking about what characterizes what we do at Harmony Church. Feel free to leave your thoughts & comments below as well.

Jesus

This isn’t just some cliche, but I think one of the distinguishing marks of who I am as a leader and who we are as a church is unapologetic radicalism about the person and work of Christ. As I’ve written about here and here, it is my personal conviction that Christianity is about Jesus, and the Church of Christianity is to reflect that idea. Because I’ve written about it before, I’ll just leave you to read those articles. Regardless of how that is expressed theologically (what one specifically believes) or ecclesiologically (how one specifically practices), I think that a Christian should be all about the name and fame of Jesus, because that is what the story of Redemption is all about. If I’m to be known for anything, I want it to be Jesus. If I’m to be criticized for anything, I want it to be Jesus.

Men

Targeting men as a church or church leader isn’t new, nor is it invented by Harmony. It’s been popularized in modern-day American Christian by leaders like Douglas Wilson, Mark Driscoll, and Darrin Patrick. Their thinking (among many others like David Murrow) has greatly influenced us as a church, and myself as a leader. Combine their “air-level” influence with the “ground-level” influence I had from great men at Faith Assembly of God, and it’s ingrained in me that to change a culture, you reach the men. I’m a bit biased, but we do this extremely well at Harmony. Up until recently, the number of men has vastly outweighed the number of women at Harmony. Now, our ratio is about 1.5:1, men to women. It’s a great place to be as a young church in a city where that ratio is flipped in the general population. We’re simply praying that more leaders would be developed, regardless of their gender.

But it’s nice to have three Godly men who teach and influence children at Harmony. It’s nice to have a queue of Home Group leaders, and to have two men serving alongside me as overseers in the church. It’s wonderful seeing men leaning into Jesus, owning up to their responsibility, getting married, and setting down roots. Definitely thankful. Praying for more of all that. Now if we can get some guys in the nursery…

Culture

From the very beginning, our influence has far outweighed our size. I’m so thankful for what we’ve accomplished so far in terms of culture. I believe I’m not just called to plant a church, but to plant a culture. I also believe that there is so much left to do here in Greenville in terms of creating a Christ-centered culture. I’d love to be able to hire multiple artists-in-residence in different mediums. I’d love to be able to bring a guy (or girl) on staff to orchestrate concerts, art events, and other cultural events. I’d love to have the resources to fund a venue. Not a lame one, either. But all in due time. Until those dreams are realized, culture will still remain a large part of what we do at Harmony, from recording albums to fashion shows.

Not-Yet-Christians

One of the reasons we do things at Harmony the way we do them is because we want to stay aware that there are people doubting, skeptical, and wrestling among us. There are even some in our community who outright don’t believe what we believe…and that’s OK (for now). We are blatantly clear about our intentions (we want people to worship Jesus with everything they are)…but we also want to communicate the Gospel in a way that is truthful, addresses doubts and concerns, as well as communicating the Scriptures in a winsome way. The first step in that is being open and aware that there are people with you who are not with you. Then know their concerns. Address their concerns. But be honest about it. We’re praying that when a skeptic or doubter wants to explore Christianity, he or she will feel comfortable and welcome at Harmony.

Did I miss anything? What do you think characterizes Harmony’s culture and approach?

Over a piece of fantastic pork tenderloin and a Founders Porter, I had a lively, but civil, conversation about the Gospel with a great guy who is also a practicioner of Buddhism. In short, it came down to karma vs. grace. We found a lot of common ground, but one glaring difference emerged over and over: the difference between self-effort and the effort of God.

Karma is proportionate cause and effect, and is indeed the perceived “default” of the world. It’s even scientific (see: Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion)! Karma seems to be the guiding principle of everything around us. It may be, at least from our perspective, a general guiding principle for the way our world works, but it’s a pathetic vehicle for restoring and renewing all things…including our relationship with God.

Buddhism is surely built on the idea of karma, but I want to be clear here: karma is not just an ideal found in Eastern spirituality. I would propose that every religion except Christianity is built on some form of the idea of karma. The idea of cause and effect over time without interruption (aka karma) is rampant in Western culture as well, making it’s way into our moral philosophy, business transactions, and even into the American Church. Let’s take a look at how karma manifests itself across multiple spiritualities and faiths:

Karma in Eastern Spirituality

I’m not an expert in spirituality. I don’t claim to be. I do have some academic background in religious studies, and read a lot…but that’s about it. What that means is that there may be some over-generalizations that I’m hoping you overlook and forgive. That being said, I also want to make a distinction between the abstraction of a spirituality (what it “really” means) and how people actually live it out. This is particularly true of Eastern religions, where it is commonly accepted that how you live according to a spirituality is sometimes different than what you believe about the same spirituality.

Eastern Spiritualities like Buddhism and Hinduism are built around the idea of karma: both in this life and as an accruement or sum-total over many lives. The entire faith is built around cause and effect: that what you do in this life has an equal and opposite reaction that will one day, though perhaps in another life, be manifested. This idea is the foundational principle of most Eastern religions, simply with different nuances.

