How is it with your soul?

Many Christians and many churches are good about asking other people to turn to Christ, to express faith in him, to be redeemed and reborn.  However, our task as followers of Christ goes beyond that: we must constantly be involved in the work of discipleship, maturing in the faith and becoming more like the Lord.

I was reminded of this while reading Dr. Gil Stafford’s new book “Signals at the Crossroads,” which is a compilation of his two earlier “Crossroads” books with some new material he was writing at the time of his death.  In this book, Stafford mentions the preachers in the Methodist movement, which began in the early 1800s.  These preachers were very concerned not just with a person’s conversion to Christ but a person’s maturity in Christ.  One of the questions they asked frequently of their congregations was this:  “How is it with your soul?”

Often we are content – or we imagine we would be content – with pews filled with warm bodies.  Is that our goal?  Are we pleased with numerical church growth?  I think we should strive for that, yes!  We should continually reach out to our community so that more sheep might be brought into the Lord’s flock.  We certainly are called to make more disciples.

But of course the work does not stop there.  We are called to make better disciples, as well.  Once a person commits to Christ and begins attending church, the process of growth has begun.  That process, rightly understood, is never fully completed; each of us should continue to grow in Christ month after month, year after year.  Personal challenges must be overcome.  Our impulses and desires must be brought under control in the name of Christ.  Our relationships must be transformed to reflect the love of Christ to each other and to the world.

Each of us is on this journey of growth toward maturity.  None of us has arrived, because none of us is completely like Christ yet.  Part of our work as the church is to spur each other on to greater heights of discipleship.  We walk together and support one another as one body while we draw closer to the Lord.

So, fellow believer, consider this question prayerfully today:  How is it with your soul?  And the follow-up is this:  with whom will you share your answer to that question?

–Pastor David

Jesus and the Legal System

Yesterday came the long-awaited and somewhat startling news: Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murdering her daughter, Caylee Anthony.  For weeks and months, our media have been obsessed with this story, and now hopefully that obsession will begin to subside.  I think it’s unhealthy for a society to focus so intently on the outcome of one murder trial when we can’t do anything to affect its outcome.  Instead, society should focus on things that we can influence, such as preventing future murders by teaching children the value of life, teaching adults how to resolve conflicts peacefully, providing medication for those who need it, and so forth.

To be honest, I have avoided the bulk of the media attention around this case.  Once the verdict was announced, however, I watched a little more carefully, especially to the groundswell of emotional reactions that came from the American public through social media websites like Twitter and Facebook.  The most frequently voiced opinions, by far, were along these lines:  Casey Anthony should have been found guilty; the evidence was overwhelming against her; justice was not served; little Caylee deserves justice; some day Casey will have to answer to God for her crime.

That final opinion is what really struck me.  To be sure, our scriptures teach that each of us will eventually have to give an account of our lives to God (Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13, 1 Peter 4:3-5).  However, by applying this to the Casey Anthony situation, are we short-circuiting our own legal system by stepping in as judge and jury ourselves?  If we are, then the task of filling an impartial jury must be incredibly difficult.  Even worse, are we suggesting that our system of justice functions as an arm of God’s system of justice?  If we are, then we have taken the dangerous step of forming God after our own image.  Finally, are we claiming that there is no possibility for forgiveness and redemption between a sinner and the Lord?  If we are, then we have strayed from the message of Christ altogether.

The story that keeps coming to my mind is that of the woman caught in adultery who was brought before Jesus by the Pharisees as a trap for the Lord (John 7:53-8:11).  This story is very complicated, at the very least because its origin is questionable – your Bible probably includes a note about this passage not appearing in the earliest or oldest manuscripts of John’s gospel.  And the story can be misconstrued to suggest that Jesus doesn’t care about adultery or that there will be no condemnation for sin; the rest of scripture says otherwise to each of those suggestions.  In the end, this story is one of grace:  in the heat of the moment, Jesus spares the life of a guilty woman – and he challenges her to “go now and leave [her] life of sin” (NIV).  (Of course, the story is also about how Jesus once again avoids a trap by the Pharisees!)

