"Preach the Word."

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

(rf. 2 Tim. 4:1–5NKJV)

            The Apostle Paul in his last letter of ministry writes to his son in the faith, Timothy. He has all along been encouraging his protégé to be strong and of good courage, to go forth in faith to serve the Lord in his particular calling as a pastor of his flock. Paul is basically in this letter “passing the baton” to Timothy, knowing that he is wrapping up his ministry on earth, preparing to make his transition to the very Presence of the Lord to whom he has given his life in service all of these many years. He wants Timothy to follow his example and to be faithful to the Lord even as Paul has endeavored to be.

            To that end, Paul warns Timothy of a time yet to come when the fickleness of people within the Church will desire their felt needs met and to follow the latest trends (“according to their own desires”), rather than the solid spiritual food of Scriptural teaching and “sound doctrine”. This growing, vocal group will pursue after non-truths (“fables”) with no regard that their path is leading them far away from Biblical truth. Because “their itching ears” need so desperately to be scratched (or are perceived so), this activist movement within the Church will not be satisfied with the few leaders who agree with their perspective, but not only will gather more, but will “heap up for themselves teachers” whose purpose is to expound and exponentially grow the movement all the more. In other words, in the mind of Paul, this is a very dangerous and potentially poisonous situation of which Timothy must not only be aware but must stand against! How then does the normally reserved Timothy do this?

            Paul’s response for Timothy is quite simple: “Preach the Word”! Paul understands that there is no greater power nor weapon in hand than that of the Scriptures articulately and expertly wielded. Paul has been educated by Gamaliel in the Old Testament (rf. Acts 22:3) and by Christ Himself in its connection to the Gospel and His teachings (rf. Gal. 1:11-17). Paul knew the power of the Word firsthand. Therefore, he knew by holding to the simplicity of sharing God’s Word with the Church consistently and with boldness by the power of the Holy Spirit, Timothy would be able to halt the advance of their pernicious beliefs and reverse the course of any headway their poison may have made in the life of the Church. Paul knew that by pursuing this course, Timothy would undoubtedly experience many “afflictions”; however, the way of faithfulness is a difficult one, as Paul knew well. The only way to safeguard the well-being of the Church was for Timothy, like Paul, to continue forward with the message of the Gospel of Christ unchanged and undiminished, sharing it with all (“do the work of an evangelist”), making the most of his particular calling (“fulfill your ministry”).

            This same encouragement is needed in our day. It is as if the Apostle Paul looked down the halls of time and disclosed to Timothy what was happening in the 21^stcentury American Church. We are definitely a consumer-driven entity, if we are to be honest with ourselves. Our likes and wants determine where we go to church far more than where God is most worshipped and where our spiritual gifts can be best used. If we are the least offended in something, we either decide that we will not go to “that church” any longer or any church for that matter or we will begin to “shop around”.  We are no better than those Paul speaks of: “according to their desires”. 

            An entire book could be written on how Scriptural truth has been jettisoned in favor of politically correct positions that provide cover for all manner of sinful behaviors and acts that, when are taken objectively into account by a thorough exegetical study of the Bible, are found to be abhorrent to God. What is being created is a new religion altogether in the name of God that nullifies all sin, the need for forgiveness, and the requirement for Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. This new religion, a counterfeit of Christianity, would be desirable for all and to all, but requires nothing from anyone other than belief in a Jesus of pure love with no change regarding life or repentance from sin.

            Paul’s words to Timothy are the same antidote for this poison in our day: “Preach the Word”! One must know the truth in order to point out and do away with the counterfeit. As one who long ago pledged his life to serve the One who saved his soul, I personally have chosen to follow both Paul and Timothy in the same vein. There is no other means of true salvation than is found in the blood of Christ Jesus. Jesus came “to save His people from their sins” (rf. Matt. 1:21). My hope is that His people will not be easily led astray by the appeal of their own desires but will hold fast to the lasting truths and “sound doctrine” of the Scriptures for only in them is true life found. 

An Easter Message

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”

(rf. Mal. 4:2ESV)

            The above passage was given to God’s people in the closing message of the Old Testament. As the Lord revealed to them once again His desire to send His chosen vessel of “healing” and restoration, prefaced by the coming of “Elijah the prophet”(rf. Mal. 4:5), He wanted them to be prepared for what would be in His words, “the great and awesome day of the Lord” (rf. Mal. 4:5).

