A lesson on tragedy...

I’ve been reading a new book lately called Finding Your Way by Dan Montgomery. He talks about a Personality Compass that’s very interesting, and maybe I can share some of the thoughts on that compass in the coming days.

But for today, I want to pass along an excerpt from this book regarding tragedy in our lives…

An African Christian named Guambi suffered the murder of his family in the massacre of Leopoldville, yet still he managed to become one of the most humble and loving men I’ve ever known. How did het get over the grief of lost loved ones?

Guambi told me that a person is like a rose. God can help even the tragic misfortunes of life to act as fertilizer for vigorous growth in those who seek his will. You can’t explain why a tragedy occurs, but with God’s help you can learn certain things from it. As you learn, you begin to grow. The newly planted rose bush must be allowed weeks and even months to assimilate the fertilizer that surrounds its base, and so must you be patient with the growth process.

In time a miraculous transformation occurs. The dung of life is broken down into nutrients, which become rich nourishment for new life. This fertilizer is gradually
transformed into the delicate, fragrant petals of the rose. And the piercing thorns serve to remind us of the cost of wholeness and holiness.

You don’t need perfect faith to experience personality transformation, only a mustard seed of faith that God is your Father, Jesus is your Savior, and the Holy Spirit is your friend and guide.

You are a child of God...

I've never done this before, but I came across a video clip that I thought was worth passing along.

Click the link below, and the clip will load.

http://upchucky.com/worship/miracle.html

Hope you enjoy...

Something we can't do in heaven...

There is something we can’t do in heaven…

Last Saturday, I went to a picnic for Christian Motorcyclists Association chapters in the area called the Gathering at Letchworth.

This is always a great event, they have two rides to choose from in the morning, the food is always great, and there is always a musical guest after lunch. This year it was The Needham’s, a family of Southern Gospel singers, and they were great.

At the picnic, I had an opportunity to talk with Bruce Hadley, one of the area reps for CMA in New York, and he told that the Lord had revealed to him something that we won’t be able to do in heaven. We won’t be able to witness to others. And he was excited when he was telling me this – he loves to witness to others.

I have to admit, I’m a little more reserved when it comes to sharing my faith with people I don’t know, and let’s face it, most folks that I do know already know the Lord. Yet God’s plan to spread the Word of his Gospel, His good news, involves us as the ones telling the story. We are the ones, all those who believe, that God is using to tell others. And we have to tell them here, on earth. The time will come when it will be too late.

Are you sharing your faith? I know, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes it might seem like the hardest thing you do, but do it anyway. Just let people know that God loves them. Let them know that God has a plan. That God works in the lives of those who love them, and he wants to work in their lives as well. Let them know. Who will if you don’t?

The circular nature of blessings...

We have some friends in town for a few day visit, and I am reflecting on how much of a blessing they are to me and my family.

Paul and Cindy Talley have a music ministry, traveling from church to church to encourage the Body of Christ. Paul has a wonderful message on God's love for each of us. They shared with us at Almond Union's coffee house on Saturday night, and our Church in the Park service Sunday morning. They then traveled about 45 minutes north, and led a Sunday evening service at the Springwater Church of the Nazarene. We followed them up and listened. For an hour or two, we were groupies! (Then we had a chance to be roadies!!!)

But that got me to thinking about blessings. As followers of Christ, we go through our lives trying to be a blessing to others we might meet along the way. A kind word here, an act of kindness there, an understanding embrace, sharing our source of comfort with others.

Yet at the same time, we need blessings. We reach out to God at times yearning for blessings. And sometimes he sends them in the form of friends that travel from church to church...

More reasons for joining a church...

We've been exploring reasons for joining a church in the last couple of days, and I want to finish up this thought (at least on my part, your comments are always welcome) today with a few more reasons.

These come from Rick Warren's book, Purpose Driven Life:

• A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. I can’t claim to be following Christ if I’m not connected to any specific group of disciples. When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, race, and social status, it is a powerful witness to the world. You are not the Body of Christ on your own. You need others to express that. Together, not separated, we are His Body.


• A church family moves you out of self-isolation. The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. As a participating member, you learn to care about others and share the experiences of others: “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share in its honor.” (1 Cor 12:26) Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. God expects us to live our lives for each other.


• A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle. You will never grow to maturity just by attending worship services and being a passive spectator. Only participation in the full life of a local church builds spiritual muscle. “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Eph 4:16b) We need more than the Bible to grow; we need other believers. We grow faster and stronger by learning from each other and by being accountable to each other. When others share what God is teaching them, I learn and grow, too.


