What Good is Church These Days?

I love the church.  Fellowship, discipleship, community worship, mission activities—almost everything about church appeals to me. 

God obviously loves church, too.  Sometimes the Bible refers to the church as the bride of Christ.  Sometimes it is likened to the earthly embodiment of Christ.  Regardless of the metaphor, Christ loves His church.

If you love something, you want what’s best for it.  You cherish it, you study it, you spend time with it.  And if something is wrong with it, you take notice.  Maybe you’ve noticed—maybe you haven’t—but it sure seems like there are a lot of problems with modern church in America.  Let’s take a quick gander:

• Only about 18% of Americans regularly attend church.
• While more Americans are seeking God, a growing number do so away from a local church.
• The US population is growing significantly, but church attendance is declining.
• Most of the decline is seen in churches established prior to the 1970s.  
• Southern Baptists, the largest Protestant denomination, saw baptisms decline 5.5% last year, membership decline by 105,000, and Sunday worshipers decline by 188,000.  
• The Millennial generation (born between 1985 and 2004) is even less likely than older generations to attend church, a disturbing trend for the future.

I could go on, but you get the point. 

Even scarier is knowing that this isn’t just a very recent trend and isn’t something that should have surprised anyone.  I have shelves of books that acknowledge the problem and offer suggestions: You Lost Me, Essential Church, Organic Church, The Forgotten Ways, Comeback Churches, Transformational Church, Contagious Church, etc, etc. 

Based on all the books out there by some very smart and experienced folks, we can tell that there are quite a few problems and even more solutions.  I sure can’t summarize all those in this little blog, and I definitely don’t have the answer.  But what I’d like to do over the next few posts is take a look at some of the basic challenges and consider some biblical guidance.  I’d love for you to join me as we explore these issues, and I’d REALLY love to hear your observations and ideas.

More to come soon…..!

When A Loved One Dies

Some of the toughest times in our lives are when close friends or family members pass away.  The death of a loved one hurts, because that person who was so special in our lives is now absent.  We can no longer turn to them for advice, companionship, or the simple joy of just being together. 

What doesn’t help during these times is when some people say things that—even if well-intentioned—only make the situation worse.  One of the most awful: “God wanted another angel in heaven.”  In addition to being of no comfort, this kind of statement (and others like it) completely misses the point of God’s truth revealed in the Bible.

• Yes, God desires all kinds of people to come to Him (see 1Tim 2:3-4).  But He doesn’t do that by killing them.  Instead, He opened the door for us to enter heaven through the suffering of Jesus Christ.
• Humans do not become angels.  Angelic beings and humans are different categories of God’s creation.  When we die, our spirits are separated from our bodies and we remain that way until God reunites us with our resurrected (glorified) bodies.
• Sadly, not everyone goes to heaven at death.  The Bible makes that clear over and over again.  It is most vivid in Jesus’ account of Lazarus and the rich man.  To tell someone that their dead friend is now in heaven—absent any indication at all that they ever followed Christ—is spreading false hope.  No, I don’t like to think of my loved ones suffering eternally.  That is exactly why I want them to know and follow Christ here and now.  It is too late after they draw their last breath.  On the other hand, for those who followed Christ in this life, we are assured that they are with the Lord and await us to one day join them.

If we want to comfort those who grieve, then let’s simply be there for them and extend our love to them, rather than say things that may actually be hurtful.  We embody Christ best by showing compassion, especially in times of hurt and loss.

What Does Christ Expect?

What does Christ expect from us?  Whoa, what a question!  And there’s so many ways to answer it.  Maybe He expects me to love my spouse.  Perhaps love and discipline my child.  Be nice to others.  Stop eating a bowl of ice cream almost every single night (wait, that’s my wife talking, not God!).  The list could go on and on, and get really crazy. 

