Randy's Ruminating

The Upside of a Down Economy

2009-06-16T17:01:00.003-05:00

June 6 was the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of Normandy. The people who forged their way up the hills of that beachhead have been called the greatest generation. But what causes greatness to develop in people like that? One of those now elderly gentlemen, who had survived D-Day gave his view of those causes. Adversity. He was convinced that many had grown up in or felt the affects of the Great Depression. That time of trial, in his view, had shaped them for the greater challenges ahead.

Earlier this Spring, Time magazine had stated essentially the same thing. The April 27 cover story was titled The New Frugality. I was especially struck by one article in that issue. It clearly saw a rainbow in the economic storm we are now living in. Several writers conclude, in an article titled Thrift Nation, that there is an upside to these difficult times. Here's an excerpt from their thoughts. . . .

“No one wishes for hardship. But as we pick through the economic rubble, we may find that our riches have buried our treasures. Money does not buy happiness; Scripture asserts this, research confirms it. Once you reach the median level of income, roughly $50,000 a year, wealth and contentment go their separate ways, and studies find taht a millionaire is no more likely to be happy than someone earning one-twentieth as much. Now a third of people polled say they are spending more time with family and friends, and nearly four times as many people say their relations with their kids have gotten better during this crisis than say than have gotten worse” (Time, April 27, 2009, vol. 173, NO. 16, page 23).

Well said! Not unlike the Bibles observation that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to God's purposes" (Romans 8:28). The Time writers go on to further affirm Biblical values. “A consumer culture invites us to want more than we can ever have; a culture of thrift invites us to be grateful for whatever we can get. So we pass the time by tending our gardens and patching our safety nets and debating whether, years from now, this season will be remembered for what we lost, or all that we found” (ibid).

Two Biblical passages offer perspective on these difficult times. One is found in Ecclesiastes 7:14 (NLT). “Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.” The other is from Isaiah's prophecy, 30:20 (NLT), where we read: “Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you.”

Bitterness

2009-05-16T20:44:00.004-05:00

A member of our church sent me a few quotes from a revival that had occurred at the church they used to attend in another community. The subject is bitterness and how it impacts us. When I read this I thought it was very good. These are the notes exactly as they came to me. They are well worth your prayerful pondering. I hope you find them helpful.

"What the revival had to say about bitterness was very good, and was even identified as the root of the sin of porn. I think they are right. Some additional nuggets on bitterness:
1. Bitterness is caused by the LUST for something God is refusing or the LOSS of something that God took away.
2. All bitterness is ultimately directed to God. (This is logical if you believe in a sovereign God.)
3. Bitterness…”The poison I make for someone else and then drink myself.”
4. Crises in life are expressions of God’s love. We can reject them via false expectations which result in hurt, bitterness, etc. or accept them as God’s plan.
5. Getting over bitterness requires confession and forgiveness. Forgiveness requires
Repentance. I need to:
. Allow the past to stand as history
. Change my response to the past.
. Choose to forgive those indebted to me.
. Rebuild the relationship they broke.
. Make the greatest investment where the potential for bitterness is greatest.
. Give thanks: 1Thes 5:18 and Eph 5:20
7. There was a haunting song that the son of the Team Leader had written which he sang for us. “A Dungeon Without Doors” (By Steven Canfield Jr. Copywrited)
8. In part it goes like:
This is the place that I have made,
To hold the ones who’ve caused me pain.
But I’m the one enchained in hate;
I’m bitter bound with no escape.
And somehow in this dark soul place,
I’ve lost the joy of forgiving grace.
I’ve blamed my God who did no more
To shield me, in my dungeon without doors.
This is the place that I have made,
But I will rise and walk away.
Inside my heart I now see,
That I myself imprisoned me.
And somehow in this dark soul place,
You’ve found a way to show me grace.
You hold me close and show me more,
This dungeon, well it has no doors!
I am free to live unchained,
You forgave me, I’ll do the same.
Now joy is what the hurt is for;
This dungeon has no doors!"

Sin and the Christ-Centered Life

2009-04-18T08:48:00.003-05:00

I believe, with great conviction, that we who are First Baptist Church are involved in the most important mission in the world. Let us remember our church’s Mission Statement, which is our purpose: We are a multi-generational, biblically-based church reaching and equipping people to live a missional, Christ-centered life together.

I have written on other occasions about what I believe a missional life to be. I would now like to address one aspect of a Christ-centered life. The one-aspect is sin. Sin is an unpopular word. It is basically putting myself where God should be in my life. Therefore, it shows up in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s lifestyle issues, sometimes attitudes, sometimes things we do not do. Biblically it means to miss the target. I want to share some thoughts on how it creeps into our lives with greater and greater impact. Conversely, what might we do to lessen its impact?

In my devotional reading recently, in The Spiritual Formation Bible (SFB), I read a profile of Ahab. Ahab was one of the grand bad examples of sin gone rampant. In fact the profile subtitle is Addicted to Sin. I Kings 16:30 introduces Ahab to Biblical readers with this statement: Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. The profile suggests: Despite all he saw God doing, Ahab remained bent toward sin (SFB, page 521). Why? How does sin get such a hold on us?

The commentator for I Kings in the SFB is Rebecca J. Kruger Gaudino. She wisely suggests: As Ahab’s life demonstrates, sin can gain an increasing hold on our soul. Especially when we are allied with another drawn to evil, sin acts to numb our spirit to the truths of God (SFB, page 521). It may be a surprise to some that the pursuit or allowance of sin can develop into a habit with practice. Therefore, changing our practices, our habits, can deal sin a deadly blow. Holy living can become a habit too.

An ancient Church Father, Chrysostom, encouraged Christians to turn from sin for one day, then two, “then twenty, then a hundred, then your whole life” (SFB, page 522). Gaudino goes on to say: just as sin numbs the spirit to the things of God, so obedience opens the spirit to God’s transforming power. She concludes: We too can turn from the habits of sin, building instead habits of holiness (SFB, page 522).

This is a major part of what it means to live a Christ-centered life. It’s not the whole of it, but if we are not open to pursuing obedience to God, not much else will develop in living a Christ-centered life.

Joy!

2009-03-27T07:11:00.002-05:00

Recently we traveled to Janesville, Wisconsin, for the baptism of one of our granddaughters. As an added bonus we were able to see our grandson play his guitar as part of the worship team. Need I tell you that he was great.

