I often think of Jesus 12 followers we call the Disciples. Within that group are people of widely varied backgrounds and some obvious political differences. There was a zealot and a tax collector in the group. That means one man worked for Rome and another was trying to see them expelled from their land, even if force was needed. There were fisherman in the group who would have clearly hated the Roman taxes. It was a hodgepodge of backgrounds and viewpoints, and I am sure they did not agree with everything. Yet, they were all choosing to follow Jesus together.

Fast forward two thousand years and Jesus’ followers have not changed very much. Each week as I look out over the crowd I see people who have polar opposite political views. The collection of individuals who follow Jesus usually have very little in common other than their faith in Jesus.

I often wonder if this is by God’s design. He puts us together with people of different viewpoints so that we can learn to overcome our differences.

Yesterday I was listening to a little talk radio. After about 20 minutes I changed the channel because of the constant yelling and bickering back and forth. One person stood firm as if he had everything figured out completely and the other person felt the same way. Anger, yelling and general bad behavior is how these people treated their differences.

For Christians, there is another approach to disagreement other than getting louder. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. The Biblical idea of love is about action. In simple terms, I treat people who I disagree with the way I would want to be treated. One sign of spiritual maturity is how we handle the people we most adamantly do not agree with on a topic.

I think God brings together people of widely varied backgrounds to teach us how to be his followers during disagreements. What if we stopped yelling at that person and started praying for them? What if we stopped sharing political pieces meant to hurt and posted articles intended to help? What if we sat quietly and listened to the other side and then smiled and hugged the person? I do not think we will ever reach agreements with every other Christian, especially on political issues, but maybe we can learn to work together for the overall good of the kingdom, even if it is just that piece of the kingdom in our hearts.

I have spent the last two days in Indiana helping my mother. She is searching and sorting through all of my dad’s stuff in preparation for a city-wide garage sale in a couple of weeks. Mom has been working on this project all summer, and I have been called in to finish some things. My area of expertise is in the fishing, hunting and camping gear. Dad and I spent countless hours together in the woods or on the lake through the years. I know about most of what he owned and even a little history to many of the items.

My project started in the garage and proceeded to the shed. Boxes have been pulled down, and every container opened to examine the contents. During the project, I have been continually reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The once treasured items are now garage sale fodder. Items that my dad saved money to purchase are now worthless. Many of the things had the option of trash them or burn them. The years had not been kind to all the of father’s possessions. Here in the Midwest the moth and rust are not the problems. The moisture and mold slowly destroy what the mice and bugs do not use as food or a bathroom.

I can’t help but think about how much money was represented in each original purchase. Thousands of dollars will now be sold for hundreds. What was bought for hundreds will now go into the garbage.

I know my father had faith in God and was a generous man. He gave to the work of the Lord and people in need throughout his life. He gave above and beyond in his tithes and offering. I am not sad in my thinking about how my father had a hard heart. I just keep pondering the use of our money.

Here in the Midwest maybe Jesus would say to us, “Do not store up for yourself stuff where mold and mildew damage and where mice and ants destroy. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven because if you don’t know, one day, all your precious items will end up in the trash or a yard sale. For wherever you store your stuff is, there your heart will be also.”

I am a leader in a group of Churches known as the Independent Christian Churches. We do not call ourselves a denomination because we have no governing bodies beyond the local Church. We are mostly united around our Bible colleges. We call ourselves the Restoration movement as we try to restore New Testament Christianity. Each year we have one major conference that makes an effort to brings us all together or at least all our leaders.

When our Church leaders come together, they speak of themselves as a movement or most frequently, a brotherhood. In the history of our Churches, the preacher was originally called by the title of “Brother.” The man who leads the Church was “Brother Harris” and not a pastor.

This concept is rooted in several pieces of thinking. First, the Bible frequently refers to the people in the Church as brothers and sisters. We should call ourselves by Bible names. The second was the desire to see everyone in the Church as equals. No one is greater than another, and we are all God’s children. Finally, is the desire to see everyone we encounter as a part of my extended family in Christ.

While I have never been a huge fan of calling people brother or sister at Church, I do find the concept challenges me.

