In lieu of Memorial Day, I am dedicating this blog entry to those who have given their lives for the sake of my freedom.
Recently, I traveled to Maryland for our annual conference of the Primitive Methodist Church. While on the plane, I sat next to an older gentlemen. I finally broke the ice and started a conversation with him mid-flight. His name was Charlie and he was a Vietnam veteran. It was interesting because my history class had just covered the Vietnam War in class the week previous. He told me a few stories of his time over there. One of the most interesting ones was the day President Johnson ordered a cease fire on North Vietnam. He was in South Vietnam when this happened and he told me that the South Vietnamese looked at them and said, "Why would your president do this to us?" It was heartbreaking to hear the story and you could tell it still affected him.
In my church is a man named Everett Smith. He served in World War II as a ball turret gunner for the Flying Fortresses. He flew six missions and the life expectancy for these gunners on mission was 25 minutes! He served towards the end of the war and served faithfully for our country.
The one thing that binds Charlie and Everett together is Jesus. These men sacrificed for our country I think in large part because they understood the sacrifice Jesus made for them. These men were devoted to their country, but more importantly they were devoted to their Savior. We don't understand sacrifice apart from the cross. The cross is the ultimate sacrifice because Jesus goes to war against sin, death, and Satan even though we did not act like they were our enemies. Jesus gave his life for his enemies. We all were his enemies and Jesus loved us too much to not die for us on the cross. He embraced the cross so that we could be free.
Thank you men and women for what you have done for our country and the freedom of others. This day is for you. Thank you Jesus for setting us free; may everyday be for you.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
How do we respond?
This week North Carolina voted to ban same-sex marriages in their state. This has sparked a lot of response even from the top two leaders of our country who have publicly stated their support for same-sex marriages. Homosexual marriage is such a polarizing issue and it seems to be our civil rights issue of the 21st century. It is even causing division within the church. Churches across the country are expressing their support of same-sex couples and their desire to wed while other churches are expressing their views against it. So, what is the right response as Christians?
I brought this issue up at Bible study last night and we had an interesting discussion. The one thing I noticed about the discussion is that it is very stressful and wearing on people, at least those in my church. There are so many different views on it, some are very informed views while others not so much. In our Bible study we are studying the book Master Plan of Evangelism to see how the Master evangelized his world. The one thing that is becoming more and more apparent for our present situation and time period is that we need to look more to how Jesus reached people.
We live in a day and age where absolute truth is absolutely obsolete. Morality is determined by the individual and sin is something that is outdated. Thirty years ago, even twenty years ago, this would not be the case. The first problem that the church is running into is that we have failed to address the issue of homosexuality in a correct way. We have deemed homosexuals as the enemy that needs to be conquered in order that they submit to the ways of the church. However, this is not how Jesus did things. A woman was caught in adultery as recorded in John's Gospel (John 8:1-11). The teachers of the law bring her to Jesus in order to trap him. They want to see what he will do with her. If he stones her, then he is condemning her and violating Roman law which did not allow the Jews to execute anyone and if he does not stone her, then he is violating God's law which stated that someone caught in adultery should be stoned. Jesus takes the third option: he does not condemn her at all. He looks at the teachers and says that if any one of them has not sinned then they can cast the first stone. In order to carry out the law, one must be clean. What these people had done was set this woman up. The Law says that both people involved must be stone (Leviticus 20:10), but they did not bring the man because they probably knew him. So, one by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they dropped their stones and left. Jesus looks at the woman, does not condemn her, and tells her to leave her life of sin. This is the way the church should be approaching anyone, not just homosexuals. For too long, we have condemned first and tried to give grace later. The problem with that approach is that people will not feel worthy of grace. Jesus did the opposite. He showed grace first and then helped them see their sin. In order for grace to make sense, sin needs to be realized. Jesus was quick to love and slow to condemn. He even says in John 3:17, "He did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
As the church, we have to stop labeling people. People are people. We are all in the same boat. We are all created in God's image no matter what lifestyle we are embracing. This is not to say that we condone our lifestyles that are against what God wants for us. This is to say that we should be quick to show love and grace and slow to condemn. As a pastor, I will continue to preach and teach against sin. That includes all sin from a white lie to any kind of sexual immorality whether it be heterosexual or homosexual. We live in a different world, but the one thing that never changes is that people want and need to be loved. This is how the Master did and this is how I want to do it.
