The last two weeks at our Church gathering have been incredible. If you ask almost anyone who attended, I am sure they will agree.

Two weeks ago, a group of ladies sang for worship with only a keyboard and light acoustic guitar. It was Mother’s Day, and the sound of their voices, the people singing, and the sermon combined for a moving worship experience.

Last Sunday, I spoke about why we sing in worship. Then, we followed it with four powerful songs of praise. Everyone sang their loudest, and it was truly inspirational. Everything tied together and made for another incredible experience.

We made the sermon available to everyone online, and you can listen to it. But I can guarantee you, it will not be the same experience for you.

When I was young, a group of people would be a part of something special. It could be an evening of laughter or a moment of moving motivation. Then, one member of that group would try to tell the story to a person who was not there. Not feeling the same about what happened, they would respond by saying, “I guess you had to be there.”

I believe every Sunday is a touching experience, but some are more powerful than others. I can try to explain it to you, but to truly understand, you have to be there.

The Church is here to help you grow spiritually until you reach maturity in the faith.

The Church community can provide you with people, programs, and pathways to help you become like Jesus. They select leaders who care for others. They organize programs to help you know the Bible, connect to other believers, and serve with your talent. They can help to point you down the right path in times of struggle and suffering. They want the best for you in every area of life, especially in your relationship with God.

That is all the Church can do. They can make the resources available for everyone to become complete in Jesus. The rest is up to the individual.

One way to help yourself in your walk of faith is to read the Church’s bulletin, look at the website, and follow its social media. The congregation you attend probably has something happening that will help you grow if only you participate.

If you told me to eat an entire family pack of Oreo Doublestuf cookies, I would say, “No, thank you.” I love cookies, and munching on these delightful treats always makes me happy. But eating 30 cookies is far more than even I want at one time.

With that said, I have eaten a whole pack of Oreos Doublestuf before. Several of them, if I am being honest.    

I like to eat two Oreos every day as a snack. I take two, pull one side off each, and eat the piece without cream. Then, I slap the remaining sides together for a monster cookie with extra cream. Two cookies a day, and in less than two weeks, I can finish an entire package by myself.

Whatever big project you want to do that will help you grow spiritually, one effective practice is to break it into bite-sized pieces. For example, you can read your entire Bible in a year by reading four chapters a day. You can also read that 250-page book to help you grow as a disciple in two weeks by reading 20 pages a day.

The old question was, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is one bite at a time. The same is true with Oreos and scripture … maybe even both at the same time.

This year, I did something I should have started long ago. I put together a group of people who have been reading through the Bible and staying connected through email and text.

It has not been easy for everyone to read through books like Leviticus and Numbers. But in my conversations with people, the tool people are using the most is their ears. Many in the group have discovered that listening to the “boring” or “tedious” parts of the Bible makes it much easier to digest.

If you want to read more of the Bible, perhaps instead of investing in an expensive printed version, secure an audio version and listen. Maybe get a nice speaker or a pair of comfortable headphones. I encourage you to stay still and listen closely since it is so easy to get distracted. This will help you not get stuck on names or word pronunciation while keeping a constant reading pace.

One of the great things about life today is that we have so many options to help us absorb scripture. Maybe one of the things you should try is using your ears.

Some Christians’ primary goal is to examine other people’s faith and see where they are suspect. They dig into the background of every person they hear speak, dissect everything they teach, and analyze every aspect of their character. Then, they make podcasts, write books and blogs, and put together short videos to show the world this spiritual fraud.

I am totally against false teachers and try to correct any doctrine I hear being mistaught. I stand firm against the misuse of the Bible in any form. But I also believe there is a difference between defending your beliefs and going on witch hunts.

Both Jesus and Paul have stories that trouble me and push my understanding of confrontation.

The disciples come to Jesus and tell him about someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name. The twelve told him to stop because he was not one of them, and this is how Jesus responded. “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:39-40)

Jesus did not run and shut this guy down. He didn’t publicly shame all the issues with this teacher. He basically ignores it.

Then, Paul, when writing to the Christians in Philippi, mentions a group of people who preach out of “selfish ambition.” They preach with envy and rivalry. Then he says, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18)

Wait! What? Paul uses his letter to teach the truth and does not call out these charlatans by name. Then he says he is going to rejoice that Jesus is being preached.

Jesus and Paul both seem more concerned that the story of Jesus is spread than making sure everyone’s teaching is perfectly straight. These examples remind us that our primary teaching should always be Jesus and not the errors of others.

Let me tell you an inside secret. When preachers are speaking with other preachers privately, we describe losing some people as blessed subtractions. Every pastor has a few people who leave the Church they lead, and they actually thank God for their absence.

This might sound shocking, but let me describe a few of them.

1. The Troublemaker. Some people strive to stir up division in the Church. That way, they attract attention (albeit negative) and are never ignored.

2. The Constant Complainer. They liked the last preacher better. They prefer a different style of music. They do not like the volume of things. They want more of this and less of that. Every conversation is a complaint about something in the Church.

3. The “My Last Church” Christian. They are currently attending the Church I lead, but their last Church did this, and their previous Church did that. They are working hard to make this Church just like their last Church.

