Small Church Catch-22

In filling out my annual review for the conference, one of the questions really struck me. Just the way it was worded make me rethink certain avenues we are taking as a church and I began to muse on some thoughts. As I am trying to blog more I thought I’d share them, in no particular order. Keep in mind, this is no “template,” no “catch-all,” but a fluid and dynamic view of my present church situation:

1. The need for new members and for members to grow deeper is always an issue with most small churches. I was struck today that small church need certain criteria in place to get ready for growth - if they are faithfully hearers and doers of God’s Word. I think the most important need for a church is to understand its own needs, and prepare for God to fulfill those needs as He sees fit. Thus, a small church must be fluid in its desires for those needs to be fulfilled, and have a watchful, prayerful eye to who God brings to the church that might meet the need, or show us a different aspect to our need.

Now, this “need” should be one prayerfully sought, meditatively discerned, wisely reasoned through, and faithfully carried out with prudence. For example, we have strong Sunday School teachers but a lack of children or families in our church. There is a need for the continuation of a generation in our church, of passing along God’s story, and of growth in the respect that the church must continue. Recently, a couple came to me and said they love our church, but with the lack of a Youth Group there is no interest for their child. Thankfully, they were willing to start something – which is great given their background, willingness, and family. 

2. This led me to think that if we can have in place at least some ideas and dates for events throughout the year that when God opens the door or window, we can jump right through with certain things. Thus, in this case, a knowledge of what our Youth Group would like look, what we can plan for, and then item number 3, places to go for volunteer services. 

3. Every church should have a lasting relationship with some kind of ministry opportunity outside of the church, coupled with its own outreach opportunities. With some church T-shirts and a community event, people can be served and get to know our church at the same time. Yes, this is a bit selfish. Thus the highest understanding of the responsibility to our efforts as disciples in God’s kingdom should be manifest in the why and what we are doing. If a small church begins talking more about its future and marketing schemes for a volunteer opportunity than it would be better to back out and re-evaluate the mission and vision of the church, than to go guns blazing into an opportunity and come across as prideful, selfish, and more like salespeople than people of God’s kingdom.

4. Always be open to others’ ideas, even those who are attenders. At the same time, have something in place for people to become members and encourage them toward membership (as membership is a high responsibility in a church, and one that ought to be respected). If a regular attender is willing to start a ministry that fits part of a need within or without the church, pastors should not shun them in any way simply because they are not members. Value the person, the idea, and encourage toward membership. In fact, a good membership class would have in the curriculum volunteering for a number of hours, and the idea brought forward could count for those hours. In the Free Methodist Church, being active is part of what it means to be a member, this could then encourage complacent members within the church to rekindle the flame in their own Christian Walk. 

 

These are my main thoughts, along with more rabbit trails along the same thinking, visions of our future, and dreams of what might be. Planning to walk with God is not the same as making plans, because walking with God means being open to the Spirit in such a way that when God presents us with opportunities we are aware of the grace He is giving us. But the Christian walk is not without its pitfalls, and so we must “test the spirits,” and the ideas that are presented to us. The original idea could be morphed and transformed into something greater or completely different, but an idea should never be turned away as it could be God’s answer to a forgotten prayer. 

If we begin to go our own way, we lose focus on our needs and can miss the opportunities that God is giving us, as he is always faithful to us, even when we lose sight of Him. With patient endurance, small churches can become strong churches – not necessarily big churches – mind you, but strong churches that continue for generations because of the faithful members that are pursuing holiness, and passing along the wisdom learned and attained to a willing, participative next generation. 

Thoughts on Crazy Love: Chapter Seven

“Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.”

How true is this! After all the slogans we see of “dare to be different,” “WWJD,” and others – how often to “christians” reflect the Kingdom of Darkness and ignorance over God’s Kingdom of Light and Life? If we say we have Christ in our lives, and yet our lives barely look any different than before – or our attitudes and speech don’t reflect one changed by Christ’s blood and God’s kingdom, what message is that sending? Only one. Christ’s death meant nothing. The resurrection is a fantasy. That is the message; the message because when one’s life is transformed by Christ there is power that is both felt and seen in you by others. A change so drastic that others wonder, marvel, and even scoff at this “new” person before them. But Christians revel in this, because rejection by the world for our living the Kingdom of God through the example of Christ means life with God.

