Friday, May 30, 2008

I Thank God for my Dad


On May 31 my dad would be 69 years old if he were alive. Dad passed from this life 12 years ago on March 8 of this year. Hardly a day passes when I don’t think about my dad. I remember the sound of his voice. I can still hear his laugh in my memories. Most important I hold many of the values he instilled in my life. I can’t approach this time of the year without thinking of the influence a father has on his family. There are several things my father left in my life. In remembrance of him I want to share those with you.

First, dad instilled in me an appreciation for friends. I remember dad telling me that if a man could number his really good friends on the fingers of one hand he was blessed. He went on to tell me when times were hard you still had the same friends you had when times were good. It is just when times are hard you know who your true friends are. A few years back Robbi and I went through a difficult period in our lives. I was amazed at how true my dads words proved to be during this time. I still had the same friends I had when times were good, it was just now I knew who they were.

Second, dad left with me an appreciation for wisdom. I recall many times when I was about to make a poor decision that he would say to me, “Son I have already bought that experience.” What he meant was he had already walked that path. He had seen the difficulties poor choices made. His encouragement was for me to avoid the mistake and walk in wisdom. How many times since his death I would have loved to have been able to tap into his wisdom.

Third, my dad shared with me the importance of integrity. I can still hear his words in my mind. I remember him telling me that at the end of the day I might have fooled all men around me, but, I couldn’t hide my life from God or my memories. I had to see all the the mistakes I had made every time I looked in the mirror.

Finally, I learned from my dad the importance of building a relationship with God. It was late in my dad’s life that he gave his life to God. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard him say that he wasted so much time. He used to say that when all is said and done the only thing that matters is your relationship with God. The older I get the more I realize he was right. I don’t know all the answers, I don’t even know all the questions. I do know that the most important thing I can do is maintain a great relationship with God.

Thanks dad for all the things you have left behind. As long as my mind is active your memory and your influence will never die.

Posted by onedaysoon at 19:03:55 | Permalink | Comments (7)

Thursday, May 29, 2008

What a Question!


I was teaching an adult Bible class tonight from John 15. The text made the point that Christians must bear fruit. I pointed out the necessity of remaining in Christ. If we fail to walk in Jesus we can’t bear fruit. We must live our lives as Jesus lived His life. Our Messiah came first to seek and save the lost, Luke 19:10. Second, according to Acts 10:38, Jesus went about doing good. In order that we walk in the footsteps of the Christ we must emphasize doing good as we reach out to the lost.

During the class one of the men asked a great question. He asked, “Why is it that some churches around us grow while many times we don’t?” We will never make a major difference until we find this answer.

It is absolutely essential that we honestly deal with the question. For too many years we have offered the same pat answer. The answer we have given is, “We are teaching truth everyone else is telling the people what they want to hear, therefore, they grow and we don’t.” I refuse to accept this answer, because it is not truth! One of the fastest growing  groups in the United States today is the Mormans. There is absolutely no way that converting someone to Joseph Smith is easier than bringing them to Jesus! It is time we faced the truth. It is not more difficult to convert people to truth than to error. Our excuses leave the impression that God’s truth is unpleasant and has no drawing power. It is time we stop offering excuses which make us feel better. We need to face some hard facts.

We have become satisfied with far less than that which pleases God. We have come to accept the following idea. We think if one holds the accepted “five items of worship” and keeps the correct “patterns of doctrine” God is pleased with him. Our emphasis on these points has crippled our ability to make a difference in peoples lives.

Scripture refers to followers of God as the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Salt and light have one thing in common, they make things better. Christians who make things better do so by bearing fruit. Christians who bear fruit are those who go about doing good. If we do good we make a difference in peoples lives. The more lives we effect the more opportunities we have to preach Jesus. Don’t miss this! THE REASON OTHERS GROW AND WE DON’T IS SIMPLE. THEY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF MORE PEOPLE. We have been so concerned about worship patterns and doctrine we have forgotten to follow Jesus. Following in the footsteps of Jesus requires much more than arguing Scripture. We can bear very little fruit unless we change our emphasis and direction.

