It's time

It is just a few minutes before Christmas as I write this. As I watch a Christmas service on TV, I think about what it was to celebrate Christmas without Christ. I realize this Christmas that there is a battle the rages over whether or not it is right or wrong to say, "Happy Holidays," or "Season's Greetings," or just "Merry Christmas." I have seen the advertisements that say, "Merry CHRISTmas," and others that remind us not to take Christ out of Christmas. I have stood on the side that believes that Christ should not be compromised at Christmas because it is about Him. Yet, I have a thought this year. What if we, the Church, realized that Christmas is for those who wish to ignore Jesus? Hear me out, don't roll your eyes yet, and think that I am another "liberal." Instead, think about the fact that Christ came into this world to save those who are lost. We celebrate His coming, but we must celebrate why He came. It is ironic that those who want to forget Christ, are those whom He died for; just like He died for us. Also, think about the fact that we, those who follow Christ, are His Church. This means that instead of fighting those who do not believe the way we do, may be, we should start being imitators of Christ to them. This is the time of year that we should get our second wind, reorient, and be reminded that because Jesus came, we there is still hope for those who do not know Him. Christ loves those who do not love Him. This season of peace is a reminder to be in love with, and be at peace with our neighbors. It's time. It's time to get past accusations and judgments; and it's time to extend grace. Christ will never be defeated by those who do not know Him. He will only be hindered by those who do know Him. It's time. Merry Christmas and peace to all.

While following through on a punishment yesterday, one of my children said that I should be merciful, like Christ, and forget the punishment. We all love God's grace. Yet, sometimes we need to realize that God will allow us to face circumstances, that we caused, instead of waving His magic wand and making it all go away. Does this mean that He does not love us? Certainly not. This means that God is teaching us; we all know that experience is the best teacher. Seems like I have heard that somewhere. It seems that God wants to show us that can help us through those circumstances. Anyway, back to my child. One thing led to another, and finally, as I was talking about how Christ wants to teach us through our consequences, it was said, by my child, that "I don't know Christ like I kn0w you." My children have given their lives to Jesus. I was reminded by that; but it does cause me to wonder how many of us have simply forgot to know Him. I mean really know Christ. We take the grace that only Christ can provide, and then, after a while, we settle for grace, as the ceiling, while losing sight of who Jesus is. What if the children of Israel would have left Egypt and settled for leaving slavery without going with God? They would have been overcome in the wilderness! We need Christians who will follow Christ; not just using Him to avoid punishment. There is life, and there is new life. Do you really know Christ? Or, are you just trying to use Him for Genie who will wave His magic wand when you need Him?

Check out William Willimon's "The Challenge of Advent."
Great thoughts that challenge us.


http://willimon.blogspot.com/

Check out an article about the First Advent
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"Good Things Come"
by Scott Bryte

http://www.goodpreacher.com/blog/

'Anonymous Friend' gives $100 million to town

ERIE, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Mike Batchelor invited the heads of 46 charities into his downtown office for one-on-one meetings to personally deliver the news. Nearby, on a small table, sat a box of tissues. And then he proceeded: A donor had given a staggering $100 million to the Erie Community Foundation, and all of the charities would receive a share.
That was when the tears began to flow -- and the mystery began -- in this struggling old industrial city of 102,000 on Lake Erie, where the donor is known only as "Anonymous Friend."
Batchelor, president of the Erie Community Foundation, has been sworn to secrecy and will allow only that the donor worked with the organization for years to identify deserving recipients before the announcement over the summer. Excepted from an article on cnn.com.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/12/million.mystery.ap/index.html

Scripture talks about secrecy while giving; another topic for later. As a pastor, who regularly thinks about how nice it would be for someone to give a large sum of money to our church, could it be that God will only give money to those who will use it properly. It looks like in this article that most of the charities had something to do with the "least of these." Here is that outward mission , that churches need to have, that God seems to embrace. I am thankful when I see this kind of thing because this can only be the hand of God taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves. What if churches were given this money? How would it be used? Dare I say it? Is there a reason why the Lord did not use His Church to distribute the money?

