Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
God proves His faithfulness by solving impossible problems!
We just lost a church member who was a dear friend to me, loved by everyone who knew him and in terms of his role in the church seemingly irreplaceable. If I were to list who the daily operation of the church most depended on, I would list our dear brother Ed way above myself, and I am the pastor.
Now, let me minister truth to myself by way of a personal testimony of God's faithfulness.Years before I entered full-time ministry I had a lawn maintenance business in Florida. I made a good living and had many ongoing financial commitments for my family. As a business owner, I enjoyed many advantages, but I had often told people that the down side was that I had no plan "B", if I was unable to work for a day I was fine, but if I was out of work for a week or two, I assumed all would be lost, at least financially.
Well, God has a way of making us eat our words for His glory and our good. I was in a very serious auto accident which kept me out of work for months. My one full time employee did the best he could and it was winter so my customers were fine with a reduced amount of service. However, as spring approached the accounts began to suffer and additional employees proved more trouble than they were worth. I considered a quick sale of the business to be a good option that would keep the bills paid and possibly pay for a portion of Seminary, as I was just finishing my College degree by attending night school.
I put my business in the paper, advertised it for what was considered the going rate and had several calls. I finally had a "Christian" man call with much interest. After some calls, a couple ride-a-longs in the truck and some oral negotiations, we agreed that he would purchase the business for a certain cash price on a certain date. As it turns out the date came and went and he was a no show. A couple weeks later he showed up with a contract for a lesser amount including my financing the purchase rather than cash. Needless to say I thought the situation was hopeless as it was probably too late to find a new buyer, but I decided I would not sell, just because he had been dishonest with me.
I had had several calls from a business broker while my add was in the paper, but the fees they charged were not much less than the total asking price of the business. After this disappointing fall thru with the earlier buyer, I received one more call from the broker and thought I would humor him. As it turns out small business owners are notorious for not claiming all their income on their taxes. The broker explained that they had buyers from England who desired to move to the US, but needed to invest in a company that showed a certain amount of income on the tax records. So rare was a small business that had reported all their income that they promised me about 2.5 times my asking price, if my numbers were verifiable. Of course compared to that number, their fee was very reasonable.
Well, things checked out and within a few weeks I had a check for much more than I had been asking and was able to finance my Seminary education and many moving and living expenses which would have quickly exhausted the funds the earlier deal would have provided, even if it had worked out as agreed.
What is my point? I have no idea how my church will fill the gap left by the most irreplaceable person we had and I know his wife and family feel the same about his role in their lives, but God is in the business of solving impossible problems for His glory and our good, so at least in this moment, I look forward to seeing how He works! If I get a little panicky later, I can always re-read this post!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Going part 3 - House to House?
We have already established that the call to "go and make disciples" is for all who have been saved an indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is also clear from scripture that making disciples requires more than just actions or vague references to God or Jesus, but rather telling people about who Jesus is, why He came and why that is important to us and them. The next question is - How do we go as 21st century followers of Jesus Christ?
Do we wait for them to come to our church and then teach them - is that going?
Do we put up a sign for our church - is that going?
Do we have attractive programs and invite folks to come in person or through advertising - is that going?
Do we pay evangelists and missionaries to take the gospel to the lost in our area and around the world - is that going?
Does going require we leave the safety of the church or can we use all the other means at our disposal and stay, while still fulfilling the command to Go?
I am not against any of the above mentioned activities as possible means to get the gospel to a lost world. For making disciples to take place in parts of the world where there is no established church, sending missionaries is an obvious need. However, with the other above mentioned strategies there is cause for caution. The church has always had times and places for centralized worship, teaching and administering church ordinances, but has it ever been the plan that the local church be that and nothing more? Can the centralization of the church, at the exclusion of going, be a detriment to church growth, both numerically and spiritually?
The original 1st century church (Acts 2:40-47) was probably not intended to be the final word on what the church would become, but is it likely the church was ever to be less than it was in that very pure 1st century form? Here is how that first church met as a church -
Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (NKJV)
If the church was not to become less than it was when first established, then we must answer the question, is centralizing all church activities a good thing? Clearly we see some corporate teaching taking place in the temple court, but we also see the church meeting from house to house! It is with both these types of gatherings taking placed that we see "the Lord added to their number daily those who are being saved". Why might both kinds of gathering be best and necessary?
1st - Some may not have felt welcome at the temple as it was a place where, by Jewish law, only those who were ceremonially "clean" could go and outcasts of society would likely see it as the last place they would be welcome. Is this not a reality for the centralized church through the ages? Isn't the misconception that the church is against sinners, rather than loving them and wanting to set them free, a huge problem in our time? Isn't it likely that there are those who would come to our homes, because we have developed a relationship with them at work, school or other places, that may not come to the centralized church meeting, because they have seen or heard some bad information regarding the church?