“Why is it some churches around us grow while we don’t?” Wow what a queston! It is time we face up to the answer. Growth requires being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We can be neither of these until we are willing to make a difference in the communities we call home.

Posted by onedaysoon at 06:56:59 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

What Do Churches Do?


As Christians and congregations we must look for opportunities to serve. It is pertinent that we react to the world in
ways the world isn’t expecting. If we went to the people in our respective communities and ask them this simple question, “What do churches do?” What do you think their response would be? Some might say churches worship God. More might answer by saying that churches pass judgment, or are self-righteous and condescending. How many in our communities would say our congregation is best described as serving? Do we look for opportunities to minister? I ran across an article I want to share with you. It best says what I in my feeble way am attempting to get across. This link is


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

Please take the time to read what this man has to say. We can change the perception the community has of us. We change our image one Christian and one congregation at a time, starting with us as individuals. Without the ability to change the world and the direction of the souls of mankind churches are nothing more than social gatherings. If we don’t make a difference to those on the outside it really doesn’t matter what we teach inside. Tell me again, Exactly what is it that churches do?”

Posted by onedaysoon at 22:16:48 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Our Relevancy Requires Being a Ditch Watcher

In Luke 10:25-37 we read a story all of us have heard many times.  It is the account known as the story of the Good Samaritan.  In this parable a man falls prey to robbers.  He is beaten and left in a ditch in very poor condition.  Two men pass by, one a priest, the other a Levite.  Each of these men passes by on the other side of the road.  A third man, a Samaritan, passes by.  This man stops and binds up the wounds of the man in the ditch, doing the best he can to take care of his every need.  Which of these individuals represent us?


The priest and Levite represent the religious leaders of the day.  These two would have been experts concerning religious matters.  These two groups would have been champions of Scripture and defenders of Doctrine. They would have set the religious standards of the day.  They would have determined worship patterns as well as what they considered faithful. Certainly in their eyes they were what religion was all about.


The third man, the Good Samaritan, is our pattern for today.  This man was not the champion of Scripture, nor was he the defender of doctrine.  In fact the religious experts would not have fellowshipped this man.  Yet this man had a unique qualification that made him our pattern for today.  He was a ditch watcher.  He was looking for an opportunity to reach those who had lost their way.  As a Samaritan he would have found himself in the ditch on multiple occasions.  He knew the hardship of being a mess.  He understood what it was for someone to come by and give a helping hand.  He knew the meaning of having a Savior. As a result of this background he had become a ditch watcher.

If we are going to earn the right to be heard we must lose the attitude of the priest and Levite.  Relevancy doesn’t need religious experts.  Relevancy needs those who have once been lost and are now found.  Relevancy needs Christians watching for those in a mess, those who need a Messiah.  If we are going to change our image we must shift our emphasis.  Instead of being religious experts splitting the hairs of Scriptural interpretation we need to become ditch watchers looking for an opportunity to share the Savior with those who are lost.

Posted by onedaysoon at 07:05:33 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Are We Relevant Today?


It has been said that we in the churches of Christ were born in a storm and bred to fight. This serves well for winning fights and arguments but does it bode well in reaching souls for Jesus Christ? Our image has been one of an argumentative, judgmental and divisive people. On the one hand we have prided ourselves in being a Bible toting Bible quoting people while at the same time we have missed much of the message of that precious book. We insist we must stand for sound doctrine but look down on the ability of anyone considered a peacemaker. Many a speaker has been chosen for his ability to skin the denominations rather than his ability to reach souls. The world is in desperate need of our message. As a result of past and present attitudes the world ignores the gospel message. Brethren, something has to change! How do we change our attitude so that our message is heard?