Modern Day Rapture

The Rapture is known as an end times doctrine in most circles of the Christian Church. It is the general belief that Christ will take His Church from the Tribulation that is to come. Further, there are different theories of when that will take place, if it is to take place. Many Christians look forward to the Second Coming of Christ so that they can escape the harshness of this world. Yet, it seems that Christ is counting upon His Church to be those who bring healing to this world. However, the Church seems to be taking part in her own type of Rapture. Let me explain. Many pastors and congregations desire to be successful, in other words, to grow in numbers. This is fine because numbers represent souls saved; at least we hope. Therefore, the solution to many of these churches is to move. Many of these churches desire to move to more affluent areas because there is a target group of people that they are seeking. Could it be that this target group has money? Many of these churches that desire to move are in areas that have a great amount of poverty, broken marriages, troubled people, and crime. Yeah, Jesus probably would not want His Church in a place like that. Besides, He would Rapture His Church from all of that anyway. It seems to me that Christ has a great deal of concern for these people; and these poor people seem to be His target group of people in the Bible. What is more, Jesus seems to want to use His Church to reach these people. The question that all ministers and lay people have to ask is, "Should the Church be trying to relocate to the poor side of town instead of leaving as soon as the money is available?" It might be that the money that God has given to those churches may have been there so that His people can take care of those who need help.

Associating with the Bride of Christ

Many people today imply that they are able to serve Jesus Christ without attending a church. It is true. Americans are very individualistic and that means there is a go alone attitude. Many have different reasons about why they cannot attend a church. Some say, “Church people are hypocrites!” Others say, “The church only wants money.” Some say, “Sunday is my only time off.” Is there really a good reason, other than health problems, for church attendance not to be a priority? In his book, There Is No I In Church, Keith Drury, professor of religion at Indiana Wesleyan University writes, “Some people refuse to associate with the bride of Christ on earth. What makes them think they’d want to be a part of the bride of Christ in Heaven? If they won’t join the bride, then they won’t get married to the groom” (16). He wrote this in light of the Church, the bride, being engaged to Christ, the Groom. Some people have created busy lives for themselves which causes them to miss Church on a regular basis. Nonetheless, Jesus talked about being too busy to come to a great feast in Matthew 22:1-14; check it out. Finally, if you are not attending church on a regular basis, then it is important that you know that the people of Smith Chapel Wesleyan Church need you; and you might need them too.

Where is Robin Hood when the American Church needs him?



The story of Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is one of the finest stories ever told. Everyone enjoys the plot of the story. Robin Hood takes from those who do not need and gives to those who are in need. Likely, everyone thinks that this theme demonstrates real justice. So what does this story have to do with American churches? The Christian Church in the United States, this includes all denominations, and all sizes too, are financially well off; or are without financial worries. Yet, while churches seem to have enough financial capabilities to have their needs met, many tend to use their financial status as a measuring stick for success. The issue, then becomes, that God is not needed; except for forgiveness purposes and to cure various illnesses, and may be for some occasional extras. Could it be that the Church does not need her Provider? Likely , it is that because needs are being met, and God is reduced to a Genie in a bottle, instead of the God who is depended upon for all things. Faith in God seems to be less evident today than at other times in history. One might say that is because the churches have the money they need to perform day to day normal functions. What if there was not any money in these churches? It would seem that these churches who were without would need the Hand of God to supply their needs. Being without resources seems to cause a closeness among the congregation and a need for God. Consider, churches would have to start praying again; individually and corporately. People would be wandering around encouraging each other to have faith in Christ. Reminders would be passed back and forth among those in the local church that "God never fails!" If the doors were about to close, then their might even be fasting within the congregation. Scripture memorization would be a favorite past time because it would bring a comfort to those who are struggling. After all, there would be a great need that only God could supply. Then, as God began to supply needs, and since churches would be in tune with Him at that point, there might even be a desire among Christians to go out into the world and share the gospel along with healing to those in need. Wait a minute. This sounds like what the Church of the NT looks like. If financial loss could trigger such a desire for Christ, then would it be good for the Church to be robbed by a modern day Robin Hood? Who knows? But then God's money would go to His people who are in real need.