We were not prepared for all the joy we would experience as our granddaughter was baptized. Her father, who is a career-track Youth Pastor, baptized her. Before he baptized her, he asked her to share how she became a Christian. We had forgotten this wonderful little part of her story. She told the congregation that her sister, at a church event in their fellowship hall, had asked her to come aside so they could talk. The short version of her story is that her sister, Anna, had led Emma to pray a prayer to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior.

As we heard her story, both Mary and I welled up with tears. I looked over at Anna, sitting next to Mary. She was beaming. I felt a deep confirmation of what really matters in life. I rejoice that our daughters and their spouses are Christ followers. Now their children were following their lead.

There are many things we can give our children and our grandchildren: a house to live in, clothes to wear, an education. We can introduce them to hobbies. We can teach them skills that can enhance their lives. We can take none of those important things with us to heaven. The only thing we can take with us to heaven is our loved ones, and those we have been privileged to show the way to become a Christ-follower.

I think you understand why we were a bit emotional on that very special occasion.

Hope from the Disequilibrium of Change

2009-03-25T18:44:00.012-05:00

Who would have ever dreamed last March that Spring would arrive in 2009 under a national/global economic storm-cloud; that it would feel like we were experiencing financial free-fall; that people would have such daily interest in the Stock Market? People in retirement wonder if their nest egg will last. Those not yet retired are rethinking their plans. A friend of ours told me he will probably have to work the rest of his life.

Such is the ongoing disequilibrium that comes with the C word. Not the C word, Christ, our solid rock. Or the C word, Church, our ultimate and eternal family. But the C word, change. Each of us has, at different times, resisted change, hated change and embraced change. Change is most difficult not so much because of change around us, but because it forces us to change.

Change sometimes just plain stinks. But change can be renewing and invigorating.

It is often turbulence in the culture or our personal lives that causes us to seek a center for our lives. These adventures in the eye of the storm, more often than not, surprise us with hope that our lives are part of a larger God-story.

For Christ followers, worship is the overriding experience that centers us. Worship helps us live vibrantly while change reshapes our world. Worship is an intermission into the eye of the storm. Worship brings us back to what and Who never changes. When we are moved by God’s presence, struck by God’s power, grace, love and truth, our fears settle down. Problems seem solvable, or we find a new burst of expectancy and resolve to live with them with joy. In worship we often see what needs to change, in us and in the world. We receive new energy to change it. In worship we are wrapped in the compelling words in Paul’s letter to the Romans: nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

While personal worship is both prerequisite and prelude to corporate worship, worshiping with others who call Jesus Lord seems to bring us to the pinnacle of worship. We can reach the pinnacle in corporate worship with the gathered church. We sense the presence of Christ where two or three are gathered in his name. Worship is the power grid of the church.

Worship centers us on God, who through the prophet Malachi, exclaimed to the wayward descendants of Jacob: I, the Lord, do not change - affirming God’s stubborn love and grace, even in times of disregard for God and God’s call. While change erupts around us, in worship we can be centered again in God’s stubborn, unchanging love and grace.

In worship we encounter God, who early in the Hebrew record of Exodus 3, was asked by Moses how he should respond when he tells the people the God of our fathers has sent me to you and then they ask him: What is his name? God told Moses: tell them I AM Who I Am. Tell them: I AM has sent me to you. God is the eternal contemporary. Is God still I Am when the economy creates great uncertainty? From the center of worship, we can affirm God surely is still I AM!

When we are troubled by million dollar bonuses given to people whose companies failed under their leadership, it feels like integrity is a bygone character quality. We begin to wonder, can anyone be trusted? Worship, always our need, is more needed now. Being centered in worship brings us back to our God described in the Hebrew Scriptures: “God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind. Has God promised, and will God not do it? Has God spoken, and will God not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19).

From N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, I was reminded that when we worship we breathe a sigh of relief, we give up the struggle to be God and with it the inevitable despair at our constant failure. In worship, we surrender everything to God over and over. We enjoy our status as creatures, creatures bearing God’s image, but creatures, not the Creator (Thoughts taken from PreachingToday.com, N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, Church of England, & writer [1948--] N. T. Wright. Surprised by Hope, Harper One, 2008, p. 114).

The book of Hebrews, which helped early and later believers navigate change between the two covenants, affirms with great clarity that Jesus Christ, by whose life, death and resurrection the new covenant is established, is the same yesterday and today and for ever (Hebrews 13:8). The context of that profound declaration, is actually a warning against falling for new ideas - a/k/a the winds of change. It becomes a call back to the center, the Lord of our faith, the Lord of the Church, in the midst of the whirlwind of change we live in.

How long will this economic uncertainty last? No one knows. So let’s cling to what we do know. The ancient words of Scripture give us hope: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Our Wider Family

2009-02-19T08:39:00.003-06:00

From time to time it is good to remind ourselves that we are part of a larger family. In our case, we are part of American Baptist Churches, USA. Recently, I had an opportunity to, once again, participate in the Colloquium. This is a gathering of 28 American Baptist Senior Pastors from across our country, and a few conveners. The purpose of our get-together is to learn from one another. There are no outside speakers. We share common issues, challenges and opportunities we all face, and how we are responding. All presentations are given by members of the group. I led the opening worship, devotional time. Spouses met in a separate gathering, but joined us for some of our agenda. While I have participated in this for several years, this was one of the best. It was an added blessing that we met in San Diego, so we planned a few extra days around the Colloquium to get some fresh hugs from our LA daughter and her family. Visiting with participants at dinner one evening, I suddenly realized I was talking with the Senior Pastor of the Oregon church who partnered with us to purchase the truck for our missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Ed and Mariam Noyes. Such are the joys of the Colloquium.

Dr. Roy Medley, General Secretary of American Baptist Churches, USA, was with us for one day. He gave a brief report on our denomination. You will be encouraged by his report. He reported that there is a renaissance in our denomination. Self-esteem is starting to re-coop. Some of the poison of turmoil we have experienced the past few years has been drained from our system. He shared with us that American Baptists are held in great honor around the world because of our global mission work.

He told us of a new effort of American Baptists to dialogue with Muslims. The Islamic Society of North America wrote to Dr. Medley to indicate their interest in such a dialogue. Roy said, in their initial conversations, the Muslim leaders said: “ But you’re evangelical.” Roy responded: “Yes. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; we preach his life, death and resurrection. But we also love our neighbor.” I invite you to pray for this dialogue, that it will bear much fruit.

