THE CHURCH GATHERED AND SCATTERED – Part 2

The Puritans had the right idea. They did not apply the word “service” to the gathering of worship. For them the service began at the church door when the church meeting was over. There they crossed the threshold of life to go back into the world, and there the service began as an outgrowth of the renewal that had come as they worshipped together. Worship loses its essential Christian nature when it becomes an end in itself and does not send its worshipers out into the world to engage in Christian service -- to deal with the problems of the poor and the oppressed -- and Christian witness -- to make disciples of all nations.

The Jesus who invites us to worship is the same Jesus who proclaimed in His first sermon, as recorded in Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

-- Adapted from “Encountering Jesus” by Zan W. Holmes, Jr.

#5680

THE CHURCH GATHERED AND SCATTERED – Part 1

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”  (Matthew 28:16-20 NKJV)

In worship Jesus extends invitation for us to come to Him, He wants us to rest. He wants us to learn of Him and lean on Him. But He also wants us to go for Him. He not only wants us to be the gathered church, He also wants us to be the church scattered.

There is a classic occasion in the Gospels that illustrates the challenge of this truth. It is usually called “The Transfiguration” (see Matthew 17). Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and went to the top of the mountain, where Jesus was transformed before them. Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah. Peter became so captivated by it all that He said, “Lord, we are having such a good time, let’s stay here! Let’s build three booths and stay here forever! Let’s freeze time. Let’s eternalize this moment.” But Jesus said to Peter: “No, Peter, we didn’t come up here to stay. This is a come and go affair. We have come up, but we must go down. There is a distraught father in the valley who needs help. A sick boy needs healing. There is a woman who has been hemorrhaging for twelve years and needs healing. There is an unbelieving, stumbling, and fumbling church that needs better organization. Let’s go down.” 

-- Adapted from “Encountering Jesus” by Zan W. Holmes, Jr.

#5679

EXPERIENCING GOD’S LOVE

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)

It seems we do not often see or sense God’s sovereign love exercised on our behalf. Instead, we see ourselves beset with all kinds of calamities that come rolling in upon us. We see ourselves as the victims of “nature’s cruel fate,” of the injustices of other people, and of the adversities that occur with no rational cause.

It is at times like this that we must take our stand by faith on the assurances of God’s love given to us in the Scriptures. We cannot evade one of the basic principles of the Christian life, “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)  Certainly our faith frequently wavers and, just as we may momentarily question the wisdom of God, we will momentarily question the goodness and love of God. We will be like David when he said, “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from Your sight!’” (Psalm 31:22)  That is often our initial reaction when adversity strikes us. We feel cut off from God’s face, from His love and tender care.

But we must also learn to say with David, “Yet You heard my cry for mercy when I called to You for help.” (Psalm 31:22)  God cannot forsake us because we are His children, in blessed union with His Son. We cannot be cut off from His sight. But we can be cut off from the assurance of His love when we allow doubt and unbelief to gain a foothold in our hearts. 

-- Jerry Bridges in “Trusting God”

#5678

TIME TO HEAL

If you are like most SOUND BITES subscribers you are reading this early in the morning. I usually schedule the day’s quote a day or two ahead, so that whether or not I am up and about yet, it is sent at 7:00 a.m. central time. So, today, possibly while you are reading this, I am having knee replacement surgery. (Yes, your prayers for the surgery and my recovery and rehab would be appreciated.)

As I began thinking about what to share today, a quote about the similarity of grief and surgery came to mind. In his book “Don’t Take My Grief Away,” Doug Manning wrote, “Grieving is as natural as crying when you are hurt, sleeping when you are tired, eating when you are hungry, or sneezing when your nose itches. It’s nature’s way of healing a broken heart. Don’t let anyone take your grief away from you. You deserve it, and you must have it. If you had broken a leg, no one would criticize you for using crutches until it was healed. If you had major surgery, no one would pressure you to run in a marathon the next week. Grief is a major wound. It does not heal overnight. You must have the time and the crutches until you heal.”

One of the comforts of both grief and surgery is knowing that God is with us. "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) The life of the Christian is always uncertain. There are no guarantees.  Paul tells the elders at the church in Ephesus at a time of change in his life, "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there" (Acts 20:22).  “Going and not knowing” seems to be the pattern of the life of faith -- whether in the loss of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, the need for surgery, the termination of a job, etc.  But in the unknown places, God is there before you. Lean on Him, and take the time to heal. 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

#5677

ABIDING IN CHRIST’S LOVE

Accept this invitation of Jesus: “Abide in My love.”  (John 15:9 NASB)

When you abide somewhere, you live there. You don’t pull in the driveway and ask, “Where is the garage?” You don’t consult a blueprint to find the kitchen. To abide is to be at home.