Study: What Teens are Looking for, Learning in Church
By
Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Oct. 09 2007 11:35 AM ET
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What teens expect most when it comes to churches is to worship or make a connection with God, a new Barna study showed.
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(Photo: The Country Today / Paul M. Walsh, File)
Yesenia Rodriguez of Garfield, N. J., raises her hands in worship at the RCA Dome, in Indianapolis on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007. Rodriguez was among the over 12,000 youths who listened to a spiritually motivating message, and a contemporary Christian rock band at the week-long General Council for the denomination, which has drawn over 25,000 registered people to the Indianapolis area.
Forty-five percent of American teens said that was very important to them and 42 percent seek "to better understand what I believe," according to the study released Monday.
Other important things they look for in a church include spending time with close friends (34 percent); getting encouraged or inspired (34 percent); and volunteering to help others (30 percent).
Expectations teens prioritized as less important were learning about prayer (26 percent); listening to religious teaching (26 percent); participating in discussions regarding religion and faith (23 percent); being mentored or coached in spiritual development (21 percent); discovering the traditions of their faith (20 percent); participating in a study class about faith (19 percent); and studying the Bible (18 percent).
Most teens also prefer a church that teaches how their faith should influence everyday decisions and lifestyle rather than one that teaches the traditions and background of their faith (39 percent vs. 16 percent, respectively). At the same time, 45 percent said they would not care for either type of church.
"Just because someone identifies what they want does not necessarily mean they know what they need," said David Kinnaman, lead researcher on the study. "Yet, all of the recent attention on young people gravitating to 'ancient traditions of Christianity' misses the fact that the vast majority of American teenagers do not express much interest in or appreciation for such traditions in the first place. Teenagers are a pinch-of-this-pinch-of-that generation, so without intentional decisions on the part of youth workers, many teenagers ride out their teen years in fruitless experimentation rather than genuine forms of spiritual development."
So what are teens learning in church?
According to the Barna study, 65 percent recalled learning about moral and ethical standards in the last 12 months; 62 percent learned about relationships, 55 percent learned about faith traditions and 50 percent were taught personal evangelism.
Fewer recalled church teachings on media, movies and television within the last year (35 percent); money and finances (30 percent); the supernatural world (28 percent); leisure activities (27 percent); government and law (26 percent); art and music (22 percent); health issues (21 percent); and technology (9 percent).
As a generation that grew up on the Internet, 26 percent of teens and 39 percent of born again Christian teens said they learned something about their faith or spirituality online in the last six months. Moreover, 16 percent of teens and 25 percent of born again teens said they had "a spiritual experience" online where they worshipped or connected with God.
"Born again teens are four times more likely to learn about spirituality online than they are to receive helpful perspective and insight about technology at church," said Kinnaman.
"Moreover, although their world is inundated with choices related to media, movies, television, technology, art, music, leisure, and health, most churchgoing teens tell us they rarely recall learning anything helpful on these topics in church. Perhaps as a result, many teens grow up concluding that Christianity is boring, old-fashioned and out of touch with reality. Rather than simply giving teens dos and don’ts, effective youth ministry should help them become engaged, thoughtful Christ followers who have sophisticated, biblical responses to life."
Another concern is over the prayer life of teens. While the study found that 72 percent teens today say they pray in a typical week, the figure is down from 81 percent a decade ago. Furthermore, less than half (48 percent) say they attend a worship service at a church, down from 53 percent. Even fewer attend Sunday school(35 percent), attend youth group (33 percent), participate in a small group (32 percent), and read the Bible (31 percent).
"Helping them connect with God, learn about their faith, and serve others, in a loving and relational environment are their top desires from a church," Kinnaman highlighted. "Keep in mind that young people are not spiritually transformed merely by attending a church, knowing a few Bible stories or being friends with the youth pastor. It takes addressing teens on a much deeper, personal level – such as developing their intellect and vocational passions as well as cultivating their curiosity for the complexities of life."
The report is based on nationwide surveys conducted on teenagers ages 13 to 18 in April 2005 and July 2006. The first study involved 2,409 teens and the 2006 study included 617 teens