I brought this issue up at Bible study last night and we had an interesting discussion. The one thing I noticed about the discussion is that it is very stressful and wearing on people, at least those in my church. There are so many different views on it, some are very informed views while others not so much. In our Bible study we are studying the book Master Plan of Evangelism to see how the Master evangelized his world. The one thing that is becoming more and more apparent for our present situation and time period is that we need to look more to how Jesus reached people.
We live in a day and age where absolute truth is absolutely obsolete. Morality is determined by the individual and sin is something that is outdated. Thirty years ago, even twenty years ago, this would not be the case. The first problem that the church is running into is that we have failed to address the issue of homosexuality in a correct way. We have deemed homosexuals as the enemy that needs to be conquered in order that they submit to the ways of the church. However, this is not how Jesus did things. A woman was caught in adultery as recorded in John's Gospel (John 8:1-11). The teachers of the law bring her to Jesus in order to trap him. They want to see what he will do with her. If he stones her, then he is condemning her and violating Roman law which did not allow the Jews to execute anyone and if he does not stone her, then he is violating God's law which stated that someone caught in adultery should be stoned. Jesus takes the third option: he does not condemn her at all. He looks at the teachers and says that if any one of them has not sinned then they can cast the first stone. In order to carry out the law, one must be clean. What these people had done was set this woman up. The Law says that both people involved must be stone (Leviticus 20:10), but they did not bring the man because they probably knew him. So, one by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they dropped their stones and left. Jesus looks at the woman, does not condemn her, and tells her to leave her life of sin. This is the way the church should be approaching anyone, not just homosexuals. For too long, we have condemned first and tried to give grace later. The problem with that approach is that people will not feel worthy of grace. Jesus did the opposite. He showed grace first and then helped them see their sin. In order for grace to make sense, sin needs to be realized. Jesus was quick to love and slow to condemn. He even says in John 3:17, "He did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
As the church, we have to stop labeling people. People are people. We are all in the same boat. We are all created in God's image no matter what lifestyle we are embracing. This is not to say that we condone our lifestyles that are against what God wants for us. This is to say that we should be quick to show love and grace and slow to condemn. As a pastor, I will continue to preach and teach against sin. That includes all sin from a white lie to any kind of sexual immorality whether it be heterosexual or homosexual. We live in a different world, but the one thing that never changes is that people want and need to be loved. This is how the Master did and this is how I want to do it.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Book Review of Think Christianly
Think Christianly by Jonathan Morrow is an a concise and insightful look at how to think and act like Christ in a culture that is constantly changing around us. In the first few chapters of the book, Morrow gives the context to why he wrote this book. We are at a crossroads with Christianity on one side and culture on the other, and as Christians, we have a choice to engage that culture or not. Morrow stresses that it is time to engage our culture because if we do not, then we will be serving ourselves into obscurity.
One interesting point he makes about engaging the culture focuses on the next generation and how to engage them. He identifies that the problems with the next generation are boredom and apathy, relational disconnection, and intellectual disengagement. The interesting point he makes to correct this is mentoring. Young people need mentoring. They need to have not just one person, but several people around them to help them grow in Christ. This is what engaging is all about. We have spent far too long focusing on the right programs and curriculum to drastically change America's youth for Christ. What we need to do is engage this culture. They are tired of curriculum and programs. They want person, one-on-one time with someone who has experienced life a little longer than they have.
