CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF CONGREGATIONS

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Back to Church Sunday” is this weekend. It is to call the Church back to its mission and to extend an open invitation to those who’ve never attended or have been away. It’s one Sunday -- always the third Sunday in September -- set aside for churches to rally together, welcome their communities, and remind people that hope is found in Jesus and in a church family that cares.

CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF CONGREGATIONS

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)

Consider the impact of congregations on your own life. Suppose someone could extract from your life all the influences that God has had on you through faith communities.  Imagine if you could pull out of your mind and heart all the thousands of sermons you have heard, the tens of thousands of hymns and praise songs you have sung, the Scripture readings and pastoral prayers that you have heard.  Remove all the people from your life and memory whom you have come to know and from whom you have learned and with whom you have worked -- the pastors, friends, colleagues, laypersons, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers.  Extract from your soul all the work projects, the meetings, the conversations, the service initiatives, the soup kitchens, the mission trips, hospital visits and support from others you have experienced.  Extract all the weddings, funerals, volunteer hours, stewardship campaigns, prayer vigils, children’s programs, mission fairs, camp experiences, and youth ministries.

If you could remove from your life all the influences congregations have ever had on you, who would you be? You’d be someone substantially different from who you are now.  The congregations to which you have belonged -- their people and pastors, their ministries and teachings, their small groups and programs, their worship and service, their music and rituals, their communities and caring -- these have been the means God has used to form who you are.  They have shaped you.       

Congregations are a primary means by which God reaches down into our lives to work on our behalf.  God uses congregations to create us anew, to claim us as God’s own, and to call us to God’s service.  It is through congregations that God’s spirit shapes how we understand ourselves, how we relate to our families, how we view community, and how we participate in the world. 

-- Adapted from Robert Schnase in his blog “The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations”

THE CHURCH OF LESS-THAN-PERFECT HUMAN BEINGS

THE CHURCH OF LESS-THAN-PERFECT HUMAN BEINGS

“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”  (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV)

Carmen Renee Berry's book, “The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church,” was "inspired by her odyssey from the deeply conservative church of her childhood into the world of seekers and cynics, and back again." She eventually found that the very reason she withdrew from the church -- her disappointment in church members who often failed to act as Christians -- was what drew her back.

She writes: "I had overlooked one essential factor -- that I am as finite and flawed as everyone else. … When a friend [died by] suicide, I realized I could become too cynical, too lost, and too alone. I needed a church, a community of believers. I needed to live in my faith and visit my doubts. Something happens there that simply doesn't when you are alone in prayer or on the Internet. As much as I hate to admit it, my faith is enhanced and enlarged when in relationship to other less-than-perfect human beings." 

-- from USA Today (6-2-2003)

#6061

EQUIPPING THE CHURCH FOR MINISTRY

“Christ Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;…”  (Ephesians 4:11-13 NKJV)

The task of the ministry is, not to undertake some specialist activity from which the rest of the faithful are excluded, but to pioneer in doing that which the whole church must do.  And the ministry itself is no originator, but receives its task from Christ.  The ordained ministers only exercise the ministry which Christ Himself has first exercised, and which He continues to exercise through them, and through their activity in the whole church also.

 -- Anthony T. Hanson (1916-1991) in “The Pioneer Church” 

#6029

A PRAYER FOR OUR CLERGY

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”  (Philippians 1:3-5 NIV)

For Clergy Appreciation Month may this prayer bring comfort and encouragement to all those who serve in ministry.

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with grateful hearts, lifting up our local church pastors, chaplains, and retired clergy. We thank You for their dedication, their tireless service, and their unwavering commitment to caring for Your flock.

For our local church pastors, we ask for Your continued guidance and strength. Bless them with wisdom as they lead their congregations, and fill them with Your Spirit so they may preach Your Word with boldness and clarity. Grant them the endurance to face the challenges of ministry and the joy of seeing lives transformed by Your grace.

For our chaplains, who serve in hospitals, military, prisons, and other institutions, we pray for Your protection and peace. May they be a source of comfort and hope to those in need, and may their presence be a reflection of Your love and compassion demonstrated through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give them the words to speak in difficult situations and the strength to carry out their duties with grace and mercy.