2nd - There is a level of intimacy that can occur in the home of other believers, that may be difficult to achieve in a larger corporate church setting. The "gladness and simplicity of heart" describes intimacy that requires getting to know people at a deeper level. If all of our church time is engaged in activities at the centralized church meetings, will we develop these deeper relationships? Is it possible that more and bigger church activities actually works against us developing the kind of meaningful relationship God intends us to have with other believers?
Finally, who does the ministry at the centralized church meetings? Pastors and others teach the word to all ages of people while some use their time/talents for a multitude of other things. In many churches these other things might include: singing in a praise team or choir, watching children in the nursery, being an usher, cleaning the church or serving on committees. OK, great, these things may be very necessary for the centralized church gathering to take place in an effective and orderly fashion. However, if this is all there is, have we gone?
Perhaps the greatest benefit of smaller gatherings of believers in homes, is the opportunity for everyone to engage in discipleship and ministry. Other forms of service are good, but if we don't get to interact in deep intimate ways with other believers, we miss the opportunity to get to know their needs, encourage them, pray for them and perhaps meet their needs ourselves, rather than relying on some special person or group in the church to do it.
The church gathering in a home, is also a great opportunity for reaching those who don't think they would be welcome at the larger more formal church gathering. If my neighbors are regularly invited to my home or another home, by people they have already come to see as loving and non-judgmental, they may come to know the Lord through this smaller gathering and I will get to be more intimately involved in the work! This is very important since we have already established that going is the call of all believers and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do it!
So why don't we do this?
1st - It is easier to let those we think are specially called/equipped do the work of evangelism, discipleship and meeting individual needs at the church, while we serve at the church where we feel comfortable. Who said we were to be comfortable following Christ?
2nd - It is scary to think of inviting others into your home as they may find out what you are really like! Isn't that the point?
3rd - Church leaders, like myself, are slow to risk doing damage to the church as it is now, by calling people to do what may be met with skepticism, indifference or outright hostility.
So what do we do? As, a church leader (Pastor/Elder), I say we go! I will call my congregation to go, because it is best for them and how God has designed His church! As to the fear of calling others to go or going myself, I was encouraged today by God through His word:
2 Cor. 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. (NKJV)
I have never and I am sure Paul never regretted calling the church to do what God commanded and what was by definition also best for them, even if at times they did not respond in kind immediately!
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
Do we wait for them to come to our church and then teach them - is that going?
Do we put up a sign for our church - is that going?
Do we have attractive programs and invite folks to come in person or through advertising - is that going?
Do we pay evangelists and missionaries to take the gospel to the lost in our area and around the world - is that going?
Does going require we leave the safety of the church or can we use all the other means at our disposal and stay, while still fulfilling the command to Go?
I am not against any of the above mentioned activities as possible means to get the gospel to a lost world. For making disciples to take place in parts of the world where there is no established church, sending missionaries is an obvious need. However, with the other above mentioned strategies there is cause for caution. The church has always had times and places for centralized worship, teaching and administering church ordinances, but has it ever been the plan that the local church be that and nothing more? Can the centralization of the church, at the exclusion of going, be a detriment to church growth, both numerically and spiritually?
The original 1st century church (Acts 2:40-47) was probably not intended to be the final word on what the church would become, but is it likely the church was ever to be less than it was in that very pure 1st century form? Here is how that first church met as a church -
Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (NKJV)
If the church was not to become less than it was when first established, then we must answer the question, is centralizing all church activities a good thing? Clearly we see some corporate teaching taking place in the temple court, but we also see the church meeting from house to house! It is with both these types of gatherings taking placed that we see "the Lord added to their number daily those who are being saved". Why might both kinds of gathering be best and necessary?
1st - Some may not have felt welcome at the temple as it was a place where, by Jewish law, only those who were ceremonially "clean" could go and outcasts of society would likely see it as the last place they would be welcome. Is this not a reality for the centralized church through the ages? Isn't the misconception that the church is against sinners, rather than loving them and wanting to set them free, a huge problem in our time? Isn't it likely that there are those who would come to our homes, because we have developed a relationship with them at work, school or other places, that may not come to the centralized church meeting, because they have seen or heard some bad information regarding the church?
2nd - There is a level of intimacy that can occur in the home of other believers, that may be difficult to achieve in a larger corporate church setting. The "gladness and simplicity of heart" describes intimacy that requires getting to know people at a deeper level. If all of our church time is engaged in activities at the centralized church meetings, will we develop these deeper relationships? Is it possible that more and bigger church activities actually works against us developing the kind of meaningful relationship God intends us to have with other believers?