“He had everything and still chose to surrender it out of love for His Father. Your attitude should be the same as His …”

I think of calling of the would-be rich disciple. Sure we can voice how good we’ve done and behaved, but when it comes right down to it, what are we willing to give up for Christ? I find for most people, when we are changed and transformed into a life of holiness our desires and wants change; sometimes slowly or sometimes right away. We begin to want less (those “needs” that really wants, that is), we start to desire simplicity and don’t desire extravagant things. Suddenly we notice one day (after our living in Christ for a time) that we have given things away to people that needed more than we; we notice that we spend less on stuff to have in our homes, on electronics that really serve no purpose, and we find that we are spending more time with family and friends. God becomes normal conversation instead of who did what, who did who, what so-and-so is up to, etc etc. Best of all, we empathize and have compassion for those who society deems otherwise unwanted or unneeded.

“Pride tells you that you’ve sacrificed more than others. Fear tells you it’s time to worry about the future. Friends say you’ve given enough, that it’s someone else’s turn now … The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else. What matters is that we spend ourselves.”

If earthly resources were all we needed then the gift of the Holy Spirit is unneeded. The truth is, we are to see our “stuff” of this earth as things to be used for the purposes of God, because they are His (the Creator’s) anyway. More than that though, God has given us the eternal gift of the Holy Spirit, and that is what we really need to concentrate on giving to others. God doesn’t give you money to write a check for a charity, God gives you the abilities to go and work with that charity … or that person. Understand that in your transformed life, you live differently because you understand the eternal significance each moment has for yourself and for another.

Thoughts on Crazy Love: Chapter Six

“When you are truly in love, you go to great lengths to be with the one you love. You’ll drive for hours to be together, even if it’s only for a short while”

 

I remember driving eight hours a weekend to see the woman that would become my wife. We’d spend about 36 hours together and then I’d drive eight hours back. After five years of marriage I am glad that we still desire each other, even though at times that might seem dim! Nonetheless, my desire for my wife still causes me to please her though I may grumble more about it than I used to (perhaps her desire is dim for me at those times!). 

 

I like to think that our desire for one another is a good thing, a gift from God. At times I’ll read “and he desired her” in the Bible and it usually comes to a “not so good” ending. When desire is all about passion, lust, and/or sex our minds become clouded to what our desire is really for. We might trick ourselves into thinking that we desire the person, but are we really desiring what feels good over the person him or herself? This is obviously when the gift of desire becomes corrupted by sin. 

 

Our desire for God can be the same. We can desire His goodness, His gifts, His love, His comfort, His glory, and His forgiveness. But we must be careful that our desire is for Him and not for His characteristics. We must recognize that what or who we desire is a whole being, a whole person, and we do not desire one aspect over another in that person. When we do, that person becomes an object of desire, rather than a person we long for. 

 

We might spend hours to spend time with someone, as I did with my wife. In thinking about this, I can’t help but wonder how often we take time to be with God. Our desire for God must go beyond a few minutes of Bible reading, a few hours of worship, or a day or two of fasting once and awhile. Our desire for God must be such that we live everyday as if we were touched by God, and we do so in order that others might experience God’s love through our desire for Him. 

 

“Isn’t that what brings HIm glory – when believers desire Him and are not merely slaves who serve Him out of obligation”

 

Following God in love must become something we are rather than something we try to do. Realizing for ourselves our desire for anything, let alone God Himself, comes from reflecting on our own lives. Taking the time for reflection each day – whether it be on a thought, events that happened that day, something you said or that was said to you – is imperative for us to grow because we need to see and realize where we are and who we are following. Because we are born in sin, sin comes back to us all to easily because it is not only what we know, but what we’ve desired for so long. Our minds and hearts may be ready to love God, but our fleshly, worldly desire is a tough habit to break. God will break our habits, however, and we will become persons who habitually desire to do God’s work through God’s gracious Spirit. 

