Brian Higgins – Calvary Chapel

The Gift of the Presence We Don’t Deserve

Brian Higgins — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 23:23:54 +0000

My wife and I aren’t fancy people. We don’t like to dress up, feel odd in upscale restaurants, and generally prefer dates where comfy pants makes sense.

Which made one dinner on our honeymoon incredibly awkward. We decided to do one fancy dinner in Paris. So I found a restaurant on Yelp, called for a reservation, and got ready to join high society.

One important note if you’re in France: no one eats dinner at 7 p.m. I should’ve guessed that after the host practically laughed at my reservation request, but it became clear when we arrived at the restaurant. Every server was better dressed than us, each meal had a name we couldn’t pronounce, and the staff served us with a demeanor that asked “do you guys really belong here?”

That’s the question we all dread. No matter what’s going on, we want to know we belong.

It’s a desire we take with us even to church. We, as God’s people, belong in God’s house. It adds up. If we’ve been saved for a while, it feels natural.

But is it?

I’m not trying to say God doesn’t want you. I’m also not trying to stir up fears of you not belonging in your church.

What I’m saying is that meeting with God is a big deal. Making the statement “I belong with God” is revolutionary. And it’s not a statement we should let lose its value.

In 1 Kings 3, Solomon asks God for wisdom to lead the people. That wisdom he receives is put on display in an odd but insightful ruling he gives. Two women come to him with a baby that had passed away, each woman claiming the dead baby belongs to the other one, and Solomon cuts through the act.

That’s not the interesting part to me (although there’s a lot there). What’s interesting to me is verse 16.

“Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.”

I know I felt out of place at the fancy restaurant, but this is a whole new level.

While these women came to Solomon with a request, I doubt they came in boldly. No marching around like they owned the place. Probably looking down to avoid the judging glances directed at them. They arrived in shame. The palace itself reminded them of how broken they really were.

I’m not trying to pile on these women. In fact, I think you and I are a lot more like them than we care to admit.

It’s a beautiful thing that God welcomes us, but let’s remember it’s not a right we deserve. Left to ourselves and apart from the blood of Jesus, we don’t deserve to come into his presence. You didn’t earn God’s love.

In 1 Peter, the author describes the unfolding history of salvation. He mentions the prophets speaking mysteries they didn’t fully understand. He references the Holy Spirit guiding these people along, even as they sought to understand the full plan. And lastly, he mentions angels desiring to understand it fully.

Here are the verses I’m talking about:

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”

Now, I know these verses are showing us the angel’s excitement over God’s plan of salvation. But I wonder if part of it reflects their curiosity regarding why God would save such broken creatures. I wonder if they, like the palace guard perhaps thought about the prostitutes in 1 Kings, ask themselves if we really belong.

And this is where both stories become the same. The answer is no, we don’t belong. But the king welcomes us anyway.

Solomon never makes the prostitutes prove their worth. Instead, he, as their king, simply welcomes them. Jesus, our great king, doesn’t ask us to prove our worth either. He simply welcomes us because he loves us.

When it comes to your church, remember that there are likely people there similar to those women in 1 Kings. They want to be welcomed, but they read into every glance and every conversation that ends abruptly. We have the chance to help show people that God actually wants them. Let’s show people the love that God has for them.

But let’s also remember we need that same love. We don’t run the church. We don’t stand above God. We are merely broken beggars who found a home because the king said so. Let’s never lose sight of who we really are: broken, shameful people with a wonderfully gracious king.

To The Christian Who Has Lost Their Passion – Resist Apathy pt3

Brian Higgins — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 16:13:38 +0000

In this episode, Brian and Aaron respond to a message from a listener who admits her struggle with apathy and also shares some beautiful insight on how to resist it!

In this episode we try our to address just how easy it is for believers to to lose passion for God, but also just how possible it is to find your way back to Jesus.

This episode is a part of GoodLion Ministry’s Resist Apathy Series. Click Here for more episodes.