Dr. Medley reported that we are now 5500 churches, and 1,200,000 people. There are now larger numbers of people going to seminary right out of college, reversing a trend of many years. A group of younger American Baptist pastors are networking with one another on Face Book, on the Internet. Financially, through September, there was a turn around in United Mission giving. But the economic downturn had its impact and it looks like our 2008 common mission funding will be down by about 7%.

Roy Medley shared two quotes I found particularly engaging. One is this: “There is no moral authority like that of sacrifice.” I invite you to ponder that. Another was this: “The surest sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit is discomfort.” Think about it. It is a heart-searching statement.

I am grateful for the generosity of the congregation I serve, to allow me the time to participate in this gathering. I think it is mutually beneficial.

Holding Up Our New President

2009-01-22T16:40:00.017-06:00

The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was inaugurated Tuesday, January 20. It is amazingly impressive how our country transfers power peacefully. It was fascinating to watch political rivals, warmly greeting one another, relishing the magic of the inaugural moment. We cannot gloss over this leadership change without bloodshed or fighting. We must be profoundly thankful.

It was an historic inauguration. The first African-American is now the leader of the free world. Who of us did not ponder our nation's tragic history of accepted slavery practices as we watched the events unfold? Seeing a person from among those who were so inhumanly mistreated, to now be our leader, is a time of national pride that brings renewed hope in America's dream.

It is no secret that our new president emerged from a contentious political battle. The Electoral College was recorded as a landslide. But there was less than a 5% difference in the popular vote that put our new president into office. Enormous challenges face our new president. These challenges seem to threaten the very fabric of who we are. Could the dream of America be at risk? Not everyone is on board with how our new president wants to tackle the issues.

It is time for all of us who call Jesus Lord to respond. Scripture commands us to pray for those in authority. The Bible says: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, . . .” (1 Timothy 2:1-3). The Bible also calls us to submit to those in authority: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

I recently read an article on ChristianityTodayLibrary.com. What to Pray for a New President; Seeking God's blessing for a pluralistic, conflicted, and divided nation was written by Mark Lambertson. I also read a blog written by the Internet Monk: Christians: What are you saying about the President? The Internet Monk is really Michael Spencer, who by his own admission is searching for a Jesus shaped spirituality out of his Baptist roots. He cautions us about what we say about our new president. This article is a call to speak the truth about our new leader, and to be an intercessor on his behalf. These are good articles. Take a moment to see what these two writers have written.

Heed the challenging words of Samuel, the ancient Hebrew prophet and judge: “far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 20:23). Be a faithful intercessor for our new president.

What Can We Do To Make 2009 a Better Year?

2008-12-31T16:27:00.008-06:00

Fox News recently reported a story that caught my eye. The story had appeared in The Wall Street Journal (December 29, 2008), and was written by a Russian Professor named Igor Panarin. He has been making the astounding prediction for ten years that the United States will fall apart in 2010. Let me be clear: I put no stock in such doomsday prophets.

What caught my eye, however, were the reasons he thought that might happen. As you might expect he mentioned the economic collapse. With all that we have heard, read and experienced over the past few months, I was not surprised to read the economy was one of his supporting reasons. He also mentioned mass immigration. But the third reason was most engaging to me. He cited moral degradation as a factor that could cause us to totter and collapse.

One of the reasons why moral degradation stood out to me was that no one writes or talks about that as a danger zone. The economy scares people to death, but no one seems concerned at all about the deteriorating moral climate of our nation. Yet the Bible says plainly: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). One need only think quickly of the greed, sexual immorality, the rampant number of abortions, disinterest for the poor, sky-rocketing divorce rate, disregard for how we pollute the planet and . . . the list goes on. Sin is a disgrace.

What is sin? Simple stated, it is my trying to run my own life without regard for God or others. It is disregard for God's laws or standards. It is living as if God had no say, when it is God who has given us life and this planet as our earthly home.

So as we turn the page on a new year, what can we do to make 2009 a better year? We can seek to live a life that will honor God. Some of the best and brightest minds in our nation are working on the financial crisis that has loomed like a dark cloud. But who is paying attention to the moral climate? Who is saying moral degradation is a serious problem? The church should be leaders in calling for a lived-out righteousness that exalts our land. As we look to 2009, let's be leaders - first with our living - pointing the way to wholesome, healthy lives that respect God and others. Let's show by our lives and our lips that righteousness exalts a nation.

Too Trivial to Be True?

2008-11-21T17:01:00.002-06:00

I've been away from the blogsphere for a while. A weekend away to Michigan earlier in the month, then a battle with some flu or sinus infection, left me playing catch up. But today I was listening to a podcast with Dallas Willard, in a discussion with Bill Hybels called The Great Omission, a Defining Moments podcast from Willow Creek Association, and I was drawn back to the blogsphere to share some thoughts. It was a most stimulating discussion.

The great omission is that many people commit themselves to Jesus Christ, but never go on to find the life that only Christ can bring. Dallas Willard made one statement that left me thinking about it the rest of the day. He said, many people are not in our churches because they think our message is too trivial to be true. Too trivial to be true? Wow. No way. There is nothing trivial about the message in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Nothing! But our living of it makes it seem trivial to some. For too many, following Christ is a brief commitment, perhaps being baptized, then moving on with life. That is so far from what the New Testament presents as the life abundant in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ calls us to a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. All of life. No aspect can be untouched by relationship with Christ. If it's a hit and miss relationship with Jesus - include him in this, but not that - maybe it is trivial. Maybe even too trivial to be true.

So I leave you with the thought that sent me thinking earlier today. Do people look at my life or yours and conclude that our commitment to Jesus Christ is too trivial to be true?

Some Final Thoughts Before the Voting Ends

2008-11-03T11:55:00.007-06:00

The election of the leader of the free world is upon us. And there are numerous other very important state, county, city elections and ballot issues as well. Here are three things to ponder as we enter these final hours before the polls close on the evening of November 4th.

It Matters Who Leads Us
What causes nations to rise or fall? We think of ourselves as a powerful nation, but where does power come from? A leader who, in humility, understands his/her leadership to be a stewardship of God and the people will be more likely to lead with wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls.”
Proverbs 14:34, “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Psalm 33:12, “What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, . . .”
Psalm 62:11, “God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you.”