I think the reason Casey Anthony’s trial keeps bringing this story to my mind is simple:  God’s system of justice is not the same as the American system of justice.  Our system is punitive, punishing the guilty; God’s system is gracious, forgiving the repentant.  Our system is myopic, focusing on one person or one crime at a time; God’s system applies equally to all people, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV).  Our legal system is based purely on our actions, motives, and evidence; God’s justice is based on our relationship with Jesus Christ:  our sins are covered and washed away by his blood.

Church, remember this:  we are citizens of the United States, but our greater allegiance is to the kingdom of God.  We should constantly strive to see the world as the Lord sees it; we should interact with others on behalf of Christ and out of gratitude for our own relationship with him.  Be encouraged: a relationship with Jesus is worth infinitely more than any “not guilty” verdict from a human courtroom!  Shouldn’t we joyfully share that relationship with everyone around us?

–Pastor David

North American Convention

This week, I had the privilege of attending the 125th North American Convention of the Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. You might usually refer to this event as “campmeeting,” although it seems most attendees these days stay in hotel rooms rather than in campers (and certainly not in tents). As usual, this was a good time for folks in the Church of God to reconnect with each other, to share ideas for ministry, and to worship God together. I’d like to share a few things with you that stood out to me from this year’s convention:

The identity of the Church of God. For many years, the Church of God as a movement/denomination has been struggling with the question of its identity. Who are we? What do we stand for? What can we contribute to the world of Christian faith? Now it finally seems that some important voices are beginning to clarify these questions.

  • First, our General Director, Dr. Ron Duncan, gave an excellent annual report to the General Assembly (pastors and lay leaders from our congregations). In this report, Dr. Duncan clarified what we believe and what makes us distinct from other Christian groups, and he explained what we have accomplished and where we are going as a movement. If you’d like to see this report, please let me know – I have a copy in my study.
  • Second, a new book entitled “Signals at the Crossroads” has been published. This book combines Dr. Gil Stafford’s two previous “Crossroads” books and includes new material that he was writing at the time of his death in 2008. I’ll be reading this book this summer, and I’d be glad to let you take a glance at it if you like.
  • Third, I’ve been invited to participate in the Strategic Planning Conference of the Church of God, which will be held in Nashville, TN in September this year. While the agenda of this conference has yet to be released, the meetings promise to give our leaders even more clarity and direction to the Church of God for the coming years. More details will come later!

Changes to the North American Convention. Attendance at campmeeting has been declining for many years, and as a result of this and several other factors, the General Assembly has appointed a task force to study several options for consideration. The main ideas are that the convention (a) may be held less frequently, perhaps every other year, and (b) may be held in locations other than Anderson. No decisions have been made yet; the General Assembly will hear suggestions at the 2012 campmeeting and may make a decision at that point. In any case, the 2013 campmeeting has already been repurposed and renamed as a “Global Gathering” of the Church of God; church leaders from around the world will come to Anderson for a week of worship and fellowship. The earliest we would see a significant change to the North American Convention would be in 2014.

Interest in in-depth Bible study. This year, I helped to lead a pair of conferences entitled “Difficult Texts of the Bible.” Last year, we held one similarly titled conference, and fifty people attended; this year, thirty-five people came to each conference. These were very strongly attended, and we had excellent conversations! The conferences focused on wrestling with difficult passages of scripture – passages that are hard to understand, challenging to accept, or apparently contradictory with other parts of the Bible. This year, we studied Ecclesiastes 7:15-18, which calls us to be righteous, but not too righteous; in the second conference, we studied Mark 10:1-12, which is often interpreted to say “divorce is sinful” but really says much more than this. The strong response to these conferences is important to me because it shows that people in the Church of God are hungry for in-depth Bible study. Are you? If you’d like to know more about these conferences, please ask me!