Transcript

Here’s a transcript of the episode if you’d like to read along with you listen, or search for specific content. Note: transcript is generated by AI (artificial intelligence), so it’s not 100% accurate. Don’t come after us, spelling/grammar sticklers. – The GoodLion Team

Wake Up To The Story – Resisting Apathy pt.1

Brian Higgins — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 06:11:11 +0000

Part one of a new series by GoodLion Ministries called “Resisting Apathy”. Aaron and Brian speak into the problem of apathy in the Christian life, noting how it is a problem that is born out of complacency and a disconnect from Christ.

Christian apathy is defined as a lack of interest or concern for the things of God. It is a problem that plagues the church and keeps people from truly following Jesus. As two former youth pastors, Aaron and Brian have seen so many young Christians ride the roller coaster of faith, swinging from “on fire for Christ” to “burned out on religion” and “disconnected from God.”

When people are complacent, they are content with where they are in their relationship with God. They are not interested in growing or changing. This can lead to a disconnect from the Christian community and from Jesus. Apathy is also a problem because it leads to a complacency about sin. When people are not interested in the things of God, they are also not interested in repenting of their sin. This can lead to a life marked by sin and a lack of fruitfulness. If you are struggling with apathy, it is important to understand that you are not alone. Many Christians struggle with this issue. However, there is hope!

Aaron and Brian discuss how vital it is to start your journey of resisting apathy with reconnecting with the story of Christianity itself. The story of God. Once you recapture this story, and find your place within it, your journey away from apathy and towards a revitalized faith truly begins.

Gentleness in the Age of Outrage

Brian Higgins — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 19:18:39 +0000

There may be no more destructive habit to a person than engaging in Facebook debates.

We all know how they go. Two people from different sides of the aisle disagree with each other vehemently, never finding any common ground. Often times, they can’t even agree what the facts are.

This isn’t just happening online. I’m sure you’ve encountered many conversations where two people disagree, give very little effort to actually see eye-to-eye, take no steps towards each other, and walk away upset.

The problem with disagreements today isn’t that we have issues we divide over, but that we seem to have lost our ability to talk through those disagreements.

We seem to treat everything like Yelp review writers; we demand perfection and as soon as something deviates from our standard, we light them up with a scathing one-star review.

When some celebrity gets busted for terrible behavior (remember Lance Armstrong?), social media turns into an outrage contest with people trying to out-rant one another.

And this isn’t just the world’s problem. Christians absolutely play a part in this.

When a political decision comes down that doesn’t fit with Biblical values (think the New York abortion decision) or a popular Christian figure doesn’t speak one view perfectly (think Lauren Daigle’s interview on homosexuality), we fire up our keyboards and gladly join the shaming frenzy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for defending and proclaiming what we believe to be true. But too often, people think shouting a truth claim at the top of their lungs is an inherently heroic act, regardless of whether or not anyone hears them.

We all know Facebook heralds don’t sway people; they get unfollowed.

So what is the Christian’s role in all of this? How do we engage a culture that is finding it increasingly harder to hold meaningful conversations?

For starters, I’d offer that our role is not to contribute to the noise.

While it’s easy for Christians to want to defend their ways of thinking, being another angry voice in a sea of anger helps no one.

After all, the human example we follow is a man who didn’t fight for himself as he faced an angry mob that wanted to kill him.

This doesn’t mean that we need to lay down our beliefs on the altar of peace. There are stances worth fighting for, truths worth defending, and wrongs worth righting.

But there are also places we can respectfully disagree. There are moments when an error (in our view) does not need to be publicly shamed.

I’ve always been taught that when it comes to sharing our faith with others, part of the goal is to remove whatever might distract a person from seeing Jesus in our conversations.

When people try to deflect the Gospel by asking about the Crusades or the finer details of my thoughts on evolution, I need to remember those issues are not what I most want to talk about. I want to answer genuine questions wherever I can, but I want to keep first things first. And the thing people need first is Jesus.

