Google is the granddaddy of search buttons, but there are many others.  My computer has a little bar in the lower-left corner that reads, “Search for anything.” The Bible software program that I use has a place to search a word in the scriptures or topics found in books explaining the Bible.  Every piece of software or app has a search button to help us.

There is a couple of problem with this feature.  First, it assumes you know what you are looking for. It is possible that the solution to our issues are not what we think.  Second, the only answers it can give are those that are popular.  It points you toward things that everyone else uses.  Is it possible that the answer to your struggles is not popular or is seldom used? 

This morning I spent some time searching the internet for the answers to substantial life issues.  I looked at things like meaning in life, filling an empty soul, and overcoming our past.  The search leads me to university studies, psychology web sites, life coaches, and YouTube videos produced by various gurus.  There were almost no links to anything religious, although a Buddhist website popped up a few times. 

Unfortunately, most people do not truly know what they need, and they are looking in all the wrong places.  This leads us to a confusing world that is cynical about Jesus because nothing else has worked.

I often think that the world will not have much interest in following Jesus until they see how his followers’ lives are decisively different from the people around them.  What the search button lacks is the hope that can be seen at moments of overwhelming loss.  It cannot capture the joy of a burden finally removed from a soul and placed at the foot of the cross.  It misses the love expressed when a person humbles themselves and helps someone without the expectation of repayment.  The search button cannot capture what Jesus brings into the world through you.  I think that is why Peter writes to believers and tells them always to have an answer when someone asks about how their life is different from the world.  He knows that the best response to a searching heart and mind is a life well lived for Jesus.         

There was always this idea inside of me that saw itself materialize in 2020. With the Covid shutdowns and quarantines, it has become clear to me that there are two basic types of ministries within the body of Christ.

The first is Relational Ministry. This is a style of ministry that is based on interaction with people. It goes into homes, visits hospitals, shares coffee and is demonstrated in a hundred other ways through person to person contact.

The other is Teaching Ministry. This type is focused on people learning what the Bible says and how it applies to our lives. The Bible is the biggest priority, and it is taught in sermons, Sunday schools, small groups, and every time people gather.

Both of these ministries are vital to the life of a Church. Believers need to know the right things to believe in, but they also need to be connected to other believers in meaningful ways. And that is the point where 2020 has clarified this issue. Throughout this year, most of the forms of relational ministry have been shut down, so leaders focused on the Church’s teaching ministry. They went online with sermons, devotions, and Bible studies.

The problem is that people are missing a vital part of their walk with Jesus. The relationships are strained, distant, or nonexistent at this point. Somehow the community of believers needs to help people connect while maintaining safety standards. I am not sure I have an answer for this, but I see the lack of genuine human relationships having an impact that might far outweigh Covid.

God created us as relational beings. It was not good for the man to be alone in the garden of Eden, and it is still not right in our digital garden of virtual reality. We need a connection to other humans to meet the needs of our souls. God did not just save us through Jesus; he put us into a community of people who were also saved by Jesus.

I desperately want you to know your Bible. This is a great time to grow through the teaching ministry of the Church. A few minutes of searching will make some of the most outstanding teachings in history available to you. But do not ignore the other side of ministry. Find a way to bring meaningful human interaction into your life. Being truly alone is a type of sickness for which we will need to find a cure also.

You and I are not perfect.  There is no arguing against that single truth.  The question is, “Are you better than you once were?” 

One goal for each of us to have on our journey with God is to be a better Christian than we were just a year ago.  There needs to be a continual improvement in our faith.  We need to be growing spiritually every year, even if it has to be measured in inches and not miles. 

The temptation is to judge ourselves against others.  When we do this, we tend to think, “I am not perfect, but I am better than them.” That type of thinking is never a fair assessment.  They are not in the same place as you in their spiritual journey.  You may be a long-time believer, and they may be new to the faith.  The only way to assess ourselves accurately is by looking back on our journey to see any progress we have made.

I am not perfect, but you have no idea how far I have come in my faith.  I am a hundred miles from where my life once was located.  Inch by inch and mile by mile, I have slowly transitioned myself into a new and better person.  While I am still a long way from where I want to be, I am happy with my progress.

How is your progress going?  If you went back and looked at yourself one year ago, what has changed about you?  What areas have you molded, so they look more like Jesus? I don’t care if you are still a good person compared to others. God desires people who take their personal journey with him seriously each day and every year, one decision at a time.   

I stood at the back of the room and let my gaze move slowly over the group of people. It was a Saturday night, and at least a dozen people had come to clean the Church building, move chairs, and reset everything for Sunday morning.

What caught my attention was not that these people were blessing our Church community, although that was certainly what they were doing. I was not caught up in how they were using their gifts and talents for the Lord, while that is what they were also doing. No, what caught my eyes and mind that night was that all the people helping were in little groups ranging from two to four people and talking while they worked.