Do I view other Christians in my local Church as part of my family in Jesus? I do not just attend the same Church as people each Sunday; I am connected to those people. I have a bond in Christ that is as strong as my natural family, if not stronger. I work for unity and the betterment of all of those people, even when times with them is difficult.

Do I view other Christians across the globe as part of my family in Jesus? The people who follow Jesus in other states and other countries are part of my family too. What hurts and what helps them affects a member of my family. The bonds of faith extend across all racial, cultural and geographic boundaries.

Recently my wife was writing a card to my son as he went off to college. She took out all the old journals she kept of his childhood. She ran across a story from elementary school. The teachers had told the boys that when they were at recess, they needed to pick other people on their teams than another Harris boy. As my son relayed this story to us, he paused and said, “Don’t they understand that we are brothers?”

At a young age, my son saw the bonds of the family meant something. I wonder if believers see the family of God in the same way. Do we seek to connect with other Christians simply because of our faith in Jesus? Each one of us is a part of a family. In Christ, you are my brother and my sister. That connection is real, but do I recognize it?

Through my years of reading the Bible and teaching it in many settings, I have concluded something about Biblical instructions. I believe when the Bible, especially the New Testament, includes specific guidelines to point us toward the things that do not come naturally.

The Bible instructs young men, married men and older men on particular ways of living. Young men are to live pure lives, and married men are to love sacrificially, and older men are to be worthy of respect. Each of these instructions is not ways we would normally behave. Our natural instincts are to want to live wild, to seek selfish gain and to let ourselves go. God’s word points us a different direction.

My encouragement when you are reading the Bible is to pay attention to the specific instructions. What does God say to someone in your situation? As a wife, a mother, a young man, as a single adult or simply as a Christian? Chances are, the actions listed are not how someone without God would act.

Perhaps God is pushing you to grow in ways that are not natural to you. Maybe the right thing to do is also the most difficult.

Yesterday at church I announced the move to two worship programs this fall. Most people greeted the message with understanding as this has been a topic for several months. The biggest concern was stated in the words, “but we aren’t going to know everyone.”

This is the fourth time I have led a Church to add a second program. I helped a congregation years ago in Indiana move not only to two different times but also two different types of worship. Then later I helped the Church I led in Iowa add a second program two separate times over eight years as we continually changed facilities.

With every adjustment, I was greeted with the same basic question: How are we going to know everyone?

Today I want to respond to this issue on two different levels.

1.You don’t know everyone now. The numbers just don’t lie. The average person can know the name and a general piece of information about 175 people. An above average person can push that number up over 250, but the details begin to get sketchier. I have told people that I would bet them I could bring up several people in front of the congregation and a large group would have no idea who they were or anything about them. Knowing about people is not the same as having a meaningful relationship. In fact, it is often a fake substitute for the real thing.

2. The goal is not to know everyone. The Church was never designed to be a place where you knew one or two pieces of information about hundreds of people. The Church is a place where you are to develop deep, meaningful relationships with a few people. Jesus modeled this in his ministry. He had 12 disciples, and within them, he had three that he favored (Peter, James, and John) and of those three John calls himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

My goal is for everyone to know about several people. Then within that group, to develop a few people who are more than acquaintances. This is usually about 10-15 people. Out of that group, there are 2-5 people you are really close to you personally. These people know what makes you laugh and what makes you cry. They know what brings you joy and what hurts you. Then within the smaller circle, you have one or two people with whom you can bare your soul.

Sunday morning is a time in which the Church gathers to worship together and expose ourselves to some like-minded people. Connections will happen in smaller settings. They happen in Sunday School and small groups. They happen as we serve side by side with people in a ministry. They happen over conversations in the kitchen. They happen when we invite other people into our home.

Honestly, I am not the least bit concerned about you knowing everyone. This often gives the appearance of having relationships while no one ever really gets to know us. Knowing about people is not the same as knowing people. The Church is a place where real relationships exist between believers for the betterment of everyone.

A simple verse of scripture for this afternoon and for our world. I know this verse is in the Old Testament and applies to Israel, but it still has some application for the Church today wherever it is found.