The problem here is the nature of the human heart. The human heart is innately selfish, and will never will itself out of this selfishness. Unlike what many spiritualities would have us believe, we don’t just need a disciplined heart…we need a different heart altogether. Karma simply can’t provide this. It provides discipline, yes. It provides incentive, yes. It provides an ideal, yes. But it cannot provide the means. And this places a workload on a person that is not sustainable.

Karma in Judaism

Maimonides, a well-known rabbi from the 12th century, established a list of “tenets” of the Jewish faith. One of these is as follows:

I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.

You can see here the karmic principles in play. If you do good, then you get reward from the Creator. If you do bad, then you receive punishment. On one level, I would agree with this statement whole-heartedly. The problem with this is that no-one keeps His commandments. Even the top 10. The same issue that Eastern religions, the issue of the human heart, is the same issue with Judaism. It provides the incentive and a goal…but not the means. Karma can show us point A and point B…but it simply can’t take us from here to there. I hope you’re beginning to pick up that pattern.

Karma in Islam

The Qur’an contains the following text in Surah 3:

For such the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath,- an eternal dwelling: How excellent a recompense for those who work and strive!

At first glance, it reads almost like a passage of grace, mentioning the forgiveness that comes from the Lord (Allah). But then one finishes the passage (and reads many other similar passages). The forgiveness of the Lord, along with the subsequent gardens and rivers, is a recompense, or repayment, for their work and striving. This is simply karma, or results via works, in a different wrapper. In order to receive the forgiveness of Allah, one must work and strive. Yet again, this faith fatigues the soul by providing incentive and a goal…but not the ability.

Karma in American Moralistic Deism (AMD)

Arguably, the predominant “religion” in America right now is self-reliant moralistic deism. The mantra of this “faith” is “Be a good person and God will love you”. The issue here is that it simply repeats everything we’ve already heard. A couple of questions follow: how good does one have to be? Everyone has done things we shouldn’t have done…or avoided things that we should have done. So who sets the bar for how good one has to be to be loved? In America, the self sets the bar. And honestly, how would be so bold as to set a bar above where they already are? Another question that follows is this:who defines what good even is? Again, AMD would say that the self does.

And as we’ve seen over and over again, AMD provides a goal (reunion with a loving God) and an incentive (be a good person)…but not a means. A dead heart cannot resuscitate itself, pull itself out of the grave, and restore itself to full life.

Karma in Christianity

This is obviously the context I’m most familiar with. Let me also be the first to say that karma has no place in Christianity. If you’re wondering more, check out my post here on what Christianity should be about (Hint: Jesus). However, karma has infiltrated the hearts and minds of many. From prosperity theology (“if I pray and ask for good things, then good things will happen”) to moralistic legalism (“if I obey God’s law in the Bible and be a good person, then I’ll be loved”), karma is rampant in Western Christianity, distorting the Gospel of grace and placing it behind a foggy lens of cause & effect. It shows up in church vision statements, in pastors’ sermons, and in the self-centered songs sung during musical worship. The reason this is so dangerous is because people who don’t believe in Christianity see the blatant hypocrisy. How can someone who proclaims grace live according to karma? Such a disconnect exists between grace and karma that when someone tries to straddle the fence, the authenticity of the believer, the Church, and the Message are annihilated.

Karma in Christianity is a burden that no one can bear. To teach that without the mercy of the Trinity, we live broken lives while simultaneously teaching that how you live affects your status before God is cruel. This contradiction runs people into the ground through endless, eternal work and destroys their soul from constantly trying to please a cruel, merciless and unloving deity. This is not Good News. At all.

How Grace Confronts Karma

The Christian believes that all good things emanate from the Godhead through the means of grace, not from the good works of mankind. The Christian also believes that all bad things emanate from the corrupting effects of sin, the antithesis of the character of God. Even saving faith, who some would say is a “work” of sorts, is a gift from God Ephesians 2:8. Everything, regardless of one’s “personal” belief in Christianity, is from God, by the grace of God. If it were not for grace, karma would indeed be the ruling system in the universe, and we would all get what we deserved: wrath for being lying, corrupted distortions of the Godhead. Instead, grace interrupts karma Grace not only offers an incentive and a goal…but the means as well. Grace shows us point A and point B…then provides a plane ticket there.

So What About Our Perception of Karma?

To start off this post, I mentioned that karma is at least perceived to be the guiding principle. But just above, I said that everything is by the grace of God. How can these two things be reconciled? Quite simply: God does not flip coins. God is not random. He does not do things by chance. Overall, He acts and extends grace in a pattern on a regular basis, from the rising of the Sun day-by-day to the molecular structure of a solid substance. What some call cause-and-effect is simply God acting according to His pre-established pattern of disseminating grace.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I’ll leave you with two things, first a quote from Dr. Harry Ironside about religions:

There are not thousands of religions. There are not even hundreds of religions. There are only two: one which tells you that salvation comes as a reward for what you have done, and one which tells you that salvation comes by what somebody else does for you. That’s Christianity. All the rest fit under the other. And if you think you can get your salvation by your own efforts, then Christianity has nothing to say to you.