Ministry and serving the Lord through the local Church is a blessing in so many ways. It touches the lives of other people for Jesus, and it helps you to use your gifts. One of the most significant benefits I have seen is that it connects an individual to the other people who serve. The group becomes like a band of brothers or an extended family with a common mission. People who help, talk to one another, meet new people, and they experience the joy of the bond we have in serving Christ together. They become part of team Jesus and have a connection with the rest of the teammates.

People who sit in chairs on Sunday morning come and go quite quickly. When someone steps up to serve, they cement their faith and the relationships that will last a lifetime. I saw it clearly that night, and I hope that one day you get to experience the joy those people had as they worked together for the glory of the Lord.

Preachers like me, repeatedly speak on the topic of giving. We are always encouraging people to be more generous with their resources. Recently it dawned on me that I have never talked or written about receiving resources. This came clear when I told a person where they could receive some help, and they were not willing to take it because they were “going to make it on their own.” Then it hit me that we need to let people know it is okay to accept help too.

Jesus is our model in everything, and he not only taught about giving, but he also accepted the help of others. Think about it; he received housing as he had no home. He took meals from other people. His ministry welcomed money to support the work. People like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus supported his mission in all these ways. And Jesus gladly accepted it.

The Apostle Paul worked as a tentmaker and often did not need others’ help, but sometimes he did. He accepted financial assistance, food, and shelter as he traveled about the country preaching. Paul was not always willing to welcome others’ generosity when he felt there were strings attached, but most of the time, he was ready to take whatever people gave him.

For someone to be generous, someone else must allow them to share their resources.

Throughout my ministry, I have seen two extremes. First, there are a group of people who are always asking for a handout. They waste more than they are given. This group must have accountability and financial planning in their life. Second, there are a group of people who need help but will not accept it. Their pride and ego stand in the way of them ever getting any handout or gift. Unfortunately, one side is as wrong as the other.

When life gets tough and you struggle to make ends meet, it is okay to ask for help. You allow others to be generous, and both of you will be blessed. You are not somehow more righteous for rejecting the aid of others. You are allowing the Church to be the community God created it to be.

A pastor friend posted a picture of a group of people sitting at a table.  They were eating in a nice restaurant and apparently had been talking about ministry.  The caption they had placed with the picture was Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

I know the pastor meant no misrepresentation of scripture, but I am afraid that the quote lacks something.  What they meant was clear. They enjoyed being around these people, and at the end of the day, they felt better about themselves.  Encouragement is a beautiful thing that we all need on our journey of faith.   Unfortunately, that is not iron sharpening iron. 

My view of this verse changed when I watched a TV show called “Forged in Fire.” It is another semi-reality based show where people compete at making the best blade as directed by the judges.  Each round, one of the four competitors are eliminated until one of them wins $10,000.  Watching this was the first time I had ever seen someone make knives and blades inside a forge.  The process was more intense than I had imagined. 

If you have done this work or seen it done, then you know the steps involved.  There is the choice of a metal.  Cutting and shaping come next.  They then heat it until the metal is red hot and take a large hammer and pound the piece into shape.  They heat it repeatedly before returning to the anvil to thrash that metal into a sharp blade.  Finally, they quench the blade and harden the steel so that it can be used without failure. 

I am sure the writer of this Proverb knew the process.  He had watched a blacksmith mold and shape metal and knew the amount of heat, hammering, and work that went into making a single blade.  With that in mind, he says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” In his words, I really do not think he envisioned a group of people sitting around a table stuffing themselves on chips and salsa, and neither should you. 

Molding the iron in people takes intensity, confrontation, and repeated work.  That means we need someone willing to ask us the hard questions.  We need someone willing to see past our lies and excuses and push us toward change.  We need conversations that can be intense but force us to think through our stubborn behavior.  If we want to be genuinely sharpened by others, we better not settle for happy encounters where no one is ever offended.  The truth can be harsh and painful, but that is what most of us desperately need.  All of us need someone who can be the iron that shapes our lives but know it will not often come with an enjoyable meal in a nice restaurant.  

The whole of scripture leads us to one conclusion: Our lives are short, and they will be over sooner than we think.  Here are just a few verses for you to consider.

Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Job 7:7 “Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath.”

James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Psalm 39:4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”

This life is over quickly, and we have no idea how many days we will get.  The Bible bears an undeniable witness to this truth, and so does our experience.  We have all known people in great shape and the prime of their life when God called them home. Also, some people did not take care of themselves and yet lived a long life with relatively good health.

These facts are undeniable, and yet we still spend an immeasurable amount of time fighting this truth.  We diet, exercise, take our vitamins, floss, and visit our doctor regularly.  We avoid destructive habits and do everything to keep ourselves safe.  Our quest to expand the length of our lives sends us dozens of directions as we try anything that might a few days to our journey on earth or of those we love. 

