On the Blogs for August 16, 2012

Transcendence

Pride - Elite Athletes (our own chase for glory...interesting)

10 Signs your Christianity Has Become Too Comfortable (good word)

10 Tips for Counseling Your Children in Conflict (good stuff)

Things I've Learned along the way (good one for pastors - and church members)

Amish Communities (very interesting)

Membership or Partnership?

I thought this was very insightful from the book The Trellis and the Vine:

"One church we have been involved in tried to express this by not having 'membership' of the congregation, but 'partnership'. In our society, when you join as a 'member' of something, it can have connotations of passivity and consumerism. I join a club, and expect certain benefits. The 'partnership' language, on the other hand, communicates immediately that we are signing up for active involvement--for being partners together in a great enterprise: the gospel mission of Christ."

While there are "benefits" to belonging to a local congregation for mutual love, edification, and accountability, that is not usually the way most people think of benefits. Regardless, this is a great quote and worth thinking about.

Repost of "When Entitlement Comes to Church" by Thom Rainer

This is a very good article and worth reading. The following is only part of it:

If there is one place where entitlement should be anathema, it is the local church. Remember the reason Jesus came to earth? “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life – a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, HCSB). And how are we followers of Christ to live? We are to “make (our) own attitude that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Servanthood should dominate the lives of church members. Putting others first should be our first priority. Entitlement has no place in our churches.

How do we know when entitlement becomes pervasive in our churches? We can be sure it’s present when we hear comments similar to these:

“I have been a member of this church for 20 years, so I deserve things my way.” “Someone was sitting in the pew where my family sits.” “I tithe to this church, so you work for me.” “If I don’t get my way, I’ll withhold my money from the church.” “Some people will be in trouble if they mess with the worship the way I like it.” “We’ll just visit another church until he changes things back to the way they were.” “Why didn’t you visit me? That’s what we pay you to do.”

I could continue. Indeed you could add to the quotes as well. But my point, I believe, is clear. There is no place in the church for a self-serving attitude. To the contrary, we are to give cheerfully and serve others joyfully.

On the Blogs for July 20, 2012

Been awhile since an installment of this, but here we go:

True and False Hope in the Movies

Laypeople and the Mission of God - Clergy vs. Laity (killing a system that is killing churches; very interesting)

Gay is not the New Black (very good article)

Healthy Church, part 10 - Biblical Church Leadership

Dever’s chapter in What is a Healthy Church? primarily focuses on the particular office within the church called elder. In some baptist circles, many people are not accustomed to hearing that term, though it is a very biblical one.

In the New Testament, there are three words used to point to this particular office: overseer, elder, and shepherd (or pastor). They are used interchangeably, according to Dever. One place to notice this is in Acts 20 when Paul is talking to the elders from Ephesus. He uses all three words in some way to refer to the same group of men. Therefore, we can conclude that there need not be a distinction made as there is in some denominations.

The term “elder” seems to be the proper biblical label for the office, while the terms “overseer” and “shepherd” (or pastor) seem to be more descriptive words concerning the function and responsibility of the elders. The qualifications for elders, as well as some of their responsibilities, are found in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. And, while elders are not in the same class as apostles in the New Testament, Acts 6 does give us a picture, I believe, of one of the primary responsibilities of elders when compared to that of the first deacons (Acts 6:1-7).

Another thing Dever points out is the abundance of times in the NT when “elders” is in the plural rather than the singular. This calls our attention to the fact that a “plurality of elders” is the pattern we find in the NT even one of the “elders” may have the primary responsibility of preaching and teaching. The shepherding responsibility of a congregation is impossible for one man to shoulder alone. God has given us the pattern for the spiritual leadership and care of the congregation through a plurality of elders and deacons in their distinctive roles.

Healthy churches have an understanding of biblical leadership based upon the NT rather than a business or civic club model. Recognizing qualified elders and deacons among the congregation and letting them serve according to the functions laid out in the NT is an essential ingredient for a healthy church.