As I sit in my office on this Sunday afternoon I'm thinking about the vote we took this morning to sell. The vote was 87% in favor of selling, so it wasn't unanimous. I am trying to think through what this means. So here goes...
Does this mean that we are not unified? Absolutely not! Just because we don't agree on everything doesn't mean that we are not unified. Our unity is not based on geography; our unity is based on theology. Our purpose as a church is to glorify God, reach the unsaved, and disciple the believers. This purpose doesn't change when we relocate. The glory of God is not localized. We are not locked into accomplishing God's will in a particular place.
Unity is not unanimity! "Unanimity" is defined as "the quality or state of being unanimous" (www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/unanimity), whereas "unity" is defined as "a condition of harmony: accord" (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unity). It is actually rare that a body of believers (or any group of people for that matter) will be in 100% agreement on anything. And I don't believe it is essential that we are unanimous on non-essentials. It is necessary that we find ourselves in a state of unity on the essentials of our faith.
Paul wrote the following to the Philippian believers:
Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind (Philippians 2:2).
As a pastor it is my desire to share in Paul's joy by experiencing this same type of unity in the church. I would describe it as a church that is focused on the same purpose of making the glory of God the target at which we aim using the arrows of worship that is God-exalting, discipleship that is cross-centered, fellowship that is grace-focused, and outreach that is world-impacting. Calvary Baptist Church...YOU ARE MY JOY!
Grace & Peace,
Scott
On a Tuesday morning (9-7) Abby, our youngest, was on her way to get her braces off. This was going to be a good day! She was pumped. She spent the last two years and two months with these things in her mouth. She had to have her senior pictures postponed because the alternative was just unacceptable. Then something unexpected happened in a split second...she hit a delivery van.
The accident was about a mile from the house so I was able to get their fairly quickly. She was doing fantastic! When I looked at the car I couldn't believe she wasn't hurt. In fact, nobody was hurt. The guy in the delivery van didn't even realize he had been hit until he looked in his mirror.
Here's something else that is amazing...the traffic on Highway 9 or Boiling Springs Road is horrific unless you drive it at 3 a.m. This happened around 9:30 a.m. and hundreds of cars passed her by without a though of this young girl standing alone outside of her totaled car. So many went "rubber necking" by and didn't offer to help. She doesn't look like she's from the hood, but still no help. But two people did come to her rescue. One adult man in a pickup pulled up behind her to protect her. As I was walking from the parking lot to her another young man (a teenager) made a u-turn to help. I didn't get either of their names, but I am thankful these two stopped to make sure my daughter would be safe. I have prayed that the Lord would bless their lives for their act of kindness.
I guess I'm just trying to express how grateful I am that my baby girl didn't get hurt. I've always said that things don't matter, people do. This was a fresh reminder of that.
Looking for a Car,
Scott
When I hear people say, "I can worship God without going to church" I think to myself, "Yeah, and you can probably breathe without air." It just doesn't make sense that a disciple of Jesus Christ would consistently miss getting together with other disciples to worship, share and learn. The early Christians never imagined there would be a time when it was more popular for believers to stay home than to gather in honor and worship of God.
The writer of Hebrews saw this habit of not "attending" the Christian gatherings (i.e., going to church) slipping into the lives of believers:
Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).
It would be helpful to understand the backdrop of this verse. During this time, those hostile to followers of Christ were hounding the believers. The people of the "Way" were in opposition to accepted religious practices and they were gaining ground in people's lives. They were seen as dissenters and were perceived of as spreading division. The result of this perception was persecution. Later in the same chapter the writer wrote:
You had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plunderings of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one (v. 34).
This is guilt by association. Christians were being dragged off to prison for their faith and others in the church would visit them. While visiting, their homes were broken into and their possessions stolen ("plundered property"). These disciples would not just accept the robbery, but accept it with joy. Yes, that does sound like they were a chapter short of a complete novel, but they saw their identification with the Church as a "better possession" than the things they had collected. But some in the church were finding this too costly so they began to "miss church." They were neglecting the meetings because they didn't want to pay the price of being robbed while at church.