Finally, who does the ministry at the centralized church meetings? Pastors and others teach the word to all ages of people while some use their time/talents for a multitude of other things. In many churches these other things might include: singing in a praise team or choir, watching children in the nursery, being an usher, cleaning the church or serving on committees. OK, great, these things may be very necessary for the centralized church gathering to take place in an effective and orderly fashion. However, if this is all there is, have we gone?
Perhaps the greatest benefit of smaller gatherings of believers in homes, is the opportunity for everyone to engage in discipleship and ministry. Other forms of service are good, but if we don't get to interact in deep intimate ways with other believers, we miss the opportunity to get to know their needs, encourage them, pray for them and perhaps meet their needs ourselves, rather than relying on some special person or group in the church to do it.
The church gathering in a home, is also a great opportunity for reaching those who don't think they would be welcome at the larger more formal church gathering. If my neighbors are regularly invited to my home or another home, by people they have already come to see as loving and non-judgmental, they may come to know the Lord through this smaller gathering and I will get to be more intimately involved in the work! This is very important since we have already established that going is the call of all believers and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do it!
So why don't we do this?
1st - It is easier to let those we think are specially called/equipped do the work of evangelism, discipleship and meeting individual needs at the church, while we serve at the church where we feel comfortable. Who said we were to be comfortable following Christ?
2nd - It is scary to think of inviting others into your home as they may find out what you are really like! Isn't that the point?
3rd - Church leaders, like myself, are slow to risk doing damage to the church as it is now, by calling people to do what may be met with skepticism, indifference or outright hostility.
So what do we do? As, a church leader (Pastor/Elder), I say we go! I will call my congregation to go, because it is best for them and how God has designed His church! As to the fear of calling others to go or going myself, I was encouraged today by God through His word:
2 Cor. 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. (NKJV)
I have never and I am sure Paul never regretted calling the church to do what God commanded and what was by definition also best for them, even if at times they did not respond in kind immediately!
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
Friday, May 18, 2012
Going part 2, Tebowing does not = going!
In Going part 1, I set out to demonstrate that the call to "go and make disciples" was for all Christians, not just for the original audience Jesus addressed in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) or only for those especially called to it. No, it is clear that to have the Holy Spirit is to be called and equipped to "go"!
If that premise is accepted, the next question that must be addressed is - what does it mean to go? I mentioned Tebowing, in the title, not because I am anti Tim Tebow or think his very public and now famous prayer stance is bad, but simply to point out that it alone does not communicate the gospel or make disciples, so is it going in the biblical sense?
If we are to - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you... (Matt. 28:19-20a.)
Does going require more than just outward actions, does going require words? Of course it does! The fact that a Christian makes a public display of faith or lives a more righteous lifestyle out of faith in Jesus or even takes time to publicly "thank their personal Lord and Savior", as athletes are known to do at times, says nothing to people about who Jesus really is and why He came.
The public displays of famous Christians like Tim Tebow can potentially open the door for other believers to share the truths of the gospel, but they in no way take the place of it. In many cases these public displays are just as likely to give people erroneous ideas about Christianity as they are to give accurate ones. If we are to go, with the goal of having people come to faith in Christ and teaching them to obey the words of Christ, we will have to see all the circumstances God puts us in as opportunities for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ - with words!
I will get more specific in the next post on this subject, but I will end with this clear picture of regular Christians sharing the gospel in words after their lifestyle has opened the door -
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (NKJV)
If our hope is in Jesus and God gives us the opportunity to tell others where that hope comes from, it will require more than just a quick "Tebow" or telling them we would like to "thank our personal Lord and savior" for the hope we have. No, it is an opportunity and obligation, to humbly and accurately tell them about the sin that separates us from God and the remedy found in Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. That is in fact the source of our hope and what we are called to go and tell - isn't it?
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
If that premise is accepted, the next question that must be addressed is - what does it mean to go? I mentioned Tebowing, in the title, not because I am anti Tim Tebow or think his very public and now famous prayer stance is bad, but simply to point out that it alone does not communicate the gospel or make disciples, so is it going in the biblical sense?
If we are to - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you... (Matt. 28:19-20a.)
Does going require more than just outward actions, does going require words? Of course it does! The fact that a Christian makes a public display of faith or lives a more righteous lifestyle out of faith in Jesus or even takes time to publicly "thank their personal Lord and Savior", as athletes are known to do at times, says nothing to people about who Jesus really is and why He came.
The public displays of famous Christians like Tim Tebow can potentially open the door for other believers to share the truths of the gospel, but they in no way take the place of it. In many cases these public displays are just as likely to give people erroneous ideas about Christianity as they are to give accurate ones. If we are to go, with the goal of having people come to faith in Christ and teaching them to obey the words of Christ, we will have to see all the circumstances God puts us in as opportunities for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ - with words!