So, let’s try to keep this simple.  To begin with, we know that our salvation doesn’t depend on anything we actually do.  Salvation is a gift from God, which we accept in faith (see Ephesians 2:8).  But beyond that, we know Christ wants us to live godly lives.  In fact, He said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands (John 14:15).

The million dollar question is: what does Christ command? Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded Christ's teachings, including His commands.  Tom Blackaby collected and summarized all of those commands in a little book entitled--you guessed it--The Commands of Christ.  Below is a list of those commands, with a single biblical reference for each one.

Again, using Christ’s commands as some kind of checklist will not get us into heaven.  That is too much like religion, and religion never saved anyone.  But following these commands will improve our relationship with God and with those around us.  Check out the list, and take a moment to ponder where you could personally follow Christ a little better (and closer).

• Becoming a follower of Christ:
• Repent (Matt 4:17)
• Approach Christ as a child (Matt 18:3)
• Love God completely (Matt 22:37-40)
• Receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5)
• Choose the righteous path (Luke 13:24)
• Worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24)
• Remain in Christ (John 15:9)
• Remember and turn to God (Rev 2:5)
• Following Christ’s model
• Deny yourself (Matt 16:24)
• Take up your yoke (Matt 11:29)
• Follow me (Matt 4:19)
• Transformed way of thinking
• You have heard it said… but I say to you (Matt 5:38-39)
• Pray this way (Matt 6:9-10)
• Do this in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19)
• Remember what I said (John 15:20)
• Not just “doing,” but “being”
• Humility (Mark 10:42-45)
• Mercy (Luke 6:36)
• Integrity (Matt 5:33-37)
• Walk in the light (John 12:35-36)
• Shine the light (Matt 5:16) of Jesus
• Avoid a judgmental attitude (Luke 6:37)
• Give freely to others (Matt 5:42)
• Strive for perfection (Matt 5:48)
• Avoid hypocrisy (Matt 6:5)
• Relationships
• Love one another (John 15:17)
• Love your enemies (Luke 6:27-28)
• Turn the other cheek (Luke 6:29-30)
• Forgive others (Luke 17:3-4)
• Be reconciled (Matt 5:23-24)
• Treat others as you wish to be treated (Luke 6:31)
• The Christian mission
• Seek first God’s kingdom (Matt 6:33)
• Go, baptize, and teach (Matt 28:28-20)
• Go into the world (Mark 16:15)
• Feed His lambs (John 21:15)
• Demonstrate God’s power (Matt 10:7-8)
• Pray for workers (Matt 9:37-38)
• Watch and pray (Mark 14:38)
• Be ready for His return (Matt 22:42-44)
• Don’t worry about how to witness (Matt 10:19-20)
• Warnings and encouragement
• Avoid fear in general (John 14:1)
• Avoid specific fears of persecution (Matt 10:38)
• Avoid suffering (Rev 2:10)
• Avoid being anxious (Matt 6:25)
• Handle holy things carefully (Matt 7:6)
• Beware false prophets (Matt 16:6)
• Do not worry about your lives (Matt 6:25)
• Give God what belongs to Him (Matt 22:21)
• Heed God’s righteousness privately (Matt 6:1)
• Hold onto and strengthen what God has given you (Rev 3:2-3, 11)

If You Were A Tree…

Several years ago, my wife and I planted trees in a bottom field on our farm.  The field is in a remote corner of the farm which we seldom visit.  Late this summer, I decided it would be a good time to bush-hog between the trees in that field.  Oh boy!  When I got there, I saw that vines had pretty much taken over.  Since I was already committed to mowing, I pressed on.  I started on the left side of the field and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.  Despite the tons of vines along the ground, most of the trees had grown tall.  In fact, they were loaded with walnuts.  Looking closer, I found that not only were the trees we planted there doing quite well, but the fruit they produced over the years had resulted in additional trees which were also doing well.

Then I drove over to the right side of the field.  Here, the story was not quite as pleasant.  The vines were not only along the ground, but completely covered most of the trees.  Many trees were dead, and the trees that had survived were stunted and bent over.  Pretty disappointing.  Ugly, in fact.

