This past week I have read several great articles. Here are some of the best. Enjoy.
8 REASONS YOU NEED TO THANK GOD FOR YOUR JOB TODAY – originally posted on Labor Day.
Four Lies That Keep Us from Church
You Can’t Love Jesus Without Loving His Church
5 WAYS TO NOT BE THE ANNOYING CHRISTIAN AT WORK
LEADERSHIP AND SUICIDE: WHEN ENDING IT SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY WAY OUT
The Christian faith acknowledges that life is a complex web of actions, thoughts, and emotions. Jesus often focuses our attention on what is happening in our mind as much as in the things we do. The pages of the New Testament give us a glimpse into the human psyche long before anyone ever talked about such things. As a result, Jesus is interested in releasing us of the spiritual burdens we carry inside. Here are a few of the things that weigh heavy on your soul that you can lay at the foot of the cross.
1. You can let go of your guilt and shame.
All of us have done things of which we are not proud. We have said things we wish we could take back. We have done things we wish we could do again. Some events haunt our quiet moments. Jesus offers us total forgiveness. You can let go of your sins and stop carrying them on your soul. No amount of self-inflicted bad feelings will change the past; you need to move on with your life.
2. You can give up what others think about you.
Many people I meet have been carrying the painful words spoken to them by someone they love or respect. That person may have told you that you were a worthless failure who would never amount to anything. They are wrong. You heavenly father created you. He molded you in your mother’s womb and uniquely gifted you at birth. When you walked away from him, he went to the cross to win you back. You are his special child no matter what anyone has told you.
3. You can embrace unconditional love.
Every human being has a natural desire to be loved. We want someone to believe in us, to encourage us and to stand beside us in good times and bad. We need an unconditional love that goes beyond nice feelings when everything is great. Jesus offers us his love. Even when God feels distant and life is hard, he is molding you like a loving potter does to his precious creation. You are loved, and nothing can take that away from you.
Many people go into the weekend with joy and excitement. They have a list of things to do that they hope will bring them joy. They do that to avoid feeling the hurt they have been carrying inside. Other people dread the weekend knowing the amount of pain that their time alone will bring into their soul. Wherever you find yourself I want you to know that you can lay your burdens down before Jesus. He is here to forgive, encourage and love you. God cares not just about what you do, but how you feel. Don’t carry your pain another day.
The Church is a collection of wonderfully unique people who Lord has brought together in Jesus. I love the Church. This odd group of people makes life fun and interesting as we journey together in faith. There is so much good that happens when we connect ourselves to other believers in a Church community.
The flip side of this is also true. Sometimes being a part of a community is a pain. All Christians have flaws. We are sinners who are saved by grace and are slowly being transformed into the image of Christ. On this journey of transformation we have flaws, make mistakes and do things that are quite frankly, ungodly. While I understand the need for growth in everyone who calls Jesus their Savior, there are a few people who not only resist their change into Christlikeness but make ministry more difficult. I am not writing this to be judgmental of other believers. Instead, I hope to open our eyes to ways we might be hurting the Church and the name of Jesus.
1. The Angry Christian –
The Bible acknowledges that anger is a struggle for everyone. Quite often people have been hurt, and now they are the ones who are hurting others. They usually do not see the pain of their explosive anger, and occasional outburst can be to the family of God. Many times I have been called upon to clean up the mess one angry Christian has caused and often it is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.
2. The Carnal Christian –
The struggle with the lust of the flesh is powerful and dramatic. It does untold damages to the name of Jesus across the world. This one does the most destruction when it comes from a Christian leader, no matter what position they hold. Anytime I start talking to a non-Christian, I know they can name several cases of fallen leaders who keep them from listening to me talk about Jesus.
3. The Uneducated Christian –
I do not mean this in a mean-spirited way, but some believers are very uneducated. They have not read their Bible or done any study on the things of God. They parrot something they heard on talk radio, Christian TV or some preacher say. Quite often I have to spend my time trying to explain the truth to some unsuspecting person after they have been with an uneducated Christian. Social media has made this problem worse as poor teaching can now spread like wildfire.