If you are curious about anything else that took place during the North American Convention this year, please let me know. I’d be glad to talk about it with you!

–Pastor David

Vacation Bible School

What a week of VBS we have had! If you didn’t participate or visit, our Fellowship Hall was completely transformed into a busy marketplace in first-century Nazareth. (They probably didn’t have pop-up tents back then, but that’s all right!) I was very impressed by the work ethic and the pleasantness of everyone involved. This was a good week of seed-planting and sharing healthy Christian relationships with young people. Our children’s attendance increased every night, with an average of around two dozen on any given evening. And our total of thirty-three youth and adult volunteers is very encouraging!

Vacation Bible School is a fascinating church event because, in some ways, it is more beneficial for youth and adults than it is for children. I can hear you asking now: “How can this be, Pastor? Isn’t VBS a program for kids?” Of course it is, and we should not neglect or ignore the growth in our children that takes place through VBS. After all, Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (NIV). We plant seeds in children’s lives that may sprout immediately or may take many years to develop and mature, and we do so out of obedience to our Lord.

At the same time, though, VBS gives many opportunities for adults to grow, as well. We meet day after day, spend many hours together, communicate with each other, work with each other – all with the expressed purpose of ministering to children. But the time we spend together can very easily turn into ministry to each other, as well! Our frequent meetings and conversations form an intense arena in which we practice healthy Christian relationships with each other. By loving each other during VBS, we show our children the love of Christ, and we are that much more prepared to show the love of Christ to the world at large.

Another benefit coming out of VBS is the opportunity we have as youth and adults to rehearse the stories of our faith. What do we believe? Why do we believe it? Where do those beliefs come from? How do they connect to our everyday lives? These are the kinds of questions that children need to have answered, and we adults are the people who get to share our answers with them. This is the constant call of Christ: to make disciples of all nations by teaching people what Jesus has taught us. VBS is a safe environment for us to rehearse sharing the message of Christ so that we can be more prepared to share that message with others outside of the week of VBS.

I was very impressed by some of our leaders, especially some of our youth, who really took up the challenge of sharing the truth about Jesus with children this week. As they visited me in the “Synagogue School,” they encountered a Jewish rabbi who looked a lot like me but didn’t believe in Jesus. Speaking the truth about Jesus is something each of us should be ready to do at any moment, both in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). Thank you for your work – and keep it up through the rest of the summer!

–Pastor David

Any good news?

Here are a few recent headlines from our local newspaper: “Midland Public Schools Approves Layoffs”; “Meridian Board Considers Revamping Education Philosophy”; “Meth Lab Found in Mills Twp. Home”

What a world we live in! Problems abound in every culture, in every nation, in every neighborhood – and even our own county faces economic, social, and material struggles on a daily basis. Perhaps this comes as no surprise to you, but there always seems to be a lack of good news in our community. These headlines are really not that surprising to me, but they cause me to think: why is our world so full of bad news all the time?

“Midland Public Schools Approves Layoffs”: This is not the first time (and it might not be the last) that we have read about teachers in our community losing their jobs due to decreased enrollment and decreased funding for schools. One of the strongest signs of a community’s hopes for the future is how well its schools are doing. Will this recession end any time soon? How will the unemployed find jobs? What should we as believers do in the meantime? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”

“Meridian Board Considers Revamping Education Philosophy”: If you saw this in the paper, it may have sounded like a good idea. The Meridian Public School system is considering becoming a “new technology” school – a label shared by only a handful of Michigan school systems. This could be a wonderful development for the Meridian school district; New Tech is a novel and exciting approach to education. But the article admitted that such a transition would be costly in terms of dollars, jobs, and perhaps student enrollment. At what cost comes progress? How do we as believers deal with a society that can be deeply divided and unwilling to negotiate on nearly any topic of discussion? “…and lean not on your own understanding…”

