I once wrote that the church had become a service industry and as prepared today’s blog that statement came to my mind. If you have ever been a part of a committee or group that is charged with examining the state of church membership or how to bring more people into the church, add to your church roll, then you are part of a very normal percentage of folks who engage in the fill the pew programs that are so much a part of our church culture today, along with the yearly or semi-annual revival. I want to be sure and state that negativism doesn’t help either. So up front, this blog is not about doing away with but adding to the things we can do to add souls to the community of faith. This is not a church bashing blog. This blog is not about numbers or denominations, it is about his people, his creation and maybe if we quit looking at numbers and religion so to speak our task will be plainer. I believe that saved or not saved we are, each of us a child of God, his creation, each just as precious to him as the other. Here is an excerpt from a blog of mine two years ago.

“To grow a church has to have a lot of different programs other than worship itself. It’s all about how you present yourself; make people want to come, offer a range of services that meets every need. Family things, what do you have for the kids, is there a Youth Director, what type of Music Program do you have? Is there a Family Life Center and what does it include? What about the young adults and seniors, do you have programs for them? Now I could go on and on but the point is this. Church today is about the services it can offer to its members. Most of the things I have listed are the ones people ask about. I have never really heard anyone ask, do you preach the gospel of the Living Christ and is the pastor anointed by God preaching the word and led by the Holy Spirit? When I shared this with some friends they had a question for me. What does it matter how large or small a church is, or what services it offers its members, as long as people are saved and their lives are better? Well I can’t argue with that but I do still wonder why the success of a church is determined by its size. Religion is a weird science for lack of a better term. I think I will stick with John 14:6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Back to last weeks post, a re-thought if I may. Growing a church is not easy with all the distractions and other choices that are competing with the church these days. The “nones” we wrote about last week offer a real challenge because they comprise such a large and diverse group. If I were to pick a reoccurring theme here it is that the complexity of this group and the above mentioned reasons dictates that the problem cannot be approached with anything we are now doing. The stats say what we are doing is not working. As if all of these stated challenges are not enough the survey also stated that a significant number of these folks say they are too busy for religion, which reminds me of a sign I saw when traveling the back roads. Small country church, the sign read “ARE YOU TIRED OF RELIGION……TRY JESUS”….

Simple statement or slogan if you wish but I believe within it there is some good advice. We continue to look to numbers, buildings, music, tradition, programs and acceptance of the new norms in society. Struggling to be a part of it while maintaining the values and tenets of our faith. This is in reality is a nice way of saying “looking for loop holes” to justify certain behaviors. Here is an excerpt from a letter I used in a post several months ago. How do you think we as christians are viewed today as opposed to the early church and Roman society?

The Letter to Diognetus, the work of an unknown author, written in about 130, describes Christians to the Romans as follows:
“They dwell in their own countries simply as sojourners…. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven.  They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time, they surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men but are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned. They are put to death, but [will be] restored to life. They are poor, yet they make many rich. They possess few things; yet, they abound in all. They are dishonored, but in their very dishonor are glorified…. And those who hate them are unable to give any reason for their hatred.”

Look closely at the letter above. Early christians did not have the facilities we have now, no need to make a list, simply put…..they didn’t have the stuff to work with that we do. We need to keep building, to add facilities and services and programs to stay in the game so to speak. However, I believe in our zeal to compete we have lost the simplicity of “Jesus” , the power of the message. We must live our lives so as to avoid the temptations of the flesh, we must live in a way that allows us to be “citizens of heaven” here and now. We must obey the laws but our very behavior should exceed that which is expected. Even though we will know rejection and at times persecution we must love all men. We may lose our life but to die for Christ is to live. We may be poor but what we have must be used to enrich the lives of others. We may not have a lot but through Jesus Christ we have all we will need. We may be dishonored here on this earth but we will be honored in heaven among the saints. We may never understand why we are so hated but know well the love of Christ which exceeds all understanding.

We have a story to tell and I believe we have become too busy acquiring “stuff” to point to, when all we really have to do is tell the story…..

I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know ’tis true;

it satisfies my longings
as nothing else could do.

