I came across something while reading last week that arrested my attention and has had be thinking this week:
"I am not saying you have to go to church to be a Christian, but you also do not have to go home to be married" (R. Kent Hughes). Think about it!
"Going to church" has fallen on hard times and I can understand why. In large part it is due to the unbiblical emphasis on buildings, budgets and programs. The church has become big business with pastors we are seen as CEO's (or better yet CFO's). We (pastors) are clamoring for all the wrong things are are spending so much time in lunch meetings that the only thing growing is our waistline. (And when we are growing our waistline, then I believe it is a "waste of time"!) The important things of ministry have been long-neglected...things like studying the Word, praying for the sheep, and visiting the widows and orphans. When we (pastors) do this then we are subtly teaching the disciples of Jesus that cash flow is more important than God's honor and that the next strategy meeting is a higher priority than people's needs.
Change begins with the under-shepherd of the flock. I am reminded of what James worte,
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27 ESV)
I believe that without people you can't have a church, and people won't come (much less stay) if you won't touch their lives. So, we need to give people a reason to come to Calvary Church and I believe that reason comes through personal contact, not in ornate buildings, or multi-million dollar budgets, or even elaborately planned programs.
Remember, if our focus is on buildings then people get used, but if our focus is on people then buildings get used!
Grace & Peace,
Scott
God's purpose for all of creation is to bow before His Son. Paul wrote,
"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11 ESV [emphasis added])
We ought to honor Him EXCLUSIVELY ("the name that is above every name"). No other person, ideal, philosophy or religion is greater than that of Jesus. No other pursuit is worthy of our time and energy as much as Jesus.
We ought to honor Him WITHOUT EXCEPTION ("every knee should bow"). Some will do this for the first time after death because they refused in life, and by then it will be too late. It is better to bow the knee today.
We ought to honor Him WITH ENTHUSIASM ("to the glory of God the Father"). Glorifying God is not some mundane, ho-hum thing we do on the weekends, it is what we enthusiastically do with our lives every minute.
The ultimate aim of all creation is to glorify God through honoring His Son. Everything we see is an outworking of that one purpose. Our greatest joy and full satisfaction will only be found in bowing before Christ. We may look in other places and in vain seek for satisfaction in other ways, but our only hope for lasting joy will come through obedience to Christ.
Christmas is a great time to think some of this through. This is not just a matter of what we believe, but also how we behave. What we claim in important, but how we live is just as important. Sometimes our lifestyle is a little hypocritical when compared to our doctrine.
There are three reactions to the Christ child recorded in the Gospel of Matthew: (1) hatred and hostility by Herod (Matthew 2:3), complete indifference by the religious (Matthew 2:5-6), and adoring worship by the Magi (Matthew 2:2, 10-11). When you compare and contrast the responses, where do you fall? Are you honoring God with every fiber of your being?
Merry Christmas,
Scott
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It is a time that brings out the best in some people and the worst in others. I personally think its kind of sad that Christmas is the only time when some people are on their best behavior. It is tragic when believers act like this. Let me share
the impact the coming of the Christ child has...
Luke records the response of the angels to the birth announcement of Jesus:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. (Luke 2:14 ESV)
We need to be very careful at this point not to misinterpret what the angels said. Does this mean that every December 25, and the weeks surrounding, that there is a mystical, special, super-inspirational, supernatural peace that floats down on the world in an invisible mist so that everyone feels good about everyone else. Is there a little less killing, a little more love and understanding, and does everyone treat each other better? I don't think so! A look at the world around us tells a different story. So what is meant by these words? Glad you asked...
This emphasizes the work of Christ on the earth. He came for the purpose of seeking and saving the lost. His mission was to set man's relationship with God right--to make men to be at peace with the Father through redemption. This is a life-changing, radical rescue. When redemption is brought into play then sin must be recognized and that flies in the face of popular opinion. What the Christmas message is saying is that man is at odds with God and is a sinner who is dead in his sin and is in need of rescuing!
There is no peace in a sin-stained, Satan-dominated world. But, if you are one of those who has come to Christ and taken Him as your Savior, then His peace rests on you.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1 ESV)
Grace, Peace & Merry Christmas,
Scott