What happened?  Same field.  Same amount of rainfall.  Same tree stock.  

It seems that people who profess to follow Christ are similar to those trees, while the worries of this world are like the vines.  Some people let worldly issues overtake them and they become stunted.  Others end up completely devastated or destroyed.  But others grow strong despite the worries that try to drag them down.  In fact, strong ones produce good fruit and help others grow, too.

Long before becoming host of The View, Barbara Walters was a journalist.  One question she became notorious for asking those she interviewed was: “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”  We could ask ourselves that question.  Are we like those trees buried in vines, allowing secondary things to stunt our Christian growth?  Or are we growing strong in Christ despite all the things that try to distract us and drag us down?  

I hope that you are one of those strong trees, which stand tall, produce good fruit, and aid others.

Stuck With a Recurring Sin

I pretend to farm, but no one is ever going to mistake me for a real farmer.  Last year, I used my tractor to mow a field that definitely needed it.  I got about halfway through the field and—in a split second—ran the tractor into a very, very muddy spot .  Despite 4-wheel drive, despite going back and forth, despite putting dry dirt under the tires, that tractor was stuck.  It took a friend on a lot bigger tractor to come to my aid.  He kept his tractor in the dry part of the field, pulled my tractor with a chain, and freed me.

Now, just like no one will ever mistake me for a real farmer, no one will ever accuse me of being the sharpest tool in the shed.  Just over a year later (last month, in fact), I was back out there mowing that same field.  Surely, being later in the year and much drier, that muddy spot wouldn’t be so bad, right?  I was very careful when I got to the “danger zone.”  Yet what happened?  Yep, stuck again.  And once again, some friends pulled me out, using their tractor from a dry part of the field.

Sometimes sin is just like that muddy part of the field.  We can get stuck in it.  Yes, even Christians.  And then, long after we are free of the sin, we may tend to re-visit it.  We may even think, “I’ll be more careful this time.  I know what to look for.  I’ll go slowly and catch myself before anything bad happens.”  And then, something bad happens anyway.

Why would we go back to the sin that trapped us before?  Different reasons, perhaps.  But there really is no good reason.  We get trapped again, and we need help to get out.  Of course, the primary friend to turn to for help is Jesus.  No matter how deep we are stuck in sin, He can get us out.  There’s no use trying to do it on our own; in fact, we can end up making it worse on our own.  But He can help, and He will help. 

In addition to Jesus, we can turn to Christian friends.  We can let them know we’re stuck and need their help.  They can help us by praying, or listening to our confession, or keeping us accountable.  A good Christian friend who stands on solid faith can be the means by which Jesus frees us when we’re stuck.

But try to avoid getting stuck in the first place.  Steer clear of any sin that has snared you before, and you won't be as tempted to go into that danger zone!

What Can I Get Away With?

Young Christians can throw you some real curveballs.  If you work with them very much at all, you better be on your toes.  One recurring theme is the “What if….” question.  You may be familiar with it.  It goes something like this:

-Me: “Based on this Bible passage, we should study Scripture.  Try to read some each day.”

-Young Adult: “What if I’m really busy every day?”

-Me: “Things have a way of taking up your time.  Try to set aside just 10 minutes.”

-YA: “What if I’m working 12 hour days and I’m really tired?”

-Me: “How much time each day do you spend texting or messaging?  Use some of that time.”

-YA: “What if…”

Yep, you know the routine.  It can go on and on.  The bottom line is that the person is trying to find excuses.  Excuses to avoid doing what needs to be done or excuses to do what shouldn’t be done.

We’re all guilty of it to some degree.  It’s part of human nature.  We want to push the boundaries.  We want to know what we can get away with.  

An old poem shows how we can nitpick God's law to get what we want:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife,

His ox thou shalt not slaughter,

But thanks be to God there is no law

Against coveting thy neighbor’s daughter.