I firmly believe that the answer to every human longing is found in Jesus. For a culture that turns every disagreement into outrage, Jesus offers a gentle response.

Think of the countless moments Jesus encountered a shamed sinner and gave them a warm welcome.

Think of Paul’s encouragement in the book of Romans where he reminds us that the kindness of God is what brought us to repentance.

There’s a lot of things I wish people generally associated with God, but the thing I wish they thought most was that God was kind.

Here’s the thing: the way we disagree with people can begin to show them that.

By having gentle responses in heated moments, we have a great opportunity to show people that Jesus has a gentle response for them.

Again, this doesn’t mean lay down every conviction you have, but maybe it does mean we need to lay off some of the fights we engage in. Maybe it’s not that important to fight over political, social and even minor theological views. Especially if those conversations make it harder to show people Jesus.

The amazing thing is this; when we engage gently with those who disagree with us, they are normally more likely to hear out our views than we think.

I think this kind of engagement starts with two main elements.

First, we need to put aside the argument we think they’re going to make.

As cultural divides have grown, we spend less time interacting with those who disagree with us and more time engaging with our caricature of their viewpoints.

We hate when that gets done to us, so why should we do that with others? We may know what camp a person is from, but that doesn’t mean we know that person.

As we speak with people, we should not be waiting for them to affirm our suspicions about what we think they believe. We should be ready for them to surprise us.

And that only comes if we have the second element. We need to be really good at listening.

Not listening to prepare our response.

Not listening because we want to find the holes in their logic.

Not listening because it gives us a chance to speak back.

Listening because we actually care. Listening because we recognize their humanity, that they bear God’s image, too. Listening because we believe we may really learn something from them.

I remember growing up thinking the world was filled with people who wanted to destroy all the Christians.

Now I think the world is filled with people who want to be heard.

In a time where no one is listening, let’s be the listeners. It might just be the thing that opens the door for us to speak.

Mission Drift, Political Extremes, and Wisdom in the Negative World – Mike Doyle

Brian Higgins — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 06:47:12 +0000

To listen to the podcast, click below.

In a cultural moment that is growing hostile towards the Church, it’s becoming easier than ever for Christians to slip into mission drift.

“Without careful attention, faith-based organizations will inevitably drift from their founding mission. It’s that simple. It will happen.” – Peter Greer

Out of defensiveness and self preservation, it can become easy for us to turn our mission field into a battle field, where the focus and goal shifts from reaching the lost to defeating them in political and social battles.

This isn’t to say Christians should not have an influence on the culture, far from it. It is an admonishment to walk cautiously in these times and keep the main thing the main thing. It is encouragement to avoid the extremes of both the far-left and far-right, and ensure the main thing we are radical about is the preaching Gospel and making disciples.

In this final episode of the negative World Series, Aaron Salvato, Brian Higgins, and Mike Doyle discuss how we can have wisdom while living in the negative world.

Want To Be A Good Witness? Do Your Job Well.

Brian Higgins — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 16:29:51 +0000

It’s amazing how my attitude toward garbage can change.

When I’m by myself and I notice a full garbage can, I have no issues tying up the bag and taking it out. It’s a small task, so when I see it (admittedly, not very often), I have no problem doing it.

The problem comes in when someone tells me I need to take the garbage out. The more directly and bluntly the task is given to me, the more degrading it feels. The person asking may have said, “Can you take this trash out?” but what I heard was, “Hey, garbage boy! This is what you’re worth.”

I know this problem lies in me. I should not hear it that way, and I should be willing to think of myself as a servant. But it does expose how grand my plans can be.

In Christian circles, we talk about serving. A lot. We discuss methods of influencing the culture, sharing the Gospel persuasively, or massive, sweeping changes we’d love to bring about.

I love those conversations. I think they can be helpful, motivating, and, at times, needed.

The issue we can run into is that these conversations give us delusions of grandeur. They make us think we need to be the ones doing the big tasks or we’re not making a difference at all.