This is when we appreciate how to live lives for others. When we truly desire God Himself and live to serve him from our desire, we move into a love for others. I think this happens because when God shares His Spirit with us, empowering us for His Will to be accomplished, we feel through His Spirit God’s own thoughts, passions, and desires for us. In that remarkable gift of insight into God’s love, we cannot but help to reach out to others. Thus, the second part of the greatest commandment is more easily fulfilled. Because we desire God, who first desired us, He gifts us with the desire and compassion for others. 

 

“[Rev. 3.20, Jesus’] counsel wasn’t to ‘try harder,’ but rather to let Him in (cf. James 4.8)”

 

I wonder, those people who already have compassion for others and do great and wonderful things out of love, but do not yet believe in or know God fully how wonderful their love would become when they see the truth of Christ. I wonder also, since they don’t have God in their lives, though they do great and wonderful things, if they feel they must try harder and harder to fill the void that is missing within them. 

 

Honestly, I think these kinds of people are on the brink, and whether they know it or not, this is their way of seeking and knocking after God.

 

“When we work for Christ out of obligation, it feels like work. But when we truly love Christ, our work is a manifestation of that love, and it feels like love”

 

I like how Chan interwove love for God and love for Jesus as if it were the same thing. I think of the Gospel of Luke, and how Luke’s writes in such a way that when Jesus heals people, like the demoniac with a legion of demons, and tells them to tell others what God has done they go and tell others what Jesus has done. It is a subtle way of writing, but it sends a powerful message. 

 

Our love for God comes to us not through any ability that we have, but because Jesus Christ came to show us himself. When we see and know Jesus Christ we will know God the Father. Jesus calls out to us because God loves us, and the Spirit opens our minds and hearts to this truth, and also compels us to experience love for God and others. 

 

Take the time to reflect on how God desires you. Reflect on how Jesus Christ stands at the door of your heart, or your inner most being, and knocks. Even if you open that door a crack, so much light will flood in to your darkened soul that you will desire to fling that door open and say “my Lord and my God!”

 

Reflections of “Crazy Love”: Chapter Five

After reading through chapter five I think two good quotes give the main idea of the chapter, which is about right worship and being a disciple:

“To put it plainly, churchgoers who are ‘lukewarm’ are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven (cf Revelation 3.15-18) … Jesus’ call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a “Christian” without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.”

– The verse deals with focusing on the wrong things, earthly things and claiming we have worked our way into acquiring God’s good favor. The fact is, that when we think this way we are, in fact, “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” As I have come to understand through reading the Gospel of Luke, prayer, and reading through a few commentaries one of Luke’s main themes is of possession. Summarizing a great deal of depth and Luke’s narrative I’ll simply say that when we focus on our possessions as a way of showing ourselves to be hardworking, good, and honest we are of those who are rich in this life that will face the Kingdom coming and flipping everything on its head. Those who consider themselves rich and wanting for nothing will find that they are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” because they have not sought after the things that attain eternal treasure – those virtues of character and dispositions that reflect a holy life of seeking after God. Blessings might come when we are righteous stewards, but we cannot count possessions as something of our worth in God’s eyes – as possessions can be taken away our faith and trust must rest on something deeper. Chan is right, as he is remaining true to Scripture. It is a false thing to think that we can earn any merits with goodwill and simply being good with our money and/or possessions. Without putting effort into seeking knowledge of Jesus Christ and God, without prayerfully asking for the Holy Spirit (which comes with gifts, wisdom, discernment, and a sure faith) we eventually come to nothing, as we are living “on the fence” – being devoted to both God and “mammon.”

“The weak sacrifice of the laid-back presets were an insult to Him. He was saying that no worship is better than apathetic worship. I wonder how many church doors God wants to shut today.” (speaking on Malachi 1.10)

– This verse speaks of two things: pastors and churchgoers. Pastors can talk a good game and appear to be living righteous lives, but can still be “false prophets” leading people astray. With the same token, churchgoers and become simply that – people who go to church. Church is not about a routine where when Sunday comes along you dress a little nicer and go fake singing, feign prayer, and try not to fall asleep during the sermon – hoping the loud organ or drums will wake you up before anyone catches you. If you go to church, you ought to be seeking something more, something higher, something different, something more true that this world has to offer. If you’ve been going to a church that doesn’t lead you deeper into the mystery of Christ and God’s revealed Word in both the Old and New Testament; if you’re going to a church that has no plans on the horizon for small group study or an exhortative, encouraging congregation then it is time to leave – and leave with haste.