This blog will post while I am moving through another life transition. Right now, I am taking my second son off to college for his Freshman year. He is headed off to college and will no longer be under my supervision. Sure, he will be home at Christmas for three weeks and will most likely return next summer, but life is changing.

Tomorrow my oldest son will load up his car and drive himself back to college for his second year. He has probably spent his last summer at home. He has already been working on an internship for next summer. He also plans to come back for Christmas but his days under my roof are limited.

It is hard not to write this with a heavy heart. I love my boys, and I wanted them to stay little forever. Without slowing down, they grew up, and now I only have two boys left at home. In four years both of them will be gone, and the nest will be empty.

The transitions in my life are coming fast, and I am not sure how to handle all of them. Here is how God is guiding me through these changes.

1. I thank God for the past. The years I have had with all my children have been an enormous blessing. Every new adventure and each new phase have brought joy along with challenges. Memories have been photographed and imprinted on my mind. I am happy for every moment I have been there.

2. I embrace each new moment. It is easy to spend all my time looking back and forget to look around. New memories are forming as my boy steps into manhood. There is joy even in the separation.

3. I pray like never before. I pray for my children with greater intensity in this season. I pray for their safety, wisdom and God’s guidance.

4. I wait excitedly for the future. Who alone beside our God knows what the future hold for all of them. The stand on the edge of degrees, careers, relationships, possibly marriage and children of their own. The future is wide open, and I am excited to see where God will take them.

I would be lying if I said this transition was easy. It comes with hidden tears and a breaking heart. I love my children, and I do not want them to move on, but I understand that it is necessary. Therefore, I will follow God wherever he leads as he leads them.

Thank you Lord, for today and all that it brings.

Our Church has taken on the initiative to have everyone complete a membership class. The course teaches about the fundamental doctrines of the faith and explains the importance of Church membership. One part of membership is serving the Lord through a local body of believers. So after the class is over, I meet with each person to ask about their salvation and answer any questions. Then my wife meets with everyone to talk about participation.

Through the years my wife and I have noticed that there are two ways people approach ministry.

First – many people come with an “I have an idea for you” mentality. The words flow fast and easy, “Our church should have …” It might also sound like, “Pastor I have an idea for you.” Numerous times I hear about great ministries that “someone” should start and lead.

These people have no real desire to start these ministries. They rarely even want to participate in them. They are just individuals who want someone to do something.

This is what I have learned through the years. When I start these ministries, they usually fail. Some of the ideas are genuinely good ones. They make sense and would help our Church. I get a little excited and try to throw things together and make it work. Those that work are the exception. No one has a passion for this ministry. They approach it as a job and lack the enthusiasm to help it thrive.

Second – some people come with an “I have an idea I would like to start” mentality. It is common for this group to be so excited about their idea that they have not through all the details. They see a need and want to meet it. They have little regard for budgets or guidelines. God has laid something on their heart, and they are sure it can work.

What I have noticed is that quite often these ministries take off and thrive. The enthusiasm is infectious. The details are covered by blood, sweat, and tears. They accept responsibility and make it work by overcoming any obstacle. If someone has a passion for doing something for God, there is nothing that can stop them.

Interestingly enough, if the person who started that ministry is called away from the Church for a job or another reason, the ministry begins to fail. People live on memories of past success and have little passion for the present or future. Great and life-giving ministries struggle and fail because the individual who brought it to life is gone.

I would bet that through the years some of your favorite ministries have died and you felt sad. Some people tried to make it work, but it just didn’t happen. The simple reason was the leader and visionary was gone. Everyone who followed was just filling a position and did not have the heart for its success.

Great ministry happens when God’s people follow his leading and serve with their unique dream and gift. If God has laid something on your heart, then it is your responsibility to help bring it to life.

One day it will die. That does not mean it failed; it only means God has a new dream on the rise for a new follower to help make happen.

And so goes the cycle of ministry.

His hostility was apparent from the first words out of his mouth. He hated Christians and the Christian faith. Over time he had developed a list of reasons why he hated religion and numerous arguments against it. He was angry and ready to shame anyone who stood against him.