To abide in Christ’s love is to make His love your home. Not a roadside park or hotel you occasionally visit, but your preferred dwelling. You rest in Him. Eat in Him. When thunder claps, you step beneath His roof. His walls secure you from the winds. His fireplace warms you from the winters of life. As John urged, “We take up permanent residence in a life of love.” (1 John 4:16 MSG)  You abandon the old house of false love and move into His home of real love. 

-- Max Lucado in “Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch”

#5676

JUST JOKING

“Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, ‘I was only joking!’”  (Proverbs 26:18-19 NIV)

A man had the habit of making fun of people as a joke. He would often lapse into extremely poor taste, and he offended regularly. When people would react in anger, he would accuse them of not having a sense of humor, and he would say, “Hey, I’m only kidding. You know how much I think of you.” Then he would turn around and insult them all over again. He thought that he was being immensely humorous and clever, and many people laughed at his jokes, just so long as they weren’t the target of them.

There is no such thing as a harmless joke at the expense of another being’s feelings or dignity. Christ calls us to respect and love one another, and we have no right to do anything that might prove hurtful. Our words should build each other up, not provide a stumbling block. Ephesians 4:29 states, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

A lot of cruelty has been masked as jokes throughout the centuries, but one day God will judge what was funny, and what was evil. It is the duty of every person of God to weigh the impact of their words and to speak in ways which are a blessing rather than a curse. The Lord rejoices when our words are sweet and gentle, but His wrath is kindled by words which burn and cause anguish. 

-- Adapted from “Daily Wisdom from the Bible: Encouragement for Every Day” by Dan and Nancy Dick

#5675

LEADERS FILLED WITH ENTHUSIASM – Part 2

Effective leaders’ hearts are filled to overflowing with contagious enthusiasm, which reveals their excitement toward, and commitment to, what needs to be accomplished. Enthusiasm builds enthusiasm in others and creates positive interaction…

An effective leader knows that enthusiasm can’t be faked. Phony enthusiasm is negative and de-motivates workers. The source of real enthusiasm is Jesus Christ. A Greek word for enthusiasm is en-theos, which means being full of God. When a leader is filled with God, he or she is full of authentic enthusiasm.

A Bible verse that fuels enthusiasm is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV) 

-- Walt Kallestad in “The Everyday, Anytime Guide to Christian Leadership”

#5674

LEADERS FILLED WITH ENTHUSIASM – Part 1

“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.”  (Colossians 3:23 HCSB)

The Buffalo Bills were playing the Houston Oilers in the first round of the Superbowl playoffs [in 1992] without their star quarterback, who was injured. By the end of the first half, the Bills were losing 35-3. But football history was about to be made.

In the second half, Frank Reich, the Bill’s backup quarterback, energized himself and the team with enthusiasm, and passed for four touchdowns. The Bills won in overtime 41-38. [At the time] it was called the greatest comeback in the history of the National Football League. The key to victory was Reich’s enthusiastic inspiration.

Effective leaders have learned that their own enthusiasm sets off in other people a chain of enthusiastic participation. Enthusiasm lights a fire under the soul, creates energy, relieves boredom, and helps us work with our whole heart. 

-- Walt Kallestad in “The Everyday, Anytime Guide to Christian Leadership”

#5673

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  (Luke 11:9-10 NLT)

Growth in the spiritual life requires a group. In fellowship with other like-minded folk, earnestly seeking to know and understand the will of God, comes practice of the presence of God. Their counsel, their experience, their questionings, their faith are nourishment we need, the encouragement to keep on, the joy that delights in knowing that we do not stand alone in our search.

-- Freer and Hall in “Two or Three Together”

#5672

WHAT’S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE? – Part 2

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.”  (1 Peter 3:18 RSV)

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved.”  (Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV)

Grace is God as a heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart -- poisoned as it is with pride and pain -- and replacing it with His own. Rather than tell you to change, He creates the change. Do you clean up so that He can accept you? God accepts you and then begins cleaning up. His dream isn’t just to get you into heaven but to get heaven into you. What a difference this makes! Can’t forgive your enemy? Can’t face tomorrow? Can’t forgive your past? Christ can, and He is on the move, aggressively budging you from graceless to grace-shaped living. The gift-given giving gifts. Forgiven people forgiving people. Deep sighs of relief. Stumbles aplenty but despair seldom.

