May 14

The Rest of the Story

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Discipleship

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the-rest-of-the-storyDo you know who Joseph, called Barsabbas was?  No?  Doesn’t ring a bell?  Well then, let me ask you another question.  Do you know who Matthias was?  Ah, that you know.  He was the man selected to replace Judas as an apostle.  The other man who was not selected was Joseph, called Barsabbas.

Joseph, called Barsabbas was a man who was a disciple of Jesus.  He was a disciple of Jesus from the time of Jesus’ baptism till the day of his ascension.  He therefore was with Jesus through thick and thin.  Then Judas kills himself, and a vacancy for apostleship becomes open.  His name is mentioned as a candidate.  Can you imagine his excitement?  The honor?  The opportunity.? The plans that must have run through his head?  Then just like that, he is rejected and Matthias is selected.  His dreams were dashed, his plans were trashed.

So now what?  Does he pout?  Does he become critical of the very ones he wanted to become a part of, especially Matthias?  Does he become disillusioned and stop living for Jesus?  I wish I could answer those questions for you, however Scripture is silent about Joseph, called Barsabbas after this event.  I want to believe that he took this disappointment in stride and continued to serve Jesus as a faithful disciple, who was at one time honored to even be considered as a possible apostle.  Someday, maybe we’ll get to know “the rest of the story” with respect to Joseph, called Barsabbas.

But now, what about you.  What’s the “rest of the story” you’re writing with your own life?  Ever been disappointed?  Ever been overlooked?  Ever been hurt and rejected?  Of course you have; we all have.  But how do you plan to deal with it?  Quit?  Withdrawal?  Vilify those who hurt you?  Or will you continue to be a faithful disciple of Jesus?  How will the “rest of the story” be written with respect to your life?  Give it some thought.

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May 07

Should I “Place Membership” With A Church?

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Church

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ShepherdOnce upon a time, there was a man who fell “sort-of-in-love” with a woman. I say, “sort-of-in-love” because he would never make a commitment to her. They dated for a long time, enjoyed each others company, shared the same interests, had the same hobbies, and spent hours together every week. However, whenever the subject of marriage was introduced, the man hurriedly changed the subject. In fact, he expressed his belief that marriage was unnecessary. He tried to reassure his female friend that there wasn’t anything wrong with her, he just liked the freedom of single-life. He didn’t want to be “tied down,” and he didn’t want to have to answer to anyone for his actions. He wanted to come and go as he pleased and didn’t want to be burdened with the obligations and responsibilities that come with marriage. Yet at the same time, he wanted this woman that he was “sort-of-in-love” with, to continue to devote her time, energy, and attention into his life and to meet all of his needs.

Likewise, once upon a time there was a Christian who began attending a local congregation of God’s people…

From time to time, I hear some people express their disdain for the process of “placing membership” with a congregation. They want to visit, attend worship services, participate in special activities, but they don’t want to be accountable to anyone. They don’t want to accept responsibility for involvement in the local work of the congregation, and contribute little more than their sporadic attendance to the local church, yet they want the church to continue to meet all their needs.

But friends, responsibility is a two-way street. We wouldn’t tolerate an eldership who tried to overstep their bounds and “shepherd” sheep from another shepherd’s flock. We would quickly remind these men that there’s no such thing as a “brotherhood eldership” or an “at-large eldership,” and that they are to shepherd the flock that is “among them” (1 Peter 5:2). But now, that raises some questions:

  • If we will not tolerate a “brotherhood eldership” or an “at-large eldership,”  then why would we be inclined to tolerate an “at-large membership?”
  • How can elders do no more and no less then shepherd the flock that is among them, when the sheep refuse to acknowledge they are a part of the local flock?
  • Why would Christians not want to assist the shepherds of a local church in making known to them that they are under their oversight?

While I certainly understand that one should be very cautious before submitting oneself to the care of an eldership. I also understand that in coming to a wise and prudent decision, a certain amount of time is needed to learn about the congregation and it’s shepherds. However, I am also aware that there comes a time when one should submit himself, not just to a local eldership, but to the divine plan of God for the church.

What do you call such a practice?  I don’t know.  We commonly refer to it as “placing membership.”  If you don’t like that, call it “identifying with a local church.”  If you don’t like that term either, then come up with one that adequately conveys what is taking place.  I’m not so much concerned about the designation we give, so long as we do it.

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May 01

A Phone Call From The President

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Culture

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Credit: NBCnews.com

Credit: NBCnews.com

What would it take to get a phone call from the President of the United States?