The Christian life is about seeking, finding, growing, and giving. We must seek after God, but it ought to be like striving for something. For example, when you lose your glasses or car keys and you go looking for them. You know they are around somewhere and so you continue to search for them, sometimes frantically. Seek for God in the same way. When God finds you, you must grow in your knowledge through prayer, reading, study, conversation, meditation, fasting, tithing, giving to others, working for others, communion, and other acts where the ritual or moment presents the availability to grow deeper with God in His presence (this, by the way, makes you a disciple). On the growing journey, start giving and sharing with others your journey and you may lead some to become disciples themselves. Give especially to those who you see in some kind of suffering state. For every person you know that you help, find the time to do a similar thing for a stranger – whether it be covering the cost of a meal at a restaurant, paying for the person in line behind you, or anonymously donate something to a person through the mail or note left to them in an office. It doesn’t have to always be money either – it could be a small gift, or token showing that you acknowledge someone’s existence!

Whatever you do, though, always, always, always give thanks to God. Give thanks to God for sudden realizations in something you read, give thanks to God for a thought reminding you to do something or go somewhere, give thanks to God for overtime, give thanks to God for bringing someone into your life that aggravates you (as you can extend kindness and love), etc etc. Don’t just try and learn about God, but make Him part of your life as the closest friend and companion you’ve ever had.

Don’t be religious. Don’t be spiritual. Be a real person, living a life dedicated to a revelatory God through your revealing your faith and love to him in the kind and generous acts you do for others. On Sundays, take a break and a day to worship God with others and be recharged for another week of being a disciple. In this way, church and worship becomes a way of life, not something you try and get through on Sundays (or Saturday evening).

Reading is fun …

Lately I have had this overwhelming desire to just read. I hope it is followed up by an overwhelming desire to write! I’m continuing on in my Luke commentaries in order to get in sync with my notes and get everything organized so I can move on to articles and writing things of substance.

I’ll be going back to chapters 1-3 of Luke to write an Advent Study that I hope will be beneficial to the church. As I read the Free Methodist History I find that some things might relate as a huge part of Christmas is salvation come in Christ – at least in terms of chapters 1-3 it is the hope of salvation that might be realized in this Christ child.

My intention in what I do is to always start small and add on the following year. For example, this year we will be doing a nativity scene made out of plywood with some white lights. Next year I hope to add more lights and perhaps a spotlight for shadow figures. The year after that I might add a chicken bbq because we can do it in the garage to stay warm. I try to apply this principle to once-a-year studies as well so that I can see growth and be part of the growth with my congregation. Discussion questions may change and ideas on how to approach the material may change, but ultimately it is we who must be changed by what God has to tell us through His Word – Jesus Christ.

That being said, I truly hope my role as pastor is transformative to myself and others so that real holiness can be experienced individually and socially. That is one of the great things I look forward to most about Advent, which is to be able to re-tell the story of our opportunity to be part of God’s household; a redeemed people living holy lives of promise attained and promises to come.

Anyway, I’m moving forward in my reading although I am not blogging much. Right now I’m in chapter 16 of most of my commentaries and reading through chapter 13 of another. Once I get caught up with my notes I hope to start typing up some thoughts that I won’t be putting in the sermons. Most likely this will be musings or reactions to articles.

Thoughts on Hertig’s “The Jubilee Mission of Jesus …”

This was a good article to read.

The author did a great job in examining the text in its own context but with care to see the OT references in their own contexts as well. Hertig looked to extra-biblical writings to enhance his argument, which flowed nicely and was an easy and convincing read.

He breaks the article down according to class, and follows the quoted text in Luke 4 for his subject headings. He does a wonderful illustration of “the poor,” and enhances his argument further by portraying the Biblical Sense of “poor,” which rarely has to do with economic wealth.

I am not one to summarize nor review articles as I do not think this to be a real, meaningful practice – other than to myself. For that reason, what is the purpose of a review but to simply say if an article is worth reading. Granted, one could use a review to show how this article engages in certain types of scholarly arguments, but what you, the reader, really wants to know is if you can use this article for good research purposes. To that, I answer a firm “yes;” this is an article worth one’s read (especially in the general topics of: Jubilee, Jesus as Messiah, Reversal of Status, Prophetic Fulfillment in Jesus, Eschatological Events, or Kingdom of God).