Grace is everything Jesus. Grace lives because He does, works because He works, and matters because He matters. He placed a term-limit on sin and danced a victory jig in a graveyard. To be saved by grace is to be saved by Him -- not by an idea, doctrine, creed, or church membership, but by Jesus Himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives Him the nod. 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

#5671

WHAT’S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE? – Part 1

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

It is commonplace in all the churches to call Christianity a religion of grace… It is a staple diet in the Sunday School that grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” And yet, despite these facts, there do not seem to be many in our churches who actually believe in grace… They may pay lip service to the idea of grace, but there they stop. Their conception of grace is not so much debased as non-existent. The thought means nothing to them; it does not touch there experience at all. Talk to them about the church’s heating, or last year’s accounts, and they are with you at once; but speak to them about the realities to which the word “grace” points, and their attitude is one of differential blankness. They do not accuse you of talking nonsense; they do not doubt that your words have meaning; but they feel that, whatever it is you are talking about, it is beyond them, and the longer they have lived without it the surer they are that at their stage of life they do not really need it. 

-- J. I. Packer in “Knowing God”

#5670

THE REDEMPTIVE CROSS

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28 NIV)

As we now know, the climactic example of God’s working for good was Jesus’ death on the cross… This incident was used by God for the redemption of the world. The cross thus became the central symbol of the Christian faith, and through it, the world was changed.

The cross teaches us that God can take the pain and suffering of our past, when we put them into His hands, and produce something beautiful. That is why some have defined forgiveness as “giving up the hope of a different past.” I would add to this that it’s taking on the hope of a joyful future. Forgiveness is believing that the future can be better than the past. The past can’t be changed, but God can do something redemptive with it. 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go”

#5669

TRANSLATING “BELIEVE”

“Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16b)

Bible translators in the New Hebrides islands struggled to find an appropriate verb for believe. This was a serious problem, as the word and the concept are essential to Scripture.

One Bible translator, John G. Paton, accidentally came upon a solution while hunting with a tribesman. The two men bagged a large deer and carried it on a pole along a steep mountain path to Paton’s home. When they reached the veranda, both men dropped the load and plopped into the porch chairs. As they did so, the native exclaimed in the language of the people, "My, it is good to stretch yourself out here and rest.” Paton immediately reached for paper and pencil and recorded the phrase.

As a result, his final translation of John 3:16 could be worded: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever stretches oneself out on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Stretch out on Christ and rest. 

-- Max Lucado in “Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God”

#5668

INVESTMENT IN THE LORD’S WORK

“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:20-21)

The only investments I ever made which paid constantly increasing dividends are those I have given to the Lord's work. Pastors do their congregation a great service by helping those in the church understand God's truth about money, time and giving.

-- J. L. Kraft, Founder of Kraft Foods 

#5667

A BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

“The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.”  (Psalm 119:160)

William Henry Seward was born in 1801.  Secretary of State under Lincoln during the Civil War, he would arrange the purchase of Alaska in 1867.  As vice-president of the American Bible Society, he declared in 1836:

"I know not how long a republican government can flourish among a great people who have not the Bible… But this I do know: that the existing government of this country never could have had existence but for the Bible.  And, further, I do in my conscience believe that if at every decade of years a copy of the Bible could be found in every family in the land, its republican institutions would be perpetuated." 

-- Stephen Abbot Northrop in “A Cloud of Witnesses”

#5666

CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  (John 1:12-13 NKJV)

Why do we gather for worship? Why do we gather as a church? We gather as the people of God to hear our true names being called. When we are baptized, the heavens break open and we hear God saying to us, “Thou art my beloved son, thou art my beloved daughter,” because God knows our true names.

I think of my forefathers and foremothers in the time of slavery. They were called everything except children of God. But they did not derive their identity from the names that their slave masters called them. Instead, they stole away and sang: “Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name. Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name.” And then they sang another verse: “It sounds like Jesus, somebody’s calling me name. It sounds like Jesus, somebody’s calling my name. 

-- Zan W. Holmes, Jr. in “Encountering Jesus”

#5665

NET FISHING IS A TEAM EFFORT

"So [some of the disciples] went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”  (John 21:3b-6 NIV)

Are you better at working solo than working as a team? Are you afraid of surrendering some of your control and power to others? Net fishing is a team effort. You can’t do it by yourself. How did Jesus send His followers out to take the world? In teams. “I can’t be me without you” is one of my mantras. We need each other. Most especially, we need Christ. As the disciples found out, apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5). They caught nothing that night. Without Jesus’ help, they finished in vain. Disciples of Jesus never catch anything without the help of Jesus.

Net fishing is best done with a team of experts who will diminish their own interests for the sake of the success of the team. The ideal team is a team of harmonious difference; not where like meets like, but where difference meets difference. Just as genetic diversity is imperative to the survival of any ecosystem, so pluraformity is imperative to the success of any endeavor. The difference between pluraformity and pluralism? In pluraformity, there are wide divergences around a common core; in pluralism, there is no core and no connections, only centrifuge. The experience of Pentecost – the reversal of Babel – empowers us to recognize and respect differences so that, in Paul’s words, “We may be strengthened in the faith, I by yours and you by mine.” 