Please don’t read this as a rant against ambition. I believe in ambition. The flip side of this article is commentary on our need for ambition. The problem isn’t wanting to make a difference. The problem is that we feel our name needs to be associated with the change.

For many young Christians, these ideas push them into thinking they need to be “in ministry.” If they don’t work in a church or don’t carry the title “pastor,” then maybe they’re not making a difference. This can create dissatisfaction with where they are now, whether it’s being a student, a barista, or whatever other job they are in.

When we think about reaching out, we need to start by using what we have. The roles we occupy, the responsibilities that currently lie on us, they are part of how God wants us to reach the world.

Think of the standard question you ask when you meet someone: “What do you do?”

Your job is often the first way you’ll relate with people, whether it’s at the job you work or by telling people you work that job. And how well you do that job will impact how people see you.

I remember being a high school student and wanting to influence my school. At one point, my sights were set on my teachers. I wanted to show them who Jesus was by my character. The problem was that I also wanted to make my classmates laugh, I didn’t want to do my homework, and I had my focus in lots of other directions. To my dismay, this led many teachers to just see me as a punk kid. (They were right, but it still made me feel bad.)

As I was thinking this through, I remember talking with my dad about it. His advice has stuck with me: “You’re supposed to be their student. If you aren’t good at being their student, why would they think you’re good at anything else?”

When we meet people, we judge them by how well they do their job. I never think the slow barista who burnt my drink could help me see the world in a more complete way. Maybe that’s judgmental, but it’s how life works.

If you want to reach people with the Gospel, start by being amazing at your job. It may not be ministry, you may never read the Bible to anyone there, but it can still be where you reach people.

Two great things happen for your ability to influence when you do your job really well.

First, you become a model of servanthood.

All jobs, to some degree, involve serving other people, especially if you look to do them well. Humility can be displayed in a retail worker, a salesman, or a teacher. When we focus on doing our work well, we show people we accept our role and want to bless those who put us there.

Spoiler alert: That’s not how most people go to work. Most people work purely for their own advancement. Working hard so others can advance sets you apart.

This leads to the second great thing: You create open doors to explain why.

People will see this difference, and they’ll want to know why you live this way. That’s the open door for the Gospel. Preachers say all the time that you should “live a life that demands an explanation.” Well, when you do that, people will want to hear you explain it.

I get you may not love your job. At the very least, you probably don’t like everything about it. But remember who we follow. Jesus is the ultimate example of taking on limits for the sake of the advancement of others. When we welcome the limits of our jobs and perform them as well as we possibly can, we live a little more like Jesus and make people curious about Him.

No, your job may not be a ministry job. But it is your ministry. Work that job like your boss is Jesus, and watch how He begins to change your workplace. And you.

Tim Keller, the War on Winsomeness, & Responding to the “Negative World.”

Brian Higgins — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 06:31:00 +0000

To listen to the podcast episode, click the player below.

Aaron Salvato writes:
“Many Christians now sense the world has shifted. While culture was once positive towards Christianity, we now see a world that has shifted from openness to indifference and now hostility.

A negative world.

Which begs the question… how do we respond to this idea of the negative world? How do we adapt? How do we avoid negative responses that hold us back from our mission and focus on the kind of response that makes a difference in this broken world?

Today on the GoodLion Podcast, I once again sit down with Mike Doyle, founder and lead pastor of Movement Church in NYC, to chat about this complex issue.

We discuss the need for deep faith. A renewed sense of Christian vision, identity, and formation, and how reclaiming the monastic principles of early Christians, even in small ways, can make a big difference.

Later in the episode, I’ll be joined by Brian Higgins to look at the debate surrounding Tim Keller’s strategy of winsomeness and how properly understanding what we mean when we say winsome makes a massive difference in how to understand this conflict.

Then Mike will join me again to close out the episode as we discuss the problems of both-sidesism and the need for a resurgence of theological orthodoxy.