Government Is Part of God's Plan
Government is not a necessary evil. It is part of God's plan for good and peace. Think about your attitudes about government and how you will support and participate in our community, state and nation as citizens. As you do, consider these Scriptures. While we must translate “King” to “President, Senator, Representative” and the like, the Bible has much to say about our attitudes and responsibilities to government.

1Peter 2:13-14, “For the Lord's sake, respect all human authority - whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.”
Proverbs 24:21,” My child, fear the LORD and the king.”
Mark 12:17, “Jesus said, 'give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.'”
Romans 13:2, “So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.”
Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”
Romans 13:4-6, “The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.”

God's People Who Pray Can Make A Difference
Prayer is powerful. God invites us to come and pray boldly. Take God at his word. Nothing is stalled or hopeless when God has issued such an invitation to prayer, and attached such promises to his invitation.

2 Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
James 5:16, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
Jesus said in John 15:7, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
James 4:2-3, “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong––you want only what will give you pleasure.”

Jesus said we are to be salt and light. When Jesus spoke these words, salt was used to preserve things and to keep things from going bad and rotting. We are to be preserve things and keep them from going bad and rotting. Salt can also make food tasty. So we are to make God-fearing and God-honoring living attractive. As light we are to help put out darkness and to show the way. Let's be salt and light as we transition to new leaders for our government.

Good Thoughts on the Financial Crisis from Colin Smith

2008-10-16T11:19:00.023-05:00

Our country continues to be in the throws of a financial roller coaster ride, with the Stock Market going up and down. There is no shortage of commentary on this in the news. Frankly, no one knows what all this means and where it is going. As I have written earlier, fear dominates the scene in personal lives and in the markets. Where do you get your input to inform and guide your thinking in these troubled times? It is important that we read and hear people who lean heavily on God's word, while interpreting the current news.

Recently Pastor Dick shared an article with me written by Pastor Colin Smith. Colin Smith is the author of the book, 10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible. Many people from our church have taken the overview of the Bible course with Pastor Dick, and Colin Smith's book has been the textbook. With that reference point, I want to share with you an excellent article written by Colin Smith about our current financial crisis. You can read his article by clicking on this link: Trusting God When You're Losing Money. You will find this to be a very worth while read.

If you know others who may benefit from reading Colin Smith's article, tell them to visit this blog or Colin's Unlocking the Bible Website (www.UnlockingtheBible.org) and click on the link under "an open letter from Pastor Colin" on the home page. The writer of Hebrews told us to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13). Passing this on is one way you can do this.

Fear and the Current Financial Crisis

2008-10-09T17:08:00.008-05:00

I am no economist. I do not fully understand what has caused and what fuels the current financial turmoil, we see most dramatically in the stock market. Occasionally some news reporter will mention fear and panic as a motivator. The expertise to evaluate that is not mine. But it seems reasonable to me that fear is a major factor in the erratic buying and selling in the stock market. I am certainly not suggesting that it is only fear, and that there are not real cause factors. But fear exacerbates the situation.

Fear is a powerful emotion. Very powerful. We can become irrational because of fear. Fear can be a healthy emotion that may save our lives. But it can also be an unhealthy emotion that causes great trouble. In those cases, there does not need to be anything truthful about what we are fearful of. If we think it is true, and it creates fear in us, then the fear is real to us. The Old Testament prophet said: "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God" (Isaiah 41:10). Notice that there is no attempt to respond to why we might be afraid. It is just a counter suggestion: fear not. It's like "come to your senses." Then we are redirected to something that can calm our fears: "for I am your God." Well, that's a mighty big reason not to fear.

I also know this: fear spreads like fire. People who direct how buildings should be evacuated when there is a fire, are keenly aware of how people can literally be trampled to death as fear spreads. The only way to stop fear from spreading is to interject truth or to remind people of something greater than what they fear. That's what Isaiah was doing when he pointed people to God.

I also know this: the antidote to fear is hope. How do you respond when someone reporting on the present financial turmoil, adds, "but we will get through this"? Hope replaces fear. The Psalmist said:
"Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again––
my Savior and my God!"
Psalm 43:5

The Psalmist redirects our thoughts from discouragement and sadness to hope. Does turning to God mean there are no real policy changes needed in our personal lives and corporate structures? No. But trust in God is a foundation to think clearly, and to find wisdom.

These realities about fear and hope are important things to think about at this time. Again, the Psalmist is helpful: "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You" (Psalm 56:3). He speaks directly to God in saying that. Notice the deliberate choice to turn away from fear to trust God. It is a decision we make. That is a good, healthy way to respond to the fear that is ever present in this current financial crisis.

Do These Core Values Describe Our Church?

2008-09-24T06:00:00.009-05:00

Sunday, September 21, I completed a three week series on "The Values at the Core of Our Church." I am passionate about these values. It is a core to build on as we look to the future. By the way, do you remember the Core Values (or some of them) I shared with you last month? Here they are again.

Focusing on Biblical truth and values is important to us.

Living out our faith is important to us.

Developing community - i.e., being friendly, caring, welcoming, accepting,
grace-giving - is important to us.

Making a mission impact is important to us.

Being a multi-generational congregation is important to us.

Investing in our future - practicing responsible stewardship is important to us.

Do you think this list describes our church?

What do we do with these? They can direct us as we look to our future. We will not be effective if we head off in a direction that violates one or all of these values. For example, if we were to do something that made us appear unfriendly, not welcoming, not grace-giving, it would violate who we are. If we tried to shift our ministry to become a church of only young adults, we would violate who we are. These things are not in sync with our Core Values.

Conversely, if we implement ministry that reflects these values, and God chooses to bless those ministries, we will be effective. For example, when we do things that help people understand and apply Scripture to daily living, we are on-target with our Core Values. When we seek to make a mission impact on varied fronts, we are drawing on the strength of who God has shaped us to be. We then greatly increase the probability of our being effective in advancing the kingdom of God.

This is serious stuff. We are not just speaking buzz words of the day when we talk about Core Values. We are tapping Biblical values. We are drawing from what God, in a mysterious way, has worked into the core of our church.

Please take a moment to respond to the poll in the upper right margin, and let me know your thoughts on how "on target" these values are. Thanks!