The second thing is a thought for closing:

Our universe centers on and functions according to the grace of God, extended towards us in a loving fashion through Jesus, who interrupted the endless cycle of trying to please God and lifted the heavy weight of karma by pleasing God Himself, bearing karma’s effects on His own shoulders on the Cross. Grace is not just an ideal…He’s a person.

His name is Jesus.

Starting in February, we are starting a new series, entitled Rebels Like Us. The basic premise is this: there is only one hero of the Bible, Jesus, and everyone else is a cosmic traitor…just like we are.Their lives simply point to a better Priest, a better Savior, a better King. We’re examining the lives of four people (Cain, David, Jonah, and Peter) in order to clearly see the life and work of Jesus. Here’s a glimpse of how Jesus can be seen in other lives from the Scriptures. Some of these are adapted from Tim Keller.

Adam
Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Abel
Jesus is the true and better Abel whose blood cries out to the Father for our innocence, not our guilt.

Abraham
Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go to create a new people of God.

Isaac
Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his Father on the mount, but was truly sacrificed for us.

Jacob
Jesus wrestled with God the Father and took the blow of justice we deserved.

Joseph
Jesus stands at the right hand of the Father, like Joseph did to Pharaoh, forgiving those who betrayed and sold Him. He now uses His power to save those who once betrayed Him.

Moses
Jesus is the new and better Moses, who leads His people through the waters of wrath to the promised land of the Kingdom. He stands in the gap between the people and the Father, mediating a new covenant.

The Passover Lamb
Jesus is the new and better Passover Lamb, whose blood sprinkled on the doorways of our hearts allows the wrath of God to skip over us.

Rock of Moses
Jesus is the better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God, yields life-sustaining water in the desert of our souls.

The Day of Atonement Sacrifices (Leviticus 16)
Jesus is the new and better Day of Atonement sacrifice, who takes the place of two animals. He both takes our punishment as the sacrifice and, as the scapegoat, carries our sin into the wilderness to be forgotten forever.

Job
Jesus is the truly innocent sufferer who intercedes for and saves His stupid friends.

David
Jesus is the better David who slays the Goliath of our sin, while we stand aside in fear, not lifting a stone to help.

Esther
Jesus is the better Esther who didn’t just risk losing an earthly place, but a heavenly one. He didn’t just risk His life, but actually sacrificed it, in order to save His people.

Evil-Merodach (2 Kings 25:27–30)
Jesus is the new and better Evil-Merodach who graciously frees the lousy kings (us), speaks kindly to us, and gives us a seat at table as we cast off our prison garments.

Jonah
Jesus was cast into the raging waters of God’s wrath, that we may be brought in.

Jesus is the only hero of the Scriptures. Everyone and everything else points to Him.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've become increasingly aware of the prevalence of Christianity that is not Christ-centered, particularly in my own city of Greenville.I need to be careful how I say this, simply because it's so easy to equate "Christ-centered" with my particular brand of Christianity, but I'm seriously talking about a mutant form of Christianity that minimally talks about Christ. You can be Christ-centered and Episcopalian, Christ-centered and Baptist, Christ-centered and Arminian, Christ-centered and Methodist, Christ-centered and Calvinist...it doesn't much matter to me any more. But pastors, please, I beg of you! Preach Jesus. Preach His life. Preach His death. Preach Him alive now. Preach Him from the Old Testament. Preach Him from the New Testament. Show Him from the sciences. Expose Him in every great story of human creation.

What's the alternative? Diluted, religion-filled self-help wrapped in a pretty Trinitarian foil and served in a box with Bible verses on the lid. Like a gorgeously-encased toothpaste-filled chocolate, it doesn't much matter what you wrap something in if the core is disgusting.

Pastors, a friend communicated this to me recently, as we were discussing this very matter, and I would whole-heartedly agree:

If a sermon can be preached with a clear conscience by a Jew or a Muslim, it's not a Christ-centered sermon.

Ask yourselves if a moral non-Christian can teach your sermon. If the answer's yes, don't preach until you can preach Jesus.

To Christians in non-leadership roles: dear brothers and sisters, please take heed to what you are listening to! So what if the music's great, the lights are fantastic, and the people are really friendly? If the Grace, the Word, and the Spirit of God are missing, it's all the stuff of spiritual yard sales: garbage. If the core of the message is "Do better, try harder, and God will love you more.", then you're listening to a lie. For if you are a Christian, God will never love you more than He already does, as He sees you as righteous, perfect, and blameless before Him, as you are in Christ.

My heart breaks for the religious-saturated culture who sees "god" everywhere, but sweeps Jesus and His work under the rug.

It is only Jesus that sets the heart ablaze (Luke 24).