“Meth Lab Found in Mills Twp. Home”: The person who posted this article on the newspaper’s website commented, “some scary news – a little too close to home!” Friends, we should not be surprised or scared by the presence of drug activity in our community. The world is never too far from us, nor should it be. Drug use and trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, homelessness, poverty – all of these can be found in our county if we simply open our eyes. As followers of Christ, we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and in my understanding Christ defined “neighbor” as “anyone near you who is in need.” How do we engage a culture which wants to cast a blind eye toward the real problems in our society? “…in all your ways acknowledge him…”

In our Sunday evening services of late, we have been discussing many important issues, such as how we as a small church in Mt. Haley Township can impact our community for the sake of Christ. If you haven’t made a habit of coming on Sunday evenings, I invite you to give it a shot – the services are more informal, personal, and discussion-based. Where do we go from here? How do we join ideas, energies, and forces around the task of spreading Christ and his love to people in our community? How do we participate in transforming our culture by being the body of Christ? These are questions that we are dealing with as a church more and more frequently. As your pastor, I am glad to see these conversations take place! “…and he will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Friends, do not be discouraged by the daily news. Be encouraged by the word of God: the Lord will direct our paths when we trust in him with all our heart. Commit your ways to him this week, and let’s see what he will do in our midst in the days to come!

–Pastor David

Born into Christian Faith?

Recently, I read an excerpt from a book recently written by Desmond Tutu, a well-known South African Christian minister.  Many of his comments are challenging and provocative, but today I’d like to focus in on one point he makes very clearly:  “the accidents of birth and geography determine to a very large extent to what faith we belong.”  In other words, where you were born and who your parents are go a long way in determining what your own religious background is.

Now, this is not to discount the possibility of real change in people’s lives.  History is full of examples of people who were raised in cultures and families hostile to Christianity but who discovered the truth and joy of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  God is powerful enough to change the hardest of hearts – including those that are convinced that a spiritual path other than discipleship in Christ is correct.

My question is for you:  if you are a follower of Christ, why?  What’s your story?  Where have you come from?  Is being a Christian a conscious choice you have made, or is it something you have inherited from your parents or from your culture?

I was raised in a Christian home as the younger son of a Church of God pastor and his wife.  I was raised in the church; we went to church every time the doors were open.  I was exposed to Christianity from a very early age, both at home and in the churches to which we belonged.  Some might say that I am a Christian because my parents are Christians and because I was raised to be a Christian.  To some extent, that is probably right.

However, there came a time when I realized that my faith had to be my faith and not just something I inherited from my parents.  That time came for me in college, and thankfully I came to the realization that following Christ really is the best choice – something in which I can actively involve myself for the rest of my life.  I follow Christ consciously, grateful for my spiritual inheritance, but honest in my decision to follow him.

So where do you fall?  Do you believe in Jesus?  If so, why do you believe?  What is your spiritual heritage?  If you came to Christ without the benefit of family or culture, then ask yourself the same question:  why did you come to faith in him?

Our stories of faith form who we are.  These are the stories that we should celebrate, rehearse, and share with each other and with others.  These give meaning to our existence and to our walk with the Lord.  And remember this:  your story of faith is still being written; growth and maturity are still part of God’s plan for your life.

–Pastor David

A Break in the Action

Vacations are wonderful, aren’t they? You might be aware that Tara and I were away last week on a vacation of our own – that’s why there was no article posted here during that week. We had not been away from our everyday responsibilities (except for a few days during the Christmas season) since moving to Midland last August. We were ready to take a break!

When was the last time you took a step back from your responsibilities and allowed yourself to relax?

It doesn’t take a full-blown vacation to keep us healthy and sane. In fact, we live in such a luxurious culture that many of us actually can walk away from work, home, and responsibilities for several days at a time – and our little corners of the world keep on spinning. We truly are blessed to live in such a time that does not require every waking minute to be spent on productive tasks.