When we seek “escape clauses”, we look to the letter of the law rather than the intent.  Jesus criticized the Pharisees for this same type of overly-literal obedience to the Old Testament law.  When we ask “What can I get away with?”, we are asking the wrong question.

In the movie I, Robot, a hologram has information that can help Will Smith’s character solve a crime.  But most of the time, when Will’s character asks the hologram a question, the hologram responds, “You must ask the right question.”  Rather than ask how we can twist Scripture to fit our desires, the right question to ask is “Am I honoring God?”

Tattooed Christian?

A young adult posed an interesting question to me recently.  It boiled down to this: does having a tattoo (even if it’s a “Christian” symbol) disqualify a person from serving in a church leadership position?  Talk about walking through a minefield!  Maybe my answer should have been “a cross tattoo is okay, but anything else is from the devil!”  The truth is that this simple question is actually loaded with many other questions.

Should a Christian get a tattoo?  Obviously, there are cases where getting a tattoo is wrong.  If you disobey a parent in getting a tattoo, it is wrong.  Tattoos depicting sinful or anti-Christian behavior/attitudes would be wrong.  A tattoo that dishonors your spouse (or future spouse) is wrong.  Having a tattoo that causes another (perhaps less mature) Christian to stumble in their spiritual walk is also wrong.

But what about tattoos in general?  Well, we could go round and round about following Old Testament law.  God is pretty clear in Leviticus 19:28: “You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.”  A legalist would say that this clearly means Christians shouldn’t get tattoos.  A libertine would say that Christ fulfilled the Law and so we are free to get whatever tattoos we want.

A radical Christian takes the whole truth of the Bible and applies it to their life.  The Leviticus passage, in context, was aimed at God’s chosen people being separated from surrounding cultures.  So the real question becomes: in all honesty, is my motivation in getting a tattoo based on my desire to honor God?  In other words, am I doing this to elevate myself (get others to notice me, fit in with my friends, or for the “cool factor”)?  Or am I doing it as an act of faith?  When you look at it from this standpoint, you realize it is not always a clear black-or-white issue, but one of individual faith.

So, would having a tattoo disqualify someone from a church leadership position?  I don’t think it necessarily should.  A tattoo obviously doesn’t affect someone’s salvation.  Other than the instances I mentioned above that are clearly wrong, the tattoo would be one of individual conscience.  However, if someone was interviewing for a leadership position, it would be legitimate to question them on their reason for getting a tattoo (along with a long list of more important questions).  But I hardly think a tattoo on its own disqualifies someone from a leadership post.

Young Christians and Christ's Commands

I love working with Christian young adults.  Even though I’m a Gen X’er, I identify a lot with the Millennials (born roughly between 1985 and 2004) and their worldview.  Of course, I’m generalizing here.  You have to generalize when talking about an entire generation.  What I’m about to say certainly doesn't apply to all our young adults, but it does apply to many of them. 

Christian Millennials are incredible in acting out their faith.  Need someone to do some tangible mission work?  Ask a Millennial.  They take to heart Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors.  They are spiritually minded (although that’s not the same as being filled with the Spirit).  They seek to redeem the world in practical ways.  Contrary to popular belief, they will involve themselves in church (if they don’t sense phoniness there—and their phoniness detectors are highly tuned!).  Many times, they even seek some deeper truths in Scripture that many in the older generations just gloss over.

However, like any generation, they have quirks that keep them from reaching their full potential.  I’ll concentrate here on what I consider the biggest stumbling block of many Millennials who consider themselves Christian: application of the full Word in their lives.

They have an understanding of some basic Scripture, but simply aren't very familiar with most of it.  They view God’s love as big enough to ignore their sins—even sins they persist in.  It’s almost a Chinese-buffet type of Christianity, where they pick and choose what to take to heart.