Go tell the story…the stuff will come latter. Hope you return to the pew next week.  jk

 

Continuing on from last week’s thought that maybe we were looking in all the wrong places when examining the loss of people attending church, got me to wondering about where we need to look. I think most of us can agree that whatever we have been doing, while certainty not a complete failure, still we are not retaining or gaining those souls needed to do the Lords work. From previous discussions in morning bible study, which by the way started this line of thought, three groups come to mind. There are those that have been hurt by the church in some way or another. I am not going to mire this down listing reasons that people are hurt or get mad and leave; fact is they do and you may know someone like this or might even be that someone. There are of course those that don’t believe period. This we will come back to at another time. Then there are the “Nones.” This is an interesting group because they include those that have left, believers and non-believers and those that are not or have never been affiliated with any organized religion. “Nones” is a term sometimes used to refer to those who are unaffiliated with any organized religion. This use derives from surveys of religious affiliation, in which “None” (or “None of the above”) is typically the last choice.

Let’s run the numbers on this. There are lots of different surveys and research articles About the “nones”. I tend to look at Pew Research center. Also part of the information I will share is from an article written by Michael Lipka from FacTank, News in Numbers. This article paired with Pew Research numbers provides an interesting look at this subject.

A growing trend in American religion in recent years has been the percentage of adults who do not identify with a religious group. In 2007 the number was 36.6%. The latest figure, 2014, has that number at 55.8%. I am going to try not to overwhelm you with numbers but they do tell a story. Responses to how they became “nones” is telling. Remember that this group includes religious people who indicate that a lack of belief led them away from religion, Mr. Lipka writes that number to be about 49%. There were other reasons listed such as many respondents said that science, common sense, logic or lack of evidence played a part in their being where they were today. Others interestingly enough simply said they do not believe in God. Quoting directly from the article, “One-in-five express an opposition to organized religion in general. This share includes some who do not like the hierarchical nature of religious groups, several people who think religion is too much like a business and others who mention clergy sexual abuse scandals as reasons for their stance.” One in ten who were raised in a religious affiliation are now inactive. They just went home and stayed there. Oddly enough they still hold certain religious beliefs but have withdrawn from any active practice. Interesting to note that within this group there are sub groups, confusing is it not? Are you beginning to see the point that the task the church is facing is not a simple one by any means. there is no “one program cure” for what ails us. There are the agnostic, don’t believe period, then a rather odd group who describe their religion as “nothing in particular”.

If I were to pick a reoccurring theme here it is that the complexity of this group cannot be approached with anything we are now doing. The stats say what we are doing is not working. I have saved the best to last. A significant number of these folks say they are to busy for religion, which reminds be of a sign I saw when traveling the back roads. Small country church, the sign read “ARE YOU TIRED OF RELIGION……TRY JESUS….

Next week we will continue to explore this issue of losing souls. That’s right, this whole thing is not about numbers or denominations. It is about his people, his creation and maybe if we quit looking at numbers and religion so to speak our task will be plainer. I believe that saved or not saved we are, each of us a child of God, his creation, each just as precious to him as the other.

I welcome your comments, hope to see you in the pew next week.

jk

 

 

 

 

 

Things aren’t the same now as they were when I was growing up in the church. The number of people who attend church these days is much less than in my day. Many denominations are losing people and many churches struggle to stay relevant in todays culture and demographics. Received an email from a good friend in reference to last weeks blog which questioned where the church was today and rate of growth or lack thereof. The email was refreshing because it said what many of us won’t. Here is a quote from that email. “I don’t have a clue and pastors really don’t either, how to get everyone on board with dynamic growth and spiritual outreach.” Numbers have become a big thing in judging success in almost all activities and now even church. So, let’s look at some numbers. Pew Research Center November 3, 2015.

“Is the American public becoming less religious? Yes, at least by some key measures of what it means to be a religious person. An extensive new survey of more than 35,000 U.S. adults finds that the percentages who say they believe in God, pray daily and regularly go to church or other religious services all have declined modestly in recent years.

But the Pew Research Center study also finds a great deal of stability in the U.S. religious landscape. The recent decrease in religious beliefs and behaviors is largely attributable to the “nones” – the growing minority of Americans, particularly in the Millennial generation, who say they do not
belong to any organized faith. (http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/)

Among the roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults who do claim a religion, there has been no discernible drop in most measures of religious commitment. Indeed, by some conventional measures, religiously affiliated Americans are, on average, even more devout than they were a few years ago.”