            As we consider the wonder of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection at Easter, let us measure it anew against the backdrop of these words from the prophet Malachi. So often we tend to look at the actions of Jesus on our behalf in a vacuum, as by themselves, and, thus, lose some of the power intended by the Lord to affect us in our hearts and minds. 

This prophet of the Old Testament was the last to speak to God’s people for several centuries. Therefore, when John the Baptizer arrived on the scene and began his ministry, it truly stirred the hearts of the people. They began to wonder if, indeed, this was the “Elijah the prophet” of Malachi’s writings. Then, when John pointed to Jesus’ coming as the fulfillment of his own ministry, the reality of those prophecies surely were coming to pass! Yet, the people had no idea what was in store for them as Jesus’ ministry among them unfolded.

Not until the climax of Jesus’ life and ministry arrived on the hill of Golgotha with his death on the cross and his burial following with his disciples disbursed in sorrow did it seem that all of His efforts had come to naught. With the dawn of the third day came the astounding news of His resurrection from the dead and of the stone of His tomb being rolled away by divine power. This truly was “the great and awesome day of the Lord” as foretold by Malachi!

We know, however, that this was not the end of the story. Jesus now sits at the right hand of His Father, God Almighty, in heaven, awaiting the time of His return. His power continues to be displayed through the Holy Spirit who He sent to earth to minister through His Church in His stead. He remains “the sun of righteousness…with healing in (His) wings”to those “who fear (My) name”. As His followers, we simply must trust, obey and continue to live out His truths, knowing that the spiritual, physical and emotional healing is still available to us because our beloved Savior and Lord is very much alive and will ever live! Happy Easter to one and all!

From Death to Life

This article was originally published at ThomRainer.com on Feb. 13, 2017. It was reprinted online in Outreach Magazine on March 8, 2017. It is written by Thom Rainer who serves as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Dr. Rainer can be found on Twitter (@ThomRainer) and at facebook.com/Thom.S.Rainer. Dr. Rainer’s insights are worthy of our consideration as we begin a new year. 

Six Secrets of Churches That Went from Death to Life

She was on her deathbed. Every breath was laborious. Every breath was more difficult.

Those who surrounded her knew the end was imminent. It was only matter of time—a very brief time.

But the impossible became the possible. The dying lady survived. In fact, she not only survived, her outlook is very promising today.

Hers is a true story of resuscitation: from the brink of death to survival to improved health to a healthy life.

What about churches? Can a church experience a similar miraculous recovery? Admittedly, I have only seen a few churches with the same story of resuscitation. But I have seen a sufficient enough number to make some concise observations. These observations are among the most encouraging events I have ever witnessed.

How did these few churches go from near death to vibrant life? Here are their stories.

1. A Prolonged Period of Prayer

The members knew that only a miracle of God could save their church. So they decided to set aside a period of prayer, usually a few weeks or a couple of months. Members would gather after the worship service. Some would gather in homes. They would admit their total dependence on God. And they would place everything about their churches at his mercy and in his will.

2. A Covenant to Forsake Self

When a church dies, there is the predictable prologue of self-centered, self-serving membership. Church members argue about the style of music, the length of the sermon, the types of ministries and programs, and even the type of furniture in the church. Membership becomes about me, myself and I. In the resuscitated church, the members covenant to put self last. They agree they will not demand their way but seek to put others first. Some of the churches even create a written covenant.

3. A Willingness to Kill Sacred Cows

This process is often an extension of the previous commitment. As the members covenant to forsake self, they commit to doing away with programs, ministries, events, rooms, furniture and anything else that has become a sacred cow. They often don’t see those sacred cows until their eyes have been opened in the prolonged period of prayer.

4. A Commitment to See Through the Eyes of the Outsider

As the members continue to forsake self, they begin to ask how the church is viewed from the perspective of the outsider. They may actually engage with a person to visit their church and share their experience. It is amazing to see how this process transforms facilities, worship, greeters’ ministry and children’s ministries, to name a few.

5. An Agreement to Connect and Invite

Members commit to be intentional about developing relationships with people outside the church. They set prayer goals of how many people they will invite to church each month. The church begins moving from an inward focus to an outward focus.

6. A Decision to Move Beyond the Negative Naysayers

This core of members realizes that not everyone will be on board. There will always be those who view church as a spiritual country club with perks and privileges. Indeed, in most of these resuscitated churches, there was stiff resistance, adamant opposition and financial threats. But the members were loving but firm. No longer would their church be controlled by the naysayers, critics and bullies. They would stand together and stand with others who were attacked and maligned.