Disconnected
Each Christian must battle with the feeling of being disconnected from Christ at times. These are better thought of as seasons that each Christian goes through in which Christ seems so distant. It is important to know that these distant times are linked to responsibilities Christians have to themselves. Responsibilities to self include prayer, fasting, and meditation and are more commonly called spiritual disciplines. Nonetheless, these responsibilities may be conveniently swept under the rug by a believer. What is more, these are inward disciplines which are easy to hide from others. It is easy to claim to follow Jesus Christ. However, to follow Christ, one must connect with Him on a daily basis. Further, one cannot be content on a decision that was made to serve Christ years earlier. Instead, it should be an active commitment by the one who has given his or her life to Him. These three disciplines help to regulate a person so that he or she will be in tune with Christ. Moreover, these are what Christians are responsible for in his or her spiritual growth. Consequently, if a Christian is not growing spiritually, then it is likely that these daily exercises are not being performed; for lack of time, or simply consciously neglected. Again, prayer, fasting, and meditation are being swept under the rug by many Christians. In other words, the house may look clean, but it’s really not since the dirt is only hidden. As a result, it is highly recommended that those who desire to know Christ on a personal level should follow this Scriptural roadmap for growth in Christ. These are a means to plug back into Christ.

Check out "This Side of Somewhere" by Rev. Mark Wilson. If you are discouraged, this is for you. I know I enjoyed reading his words.

http://revitalizeyourchurch.blogspot.com/

Apostle's Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

http://www.creeds.net/ancient/apostles.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lnt7ZoFrgo

Check it out

A Church for those who do not like church

While traveling home the other day I saw a church sign that read, "A church for those who don't like church." Since I am a pastor, this statement stirred my mind up a bit. Without stopping to ask what the sign meant, I decided to take it at face value. Therefore, it seemed, to me, to mean that many churches have problems. Then I wondered if this was another example of the endless contemporary vs. the traditional argument. It seems to me that there is a misunderstanding about church presently in some Christian circles. Whatever the case is, here are a few reasons why I believe that a statement like the one I referred to is dangerous: First, Christ gave His life for the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ. In other words, the Church is God in the flesh. The Church is full of ambassadors of the King. The Church is where God's Kingdom meets the physical earth. The Church is where we worship Christ. The Church is the chosen instrument to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Church is where we have our faith built up. The Church is where we receive encouragement. The Church is the New Israel. Finally, the Church is the Bride of Christ. I guess the question should be asked, "Christian, why would you not like Church?" On the other hand, some may reply that the Church has problems which seem to hurt Christ. Yet, I say that the Church is both human and divine. The Church is not an us against them organization. It is a togetherness faith where the individual ends up being identified as a follower of Christ. Churches are to be united in their stand against evil in this world. Therefore, let's not rush to condemn churches. Instead, lest's support the Church as that which is sacred.

Contemporary or Traditional?

Does it matter? No matter which side of the fence that one lands he or she will say yes. There are those who say they cannot worship during a traditional service. On the other hand, there are traditionalists who say they can't worship with contemporary aids. The question that both sides must ask and eventually answer is whether or not it matters. Are both sides guilty of focusing on the wrong things? It appears that both are; this applies to the 'hardliners' in each category. At some point, worshippers are going to have to get back to worshipping Jesus. The minute someone walks into a church, and judges the congregation according to whether or not there is a video screen, musical instruments or just a piano, this person has lost sight of why it is important to be there. What would happen in the US if people started attending church, not to show that the world and God can get along, but to serve the Bride of Christ? What would happen if these issues were forgotten, and submission to one another was remembered? I don't know; but I bet the Spirit of God would resurface again!