Organism and Organization

I read an interesting article this morning about the Church. We've seen and heard a lot in recent years about how people are more interested in Jesus and less interested in the Church. This article brings us all back to the point that Christianity is not what Jesus intended without the Church.

The author interviewed Ted Kluck, a lay member of the University Reformed Church in East Lansing, MI and Ted's pastor. One might surmise that this opinion is held by more traditional churches. "The more contemporary emergent and non-denominational churches don't hold that belief," one may say.

I would disagree.

I think more and more Christian leaders (contemporary and traditional) are pointing out the essential role that the Church plays in our relationship with Christ. One simply can't be in stride with Jesus Christ and not with the Church. The two are intimately intertwined.

"Organized religion has too many problems!"

"The Church is full of hypocrisy!"

"There's too much judgment inside the Church!"

"It's so hard finding the right church."

Yes, I would agree with all of those statements. They still don't excuse us from participating in the Body of Christ, ministering to a local group of believers using the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us.

The author of the article describes the Church as an organism and an organization. It's living, changing and growing. We, as believers, help the Church maintain its fluidity. It also has a foundation and structure to it which is the Word of God.

Giving up the Church because it's not perfect is hypocritical in itself. No one's perfect - including you and me! So, why would anyone expect the Church to be perfect? It's never going to be, but God's Word still calls us to be connected with one another in a local church - and by connection, I don't mean just at Christmas and Easter. It essentially all boils down to a matter of obedience. Are we going to do what God wants us to do or are we going to walk in rebellion and still expect God's blessings?

Shipwrecked

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 1 Timothy 1:18-19 NLT


Paul's instructions in these passages remind us of the importance of discipline in our lives as Christians. So many of us can talk Christianese and share the marvels of God's Truth but aren't really living it day-in and day-out as God desires.

To the church at Corinth, Paul instructs them that training is important to avoid disqualification. Avoiding the "once-saved-always-saved" argument, I believe there is a disqualification that we can experience on earth as Christians. When we're not walking the walk, we become hypocrites. We lose our effectiveness in leading others. We get disqualified.

That's only the first step. Paul goes on to tell Timothy that there's a more dangerous second step that doesn't just affect those around us, but, more importantly, affects our own relationship with God. When we take that step off the deep end and violate our conscience, we shipwreck our faith.

In other words, if I become lazy about having my devotional time with God while promoting the importance of it to others, I'm disqualifying myself from being genuine and authentic in my walk. I've become a hypocrite. And if I walk away from having that time altogether, I'm making a statement whether I realize it or not: I don't need God's power in my life on a daily basis because I can do it all by myself. At that point, you have traveled into the treacherous waters. You will make a decision that is devastating to either yourself or others around you. You will encounter a moral failure. You will experience a shipwreck.

Discipline. Clinging to your faith as if it's a life raft in a dangerous whirlpool. These are the things that we, as Christians, can't forget in the midst of our busyness.

What If...

What if the Lord had not been on our side?
Psalm 124:1a NLT

What if...?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? I've found myself in a few predicaments when I've uttered these words.

Maybe we dismiss too much to coincidence. Maybe we find our help in too many places other than God. Do we assign blame to God and gratefulness to someone/something else too quickly?

When was the last time your prayers were nothing but praise for the calamity that God has prevented in your life? "I've experienced all kind of bad stuff, though!" Maybe that's true. But have you ever realized it could have been a lot worse? Regardless of what you've gone through in this life, someone has experienced much greater pain, sorrow, loss or hardship.

Let's remember that, ultimately, our greatest help doesn't come from friends, family, titles, money or material things. It comes from the Lord God Almighty.

Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8 NLT

Twitterized

For over a year now, I've been hearing about Twitter. Frankly, I could not imagine thinking that there are people who really need to know exactly what I'm doing or thinking that much! I thought the concept was promoting self-absorption and over-inflating our egos.