For centuries upon centuries, the Lord has been encouraging his people to take a break every now and then. Actually, his design was for us to take a break once a week. The concept of the Sabbath, or the seventh-day rest period, is extremely old; our biblical tradition says that even God himself rested after six days’ worth of creation. If God chooses to rest after a full work week, who are we to press on non-stop?

There is a danger here, though, for us to become like the Pharisees and require ourselves, our communities, and our entire culture to avoid any semblance of work on our Sabbath day (which, for Christians, is Sunday in honor of the day of Christ’s resurrection).

Jesus himself warns us about this tendency in Mark 2:27 – “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (NIV). This verse comes in the context of a challenge from the Pharisees that Jesus and his disciples were disobeying the Sabbath by picking heads of grain to munch on. Jesus reframes how we think about the Sabbath: instead of avoiding work one day a week because we want to please God by keeping the law, we should incorporate a regular period of rest into our lives for the sake of our health and well-being. If observing this period of rest means we pick some heads of grain instead of cooking a five-course meal, then so be it!

How do you observe the Sabbath? When was the last time you saw a break in the action? What would it take for you to step away from your responsibilities (but not from the Lord!) for a day or two? When will you do that next?

–Pastor David

Unelectric Church

What an experience we had last Sunday! For those of you who were not in attendance here, we experienced a major windstorm in central Michigan on Saturday evening, and around midnight the power was knocked out at the church and at various homes throughout the neighborhood. Electricity was not restored until later on Sunday afternoon, so our Sunday morning meeting was somewhat … different than normal.

We met in the Fellowship Hall for worship, because its windows let in more natural light than the sanctuary. We sang from the hymnal, and we did well without microphones. The congregation sang with tremendous vigor and energy – the strongest singing I’ve heard since Tara and I arrived last August! Several people commented afterward that the service felt like campmeeting and that this was one of the strongest services we’ve had in recent months. I tend to agree: our worship was inspired and greatly energetic, at least partially due to our “extreme” circumstances.

How accustomed we are to the convenience of electricity! And how wonderful to be reminded that our worship of the Lord depends on us, not on the setting in which we find ourselves.

Just a few weeks ago, we focused on the story from John 4 in which Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well. In that passage, Jesus says that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23, NIV). I raised this question then: what does that kind of worship look like? In a fascinating manner, I believe the Lord gave us an opportunity to experience that kind of worship this past Sunday.

Does our worship depend on light bulbs in chandeliers, lyrics projected overhead by a computer, or amplification via microphones? Does our worship depend on radiated heat, flush toilets, or coffee machines?

What do we expect when we come into the house of the Lord? Do we expect to be comfortable, or do we expect to encounter the living God?

If nothing else, I think we can benefit from this lesson: The value of our corporate worship has more to do with the attitudes of our hearts rather than with the amenities of our facility. Perhaps we should shut off the electricity once a year to remind ourselves of this truth!

–Pastor David

Exercise Much?

I’m not much of fan of exercising, although I know I should do it regularly. Each time I go in to my doctor for a physical, he asks what kind of exercise I’m doing. I’m just as good as the next guy in coming up with excuses why I don’t have time or energy or interest to work out. But now that our long Michigan winter is over (thank the Lord!), I’m beginning to realize how important it is, at least for my outlook on life. Being relatively idle for six months while snow covers the ground really does make an impact, not only physically but mentally as well!

Exercising is just as important for the spiritual life as it is for the physical body. Physical exercise can be a time for prayer and meditation, of course, but spiritual exercises are also quite valuable in their own right. These exercises are usually called “spiritual disciplines” in Christian circles, because a certain amount of discipline is required if we choose to participate in these activities consistently.