This sort of thing is not happening to us today (at least not in America). We are not the persecuted church, and yet some are constantly looking for excuses to stay away from church. We must have a deep-seated conviction that being a part of a church means that we are going to gather together with the Christian family. Having our name on a church roll has very little to do with our relationship to a church, but our presence has very much to do with it. Take this as my "encouragement" to go to church.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
We are on the edge of making yet another historic decision as a church. On Sunday morning, September 19, 2010 we will vote to sell or not to sell the buildings and land we now occupy. I have a tough time wording this because I refuse to say we are voting to sell the church. Yes, it would be easier to write that, but it just isn't true, at least not in my understanding of the New Testament's teaching on the church.
The church has nothing to do with buildings or land, but it has everything to do with the people. The Old Testament does teach about a meeting place for the people of God. While the Israelites were wandering in the desert, God instructed them to build something that could be taken down and moved (i.e., the Tabernacle). Once they reached the land of promise God lead them to build a permanent structure (i.e., the Temple). Both the Tabernacle and Temple symbolized God's presence with His people.
This symbolic presence ended with the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. God came to live with humanity. But the world's reception of the Son of God was less than accepting. In fact, at the end of His time on the earth He had 11 trained apostles and 120 disciples (Acts 1:15). In human terms this would be considered a failure, but we know differently.
Before Jesus' ascension to heaven He promised the presence of the Holy Spirit who would indwell His followers (true believers) in a new way. His presence would no longer be located in a place, it would now be found in His people. It is interesting that the New Testament writers considered the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). All believers are now priests to God (1 Peter 2:9). Every Christian can go to the throne of grace with confidence because of the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:16).
By default some of the first century Christians would continue to meet in the local Temple, but most just met in homes for practical reasons. Generous believers opened their homes to these small band of believers all over Asia. Most of the letters written in the New Testament we meant to be passed along from one congregation to another. In this way all the church would receive the proper grounding on spiritual issues.
The early church didn't have buildings to pay for or budgets to consider or insurance to buy. However, this is where we are today. I just want to stress that our devotion should not be to buildings whether they are old or new, our devotion must be to people. As we come to vote in a week let's all keep in mind this vision of the New Testament church. When I think in terms like this I am encouraged. I get excited to think of God's Church in terms of God's presence through His people. Church is not where we go, it is who we are!
This week we will be worshiping God the Father by remembering the sacrifice of His Son. The Lord's Supper is always an important time of worship for the church. It has also become a time to which I look forward. As a pastor-teacher I love opening the Word and discovering what the Bible teaches about our Savior. In theology we call this "Christology." I especially enjoy the study of the cross and how it molds, changes and centers our lives as disciples.
In my studies on the Lord's Supper I have come to understand it as a sacred meal. It is sacred because of the meaning behind it. No other meal we eat has such a rich history behind it. I don't approach my morning oatmeal in the same way I come to the Lord's Table. It is also sacred because of Who ultimately prepares it for us. When somebody diligently prepares our favorite meal it has a special meaning to us. You know what I mean...you can't wait to get to the table because of what awaits you. The Lord's Table is so much more! It causes us to go well beyond our stomachs to our souls. It touches not our physical appetite but our spiritual one. It satisfies pains that are celestial not earthly.
The passage of Scripture I have chosen to examine this week is found in Hebrews. We will be proverbially "skipping the rock" through chapter 2 as I will be pointing out some of the highlights that pertain to the question the writer poses in verse 3:
How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
I want to encourage you to read through Hebrews 2 several times over this weekend in preparation for our Sunday worship. Try to set a grasp of why it is so important for us not to neglect such a great salvation. Ask questions like: "What am I escaping?" "How could I neglect my salvation?" "Why does he call it a great salvation?" You may come up with some other questions that touch your walk with Christ, just don't be afraid to ask and investigate.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