4. The Unforgiving Christian –
Once again a life of faith pushes us to change our perspective on the world. If we have been forgiven of all our sins by Christ, then we are called to forgive others. This is true even if it needs to happen over and over. Some people resist this teaching. It is hard to tell someone about the forgiveness we have in Jesus when someone they know refuses to forgive them.
5. The Half-Hearted Christian –
In the book of Revelation Jesus calls these people lukewarm. They are neither hot nor cold in their faith. Usually, they can cite a conversion experience that happened to them while they were in school. They know they are saved but don’t take their faith too seriously. I mean, they do not want to be seen as some fanatic. As a result, they paint a picture that a believer is just like every other person in the world and faith is of no real value other than some moral instruction. It is hard to convince someone that being a believer can be a life filled with joy and adventure when every Christian they know is no different from them.
Much of my ministry has been made significantly more difficult because of the impact of other Christians on the world.
I share this with you for two reasons. One, a group of you will know exactly what I am talking about and I want you to know you are not alone in this struggle. Two, I wish that every one of us would take a long look in the mirror and see if these people are us. I know I have been one or two of them in my life. Through the grace of God I have been forgiven and transformed, and I pray the same will happen for you.
My professor made a passing comment over 25 years ago that I have not been able to shake. It was a class on the book of Matthew, and we reached chapter 10. In this chapter, Jesus is sending out his 12 disciples on a mission to preach about the kingdom of God. As he sends them out, he tells them to go to “the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 10:6).” It is a phrase that Jesus will use to describe his ministry in Matthew 15:24.
The wise and learned professor paused and said something like, “That is a powerful phrase, to imagine the people of God being lost.” At that moment the tone of his voice changed, and the look on his face expressed that this was a painful and real issue in his mind.
After all these years I have continued to think of that one scene in my college class. Through the years I have developed a level of curiosity in this statement by Jesus. The first part is easy to understand. Sheep get lost. That is why the story in Luke 15 of the good shepherd is simple to connect with in a meaningful way. We all make mistakes and get lost on our journey of life if only for a few minutes.
The second part of the statement by Jesus is this unexpected finish. Israel is a title given to the Jewish nation. These people believed and followed the Old Testament as their guide for life and practice. They were a group who supposedly had their life rooted in following God. And yet, Jesus calls them lost.
Is it possible for people who claim to follow God really to be lost and in need of salvation?
The hard answer that Jesus gives us is, “yes.”
One of the primary reasons this phrase by Jesus is so troublesome is because the possibility seems to exist today still. People are living in every community that could be called the “lost sheep of the Church.” These are people who have a general belief in God and yet deny it with their life. Craig Groeschel calls them “practical atheists.”
It is possible to stay close to God physically and yet wander away from him spiritually. Our bodies are in the right places at the right time while our soul is distant. We can praise him with our lips while our hearts are far from him (Matthew 15:8).
A true believer must live in a continual state of self-analysis. Do our actions line up with what we say we believe? Is our heart seeking the things of God above all else?
My professor was right. It is a thought that makes me cringe. To think that people who claim to know God and his son are really lost. It is this thought that pushes my faith to be more than mere words every day. Hopefully, it scares you a little too. I hope this idea puts enough fear into you that you will live a life of total devotion and no one will never call you lost, especially Jesus.
For a moment, I admit it; I was bored. They kept repeating the same information that I am sure everyone knew already. People fidgeted. Some people mocked the speaker. I felt bad. I did appreciate that over the years they have tried to make it go a little faster and have sometimes added in humor. I knew why they were saying it, but it seemed to have little to no effect on my life right now.
Still, the flight attendant gave her safety speech before the plane took off.
What did you think I was writing about? Did you think about the Church? Honestly, I am a preacher, and I often feel this way. I keep repeating some information that people already know, and even if they don’t know it, they might not find it useful.