Responding to Our Country’s Financial Crisis

2008-09-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

Fear. Financial meltdown. Panic. What a week on Wall Street. It’s been a while since I’ve heard those words used as often as they were this past week. The Stock Market seemed to be heading down a slippery slope. Then it roared back like a roller coaster coming out of a thrilling dip. What are we to think? How should Christ-followers respond? Our hope is not in this world . . . but we live in this world. Many of us have insurance policies, checking and saving accounts, investments or retirement plans. Some people are old enough to remember the Great Depression.

Numerous thoughts have pulsated in my mind this week. Where will this lead? No one knows the answer to that question. Is more bad news coming? Same answer: no one can say with reasonable certainty. Is God allowing our country to reap what we have sown in greed and materialism? Worse yet, could God be judging America? Or does it have a human root? Has someone mismanaged their watch-dog office in the government? Or, have some businesses tried to grow too big too fast? Or, is this an inevitable market correction from buying more than we can afford, stretching ourselves beyond sensibleness? These questions have no clear answers. But these questions, and others, persist.

Several things have settled in my thoughts. First is a verse of Scripture we taught our children when they were very young. Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” I said to my wife as the news was breaking about the massive government bail-out, “I’m sure glad Jesus is on the throne.” This is a time, unlike more comfortable times, to trust God, no matter what the future. It is a time to road test our faith, to embrace Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew’s gospel when he talked about this very thing. “So don't worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:31-33). May our fears find rest in this words of Jesus.

I’ve also found myself being thankful. I am thankful for people who are much smarter than I about finances on a national scale. The talk of hundreds of billions, even a trillion dollars, is beyond my comprehension. I’m grateful for the expertise some have to address this problem. I am thankful for my country, and the freedom we have to respond to every issue.

In times like these, one cannot help but think about the power of greed. Did it play a role in this present crisis? Only time will tell. Scripture is clear about the danger of greed. Paul instructed young Timothy, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). This is a warning to fellow Christians, but applies to all people. Anyone is vulnerable to the lure of loving money. Money is an innocent means of acquiring goods and services. It is the love of it that causes us to pierce ourselves with many griefs. The words of the writer of Hebrews makes so much sense, in good times and bad. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

All things considered, our best response is to pray. I read a news report over the weekend of prayer meetings happening in New York as this crisis broke, similar to the prayer response to 9/11. That is the best way to help our country right now. Pray for those wrestling with this problem, seeking reasonable solutions. Pray for leaders of our government and businesses directly affected, that they will make wise decisions. Pray for those personally affected by this financial roller coaster ride, that they will not be driven to despair. Pray for us all, that we will be delivered from the love of money. Pray that we will all turn, with bold trust, to God.

Evil's Disguise

2008-09-19T09:56:00.005-05:00

I picked up my old copy of C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. I had read it nearly 20 years ago. I discovered that it grabbed my attention again. It reminded me once more how subtle evil can be.

Lewis suggests that evil is not done in concentration camps. Such atrocities are the results of evil (page x). After evil has become full grown, the horror of concentration camps emerge. But where does evil begin. Lewis writes: "We must picture Hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about their own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment" (page ix). Then adds: "This, to begin with" (ibid).

Reading those words is like hovering over our world, and taking a careful look. It's like hovering over us! After all, as someone has well said: the real issue with sin is the middle letter. It is "I" as the center of everything, that produces evil. If C. S. Lewis' picture above is correct, the "I" at the center of everything is the essence, the root, where evil is given its space to do damage. Beware of its disguise.

This Is Sobering!

2008-09-13T12:08:00.033-05:00

I am in a sobered and reflective mood right now. I just read an article that has set me thinking. The article, titled “Thy Space,” was written by Ed Bahler and Bill Couchenour. It appeared in the September/October issue of Rev! magazine, pages 101-104 (www.revmagazine.com/). Rather than re-writing their writing, let me share some pieces of this article. Here are some of their thoughts . . .

“Thom Rainer’s research notes that only 17 percent of American churches are growing, and less than one-fourth of those are growing through conversions—the rest are merely 'shuffling sheep.' Yet 78 percent of unchurched adults would be willing to listen to someone share their spiritual beliefs, according to Ed Stetzer of LifeWay
Research. Clearly, we live in a very spiritual nation where most people simply aren’t connecting with the church.”

Does that sober you? The question is why? I don't have the answers. They are not simple. But the beginning of answering them is framing the right question. Here is more of what Bahler and Couchenour wrote . . .

“In 1900, 90 percent of the world’s Christians lived in the Western world. Today, according to one study, only 30 percent do. We are no longer the center of Christianity for the world, and Christianity is arguably no longer the center of our culture.”

Does that trouble you? It troubles me because many people still think we are the global center of Christianity. We are not. The implications of this are huge. If we think we are still the center it is easy to develop a fortress mentality about ministry; we are here if you need us. When we realize that fewer and fewer people are listening to us, much less even paying attention to us, a missional approach to ministry is needed. Here are some of the dynamics, from Bahler and Couchenour, that may have created a loss of hearing to the church . . .

“Furthermore, the U.S. is rapidly becoming much more pluralistic and multicultural. So the church is not only losing the “home court advantage” for the Christian message, but now must also compete with Islam, Buddhism, and other religions on a level playing field. The church’s message must be more focused and compelling to the needs and interests of those who don’t come from a cultural Christianity. Indeed, the message must be more biblical and less cultural.”

Lost the home court advantage? Does that sober you? Living in a major American University community we know this is true. How might ministry differ when we don't have home court advantage? I'm not completely sure. I'm struggling with that question. I am committed to pray for, search for, and work on appropriate responses. The court we are playing on has clearly changed. Still we have the most important message ever spoken and lived. The urgency is greater than ever. We must find ways to build bridges to people and cross those bridges. Bahler and Couchenour offer some hints about what we should be pondering . . .

“. . .one of the fastest-growing segments of the service economy is the explosion of coffee shops, bars, bakeries, and other meeting places. It isn’t about the coffee, the beer, or the hot cross buns. Clearly, something deeper is going on. In short, people are lonely and disconnected. That loneliness is so acute that today’s largest-selling pharmaceuticals are depression medications.”

Maybe there is one response to these sobering realities: help people find ways to connect, ease their loneliness, discover that someone does care.