For our retired clergy, we offer our deepest gratitude for their years of faithful service. May they find rest and fulfillment in their retirement, knowing that their labor in Your vineyard has not been in vain. Bless them with good health, joy, and the continued assurance of Your presence in their lives.

Lord, we ask that You surround all these faithful servants with Your love and encouragement. May their hearts be uplifted by the appreciation and support of their communities. Strengthen them in their calling, and may they always feel valued and cherished for the work they do in Your name.

We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

#5964

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT)

Do you need encouragement right now? My best advice to you is to go encourage someone else. Are you caught up in your own needs? Go fill the needs of others. You’ll reap what you sow, and the love you give will return to you.

But some people have actually told me, “I don’t know anyone who needs encouragement.” Would you like to know the best place to find them? In your church.

Fred Smith, a businessman, asked a church usher about his responsibilities. The man said, “Nothing more than being there, shaking hands, finding my place in the aisle, taking the offering, and showing up for an occasional ushers meeting.” Smith thought this didn’t sound very biblical, but he observed in the conversation that this man had a passion about the ministry of hospitality. So many people come to church filled with cares and anxiety, the usher had noticed, and they need a warm handshake, a listening ear, perhaps a hug. The man found his place to serve God quietly but profoundly.

This weekend, make it a project to go to church simply as an encourager. Ask God to direct your steps to someone who needs a dose of love. 

-- David Jeremiah in “Keep the Faith: How to Stand Strong in a World Turned Upside Down”

#5925

COMMITTED TO ONE ANOTHER

“Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. What a foundation you stand on now: the apostles and the prophets; and the cornerstone of the building is Jesus Christ Himself! We who believe are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing temple for God. And you also are joined with Him and with each other by the Spirit and are part of this dwelling place of God.”  (Ephesians 2:19-22 TLB)

When you became a Christian, you committed yourself to Jesus Christ. Now you can become a part of the local body of believers committing yourself to those people. That is what “church membership” is -- a commitment to other Christians. It is a decision to become a participant, not merely a spectator. You stop being a consumer and become a contributor…

Who can count on you? Can anyone? There is no such thing as a Lone-Ranger Christian. Koinonia, the Greek word translated “fellowship” in the Bible, means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). One way love expresses itself is in faithfulness to others [in the body of Christ, the church]. 

-- Rick Warren in “God’s Power to Change Your Life”

#5834

MEETING TOGETHER

 EDITOR'S NOTE: This quote was originally written following the Covid pandemic. Christians who had been worshiping via live stream were not returning to in-person worship in pre-pandemic numbers. Many Christians had gotten out of the habit. This trend continues for many today. This quote is not meant for those who are not able to be in worship. In that case, we are thankful for the ministry of live-stream worship. -- DW

MEETING TOGETHER

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)   

As church attendance numbers fade across the nation and online services become very convenient it’s important to remember why church attendance for you and your family matters so much.

You can’t serve from your sofa. You can’t have community of faith on your sofa. You can’t experience the power of a room full of believers worshipping together on your sofa.

Christians aren’t consumers. We are contributors. We don’t watch. We engage. We give. We sacrifice. We encourage. We pray by laying hands on the hurting. We do life together.

The church needs you. And you need the church. 

-- Michael Carl

#5782

A PRAYER FOR PASTORS – Part 1

(Editor’s Note: October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I have broken this prayer into four parts, shared over two days, adding scripture for each section. May it be used to support and build up the pastors among us.)

“Every time I think of you, I always pray for you with a heart full of joy...” (Philippians 1:3-5)

We acknowledge the gift of Your servants to the work of ministry; called in their weakness and strengthened by Your Spirit. May we support them with our love and prayers. May we cherish, honor, and respect them because they are Your anointed servants. May we, with joy, accept the awesome and privileged responsibility of helping them be all You want them to be.

“’Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?”  (Romans 10:13-14)

It is by Your love and grace that we are given pastors to preach the gospel. We thank You for the boldness with which they call us to repentance. They hold before us the truth of Your Word which strengthens our faith and gives us a sure hope for the glorious coming of Your kingdom. As they impart Your Word to us, be their joy and their inspiration.

