Three Tasks and Some Applications

This past Sunday, the sermon focused on the theme of “working in God’s vineyard,” based on the parable in Matthew 21:23-32 about how two sons of a landowner responded to his request that they work in his vineyard.  I thought it might be helpful to summarize a few of the points from this message so you can have them in “hard copy” form.

What does “working in God’s vineyard” look like?  What tasks are involved?  To what do we need to attend?  I see three general tasks that we as the people of God face:

  1. Personal spiritual growth.  Each of us is responsible for our own growth and development in Christ.  We must choose to follow him, to repent of our sins, to be baptized, to give up sinful patterns of behavior, and to invest ourselves in the life-long process of becoming more like Christ.  Since this process is life-long, we must always work towards intentionality about spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, regular church attendance, and so forth.
  2. Corporate spiritual growth.  Each of us is responsible for the growth and development of our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those in our own local congregation.  We do not live as “islands” of Christian faith; instead, we share life with each other, we support each other, we challenge each other, and we walk alongside each other through good times and difficult times.  The New Testament reveals that we in the church belong to each other and cannot live apart from each other.  Therefore, strengthening our corporate spiritual life is a high priority.
  3. Spreading the message of Christ.  Each of us is responsible to tend to the soil which has not yet produced a growing plant.  By this, I mean we are charged with the task of building relationships with people outside the Christian faith in order to share Christ with them, that they too might come to know the fullness of life which can be found in him.  We might till the soil, plant a seed, spread some fertilizer, water the ground – any of these agricultural activities can describe our work in sharing Christ’s love with those around us.

These three tasks are a beginning point to understanding what working in God’s vineyard looks like.  Certainly more tasks could be added to this list, such as working in society toward the goals of justice and fairness, striving to engender peace in our homes and cities and nations, and so on.  But I believe these three are a good starting point for us.

How, then, do we get to work on these tasks?  I see four applications at the present time for our congregation:

  1. Dealing with grief and hardship.  Many folks in our congregation are struggling right now; we have had more than our fair share of losses and crises in the past month.  Certainly the second task (corporate spiritual growth) is a high priority these days while we rally around those who are in distress.  However, there’s another level of application:  even though we grieve, mourn, and endure hardship, we are still called to work in God’s vineyard – we aren’t off the hook!  It might even be the case that our work will be more fruitful because of our reliance on the Lord in times of crisis.
  2. Sunday school curriculum.  We are experimenting with a standardized curriculum for our Sunday school classes this quarter.  I have heard mixed reviews at this early stage in our experiment; some people like the structure and content, but other people do not.  Remember that this is just an experiment, and the curriculum is only a tool to help us in our task of working in God’s vineyard.  Whether you like the curriculum or not, the tasks of personal and corporate spiritual growth are still on the table.  Let’s make the best of it!
  3. Youth group opportunities.  Pastor Jerry will soon be asking you (if he hasn’t already) to participate in our youth group ministry in more intentional ways.  For instance, he hopes to have adults in our church volunteer to bring in snacks for the youth group’s Sunday evening meetings.  He and Connie have several other ideas, as well – but I’ll let them reveal those to you!  Let’s become actively involved in ministering to our young people.  They really are an exciting bunch!
  4. Local Ministry of the Quarter.  I want this congregation to become more actively involved in partnering with local Christian ministries, of which there are many in our community.  Every three months, we will focus our energies on an individual ministry, which we will support with our finances, our resources, and/or our time and energy.  For instance, in the final three months of this year, we will support the Pregnancy Resource Center with a “baby bottle drive” – more info will come soon!

Let’s continue the process of learning how to work in God’s vineyard.  I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you!

–Pastor David

Blackberry Season

As I mentioned last week, we are in the midst of blackberry season here at the parsonage.  Every couple of days, I head out to the edge of the woods and pick another quart or so of berries.  (We’re always up for sharing, these, by the way – if you’d like some, just let us know!)  This summer, I’ve taken the opportunity to watch these plants and the growth and development of their fruit.  I’ve learned a lot, and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that I see some connections between this blackberry business and our walk as disciples of Christ.