Where did they get this selective Christianity?  I think they got it from us, the older generations.  For example, we tend to consider some sins abhorrent but turn a blind eye to others.  We let our love for neighbors (a good thing) stop us from privately pointing out to them actions that displease God.  The Millennials amplified what older generations were already doing, and sometimes inverted it (turning a sin into a celebration).  And yet, they still think of themselves as journeying through life with Christ.

I can't cast too big of a stone.  I mean, who really lives like Christ wants us to?  Not me, for sure.  But Christ repeatedly pointed out that we have to consider the full cost of following Him (Luke 14:27-33), which includes obeying all He commands us (John 14:15, Matt 28:20).  We can't just pick and choose.  We have to take on the whole enchilada!

Tearing Down and Building Up

I recently went on a mission trip with a group of young adults.  At the end of a hard day of work, we gathered together and talked about the day’s events.  I asked the group if they saw anything that reflected Christ in the day’s activities. 

One young lady’s insightful reply really spoke to me.  She told us that our work of tearing down an old, unsafe porch and replacing it with a new, sturdy deck and ramp reminded her of our new life as Christians.  When we repented and turned to Christ, we left our old, broken lives and Christ builds in us a new, sturdy life.

To be honest, I was floored by such deep perception in such a young lady.  And yet, I shouldn’t have been surprised at all.  Although our young Christians may not have yet matured a great deal during their short spiritual journey, they also haven’t had time to develop scales on their spiritual eyes.  You may know those scales I’m talking about.  It’s the log in the eyes that Jesus spoke about, which can build up over time even in Christians if we focus too much on worldly things (or even churchy things) and not on Christ.

The young lady’s metaphor certainly hits the mark.  I would even take it one step further.  We consistently need to allow Christ to tear down those things in our lives that come from our sinful nature, and build up those things that honor God. 

Truly Saved? (Part 2)

In the last blog post, we addressed what it means to be saved.  I ended it by saying that salvation is a gift from God and—although we don’t create our salvation—we do reflect it.  How exactly do we reflect our salvation?

I encourage you to think about salvation as more than just a one-time experience.  Yes, a Christian is someone who at some point turned from their sinful life and began to trust Jesus Christ with their life.  The five-dollar word for this change is “regeneration,” which is a fancy way of saying the person is born into a new life.

At the same time that a Christian begins this new life in Christ, Jesus justifies them before the Father.  It is as if a person in a courtroom voluntarily takes the penalty for someone found guilty by a judge.  In this case, Jesus takes the penalty for our sin and allows us to stand guiltless.

Unfortunately, many contemporary churches begin and end the salvation experience with that one-time event.  However, that’s not the end of the story.  True salvation is a lifelong transformation from our sinful nature to Christ’s holy nature.  By God’s grace, Christ grows in us and we are molded into the new creature He wants us to be.  This process is referred to as “sanctification,” which means we are set apart. 

Unlike regeneration and justification, sanctification produces visible changes in a person’s life, as they cooperate with God in maturing as a Christian.  As a Christian studies, learns, and grows, Christ will produce spiritual fruit in them.  Spiritual fruit includes changes in character (Gal 5:22-23)—changes which in turn also affect others.  As a person “set apart,” the Christian obeys Christ’s commands and walks closer with Him during life’s journey.

So, if you are a Christian, I encourage you to look at salvation as a lifelong experience and not simply as a moment in your past.  This perspective will help you encounter Christ in a much more fulfilling and productive way!

Truly Saved? (Part 1)

Time to tackle the single most important aspect of Christianity: salvation.  It’s a hard topic for me to write about, since contemporary American Christianity has somehow managed to distort the biblical view of salvation.

What is salvation?  In the US, people speak of having “been saved.”  What exactly were they saved from?  Biblically, we are saved by Christ from hell, through His sacrifice on the cross, where he paid the penalty for our sins which separate us from God.  Most Christians agree on this.  