The next part of the book focuses on preparing ourselves to engage the culture. He stresses that we need to be the Jesus the world needs us to be. This is a powerful message to the Church in America today because as a whole, we are not being the Jesus the world needs. We are being a Jesus that we want to be rather than what the world needs. Morrow stresses that we need to get ourselves right before God and make sure that we are walking consistently with Jesus. We need to be practicing spiritual disciplines not for the sake of being holier than thou, but for the sake of not compromising our witness for Christ and His kingdom. We need to be communicating a message to a lost world that the kingdom of God is here and now.
The next section of the book focuses on apologetics which is something that Christians in our country are desperately lacking skills in. Apologetics is simply giving an answer. It is a way to think logically and critically about the Christian faith in order that we may have an answer for the hope that we have (I Peter 3:15). He covers topics from the accuracy and validity of Scripture to homosexuality and even modern day research in genetics. Morrow does a great job with concisely presenting the issues and helping us think Christianly about them. He steers away from being religious by stressing that we need to stop getting made whenever we hear something negative about Jesus in the media. We need to take a deep breath and understand where the culture is coming from. We have to think differently about how we present the Gospel in a 21st century world. We are living in a time where truth is relative rather than absolute. We are living in a time where people are very bitter towards the church and have some very strong opinions towards it. We are living in a time where people are desperately searching for the truth, but all they are getting are more questions. Morrow says it's going to take time to evangelize in a 21st century world because we live in a world of skeptics. We need to take the time to be Jesus by being relational. We think that we can stay in our Christian bubble, do a few big events, sing our old hymns with our organ (not saying the organ is bad), preach the Gospel every Sunday, and people will flock to our buildings. This is how it may have worked 50 years ago, but this is not the way it will work today. Morrow stresses that we have to think deeply and apologetically about our faith so that we can better engage our skeptical, but truth-seeking culture.
Jonathan Morrow does an excellent job in this book. He keeps his topics short and concise to the point that anyone from a pastor to a lay person can pick this book up and glean from it. His writing style is very to the point and easy to read and understand. His work is scholarly without being over anyone's head. He gives great insight on being a Christian in all walks of life that you may encounter. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to Think Christianly.
One interesting point he makes about engaging the culture focuses on the next generation and how to engage them. He identifies that the problems with the next generation are boredom and apathy, relational disconnection, and intellectual disengagement. The interesting point he makes to correct this is mentoring. Young people need mentoring. They need to have not just one person, but several people around them to help them grow in Christ. This is what engaging is all about. We have spent far too long focusing on the right programs and curriculum to drastically change America's youth for Christ. What we need to do is engage this culture. They are tired of curriculum and programs. They want person, one-on-one time with someone who has experienced life a little longer than they have.
The next part of the book focuses on preparing ourselves to engage the culture. He stresses that we need to be the Jesus the world needs us to be. This is a powerful message to the Church in America today because as a whole, we are not being the Jesus the world needs. We are being a Jesus that we want to be rather than what the world needs. Morrow stresses that we need to get ourselves right before God and make sure that we are walking consistently with Jesus. We need to be practicing spiritual disciplines not for the sake of being holier than thou, but for the sake of not compromising our witness for Christ and His kingdom. We need to be communicating a message to a lost world that the kingdom of God is here and now.
The next section of the book focuses on apologetics which is something that Christians in our country are desperately lacking skills in. Apologetics is simply giving an answer. It is a way to think logically and critically about the Christian faith in order that we may have an answer for the hope that we have (I Peter 3:15). He covers topics from the accuracy and validity of Scripture to homosexuality and even modern day research in genetics. Morrow does a great job with concisely presenting the issues and helping us think Christianly about them. He steers away from being religious by stressing that we need to stop getting made whenever we hear something negative about Jesus in the media. We need to take a deep breath and understand where the culture is coming from. We have to think differently about how we present the Gospel in a 21st century world. We are living in a time where truth is relative rather than absolute. We are living in a time where people are very bitter towards the church and have some very strong opinions towards it. We are living in a time where people are desperately searching for the truth, but all they are getting are more questions. Morrow says it's going to take time to evangelize in a 21st century world because we live in a world of skeptics. We need to take the time to be Jesus by being relational. We think that we can stay in our Christian bubble, do a few big events, sing our old hymns with our organ (not saying the organ is bad), preach the Gospel every Sunday, and people will flock to our buildings. This is how it may have worked 50 years ago, but this is not the way it will work today. Morrow stresses that we have to think deeply and apologetically about our faith so that we can better engage our skeptical, but truth-seeking culture.