Is church resuscitation common? No. Is church resuscitation possible? Yes. In God’s power, yes.

ReEnvisioning Christ's Church (Part Two)

            From last month’s article outlining the general points of discussion from Francis Chan’s work, Letters to the Church, we continue the analysis. 

How then do we “retune”? What are the areas that we need to reconsider if we are to get back to place where God truly wants us as His Church? How are we to “rethink Church” and apply these truths so that they are not merely concepts but are put forth into actions that really make a difference?

            Here then is a synopsis of what I have gleaned from Chan. This is what I believe God would have of us as His people to restore His Church to the place of rightful service and worship:

1.     …We should commit purposefully to approach the worship of God in an attitude of sacredness and holiness and to treat the place of worship as a holy place.

2.     …We should commit ourselves to proactively seek ways to serve and love others.

3. Because God sacrificially gave His only Son to be the means of our salvation (rf. Jn. 3:16), taking away our sin so that we could have entrance into God’s family (rf. Heb. 2:17; I Jn. 4:10), we should commit ourselves to resolutely give with a sacrificial and generous attitude of our time, finances, abilities and spiritual gifts for the benefit of Christ’s Church and His Gospel to reach the world, with the full understanding that the mission work of Jesus begins at the doors of our own church. Since being a part or member of the Body of Christ, His Church, should be understood as the greatest of privileges, we, as recipients of salvation by His grace, should, then, view His Church as a major priority in our lives. As a result, there would be a willingness on our part to do whatever was necessary to make sure the efforts of His kingdom, not only continued, but were successful, even to the point of sacrificing the things that, by comparison to the desires, wants and dreams of our own, seem pitifully miniscule.

4. Because God has revealed Himself to His people through the written Word (rf. II Tim. 3:16-17)as well as the Living Word, Jesus Christ (rf. Heb. 1:2), He desires for His people to seek after Him to know Him better and more deeply in a personal relationship (rf. Is. 1:18; Eph. 1:18-23); therefore, to that end, we should commit ourselves to devotedly be students of God’s Word as individuals and as a fellowship of believers. We should be seeking more opportunities to learn more about God and how to be better equipped to fulfill His will in our time, while finding grace and strength by His Spirit through more numerous expressions of our fellowship together, our time of Holy Communion with Him, and seeking His Face through concerted prayer.

5. Because God has covenanted with His people to be their God and they, His people (rf. Dt. 7:6; I Pet. 2:9) and to provide to them a new covenant with them in Jesus (rf. Jer. 31:33; Lk. 22:19-20), we should likewise desire to covenant with each other and with God to mutually uphold one another in this quest to fulfill our commitments as stated above. We should want our worship of and service to God to be pleasing to Him, our reflection of Christ to our community and world around us to be loving and accurate regarding of the teachings of Jesus in the way we act as His followers, and our love toward one another to always be authentic, open, truthful, peaceful and desiring the best for one another and for the cause of Christ.

If anything, our world needs a truthful depiction of Jesus. It is not getting this in what we are showing them by our corporate portrayal of His Church. We must get back to these basic truths as outlined above if we are going to be effective in the mission to which He has called us and His holy Bride and Body which He has called us to be. It is a high bar to attain, no doubt. However, by His Spirit as our resource, we will without question reach it. It simply remains to discover whether or not we have the will to take up the challenge and do it.

ReEnvisioning Christ's Church (Part One)

            In the latter months of the previous year, I was greatly challenged by reading the latest book by Francis Chan, entitled, Letters to the Church (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Publishing, 2018). I have been a fan of Chan and his ministry for quite a while, especially when he spoke so passionately to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention a number of years ago. He “wears his heart” for God and His Church “on his sleeve” so to speak so that it is very apparent to all just how much loves both. So, it is no wonder that this book is convicting in its addressing the greatest issues facing the Church today and how we must fundamentally retune our hearts and minds to God’s voice and heart if we are to recapture His purpose for His people as His instrument of grace to an unbelieving world. 

            How then do we “retune”? What are the areas that we need to reconsider if we are to get back to place where God truly wants us as His Church? How are we to “rethink Church” and apply these truths so that they are not merely concepts but are put forth into actions that really make a difference?