For Neil Armstrong it took flying to the moon on Apollo 11.  President Nixon actually called and congratulated him while he was on the moon.

For Hank Aaron, it took 715 home runs.  After breaking Babe Ruth’s long standing Home Run Record, and in the midst of many racially motivated death threats, the President called Mr. Aaron in the locker room after the game.

And again, just this week, the President of the United States took time out of his busy schedule to make a personal call to a civilian.  However this call wasn’t prompted by some heroic event; no one landed on the moon and no one broke a long-standing sports record.  The President of the United States took time out of his schedule to call a Jason Collins to congratulate him and tell him “he couldn’t be more proud of him” for professing to the world that he is a homosexual.

On Monday, Jason Collins, a professional basketball player in the NBA, announced in an interview that he was a homosexual.  Reaction to this announcement, the Presidential phone call, and media response has brought this story to the headlines.  Here’s my offering on the matter.  Just a few observations.

  • Times have changed.  There was a time, not very long ago, when a call from a President was precipitated by some great accomplishment.  After all, how much time can the President of the United States spend on the telephone talking to 350 million citizens.  It must be a special occasion for him to do so.  Is publicly admitting to the practice of sexual sin worthy of our President to call a citizen and tell him he “couldn’t be more proud of him” for publicly stating he is a homosexual?  Times have indeed changed!
  • The world is the world.  The world has always and will always adopt an adversarial role against Christianity.  Therefore, I shouldn’t be surprised by discrimination against Christians (John 15:18-20).  Do you remember how many pundits called for Tim Tebow to stop talking about his profession of Christianity because it had no place in professional sports?  Yet, Jason Collins is being praised by these same pundits for coming out and being vocal about his sinful lifestyle.  Unfair?  Yes.  Frustrating? Absolutely.  But justice and righteousness won’t be fully experienced until the Lord returns.  Until then, we must not lose heart.
  • Good is called evil, and evil is called good.  Isaiah pronounced a “woe” upon those who do this (Isaiah 5:20).  Scores of people have commended Collins for making his homosexuality known, while ESPN commentator, Chris Broussard, has been heavily criticized for saying that the practice of “homosexuality is open rebellion against God.”  Affirming sin is called “courageous,” but upholding truth is called “judgmental” and “intolerant.”  Those who wave the banner of “Tolerance” are inconsistently intolerant of anyone who opposes their agenda.
  • Discriminate.  Learn to separate the sin from the sinner.  Don’t take the easy route and lump everyone in the same basket.  Learn to show patience and support to those who struggle with and seek to resist temptation to sin, no matter what that sin might be, and those who surrender to it.  The Christlike response to any sinner fighting to live in rebellion to the Devil should be compassion, love, patience, and understanding.  I’m against the practice of homosexuality, however I’m for those who are tempted by this lifestyle and seek to resist it.

Voices, voices, voices.  Friends, there are so many voices.  We find ourselves in a cultural firestorm and everyone has their opinion and is freely expressing it, just as I have done here.  But here’s my challenge to you.  Stay balanced; don’t veer to the right or the left, and make sure you’re listening to the voice of God and not public opinion.

 

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Apr 30

Jesus Has Left The Building

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Church, Discipleship

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Jesus Left Building 2After Elvis would finish performing at one of his concerts, his fans would be left cheering for more, hoping that he would come back on stage to sing another song.  Then the P.A. announcer would make the statement, “Elvis has left the building.”  That was the cue to the fans that the concert was over and it was time to leave.

Well, if I may use that phrase as a jumping off point, I think the church needs to realize that “Jesus has left the building.”  This leaves us with a decision to make.  Will we stay huddled in the building, practicing a very limited in scope, form of Christianity?  Or will we leave the building too, and follow Jesus?

Friends, Jesus has left the building, and he needs his church to follow him and leave the building too.  Our assemblies of worship and study are wonderful.  And Jesus joins us in them.  However, Jesus doesn’t stay in an empty building all week long, just waiting for the next worship service.  Likewise, the church needs to assemble, but it also needs to follow Jesus and “leave the building.”

When Sunday’s over, let’s leave the building and throughout the week, engage society, challenge culture, call men to holiness, be lights in the workplace and at school, and point people to Jesus.

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Apr 14

WWJL – What Would Jesus “Like”

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Discipleship

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Facebook LIkeIn 1995, Joan Osborne released a song that asked the question, “What if God was one of us?”  Every time I heard this song play on the radio, I would think to myself, and frequently answer aloud to the radio, “He was!  In the person of Jesus” (John 1:14).