But here is where contemporary Americanized Christianity starts to fall short.  Some of us remember when we said a special prayer; many evangelical Christians even point to a time where they “asked Jesus into their heart.”  But what happened after that?  Was there a real change in our lives?  Evangelicals like to talk about being “born again,” but are their lives after their “salvation prayer” any different from their lives before?  Can you tell a difference between the Christian and everyone else in the crowd?  Do they live differently, act differently, think differently, dress differently, speak differently?  Statistics show us that Americans who claim to be Christians live basically like everyone else, including similar rates of abortion and divorce.

Here’s where traditionalists usually throw up two arguments.  The first argument is that it sounds like I’m advocating legalism; like I’m saying we have to follow certain rules to be a Christian.  Leaving aside the fact that we are supposed to follow certain “rules” (I’ll tackle that in another blog), this has nothing to do with legalism.  It has to do with being a new creature in Christ, living a Christ-filled life (2 Cor 5:17, John 3:3, Rom 6:1-14).

The other argument is actually just a witty saying: we are called to bear fruit but not be fruit inspectors.  Well, it may sound witty, but it’s not biblical.  We are supposed to examine ourselves to be sure of our faith (2 Cor 13:5).  I’m not saying we can lose our salvation.  On the other hand, you can’t lose something you never had!  If you say a prayer and get your name on the congregation’s membership role, you may boost a pastor’s ego but it doesn’t mean you are saved.  True salvation is a gift from God, lived out by us in turning away from sin, trusting in Christ, and living a Christ-centered life.  We don’t create our salvation, but we do reflect it.

So, how do we reflect our salvation?  Since I’m sure this post has already set some people’s hair on fire, I better save that for the next one!

Stay Out of the Ditch!

Here’s a radical thought: living the Christian life is largely about managing to stay out of ditches. 

After passing on the Ten Commandments, Moses instructed the Israelites “You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you.  You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” (Deut 5:32).  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his disciples, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt 7:13-14).

So, one way to view our Christian journey in life is that of following a narrow road, being mindful to stay out of the ditches on the right and left.  And there are plenty of ditches along the road!  

There are legalists on the right who want to burden us with rules, while there are libertines on the left who would have us abuse our liberty in Christ.  Some demand we follow only a specific Bible translation, while others completely deny the divine revelation of Scripture.  Some preach only hellfire and brimstone while others focus exclusively on social justice.  These (and other) extremes are ditches we need to avoid to stay on the straight and narrow path.

How do we avoid the ditches?  Look to Jesus.  He completely fulfilled the Law, yet He consistently showed mercy.  He forgave sin, yet accompanied it with the instruction to “sin no more.”  He gave us a tough example to follow, but also showed us that He is the narrow way (John 14:6).  If we are growing in Christ, and He is growing inside of us, then He gives us the light to see the narrow path and stay out of those ditches!

Basic Beliefs

In a couple of posts, I’ve mentioned core Christian beliefs.  So before moving on to more controversial topics (!), let’s answer this question: what does a radical Christian consider “core” Christian beliefs?  Well, since a radical Christian focuses on the essential roots of Christianity, we’ll begin a long time ago, in a land far, far away…

Early in Church history, Christians realized they needed to document their core beliefs in order to combat heresies that were clothing themselves as “Christian.”  They had the Bible (yes, the Bible as we know it today—a topic for later).  But they wanted something that summarized their basic beliefs and opposed the heretics that were already popping up.  

What developed were creeds. The earliest creeds were the Old Roman Creed (http://www.focus-on-god.org/text-collection/creeds/old-roman-creed/)--later becoming the Apostles Creed—and the Nicene Creed (http://www.creeds.net/ancient/nicene.htm).  Over the centuries, many other creeds followed, but these two are accepted by most denominations (even the Anabaptists—the extremists of the Reformation—accepted them).