Interestingly, that is one of our Strategic Objectives for the next three to five years: “We will create a third space, develop ministries of hospitality and staff them, to merge the de-churched people’s lives and the life of our church.” Third space is a buzz term for space other than worship or education space that churches have long considered important. It's an alternate word for fellowship space. It is the church's response to the flock to coffee shops, where lonely people connect. The de-churched are some of the people Bahler and Couchenour write about. De-churched people were in some way connected to the church at one time, but fell away. By God's grace, our church has been effective in reaching de-churched people. I think we have landed on an on-target strategic objective with this one. It focuses on finding a response to the sobering disconnect from the church, so prevalent in our culture.

How do you think we should respond to these sobering realities?

Election 2008 - To Choose or Not to Choose

2008-09-04T15:56:00.007-05:00

I am a news junkie. I like to stay up on what's happening in the world. As part of that syndrome I am also a political junkie. I've watched most of the main, late evening speeches of both political conventions. When I hear people complain about how tired they are of the whole political, election process, I think: "that's too bad." I enjoy it. We have a unique gift in this country - to be part of a process that elects our leaders.

This year has been particularly unique. Regardless of your political persuasion, I hope you agree that to have an African-American candidate for President and a woman candidate for Vice-President is one of those "only in America" things. It affirms the grand genius of the dream that birthed America. Rejoice.

There is a thought among some Christians that elections are a worldly matter. Steer clear. Tolerate it, but keep your distance. But how can we shine our light in the world, as Jesus told us, if we hide it under a bushel? I am certain that Jesus would tell us to get involved in our country's political process.

But how? At the very least be informed. Study the issues and the positions of various candidates. Pray for wisdom - for yourself and for our country. And vote.

On the way, remember who you are. If you are a Christ-follower, your allegiance is to God and no one else. Neither political party will ever usher in the Kingdom of God. I have voted on both sides of the aisle at times over the years, locally and nationally. Isaiah prophesied that the government would be on the shoulders of the Messiah/Christ (Isaiah 9:6). Christ is our ultimate hope. Governments should promote the common good, equality, justice and reasonable security. They can do that only in part. Scripture calls us to respect the position of our governing authorities, and our laws. This is not to be a blind allegiance. It should be a respect that allows elected leaders to lead.

Jim Wallis writes a blog titled God's Politics. Recently he wrote something I want to share with you. It was a plea for Christian civility. The election process can get nasty at times. As Christians, we can most easily fall prey to being negative when we expect of politics and government what it cannot give. Knowing where our ultimate hope is, let's be voices of civility and common sense. From his blog, "God's Politics," on September 2, at 9:11 am, Jim Wallis writes . . .

"So maybe we should have some rules of civility for this election. Let me suggest 'Five Rules of Christian Civility.'

1. We Christians should be in the pocket of no political party, but should evaluate both candidates and parties by our biblically-based moral compass.
2. We don't vote on only one issue, but see biblical foundations for our concerns over many issues.
3. We advocate for a consistent ethic of life from womb to tomb, and one that challenges the selective moralities of both the left and the right.
4. We will respect the integrity of our Christian brothers and sisters in their sincere efforts to apply Christian commitments to the important decisions of this election, knowing that people of faith and conscience will be voting both ways in this election year.
5. We will not attack our fellow Christians as Democratic or Republican partisans, but rather will expect and respect the practice of putting our faith first in this election year, even if we reach different conclusions."

I like that. Jim Wallis added one more thing I cannot omit. "On Nov. 4, Christians will not be able to vote for the kingdom of God. It is not on the ballot." Often that's what we are looking for in a human candidate. Only Jesus can deliver that. So keep things in perspective. We are electing a limited human to do an important job for the good of the people. Wallis continued: "Yet there are very important choices to make that will significantly impact the common good and the health of this nation -- and of the world." That is why we Christ-followers must be involved in the political process and the election. It is one way we can be salt and light in the world, as Jesus instructed us.

When We Say "Yes" To Christ

2008-08-27T15:56:00.007-05:00

While vacationing this summer, our son-in-law told me about a podcast with Patrick Dodson he'd listened to. I was intrigued and listened to it too. Among other things, Dodson talked about the importance of discipleship. Of particular interest to me were surveys of people who had made commitments to Christ many years earlier. Was Christ still impacting their lives?

He noted survey's of people affected by Charles Finney's ministry in the late 1800s. Ten years later, 80% of people who had come to Christ through Finney's ministry were still living for Christ and actively involved in the church. Why? When someone wanted to become a Christian, Finney would ask them if they had slaves. If they did, he would tell them to deal with that first. Then come back and commit themselves to Christ. He insisted they work through some complex social issues (such as slavery) as part of their discipleship.

Similar surveys were done in the 1970s of mass evangelism campaigns with Billy Graham and others. Ten years later only 3% of people who came forward in those mass evangelism meetings were still walking with Christ and actively involved in the church. My own life was impacted by a televise Billy Graham campaign. So I do not believe mass evangelism is ineffective. But 3% sobered me.

It seems that the striking difference between 3% and 80% in long term effectiveness, is whether we understand commitment to Christ as a one time decision, in which we are saved and join the family of God, or whether commitment to Christ means opening my life to let God reign in me. The latter reflects the message that Jesus preached.

Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God. A kingdom has a king. In God's Kingdom, it's God! If God rules, we can't hold slaves. When Finney sent them back to “deal with their slaves” he wanted them to change their lifestyle. Release those slaves - no follower of Christ can hold another human being in bondage. When we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, we are moving under God's rule. Whatever doesn't fit under God's rule has to go. That's why early Christians called Jesus Lord. He had become their boss.

When churches become ineffective, it isn't because they have failed to hoist their sails to the latest wind blowing in the culture. We fail most often because we neglect the basics. Lord, reign in me is the prayer of one who understands the most basic element of what it means to follow Christ - he reigns . . . in everything.

If you are interested in listening to the full podcast of Patrick Dodson, you can find it at http://www.patrickdodson.net/Podcast/Entries/2007/12/11_outreach.html.

Missional - A Brief Desciption

2008-07-19T14:57:00.005-05:00

Thumbing through the latest issue of Baptist World magazine, I noted mention of a public lecture at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon titled "The Missional Church." It had to be postponed on May 12 because of violence in Beirut. But I wanted to read about the lecture. Typing in "The Missional Church" for an Internet search, I found a website (http://www.friendofmissional.org/) with numerous articles on this subject. I cannot endorse the content on that website, as I just discovered it. But there was a brief side-bar article that is worth sharing here. The article is written by Rick Meigs, who writes a blog titled "The Blind Beggar and is the person who brings Friend of Missional to the Web. Here are his thoughts on The Missional Church.