            Here then is a synopsis of what I have gleaned from Chan. This is what I believe God would have of us as His people to restore His Church to the place of rightful service and worship:

            1.Because God is holy (rf. Lev. 11:45) and desires both His worship (rf. Ex. 39; 40:9; I Cor. 3:17; Eph. 2:21;5:27) and His people to be holy (rf. I Pet. 1:16) as well, we should commit purposefully to approach the worship of God in an attitude of sacredness and holiness and to treat the place of worship as a holy place. We do this by preparing our hearts and attitudes beforehand by focusing on what we are about to do in coming (i.e. worshiping the Living God in splendor and majesty), immersing each service in Scriptural praise, God-centered, contemplative music (i.e. psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs—rf. Eph. 5:19), and liturgy that centers us on our place before Almighty God as His servants in Christ. This does not necessarily follow that we have to be stoic in our responses in God’s House; indeed, He desires for us to rejoice, be glad and praise while having a sense of respect, awe, decorum and order, possessing a balance of quiet and adoration in the Presence of our King and Savior.

2. Because God is love (rf. I Jn. 4:16) and Jesus throughout His ministry loved others unconditionally (rf. I Jn. 4:10) and taught His followers that such love would be what distinguished them from the rest of the world (rf. Jn. 13:35), we should commit ourselves to proactively seek ways to serve and love others. We should participate in or host various ministries designed to encourage and strengthen our lives and walk in Christ (i.e. Couples/ Parents classes, Grief support, Divorce recovery, etc.).  We should look into outreach approaches into our community to meet actual physical, emotional and spiritual needs while sharing with them, not only the love of Christ in that process, but, especially, the truth of His Gospel as well (ex: Alpha classes, networking with existing food and cloth banks in the area, helping to provide affordable housing through organizations like Habitat for Humanity).  

(This article will continue in February 2019)

Responding with Compassion and Mercy

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly…Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him. So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of EgyptI calledMy Son.”

(rf. Mt. 1:18–19, 2:13–15NASB)

            Let me state, first of all, that I have no intentions of politicizing this piece whatsoever. I do, however, intend on bringing to all of our attention the interesting “coincidence” that has come to light as it applies directly to some of the leading issues of our day. We begin to see things from a different standpoint when we consider a new context, like turning a diamond and having the light shine on its various facets.

            For instance, as we consider the birth of Jesus narrative, have we ever really looked closely at Joseph’s dilemma? Most Christians, in not wanting to think ill of their own Savior’s birth situation. Though in Jewish culture, a betrothal was as binding as the actual marriage covenant, the fact was that Mary and Joseph had not yet taken their marriage vows. Now, according to the narrative stated above, she “was found to be with child”. Mary is officially an unwed mother. In that time and culture, such a sinful infraction was worthy of the death penalty according to the Law of Moses because her pregnancy was proof of the sin of “fornication” or premarital sex as well as legitimate adultery because it violated the terms of the betrothal between her and Joseph. Joseph could have delivered Mary over to the Jewish authorities and she would have been stoned for her sin and dishonor. However, “being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly”, which, as we know, was providentially engineered by the Lord to keep His Son safe since the child inside Mary was conceived, not by human means, but “by the Holy Spirit”. So, in the first place, we have Jesus, our Savior and King, in his first months of life being nurtured in the womb by a mother whose status in her society being somewhat less than acceptable.

            Secondly, after the departure of the Magi from visiting the Child Jesus and His parents in Bethlehem, Joseph is warned in a dream to quickly pack up and take his family to Egypt where they are to stay in safety until he is notified it is prudent for them to return to Israel. So, Joseph immediately obeyed and journeyed into Egypt where they remained for an extended time until King Herod died. While there, we tend to forget that they were not on vacation, enjoying the wonderful benefits of Egyptian life. They were God-fearing Jews in the land of pagan Egypt, full of a people who worshipped idols. Though Joseph was a carpenter by trade, Joseph would not have been easily allowed to ply his expertise per se. Indeed, I believe that this is the very reason God sent the Magi with their gifts to worship at the feet of Jesus—to provide the necessary currency Joseph would have to use to sustain his family while living in Egypt during their sojourn there. In many respects, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were aliens in a foreign land, immigrants to a place where they possibly were not allowed to work because they were not native to the region. It was only because God’s own provision for them that kept them afloat financially and from dying of starvation. No, I do not believe I am necessarily pressing the point, especially when one considers that the Egyptians would not have had a great love for Israelites following the destruction of the Egyptian armies by Israel’s God back in Exodus.