I will get more specific in the next post on this subject, but I will end with this clear picture of regular Christians sharing the gospel in words after their lifestyle has opened the door -
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (NKJV)
If our hope is in Jesus and God gives us the opportunity to tell others where that hope comes from, it will require more than just a quick "Tebow" or telling them we would like to "thank our personal Lord and savior" for the hope we have. No, it is an opportunity and obligation, to humbly and accurately tell them about the sin that separates us from God and the remedy found in Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. That is in fact the source of our hope and what we are called to go and tell - isn't it?
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Great theology in music - I love it!
Look for this CD and support a musician (Matt Papa) that puts theology and God's glory first. I rarely buy/listen to music outside of church, but this is all good!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Going - part 1
I plan on doing several blog posts on the Great Commission and in doing so I hope to answer the following questions: should we all "go", what does it mean to "go" and how we should "go" as 21st century followers of Jesus Christ?
It seems prudent to address the question - is the call to "go" relevant for all believers, even before defining what it means to "go". If "going" is not expected of us, it is unlikely we will desire more details on what it means to "go" or how to "go"!
With that said, we will start with the passage from which the call to "go" is most readily drawn -
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
"Go" is not a suggestion, but a command in this passage! OK, I will stop using "quotes" around go, it gets tiresome for me also!
Clearly making disciples involves teaching the word and calling folks to obey, but does the call to go apply to all believers, only these original apostles/disciples or just those specially gifted/called to go?
Don't miss the connection to the Holy Spirit and going in the passage above (v. 20 "I am with you") and the one below (v. 8 "when the Holy Spirit comes upon you...") -
Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus first commanded them not to go. Jesus said stay in Jerusalem and wait, so they remained assembled as commanded! They were to stay until the Holy Spirit came upon them, then they should go, then they would go! They would be His witnesses everywhere, after they received the Holy Spirit!
Consider what happened after they received the Holy Spirit and Peter preached at Pentecost -
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Wait, is this "gift of the Holy Spirit" promised to these converts, that comes through the preaching of those who were previously filled with the Holy Spirit so they could go, also given to these who heard and repented - so they could go? Are all these who the Lord "called" to salvation, as evidenced by their repentance, also called and empowered to go?
Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
The apostles (Jesus' firsthand audience for the Great Commission) are still in Jerusalem, but because of persecution, everyone else "went everywhere preaching the word"!
I must acknowledge that there are different gifts given by God to individual believers through the Holy Spirit. Clearly carrying out the Great Commission, going, will look different for each of us as we use our gifts toward that end. With that said, it seems irrefutable that to have the Holy Spirit is to be called and equipped to go and of course to not have the Holy Spirit is to be the target of going (lost), not the instrument of it!
More soon, but for the moment, consider if you are one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and if so are you going as called?
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
It seems prudent to address the question - is the call to "go" relevant for all believers, even before defining what it means to "go". If "going" is not expected of us, it is unlikely we will desire more details on what it means to "go" or how to "go"!
With that said, we will start with the passage from which the call to "go" is most readily drawn -
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
"Go" is not a suggestion, but a command in this passage! OK, I will stop using "quotes" around go, it gets tiresome for me also!
Clearly making disciples involves teaching the word and calling folks to obey, but does the call to go apply to all believers, only these original apostles/disciples or just those specially gifted/called to go?
Don't miss the connection to the Holy Spirit and going in the passage above (v. 20 "I am with you") and the one below (v. 8 "when the Holy Spirit comes upon you...") -
Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus first commanded them not to go. Jesus said stay in Jerusalem and wait, so they remained assembled as commanded! They were to stay until the Holy Spirit came upon them, then they should go, then they would go! They would be His witnesses everywhere, after they received the Holy Spirit!
Consider what happened after they received the Holy Spirit and Peter preached at Pentecost -
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Wait, is this "gift of the Holy Spirit" promised to these converts, that comes through the preaching of those who were previously filled with the Holy Spirit so they could go, also given to these who heard and repented - so they could go? Are all these who the Lord "called" to salvation, as evidenced by their repentance, also called and empowered to go?
Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
The apostles (Jesus' firsthand audience for the Great Commission) are still in Jerusalem, but because of persecution, everyone else "went everywhere preaching the word"!
I must acknowledge that there are different gifts given by God to individual believers through the Holy Spirit. Clearly carrying out the Great Commission, going, will look different for each of us as we use our gifts toward that end. With that said, it seems irrefutable that to have the Holy Spirit is to be called and equipped to go and of course to not have the Holy Spirit is to be the target of going (lost), not the instrument of it!
More soon, but for the moment, consider if you are one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and if so are you going as called?
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
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