Jonathan Morrow does an excellent job in this book. He keeps his topics short and concise to the point that anyone from a pastor to a lay person can pick this book up and glean from it. His writing style is very to the point and easy to read and understand. His work is scholarly without being over anyone's head. He gives great insight on being a Christian in all walks of life that you may encounter. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to Think Christianly.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Mission Accepted
In my Scripture reading time, I have been reading through the Gospels. I started with Matthew and read section by section until I finished it. While I was reading, I started keeping a journal again for the first time in years. I wrote my thoughts down on the passages that I read to glean more from God's Word and be challenged by it. Now I am reading through Mark and tonight I read the story of the demon possessed man that Jesus came across in the land of the Gerasenes. This man was possessed by many demons who called themselves Legion. If you have gone to church for a while, you are probably familiar with this story. The part that hit me tonight was not the casting out of the demons (which is pretty amazing and powerful), but rather the interaction of Jesus and the newly freed man. The man wanted to come with Jesus, but Jesus refused the man. This seems uncharacteristic of the Rabbi who went and called his disciples to follow him. But, if you pay attention, Jesus had a mission for this man. Jesus said to him in verse 19, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." Jesus gave him the mission of evangelizing that area for the kingdom of God.
This challenged me tonight because this is the mission is still giving us today. We are set free by the Son of God from sin and death and the power of Satan in order to be his witnesses in a world that is in desperate need of him. Jesus died for us so that we could live for him. This is something that I keep coming back to lately. I talk about it at church and I talk about it online. We are Christ's ambassadors on this earth. This man who was set free from these demons accepted the mission and went to proclaim what God had done for him. This is the power and evidence of a changed life. The way this challenged me is that I had to ask myself, "Am I showing the power and evidence of a changed life in Christ? Am I witnessing like I should or am I acting and speaking as though I am ashamed of the Gospel?"
One time I was at a church planting conference and I was listening to a church planter tell a story of an encounter with a businessman. He was trying to relay a point that in order to be an effective church planter you have to make a lot of contacts. In order to make contacts as a pastor (according to him), you had to do so in creative ways. So, he introduced himself to this businessman as an entrepreneur. At the time, I thought this was genius and creative. However, as I have grown older, I began to realize what this actually was. This was a bait and switch tactic. The pastor was baiting the man in by saying he was entrepreneur like him, but then switching eventually by revealing he was a pastor. It was not technically a lie, but it was little deceitful. I have thought about this story lately and wondered when did I find "creative" ways to say I was a pastor when I should have been very upfront about my calling in life because I was not ashamed of the mission my Father had given me.
So, let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us know that Jesus is giving us a mission to evangelize a lost and fallen world. The man who was freed by Jesus accepted the mission wholeheartedly. Are you willing to accept it? Am I? Well, with nervousness and doubt in my own abilities, tonight I honestly said to Him, "Mission accepted, my King."
This challenged me tonight because this is the mission is still giving us today. We are set free by the Son of God from sin and death and the power of Satan in order to be his witnesses in a world that is in desperate need of him. Jesus died for us so that we could live for him. This is something that I keep coming back to lately. I talk about it at church and I talk about it online. We are Christ's ambassadors on this earth. This man who was set free from these demons accepted the mission and went to proclaim what God had done for him. This is the power and evidence of a changed life. The way this challenged me is that I had to ask myself, "Am I showing the power and evidence of a changed life in Christ? Am I witnessing like I should or am I acting and speaking as though I am ashamed of the Gospel?"