After many of my ministry colleagues and "pastoral/leadership heroes" had joined the Twitter ranks, I finally succumbed to the peer pressure. And guess what? I actually like it. It's not that I think I need to tweet every few minutes to let people know what I'm doing or thinking. I actually love "following" my colleagues and heroes to read what God is speaking to them about and doing in their lives. Their tweets inspire and motivate me in my own relationship with Christ and leadership of City on a Hill Church.

So, the question remains... Have you been Twitterized?

Foreclosure Support Group

Our friends at Hope Community Church here in Culpeper have created a support group for those who are (or have) (or perhaps will be) experiencing foreclosure. It's called Beauty for Ashes. Ray and Gay Hopkins lead this group that meets every third Tuesday evening from 7 to 9pm at 121 East Culpeper Street. You can contact them at Beauty4Ashes@hopecwc.org or 540 825-4607 ext. 7.

I love promoting other Christian groups who are serving and helping the community in relevant ways. Way to go Hopkins and Hope Community Church!

Worship Culpeper

Come on out tonight and join Culpeper in a live, outdoor worship concert featuring three different worship teams.

The event begins at 7pm and ends at 9pm. Bring some water to keep you refreshed on a warm Summer's eve, and don't forget your BUG SPRAY!!! If you'd like, feel free to bring some lawn chairs or blankets as well.

The event is hosted at City on a Hill Church, 405 Sperryville Pike in Culpeper. We share the blue AT&T Wireless building next to Yowell Meadow Park.

Let's praise God together under the evening sky and lift His name to the heavens!!!

Stone Monuments

This week in our Life Groups, we're discussing the portion of Scripture in Joshua 3-4 where God brings the Israelites into the promised land. When the cross the Jordan River, they are instructed to build a stone monument to memorialize the miraculous crossing of the water.

What stone monuments do you have today to memorialize who God is in your life? When we're used by God in other people's lives, we're stacking eternal stones that have eternal impact on that person(s). The lasting impressions can be memorials to commemorate the power of God in our lives.

What stone monuments do you have to remind you of what God has done in your life? Do you take the time to regularly remember what God has done for you? What stones are you stacking in your life for your children and grandchildren to see?

I'm asking each person in our Life Group to take a polished river stone that I'm providing to them and use a sharpie pen to write one or two words that remind them of what God has done in a special circumstance in their life - a moment, a season or situation when we experienced God in a life-changing way. We're going to take those stones and place them at the altar on Sunday memorializing the wonder of the Lord God Almighty.

Hope's Birthday

Today is Hope's 3rd birthday. We're going to celebrate it in style with a lunch party at Chuck E Cheese's in Fredericksburg. She's so excited - it's all she's been talking about for the past two weeks. Isn't it great how kids can be so excited for the littlest things?!

God Speaks

Have you ever considered how God speaks? In theological circles, it's called "revelation." There are all kinds of thoughts on this depending on who you ask. There's some interesting stories about revelation, though, captured in Genesis 40 and 41.

In Genesis 40, God speaks to two Egyptians who are not monotheists. In other words, they are typical Egyptians who are polytheists - they believe in many gods, not the single God of the Bible. Yet the Lord Almighty speaks to them both in separate dreams. These dreams are prophetic in that the dream reveals to each of them their destiny over the next few days.

In chapter 41, we have the Egyptian Pharoah being given a dream as well. Like in the previous chapter, the Lord has given this dream and Joseph is given the responsibility of interpretation. The Pharaoh was told by God through this dream of the coming famine on the land of Egypt. This is revelation!

So, does God really speak to people who are not believers?

Actually, He does it every second of every day! The Psalmist writes

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies declare the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)

God's revelation through His creation (we call it nature) is one kind of revelation and definitely one way God speaks to believers and unbelievers alike.

God loves every person who has ever been conceived throughout the history of time. He wants all to be saved and spend eternity with Him. Consequently, He speaks to all of us. To all, He speaks through His creation. To some, He speaks in and through dreams. To others, He speaks through signs and miracles. He speaks through His Word as well. He is a creative, unique God who cannot be limited by our intellect or imagination. His means of communication to us is infinite because His love for us knows no bounds!