But enough of the history lesson.  The real question here is: what are the core beliefs that affect salvation—not just initial conversion, but also lifelong sanctification?   The list is pretty short:
- There is one God who eternally exists in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- All people have sinned and separated themselves from the holy God.
- Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God.  He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, atoned for our sins in His death, bodily rose again, and is at the right hand of the Father acting as our mediator and advocate.
- Jesus Christ will return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead and to reign forever.  Those that are saved will be resurrected to life and those that are lost will be resurrected to damnation.
- Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for salvation.
- The Holy Spirit indwells Christians and enables them to live godly lives.
- Christians are spiritually united.
- Although written by men, the Bible is inspired by God and infallible in divine revelation.

That’s it.  The basics are the basics. On these, Christians can agree.  If someone disagrees with these and holds a contrary belief, then I suggest they may believe something, but that “something” isn’t Christianity.

Remember the basic beliefs are only the basics.  They can’t capture the whole of the Christian experience or biblical revelation.  As we delve deeper into biblical study, God reveals more truths to us.  At the same time, we will have different interpretations and applications.  But while we Christians can debate secondary issues, we shouldn’t divide over them.  An old saying that still rings true is “in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

I can guess what you’re thinking.:“So what?  This sounds like theology.  What are some practical aspects of the radical Christian life?”  Prepare to be challenged in a future post….

Changing Church (Part 2)

I ended the last post stating that any change in your church must begin with you. What does that really mean?

The point is that your church won’t grow, won’t mature, won’t reach more people with the Good News of Christ, unless you personally get involved. 

You are an important member of the body; just like a human body doesn’t function as well if it’s missing a leg (or an arm, or an eye), the body of Christ (the church) doesn’t function well if one of its members is missing or not operating at 100% capacity.

Maybe you’re thinking: “Great, but I’m not sure where I can fit in and contribute in church.”

Well, don’t worry—that’s not for you to decide. God already decided. God has a purpose for you. In fact, He created you for a purpose (see Eph 2:10).  What you have to do is figure out what God’s purpose is for you.

Easier said than done, right?  I’ll be honest: yes, sometimes it’s a bit difficult, since He doesn’t normally come to you in blinding white light and tell you exactly what He wants you to do (although that did happen to Paul!).  But there are ways to find out His purpose for you.

First, read the Bible. But don't read it like you’d read a novel.  Read it as if you expect God to reveal His plans for you right there in Scripture.  Maybe not as specific as “Tim, start a small group Bible study on Friday nights.”  But see how His Word speaks to you through principles and in circumstances.

Next, pray.  Pray for God to reveal His plan for you.  Ask Him to reveal specifically what He wants you to do.  Be sure to listen as you pray; He may give you a sense (sometimes a very vivid sense) of what He wants, but you have to be listening to get it.

Third, look at the circumstances surrounding your life.  Have you had life experiences that can uniquely contribute to God’s Kingdom?  Take a look at what God is doing around you in your life; maybe He’s already leading and you just need to join Him in His work.

Finally, speak with other Christians.  Ask them to pray that God will reveal His will for your life.  Ask them if God has perhaps given them an indication of what you should do.

Be sure to do all four of these activities together.  For example, if you believe God is revealing through His Word what He wants you to do, then pray about it, ask others to pray and help you discern if that’s what they believe is God’s will for you, and take stock of the situation.

When it’s clear what God’s will is for you, get started as soon as God wants you to start.  Step out in faith and depend on Him.  Expect difficulties, because Satan will oppose anyone doing Kingdom work.  But also remember, if it’s His will, then you will be His instrument to do His work--and God doesn't fail!

Your Church is A'Changing! (Part 1)

The church you attend is changing. 

It doesn’t matter where it’s located, its denomination, or how long it has been around. Your church is changing. 

It’s growing, dying, or transforming, but it definitely isn’t staying the same.

Now someone is going to say, “my church hasn’t changed in the last [insert number here] years.”  Well my friend, if you think that, then you might want to take another look at your church. 

How many adult conversions have taken place over the last year, or two years, or three?  Now, how many members have died, transferred, or simply quit coming to services?  Are a significant number of your folks noticeably growing in Christian maturity?  How is attendance at Sunday School, Training Union, small group studies, etc.? 