One time I was at a church planting conference and I was listening to a church planter tell a story of an encounter with a businessman. He was trying to relay a point that in order to be an effective church planter you have to make a lot of contacts. In order to make contacts as a pastor (according to him), you had to do so in creative ways. So, he introduced himself to this businessman as an entrepreneur. At the time, I thought this was genius and creative. However, as I have grown older, I began to realize what this actually was. This was a bait and switch tactic. The pastor was baiting the man in by saying he was entrepreneur like him, but then switching eventually by revealing he was a pastor. It was not technically a lie, but it was little deceitful. I have thought about this story lately and wondered when did I find "creative" ways to say I was a pastor when I should have been very upfront about my calling in life because I was not ashamed of the mission my Father had given me.
So, let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us know that Jesus is giving us a mission to evangelize a lost and fallen world. The man who was freed by Jesus accepted the mission wholeheartedly. Are you willing to accept it? Am I? Well, with nervousness and doubt in my own abilities, tonight I honestly said to Him, "Mission accepted, my King."
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Taking the time
Time is a precious commodity these days. It is something that we cannot get back. When we waste it, it's gone. When we use it to get as much done as possible, it's still gone. There is nothing we can do to get time back. Time is constantly ticking down to the end of all things and sometimes that makes me stop and think about the time I have spent on this earth. Have I wasted my time or have I taken advantage of the time God has given me. I would say a little of both. But, one thing that God challenged me with last night during our Bible study was taking the time to interact with humanity. You might be reading this and think, "Well, that's a silly statement. You must interact with humanity on a daily basis." I do, but do I really interact with humanity?
Jesus spent 33 years of his life interacting with humanity. This is the God of the universe in human flesh coming down to be like us and to be with us. He experienced what we experience. He tasted the food we taste. He laughed at things we laugh at (well maybe not everything we laugh at). He was hungry and thirsty like we are hungry and thirsty. He experienced humanity and he also interacted with humanity on a very intimate level. Take for instance the 12 apostles. He chose these men to follow him. These were the Rabbi school rejects. They probably went to their rabbis and asked them if they could be their disciples. The rabbis rejected them because they weren't good enough. But, Jesus, the greatest Rabbi of all, told them to follow him. This was unheard of for a Rabbi to do in first century Israel. But, Jesus wanted to interact with humanity. He spent countless hours with these men, training them to carry on his work. Along the way, he interacted with the outcasts of society like prostitutes and tax collectors. He went to Zacchaeus' house to eat with him and he was a tax collector. He touched lepers to heal them. He touched the lame and sick so that they would be free from their diseases and their handicaps. Those who follow Jesus want to be like him. I want to be like him, and, yet, I can't find the time to talk to someone that I see at the grocery store or any where else I may go. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time, but is that the way of the Master?
This is what we talked about in Bible study last night. We talked about building relationships with people. It takes effort. It takes courage at times. But, most of all, it takes time. I was really challenged by God to take the time to meet people and to remember their names so that next time, I can get to know them a little bit better. This is what our society wants from the Church. They want the followers of Jesus to rise up and be like him. They want the followers of Jesus to interact with humanity and not just stay behind our stained glass windows and be the moral police of society. They don't want us to tell them how to vote. They don't want to know what we are against. They need to see who we are for. They need to see the Gospel before they listen to the Gospel. They need to see that we follow the Master. The way we are going to do this is to do it like the Master did, take the time.