When picking berries, you have to watch out for thorns.  These plants have a natural defense system that can be a bit painful for the careless berry picker.  The thorns often dig into my jeans and my shirt, and I’m glad to take the time to pull them away from my clothing because I realize I don’t have to pull them out of my skin.  Patience, persistence, and careful attention to the task at hand are some of the benefits of practicing this discipline.  How often do we as followers of Christ need to learn these things?  While we work to harvest good crops (that means other people) for the Lord, we may be stuck by thorns, but the harvest still awaits!

I’ve been surprised by some plants that have been broken or damaged in the past.  Even though a plant is weakened and literally bends at a 90 degree angle, it can still produce good fruit.  Sometimes the fruit is of lower quality than the completely healthy plants, but sometimes the fruit is perfect.  Who among us is without breaks or cracks in our personal histories?  If God can cause a broken blackberry plant to produce good fruit (even though the break is obvious to everyone), then he surely can help a broken person to walk in faith and produce good fruit as well.

Finally, our blackberry plants have to compete with a few other plants for space, nutrients, and sunlight.  One vine in particular is very good at wrapping itself around other plants and growing very quickly.  I’ve had to pull out some of these vines in order to get to the good plants.  Several weeks ago, I commented in our Sunday morning service that I couldn’t tell weed from good plant – but now I certainly can!  Once the fruit appears, it’s very easy to know which plant is which.  That reminds me of some words of Jesus:

“Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15-20 NIV)

Friends, bear good fruit for the Lord.  Watch out for worldly influences that do not reflect Christ’s character.  Allow the Lord to form, shape, prune, and cultivate you so that his harvest will be great.

–Pastor David

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

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

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

Focus on What?

Have you ever had trouble focusing on the task at hand? Some people struggle with the ability to focus more than other people, but I believe nearly everyone knows what it’s like to have a wandering mind. I know that’s true for me – sometimes, I have the hardest time getting started on my day!

We are in the middle of our “Focus 40” experience, the Church of God initiative that is uniting hundreds of congregations in a quest for deepening our relationships with God and for hearing his voice in our lives anew. The “40” part is easy to understand: these are the forty days leading up to Easter Sunday, which will be here before you know it. I think it’s more difficult for us to understand – and to practice – the concept of “focusing.”

What does it mean to focus? When you are at work, you have to focus on your job; you have to put aside all other distractions and complete the tasks you have been given. When a friend is sharing a personal struggle, a great joy, or a prayer request, you ought to place all your attention on your friend. When your family is going through a difficult time, there comes a point at which you need to focus on solving the problem in a healthy, God-honoring manner. Why are these things so hard to do sometimes?

When it comes to leisure activities, we have no trouble focusing. We watch intently the last few minutes of the TV show or movie. We’re on the edge of our seats for the last few minutes of the basketball game, the last inning of the baseball game, or the last several laps of the big race. Whatever our “fun” activities are, we often pour our entire attention into them. So why is it harder to focus completely on more important things – our jobs, our families, even our own relationships with God?

This is one reason why we are engaging as a church in this “Focus 40” season. Two spiritual disciplines, prayer and fasting, are being emphasized as practices to help us learn how to focus on the Lord. None of us are “naturals” at focusing on things of importance all the time; we each have to learn how to give our attention to the Lord on a regular basis. Several of you have committed to praying regularly or to fasting once (or more) per week during “Focus 40”; please know that I am praying regularly for you as you practice these disciplines.

Focusing on spiritual things is important to the Lord, so it should be important to us as well. Take to heart how this New Testament passage encourages us to take spiritual growth seriously:

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:23-25 NIV)

–Pastor David

Surprise Snow

I still have enough “Indiana” in me that I don’t think of March as a month for snow. March is a month for basketball, budding flowers and trees, chirping birds, and a fair bit of rain. Imagine my surprise when we woke up to half a foot of snow this morning! Yes, the weather forecast told me this would happen ahead of time, but it still caught me a bit off guard.

