You Get What You Put In

           Most of my life I’ve been told, “You get what you put in.” Growing up I believed this, I would even have said I knew this, but the older I get it becomes more and more of a reality. And as I look back I realize I really did not understand this principle as much as I thought I did. For me, though, that’s ok. In fact, I actually embrace moments when I think back to my younger self and am somewhat embarrassed because of what I did not know! It’s actually a clue I’m getting wiser (maybe!).

           Over the last few years since I’ve become a pastor I’ve been quite amazed at how much I’ve grown spiritually. The weekly sermon preparation and tasks that are required of a pastor causes one to study the Word of God, pray fervently, and keep spiritual matters at the heart of their life. There is a tremendous responsibility that goes with leading people in their spiritual walk. Furthermore, being in such a position also reveals how much one really needs to learn in order to perform the task adequately—at least that has been the case for me.

I constantly find myself thinking of how I can be a better preacher, pastor, planner. One thing is for sure: I’m thankful for a family and church that encourages me and the tremendous resources that are available for those in ministry. I’m not where I want to be but I do know the kind of work it is going to require to get there. At this point in life I’m all the more reminded of “you get what you put in.”

          This certainly does not limit itself to those in the ministry. In fact, it is especially important for Christians as a whole to be aware of this.  And here is why I’m writing. Please, Christian, know this:

          Your spiritual life is only going to be as good as you make it. As much as anyone I believe in the Sovereignty of God, but God is not going to sovereignly zap you with all types of biblical knowledge, give you godly wisdom, or mature you in the Faith without you consciously and intentionally putting forth the effort. It is going to take daily Bible reading. It is going to take a dedicated prayer life. It means you will need to spend more than one time per week in a church service. You will need to spend time with godly, Christ-focused people. It means you will need to share the gospel with others on a regular basis. And it means you will have to be involved in outward ministry of some sorts. If any of these are lacking I promise your spiritual life will not be what it could be.
          The question we all have to ask ourselves is this: What kind of spiritual life do I want? There is joy unspeakable in a life lived wholeheartedly for the Lord, I can attest to that. As a pastor one of my desires is for people to experience that joy. Start today. Start putting into the Faith what you want out of it. I promise, you will not be disappointed.

           

Refugees: What to Do?

            In recent days news outlets have spent the overwhelming majority of their time reporting on the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, France this past weekend. Such a major event truly deserves the attention of the world and reporters should work diligently to bring up-to-date facts about the situation. We, the world, deserve to know. To their credit they have certainly done their job.

            Along with reporters and journalists, though, I have witnessed a heavy barrage of blog posts and people on social media posting various articles and supposed facts about the situation. Heavily tied to this is the Syrian refugee crisis, their placement in the world and the fact that some are disguising themselves as refugees and are actually part of the terror group ISIS. Many have expressed their thoughts on these issues, especially as it relates to the United States and our acceptance of a certain amount of refugees from Syria. I have even witnessed some question the legitimacy of the Christian faith of some conservative evangelicals who happen to believe it is not in the best interest of America to take in those from Syria—specifically at this time.

            When someone casts doubt on the Christian faith of others simply because they are cautious about legitimate terrorist possibilities, that person is attempting to pull at heartstrings. Those of us who are conservative, evangelical Christian are well aware of passages from the Bible such as Matthew 25:31-46 that describe Jesus mentioning what will be said in the final judgment—words of praise to some like these: “For I was hungry, and you fed me…I was a stranger and you invited me into your home” (NLT, v.35). We also are aware of passages in the Old Testament where God instructed Israel how to treat those who fled to them in need of help. No one that I am aware of in the conservative evangelical world would deny such teaching. Nor do I know of anyone who would not be willing to bend over backwards to help those who are truly in need.

The denomination I am a part of, The Southern Baptist Convention, is perhaps the greatest humanitarian agency on the planet, outside of the Red Cross, and devotes large amounts of money, man-hours, and other resources to relieve human suffering worldwide. When some cite certain passages of Scripture and apply them to the situation of refugees coming into the United States their goal is to frame the conversation in a way that attempts to indicate that those against Syrian immigration are somehow not following the way of Jesus. It is, in a sense, a way to pull at heartstrings and make one feel guilty.

The mistake of this is to assume that one who is against Syrian refugees coming to America, at this time, is against actual Syrian refugees. We are not against refugees—we are against the possibility of allowing terrorists into our country. The rational mind given by a Sovereign God has to be used to its full potential. The Christian is to do good to all people, not just those of the same faith as they are or not even necessarily to them who are good to them. But when certain people or a certain group of people wants to kill you it is not “un-Christian” to keep them at a distance. Refugees can be helped, their life improved, without making the people of America vulnerable.  It is true that very few of the Syrian refugees have, to date, been linked to ISIS and terror—but some have.

Those who misconstrue certain Bible passages on compassion inevitably have as their viewpoint doing good to humanity. Such is certainly one aspect of being Christian. But think of it like this: how good or Christian would it be to allow our parents, siblings, spouses and kids to be susceptible to harm through terror? Those from ISIS who have infiltrated the Syrian refugee camps and want to make their way to America to do harm have done a great injustice to the Syrian people. They have caused the American people to step back and seriously evaluate the situation. They have caused red flags to rise.  And in the name of safety the rational mind can only recommend there be some time before we open our borders. This might not bode well in the immediate future for many Syrians, but sometimes it is simply that way. A bushel of apples with only a few rotten ones will still be examined very carefully. 

Can we help refugees in need? Certainly. And we should. We can give them food, hygiene care and provide a safe zone for them in the Middle East, just to name a few things. By doing so we are far from turning our backs on them. In fact, we are acting in a very Christian manner. To assume otherwise is simply silly.