Not as bad as some say, but make no mistake, there is little comfort in the numbers to those who see their church or denomination losing people.

“The falloff in traditional religious beliefs and practices coincides with changes in the religious composition of the U.S. public. A growing share of Americans are religiously unaffiliated, including some who self-identify as atheists or agnostics as well as many who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.” Altogether, the religiously unaffiliated (also called the “nones”) now account for 23% of the adult population, up from 16% in 2007.”

So it only natural that such figures should raise enough concern that a host of solutions would come forth like the blooms on a large healthy honeysuckle vine. We find ourselves today being overwhelmed by well meaning criticisms and of course the next great “growth Program.” There are always a host of books, seminars, companies that specialize in church growth materials and any number of lay led committees that for as long as I can remember seek to stem the loss of people to the church and return the church to a position of influence in our communities and nation. What is the mission of the church?

The Great Commission

Matthew 28
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Is this it? Is this all there is to it? Perhaps we have missed or overlooked something. Did we miss these nine words….. “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Now that expands the playing field a bit. I will expand on this in the weeks to come. Right now I just want to think about where we are and possibly where we need to go. Leaving this thought and moving to a recent morning bible study, where our discussion took us to the state of the church today, one of the members present had a interesting line of thought as to church growth.

Maybe we are looking in all the wrong places, using the wrong tools and passing over a wealth of folks. Got me to thinking maybe it’s a chicken and egg thing. Transferring that thought to a “faith or church thing”, which comes first? After some thought I’m inclined to believe he might be on to something. Which does or should come first? Faith or Church? Well of course we can go to Acts and Pentecost which takes us to the infilling of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s impassioned message to the people gathered in the city at that time and brought these results.
Acts 2: 40-41
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The church as we know it today did not exist. What did they have that allowed them to grow and prosper? They believed, they had hope and most of all they had faith. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Nothing is greater than God’s love. Nothing is stronger than God’s mercy and grace. Nothing is too hard for God’s power. Going back to last weeks post this is where I believe we are today in many churches and denominations.

“We have found it useful to build church buildings, and denominations, and clerical hierarchies, and liturgies, etc. Nobody should think, though, that these are one and the same as the true church; you don’t see any of these things in the vision given us in Rev. 7.” Stefan Stackhouse

No this is not a “get back to basics” thing. It is about recognizing what comes first. We have to recognize that the world has changed and the complexity of the culture and the demands of society must be understood and confronted to restore and preserve the faith. Simplicity is not the word we need here.

One last thought…..””Just about every denomination in the American church—including many evangelical denominations — is seeing a decline in numbers, so if it’s a competition, then we’re all losing, just at different rates.” -Rachel Held Evans

Next week…?, Faith, Church

Hope to see you here in the pew……jk

I started out this week to write about a subject inspired by an article written by John Pavlovitz,  “Hello From The Outside”.(http://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/01/12/hello-from-the-outside-how-the-church-fails-and-forgets-those-who-leave/)

Well one reference led to another and I was soon  overwhelmed with information. The article was straight forward and at times pretty blunt. Blunt meaning in this case likely to not be received well by some in the “church”. Here is an excerpt from that blog.

“Some advice to churches and pastors and church staff about their back door:

If your church is too big to minister to people individually, your church is too big.

If you have no scalable system of pastoral care other than telling people to get into a small group, you have a lousy pastoral care system.

If people can come and go for months in your building (and ultimately leave) without you or anyone knowing it, you’re failing those in your care.

Pastor, if all you want to do is preach from the stage or the pulpit, stop calling yourself a pastor and admit that you’re a preacher or a religious celebrity.

Churches, if all you’re interested in doing is putting on weekly one-hour crusades, stop calling yourself a church and just be religious event planners.”

 So just what exactly is the “true church”? You can google that and find any number of answers. Stefan Stackhouse had this little gem in his writings.

“We have found it useful to build church buildings, and denominations, and clerical hierarchies, and liturgies, etc. Nobody should think, though, that these are one and the same as the true church; you don’t see any of these things in the vision given us in Rev. 7.”

(https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-true-church-according-to-the-Bible)

Stefan also points out that the true church is as Jesus said in Matt 18:20: “Wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in the midst of them.” Ah, at last biblical references to which I immediately went to. There were many, and I decided to look closer at Acts 7: 11-12… And all the angels stood in a circle round the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell upon their faces before the throne, and worshipped God, saying: ‘So let it be. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen.’