It strikes me that surprise is a very human experience. Some people enjoy surprise birthday parties; some like movies or books with surprise endings. Other people dislike any kind of surprise because of their emotional or physical reactions to surprises. So the ability to be surprised is a pretty common human characteristic. But what about surprise in the life of the Christian? What do our scriptures say about surprises?

In the Old Testament, we read that we should not be surprised when we see injustice in the world, because that’s just the way the world works (Ecclesiastes 5:8). In the teachings of Jesus, we read that we should not be surprised by his call for us to be “born again” (John 3:7). And in several New Testament letters, we read that we should not be surprised by various trials or by the return of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, 1 Peter 4:12-16, 1 John 3:13).

As human beings, we will always be surprised by one thing or another. However, when it comes to matters of faith, we are to have confidence in our Lord: in his faithfulness to us, in his promised return, in his strength that enables us to withstand any trial. And this confidence extends to our mission, as well. We are called by the Lord to meet the needs of those who are in need in our community, so we should face that call, those needs, and the people who are involved with confidence rather than with surprise. The Bible and the course of human history teach us that injustice, poverty, abuse, and all kinds of social ills will always exist in our world – and every generation needs to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our work is ongoing!

The difference between surprise and anticipation is the difference between being caught off guard and being prepared. In time, I will learn to anticipate snowfall in March (and April? and May?!). In the life of the church, the difference between surprise and anticipation is as great as night and day. I believe that moving toward an attitude of anticipation is part of the process of becoming more like Christ, who always seemed to anticipate the next step rather than to express surprise at a new development in his life. What would our fellowship look like if we lived in constant anticipation of the Lord’s return? What would it look like if we anticipated the needs of our community, both physical and spiritual, before we learned about specific problems facing specific people? I think these attitudes can transform our relationships with each other and with the Lord. What do you think?

–Pastor David

Is Christ’s Mission Our Mission Also?

During the past several weeks, our Sunday morning sermons have focused on the mission of Christ as revealed in the first few chapters of Matthew.  Why did Jesus come?  What did he preach?  What was important to him?  Now that we have finished that series, it’s time to pull these pieces together and see how our Lord’s mission relates to our own.

  • Christ’s mission was to fulfill the Old Testament expectations of the coming Messiah, the Savior for all people.  This truth gives us exceedingly great joy as we do our work in the kingdom.
  • Christ’s mission included human participation:  Jesus was baptized by John as a sign of his alignment with God’s purposes.  In the same way, each of us is essential to the work that God calls us to do in today’s world.
  • Christ’s mission was to preach a short, simple message of repentance and the nearness of the kingdom of God.  At the same time, he established the faith community that has grown into a worldwide enterprise today.  Our mission is the same: to preach a simple yet powerful message, and to live in a community marked by repentance and discipleship.
  • Christ’s mission included powerful healing acts so that the message of the kingdom of God might continue to expand.  We are called to proclaim the God who can do the impossible: even to be crucified on our behalf and to rise from the dead in victory over sin and death.
  • Christ’s mission was to show us that “the good life” is found in our connection to something greater than ourselves: namely, the very life of God himself.  Our mission is to live the truly blessed life – and to invite others to join us on this journey.
  • Christ’s mission showed us what true obedience to God’s law looks like: authentic obedience without legalism.  We are called to live the same way, as salt in a flavorless world and as light to reveal truth to a world living in darkness.
  • Christ’s mission was to bring about unity and holiness in the church, because the stakes of disunity and sinfulness are frighteningly high.  Our mission is to live in such a way that the world can see these two principles through our fellowship and community.
  • Christ’s mission was to challenge the people of God to be perfect as their Lord is perfect.  This perfection is not restricted to moral choices, like we often think today; instead, it has more to do with God’s completeness and his ability to love those who do not love him.  Our task is to grow into this image every day.

Is Christ’s mission our mission also?  Absolutely!  Jesus changed the world through his years of ministry and his self-sacrifice on our behalf.  And he would not call us to do something that he is not willing to do himself.