First, it is imperative that we change our image. Before we can be relevant we must be heard. Winning arguments does not translate into saving souls. We are ambassadors of the Savior. As such it is necessary that we present His values. Rather than being well-oiled fighting machines constantly building walls, we must develop an attitude that meets the needs of those outside those walls. This means thinking outside the “I am right and you are wrong” box. It comes down to building bridges instead of walls. Until the phrase, “if you aren’t a member of the church of Christ you can’t go to heaven” is forgotten, both in and out of the church, we cannot be relevant. It is impossible to make a difference if we are considered a non-player. We must recast our image or we will not survive.

Second, we need to understand that the most fundamental witness of Christ in the world today is individual Christians. Our daily lives must be lived in such a way that we connect with those we are trying to influence for Jesus. This means doing things that are outside actions the world normally expects from us. In Acts 17:4 it is stated, “some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas”. This passage is significant. These Jews joined Paul and Silas. We could argue that they needed to be converted to the truth. Today we might say that they had to be properly taught so that they could be sound in doctrine. The honest truth was they joined themselves to perhaps the only Christians they knew at the time. Paul and Silas were the most fundamental witnesses of Christ that these Jews knew. Today we must live our lives in such a way that our neighbors and friends want to join themselves with us. This requires a bridge building attitude. We can’t build bridges in confrontation. In order to be relevant we must draw people to Christ by the lives we live. When your city looks at your congregation what does it see?  Does our approach to the Lord’s work allow us to be relevant in today’s world?

 

Posted by onedaysoon at 06:37:02 | Permalink | Comments (9)

Friday, May 16, 2008

Return to Bethel

There is nothing like being on the mountain top spiritually. All of us have been there. Feeling so close to God that all you want to do is praise His name. The comfort, security, and joy are almost beyond description. Why can’t all our days be like that? Unfortunately there are the “other times”. Times when we seem to be so far from God. These are the days when we are living in the valley. Satan is attempting to sift us like wheat. How do you deal with those times? How do you find your way back to the mountain? These are important thoughts to consider.

When Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi had taken revenge for their sister Dinah, Jacob was in the valley spiritually. He said in Genesis 34:30, “You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.” “Then God said to Jacob, Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” This was the place where God had spoken to Jacob. It was a time when he was close to God, a time when he was in God’s favor. God was telling Jacob to go back to the time and place when God was holding Jacob in the hollow of His hand.

The command God gave to Jacob is still good advise today when we find ourselves in the valley. When God seems so far away allow yourself to come back to your Bethel. If we will ponder deeply we will find that defining moment in our spiritual lives. It may be when you were baptized. Maybe it is when you have made some important decision before God. Perhaps it is a time of correction when God has shown you the correct path for your life. This defining moment is our Bethel. When you are in the valley find your “Bethel moment.” Find that time when your spiritual life was on the mountain top. Allow your mind to take you back to that time. Return to the place and time you were closest to God. Don’t let Satan control you. When times are hard and you are struggling against spiritual darkness return to Bethel realizing God is always there.


Posted by onedaysoon at 18:25:56 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Without a beating heart there is no life


My dad passed away March 8, 1996.  He had been sick for about five years.  For the last 3 years of his life he had been dependant on others for his every need.  During those last three years he did not resemble the dad I had known all of my life.  The disease drastically altered his physical appearance.  After his death the funeral home did a remarkable job with his body.  For the first time in years he looked like I remember him looking before he had gotten sick.  As I looked at my dad in the coffin it looked like he could have gotten up and walked out of the building.  He looked exactly like he should have looked.  The appearance was right.  Every detail of his body just right, every hair was in place.  One thing was missing; there was no life in the body.  Without a beating heart and life in the body it could not be my dad.  As much as I wanted it to be my dad it wasn’t him.  My dad had left this earth at 12:10 A.M. March 8, 1996. 