I recently saw this behavior on a YouTube video. It was posted as a tool for motivating us to develop better apologetics or defense of the faith. I watched the video twice and kept thinking about all the possible arguments that I would have used in this situation. Quickly my mind began to replay every discussion I have experienced like this through the years.

A few days later I was reading an article on the internet, and I did the unthinkable. I scrolled down the page and read the comments section. As usual, it was a brutal example of the worst communication on the planet. Within the lines, a man had begun to list all the reason he did not believe in Jesus and the Bible. One by one people had tried to refute his arguments and each time he shot them down. Once again, I sat there wondering how I would have handled this situation had it happened to me.

There is this natural inclination inside of me to argue my point and try to convince other people that my view is correct. Through the years I have developed an extensive list of responses to defend my faith. I believe my life of faith is easily supported on many levels.

Honestly, this is the way the Church usually tells people to approach the topic of belief. Have a list of arguments ready and set yourself for a verbal war.

I want to suggest something else to you today. Years ago, speaker Bill Gothard said an important line (at least that is where I first heard it). He said, “Behind every atheist is one extremely painful event.”

Through the years I have found that his insight was correct. The people who adamantly oppose faith are those who have been hurt the deepest. Someone they looked up to hurt them and that person claimed to be a Christian. Possibly someone who should have looked out for them in the name of Jesus didn’t do their job. Maybe they lost someone they loved to death or distance, and it hurt their soul. There are one of a thousand possibilities of where the damage might have come from for anyone. This hurt fuels a passion not for the gospel but rather against it.

As a result of my experiences, my new response to those who argue against my faith is simply, “I am sorry about whoever hurt you.”

Their general response is to deny the pain. They have been living in denial for years, and one line is not going to change that mindset. But I reiterate to them that I am sorry for whatever has caused them so much pain that they feel the need to lash out.

Honestly, the conversation usually goes nowhere. At least initially it does not. Hopefully, they will process what I am saying in the privacy of their own mind and understand my point. I find it frequently produces better conversations down the road than arguing.

I am not trying to convince you to stop defending your faith. I think you should know what you believe and why you believe it. I am asking you to offer grace to people who are hurting, and their only stance has been to lash out in anger. Extending grace opens the doors of the heart better than kicking on them.

We live in an age of action by way of a computer keyboard. I realize that I am a total hypocrite as I write those lines on my laptop. Every day I try to write something God is laying on my heart with the hopes of encouraging, challenging and instructing people of like mind. I am trying to use my computer for good.

I know there are a lot of people who feel the same way that I do. They take to their computers and smartphones to help change the world. They write, and they comment as a Christian effort to help mold and shape the world.

Lately, I am losing faith in my keyboard. I am part of a ministers group on Facebook, and it is scaring me. Several people spend countless hours online arguing back and forth about how their view is correct. They pick apart each other’s politics. They comment about things I am sure of which they have no complete picture. Unfortunately, spending a few minutes reading the posts always leaves me feeling frustrated, confused and a little angry.

Slowly my mind shifts to the idea of how we use our time. How much time do we spend online? How much time is spent at my computer, tablet or on my smartphone? How much time do we spend reading and commenting instead of doing anything productive?

I am continually drawn back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 25. Jesus is teaching a parable about the separation of the sheep and the goats. It is a description of the end of the world and the judgment of all humanity by their maker. After the division, there are some questions as to why the groups were split as they were. Jesus responds to the sheep, “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, (36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV)

It appears that for Jesus the spreading of his kingdom was not done at a keyboard trying to change some person’s views who lives “out there.” His view seems to be that we are called to take the kingdom of God in little ways right where we live. A meal is better than a like on Facebook. A drink of cold water is better than a share. A free change of clothes is better than any post of any kind. Help and companionship are greater than any online victories.

Don’t get me wrong, I will still write every day, but if that is all I do for the kingdom of God, then I am missing the point. We need to be sure our online life is nothing compared to your actual life. We need to take the kingdom of God that exists within us to the world that is immediately around us. God’s plan is to change the world one small selfless action at a time.