"What is Missional - A Short Answer

"Jesus told us to go into all the world and be his ambassadors, but many churches today have inadvertently changed the "go and be" command to a "come and see" appeal. We have grown attached to buildings, programs, staff and a wide variety of goods and services designed to attract and entertain people.

"Missional is a helpful term used to describe what happens when you and I replace the "come to us" invitations with a "go to them" life. A life where "the way of Jesus" informs and radically transforms our existence to one wholly focused on sacrificially living for him and others and where we adopt a missionary stance in relation to our culture. It speaks of the very nature of the Jesus follower."

---Rick Meigs

How Do You Look At God?

2008-07-03T09:21:00.003-05:00

The radio was on one morning, as I walked through the kitchen, to a program with Alistair Begg. It's interesting how a couple sentences can linger with you for several days. That happened that day. I don't even know who he was talking about. But Alistair said: "He started to look at God through his circumstances, rather than looking at his circumstances through God."

It happens so easily when we are going through a difficult time. Our circumstances begin to define God. Our first thought is: "how could God let this happen?" The next one is: "what kind of God would let this happen?" On downhill it goes. Soon we are understanding who God is by our difficulties. This seems to be our default mode. Only discipline/discipleship can change that.

It takes 21 days to change a habit on average. Uprooting deeply rooted attitudes and thinking has to be a work of the Holy Spirit. It is corrected not by self effort but by dependence on God.

There is no question that the Bible teaches that God is first and foremost a God who is uniquely described as "love." 1 John 4:16 is as direct as it gets when it says: "God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." With God so basically defined as totally love, that will never change no matter what our circumstances. God will always be love. If God's love colors the glasses with which we look at our circumstances, those circumstances will have a different look to them. No matter what happens to us, God still loves us.

What is your focus? Are you looking at God through your circumstances, or are you looking at your circumstances through a God who is always and forever loving?

Flooding Updates

2008-06-19T09:56:00.009-05:00

Many of us are saddened about the flooding and how it is affecting our local farmers and many parts of the Midwest. Here is a personal view we saw on a prayer e-mail from Iowa from some college friends of ours.

“Red Rock Lake is on every side of town (Knoxville Iowa-where we live). We are in town but mostly dry (some bubbling up from the water table). The water will start to go down soon. A small town five miles south, Attica Iowa was pretty well blown off the map-by tornado and there is other tornado damage around our town. Pray for all Iowa people as there are 20,000 affected by floods in just the Waterloo area+ Parkersburg was literally blown off the map (tornado). We have friends in many of the affected towns. Many small towns like Harvey, and Tracy, Eddyville, Fremont, etc near us are never mentioned but they have water up to their roof tops. Burlington, and Fort Morgan and Keokuk are waiting for the river full of water to inundate their communities. A lot of clean-up work is ahead. We feel like we have moved to a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan or something. Our American Baptist disaster team will probably start clean-up efforts in the upper part of the state and follow the river as it begins to go back in its banks.”

Tom and Nancy Wheeler
Knoxville, Iowa

Dr. J. Dwight Stinnett, Executive Minister of American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region, writes this to keep us informed of what is being done, and to offer ways we can help.

Friends
Like many of you I have watched with alarm the rising waters of the “great” rivers all around us. While very few of our churches have been directly affected (at least as has been reported to me), there are communities all along the waterways that are in desperate circumstances.
I do not claim to know all the details of every need, but I do know that Quincy has issued a general request for volunteers to help with sandbagging. I urge you to give that some serious thought. The thought should include: (1) contact officials BEFORE you go—don’t just show up unprepared, you may create more problems than you solve, (2) do an honest assessment of your physical condition—this is hard, potentially dangerous, work; have you had tetanus and hepatitis immunizations?
The ABMen Disaster Team is on alert, but they are usually not called into action until after floodwaters have receded in order to help with clean-up and recovery. I fully expect that their important efforts will be needed.
At this point in time, there has not been a request for One Great Hour of Sharing funds. However, I believe that will be likely and I will share information as soon as I can.
Certainly, this should be a matter of prayer at your prayer meetings as well as Sunday.

Dwight Stinnett
ABC Great Rivers Region

One Great Hour of Sharing offering that we are receiving this month, goes to help people in disasters such as these as well as those around the world in China and Myanmar. Pray for these people who are suffering so much. And perhaps God will call you to give or go to help.

Pastor Randy

Our Church Can't Help But Be Who We Are

2008-05-21T14:47:00.015-05:00

Part of our Core Values or DNA, we discovered in recent discussions to formulate our Strategic Plan, is that we want to make a mission impact. That's who we are. We could almost say, we can't help ourselves when it comes to making a mission impact.

Our core values could not be restrained when I spoke last Sunday about strengthening our families gratitude and compassion, by developing active concern for the poor and disadvantaged. In each of our worship services our 4th and 5th grade Sunday School class told their exciting story of trying to raise $590 for preschool lunches in Thailand and seeds to be planted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help the poor. As of this past Sunday they had blown the lid off their goal and surpassed $900!

Among other options last Sunday, we offered World Vision's gift catalog, to purchase gifts for the poor, such as animals to provide food. I ordered 60 catalogs. Only two left at the end of the day.

Someone told me Sunday, that when asked by her children what she wants for her birthday, she always tells them she wants a goat from World Vision to give to the poor. She also reminded me of a fun game you can play on the Internet at www.freerice.com. It's a word game. Find definitions of difficult words. It's fun. Each "win" buys 20 grains of rice for those who experience hunger on a daily basis. In a couple minutes you can “win” 100 grains of rice for someone with so little.

Then an anonymous donor dropped off a gift for a laptop computer and asked me to
pass it on to Chris Swiney, member of this church. He and his family, and a team from InterVarsity, are going to Malawi, Africa, this summer to minister among the poorest of the poor. I mentioned, this past Sunday, that the local Staff in Malawi needs laptop computers to help them in their ministry with the local people. Now part of that need is met.

When making a mission impact is in your DNA, this is what happens.

Missional: Preservation or Persevering?

