Category: From Pastor

This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Message: I Love my church…love in community (WATCH HERE).

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Restaurant or Relationship?

 

We enjoy eating out…perhaps more than we should!

When we do, we subconsciously are rating the ambiance, the service, the food and the overall experience.  My wife enjoys taking pictures of the food when it comes out and posting a review on google for the restaurant.

We rate a restaurant based on our experience with it.  If we love it, we go back and recommend it.  If we don’t, we won’t go back and find another place to enjoy a meal. 

At a restaurant we rate it based on how it served us.  We are the consumer, they are the contributor.  If we don’t like what we consumed, we move on.

Sometimes we can treat church like this.

It is easy to simply evaluate a church experience based on how well it served me.  Perhaps phrases like, “I didn’t get anything out of the sermon.”  “No one said ‘hi’ to me.” “They didn’t have anything for my kids.”

To be sure, as a pastor, I want every guest to have a five-star experience for their visit.  I want them to be greeted and made to feel welcome.  I want the message to communicate Christ in a real and meaningful way.  I want their children to be encouraged in their life of faith as well.

However, if one never moves from a consumer to a contributor, the church remains like a restaurant with a few people serving the masses.

But God didn’t design his church to be like a restaurant, he designed it to be about relationships.  

When I love a person, I don’t rate them with stars.  I don’t discontinue the relationship when there is a challenge.  No, when I love a person based on a relationship, it is a love that is built on deep commitment.  It is a love that is willing to serve more than be served.  It is a love that is willing to invest time, energy, and resources to make it better…because the relationships matter.

That’s what I mean when I say, “I love my church.”  I love my church because of who it is and what it stands for.  It is worth the investment in the people, in the relationships.  I love my church, so I’m not going to leave if the preacher has a bad sermon one Sunday, or another person doesn’t say hello.  Instead, I am going to be a contributor and do all I can, for the sake and love of Jesus to make it better.

It’s just what Christians do when they love their church and the relationships that are part of it.

Here’s what it looks like:

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Apply: What changes for you when you think of church more in terms of relationships to invest in over a restaurant to consume?

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love and grace that brings me into relationship with you and your people.  Empower me by your Spirit to invest in the people of my church to build stronger connections to them and to you.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “I Love My Church” Week 1 (LISTEN HERE)

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There are different places, locations, buildings that we eventually have to visit in life.

I’m not talking about Disney World, that’s a “want to” visit place. I’m talking about the places we need to go to just because of the course of life: school, for example, or the dentist’s office. Various necessary places will invoke a variety of responses in us. We feel different about going to the mall compared to say going to the dentist. 

Do you love going to the DMV?

Do you love going to the doctor’s office?

Do you love going to the grocery store?

While all of these are a necessary stop at various points in life, they are generally not our favorite to go.  They don’t get rave reviews, right? Some worse than others, but in all three of them you can see that we go to these places in most cases because we have to, not necessarily because we want to.  I would guess your reaction to all of these was NOT “I LOVE to go!”

So what would you say about your church?

Honestly consider these questions. Do we think about church the same way we think about going to the DMV, the doctor’s office, or the grocery store? Is this just a place that we feel we “have” to go to or is there more to it? Think about people who aren’t here with us today or maybe people who haven’t stepped into a church in a long time or ever. I’d be willing to guess that some of them would describe coming to church like we describe going to the DMV, and based on their experiences, they probably wouldn’t be far off from the truth.

Is that what God intended when He created the church? Was that His idea about this community of people? I believe the Bible tells us that no, that was not nor is it God’s plan for HIS church.  The Lord God desires us all to have the attitude of King David who said, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)

David LOVED to go to the house of the Lord.  He was surround by others who loved to go to church and be with the Lord and each other.  Even though I am sure he loved going by himself (if he ever did), he loved when others invited him to go along.

Why?

Because he loved to be in the presence of the God who loved him and with people who loved God.  It was a time to spend with the Lord and with people who loved the Lord.