The praise of the Angels where they ascribe blessing to God; and we his people must always offer blessing to him for creation and redemption and divinely ordained events and outcomes. He has made us and we are his and through his son Jesus Christ he has redeemed us

The Angels ascribe glory, wisdom, honor, power, and strength to God and we must always at all times in all things offer thanksgiving to God. We must never be guilty of the sin of ingratitude. What about that back door? People leave churches, denominations and in some cases the church altogether. The real danger is that they will never open or enter another front door again. We can do no better than to meditate on the praise of the angels and do everything in it. It has been said and written that the God we serve is Holy and so should we be. That back door will always be there and no “program of the week” will keep some from using it. Matt 18:20: “Wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in the midst of them.” It is really pretty plain. The presence of God is not dependent on numbers and the best advice for the church is to do as the angels do……praise at all times the glory, wisdom, honor, power and strength of God, seeking his presence among us, to be Holy just as our God is Holy.

Come in the front or back door, just come. See you in the pew next week.

jk

 

This is a repost from a few years ago…It has become a tradition to post it each year at at Christmas. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas…Praise God for his son Jesus Christ!

I am constantly searching the internet for little gems of knowledge and wisdom that will enrich and encourage us ordinary folks whose frantic pace in this life causes us to rush by without even taking the time to “smell the coffee” so to speak. Well over fifty years ago we were introduced to the world of Charlie Brown. Charles Schultz created a community of loveable misfits each with their own recognizable frailties’ of mind, body and spirit, in which many of us saw a part of ourselves in the characters and took this lovable bunch into our hearts. Unlike some of the modern animated cartoons of this day the brilliance of Charles Shultz shows us our faults in a gentle and endearing way. Charlie Brown also helps us see the real value of community, the need we have for others and the power of a simple love that transcends the norms of this day. Having said all this let me introduce you to a brilliant post of December 14, 2014, by Jason Soroski. I have edited his original post for space requirements and encourage you to go to the posted url to read it as posted. (jasonsoroski.wordpress.com)

Here are some excerpts from that post.

I was in the first grade back when they still performed Christmas pageants in schools (less than 50 years, but still a very long time ago), and our class performed a version of the Charlie Brown Christmas. Since I was kind of a bookworm and already had a blue blanket, I was chosen to play the part of Linus. As Linus, I memorized Luke 2:8-14, and that Scripture has been hidden in my heart ever since. But while working so diligently to learn those lines, there is one important thing I didn’t notice then, and didn’t notice until now. Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.

Throughout the story of Peanuts, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and others all work to no avail to separate Linus from his blanket. And even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to give it up. Until this moment. When he simply drops it. In that climactic scene when Linus shares “what Christmas is all about,” he drops his security blanket, and I am now convinced that this is intentional. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, “fear not”

 Looking at it now, it is pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it’s so simple it’s brilliant.

The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears.

The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves.

The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and take Jason Soroski’s advice and “drop the blanket” in the coming new year. Again I encourage you to go to the url posted above and read some more of this gentlemen’s writings and activities.

Life is Good

jk

 

 

 

The gospels of Luke and Matthew both record Jesus as born in Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a manger. A simple story that most of us have read or heard over the years. Bethlehem is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea. By the time of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem had declined in significance to a small village. Three gospel accounts (Matthew 2:1–12, Luke 2:4–20, and John 7:42) report that Jesus was born in the humble town of Bethlehem, estimates put the population at less than a thousand. Research and reading has helped me glean some interesting perspectives about this important event in the biblical writings about the birth of Christ.

The Journey

Mary and Joseph were compelled to take the longer way to Bethlehem after Joseph had considered that while there was a shorter route, he must consider Mary was in the late stages of her pregnancy, the hilly terrain in that area and the difficulty of finding lodgings, would pose to great a threat to their safety and Mary’s health. How many days it took Mary and Joseph to complete their epic journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem? My study offered many different opinions. General belief is about 4 to 7 days. They would have arrived exhausted and in need of immediate lodging. Did Mary arrive in Bethlehem the night she gave birth? We really don’t know, they could have been there for some time. Scripture simply says “while they were there in Bethlehem, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Luke 2:6)

The Birth

There is a lot of information about the birth but one piece I found fit a lot of the information concerning Bethlehem, the customs of the time, the layout of the city and answered a question I have always had about this event. I understand the reason they had to take this journey but it always bothered me that Joseph was willing to risk getting lodging, as he knew the city would be overflowing with people at tax time and Marry was so close to her “time”. Here is W M Christie’s thoughts on that.

