Been thinkin'...yes, that can be dangerous

Busy, busy, busy...our lives, right? Who said we had to be that busy? Have we succumbed to pressure of the culture to join the "rat race"? Have we let the "way of the culture" be in the driver's seat of our lives? Have we done some of this to ourselves? Have we bought into a particular "rhythm of life" that is not conducive to giving attention to the things that matter the most?

Have we done the same thing in church life? Ah, didn't know that's where we were going with this, huh? What if a "calendar stuffed" with activity after activity, event after event, isn't actually helping us accomplish the mission that Jesus gave us to accomplish? What if we began to evaluate all of our decisions about activities, events, etc. based upon their potential to advance the totality of the disciple-making enterprise: connecting with those far away from God, establishing relationships, providing a rhythm of life that is conducive to discipling others, worship, etc.......what if?

What would change? How would our priorities shift? What would our calendars look like...as individuals, as families, as churches? How can we give greater intentionality to our calendars and our lives for the purpose of the Great Commission?

This...this is a work in progress...

Walking with God

My dad preached our homecoming service yesterday with Beulah Baptist Church. He preached a sermon about Enoch in Genesis 5 who "walked with God". 

And, wouldn't you know it, one of my devotional readings this morning was about that very text, "walking with God". It was from Oswald Chambers' devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. 

Part of his meditation on the concept of "walking with God" went as follows:

The test of a man's religious life and character is not what he does in the exceptional moments of life, but what he does in the ordinary times, where there is nothing tremendous or exciting on. The worth of a man is revealed in his attitude to ordinary things when he is not before the footlights. 

So often, we are looking for the next big event, the next mountain-top experience, the next emotional burst. What if, instead of looking for the "next big thing", we simply "walked with God" daily in communion with him following Jesus rightly related to the Father in the "ordinary" things of life seeking to do what Jesus did in making disciples?

Growth

There's quite a bit of talk (and has been for some time) about church growth. Do you want "your" church to grow? Some random thoughts have come to my mind lately, mostly in the form of questions.

• What kind of growth are we talking about?
• Are we talking numerical growth?
• Are we talking spiritual growth? Or, both?
• What kind of growth do we aim for?
• Do we want "flash in the pan" kind of big spurt growth?
• Are we talking about slow, sustainable growth?
• To use Andy Stanley's phrase, are we looking for "deep and wide" growth?
• What kind of growth do we normally celebrate in our specific Christian circles?
• Are we even to "seek" after growth, and do we measure "growth" using the same standards of measurement the world does?
• Why do we celebrate "success" the way we do?

Anyway, I don't know that I've come to answers to all these questions that satisfy my curiosity; in fact, I'm pretty sure I haven't. I'm just trying myself to follow Jesus and help others do the same.

Why do we have to complicate things so much? Just sayin...

In the Wake of...

We are seeing the fulfillment of the “perilous times” Paul spoke of in 2 Timothy in a very pronounced way in our day. In fact, we are seeing the other part of his prediction: “while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived”. Therefore, in one sense, what is happening in our society should not surprise us. While we as Christians are not suffering physical persecution, a hostile and intolerant attitude toward Bible-believing Christians is present in many sectors of our society. The form of persecution that many Christians are experiencing in our society today varies from marginalization in the public square to personal intimidation to just louder shouts from those who oppose us. It is true, whether a good thing or not I don’t know, Christians have had a more positive and respected place in our society in the past; but, those days are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Jesus says to his kingdom citizens in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Peter writes to his audience, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

So, what is the Christian response? Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

In all seriousness, I’m not sure recent events change anything for the church and her primary mission.

The Cross

I found the following devotion encouraging from The Heart of the Matter:

The cross changes you. From birth, each of us was under the control and dominion of sin. In his physical death, Christ broke the spiritual power and authority sin had over us. In Galatians 2:20, look at the words, “I have been crucified.” The verb tense points to a definitive action in the past, with a continuing and permanent result. What Christ did then on the cross permanently alters who you are now and who you will continue to be. But Paul goes even further. He says, “I no longer live.” Paul is saying that the changes inside him are so basic to who he is as a human being that it is as if he no longer lives! Yes, he is still Paul, but because of his death in Christ, he is a Paul who is utterly different at his core. When you grasp the fundamental nature of this change within you as a believer, you will begin to grasp your true potential. You are not the same as you once were. You have been forever changed. You no longer live under the weight of the law or the domination of sin. Christ’s death fulfilled the law’s requirements and broke the power of sin. You do not have to give in to sin. You can live in new ways amid the same old situations, because when Christ died physically, you died spiritually. This constitutional change is permanent!