I really enjoyed these convos, and as This episode is the 2nd of a 3-part series on the Negative World, there will be more good convos to come.
We hope it helps you think and consider how to walk wisely as a Jesus follower and to consider the ways the world is changing, but also how our mission as Christians never changes.

You’re listening to the GoodLion Podcast!”

Abortion, Christians, & The Value of a Life (with Ryan Lynn) / Rebroadcast

Brian Higgins — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:51:33 +0000

Abortion is a hot button topic that is often debated by both Christians and non Christians. Ryan Lynn (Founder of the Speak Life Collective) is here to challenge us on how we can think through this divisive topic as followers of Christ.

In this discussion, Aaron and Brian dialogue with Ryan about the value of an unborn life, how to respond to those who hold pro-choice views, what it means to be pro-life, the ethics of abortion, how to get involved with this ideological battle as a peacemaker, how to show grace and compassion to women who’ve struggled through this issue, and how to hold boldly to your convictions while carrying those convictions with compassion.

It’s a great talk and we really hope it encourages and equips you to walk closely with Jesus as you engage the culture around you for the Kingdom of God.

For great apologetical resources on this topic, visit the Q&A page on the Speak Life Collective website – https://www.speaklifecollective.com/answers.html

Living In The Negative World

Brian Higgins — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 18:30:53 +0000

Throughout our lives many of us have heard older generations harken back to a time when Christians were accepted, praised, and embraced by the culture.

Everyone went to Church on sundays. People seemed to hold a Christian worldview and morality, and it was rare to find someone who didn’t believe in Heaven or Hell. A world that was positive towards Christians.

Some people my age remember a more neutral world, where Christianity was seen as one of many belief systems free thinkers could choose from.

But today, many are talking about the negative world, a shift where the views of the culture have become much more hostile against Christians.

Do these views have validity, or are they an overblown exaggeration? What does this mean for the Church? And how can we react to it in a way that’s true with who we are as Christ followers?

Today on the GoodLion Podcast, I sit down with Mike Doyle, founder and lead pastor of Movement Church in NYC, to chat about this complex issue. Later in the episode I’ll be joined by Brian Higgins to dive further into how we can respond to this concept.

I really enjoyed these convos, and as This episode is the first of a 3 part series on the Negative World, there will be more good convos to come.

We hope it helps you think and consider how to walk wisely as a Jesus follower, and to consider the ways the world is changing, but also how our mission as Christians never changes.

You’re listening to the GoodLion Podcast!

Lessons From Becoming Fathers

Brian Higgins — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 22:51:54 +0000

The GoodLion Podcast is back for season 8! Brian and Aaron sit down for a heart to heart about a recent big change in their lives: becoming fathers!

Don’t Try To Build The House While It’s Burning – with Justin Thomas

Brian Higgins — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 12:15:00 +0000

2020 seemed to tear everything apart. The normal structures of our lives, our work, and our relationships seems to have fallen completely apart.

For many of us, this has created a sense of loss. The things we trusted in let us down and now we don’t fully know where to turn. We’re not sure what we can or should trust in anymore.

For others, this has led to a strong desire to rebuild. Rather than wallow in the sadness of loss, we want to simply put our heads down and remake the world we feel we’ve lost.

In this episode, Justin Thomas, Pastor at Calvary: The Hill, lays out a different option. Rather than just trying to rebuild what we had, we need to let the chaos of the last 18 months teach us important lessons. Were we approaching church and faith and discipleship the way we should have? Are we sure our old structures were the right structures? What if God is giving us an opportunity to rebuild so we can do better this time?

Aaron and Brian talk with Justin about all this and much more as they try to think through what a church would need to look like to be 2020-proof, able to withstand the division and hostility our cultural moment thrives on.

We’re so glad you could join us for this conversation.

You’re listening to the GoodLion Podcast!