“Judging from the word used, and the conditions implied, we are led to believe that Joseph and Mary had at first expected reception in the upper room or manzil at the house of the sheikh of Bethlehem, probably a friend and member of the house of David; that in this they were disappointed, and had to content themselves with the next best, the elevated platform alongside the interior of the stable, and on which those having the care of the animals generally slept. It being now the season when they were in the fields (Luke 2:8), the stable would be empty and clean. There then the Lord Jesus was born and laid in the safest and most convenient place, the nearest empty manger alongside of this elevated platform. Humble though the circumstances were, the family were preserved from all the annoyance and evil associations of a public khan, and all the demands of delicacy and privacy were duly met.” M. Christie

 

The Shepherds

At that time, sheep farmers were generally seen as having low or little value by other people. Shepherds were usually single men who had no land or stock passed on to them and it is possible that these were Temple sheep as they were not far from Jerusalem. The type of sheep the shepherds would have been raising were ‘fat tailed’ (or broad tailed) sheep. They often had lambs in the autumn and winter, rather than in the spring with most sheep in western countries these days. The shepherds were quietly getting on with their own business when suddenly an angel appeared to them and they were afraid! This is only the second time in the whole Bible that a group of angels rather than one angel had appeared to people, so this proved that they had a very important message to give to them.

The Wise Men

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ The story of the three wise men is well known but beyond those familiar words we find some interesting thoughts. Scripture does not say three wise men, it just refers to the wise men coming and bringing gifts. We are told that there were three gifts and perhaps this is where we have arrived at three wise men. In W. M. Christie’s writings, we find that the birth took place in a cave like place that was used to keep the animals secure when they were not in the fields. We do not know how soon the wise men arrived, was it days after the birth or longer? We might also consider verse from Matthew 2:11.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Reading this we might also consider that by the time the wise men arrived some of the guests may have left and Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus had been moved into the house.

The Star

I have left the star to last, even though research has shown me that it by far attracts the largest amount of speculation as to its origin. I have chosen to not become entangled in the many thoughts on this matter. I do believe that whatever is said or written, the Star was placed there by God to announce the birth of his son.

Going beyond the words, what do I mean exactly? There are certain scripture verses and stories that we revisit on a regular basis. The words become so familiar that they just become second nature to us. What I am trying to say and not doing a very good job of it, is that we become desensitized to them, diminishing the glory of God within the words or story. The story of the birth of Jesus brought hope to a dark world and to this day it brings the reconciliation between God and his people through acceptance of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of our sins. Truth is the details are not that important but the gift given on that night is the way to our creator and eternal life.

Merry Christmas

And may God bless you in the coming year. No post next week….see you in 2017

jk

 

I always wanted to play football but time and circumstances kept me from it until the eighth grade. We moved around quite a bit and my dads last duty station took us to Texas. Texas, where a babies first crib toy is a football and his first pair of outdoor shoes are cleats. Now in Texas most boys my age had been playing football since Pee-Wee league and have a good knowledge of the of the game and its language. Truth is they speak it better than the Kings English. I wanted to be a part of the game so bad and any amount of humiliation and effort was worth it. So I gave it the best I had and made the team, even after the coach said my lack of skill would get me killed. Well that is a bit overstated but I did get on the team……at the end of the bench. Now in my golden years I sometimes re-visit those early days and that’s how this blog came about.I kind of believe that even in church some of us feel like we are at the end of the bench. We want to be a part of what’s going on and to actively become involved in some type of ministry within the church but if time has taught me anything, it is preparation and knowledge goes a long way.

 Psalm 25:5

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.

It occurred to me that maybe my football experience was due to my lack of knowledge as to what the game required and my lack of preparation. Admittedly, serving God is no game but it does require knowledge and preparation. I once wrote about getting out of the pew, go and serve. This is about getting off the bench, preparing yourself to serve and getting in the game.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

Here are some good points as to where you can start your preparation. These are from a sermon by Tom Shepard, Quite Life Ministries.

