Archive for the ‘Christian Living’ Category
You of Little Faith…
November 18th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
As I’ve spent the past three months reading and teaching through the book of Matthew with my family, we’ve spent a LOT of time talking about faith. We’ve discussed what it means to have faith. We’ve discussed how God can work in our lives when we do have faith. We’ve discussed how faith in Christ is central to our salvation. We’ve discussed how faith is central to the miracles Jesus does in the lives of His people. We’ve discussed what our lives should look like when faith in Christ is central in our lives.
Last night, though, I was pondering God-sized dreams. As I thought about that concept, it occurred to me that it’s quite likely the reason most of us don’t have God-sized dreams comes back to this central issue… faith (or rather, lack thereof). A common phrase from Scripture came to mind: “You of little faith.”
It’s interesting how often Jesus used that phrase when teaching His disciples. And it’s amazing how many areas of our lives it applies to. When we dare to examine Scripture, will we find that we too would be told, “You of little faith…”?
If you’re interested in taking that trip with me, check back here over the next week or so. If we want to be used by God, perhaps in ways we can’t begin to imagine, “You of little faith” had better not apply consistently in our lives.
God-Sized Dreams
November 17th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Quick thought that’s been on my mind tonight…
If we’re going to pray for God to move and work in and through our lives, shouldn’t we have God-sized dreams?
Seriously. How often do we pray and ask God to use us, with the sole intention of be willing only to take on little tasks for Him? Why are we so hesitant… perhaps so filled with doubt about His ability to work through us… that we’re unwilling to take on big things for God?
Oh we of little faith.
Church… The Way It Should Be.
October 18th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, Church Stuff..., My Life / Family
I’m a Christian… I don’t think that’s any secret. I try to make Jesus not just an everyday part of my life, but the very central part of my life. And I’ve got an awesome church family at Missouri Valley Baptist, where I attend worship every Sunday and serve alongside some amazing people.
So you’ll understand that I was quite intrigued when I arrived home this evening to find some literature hanging on my door. The cover, facing out at me?
“CHURCH… THE WAY IT SHOULD BE”
Yes, this was a packet of information on another local church. The tagline sucked me right in. I was MOST curious to find out how church SHOULD be done.
Sadly, I was disappointed to find out that my church did just about everything wrong. Oh yeah… we’re practically hell-bound, from what I read:
- Contemporary worship? HOW COULD YOU?
- No suit and tie? HOW CAN YOU DISHONOR GOD THAT WAY?
- No King James Bible? HERETIC!
- No Sunday evening service or Wednesday night service? GET THEE AWAY FROM ME SATAN!
You see, when I read the tagline on that flyer, I erroneously assumed this church’s intent was to reach out to people outside a relationship with Jesus, maybe those who had felt burned by other churches. And it probably was (after all, they did include the plan of salvation and the pastor’s testimony). But the message, as it came across?
“Hey, if you want the good ol’ days of church again… if you’re irritated and just can’t take any more of that contemporary worship in your church… come check us out. We know how you like church. And we would love to have you come join us.”
I truly hope that this church DOES reach someone who needs Jesus. Really. If one person comes to know God as a result… all the time, energy, and dollars they’ve placed into these packets was worth it.
But my prediction of the result of these packets? This church is most likely going to suck in some disgruntled members from other churches seeking a church that offers the old Burger King promise… “Have it your way”. And those people will probably be perfectly happy worshipping God in that community… so long as it continues to do church… “THE WAY IT SHOULD BE”.
Christians? Let’s get about the business God intends. Beating back the darkness…. getting outside the walls of the church… truly making a difference in the lives of those who need Jesus most.
Shuffling of church members over personal preference just isn’t what Jesus died for.
The Dismembered Church Body…
October 12th, 2010 | 4 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Church Stuff..., Devotions / Bible Studies
A couple weeks back, we were challenged by one of my good friends at church to consider the following passages of Scripture. I’ve been reflecting upon it recently, and find myself with more questions than answers.
1 Corinthians 12
1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
The church is the body of Christ, and it’s made up of many parts. Believers fill many roles, and carry many titles… Pastor, Worship Leader, Deacon, Ministry Coordinator, etc. They do many tasks in the church… teaching, service, nursery, evangelism, music… yes, even janitorial. And Scripture tells us ALL are important for the proper functioning of the body. We suffer as a whole when even one part suffers.
So what do you do when the body of Christ is dismembered? How do we begin to address the hurt and pain of a church with non-functioning members? How do we address members who have essentially amputated themselves from the church? And how do we handle members who have tried to take a chainsaw to the body itself?
Sure. The easy answer is in Chapter 13… love. If the body of Christ truly demonstrated the love of Christ to one another… if we truly cared about one another as members of the same body should, we surely wouldn’t have a dismembered church body. And we certainly wouldn’t try to tear it to pieces.
But that’s not the case in most churches… most churches are somewhat dismembered. In some churches, bodies are missing not just fingers and toes, but complete arms and legs!
You see, I can’t help but be convicted as I continue to read over these Scripture passages. And I’ve got more questions than answers.
- How do you begin to repair a dismembered church body?
- What are some practical things a believer can do to bring healing to other church members who are hurting?
- How should we address church members who bring hurt and pain to either individual members of the church body, or even to the church as a whole?
- How do we ensure we remain conscious and aware of injury to the church body?
- What can we, individually, do to help to keep the church body whole?
- How do we check ourselves to be certain that we are not the source of church body dismemberment?
Any thoughts?