Through the years I have realized that some valuable information can be boring. There is no correlation between excitement and importance. The flight attendants speech seems like a waste of time until you are in an emergency. The preacher’s words might not mean much until that phone call from the police officer. Suddenly things that appeared boring are now your link to life.
Each day I plug away reading my Bible and trying to learn more about God. Some of what I read touches my soul in a way that only God can do. Other passages bore me to the point of sleep. Most days I need to remind myself that truth is significant no matter how I feel about it. At this moment I might not need to know what God has to say, but there will come a day, and I will be ready. How about you?
I hope you are able to get out this Labor Day weekend and enjoy the unofficial end of summer. In my part of the country, they are forecasting rain and more rain. If you are stuck inside, here are some articles I have enjoyed lately that I think you might like as well. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy these.
Are We Training Our Children to Gain the World But Lose Their Souls?
5 Terrible Reasons Your Kids May Think They Can Outgrow Christianity
12 Biggest Ministry Frustrations for Student Pastors – whole heartily agree with number 1.
Golfing Alone – an honest look at membership in organizations, especially by men
Tonight, I will do something I have never done before. I will watch my beloved Green Bay Packers play live and in person. It is only a preseason game, but I am excited to see them take the field against the hometown Kansas City Chiefs. My family and I have been to Green Bay and taken the Champions Tour of Lambeau Field. We were able to see some of the players work out at OTA’s while we were there that day. There is only one thing we have not been able to do, and that is see them play a real game and tonight may be as close as we get. I am excited as a couple of my boys, and I will be in row 31 behind the bench for all the action.
Tonight is a unique game for some of the players. It is the final preseason game, and some of the guys will be competing for a final spot on the 53-man roster for the season. After tonight, some men will remain a Packer for the season, some will join another team, and some will be done with football. Those few players who make the final cut rarely become superstars. Most of them will become role players in the background of big-name players who dominate the headlines.
Every year I tell my boys the same thing. The team who will win the Superbowl will either be the team that stays healthy or who has the best backup players. This was illustrated dynamically last season when the Philadelphia Eagles won with a backup quarterback who stepped into a high-pressure situation and won. The players who make the squad tonight are called role players because they often have small but essential roles to play.
All this has me thinking about the community we call the Church. I believe that every member is vital to the overall success of Christ’s kingdom in our communities. Some people will step into the spotlight each week like I do as a preacher. There are worship leaders, teachers, and staff who play a prominent role in our community. Honestly, the role players are the ones who make the biggest difference. Those people who step up and do the right thing at the proper time are indispensable. The people who clean, mow, work in the nursery, and greet are often overlooked but play a huge part in the success of a Church. People who see someone they do not know and introduce themselves while nicely talking are vital. The sharing of a smile with a stranger can affect someone for eternity.
I dream of a Church full of superstar players who are the best speakers, leaders, teachers, and workers in the world. But the impact of a Church is not seen in the number of big names who attend but rather in the role players who are willing to do anything for the team. Those often nameless individuals who share the love of Jesus with every encounter. Each individual who is part of a Church has a unique role to play when we do not fill our position the whole team suffers. When everyone knows their role and does their part to the best of their ability, God is glorified, and lives are changed.
Every time we are introduced to Judas in the gospel accounts, he is referred to as “the one who would betray him.” Jesus appears to know that he will turn his back from the moment he selected him. One time Jesus calls him a “devil” (John 6:70). We are also told Judas was a thief and it seems that Jesus may have been aware (John 12:6). Judas is portrayed as a heartless character who lies, steals and betrays to advance himself financially.
With all that said, he still spent three years in the presence of Jesus. Jesus teaches him just like the other 11 disciples. He feeds him along with the crowds of people. He performs miracles in his presence and even sends him out to do the same. Jesus allows Judas to accept a leadership role knowing that God will work through it. Can you imagine having to look the man in the eyes who you knew was going to hurt you emotionally? Can you fathom the humility in asking him to go out and proclaim your name?