To be sure, as sinful human beings, we can give people many reasons NOT to love going to church or being at church.  For this we repent.

But the Church that God designed, and God brought us into, and God works through…this Church I too LOVE going to in order to be with the Lord and with others who love the Lord.  I pray these next weeks increase our love for God’s Church…my church!

Apply: What do YOU love about your church?  What don’t you love?  How might you be part of changing it so it doesn’t get in the way of people connecting with Jesus and his people?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for designing the Church and making me part of it.  Forgive me when I don’t love your church or do something to make it not loved by others.  Help me to love spending time with you and with your people.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “I Love My Church” Week 1 (LISTEN HERE)

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When do you panic?

As a dad when my girls were little, there was always a brief sense of panic when I lost eye contact with them at a store, fair, or other large gathering.  I didn’t want any harm to come their way.

Panic can come in the midst of an emergency when you don’t know much information, not sure how to respond, or what the level of danger threat really is.

Panic can come when you are overcome by a fear such as claustrophobia or agoraphobia.  When you feel closed in by space or overwhelmed by a crowd.

Panic can come when you have to do something for the first time that you are uncomfortable doing.  Perhaps getting on an airplane.  Perhaps giving a presentation at work before upper level management.

Panic sets in when the control of the circumstance is out of your control, or perceived to be out of your control.

What alleviates panic is the calming reality from someone who has experienced what you are fearing, gives guidance through a challenging situation or simply stands by your side to lean on when inside you feel in turmoil.

When I am filled with fear or close to panic, I want someone or something that I can come back to once again bring balance, perspective and direction to my life.

The gift of the Church is just that.  Why? Because it is aligned to Christ as the cornerstone.  Here’s what the Prophet Isaiah has to say about it:

Isaiah 28:16 See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.

When we are aligned to Christ and relying on him, we will “never be stricken with panic.”

How come?

Here’s what I think about.

When faced with an emergency or large difficulty, I don’t have to panic because I know a) Christ has taken care of my biggest problem in life and b) I know his power and presence are always real and with me.

When faced with a fear that leads my heart to beat fast, I know the promises of Christ remind me that I do not have to fear.

Like yesterday’s discussion of the foundation of the Church, having Christ as the Cornerstone allows me to go through life with a deep peace, calm, and assurance.  It’s in his Church that I am strengthened in this conviction and reminded of it.

Don’t panic…Christ is your cornerstone!

 

Apply: When do you sense panic in your life?  What promises of Jesus would help to alleviate the panic when it comes?

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the Cornerstone of the Church and giving every reason to have peace instead of panic.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “I Love My Church” Week 1 (LISTEN HERE)

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The Foundation Matters

Periodically on Facebook, TV or other media sites you will see advertisements for companies that can fix your home’s foundation.  Sometimes the soil on which your house was built shifts causing cracking or settling of the foundation.  As a result the home is crooked at best, unstable at worst.  Of course if you were building your home, you would want to make sure the foundation was built properly so there would be no problems in the future.

A solid foundation matters.  A foundation that doesn’t move matters.  A foundation that doesn’t fail matters.

Especially today.

Culture has come at the foundation of society with massive jack hammers.  Especially anything that has a connection to Christianity seems to be the main things they want to break off or break away…issues of life…sanctity of marriage…gender…morality…and more.

It’s challenging to live on a foundation that moves or is crumbling.  What will be the norm tomorrow?  How am I supposed to show up today?  Honestly if there is no foundation, we all become homeless as a culture, determining our own plot of ground on which to pitch our tent.

Perhaps some like that and do not want the perceived confines of a foundation, but one loses the stability of the foundation, the building built on the foundation and the safety, shelter, and stability that structure provides.

Which is why I love the Church!

The foundation of the Church is the Word of God.  The Apostle Paul put it this way:

Ephesians 2:20 “… built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,…”

This phrase captures all the Word of God, both Old Testament and New, all the individuals who wrote under the promise and reality of inspiration by the Holy Spirit.