            In viewing these two narratives from the Christmas story in Matthew screams to me one particular response when it comes to those groups who are often found as objects of shame and reproach because of either poor decisions on their part (which we likewise have made, if we are honest) or situations beyond their own control that have affected them personally. In either case or others, our first response ought to be compassion and love, rather than condemnation, especially if we understand that Jesus came into this world through conditions very similar to these. How many times in His own ministry did He interact with folks who had either sinned blatantly or who had been negatively affected by the sins of others, where He could have responded with blame and shame, He rather offered a heart full of compassion and restoration? 

            If the Savior that we claim to follow was willing to do that during His life and ministry, shouldn’t we reflect the same attitude? Isn’t this time of year a good time to start doing it and continuing it throughout the year? I offer this as a challenge to you. Merry Christmas to all!

Being Open to Change in Worship

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..”

(rf. Eccles. 3:1ESV)

            As we enter into this season of the year, it is apparent by our surroundings that autumn has arrived. The leaves on the trees have begun their transformation from the greens of summer to the various hues of red, yellow, orange and brown, providing the eye with a panorama of vivid color. The temperatures have descended from their previous peaks of July and August, now, hopefully, giving us a much-needed respite, settling into a time of comfortable days and cool nights. It truly is a wonderful time of the year to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

            It is also a beneficial reminder, especially, to those of us who are older and tend to easily get set in our ways. The turn of the seasons was set in place by God Himself who established them as early as creation (rf. Gen. 1:14; Ps. 104:19). In nature as God has designed it, there is the principle of positive change. It happens each year around us, as certain “as the seasons”… and, though we hardly even notice it, we welcome it with the adaptation of our clothes, shoes, music, yard flags, etc.

            If we are so flexible with the changes that God brings regularly into our lives by means of the rotations of the earth and its angle to the sun, why are we typically so adamantly opposed to allowing fundamental adaptations to the ways that He might want us to worship Him? Notice how carefully I worded that last question. I did not ask, “to the ways that we worship Him? Or to the ways that we desire to worship Him?” I rather put the question in the context of how God desires to be worshipped. Before we can ever look at the subject of our own reticence to change in reference to worship, we must first understand that worship is not about us at all, but solely about God.

            True worship always has God as the audience or the receiver of the actions of our worship. The very definition of “worship” from the inception of the original word means “worth”-ship or “one who is worthy of our veneration”. When viewed through this lens, if we are being honest and humble, we immediately remove ourselves from consideration from true worship. The Lord alone is worthy of our worship and praise (rf. Rev. 4:11). Therefore, our preferences for style and dynamic in reference to worship are, in reality, of little concern. God is the one who really calls the shots.

            When we grasp the above truth in full, then we open ourselves up to a wide variety of ways in which God desires to be worshipped, none of which, I might add will be profane or have a lack of sanctity in their application. Rather, we find ourselves “like clay in the hands of the potter” (rf. Is. 64:8), we become pliable as to how He would have us worship Him and not rigid in how we think we should like to “do our religion”. If we should make ourselves vulnerable to the movement and direction of His Holy Spirit, we would experience a new closeness, richness and depth that comes with being with God as He draws near to us (rf. Eph. 3:14-21).

            Admittedly, this is not an easy transition (or change), especially, if we have always been taught or always thought of worship in only one context. Again, I am not advocating a movement into an entertainment-based motif. That would be going in the direction of the profane, the base, the worldly. I am referring to a shift of our perspective that keeps the honor of God as foremost and, yet, removes our self-imposed barriers of traditions so that the Holy Spirit can begin to expand our views, thinking and experiences with Him. If we trust in the Lord for our salvation, surely, we can have enough faith in Him and in His Spirit to lead us to worship the Lord “in spirit and in truth” (rf. John 4:24), knowing that as we follow His direction, we will be pleasing to Him in our words, style and songs. 

            So, then, it is not a matter of whether our worship is traditional, blended or contemporary, really. It truly is a question of whether our worship is God-centered and God-focused, coming from hearts that want only to please and glorify God in the efforts. 

Lord, help us all to revisit our own motives as we enter into Your Presence each Sunday in worship to see if this is the status of our hearts. If not, open us to the proper change in our perspective and align our hearts to Your direction. If so, reinforce us and deepen our hearts by Your Spirit so that our commitment to You and Your true worship may only grow and mature. Amen.