I think a great deal about Jesus relationship with Judas. In all his actions and kindness toward Judas, he is teaching me about how to live with other people. You see, I am not a people person. If the ministry has shown me one thing, it is the depth of depravity in which humans can sink. I have heard about and witnessed actions that are despicable. Slowly I fear it is making my cynical and sarcastic toward everyone.
Jesus amazingly does the opposite as my natural inclinations. I would have treated Judas with disdain. He would have been forced to stand outside the circle. I would have given him no responsibilities and might have ignored him a time or two. He would have felt my disapproval in my tone of voice when I spoke with him. Given a chance, I would have warned the other 11 disciples to avoid getting to close to him. My actions toward him would have been genuinely ugly, but wouldn’t I have the right?
Jesus shows me that loving kindness flows out of my character that is forged by God and is not based on the other person. My call is to act like Jesus and not react like the world.
When those moments come, and I want to scream at people and show my contempt I go back to Jesus who shows me another way. The way he treats Judas reminds me that I need to be kind in my actions toward all people – not just the nice ones. God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (Luke 6:35), and he instructs me to live the same way. Way easier said than done when you think your friend is like Judas.
As a pastor, I continually encourage people to read their Bible. If you have been a follower of Jesus for very long, you know that the words of scripture are a vital part of your faith. While I want you to read the Bible, I also want everyone to know how to read it accurately.
Here are the two primary ways to read the Bible:
1. For Personal Information. You need to read to educate yourself on the works of God and his most precious creation. The collection of information will allow you to develop some big picture concepts about faith in God and following Jesus. It will inform and instruct you on the ways of the believer.
2. For Personal Transformation. The information you gather should motivate you to live in the way you are taught. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus ends with a parable of a wise man who built his house on the rock and a foolish person who built their house on the sand. The setup line for that story is, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like …” (Matthew 7:24).
The goal of all Bible reading is linked to these two concepts, and they are intimately connected to each other. You read and listen to the scriptures to gather information that will be transformational. The two questions to ask the next time you are reading are “what?” and “so what?” To only ask one of these is to miss the whole point of God’s words to us. This all sounds so basic, but it is literally the key to everything.
If you attend the Church where I preach, I want to warn you about something. This Sunday you are going to hear some of the same things you heard last Sunday. Some of the same words will be used that were repeated a year ago, and possibly the year before too.
The printed program this week will have a couple of pages of the same information it had a week ago. Looking back at the programs and I see that some words and sections have not changed in the last four years.
For the people who attend Church, there is this tendency to get frustrated with hearing the same things over and over. I have to remind the people who take the microphone to say certain words and phrases each and every week. They often balk at my instructions and try to skip those parts they feel are too familiar.
I mean, why does the Church repeat itself over and over? I have been here before, and I get it. Let’s move on to something else.
There is one primary reason we say the same things over and over at Church. It is because this week, there may be one new person who has not heard. This week quite possibly there will be a family in Church for the very first time. They will not know who is on the stage speaking, so we introduce ourselves. These people may not know that our congregation takes the needs of its people serious and offers prayers on their behalf. They will have no idea why we take communion and how. The offering will come across as the Church just trying to take their money. They will have no understanding of what we do each Sunday, and so I explain it to them.
Yes, I know you have heard it all before. I am okay with that. I am concerned about the person who is checking out our Church and possibly faith for the very first time. I want them to know what we are doing and why we are doing it. I do not want anything to stand in their way of hearing the will of God for their life.
This Sunday there will be guests stopping by our worship program, and we have a few things we want to tell them, so they grasp everything clearly. For that reason, we repeat ourselves.
You might not appreciate this until you bring someone to Church with you. Bring a friend this Sunday who is not a believer, and suddenly you will be glad to hear those same things said again.
Second Chance Pastor 