Momentum

Life Groups on Wednesday and Thursday, Worship Culpeper on Friday and Women's Ice Cream Social on Saturday - this is the line-up for this week @ City on a Hill Church. We're going to create some momentum for this mid-summer doledrum season in which we find ourselves.

Physics tells us that momentum = mass x velocity. Well, from that definition one may conclude that a small church like COAHC's momentum may never be significant. Wrong! Momentum can lead to more momentum and its potential is infinite. It feeds on itself - and that's a good thing.

In our Church Business Meeting yesterday afternoon, I shared that our vision for this next year is to take the momentum we've created in our first year of existence and use it to take us to new heights in our second year. It's kind of like the momentum of a roller coaster going down hill that carries it up the next hill.

Personally, we all need momentum in our lives. When we don't have it, it's easy for us to become stagnant. We have to work harder at motivating ourselves to create motion. What momentum do you have in your walk with Christ right now? What caused that momentum in the first place?

If you don't have momentum, I suggest that you create some. You can create momentum by building healthy habits - daily devotional time with the Lord, prayer time with your spouse, taking advantage of teachable moments with your kids. When you have a little wind in your sails, it's a lot easier to go through life!

I Wonder...

I wonder what would happen if I said something like this on Sunday...

The Power of Words

This weekend, we're kicking off a series on the power of words. Words have the power in our lives to construct a monumental confidence or have the power to destroy our the very foundation of who we are.

Watch this powerful video about the power of words and be aware of your emotional reaction and sensitivity to the negative words spoken and then the positive words spoken.

Source of Understanding

So often I hear Christians credit other people (mostly famous theologians or writers) for their deeper understanding of Scripture or more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.

"It was ________ who really opened my eyes to who I am in God's eyes."

"In his book __________, ________ showed me the extent of Jesus' sacrifice for me."

I love reading Lewis, Bonhoffer, Tozer, Spurgeon, Swindoll, McDowell, Strobel, Laubach and other great Christian writers as much as anyone else. They are people who have great understanding of Scripture and who can communicate effectively, otherwise they wouldn't be successful.

These people and many others, however, are merely instruments. They are neither the source nor the cause. They are but a medium by which we come to greater understanding of who God is in comparison to who we are. It is the Holy Spirit who is the source of this understanding, and His power which is the cause.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26 NIV

One of the most effective preachers in the Bible, said it plainly in 1 Corinthians 2:4 -

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Great theologians speak pearls of wisdom and write beautiful words that express the loveliness of Christ and what He did for us. But as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, this is a message of wisdom that only some understand. If it was truly up to man alone, then many more would understand, agree and comply. But it's not. The Holy Spirit is the source of this wisdom as well as the source of the understanding.

None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" - but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. (verse 8-10)

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (verse 14)

The next time the light bulb pops on over your head about something related to the truth of God's Word, don't give credit to the writer you're reading or the person to whom you're listening. Give credit where credit is due. Give thanks to the Holy Spirit!

What's Your Cross?

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mark 8:34 NIV

Did you know you have a cross, or two or three? We all have at least one. It could be self-glory. It could be fear of ridicule. It could be the ambition to get rich.

Frank Laubach writes about this in his book, You Are My Friends. He writes, "The test of a soldier is not how well he can talk when there is no danger. He is a true soldier who faces peril and losses and defeat and pain without losing his nerve. This is also the test of a genuine follower of Christ."

Are you ready to deny yourself? Are you ready to identify which cross is yours, then take it up for carrying? And will you follow Jesus Christ no matter where He takes you?

These are all questions that we, the soldiers in God's army, need to be prepared to answer.

The Lord is My Shepherd

The...
A definite article. Not "a". God is the God. He's not one of many, but the one and only.

The Lord...
He is God. He is mighty, powerful and righteous. He is loving and kind. God is perfect in every way. He is everpresent and everlasting.

The Lord is...
God exists. He is not some made-up, imagined hallucination or fable. He existed for always and will live forevermore. The Lord was, is and shall be.