Admittedly, culture doesn’t want to live on this foundation.  In fact, they become antagonistic when even from a legal stand point it seems like they are being forced onto a foundation that is informed by the Word of God.  Some people just want to remain homeless.

But God wants the best for us.  Just like Austin, TX spends millions of dollars to provide housing for the homeless, God spent the blood of his Son to give us a home that we didn’t purchase, deserve, or build.  Sadly, there are some who don’t want what the Lord has to offer.

Yet, the Foundation of the Word of God is what gives eternal safety, earthly guidance, and many blessings to the individuals who not only hear and read the Word of God, but put it into practice.  It is a foundation that won’t shift when culture does.  It is not a Foundation that will crack when pressured to do so.  It is not a foundation that is going to crumble even when others try.

The Church, God’s people, is built on this foundation.  Which is why I love the Church.  I’m surrounded by people who find the same safety, security, and blessings as I do from the Word of God.  I have people around me that stand firm in the midst of a changing culture.  I have people who find safety in the truths and promises of God.  I have people around me who find a similar purpose in living out life with our God-given gifts to the glory of God.

All because we have been built on a solid foundation.

And a foundation matters.

 

Apply: What blessings do you receive from being part of a church which is solidly fixed to the foundation of the Word of God?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for laying a solid, immovable, unchanging foundation for your people in your Word.  Help me to always find the safety, security and blessing in it that your promise.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “I Love My Church” Week 1 (LISTEN HERE)

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Years ago my brother and cousin and I toured through Europe.  As we went through different cities, often the most prominent building in the city was the cathedral.  Many of the cathedrals were built centuries ago by master craftsman over the span of 10 plus years.  Intricate artwork was found in the masonry work, the flooring, the stained glass, the furnishings and really everywhere you looked there was a message that came to the person who stepped into the building.  Individuals labored years at their craft to give their best to the building of the dwelling in which the Lord was worshiped.

Yet the sad things was very few people filled the beautiful buildings.  What once was the center of the town’s activity and focus was now an empty shell of craftsmanship and beauty.

To be sure, a building doesn’t define the church or mark the boundaries of the church.  But perhaps the building is reflective of the health of the Church in the world today.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The Church is the gathering of people connected by faith to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Like a master craftsman, the Lord God orchestrated the building of his temple that would be a “dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

I got to thinking, “When a person steps into the middle of a gathering of God’s people, no matter where that gathering is, does that gathering emanate the grandeur and glory of God like the cathedrals of Europe inspire awe and wonder to all who enter them?”

Perhaps not and we need to repent.  Perhaps we should and we need the help of God’s Spirit.

God has brought us together in perfect connection to him and others, not to be an empty shell of his Church, but to be the vibrant living manifestation of his love and grace to the world.  Like one who enters a cathedral and marvels at the pictures in stained glass, or the ornate wood carvings, or the vastness of the nave the Lord orchestrates the people of his church with different gifts, different abilities, different personalities to shine multiple facets of the glory of God into the world around us.

The cathedrals of Europe unfortunately are very empty of worshippers.  One would hope the Church was active in the world around, even if it weren’t in the cathedrals.  Statistics would say this too is waning.  But that doesn’t mean we simply turn the cathedral of God over to the wrecking ball and let it be destroyed, rather just the opposite.  It is the calling of the Church that God has given to be the “salt and light” in our communities; to declare the praise of God to the people around us, and exhibit the beauty of God’s grace all around us.

The world doesn’t need an empty shell of the church, it needs the Spirit of God to be alive and active in the Church to be the influence, the messenger, the servant of God to the people around us and the towns in which we live.

And each of us by God’s grace gets to be a facet of God’s glory, as a member of HIS Church, to the community around us.

 

Apply: What gets in the way of God’s people showing up in a community as a breathtaking “cathedral” for the Lord?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for failing to exhibit your glory and grace to the people around me.  Enable me by your Spirit to be the part of the Church you have called me to be, displaying your glory and grace at all times.  AMEN.