John 12²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

 Develop a servant mentality.

“Possessing A Servant’s Heart. God’s Word teaches that greatness in the Kingdom is defined by serving others in the body of Messiah. Having the heart of a servant is an important component in our spiritual walk with the Lord. God shaped each one of us for service.” (Tom Shepard, Quite Life Ministries.)

How do we define selflessly? Perhaps servanthood is a better word, or rather a clearer definition for us. Servanthood literally means serving others, putting them and their needs first. (“It means willingly giving of oneself to minister for and to others and to do whatever it takes to accomplish what is best for another.”)*Tom Shepard, Quite Life Ministries.

Gal 6:9-10 (Phi) Let us not grow tired of doing good, for, unless we throw in our hand, the ultimate harvest is assured. Let us then do good to all men as opportunity offers, especially to those who belong to the Christian household.

Have a determination to serve.

Determination also requires endurance.

 Psalms 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

 1 Corinthians 9:24-27  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

 Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 Thessalonians 3:13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good

We Christians will have times of doubt and fear and even worry. Allowing fear, doubt and worry to rule our lives weakens our faith. The word of God gives us strength and determination in our daily walk with God. God’s word gives us hope. Consider the following verses…

 Psalms 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

 Proverbs 20:13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

 Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Commit to following God.

“Each believer is responsible to respond to God’s call by committing their heart, mind, body, and life to serve Him, to share the Gospel, and to be His ambassadors in this world.” (https://bible.org

 Acts 20:32 “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

 Serve where you are.

Many times people believe that in order to serve or be a part of ministry, you have to go overseas or commit to a month long mission trip. While being involved in those type of things is commendable and even worthwhile, we need to understand that we can serve right where we are. There are so many opportunities that we miss out on by thinking mission work is done some place other than where we are. When we chose to not serve and be involved where we are I think many times it is because we have conditioned ourselves to think that mission work is done some place other than where we are. Look around there are many opportunities in our neighborhoods, schools and even our own church or home.

“God has called believers to “go and make disciples” in Matthew 28:19, but we must realize that we can fulfill this command in class, with the neighbors down the hall, and even at work. Wherever you are, just go! Go, and make disciples.” (Tom Shepard, Quite Life Ministries.)

Get off the bench, get in the game.

jk

 

 

 

 

Get over it and move on! For all practical purposes this advice would apply to at least half of those who voted. We remain a nation divided pretty much down the middle. With that in mind I have a 50/50 chance of your approval of this blog; even less considering less than fifty read this thing. Everywhere I have gone this week people seem to be in a hurry, not to get things done but to avoid a conversation that would lead to their involvement in public discourse on any subject. I kind of agree with that, if you can’t say anything nice, say nothing. Sitting in the mall and watching people go by you see the faces of a wide spectrum of emotions. The sad part is you see uncertainty even in the faces of the little children. There are more heads down than on a glass bottom boat ride. In our society today you might be a little concerned about someone who sits in a mall watching people, if not, thank you. But I do have to say I am concerned that I have nothing else to do.  Stopped for lunch the other day which was no problem, I was hungry and tired of sitting around. First thing the place was packed, both take-out lanes were full and inside reminded me of an ant hill you just disturbed. Everyone was moving and each one seemed to know what they were doing and where they were going. Now the folks on the front were overwhelmed as the line resembling a large snake broke into four different snakes each as long and hungry as the other.  I looked around and I was amazed! People were smiling, making room for each other and I even heard laughter above the din of everyone talking at once. Then, in what seemed no time at all I was at the front of my line and I was a bit worried at this point. I had actually enjoyed my time in line! In my excitement I ordered the wrong thing. Quickly, but not quick enough, I asked the person to cancel that order. Too late, but their reply was “no problem I will place another order and cancel that one.” Thank you, thank you very much. You ready? Wait for it……..they replied, “MY PLEASURE”. Take a quick look at the definition of the phrase.

 “My pleasure” is an idiomatic response to “Thank you.” It is similar to “You’re welcome,” but politer and more emphatic. Use it in formal conversation when someone thanks you for doing a favor, and you want to respond in a way that tells them that you were very happy to help and that you enjoyed it. You can also use the longer form, “It was my pleasure,” which means the same thing.

