Church
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
Intellectuals generate ideas and ideas matter, whether those ideas are right or wrong, and they matter far beyond the small segment of society who are intellectuals. Ideas affect the fate of whole nations and civilizations.
via Thomas Sowell : Intellectuals and Society – Townhall.com.
Dr. Sowell makes a good point, albeit politically. This kind of thinking is why I believe teaching and preaching right doctrine is so important. Ideas matter, and for the Christian right knowing precedes right living. In order to us to live as Christ intends, we must see the world, sin, mankind and everything as He sees it. That only happens through teaching the rights ideas.
I see this as one of the great deficiencies of the Evangelical church. In my limited experience doctrine is briefly taught in a membership class, occasionally referenced from the pulpit and sometimes covered in a small group. We need Christians who are steeped in Scripture, know what it is they believe, why they believe it and are contemplating how those beliefs change the way we live.
Jesus was a socialist?
Regardless of your politics, Cal Thomas does a good job of addressing the Christianity = Socialism canard.
Did early Christians live communally? Yes, but this was not to show the right form of government. Instead, it is because they really believed they were a family. They took the whole, “brother and sister” thing quite literally. As in any family, ownership is shared. When a brother is starving, we give him our bread. When a sister needs shelter, we give her our bed. It doesn’t require some hierarchy telling us, “Thou must.” It is the natural result of being a family.
WORLD Magazine | Jesus the socialist | Cal Thomas | Dec 24, 09.
Prayer & Miracles
Last night was our weekly prayer meeting. It’s usually a small group of prayers who come to praise and pray for many needs. We pray for our congregation and community, but we also pray for requests we receive from many others. Folks in hospitals, a church in Mexico—folks from all over who share a request with one of our prayer team. Those requests are prayed for and, whenever possible, followed up on.
Recently we’d been praying for a woman from our town with cancer. She’d been having a very, very hard struggle. Last night we received word her cancer was gone. We’d also been praying for another woman with cancer—while its not gone, it is shrinking. These updates reminded me of two amazing stories that come out of our Sunday night prayer meeting.
The first is an older woman with breathing problems. When I first met her she was on oxygen. She wore an oxygen tank to church, keeping a spare in the building just in case. She needed the oxygen to survive. We prayed for her for quite awhile, not just looking for a miracle, but for the grace to endure. One Sunday she comes to church with no oxygen. When I asked what was going on, I found out her most recent tests showed no need—her lungs were inexplicably working fine, again. When pressed about it her Doctor confessed it must be a miracle.
The second is a young girl, dying from cancer. This little girl didn’t just want prayer she also wanted answers. I tried my best to answer her questions, and we prayed for her and her family. Now, this little girl was not healed. However, something even more amazing happened. Before cancer claimed her, Christ claimed her. This little girl accepted Christ, and even asked to be buried with one of the letters I wrote—so she could show it to God! The peace with which she died, and this request led her parents—non-Christians—to ask their own questions. Even though they lived two states away (they were in our area for her treatment) we prayed for them and put them in touch with a good church.
A few months later I received a letter from that little girl’s mom. In it was a picture, which still sits on my desk, and a note. That note shared how she and her husband came to know Christ, and how they could see God’s mercy. She understood that her little girl died so that the girl, the mom and the dad could find eternal life. She believed that it was a part of God’s plan, and though painful, worth it.
Those stories are why I pray. I don’t claim to be a miracle worker; in fact I’d point to a couple of the other prayers whom I believe are the ones God is listening to. However, I know that not only does He hear us, but also He acts. I hope God allows you to see the impact your prayers have on others, so that you, too, might be encouraged to pray.
Must See TV
This is why I’m a huge Piper fan. I think he not only gets it, but is uniquely passionate about Christ.