The Lord is my...
God is personal. He is relational. He meets me right where I am. He has no unreasonable expectations for me. He has designed me specifically for the task He has given me. He is not the redeemer just for mankind, but my redeemer. He is my Savior. He is my God.

The Lord is my shepherd.
God feeds me when I am hungry. He protects me from my enemies. God corrects me when needed. He leads me and guides me. I hear His voice and follow Him.

And Now For Something Lighter

What do you get when you put a Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi, a Buddhist monk and 10 atheists in the same room? Reality TV!

Reality TV is bringing God (and gods) into the scene. According to news sources, a Turkish Reality TV show called Penitents Compete allow atheists to be witnessed to by a Muslim, Christian, Jew and Buddhist. The goal is to convert at least one atheist to your faith. If you do, you could win a trip to Jerusalem, Mecca or Tibet.

For more, you can read an article here.

Schizophrenic

The closing show of KingsFest was Newsboys, the favorite band of my 7 year-old daughter. It turns out that the long-time front man (lead vocalist) for the band Peter Furler was no longer touring with the band. Michael Tait, formerly of dc Talk, had taken over the role.

While Tait is a great singer and wonderful performer, it just wasn't the same. It seemed as though the band couldn't make up its mind whether to play Newsboys songs or dc Talk songs. The set included about a 50-50 split. It was if the band had suddenly become schizophrenic!

The whole thing reminds me of Paul's struggle captured in Romans chapter 7:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. verses 15-18

We all go through this life as believers struggling to do what God's will is. Yet even though we know what God's will is in most situations, we still struggle to do it!

The battle between evil and good rages, and find ourselves with a Jekyll and Hyde complex. From moment to moment, we walk through life schizophrenic. The proverbial angel sitting on one shoulder tells us, "Love your neighbor as yourself." while the devil sits on the other shouting, "Forget him! You don't owe him anything!"

Paul gives us great comfort with the first two verses of the following chapter:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

It is the mind that plays such an important role in our life with Christ. We struggle emotionally in our walk in goodness and righteousness because we hear the voice of the enemy calling us towards that which we don't really want.

That's why Paul tells us to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5)! He tells us that the "mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God." (Romans 8:6-7) And Paul gives us the secret to the victory of this emotional pathology in Romans 12:2-

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Vacation

Tomorrow we leave for a much needed break from life to Kings Dominion. So no blogging until next week for me.

In a previous post, I mentioned that Carrie won the Grand Prize on WPER's KingsFest Giveaway. So we're off to enjoy Kings Dominion, Waterworks, KingsFest concerts and accommodations at Best Western compliments of Positive Hits PER. Thanks PER!!!

**I'm really hoping that we can get backstage with the Newsboys so Abby Rae can meet them! Who am I kidding? I'd love to meet them too!!

Connecting

Last night, I was at the church trying to connect our office computer to the internet. Using the exact same specification as our media booth computer that's connection works great, I just couldn't connect.

Ever feel like you have trouble connecting with God? You're doing the same thing that's worked before, but, for some reason, you're just not making that connection like you need. Maybe it's time to try something new!

Our personal time with God can come in all shapes and sizes. We can spend time on our knees in prayer. We can spend time reading His Word. We can spend time worshiping Him through music. Or we can take a walk outside and praise Him for His creation.

If you're having difficulty connecting with God these days, try something new. If you like to read His Word, try reading a different translation. I find that the New Living Translation or the Message can offer some fresh perspective of the Bible. Try taking a prayer walk around your neighborhood. Try listening to some worship music while you clean the house or go for a jog.

You can't put God in a box. He's a creative, unique God. Allow your creativity to connect you with Him today!

The Accuser

In Genesis 39, Joseph is accused of "making sport" of Potipher's wife. As a result, he was falsely imprisoned.

We don't know much about Potipher's wife other than she tried to seduce Joseph day after day for a long time. That in itself speaks volumes about her character. When she couldn't get what she wanted, she plotted a devious lie to punish Joseph.