Can I have your imagination for a moment?  What if, in God’s great scheme of redemption, the “fulness of time” (Galatians 4:4) would have been now, 2013?

If that were the case, Jesus would very likely have a Facebook page, wouldn’t he?  Surely he would utilize a medium that has the potential to reach millions of people instantaneously.  But if Jesus did have a Facebook page, I’m afraid it would look very different from those who claim to be his followers.

Because God was one of us and we saw his glory, we know some of the things he would and wouldn’t “Like.”  He wouldn’t “Like” pictures that depict people immodestly dressed (1 Timothy 2:9-10).  He wouldn’t “Like” videos that depict lewd and suggestive behavior (Ephesians 5:3).  He wouldn’t “Like” off-color jokes, or references that reinforce racial prejudices (Ephesians 5:4).  He wouldn’t “Like” public airing of personal problems (Matthew 18:15), and nor would he “Like” posts that disrespect our civil authorities (Romans 13:1-7), just to name a few.

Friends, the next time we get ready to “Like” someone’s status, maybe we should slow down just a bit, think twice about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and ask ourselves, “What Would Jesus Like?” (WWJL).

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Apr 12

Preacher’s Kids

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Discipleship

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famI am a “Preacher’s Kid,” otherwise known as a “PK.”  I must admit that I had never even heard of a “PK” until I went to college.  For me, growing up as a “Preacher’s Kid” wasn’t any different from growing up as a “Lawyer’s Kid,” or a “School Teacher’s Kid.” 

But as I got older, I learned from others that being a “Preacher’s Kid” was a bad thing.  I was supposed to be scarred from a heavy hand of discipline.  I was supposed to resent the church for being scrutinized throughout my childhood.  So I got to thinking, “Was I raised differently from other kids?  And you know what, I determined I was raised differently.  Here’s a list of some of my memories as a “Preacher’s Kid” that other kids probably don’t have.  I remember…

  • Folding church bulletins on TV trays every Saturday night (and fighting with my sister over who had to fold the most).
  • Being the last to leave the church building, turning out the lights, and locking up.
  • Staying up late at night, anxiously anticipating my Dad’s return after being away in a two-week or ten-day gospel meeting.
  • Going with my Dad as he conducted Bible studies with Jule Miller film strips and sometimes simply sitting around a table with open Bibles.
  • Waking up to Dad’s “get psyched up” music (as I called it) every Sunday morning.
  • Witnessing the evolution of sermon preparation (from chalkboards, to “sheet sermons,” to overhead projectors, and now to PowerPoint presentations).
  • Visiting scores of funeral homes and from a distance staring at bodies in caskets and imagining I could see them breathing.
  • I was the only four-year-old that I knew of who knew how to tie a double Windsor knot (okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration).
  • Transients being fed meals by my mother when they would come to our house asking for help.
  • My mom conducting a Bible class in our house for the kids in the neighborhood.
  • Listening to visiting gospel preachers swap amazing and humorous stories in our living room.
  • Having the best place in the neighborhood to play “Hide-n-Seek” – the church building :-)

So yes, I do remember some things that made my childhood different from other kids.  But I wouldn’t change any of them if I could.

Today, I hear several angry and resentful young adults who said they were neglected because their father’s were preachers.  I would offer two observations on that.  1) If a child is neglected, it’s not a problem with a parent’s “occupation,” but rather a problem with a parent’s parenting skills. Don’t drag the honorable profession of preaching into this. Leave preaching out of it!  Parenting, not preaching is the problem in such cases.  I think we can all acknowledge that parenting is difficult whether you’re a preacher, a plumber, or a salesman.  Preacher’s, like everyone else, are human and sometimes make mistakes.  2)  I will also say that sometimes the resentment that some have toward their preaching fathers is because they stood in the way of their children making immoral choices, and those children have to blame someone for their unhappiness.

The fact that my sister and I have no such resentment must be an indication of the kind of parents we had. They successfully balanced their responsibilities to their family as well as to the church. I’m proud of my Mom and Dad and what they’ve accomplished together. I’ve never been ashamed of being a “preacher’s kid.” Do I have any regrets growing up a “preacher’s kid?” Maybe a handful, but they had nothing to do with being a “preacher’s kid.” Mostly, they involved my misbehavior and the little paddle my parents kept handy in the hall closet.

Mom, Dad, Thanks!

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