• The Body of Christ needs you. God has a unique role for you to play in his family. Your local church is the place God designed for you to discover, develop and use your gifts. Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; he has promised to build His church.


• You will share in Christ’s mission in the world. When Jesus walked the earth, God worked through the physical body of Christ; today he uses his spiritual body. The church is God’s instrument on earth. As members of Christ’s body, we are his hands, his feet, his eyes, and his heart. He works through us in the world.


• A church family will help keep you from backsliding. None of us are immune to temptation. Given the right situation, you and I are capable of any sin. A church family provides us with the accountability to keep us on track, to be strong while fighting the temptations that come our way, and to work through our sin when we fail. Satan loves detached believers, unplugged from the life of the Body, isolated from God’s family, and unaccountable to spiritual leaders, because he knows they are defenseless and powerless against his attacks.

In another of his books, Purpose Driven Church, Warren points out that God really made us to be a part of the life of a local church. We are created with five basic needs: a purpose to live, people to live with, principles to live by, a profession to live out, and power to live on. The church is the only place on earth where you can meet all five of these needs in one place.

Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated...

Some reasons for belonging to a church...

Yesterday, I talked about the fine line churches have to walk today to invite and be open to visitors and guests, and same time, value the commitment of those who choose to join. Today (and tomorrow) I will share some reasons for joining that I have included in our new member book, So You Want to be a Member… A Study for New Members, which is a book I wrote that we use in our new member classes here in Almond.

From the introduction, here is an excerpt on reasons to belong…

Many people sit on the sidelines for some time without ever making the commitment to belong in membership with a particular church. But there are many reasons for becoming a member. In a booklet called Why Be A Christian, Why the Church, Walter Woodbury brings out several reasons to join in membership with a local church congregation:

1. Because of what the church is (The living body of Christ), and what it has
   for me (opportunities for nurture, fellowship, growth and worship).


2. Because you need the help of God’s church, and the church needs you.
   (As for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. – Psalm
   73:2)


3. It is selfish and wrong of me to expect the benefits of the church if I
   refuse to join it and help to sustain it.


4. I would not want to live nor bring up children in a community without a
   church and I cannot reasonably ask others to provide a church for my family,
   unless I am willing to do my share.


5. By staying outside the church, I am throwing my influence against Christ and
   His Church.


6. If all people refused to unite with the church and support its ministries,
   there would be no church.


7. The church offers the opportunity to invest in a great and worthy cause,
   namely, the extension of God’s Kingdom in the world.


8. If I do not stand up for Christ and His church here, how can I expect Him to
   claim me among His own when He comes in triumph? (If anyone is ashamed of
   me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. –Mark 8:38)

Tomorrow, I’ll share some more reasons from Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.

Thanks for reading.

Why belong to a church?

I have been having a discussion about the benefits of membership with a friend in our congregation. He believes that our trying to be more open and inclusive to guests and visitors may actually be damaging the value of membership, and ultimately the commitment level of our members.

We do have a few fellow worshipers who have chosen not to join us as members. They are very good attendees, and support the church financially. I would even contend they are very solid Christians, and are devoted to the church, both the Body of Christ and our local congregation. But they have reasons that are important to them for not joining.

They are welcome in our church. They are even welcome to attend our meetings and serve on committees, should they choose, even though they are not members in our church. Only members are allowed to chair committees, or vote at congregational meetings, but other than those two limitations, there are very few other reasons to join, if you will.

The early church seemed to have a very clear line for non-Christians. As I see it, in the book of Acts, and this my opinion, feel free to share if you have a different understanding, but it appears that you didn’t worship until you committed. Of course, there was usually only one church in town, and there were enemies looking to close it down and persecute those who ran it, but until you committed to Christ, you didn’t worship in the church. Visitors were permitted to attend part of the service, but were required to leave at a certain point. They certainly were not permitted to take communion, and I understand they did not even witness communion, they had to leave before it was offered.

Also, there was no such thing as a believer in Christ that wasn’t part of the church. Joining the church was a statement of commitment to Christ. As Christ gave his life for you, you gave your life to the Body of Christ on earth, which is the church.

I would like to hear from you on this one. In my mind, we’ve strayed a long way from the Biblical example in this matter, but have trouble envisioning how it would work today. So share your opinion, how does a church maintain the balance of valuing guests and visitors, and at the same time, provide valid and meaningful benefits for members, or if you prefer, reasons for joining and committing?