If you were in Potipher's shoes, who would you have believed? Would you believe your wife? Or would you believe a slave who has brought blessings into your home and land?

The Hebrew name of Satan means "Accuser". That's what he does in our life sometimes. He uses people and circumstances to falsely accuse us of evil. He's so good at it that we can even begin to believe the lies ourselves.

I'm ugly. I'm no good. I can't do anything right. I shouldn't be in the position that I'm in. God's chosen the wrong person for this job. I should have let that person have his/her way. I should just give up.

Ever said any of these to yourself? Ever had someone else facilitate these thoughts in your mind?

Satan's the accuser. He's the author of confusion and the father of lies. Don't let his devious lies become truth in your life. There's only One who is the Truth. He's the One who has called you by name, the One who has redeemed you and the One who is working in and through you at this very moment.

The Little Things

A natural enemy of sheep are flies. At certain times of the year, they swarm around the sheep and lay eggs in the warm, moist nasal mucous membranes. Those eggs turn into larvae, crawl through the nasal passages into the head of the sheep and burrow into the flesh. As you can imagine, the sheep are driven into a frenzy with pain and irritation. Many times, you see sheep head butting trees or rocks for relief. Sheep have been known to kill themselves through their attempts at relief.

Isn't it amazing how the little things in life are the most irritating? In the Church, it's a shame that little things can become so important and irritating. Many of the fractures that occur within a church are over mountains that have been made from mole hills.

A shepherd will use a homemade remedy of olive oil, sulfur and tar to anoint the head of a sheep. This concocture will serve as an insect repellent and will help keep the flies from the defenseless sheep.

In Psalm 23:5, David reminds us that the Good Shepherd anoints our head with oil as an antidote to stress and the effects of hurt and bitterness. The oil serves as a balm, soothing and healing hurt from the irritants of our life.

When we've experienced hurt, we're called to forgive. But forgiveness doesn't automatically erase the pain. We need restoration, and the deeper the wound, the longer the process can take. Go to the Good Shepherd today and ask for the oil of healing and restoration. Believe in the promise from the Psalmist when he wrote "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Getting Hurt

Have you ever been hurt by someone? Not just physically, but emotionally? Relationally? Sure, we all have.

I find it interesting though that many of us simply want to deal with the hurt ourselves, in our own ways. We do all sorts of things, don't we? We ignore it. We run from it. We hide it. We worry about it. We resent it.

The Psalmist knows something about hurt. Check out some of these passages.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. Psalm 32:3

I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. Psalm 142:2-3

I think our most natural reaction is to run. It certainly makes sense to remove yourself from an uncomfortable situation or environment. But that's really not always the answer. Removing yourself physically doesn't always erase the hurt nor does it help you grow from the circumstances.

Instead, spend time with God in the midst of the hurt. He's the only one who can heal you - you won't heal yourself. Before doing anything, ask yourself a couple of questions:

"Will this pain change me for the better?"

"Will I find God here?"

This weekend at City on a Hill Church, we're continuing a series on God's Antidote to Stress based on Psalm 23. We'll specifically look at Breaking the Stronghold of Hurt by discussing God's plan for healing.

Wrastlin'

When I was a kid, I used to love watching what I called Dirty Wrastlin' on Saturday afternoons. Ricky Steamboat, Jay Youngblood, The Nature Boy Rick Flair, Ivan Koloff, The Shiek and Sergeant Slaughter. These were some of the greats of the 70's.

The Bible has its own WWF match of sorts. It's found in chapter 32 of Genesis where Jacob wrestles with God all night. This is one of those classic stories that epitomizes our own plight with God so many times.

We wrestle with God because of fear a lot of times. Fear of trusting God even though we're in the palm of His hands. That's what was going on with Jacob. He had received God's promise that everything was going to be okay, but when confronted with Esau's approach, Jacob was fearing for his life.

In our lives, it's easy to lose focus. We want to overpower God with our control of the situation instead of clinging to God and His sovereignty over our lives. When was the last time you simply held on to God and said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."?