Crazy Love Thoughts: Chapter Three

Chan starts the chapter by discussing his relationship with is father and moving into general relationships between parents and children. It was a great discussion on how one can view the relationship between God and his children.

He makes a very keen observation that when we realize we love God, we move away from feeling guilty or fearful, and we come to love God and have a great desire to know Him. With this love we come to prayer and reading our Bibles with great zeal.

I really like how he holds to tradition, yet brings it to us in a fresh way, by describing how God does not need us, how we look before God, and confirms that God wants us and desires us despite our fallenness.

I also was very please to read how he tells the story of a student asking him a question and then his later “would-be” response. He would have replied to the student that God wants what is best for us because he loves us, and that doesn’t always look, sound, or feel pleasing to us. All that God does demonstrates his love.

I guess the question remains, how do we “crazy love” God in return?

My only thought on this chapter is that we ought to strive to be like God (which goes without saying, really). How can we not only “crazy love” God, but how we can “crazy love” others? We should be a little insane, pushy, invitational, and pressing with others in our love for them and our desire for them to know the inner joy of God’s Spirit testifying with ours that we are “meant for so much more than this” (as the song goes by Mercy Me).

Be a beautiful, crazy-loving person as God is for you.

Shower Thoughts …

When we read the Bible we must realize that when we deal with God’s Word we are not dealing just with certain events pertaining to a certain culture, then trying to assimilate Biblical principles with our modern status quo. When we deal with God’s Word we are dealing with something that is sacred, holy, and for our purposes today – eternal and unchanging. Jesus himself said this.
Thus when we try to bring the Bible to our modern age and make it relevant we too often change the Word with common excuses like: science has shown us things are different now; or those people were in a patriarchal society and that is not how we live; or we have made great modern strides in psychology and know more about the human condition than ever before.

With those excuses we now worship a finite god. And I tell you now, my God is greater. The God of the Bible is eternal, beyond culture, beyond time, beyond the human condition. God created the human – do you not think God would know us, then? Jesus came not to make himself relevant to the first century culture – Jesus came to transform the culture. Our task as Christians, Christian Scholars, Clergy, and Lay leaders is not to make the Gospel (BIble) relevant to our culture. In attempting to do this we will always fail God and give the Devil victory. Let me say it this way: in making the Bible relevant to today’s world we serve our true master, Lucifer (the Devil). God’s word will never, ever be relevant to any generation because God’s word is meant to utterly transform; this is what it means for “your kingdom come.” Do not attempt to make the Bible relevant, thereby limited what the Spirit will do through you. Stay true, obedient, and faithful to God’s eternal Word and His Spirit will transform the world around you – and you yourself.

Remember the two greatest commandments, and in doing so you will find that there is no emphasis on the individual save for your choosing Jesus as Lord and Master. Do we not even network in order to get “ahead” in today’s society? An emphasis on individuality is false, for in individuality there is no foundation, there is no building up one another in love, and there are no temples of the Holy Spirit (built through others). If you find that your faith is but on the rock or being choked out and you cannot figure out why, then perhaps your god is dead, like so many have assumed. But my God is alive, is God of the living, and calls out for people to join His eternal community molded together with His own Spirit, through the blood of His own self – His Son.

Make your choice as an individual – a choice to join in a community of believers that brings God’s eternal Word into themselves and the world. This is loving God and loving others – and this is always relevant in any age because it is what God requires. This holiness – personal and social – is our gift as Christians from God, through God, by God, and with God.

Crazy Love: Thoughts on Chapter Two

I’m sitting here re-reading the chapter, “You Might Not Make It Through This Chapter,” and noticing how I didn’t underline or comment much. I guess when that happens we are usually carried away in the reading and agreeing with it; this was a good chapter, after all.

The parts I did highlight had to do with the personal aspects of what Chan wrote about himself. I think all people in ministry, especially pastors, tend to want to work for God rather than with God – yet assume they are in fact, working right along with God. I guess I can only speak for men because we are “fix it” men. We men like to “get right on it” and practically solve a problem on the go. We need to take time to slow down and remember who is really in charge, and more importantly take time to seek His advice.