Brothers and sisters, as we consider the mission of our congregation, let us keep the mission of our Lord directly in front of us as we walk together in faith.

–Pastor David

Focus 40

The season of Lent, which leads up to Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, is nearly upon us.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on March 9.  Traditionally, this is a season of preparation, introspection, and repentance for Christians around the world.  This year, the Church of God is observing Lent in a unique way:  it’s called “Focus 40.”

For the forty days leading up to Easter Sunday, the entire Church of God movement is being encouraged to spend time in prayer and fasting for the sake of seeking the Lord’s direction for our movement and for our congregations.  This is an exciting opportunity for us to participate in a unifying event with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  To date, over 400 congregations in the United States and around the world have signed up to participate – including us!

Now, I’m not calling for any of us to spend the entirety of these forty days in prayer and fasting.  In fact, it’s not a good idea to go on a forty-day fast without your doctor’s permission, because that’s a long time to go without food.  But perhaps you would consider fasting for a day or for a meal, once or twice or three times during the 40-day period.  And certainly I hope you will consider praying consistently for Mt. Haley Church of God, for our sister churches in the area, and for the Church of God as a whole.

Prayer is a no-brainer for most of us.  But why fast?  Historically, prayer and fasting have been the means by which God’s people have expressed their deep desire to be in relationship with him.  Fasting occurred in the Old Testament during times of distress, confession, repentance, and seeking God’s will (Ezra 8:23; Nehemiah 1:4; Psalm 35:13; Daniel 9:3).  In the New Testament, prayer and fasting went together as a means of determining the will of the Lord in selecting missionaries and church leaders (Acts 13:1-3 and Acts 14:23).

When we abstain from eating food for a certain length of time, we are reminding ourselves of our weakness and our dependence on God.  Hunger pains remind us that we depend on God for life itself and for our daily bread; with that in mind, we can also remember that we depend on God for guidance, health, safety, leadership, and answers to prayer.  Fasting is a method of practicing deep spirituality that has stood the tests of time.

We also have the opportunity to practice our unity with fellow believers through a shared program of daily devotionals.  Each day during this 40-day season, we will share in a devotional thought written by someone in our movement to help us unite our thoughts and prayers around a specific request or idea.  These devotionals will be available on our church website and on Facebook in early March, and paper copies will be made available soon as well.

I invite you to join me and thousands of other Christian brothers and sisters as we ask the Lord to move mightily through our congregation, community, nation, and movement in the upcoming season of Lent.

–Pastor David

The Privilege of Scripture

How many versions of the Bible do you have in your home?  I hope you have at least one – if not, let me know and we’ll fix that ASAP!  It’s likely, though, that you have a few different translations of the Bible available to you, whether they are in your home or at church or somewhere else.  Do you realize how fortunate we are?

I didn’t choose to learn English when I was a child, but I am sure glad that I did.  There are dozens and dozens of translations of the Bible available to us English speakers, and they cover a wide variety of uses.  Each has its strengths and weaknesses, because no translation perfectly captures the meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek texts.  When we study the Bible, it is good for us to compare several translations so that we might gain better insight into what the Lord is saying to us.

People who speak other certain languages are not as fortunate as we are.  Bible translation is still an active field of study all around the world.  Through organizations such as Wycliffe Bible Translators and World Missionary Press (to name only two), the Word of God is being translated into more and more languages and is being placed in the hands of people who claim those languages as their own.

One fact has been proven true time and time again through this process:  people with limited access to the scriptures have a tremendous desire to read them.  People will travel for hours and stand in long lines to receive their first New Testament – and you should see how they eat it up!  Just as startling is the inverse truth:  people (like us) with scriptures coming out of our ears tend to take the Bible lightly.  We read it when we feel like it, until we’re tired of it, and then we move on to something more interesting.  Friends, this should not be!

We truly are privileged to have so many different English translations of the Bible.  I challenge you with this thought:  the next time you see a Bible sitting on your shelf, desk, or nightstand, give thanks to God that his word is so accessible to us.  Then open it up and read it!

–Pastor David