2008-04-25T07:53:00.006-05:00

Recently I read several quotes from Church leaders about the lukewarm Church in America. I received these quotes on a page from a local ministry to the poor - Empty Tomb, a ministry that has put beliefs into action. One of the quotes on that page caught my eye because I have been thinking a lot recently about what it means for our church to be missional. Here is the quote that stopped my reading down the page.

"Presbyterian (USA) pastor and organizer Robert Linthicum observed, 'The church has always talked about mission, but we organize ourselves for preservation, not mission.' Jerry Van Marter, 'Giving It All Away'; Presbyterian News Service; posted 1/17/07; ; pp1-3 of 8/4/07 5:06 PM printout."

That is a Cliff's Notes version of what it is to avoid being missional: organizing ourselves for preservation, not mission. Mission is risky. We may not survive. But if we risk being missional, we may live like we have never lived before. We may reproduce that new life in others. It seems like I have read that before. Jesus said: "I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24).

So to be missional must be the reverse of that - to organize ourselves around mission rather than merely preserving ourselves. To be willing to die to live is to be missional. To be missional is to persevere with the mission Jesus gave us: to go into all the world and make disciples.

Jesus also said "those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:24). Save their life sounds a lot like preserving their life to me. What it means to be missional is getting clearer. It is to lose your life for Jesus' sake. To be missional is to persevere in losing, for Jesus' sake.

An Interest Based or Missional Church?

2008-04-03T10:47:00.007-05:00

Leaders of our church have been discussing the difference between an interest-based church or a missional, or mission-focused, church. The catalyst for these conversations was our recent Focus Groups and a book that many of our leaders have read, called Transforming Church, by Kevin Ford. (It is available in our Church Library). I am leaning on Kevin Ford’s descriptions and definitions presented to us in his assessment of our church, as I ruminate on this question: What is the difference between an interest-based church and a missional church?

A mission-focused church is trying to accomplish something. An interest-based church is trying to provide something. Both exist on behalf of a constituency. But the constituency of a mission-focused church is always outside the church. The constituency of an interest-based church is almost always inside the church. Interest-based churches create a culture where people feel entitled to ministry or programs based on their individual interests or agendas. The goal becomes satisfying people. An expectation can develop that every program will meet every need; every program will have a board or committee, a budget line item, a staff person who will champion their cause.

Being an interest-based church can be life-threatening. In the attempt to accommodate every need, provide committee, staff and budget support for the growing needs, the church could implode from its own growth! An interest-based church may also become irrelevant because so much is invested in trying to be all things to all people, that the church is unable to do a few things well. A danger also lurks for people to have ministry fatigue from doing so many things.

A mission-focused church, on the other hand, in trying to accomplish something, is looking for a clear result or outcome, and therefore has a laser sharp focus. It eliminates ministries that pull it off focus so the church can be effective in their agreed-upon mission. Mission-focused churches measure success by their achievements. They do a few things really well. Every ministry is aligned to do those few things well. The governing structure supports this focus. Staffing is more specialized than general. Specific strategies drive the ministries of a mission-focused church. The budget supports those strategies. Staff is re-aligned to support those strategies. Everything focuses on those strategies.

An interested-based church, rather than trying to produce a result is trying to produce a benefit, such as resources, fellowship groups, Bible studies, Sunday School classes, youth ministries, senior-citizen ministries, small groups and children’s ministries. Will a mission-focused church not have these ministries? It is likely that a mission-focused church may have the same ministries, but they will be aligned to accomplish the goal.

The difference between mission-focused and interest-based is subtle, but distinct. The issue that Kevin Ford raised with us after he listened to our Focus Groups, is that most churches assume they should be mission-focused, but function as an interest-based church. The danger is saying we are one thing, but actually functioning in another way.

Kevin ford suggests that both models can work from an organizational perspective. But there is one sobering motivator: Jesus gave us a very clear mission - to make disciples who become his witnesses in the world! If we drift from those clear mission objectives, we drift from our Leader’s mission orders. That seems to me to leave us with no alternative than to become more focused, more intentional, on our Lord Jesus’ orders than we currently are.

I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist

2008-03-12T15:51:00.009-05:00

March 9, I concluded a series: "I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist." The title was taken from the book by that title, written by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, published by Crossway books. Their material was a primary resource in developing this series and, appropriately, they were cited numerous times. You can listen to the series at www.fbc-cs.org; click on sermons.

The preparation/study for this series was a faith-renewing experience for me too. One parishioner said to me: "It really does take more faith not to believe than to believe." Yes, it does. Evidence is abundant. The Easter message is credible. As Geisler and Turek challenge their readers: Those who choose to deny the resurrection must come up with first-century sources that support their theories to explain away the resurrection (Geisler-Turek, pp 313-314). That would be a difficult assignment.

As I shared this series I was struck in a greater and greater way, by how important it is for us to visit the credibility issue. Christian faith is under attack. One would think listening to some popular media that you would have to turn your brain completely off to even consider Christian faith. We've had the attacks of the Davinci Code, Dan Brown's book published by Anchor; The Gospel of Judas by Bart D. Ehrman, Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor Wurst, and published by National Geographic; and the supposed discovery of the lost tomb of Jesus in a book written by by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino and published by HarperOne, just to name recent attacks. I recall the cover of a major news magazine that announced I believe it was the Gospel of Judas, like it was a major new find - a front page story. It was laughable. Did they really think these "discoveries" were new? I wondered about the credibility of the magazine itself. When the news of the so-called "lost tomb of Jesus" broke it was as if someone had found something that would unravel Christianity. The secular press deleted it from relevant news almost instantly.

We need never fear careful investigation of our faith. It has solid, intellectual believability. If you would like to investigate further, I recommend the following resources . . .
1. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, published by Crossway Books.
2. Is the Bible TRUE?: How Modern Debates and Discoveries Affirm the Essence of the Scriptures, by Jeffery L. Sheler, published by HarperSanFrancisco/Zondervan.
3. The New Testament Documents: are they reliable?, by F. F. Bruce, published by Inter-Varsity Press.
4. Record of Revelation : The Bible, by Wilford J. Harrington, O. P. published by The Priority press.

I often think about our brothers and sisters in the early church. They were under constant attack. The church was born with challenges to their message on every side. In case you haven't noticed, the church survived. Attacks on Christian faith are not new. After all, we follow Jesus Christ who was put on a cross because of who he claimed to be. But you know the rest of that story.