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