Family Worship…
September 21st, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, My Life / Family
Family worship. Ever done it? No… not placing your family above all else, even God (we’ve all probably done that before). I’m talking about worshipping God together as a family.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve done just that… making family worship a regular part of our lives, making time every morning and night to spend together as a family singing, praying, and reading the Bible together. It’s been incredible to see my kids picking up God’s word… as I ask questions each night about that morning’s readings, it’s just awesome to hear them answer eagerly, often in detail that simply blows me away. And to see answered prayers is such a huge blessing.
After nearly two months of this, I look back and wonder… why did we wait until just recently to do this? It’s been such a great thing… why had we never made a focused commitment to this before now?
It’s not hard to come up with some reasons:
– Time. Family worship takes time, and we all know how difficult it is to find time to do anything these days, let alone fit another daily activity or two into our schedules.
– Preparation. Family worship takes preparation… after all, we’re talking about teaching God’s word to our kids. It’s easy to fall into the “I’m not qualified” thought process, or the “I don’t know where to start” mindset.
– Commitment. Given the above, family worship takes serious commitment. Experts say it takes about 40 days of doing something for it to become habitual, and it’s hard to stay on the bandwagon!
– Spiritual warfare. Oh yes, this is a very real thing. The last thing Satan really wants is for a family to be fully committed to God, and to spend time worshipping Him each day. Kids will fight. Things will go wrong. Time will find itself even more difficult to come by. It’s easy to question whether it’s really worth it all.
You know what, though?
Family worship, even though sometimes difficult for all of the above reasons… it’s worth it. And surprisingly, it’s not as difficult as you might think. Here’s what works for us:
– Curriculum. You really don’t need anything elaborate… we don’t have anything formal. We’ve just started reading the Bible together in chunks each day, going straight through a selected book of the Bible (we’ve started with Matthew). Just reading it to your kids and asking questions to help them recount what they’ve heard and apply it simply doesn’t take much preparation.
– Scheduling. We’ve coupled family worship with breakfast. The kiddos have gotta eat, right? Start the day off right with them with some family time around the breakfast table. We call it “Bible and Breakfast”, and it works great for us.
– Typical morning worship. Morning family worship typically is about fifteen minutes max… we take a reasonable chunk of Scripture (maybe 8-10 verses), read, and ask a few questions as the kids eat. When we’re through with the passage, we pray about what we’ve learned and about the day ahead.
– Typical evening worship. Our evening worship typically occurs about 15-30 minutes before bedtime. We sing a couple songs (I play guitar, but you could sing along to your favorite worship songs or sing acapella), then review the Scripture we read that morning. We wrap up with prayer time, going over prayer requests, praying for the day ahead, etc.
– Prayer. If you want your kids to pray, you have to model it. So prayer is part of everything we do with family worship. In fact, we keep a prayer journal to track prayer requests… we don’t lose track of long-standing requests that way, but also get to see how God is answering prayer!
Give it a shot, Christian moms and dads (especially you dads… LEAD your family!). If it works for us, it can work for you. You’ll never regret stepping out in faith to do this, and you’ll be amazed at how your kids grow in their faith. You’ll be amazed at how YOU grow in your faith.
Let me know how it goes, and if there’s any way in which I can help you to make family worship part of the lifeblood of your family.
Dominican Republic Missions, 2010
July 7th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life / Family
As many of you may already know, in about eight days, Nancy, Jeffrey, and I, along with twenty-one other people from my church and other St. Joseph area churches, will be embarking for the Dominican Republic to take the good news of Jesus Christ to people living in darkness there. The spiritual needs of the people are large, the trip itself a bit daunting, and the prayer needs great.
If you’re reading this at “Toward the Goal”, it’s probable that you share the hope and faith we have in Jesus Christ. If that’s the case, you’ll completely understand the need for fervent prayer for this trip… Satan is every bit as real as the God we serve, and he’s adamently opposed to people being used by God to reach the world with the hope of Christ. Spiritual warfare is likely, so we’ll need an army of prayer warriors standing behind us as we move to the front lines to push back darkness.
So, please… believers in Christ, pray. We do have a prayer letter to help guide your prayers, so if you’d like to receive that, by all means, contact me.
If you don’t have a faith-based relationship with Jesus, I pray you’d consider his very words:
John 3:13-21
13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
Jesus claimed that He was the Son of God, sent from heaven to reconcile a sinful world to God the Father. He performed miracles, signs, and wonders to prove He was who He claimed… healing people, miraculously feeding huge crowds, even raising the dead. Still, all but a few people of the time did not believe, and He was ultimately rejected and sentenced to death by crucifixion. And then something amazing happened… after suffering, dying, and being buried, He rose from the grave, conquering sin and death just as He said He would.
The question before each of us is simply this: do you believe? Will you act upon that belief by submitting your life to Jesus, repenting of sin and choosing to follow Him from that point forward?
Eternity hinges on this response.
What Matters Most…
December 14th, 2009 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Worth Reading
“Happy Holidays!”
What’s going through your mind, Christian? It’s okay… you can admit it…
“It’s CHRISTMAS you moron!”
Yep. I thought so.
Maybe you’ve been offended by the greeting. Maybe you’ve even verbalized it to the well-meaning (but misguided) person who thought they’d pleasantly wished you well this season. Maybe you’ve even decided you’re not shopping anywhere that “Christmas” is not well, um… spoken?
Yeah. We Christians can be such kill-joys during the “Holiday” season.
The point of this post? You probably know where I’m going, but you won’t find the rest here… it’s over at Todd Littleton’s place (he’s shared some good stuff).
Anyway, check out Todd’s thoughts on the never-ending war over “Christmas”: “What if Retailers Rated Christians?”
Oh, and prepare for a nice load of conviction.