-- Adapted from “God Gave Some to Be...Pastors: A service of prayer, gratitude, and encouragement for pastors” by Sharon Postma 

#5706

ON CHURCHES BEING OPEN TO GOD’S PRESENCE

Jesus said to His disciples, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  (Matthew 18:20 NIV)

What I have consistently noticed in almost all thriving congregations is that what makes the difference is the extent to which the community is open to God at its core. Many churches aren’t simply open to God. They let the will, ego, and purpose of the dominant voices in the congregation, whether the pastor’s or that of a few strong members, drive the agenda. Instead of seeking God’s call and purpose, they argue over who is right and wrong. Declining churches tend not to be open to God’s presence. They worship, meet, and engage in ministry and mission, but their sense is that God is in heaven, we are on earth, and all that matters is doing good deeds so that we can get into heaven. The congregants have no sense that Christ is in their midst, and that this presence of Christ can bless them and make them a church of love. So they continue to engage in the practices of the church, but they don’t expect an encounter with Christ. Finally, these churches have no awareness that God’s grace and power can work in their midst. They have no awareness of the Holy Spirit. They are unaware that when we become open to God, God’s Spirit flows through the church to make miracles happen. 

-- N. Graham Standish in “Becoming a Blessed Church: Forming a Church of Spiritual Purpose, Presence and Power”

#5683

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

YOUR CHURCH NEEDS YOU – Part 3 of 3

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ… Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  (Galatians 6:2,10 NIV)

On any given Sunday, there are numerous people in my congregation who are hurting and who long for assurance that God knows and cares about what they’re going through. It has been my joy to enter church on Sunday with a prayer to God that I am available for the Sprit to lead me to the one who needs encouragement that day. How exciting this has made Sundays for me! I never know what God might ask me to do as I not only worship Him but serve Him among His people….

Too many Christians have developed a self-centered attitude toward their church. They look upon church as something that exists to meet their needs and to deliver entertaining services each week. However, Jesus said we must deny ourselves (see Matthew 16:24). Our desire should not be that we are always ministered to but that we follow Jesus wherever He leads us. Rather than focusing on what our church is doing for us, we ought to be asking what God is seeking to do in our church through us. 

-- Excerpted from “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King

#5529

YOUR CHURCH NEEDS YOU – Part 1 of 3

“No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”  (1 Corinthians 10:24 NIV)

Being a member of the church is a selfless act! The church does not merely exist for what you get out of it. It is your opportunity to invest in the lives of God’s people and to join God’s activity through His people. God knew that your church needed you. That’s why God added you to that body (see 1 Corinthians 12:18). Your involvement is part of the equipping of your church to carry out God’s purposes….

When I served as a pastor, one of the most important things I did was to help my people recognize when God was at work in our midst. At small or informal meetings, I often asked what the members had witnessed of God’s activity that week. University students would tell how God had opened opportunities to share their faith with fellow students. Business people told about God’s activity in the work place. Mothers would relate how God led them to establish a group of Christian mothers to pray for the schools. Seniors recounted how God led them to intercede for someone during the week. These informal times of sharing became wonderful opportunities to celebrate together God’s activity in our midst. 

-- Excerpted from “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King

#5527

BRING THEM TO CHURCH

“And they were bringing children to Jesus that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’”  (Mark 10:13-14 ESV)

Bring them to church. Saturate their lives with the Word of God. Even if they lay on the floor. Even if they need 437 goldfish and a sucker to be quiet. Even if you stand in the back swaying back and forth holding them. Even when it’s hard. Even when your row looks like a small hurricane just came through. Bring them to church. Let them see you worship. Let them see you pray. Let them see you running toward the Savior ... because if they don’t see and learn these things from you, who are they going to learn them from?

The world will teach them it’s not a priority. The world will teach them it’s okay to lay out, not to pick up their Bibles. The world will direct them so far off course, confuse them, and misinform them that just being “good” is enough. The world won’t teach them about Jesus. That’s our job.

Bring them to church. 

-- Posted on Facebook by First United Methodist Church, South Bend, Indiana

#5490

PEOPLE OF PRAYER

"Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God.”  (Colossians 4:2 GNT)

What the Church needs today is not more technology or better, not new organizational models or more novel methods, but people whom the Holy Spirit can use -- people of prayer, people mighty in prayer.