We in the churches of Christ have made a genuine effort to reproduce the 1st century church, as we believe it looked in the apostles day.  I am convinced that in many ways we have gotten it exactly right.  For the most part we have reproduced the structure of the church.  We have reproduced to the best of our knowledge and ability the formal worship assembly.  We have replicated many things about the 1st century church.  It may look exactly as it should on the outside, but I fear that in many ways it is as far from the original as my dad’s body in the casket was from the man I had known all my life.

Unless Churches of Christ have the heart and life of the church Jesus built we will never be that church.  Going through the motions of doing church does not build life.  Priding ourselves in doctrinal perfection does not instill a beating heart.  We must develop a passion for evangelism before there will be life.  It isn’t about arguing the verb tense of Greek words, it is about bringing people to Jesus.    I plead with my brethren in Christ, “Lets develop a passion for evangelism.  Let our reputation be that of a people who have a heart for introducing lost souls to grace and truth through Jesus Christ.  Without that passion for lost souls we can’t be the church Jesus purchased with His blood regardless of how closely we have replicated our perceived patterns.

Posted by onedaysoon at 04:16:54 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Monday, May 12, 2008

What do we do when what we are doing doesn’t work anymore?

In 1st Corinthians 9:19-23 Paul tells us he becomes all things to all men so that by some means he might win some. He was willing to change the changeable to reach the reachable. Some in our fellowship have made their purpose in life condemning those who like Paul adapt to reach out to those who are lost. Their area of expertise is condemnation of those they call “change agents.” Actually almost all Old Testament prophets were “change agents.” Paul himself was a “change agent.” It isn’t about holding a perceived pattern. God’s work is about effectively reaching people with God’s truth. Borrowing a phrase from Lynn Anderson, sometimes we need to be able to “navigate the winds of change.”

There are some things that cannot change. Scripture is our standard and can never change. Truth can never change. The requirements to become a Christian never change. The direction it takes to maintain our relationship with God never changes. There are basic truths that never change. They were the same in the days of Paul and if the world stands another 10,000 years they will still be the same.

There are some things that can change. Our method of preaching the gospel will out of necessity change. Twenty years ago a blog like this would not have been a possibility. As opportunity makes other avenues available our preaching methods will change. How I reach out to those that are lost must remain relevant. If I can’t meet people where their lives are lived I won’t reach those people. It is as simple as that. I must connect with those who desperately need Jesus. When we argue things that have no effect in regard to the lost we miss the point of Jesus purpose and intent. It isn’t about what I want or prefer. It is about how I can maintain some sense of relevance in the lives of those I am attempting to reach for Jesus.

When it comes to changing in order to be all things to all people so that by some means I might win some there are four basic questions we need to ask. First, is the change anti-scriptural? We have shackled ourselves in past years by asking, “Do we have the authority to do this?” This is the wrong question. What we need to ask is, “Does this go against the principles of Scripture?” Is it anti-scriptural? Second, does this change meet the needs of the people I am trying to reach? We know that without Christ mankind has no hope. At the same time we have to provide the preaching of Jesus in a way that is palatable to those needing to hear. Otherwise, they will not listen or obey. Third, does our change continue to glorify God? Many things are religious. Many things sound good on the surface, but if they don’t bring glory to God they need to be avoided. Fourth, Does this change allow us to connect with the group we are trying to reach? I go back to Alabama and worship with my children as I have opportunity. The congregation where they worship rarely sings anything other than “praise” songs. Try as I might I can’t learn to like this style of worship. One day it dawned on me that they aren’t singing that type music for people like me. I am going to be there regardless of the music style. They are reaching out to a segment of society that likes this music style. It connects with them. It isn’t anti-scriptural. It brings glory to God, while connecting with their target group. It certainly works for this church.

If you call me a “change agent” because I become all things to all people that by some means I might reach some, then praise God for the title. Adaptation and change is what you do when what we have been doing doesn’t work anymore.