The Disciplemaking Parent
Deuteronomy 6:5 contains what Jesus called the greatest commandment—‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,’ (NIV). This verse is not just the greatest commandment; it is the beginning of a framework. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we find a blueprint for parents to disciple their own children. We see God’s plan for reproducing faith, values and lifestyle in the next generation. Continue reading
Dreams
Part of leading any organization, I suppose, are dreams. Dreams about the future, about what could be, what must be. Over the past few years God gave me a dream for our congregation. Three years ago our community lost our full-time Youth for Christ worker. The local ministry has continued with a part-timer and her volunteers, but they can’t do a full-time work. Two years ago my oldest started Karate. As we’ve gotten to know other parents, we’ve heard a common complaint–nothing for youth in our small town. Shoot, we don’t even have a movie theater.
So, as our new building began to take shape, one of the dreams I found was a drop-in center. A place where community kids could come after school, hang out, be safe, have fun and hear about Christ. It seems to be strategic, in that there is really nothing for the youth of Beecher. It seems to be missional, in that we can love the families of Beecher through this ministry–and win the opportunity to share Christ.
Like all dreams, this one has costs–financial costs, volunteer costs and, no doubt, unknown costs. Currently I’m praying for 100 kids, and the volunteers, money and whatever else we need to minister to those kids. As I’ve already written about, God’s been faithful with this building. And He isn’t giving it to us as a knick-knack–He wants it used. I look forward to seeing how God will do more than we can ask or imagine in using this ministry to reach this community for Christ.
Another Look at Church Buildings
We are in the midst of constructing a new building. The walls are up and the interior is in process. So, I found this article from LeadershipJournal.net quite interesting. I’d encourage you to read the whole thing, but this quote kind of sums up my view of our new building:
Ideally, we are a church without walls. Were trying to create “living temples,” people who live for Christ and make a difference in the city wherever they go. Buildings arent bad—we need creative, adaptive spaces. But we want our facilities to reinforce the message that the church is not primarily a monument but a people, living temples.
A Vision Problem
No matter where you go, you find competing visions. On a family vacation mom, dad and the kids all have different visions of rest and relaxation. When buying a home or a car, mom and dad have different visions of what would be best. In businesses you often find different bosses with different visions, and those differ from the visions of the workers. It is no different in a church. A Church is, in many ways, a volunteer organization. Each member and attendee holds a different vision for what the Church is, what it should be and how it should minister/operate. No matter where you go, you find competing visions.
One of the challenges for leadership is uniting people behind a common vision. mom and dad might struggle to unite the kids behind their vision for a fun filled week of visiting craft shows, antique stores and Civil War battlefields. A CEO might struggle to unite the board and the corporation behind his vision for future business and success. A Pastor might struggle to unite a Church board and the membership behind the vision God gives him for the future of a congregation.
In some contexts this unity is easier. In my time as an Air Force Chaplain, vision has been simple. The Chief of Staff gives his vision; the Chief of Chaplains bases his vision for the Chaplain Corps upon that. Then our Command and Wing Chaplains base their vision upon the Chief of Chaplains. While there is plenty of opportunity for feedback, ultimately we execute the vision we’re given.
In other contexts this can be impossible. Go back to the Church. In a small congregation with only 1 staff member (the Pastor), there is little power or influence over the members. When that Pastor shares his vision, there is the reality that the congregation can just leave. There is no paycheck on the line, no real consequence toward saying, “Hey, that’s great Pastor. We’re outta here.” So, he must struggle to communicate the vision clearly and persuasively.
In my experience this requires a lot of conversation. The vision must be explained and taught in the pulpit. As a huge proponent of expository preaching, this helps keep my vision grounded in Scripture. But one cannot just deliver the vision in a sermon and expect everyone to salute smartly and implement it. In addition to the preaching there are breakfasts and phone conversations and meetings and running into folks at the supermarket or the post office. Each of these is a strategic battle for united vision.
Recognizing the struggle, I am quite thankful for a little congregation with amazing unity. In our building program and in our ministry, we seem to be united with a common vision. Sure, that unity isn’t perfect. We still disagree on the when’s and how’s sometimes, but those minor differences are nothing compared to the context of a congregation united behind making Christ an unavoidable question for everyone in Beecher.
Top Five News Stories: The Theology of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Speech | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
Some great stories and food for thought. Especially on the syncretism of American Christianity. Why are we so syncretistic? I believe its a failure to teach doctrine. What say you?
Brandon Markette 