-- E. M. Bounds, adapted

#5474

WE ARE FAMILY – Part 1

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:15-16 NLT)

Part of the normalness and significance of churches for the New Testament writers came from the association of these groups with homes. Houses were not only the context for these gatherings, they provided an essential perspective on what living as Christians meant. Christians were family and… this experience mirrored the heavenly reality.

The New Testament almost always used the Father/Son image to explain the relationship of Jesus and God. It was, therefore, natural to describe Christians as adopted into this family (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Galatians 4:4-6). Thus Christian growth was a matter of maturing from infancy to adulthood (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 12:4-9) and of learning to relate to each other intimately and responsibly as in an ideal family (e.g., 1 Corinthians 8:11-13; Galatians 6:10; Colossians 3:12-14; 1 John 2:28 – 3:3). 

-- Mark Strom in “The Symphony of Scripture: Making Sense of the Bible’s Many Themes”

#5422

JUSTIFIED BY GRACE

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 3:22-24 NIV)

The Church is the only fellowship in the world where the one requirement for membership is the unworthiness of the candidate. 

-- Robert B. Munger, quoted in “Growing Strong in God’s Family”

#5140

MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Corinthians 12:27)

The doctrine of the "body" in First Corinthians... is a picture of the local church, (which) is distinguished by a great variety of gifts, outlooks, and cultures. The various members belong organically to each other in Christ, and are to exhibit that harmony practically in their common life. The recognition of how they differ from each other, and are yet one, is to enrich their worship, inspire their ministry, and quicken their love. To divide the local church is... to witness to a divided Christ, or to a discipleship to lesser masters than Christ, such as Paul or Apollos. Both implications are equally unthinkable. There is no New Testament pattern of serving the one Christ, except in one local body, formed by the incorporation given in the one baptism, and the continued life sustained by breaking and sharing the one bread.

-- C. O. Buchanan in “The Unity of the Church” 

#4689

WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

“The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry,…” (Ephesians 4:11-12a NRSV)

Where is the church at 11:25 on Wednesday morning? The church then is in the dentist’s office, in the automobile salesroom and repair shop… It is in the hospital, in the classroom, and in the home. It is in the offices… That is where the church is, wherever God’s people are … They are honoring God, not just while they worship in a building Sunday morning, but out there throughout the week.

-- Adapted from Arthur H. DeKruyter


#4686

DABBLING IN DISCIPLESHIP

“TO DABBLE: to undertake something superficially or without serious intent.” Most of us dabble at an endeavor from time to time. I used to dabble at stone polishing. I purchased rock tumblers and the various grits for each stage of the process. I polished batches of rocks for a couple of years. But over time, I lost interest. I could take it or leave it, and I pretty much left it. …. When we dabble, we spend time on something that really doesn’t affect or change us.

…Religious dabbling is alive and well among us. Some forms of church shopping today are little more than “dabbling” at discipleship. ‘Let’s see what this church can do for me and mine’ is not all that far removed from ‘let’s see whether Jesus will perform a sign for me’ [as Herod did in Luke 23:6-12]. Perhaps even more critical, some forms of faith involvement are little more than “dabbling” at discipleship. ‘As long as we don’t scratch beneath the surface of my life or the status quo around here, as long as all this “religious stuff” is not taken too seriously: everything will be all right.’

But will it? And will we?

Dabbling is all about keeping things on the surface. Discipleship goes deep into our world and into us. Dabbling is all about the momentary piquing of our curiosity before we move on to the next oddity that attracts -- or distracts -- our attention. Discipleship is all about fidelity that keeps faith with One whose presence is steady and whose call is demanding. Dabbling leaves us unaffected. Discipleship intends to change us at the core. Dabbling naturally leads to mocking the committed. Discipleship inevitably calls to living committed.

Which will it be for us? 

-- John Indermark in “Gospeled Lives”

#4550

LEST THE FIRE GO OUT

“Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.”  (Hebrews 10:25 CEV)

A member of a certain church, who had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it on one side of the hearth alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken. The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.

Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.” 

-- Reprinted from the Parish Nursing News


#4407