These thoughts come from Chan’s comments about worrying. Worrying and stress really are arrogance because when we – anyone – worries what are we really thinking about? All of our thoughts usually center around “I;” “how am I going to get through this,” or “why is this happening (to me), or even, “I can get through this, I just have to focus.” Our thoughts then turn, sometimes, to God, and we tend to say a prayer that more comforts us that we spoke to God, but really we said a prayer of superstition. Do we really seek God when we are stressed? Is He the first priority and help we seek when stress and anxiety come? If not then we are merely idol worshippers, and our idol is ourself.

Thus the main point of the chapter, resonant of Rick Warren’s opening statement in his famous book, the point being “It’s all about God.” As Chan says, this is God’s movie and we are but small players in his film – extras who are part of the movie for but a moment and in the background. I like that Chan stopped with this in his chapter, because to say anything more would once again turn the focus on ourselves. Yes, we are part of the story, but it is a story of God’s glory, not ours.

I know that the chapters will continue to talk about Christ being glorified so that we might be glorified in Him. But remember, anything God does for us and in us is all for Him. He gives us grace and glory so that we might worship Him in that grace and glory. It was God in the beginning of the film, God at the climax on the cross, and it will be God at our end, and/or THE end.

Praise God!

Crazy Love: Chapter One Reflections …

I like the outline of the book, it is very contemporary and in paragraphs that are short and structured to indirectly show what the author says in his first few sentences, that we are a culture who abuse words and have a lot of information at our fingertips. Praise God that he works with people now so that we can say so much in saying so little. It is not that we are smarter than our predecessors or ancestors, who wrote lengthy pros concerning God that taught of the depths of his riches. It is that we have not disciplined our minds to follow lines of argument. Our minds have learned to take in lots of information and gather what we think is important to us. When we decide that God is important in our lives, we go looking for what will help us grow.

Chan is right about our modern American Church and I first had my eyes opened to this when I started to read my Bible. And I hope this is why you may feel the same. Most of the problems we have are because we Christians do not start with what is most important – with what makes us Christians – and that is the Word. How can you possibly call yourself a Christian, how can you seriously take on that title which represents God in flesh and not read Him every day? If you don’t read your Bible everyday stop referring to yourself as Christian. You are not, not yet anyway. I say this because I hear time and time again some version of, “Yeah … I don’t read my Bible like I should.” Come on!

Naturally you might say, I have the faith of Jesus in my heart and I know that he died for me. How dare you say I am not a Christian!? Easy. Have you followed through? Really, have you simply assumed this to be true or have you taken hold if it as the most powerful thing you will ever experience in your earthly life? If you know that Jesus died for you – yes YOU! – then the first thing you would have done, other than give thanks in prayer, is to begin reading about the one who changed your life in his Word. If you picked up a devotional book or some contemporary reading instead of a Bible then that is good and close to the source. But being close to the source and never opening it will not get you to heaven, nor free you from the guilt and power of sin. The psalmists didn’t praise God for his law day and night for nothing, you know. So let us not treat the Bible like it is nothing, or just another book.

Perhaps you did pick up your Bible and have since stopped reading every day. Great! I encourage you to pick it back up! Start using commentaries and deepen your knowledge of the Bible – and let it, through practical living out of the things you’ve read, grow into a personal wisdom as the Spirit more and more fills up your soul.

Of course in saying all this it is not for me nor anyone else to judge you and whether or not you are, in fact, Christian or not; that is up to you and God and you are to always examine yourself. Pastors especially.

His descriptions of God are right on the money – but how could they not be?! He is a man of Scripture! One thing that I actually said in church a few weeks ago concerning God is that “he has more of a right to ask us why people are starving …”. As I preach through the Gospel of Luke we are learning more and more that Christianity is faith in action and growth in holiness to be like Christ, bringing God’s kingdom on earth.

I feel privileged to be involved in this re-awakening, and am comforted that my thoughts align with other Bible-centered theologians (working pastors). My hope is that in all churches across all denominations, we have more Disciples of Christ than Modern Christians!