Jesus spent 33 years of his life interacting with humanity. This is the God of the universe in human flesh coming down to be like us and to be with us. He experienced what we experience. He tasted the food we taste. He laughed at things we laugh at (well maybe not everything we laugh at). He was hungry and thirsty like we are hungry and thirsty. He experienced humanity and he also interacted with humanity on a very intimate level. Take for instance the 12 apostles. He chose these men to follow him. These were the Rabbi school rejects. They probably went to their rabbis and asked them if they could be their disciples. The rabbis rejected them because they weren't good enough. But, Jesus, the greatest Rabbi of all, told them to follow him. This was unheard of for a Rabbi to do in first century Israel. But, Jesus wanted to interact with humanity. He spent countless hours with these men, training them to carry on his work. Along the way, he interacted with the outcasts of society like prostitutes and tax collectors. He went to Zacchaeus' house to eat with him and he was a tax collector. He touched lepers to heal them. He touched the lame and sick so that they would be free from their diseases and their handicaps. Those who follow Jesus want to be like him. I want to be like him, and, yet, I can't find the time to talk to someone that I see at the grocery store or any where else I may go. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time, but is that the way of the Master?
This is what we talked about in Bible study last night. We talked about building relationships with people. It takes effort. It takes courage at times. But, most of all, it takes time. I was really challenged by God to take the time to meet people and to remember their names so that next time, I can get to know them a little bit better. This is what our society wants from the Church. They want the followers of Jesus to rise up and be like him. They want the followers of Jesus to interact with humanity and not just stay behind our stained glass windows and be the moral police of society. They don't want us to tell them how to vote. They don't want to know what we are against. They need to see who we are for. They need to see the Gospel before they listen to the Gospel. They need to see that we follow the Master. The way we are going to do this is to do it like the Master did, take the time.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Pointless Persistence
This week is Holy Week. Churches all over the world are gearing up for services throughout the week. Some start on Wednesday and some start on Thursday. People will come especially on Easter Sunday as the family tradition or because someone invited them, they were curious, or they genuinely want to be there. I have started working on my messages for this week's services. One of the hardest things to do is work on Easter messages as a stay-at-home dad of two boys who are four and 18 months. It is especially hard when the youngest one is not feeling well. As I was reflecting on the day, I realized that Satan is being pointlessly persistent in his attempts to distract me and I'm sure other church leaders around the world from the meaning of this week. Something else that happened today is that our church received news that our burner for our heat is done. That is a cost that we did not expect and it is a rather large cost I might add. It's a cost that we don't really need right now considering we have to tie into the town sewerage system this year which is going to cost a lot of money as well.
A few years ago this would have left me stressed to the max. I still get a little stressed, but this is what I have learned as I have grown older and maybe a little wiser: Satan is defeated! Holy Week should remind us of this fact more than any other time. Satan pulled out all the stops to thwart God's plan to save His people from our sins. He tempted one of his closest followers to betray him. He incited his own people to shout crucify him. He used the Romans to nail him to a tree and die a horrible death. But, the story doesn't end there. Three days later Jesus walked out of that tomb, ALIVE!!! We should never grow tired of that story. That is the Gospel and it is beautiful! Jesus is alive! Satan constantly tries to throw a wrench in the plans of God, but that does not mean that Jesus did not rise from that grave.
One of my favorite praise songs is called "Sing to the King." The reason I love it is because of the line that reads, "Satan is vanquished and now Jesus is King!" Let this truth sink in. Do not let Satan and the world defeat you because your King has already defeated them. Jesus sits at the right hand of God because the work is finished. Satan is done. His persistence is pointless. So, let's sing to the king who is victorious and reigns over Satan no matter what he tries.
A few years ago this would have left me stressed to the max. I still get a little stressed, but this is what I have learned as I have grown older and maybe a little wiser: Satan is defeated! Holy Week should remind us of this fact more than any other time. Satan pulled out all the stops to thwart God's plan to save His people from our sins. He tempted one of his closest followers to betray him. He incited his own people to shout crucify him. He used the Romans to nail him to a tree and die a horrible death. But, the story doesn't end there. Three days later Jesus walked out of that tomb, ALIVE!!! We should never grow tired of that story. That is the Gospel and it is beautiful! Jesus is alive! Satan constantly tries to throw a wrench in the plans of God, but that does not mean that Jesus did not rise from that grave.