-- Leonard Sweet in “A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café”

#5664

YOUR GOD-ORDAINED PASSION

“Finally, all of you be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”  (1 Peter 3:8)

What makes you glad or sad or mad?  What puts a holy smile on your face?  What causes your spirit to sob uncontrollably?  What makes you pound your fist on the table out of righteous indignation?  Somewhere in the mixture of that gladness, sadness, and madness is your God-ordained passion.  Or maybe I should say compassion, because you are feeling what God feels.  And once you identify it, doing something about it isn’t optional.  You can’t not do something about it. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#5663

 

TAKING THE WORD OF GOD SERIOUSLY

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NRSV)

From the beginning of the church, Christians have been “a people of the book.” In “Shaped by the Bible,” William H. Willimon labors to make the point that our congregations are formed by their confrontation with the Bible. He says Scripture forms us, reforms us, and challenges us, even as we hide from that Word, refuse to hear it, and avoid and evade the claims it makes upon us. And, indeed, he is right. It has been the testimony of the Bible as the living Word of God that has enabled a people who were no people to gather as God’s people around the Word and the sacraments, suggested by the Bible’s reports of God’s entrance into human affairs.

Show me a vital and healthy congregation, and I will point you to a people who take the Word of God seriously. A congregation that reads it, studies it, listens to God’s whispers and shouts in it will be a changed congregation. 

-- Zan Holmes in “Encountering Jesus”

#5662

AND THE WALL CAME TUMBLING DOWN

“So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat.”  (Joshua 6:20 NKJV)

Some walls seem set in concrete and impossible to budge. But if history tells us anything, it teaches that no matter how intimidating or long-standing, every wall will ultimately fall.

No wall looms as dramatically in our minds as the Berlin Wall. For twenty-eight years it divided East and West Berlin, communism and capitalism. It stretched across the city like an ugly gash, its barbed wire forming cruel stitches. Its great masses of concrete seemed immovable. But on November 9, 1989, the wall started to crumble. It collapsed without a shot being fired.

Jericho’s wall was similarly imposing. But through a small band of men who were willing to trust God for impossible things, that wall also came tumbling down.

Other walls, though less tangible, sometimes appear equally impossible to budge. The wall of a critical spirit. The wall of stubborn will. The wall of an offended friend.

Whether you’re facing a Berlin Wall or a wall around someone’s heart, remember -- there is no wall so strong that God is not stronger still. 

-- Excerpts from “Esther: A Woman for Such a Time as This” Bible Study Guide by Charles R. Swindoll

#5661

HERE IS WHAT I KNOW

He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”  (John 9:25 NKJV)

You don’t have to be weird to follow Jesus. You don’t have to stop liking your friends to follow Him. Just the opposite. A few introductions would be nice. Do you know how to grill a steak?... Discipleship is sometimes defined by being normal.

A woman in a small Arkansas community was a single mom with a frail baby. Her neighbor would stop by every day and keep the child so she could shop. After some weeks her neighbor shared more than time; she shared her faith in Jesus, and the single mom did what Matthew did. She followed Christ.

The friends of the young mother objected. “Do you know what these people teach?” they contested. “Here is what I know,” she told them. “They held my baby.”

I think Jesus likes that kind of answer, don’t you? 

-- Max Lucado in “Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God” 

#5660

ONE DAY AT ABOUT THREE IN THE AFTERNOON

“At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked.” (Acts 10:1-4 NIV)

Here's the context.  There was a Roman captain named Cornelius who gave generously to the poor and "prayed to God regularly."  That prayer habit kept him dialed into God's frequency and set the stage for this vision.  At this point, Christianity was a sect of Judaism, but this vision changes the course of Christianity because the gospel is opened up to the Gentiles.  Christianity crosses the Rubicon, and whosoever will may come!

The timing of the vision almost seems coincidental, doesn't it?  "One day at about three in the afternoon."  But that's what I love about it.  When you pray regularly, you never know when God will show up or speak up.  Today could be the day.  When you live in prayer mode, you live with holy anticipation.  You know what coincidences are providences.  Any moment can turn into a holy moment.  God can invade the reality of your life at three o'clock one afternoon and change everything. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5659

A RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST

"I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'."  (Psalm 91:2 NIV)

We can join the "throng" at the worship hour and blend in with everyone but there comes a time when we face a personal and private decision about the Lord. Yes, the bottom line is that our relationship with the Lord comes down to a very intimate and individual choice. This passage from the Psalmist is a great example of such a personal declaration…

Christianity is not a social club or a decision to follow the masses. It is rather a very personal and individual relationship with Jesus Christ. Have you sought the Lord as a refuge and fortress? Do you place your trust solidly in Jesus Christ? Relax and lean into the everlasting arms of Jesus Christ and enjoy great blessing. 

-- Pastor Gary Stone 

#5658