Aaron Salvato and Brian Higgins are here to talk about Jesus, faith, and the Christian Life. A show filled with powerful interviews, fascinating theological deep-dives, and a never ending stream of questions, there’s always something to discover on The Good Lion Podcast. Check out the other great shows on the GoodLion network at www.goodlion.io

Engaging with Real Deconstruction: A look at Exvangelical memes – With Dominic Done!

Brian Higgins — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 09:30:00 +0000

Deconstruction is a growing trend in religious and philosophical circles. While many Christians have begun to address deconstruction, we don’t often engage with deconstructionist ideas directly.

In this episode, Aaron and Brian are joined by Dominic Done, author of When Faith Fails: Finding God In the Shadow of Doubt and founder of a ministry to skeptics and doubters called Pursuing Faith. Aaron, Brian, and Dominic respond directly to deconstructionists memes to answer questions coming directly from people wrestling with deconstruction.

Throughout this conversation, Aaron, Brian, and Dominic seek to find the valuable elements of deconstruction without it leading to abandoning the fundamentals of Christianity. We hope this episode encourages you to think critically and respond lovingly to deconstructionist concepts.

Young People, Postmodernism, and How It Closes Their Eyes to Truth

Brian Higgins — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 21:52:00 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Brian explore the way that postmodern thinking is currently effecting young people.

As two former youth pastors, we have a huge heart for young people. They aren’t just the future of the church, they are the present. If you’re a young person between the middle school and college age listening to this, we appreciate you, and we are glad you are here.

One of the biggest problems we’ve been seeing about postmodern philosophy is its assault on the concept of objective truth. The assertion that everyone can have their own truth, no matter what it is, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. But that’s the problem. Lies do harm people. If you’re handed a glass of poison and told it’s water, that is a lie that will hurt you.

As people who believe in both the concept of God-given morality and the problem of sin, we understand that it’s important to discuss how the concept of truth is deteriorating in our postmodern society.

Today on the show we are going to watch some clips from a video from 2017 where a guy is on college campuses trying to see how far young people have slipped into postmodern thinking. Then we are going to talk about what it means for the church.

We hope this conversation challenges you in your thinking and helps you consider other points of view. As always we are open to any feedback, wherever that be encouragement or pushback. You can email us at goodlionnetwork@gmail.com or send a dm on Instagram to @goodlionpodcast

Thanks for listening everyone. Enjoy the show.

The Dangers of Postmodernism

Brian Higgins — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 16:30:00 +0000

Postmodernism may be today’s common thinking, but is that a good thing? In this episode, Brian and Aaron push past the facade of freedom postmodernism offers to explore some of its dangers.

The second episode of this new miniseries begins with a quick recap on what postmodern thinking actually is, something that is not always easy to define. With that definition in mind, Aaron and Brian highlight the fact that some of postmodernism’s conclusions lead to scary places for Jesus followers and non-believers alike.

We hope this episode puts words to things you may have felt before about postmodernism and helps you talk about it in a compassionate, helpful, Jesus-loving way!

––
Aaron Salvato and Brian Higgins are here to talk about Jesus, faith, and the Christian Life. A show filled with powerful interviews, fascinating theological deep-dives, and a never ending stream of questions, there’s always something to discover on The Good Lion Podcast. Check out the other great shows on the GoodLion network.

What is Postmodernism, and Why Should we care?

Brian Higgins — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 17:30:00 +0000

In this episode, Brian & Aaron begin to scratch the surface of a notoriously hard to define topic: postmodernism, specifically postmodern philosophy. While western culture has been in the grip of a postmodern movement and mood since the 1960s, many Christians struggle to identify what exactly postmodernism is, and why it presents a problem for the Church.

In part one of a new miniseries, the guys jump headfirst into the discussion, doing their best to research, learn, and share their findings. They take a look at Modernism, and how it led to Postmodernism and discuss one of the core reasons this trajectory has created an obstacle for the Christian worldview, namely, the abandonment of the concept of objective truth.

We hope this episode helps you think deeply as you follow Jesus in this current cultural moment!