Who Told You That

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     When I speak of change I am referring to a change of atmosphere and direction.  There is much in our fellowship we cannot and do not wish to change. Atmosphere and direction must be changed.  In order to change the culture of the brotherhood we must do so one Christian, one congregation at a time.  We didn’t develop the present atmosphere and attitudes overnight.  Neither will changing the direction and emphasis of the brotherhood be done overnight.

     In order to change our direction and goals as a church we must intentionally give thought to what is important.  As autonomous churches we will always have different areas of emphasis in different congregations. This is totally Biblical.  Looking at first century churches we find the one thing they had in common was their individuality. 

     Churches that follow the direction of Jesus will have their differences, but will also share some common traits.  In order to follow Jesus we must share at least these two common directives.  We must be united in direction and have a burning desire to preach Jesus. Many years ago I sat in a class taught by Charles Coil.  Brother Coil made a statement I did not fully understand at the time.  He said, “Gentlemen if you can do anything besides preach you need to do it.”  It took me many years to understand that he was telling us that if we didn’t have a passion for preaching that made it impossible to do anything else we were not fit for the job.  Churches must have this same passion to preach Jesus Christ in their communities.

     There will be different interest and desires in different churches.  However, in every church there must be a passion to preach Christ.  This passion must be the overwhelming trait that permeates all congregations in the brotherhood.  Preaching Christ has to control every decision that is made.  It must control us as Christians and it must control us as a brotherhood.  Everything else must be secondary to the desire to see the good news of Jesus proclaimed to mankind.

     I know of very few churches that would not agree that preaching Jesus is the mission of every Christian and every congregation.  I also know of very few congregations who make the preaching of Jesus the overwhelming influence in their direction, atmosphere, and culture.  We allow past attitudes and thoughts to get in the way.  After all aren’t we commanded to restore New Testament Christianity? Aren’t we commanded to police one another?  Doesn’t Scripture teach somewhere that we must condemn change and change agents?  The answer to all these questions is a resounding NO!  We have accepted these ideas from an atmosphere and attitude that was developed among us long ago.

     Brethren I want to state as vehemently as I possibly can, “Bible things need to be done in Bible ways.”  I do not want to change one Biblical command or directive. My goal is to build churches and to help fellow Christians to develop a burning desire to preach Jesus first and foremost. This has not been the driving force in our fellowship for many years.  My hope and intent is to do all I can to establish an atmosphere and culture in the brotherhood that ignites a burning desire in our hearts to preach Jesus.  As a brotherhood we have to move from this being the exception to the rule to this being the rule.  As we continue our journey on this topic we will do some soul searching concerning how we will accomplish this.  Unless we are able to make this the distinctive feature in our fellowship we will become irrelevant to those who need the message of Jesus. Never before has there been a greater need to be on the same page than now.

     It has been said that if we set no goals we will reach our aim with amazing accuracy.  Should congregations set goals and direction?  If we do set goals and direction how do we choose our direction?  Is this important for the cause of Christ?  Truthfully we set direction without realizing what we have done.

     As Jesus stood in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed that we speak the same thing.  In many instances we have determined that Jesus meant we must say the same things in the exact way.  It has been a foundational doctrine among us that we must interpret Scripture exactly the same in every instance. In essence we have taught we must be clones of one another in our beliefs and views of Scripture.  I do not believe this was what Jesus was teaching or intended.  Even the first century church had difficulty seeing everything in the same light. Why do we believe we can do better?  As Jesus stood in the garden He was praying that we maintain the same direction.  Jesus intent was that our direction be one of unity and evangelism. To fulfill the prayer of Jesus we must maintain His direction.

     In 1889 Daniel Sommers presented a speech at Sand Creek in Shelby County Illinois.  In this discourse Daniel Sommers established a culture in the Churches of Christ that remains to some degree even through this present day.  From 1889 we have nurtured a culture that is divisive, judgmental and separatist. It is wrapped up in the “sameness” doctrine. This culture cannot and will not effectively preach Christ. We have produced direction and goals that are unique to our fellowship.   Unfortunately those goals do not mirror the direction of Jesus. I fear that often our direction does not present an answer to Jesus prayer at Gethsemane.  Many congregations adopt these views because this is all that is known. We have been exposed to this mindset only and as a result this is all we know.  This has become who we are.

     The questions are simple.  The answers are difficult.  How do we create a culture of unity and evangelism in our brotherhood? Is it possible for us to change direction after these many years?  Are there enough who are willing to pay the price to create the proper culture among us?  Perhaps we should be asking, “Do we really have a choice?”  If we have created a direction and culture that does not produce proper results, can we afford to continue without changing that culture?

    This past year has been a time for reflection.  As I look back there were things that bring both joy and sadness to my heart.  I am grateful for the souls brought to Jesus.  We continue to baptize souls into Christ.  Last year we lost a few members to other churches as well as some back into the world.  2008 was a year of mixed results.

      Payson is a unique congregation.  I have never worked with a church that treats us as well as the church in Payson.  This is a congregation that shows a tremendous amount of love and appreciation to both Robbi and me.  We have enjoyed our time with this group as much as anywhere we have worshipped and worked.

    The city of Payson is a retirement community.  This attitude and culture permeates all aspects of life.  This has taken some adjustment.  My goal as a preacher has always been to build churches and help individuals with their spiritual lives.  The culture in Payson doesn’t allow these goals to be met easily.  It has taken me some time and thought to determine why these goals have been difficult to reach in Payson.

     In the next few days and weeks I am going to discuss some things I believe necessary to build churches and help individual Christians learn to walk in the will of God.  I invite you to walk with me through this journey. 

     Initially, we need to understand we produce the things most important to us.  Some churches pride themselves in pure doctrine.  Other congregations may place emphasis on a strong youth program or dynamic worship.  A third group may understand restoration as the most important aspect of their work.  Honestly, we are often a combination of things we hold as important.  It is seldom we take time to determine our direction. Often we do what we do because we have been told this is the way it ought to be done.  This becomes our religious culture.  As we discuss these concepts in the near future we will attempt to determine two things.  First, what should be the culture in a local church? Second, how do we build the proper culture in our congregations?

     We have come to the close of 2008 and 2009 lies before us.  What changes will be made?  What does the year 2009 hold for us as individuals and what does 2009 hold for us as a brotherhood? Only God knows for sure. 
     2008 has been spent.  Are you happy with the results?  Certainly for all of us there are things we would have changed.  If we could have a mulligan there are certainly decisions that would be different.  Unfortunately 2008 is in the books and cannot be changed.  I want to ask three questions concerning 2008.
     First, what did you learn from the events of the past year?  One of our most valuable tools is the ability we have to learn from the activities that surround our lives. In order for us to mature as Christians we must be able to continue to learn all of our lives
      Second, did you make an attempt to mesh your life with God’s will this past year?  In our culture personal happiness is the most important thing.  Unfortunately our personal happiness doesn’t always parallel with God’s will.  Walking in the will of God is the most important thing we can do with our lives.
     Third, did you make a positive difference in your local congregation with your life?  All Christians have roles and responsibilities God has preordained we should fill.  Did you fill your role as a child of God this past year?  Were you a positive or negative influence in your local church?
     We can’t change the things that took place in 2008.  Fortunately for those of us blessed with another year of life we have an opportunity to create a positive culture for the cause of the Lord.  Next year is like putty in our hands.  What will we do with this coming year?  We have next year in our hands what will we do?