 People have spent decades working to get God and the Bible out of schools and really remove it as a staple of our culture. They didn’t just stop there, they also removed public prayer in certain places to be infringing on others rights. I will keep this short. What they have sought to do is to secularize our society and nation. The uptown word is “SECULARIZATION”. The greatest attribute of our nation was always our faith and that the God we severed made us better people.So is it any wonder that a first class business has for decades adhered to a standard of faith and service based on the founder’s Christian faith. Christ makes everything better! If I have made your day a little brighter or helped you see that every day is a day God has made, rejoice and be glad. I don’t have to name the place I was at you know it well, thank you!   “My Pleasure!”

No blog next week, see you in December. jk

 

Well our long national nightmare is at last over and before you jump let me clarify that I mean this election cycle. It leaves us with the undeniable fact that as a nation we are terribly divided. The results were rather astonishing. The last check I made had a mind blowing .2% difference between the candidates, with Clinton getting the popular total and Trump the Electoral College and the presidency.  The nightmare of an election cycle may be over but the division and in some quarters the hate remains. There are reasons too numerous to list here but the one that stands out in my mind is the lack of God and faith in God in our nation. What do we as Christians do this day and the days to come? We move on…that’s right, it is as simple as that. How does a Christian move on? Here are some suggestions from biblereasons.com. I have added some comments and introductions but the following is from a blog post of Fritz Chery on December 19,2015.

Many times we move on by changing habits, locations, goals and even our beliefs. Why don’t we take the time to see what the Bible says about moving on?

Job 17:9 The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

Philippians 3:14 I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 4:18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

We will not move on as long as we dwell on real or perceived injustices. We must work at Forgetting the past.

Forgetting the past.

Isaiah 43:18 Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago.

Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

We must work at understanding that the Old things are gone. We as a people cannot continue to live a life that condemns others just because they think different than we do. It’s kind of a double edged sword, we must love those that hate us.

Old things are gone.

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

1 John 1:8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

God can turn any bad situation into a good one.

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

We, the Christian community must learn to Trust in God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Psalm 33:18 But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

We must seek wisdom and guidance from God.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.

Proverbs 24:14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.

Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

The Word gives us light to move forward on the right path. 

Psalm 1:2-3 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts.

Psalm 119:104-105 I obtain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my pathway.

Proverbs 6:23 For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,

We have to Stop worrying

Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And remember….

Exodus 14:14-15 The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.” The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

As always there should be some Advice offered

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.

There are many biblical Examples Mr. Chery shares this one with us.

Deuteronomy 2:13 Moses continued, “Then the LORD said to us, ‘Get moving. Cross the Zered Brook.’ So we crossed the brook.

This election has left many of us standing at a brook or in some cases a raging river. The hurts, disappointments and frustrations remain for many. I would pray that we remember while we live in this world, are grateful for this life and value that which God has created, we are not of this world. The community of believers, the Christian community knows that because of our faith in and acceptance of Christ our world will never be defeated by the problems of this world. Keep the faith and believe this:

2 Timothy 4:6-9 My life is coming to an end, and it is now time for me to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. The prize that shows I have God’s approval is now waiting for me. The Lord, who is a fair judge, will give me that prize on that day. He will give it not only to me but also to everyone who is eagerly waiting for him to come again.

(I found this article so well written and a perfect answer to the day. I could never have said what is on my heart and in my mind better. Here is the URL http://biblereasons.com/moving-on/.)

Bless our nation, praise God…….jk

 

While there were no elections in Jesus’ time, contrary to popular belief, Jesus was a person adept in the political intrigues of his day. Jesus was very much into the politics of the day. Now I will be using many different sources in this blog and any time I quote directly from some other source it will be in bold and italics. I am not presenting any new revelation here just some points through research that I found interesting. Was Jesus a politician in the context of today’s definition of a politician? No, certainty not. “Politics are at the center of the story of Jesus. His historical life ended with a political execution. Crucifixion was used by Rome for those who systematically rejected imperial authority, including chronically defiant slaves and subversives who were attracting a following. In the world of Jesus, a cross was always a Roman cross.” (Borg)

In Mark 1:14-15 Jesus spoke of the coming of “the kingdom of God.” In his world such a statement using that language would be considered political in nature. People who heard Jesus speak knew of other kingdoms. In the eastern parts of the empire it was the Roman kingdom and of course there was the kingdom of Herod. With this knowledge at hand it was plain that Jesus was saying there was another kingdom that was different than those others. Jesus could have avoided the use of “the kingdom language” by speaking of a “family” of God, the “community of God” or the “people of God”. He didn’t: he spoke of the “kingdom of God”.