Many, many books have been written on the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines generally fall into two categories: engaging (prayer, worship, Bible study, fellowship, etc.) and abstaining (fasting, celibacy, solitude, simplicity, etc.). One well-known Christian author, Richard Foster, categorizes the spiritual disciplines differently: inward, outward, and corporate. His best-selling book entitled Celebration of Discipline is the gold standard among Christians for understanding the spiritual disciplines. I have a copy of this book in my study; let me know if you’d like to borrow it sometime!

Why is spiritual exercise so important? Well, if a person spends his or her entire life being spiritually sedentary, then how do you imagine an annual check-up would go? We often think of Christ as our Great Physician, the one who can heal any illness and cure any disease. What if we were to think of Christ as the Great Physician to whom we go for an annual (or more frequent) “spiritual”? What might he suggest about our spiritual health? Would he be pleased with our progress? Would he challenge us to do more exercising? Would we look for reasons why exercising just doesn’t fit into our daily routine?

Your reading assignment for the week is Colossians 3. Read the whole chapter in one sitting, and consider what steps you are taking – or what steps you need to take – to bring about the Christ-like lifestyle and spiritual growth described in this chapter. Then get to exercising!

–Pastor David

Citizenship in the Kingdom of God

By now you are well aware of the news: Osama bin Laden has been killed. How should we respond as Christians? Much has been said in the past few days; here are a few more thoughts.

I am a citizen of the kingdom of God. This is due to the work of salvation that Jesus Christ began on the cross and has been completing in me since I accepted him into my heart when I was a child. One way our scriptures speak of this is being “born again” or “born from above.” This new birth marked my entrance into the kingdom of God, which Jesus proclaimed was breaking into the world but was not of this world. This kingdom is already present but not yet consummated. This kingdom is populated with human beings whose earthly mortality will not end their participation in the kingdom.

I am also a citizen of the United States of America. This is due to the fact that my parents lived in this country at the time that I was born. I am certainly grateful for all the blessings that accompany that citizenship – and I am sure that there are many of which I am not even aware. However, my citizenship in this country is only good for as long as my mortal body is alive. At death, this citizenship expires.

Why is this distinction important? I believe that I must maintain this distinction so that I can learn to react appropriately to events that take place in the world around me. When crime occurs in my neighborhood, I struggle with the presence of evil, but I attempt to forgive those who do me harm and pray for those who persecute me. When joblessness and poverty fuel each other in a vicious cycle, I encourage and share resources with (or ask for help from) people around me. When troubles, wars, famines, and plagues of all kinds strike my homeland, I trust in the Lord, who said these things must happen, and I offer a helping hand whenever possible.

How does a citizen of the kingdom of God react to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death? How should an American Christian respond? To be honest, I don’t know.

It is undoubtedly a good thing for the United States that bin Laden has been killed. His death signals a major victory against terrorist organizations, and it allows us to breathe a small sigh of relief after holding our collective breath for the past ten years. However, since my citizenship is primarily in the kingdom of God rather than in an earthly kingdom, my reactions to this event must reflect that identity.

One more person has died without having a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

This person’s death has elicited responses of satisfied revenge among many American citizens. King David praised God for how Abigail persuaded him not to seek revenge against her husband Nabal and the men of his town (1 Samuel 25:32-34).

This person’s death may usher in an era of peace for our nation; on the other hand, the future may hold more uncertainty and hardship. Jesus Christ’s command still stands: we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us – that is, those who persecute the church, not those who persecute the United States (Matthew 5:43-48).

Furthermore, we should agree with Paul, who says that “whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:1-12). However, this statement comes in the context of disagreements within the church. How we choose to relate to other believers is, I believe, of far greater importance than how we choose to react to the death of an international terrorist. Our unity is of extreme importance, because it points to the reality of Jesus Christ coming from God the Father on a mission of sacrificial love (John 17:22-23).

Osama bin Laden is dead; this may indeed be a very good thing for our nation. Yet the mission of the church is the same as it was a week ago – and ten years ago – and it will remain the same ten years from now. Our safety and national interests cannot take precedence over the interests of the kingdom of God.

–Pastor David