Posted by onedaysoon at 06:56:22 | Permalink | Comments (6)

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Has My Fire Gone Out?

As the preacher Paul writes to his young protégé Timothy we see the genuine concern in his letters.  Paul writes from his cell words of encouragement.  Timothy has the same problems any young preacher might have.  Certain men in the church are teaching error.  Paul is writing to tell Timothy to point out the error.  Some have left the church over the love of money.  Timothy is instructed to stay away from this temptation.  To make matters worse Timothy is having some health issues.  Perhaps the health issues are related to the pressures of a young preacher trying to stand for God.

Paul begins the second book by telling Timothy he knows his background and it is good.  Timothy is reminded of his sincere faith.  Paul states that he knows his mother and grandmother and reminds this young preacher of the fine family background he enjoys.  Paul further encourages Timothy by telling him he has a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.  Certainly the pressure of Satan would have been intimidating to a young preacher.  Paul is telling his young protégé not to be intimidated.   Instead Paul tells him to fan the flame.  Timothy don’t be ashamed to preach Jesus, don’t be timid, and most of all don’t let the fire go out!

Today, we face the same difficulties as Timothy.  Sin still exists, temptation still abounds, and the fire of our commitment at times wanes low.  Different situations present multiple problems.  For one family it may be a divorce.  For another it may be a sudden death.  At times our fire burns low due to poor preaching or poor study habits.  Occasionally we lose our fire because we lose focus on the things of God.

What can we do to rekindle the flame?  First, we must be aware of where we are.  Does our heart contain smoldering embers or is it a burning fire?  Second, remember where you were.  When Abraham was dejected God told him to return to Bethel.  Return to the time and event when you were closest to God.  Third, repent.  If you have lost your fire it is sin before God.  Repent and turn back to the Father.  Fourth, refocus - In order for us to lose our commitment we must lose our focus.  Refocus on the things of God.  Fifth, get back in the Word of God.  The Word of God is to the Christian what wood is to a fire.  It is our fuel.  Without a steady dose of God speaking to us our fire will burn low.  Sixth, seek the face of God in prayer.  This is about relationship.  I don’t mean going through the motions of prayer but genuinely seeking God’s fellowship.  There are many important questions we need to ask but none as important as this “Has my fire gone out?”

Posted by onedaysoon at 00:46:08 | Permalink | Comments (6)

Monday, May 5, 2008

The Ground is Level at the Foot of the Cross


Without the cross fellowship with God would be an impossibility for man.  The cross is the central theme of Christianity.  As a result of Jesus paying the sin debt for man we now have the ability to come back to God. Our restoration of fellowship is tied directly to the cross.

There are times when we forget the importance of the cross.  We center our attention on other things and in other directions.  Some give the most of their time to the subject of restoration.  Others are intent on making sure that the correct phrases are employed in their teaching. At times we look for a pattern under every rock.  A few are carried away with warning the world about post-modernism.  A significant segment of our preaching is directed toward the church, worship, and baptism.  All of these subjects deserve a portion of our attention, but none of them would matter were it not for the cross.

Without the death of Jesus on the cross there would have been no church.  What we call things would not matter.  Without the cross we couldn’t have argued instrumental music, the role of women in the church, nor a shopping list of other things over which we now divide.  Our unique definition of post-modernism would have been a non-issue. 

What the cross did  was make man’s salvation possible.  Regardless of where we are morally the cross will make the ground before us level.  If we are a murderer-blood covers it.  If we are in our fifth marriage - the cross covers the sin.  If we have been a drunk or drug addict- God forgives.  The depth of our sin doesn’t matter.  We can never travel so far into sin that the cross will not allow us to return to God.  As followers of Christ, never forget to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  With the preaching of Jesus,  our acceptance allows the ground to be made level at the foot of the cross.

Posted by onedaysoon at 21:28:37 | Permalink | Comments (8)