Here’s some trivia that isn’t trivial: the Millennial generation—born in the 1980s and 1990s—is larger than the Baby Boom generation (roughly 80 million and 76 million respectively).  Take a look at your congregation.  What is its composition age-wise? 

Maybe your church is holding to its core beliefs and decidedly growing in membership, baptisms, discipleship, and other relevant measures.  If that’s the case, then great… you’re apparently doing something right.  Maybe you’d like to share your secrets.

On the other hand, if your church is declining (or, at best, holding steady) in these areas, then please realize that it’s not a matter of needing to change.  Your church is already changing.  And the change is not for the better. 

Some may point to their new carpeting, repaved parking lot, flashing sign out front, or increase in “fellowship meals” as evidence they are changing for the better.  All those are nice and potentially worthwhile, but we’re talking about changes that God deeply cares about; changes that matter for eternity.

If your church isn’t noticeably growing or positively and visibly transforming, then you may be wondering, “What should our church do?” 

But the real question is: Are you willing to adapt to changing circumstances, hold true to core Christian beliefs, and step out in faith to follow where God leads?

Why? Because it’s not solely your pastor’s job to adapt the church to changing situations.  It’s not your deacons’ job.  Or elders, presbyters, trustees, etc., etc.  It has to start in you.

To be continued…

A Radical Christian?

Since we love to label things, label me a radical Christian.  There, it’s out there and I stand by it.  I even named my blog "A Radical Christian!"

So what is a radical Christian? Well, first let me say it is NOT any type of organized movement, sect, denomination, or official flavor of Christianity.  If you Google “radical Christian,” whatever you find will most likely not match what I’m talking about.

First and foremost, a radical Christian is a Christian (pure genius, huh?!?).  But the “Christian” label is so distorted nowadays that no one can seem to agree on what it means.  A follower of Jesus, the Christ?  Yes.  A member of a body of fellow Christian believers?  Yes.  Get much beyond that and we’re liable to be calling each other un-Christian names!

That’s where the “radical” in radical Christian comes in.  Not a radical in the sense of some wild-eyed fanatic, standing on a soapbox and yelling at folks on street corners (those people creep me out, too).  "Radical" comes from the Latin radicalis and means “from the root.”  Radical Christianity attempts to get back to the very roots of earliest Christianity.  To strip away the man-made additions and return to the foundations of belief.

Easier said than done.  In fact, I’d say most of our modern denominations came from someone’s attempt some time in the past to get back to Christian basics.  And then what happened?  Each denomination started adding some man-made improvements to Christ’s basics.  Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.  Sometimes by doctrine, sometimes by tradition.  Either way, we all have added extra rigging (yes, even non-denominational churches).

Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong in having denominations, if it’s for the right reasons and in the right spirit. But that's a topic for later (maybe). 

To not offend anyone else, I’ll focus a minute on my own Christian tribe. I affiliate with Baptists.  From the many denominations I’ve been exposed to, Baptists most closely represent what I understand to be a New Testament church model (well, in many ways anyhow).  We Baptists pride ourselves in rejecting creeds and using only the Bible as our basis of belief.  But guess what.  Many (let's be honest: most) Baptist congregations have added rigid man-made rules.  Since we Baptists tend not to write things down, our straightjackets typically come from traditions (although we also have the dreaded Church Bylaws. Aaagh!!!).  I’ve picked on my own tribe here (we're such easy targets), but let’s face it: every denomination does it!

The radical Christian doesn’t haphazardly toss out doctrine, or traditions, or historical understandings, or anything else.  Those are fine if they help to shine light on Scripture and reveal truth.  But it has to take its proper place and—if found wanting—needs to be changed or shed. 

Instead, we should focus on the essentials… those core Christian beliefs that define us. And the list is probably a lot shorter than you might think.   I’ll tackle those in a future posting…..