Sometime after the arrest of John the Baptist (Mark 1:14) Jesus began his public ministry. Throughout the Gospels the conflict between Rome, the Rome-appointed ruler of Galilee and pressure and challenges from the ruling Jewish class, lead Jesus to his crucifixion. It is every bit the politics of power and corruption. I know it is a stretch and maybe it is just me looking at two incidents through today’s eyes. Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, an unmistakable statement that the kingdom of God comes in peace. Then he publicly states that his father’s house has become “a den of thieves”. Like a seasoned politician he skillfully draws a portrait of the “new kingdom” versus what they now have.  Remember that the nation of Israel even under submission to other rulers or governments was always dominated by Jewish law and cultural practices, in many ways a theocracy, a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god. The priests and others of the ruling class had great influence in society and were eager not to do anything that upset the Roman protectorate. Jesus did not enter a vacuum, there was a structure of society, government and religion already in place. We will start here using as reference.

Marcus J. Borg, “Jesus and Politics”, n.p. [cited 2 Nov 2016]. Judaism at the time of Jesus was a complex mixture of divergent social, political and religious ideologies. In general terms, we can speak of four distinct movements, ideologies or life-options. It is helpful to situate Jesus in terms of these social groups of his day in order that we can come to appreciate the distinctiveness of his own life and mission”. 

The Zealot movement took the revolutionary option. It advocated outward violence, even armed rebellion, to rid Israel of Roman oppression and believed it was the only way to bring final liberation to the Jewish people. One of Jesus’ followers was a Zealot, “Simon the Zealot.” One odd fact about these times was that Jesus found himself more often than not in conflict with the Jewish temple and the Roman state. While it’s not easy to explain Jesus was not a violent revolutionary but he posed a more radical threat to the established order than those who armed themselves.

The Sadducees were the great pragmatists of the day, the thinkers and compromisers. They were mostly wealthy lay-nobles, priests and aristocrats. To conserve their wealth and power they sought to compromise with Rome, which at this time was the most realistic option. Here we see the politics of the time first hand. Most of the members of the Sanhedrin were from the Sadducee group. The Sadducees were the least religious group. They did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. However, they were committed to the Jewish faith on the basis of the earlier books of the bible. They were at the top of the pecking order in the Jewish society of their time and were concerned with present-day affairs. The Sadducees were the main opponents of Jesus at the time of his trial and death. They rightly saw that Jesus’ radical brand of religion threatened their power and status.

Pharisees

Most of the Scribes (the ‘theologians’ of the day) were Pharisees. Perhaps unfairly the Pharisees are judged harshly in the gospels. Pharisees sought to live a life of spiritual purity by a meticulous following of the torah (Jewish law). They did not believe in compromise with the Romans nor in revolutionary activity. Many Pharisees were highly committed and deeply spiritual people. They believed in the resurrection of the dead.

Finally, there were the Essenes who solved the problem of Jewish identity in a Roman-occupied Israel. They completely opted out of mainstream Jewish society. The information shared here is from the URL listed at the end of this paragraph. (https://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/gehall/XTOLOGY2.htm)

So long ago and yet it resonates so much to the situation we find ourselves in today. Here we can see how religion and politics were intertwined in a much more complex way than we might have thought they were. Today, after all this time it is still every bit   about the politics of power and corruption. Here and even I as write this the Christian Church is under attack throughout the world and here in our own country the church is marginalized every day more and more.

John 18:36

 Jesus replied, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here.”

Vote your faith and what you believe but remember, “our kingdom isn’t here”. From birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and centuries of persecution, the church stands firmly on the rock: just as Christ said it would.

Thanks for coming by the pew.

jk

References:  Marcus J. Borg, “Jesus and Politics”, n.p. [cited 2 Nov 2016]. Online: https://www.bibleodyssey.org:443/en/people/related-articles/jesus-and-politics

(https://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/gehall/XTOLOGY2.htm)