OUR BELIEFS
Broken Tree is a community of believers in Jesus Christ. whose greatest desire is o know Christ and to be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that:
- The true basis of Christian fellowship is God’s love, which is greater than our different abilities.
- The Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired without error in the original manuscripts.
- There is one true, living God, who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is equal in power and glory. He created all, upholds all, and rules all.
- God the Father is infinite, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. He concerns Himself in the affairs of people. He hears and answers prayers. He saves all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ from their sins.
- Jesus Christ is God’s only son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. He died to save us from the consequences of our sin. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to advocate on behalf of all His people.
- The Holy Spirit came to convict the world of sin and to prepare those who believe in Christ for ministry. The Holy Spirit lives inside every believer to help, teach, and guide us. To further empower believers in ministry, the Holy Spirit endows us with spiritual gifts.
- All people are sinners and worthy of condemnation, but God regenerates us through the Holy Spirit if we repent of our sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus Christ cleanses believers with the Holy Spirit and empowers them for ministry.
- The Lord Jesus Christ commanded the Church to do two things: 1.) baptism, which means that believers are immersed in water to demonstrate obedience to God through an outward display of commitment, and 2.) communion, which means that believers partake in bread and grape juice to remember and reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus Christ will return to earth to establish his kingdom. The body of believers will be resurrected; nonbelievers will be infinitely separated from God, and believers will spend eternity with God.
- There is a biblical mandate to go out and bring the poor, the blind, and the lame to partake in His banquet.
The Biblical Mandate
It has been thirteen years since Jill, Dylan, who was 14, Colby, who was 10, and I, pulled up stakes in St. Louis and moved out to Castle Rock, Colorado to plant Broken Tree. It has been a long and difficult journey, but it has been showers of blessings daily, and we have seen God do amazing things in the life of Broken Tree. Even though there is evidence that God has blessed Broken Tree, this is a great time to refocus on the original vision that God called us to when we planted Broken Tree.
The vision that was given is based on the parable of the Great Banquet. Before getting into the details of the parable itself, it is important to remember that parables are not made-up stories or fairy tales to make a point, but they are real stories that actually happened. David Guzik, the pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, California, said, “Parables are not fables; Jesus didn’t tell fanciful stories with morals. He took real-life situations familiar to all, and used them to bring forth God’s truth, especially for those open to hear His truth.” Therefore, when working through this parable, it is vital to keep in mind that this is a real story that was well-known within the world of Jesus.
Jesus told this parable in a house of a Pharisee, so of course He was addressing the hard hearts of the Pharisees and the invitation to the Gentiles, but what is interesting is the circumstances He used to bring forth this truth. He used the differently abled to illustrate the fact that believers must have a sacrificial mindset as we invite people to the Gospel, whether they are abled-bodied or differently abled.
Our story begins with, “When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15, NIV) A broadish statement that was a reply to Jesus’ statement, ““When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (vs. 12-14) What is interesting is the four different types of people that are listed: (1) the poor, who were socially marginalized, (2) the crippled, disabled or maimed in any limb, (3) the lame, who were deprived of a foot, and (4) the blind, who were robbed of their vision. So, if Jesus called people to invite this demographic to luncheons and dinners, mechanically how was this to work? Surely Jesus, who is all knowing, understood how difficult it is to host a group who were differently abled. Did Jesus understand the difficulty with transportation? Did Jesus understand the difficulty with feeding those who did not have full ability of their hands? Did Jesus understand the difficulty with taking those who were lame to the bathroom, when they could not walk? Did Jesus understand the difficulty with those who could not see, had to be led around in order not to fall? The answer is an unequivocal yes; and Jesus did understand how complicated this was and He still gave this biblical mandate.
Jesus continues to tell the parable.
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come (Luke 14:16-20, NIV)
A man, who presumably is the Lord, gave a banquet, or dinner that was given towards the end of the day. As in the custom of the day, the invitation went out twice. The first invitation was to take a head count, asking those on the guest list if they are available to attend the banquet. Once the one giving the invitation, usually a servant, got a commitment from which guests would be able to attend, they would make preparations for the event, and in turn go back to tell the invited guest that the banquet is ready. It was unheard of that those who made a commitment to attend would make an excuse, however those in the parable did just that. Having a different mindset from the initial commitment, the guest tried to advert the displeasure of meeting the master by using excuses, all of which were focused on their own interests. The first had to go look at a piece of property to revel in what a great deal he made. The second guest had to go try out oxen he just bought, but why wouldn’t he try the oxen before he bought them? Finally, the third said he just got married, and even though Deuteronomic Law would have excused him, he could have very easily brought his wife.
Jesus obviously meant for these men to symbolize the Jews who rejected the life that Christ offers, but how interesting that we use the same excuses: our property, our job, and our family. Whenever God calls us to serve in His kingdom, we so often use the same excuses, we are too busy working on our house, our job is taking up too much of our time, or our family demands our attention. What is most interesting is that the master responds with a model of ministry that is very demanding and will not tolerate any of the excuses given.
God hates our excuses when we fail to fulfill our commitment to Him because “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” (Luke 14:21, NIV) This word for angry means that the owner of the house didn’t get angry all at once, but he gradually got angry over time. God is slow to anger, but He has a limit and when His children reach that point, He will make His wrath known. But the owner took his emotions and used them for a purpose. The owner made an imperative statement and told the servant to “Go out quickly and bring…” The servant didn’t make excuses like, “It’s too late in the day to do this now. Let me start tomorrow when I can be fresh,” or “What you’re asking is impossible for one person. Let’s pray for a team of people who can bring people to the banquet.” The servant just obeyed his master and went out to the streets and alleys to physically bring the poor, probably carry the cripple, lead the blind, and hold the lame to ensure them not falling.
If that servant wasn’t as dedicated as he was, he probably would have told his master, “Sir, what you have ordered has been done,” and just left it at that. He was most likely physically exhausted from going through the streets and alleys picking up these people, mentally spent from trying to problem-solve every unique situation, and emotionally fatigued from convincing people not to worry and that they will be safe at the banquet. But not this servant; he said, ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’” (Luke 14:22, NIV) But there is more room? Is he crazy? No, he had his master’s heart and was determined to fill the room so that these people who were the broken and outcasts of society, would have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:24, NIV) Being predictable, the master told the servant to go out further to the roads and country lanes. The word for “country lanes” is better translated as “hedges” because this demographic used to hide under the hedges to keep protected from the elements. Therefore, the servant not only had to travel outside the city limits and look for the envisioned guest, but, once the servant found the guest, he had to compel the guest to attend. The master understood that many people who lack often deal with low self-esteem because they are afraid of getting hurt, or they can’t believe that someone cares about them so much that they would be invited to a banquet. When a person works with this people group, they must expect irrational fears will arise because the people are so hurt and broken, and in order to protect themselves, they remain shut in and they stay where they know they are safe.
This is not only a model for a ministry to the differently abled community, but a model for ministry in general. The Church must realize that in an era of over-committed schedules and priorities of family and work taking center stage, Jesus still demands effort. We don’t want to be like the guests who made excuses and decided not to come. The master said,” I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” (Luke 14:24, NIV). Let us do everything in our ability to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to taste His banquet. We must remain committed to carrying out the biblical mandate, “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” (Luke 14:13, NIV)