4. The Deep Thinker and Not Doer. The person who attends every Bible study but will not serve anyone else in any way. They have all the Biblical answers but none of the fruit.

5. The Space Filler. They come to Church, sit there for one hour every week, and leave. They don’t connect to anyone, serve, join a small group, or do anything besides fill a seat each week.

These are a few of the people who walk out of Church, and secretly, the preacher is not offended. In fact, it opens doors for those who are growing in the Lord to serve without hindrance.

One goal for a Christian is to be such a vital part of the Church that no one is ever happy to see you leave, especially the pastor.

She was clearly nervous about speaking in front of a large group of people. Although she was not a paid preacher, because of her life experiences, she was given the opportunity to teach about the method she was using to develop disciples.

Through the years, I have heard all kinds of bad habits in public speaking. People sometimes use the word “um” to fill the blank space as they gather their thoughts. Other people use the word “like” all the time. As this lady gave her lesson, she would stop and say, “Am I right?”

The first time I heard it, I laughed a little. Then, I began to be concerned because I thought she was not confident in what she was saying. Finally, I realized it was a nervous statement meant to help her connect with the audience.

As a preacher, I was very forgiving of her repeated use of the phrase. I also found it a curious comment to add when you are teaching from the Bible. To stand there and read a passage, teach a little, apply it to life, and then say, “Am I right?”

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy that the Spirit of God does not make us timid. Whenever we teach what the Bible says, we can have confidence in what we are saying. God’s word has given us everything we need for godly living. We have divine instructions on what to do and what to avoid. There is a rock on which we stand.

If you are trying to build your life on God’s solid word, the answer to the question, “Am I right?” is always “yes.”

I absolutely hate that you had to go through that.

I despise what your father said to you. I am filled with anger when I think of how your friends did that unimaginable thing. My heart breaks for the pain that you endured at the hands of people who should have loved you. I am genuinely sorry about the broken relationships, physical struggles, emotional baggage, and spiritual letdowns you have endured.

Sadly, I cannot fix any of the things that happened in the past. I sincerely wish I could go back and erase it all.   

All I can do is point you to Jesus. I can tell you that in him, you will find grace, forgiveness, compassion, peace, hope, and love. I can promise you that I, and other Christians like me, will do our best to love, support, and encourage you.

If you are looking for a way to remove the painful scars of the past, all I can tell you is that Jesus is the ultimate healer, and I will show him to you to the best of my ability.

I can’t fix your problems, and I hate that, but I can tell you about Jesus, and you can allow him to make sense of your pain.   

Traditionally, certain monks have taken a vow of silence as an act of dedication to the Lord. They set aside a certain amount of time to keep their mouths shut so they could learn to listen to God. It was believed that thirty, sixty, ninety days, and even a year of silence might help them in their walk of faith.

Often, these experiments in discipline result in worship of a person’s willpower more than God. People thought, “If they can be silent for that long, they must truly be a spiritual person.” And if thirty days were a sign of a mature faith, then a year could only be achieved by the most spiritual people on earth.

As a result of all the ways this can be distorted, it is now a fringe activity done by a handful of people. And yet, I would like to suggest to you that a vow of silence might not be an entirely bad thing. I don’t mean total silence; rather, what if you committed yourself to keeping your mouth shut whenever you feel like you need to correct people?

Imagine a new believer is talking about a passage of scripture they read and how they felt the comfort of the Lord in the words. Meanwhile, you know that they are using the passage a little out of context. Could you vow to keep your mouth shut and let this person grow in their faith rather than trying to instruct them at the moment?

Or picture a conversation in which you hear a fellow believer mention a passage of scripture you have studied in detail. Could you keep your mouth shut and not ramble on about all you know?

Possibly, there will be a time when you are having a religious conversation with people of varying backgrounds. Could you keep your mouth shut instead of trying to convince everyone of your theological perspective?

One true sign of spiritual maturity is knowing your scriptures and what they mean. I also think another sign is letting people talk and not feeling like you have to make everyone see it from your viewpoint.

What would happen if you vowed to listen more than you speak?

What is it like to be a pastor?

This question haunts my days. While I have done it for a long time, I am never entirely sure if I am doing it correctly. Some parts of my job are spelled out in scripture; those things I can do with confidence.

There are also so many gray areas. Should I start this program? Should I visit that person? Should I confront this now or wait? Should we spend money here or there or not at all? Am I doing enough to help people know Jesus? Am I doing too much and killing myself as a workaholic?

This list of questions and ways to second guess ministry are limitless. And if you happen to be an overthinker like me, it can cause you to lose sleep and teeter on the edge of emotional instability.

Faith is not only about trusting God as your Savior; it is also about trusting him as your Lord. That means that you live every day trying to please him. AND that you trust him to take care of all the details. I place my faith in Jesus, knowing that my efforts to serve him will accomplish his will by his power and design.

I know some of my decisions are incorrect, and I often fail in what I should be doing. But I have faith that God will use my work for his glory.

Faith is essential for those who serve the Lord, whether paid or volunteer. We need faith that we have a Savior and that he is using our lives to accomplish far more than we ever imagined.