One of my favorite praise songs is called "Sing to the King." The reason I love it is because of the line that reads, "Satan is vanquished and now Jesus is King!" Let this truth sink in. Do not let Satan and the world defeat you because your King has already defeated them. Jesus sits at the right hand of God because the work is finished. Satan is done. His persistence is pointless. So, let's sing to the king who is victorious and reigns over Satan no matter what he tries.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Just give me Jesus
I have been in the ministry for about 12 years now in different capacities. I have gone to seminars, sat through seminary classes, and read countless books on the subject of church. I have read a lot of books on how to grow your church. Pretty much all of those books contain a chapter or blurb about a vision statement. Coming up with a vision statement has been ingrained in my mind and it got to the point that I felt inadequate as a pastor if I did not have a cool vision statement that no other church had. Do you know how hard it is to come up with a vision statement? I have spent hours praying and even fasting over a vision statement, thinking that a vision statement would instantly grow my church.
Just recently I have come to a realization: the only vision the church needs is Jesus! I am not saying that it is not necessary to be organized and know what direction God wants your church to go. But, do we really need fancy vision statements that essentially say we are a church that follows the teachings, practices, and the person of Jesus Christ? No wonder people are so confused as to which church is the right church.
The consumer driven society we live in has made its way into the church. People want more than the Gospel. They want more than Jesus. They want a thriving youth ministry. They want great worship music (I will confess that I am one of those people). They want a great children's ministry. But, what would happen if you simply offered people Jesus? Would he be enough?
An old hymn that I like is "Be Thou My Vision." This hymn is a prayer asking the Lord of our hearts to be our vision not some fancy statement. If we are going to be the Church that Christ died for, He needs to be the vision of our churches. We have to stop catering to consumers and start following the Savior. We should never grow tired of the Gospel. We should never grow tired of hearing what Christ has done for us. We should be hungry and thirsty for more of Jesus. We should never push away from the table and tell him, "I'm full." Jesus himself said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). But, the thing about being filled is that it is not a sense of fulness that is permanent. Jesus fills that empty void in our souls, but he leaves us wanting and craving more of him. This is how growth in our churches is going to happen. If we become more consumed with Jesus and less consumed with consumerism, then people will respond to that. We will be compelled to be involved in our churches. We will be compelled to take the Gospel to our neighborhoods. We will be compelled to be more like Jesus.
Just recently I have come to a realization: the only vision the church needs is Jesus! I am not saying that it is not necessary to be organized and know what direction God wants your church to go. But, do we really need fancy vision statements that essentially say we are a church that follows the teachings, practices, and the person of Jesus Christ? No wonder people are so confused as to which church is the right church.
The consumer driven society we live in has made its way into the church. People want more than the Gospel. They want more than Jesus. They want a thriving youth ministry. They want great worship music (I will confess that I am one of those people). They want a great children's ministry. But, what would happen if you simply offered people Jesus? Would he be enough?
An old hymn that I like is "Be Thou My Vision." This hymn is a prayer asking the Lord of our hearts to be our vision not some fancy statement. If we are going to be the Church that Christ died for, He needs to be the vision of our churches. We have to stop catering to consumers and start following the Savior. We should never grow tired of the Gospel. We should never grow tired of hearing what Christ has done for us. We should be hungry and thirsty for more of Jesus. We should never push away from the table and tell him, "I'm full." Jesus himself said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). But, the thing about being filled is that it is not a sense of fulness that is permanent. Jesus fills that empty void in our souls, but he leaves us wanting and craving more of him. This is how growth in our churches is going to happen. If we become more consumed with Jesus and less consumed with consumerism, then people will respond to that. We will be compelled to be involved in our churches. We will be compelled to take the Gospel to our neighborhoods. We will be compelled to be more like Jesus.
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