I am as guilty as anyone.  My parting words for my children are always the same, “Please, be careful.” It is like I believed that them taking extra precautions in life will give them control.  In reality, we have absolutely no control.  James says, “Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15) Jesus says that you cannot add a single hour to your life by worrying.  Then he adds, “Since you cannot do this very little thing…” (Luke 12:25-26).  We cannot add hours to our life beyond what God has decided to give us. 

The Biblical writers’ encouragement is not to attempt to add days to your life but to add life to your days.  We are to do things in this life that truly matter for eternity. This means taking time regularly to realize how little we have left so that we will give ourselves to meaningful endeavors.  The Psalmist encourages us to count or number our days.  Spend time asking yourself, “Am I more obsessed with trying to live longer than living the life God desires?” Learn to count your days so that you can make each day count. 

This year has taught me to use the label “Essential Worker.” With the COVID-19 shutdowns and quarantines, some jobs have been called essential, and others are considered non-essential. 

I am glad we do not try to categorize people this way.  No matter what anyone has told you or how you feel about yourself:  you are essential.  Your life was created as a unique masterpiece from God’s hand, and you are his special gift to the world.  No one thinks, acts, works, speaks, or cares precisely as you do.  As a result, your life is essential to this world, particularly to a few people.  Your presence in their life blesses someone.  It might be a family member, neighbor, coworker, friend, or even someone you have never considered.  They look at your life and are encouraged, inspired, helped, and blessed.

Occasionally people have tried to tell me that their life does not matter to anyone.  In a difficult season, they felt alone and worthless.  To those few, I try to flip their thinking to the word “potential.” Just because you do not feel significant to someone now doesn’t mean you won’t one day be a blessing.  Perhaps God is moving you into the correct position so that you can make your move like a piece on a chessboard.  You could touch the life of someone you have never even met and change their life for the better. 

Sure, certain types of jobs are less important than others, but there are no non-essential people.  Each of us is given a part to play in this world, and your participation is critical to the overall plot.  Remember this when life gets hard, and you question your existence.  God made you for a purpose, and no one can take your place. 

Since I was a child, I was repeatedly told that the Church is not a building.  Now I have to explain to people that the Church is not a virtual reality.  It does not exist online with the absence of a building.  The Church is a group of people committed to following Jesus and working together to bring God’s kingdom to earth.  The physical structure and the internet are merely tools the followers of Jesus use to help them be the Church. 

Sitting in a building for an hour does not mean you are a part of a Church, and neither does sitting online for an hour.  Hearing someone else worship and explain the Bible to you are beautiful things, but they are not all of what it means to be a community of believers.  Christians speak to one another in love.  They know the needs of others and are praying for God to work in each other’s lives.  They serve together in the name of Jesus in a way that benefits others.  They worship with song, prayers, giving, and communion.  The Church is so much than consuming a sermon presented online or in person. 

This weekend Churches will be presenting programs both in physical buildings and online.  Neither of those is the true Church, but programs meant to help the followers of Jesus become the Church.  The people together are what make up the actual Church. It has been this way from the beginning and will continue despite the times.  To understand how all this works, you will need to find a place to connect with other believers somehow.  Start with a program this weekend but be willing to move beyond it if you genuinely want to experience Church.   

It was a book I bought merely for the title.  Preacher Craig Groeschel published in 2010 a book with the intriguing title of “The Christian Atheist” and the tag line of “Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn’t Exist.” Some of the chapters are direct and convicting.  Things like, “When you believe in God but not it prayer, when you believe in God but pursue happiness at any cost,” and “when you believe in God but trust more in money.” In my years of ministry, I have experienced each one of these in the lives of people who called themselves believers. 

Today’s post is not a book review.  It is a statement about something that has bothered me for years and still exists today.  I have listened to people say that they are believers in God and then have nothing in their life that demonstrates that belief.  Sure, they might be a nice person to others and try to be kind when they would rather be mean, but there is little evidence that Jesus is transforming their life.  They are, for lack of better terms, a Christian atheist. 

Let me ask you this simple question as a test.  If you removed Jesus from your life, would it make any difference? What would really be different about your life if you stopped telling people you believed in Jesus?  What actions would change?  What part of your speaking would change?  How would it impact you as a spouse and a parent?  What is truly different about your life because you believe in Jesus?  For many so-called Christians, following Jesus is about getting into heaven, and even then, it is not about meeting Jesus. It is because we want to see our parents, siblings, and children.

A Christ-follower’s challenge is to mold and shape every aspect of their life to fit Jesus teaching and example.  Showing up to Church on the Sundays we are not previously engaged is not all he desires of us.  Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) To be a Christian is to place our faith in God completely and allowing it to transform us into the image of his son.  Anything less is a false faith and is correctly described as being a Christian atheist.