Forgiveness: Characteristic of the Christian

           For those who are Christian the idea of forgiveness should not be a foreign concept, intellectually or practically. In fact, it should be at the forefront of our minds and actions daily because it is that often we should be reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that actually achieved the forgiveness of our sins. Perhaps stated most simply, we Christians have been forgiven so great a debt we should always be quick forgivers.

In Matthew 18:21-22 the Bible recounts Peter asking Jesus this question: “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (ESV). And Jesus responded with: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” (ESV). That is a lot! Most people could not extend forgiveness to the same person seventy-seven times a day and after the second or third time they would write the other person off and say something like, “I’m not getting burned again!” Knowing myself I would probably be such a one. But I’m not supposed to be. None of us are. Those who have been forgiven so great a debt should always be quick forgivers—not simply seventy-seven times per day, but a limitless amount of times. When sincere, genuine forgiveness is sought, Christians should oblige.  

            Practicing forgiveness, though, is not easy. The main reason is because it involves a strong dose of humility. When someone has truly wronged you, hurt you, or gotten over on you, to let that go and forget about it entails thinking a little less about one’s self. This is not to imply self-loathing, simply that it necessitates that we as individuals be consciously aware that we are not the center of the world.  When done wrong our first thoughts are “how dare they do that to me!” The focus is on “me.” And one can easily see the pride that is weaved into such a statement.

            The best mindset in such instances is to remember what the Bible teaches about humanity. We are all sinners. We are all in need of forgiveness. And that forgiveness should not stop with us. It is something we should pass on, even in the most difficult circumstances. Christians do not have to be doormats that are walked upon daily nor do we have to continually put ourselves in positions where we are constantly being harmfully taken advantage. But in day-to-day life we should not hold grudges or intentionally allow hostility between others and ourselves that could be diminished if we stepped up and offered forgiveness. Again, it is not easy because it takes a little humility to do such a thing, but it is the right thing.

            Practicing forgiveness is also good for the soul. And what I mean by this is that it feels good. As odd as it sounds when we humble ourselves a notch, look over a hurt we have been caused, and extend a clean slate to someone, so to speak—in that moment we are truly living as Jesus would have us to live. There is something powerful about that. When a person is lined up perfectly with godly living there is joy like no other time. Practicing forgiveness can give that. Put another way—it is liberating because it frees one from the bondage of bad memory, thoughts of revenge, even hurt. These are good for the soul.  Forgiveness should certainly be characteristic of the Christian and I hope everyone reading this can embrace it, myself included.

Book Review, "I AM A CHURCH MEMBER: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference"

            Many local churches are suffering and what they are dealing with is a membership that is less than what it is supposed to be—at least less than what it is supposed to be, biblically. In our day and age most who fill churches are virtually unaware of what it means to be a “good” church member and the idea of responsibility has never even entered their mind. The reason I know this is because I was never taught what membership in the local church is all about and in all my years of attending I can hardly remember anything ever being mentioned about it. But this is not just my experience. It appears to be the norm, and for a while now. The reason I say this is because in recent years the ministry organization 9Marks, headed up by pastor Mark Dever from Washington, D.C., has tackled this issue. In addition to him Thom Rainer, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, has published on the subject. It appears that those in leadership within the SBC have noticed a need for discussion on church membership and have brought the topic to the forefront.  

            In 2013 Thom Rainer published a book entitled, I AM A CHURCH MEMBER: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference. I highly recommend this book. At 79 pages it is easy to get through and the style of writing is very readable. All those within the congregation I pastor had nothing but good things to say about it, even expressing they would like to read other works by him. Just reading through the blurbs on the back and inside of the book one gets the impression it is a solid work because many highly reputable voices within the SBC have recommended it.

            Several sections of I AM A CHURCH MEMBER will be beneficial for any congregation. Chapter one is entitled, “I Will Be a Functioning Church Member,” and I do not know of any church that does not need to hear this. Rainer points out that most, today, view church membership like they do country-club membership where they expect to be “…served instead of serving, rights instead of responsibilities, and entitlements instead of sacrifices” (11). But in reality, the opposite is true. According to Rainer, biblical church membership is where one learns to “give abundantly and serve without hesitation” (14).

            Chapter two is great as well. The emphasis in this chapter is being a unifying church member. For anyone who has spent much time in church, you know this is huge. Pastors will certainly want their congregations to encounter all this section contains. With content such as, “You have a responsibility as a church member. You are to be a source of unity. You are never to be a divisive force. You are to love your fellow church members unconditionally,” (23) this book can have a huge impact, changing attitudes within the church. Sometimes all people need is to know what they should be doing.

            I also really enjoyed chapter four, “I Will Pray for My Church Leaders.” As a pastor this section particularly spoke to me because Rainer emphasized the traps Satan often sets for pastors and he encouraged the reader to be in constant prayer for their church leaders. I can attest to how vigilant Satan is and it was nice to know this book recognized that and sought to enlist prayer for those in such a position. Can you imagine how much the church would change if every member prayed for those in leadership?

            Finally, the fifth chapter, “I Will Lead My Family To Be Healthy Church Members” is something all church members need to read. I think we all want our children to be saved, as well as other members of our families—but how often to we promote being a “healthy” church member? One thing Rainer points out is that when he was younger a guy named Bob had a tremendous influence on him within the church. One thing he was taught by Bob “was to bring my family together to pray for my church” (59).  How often do you do such things? How often does the average church member gather with their family to pray for their congregation? Probably not as much as they should, but what a great practice to start! As Rainer states, “My family must see my love for the church” (60).  

            I AM A CHURCH MEMBER is filled with practical, straightforward advice on how to become a “good” church member. The seasoned church member or newbie will benefit greatly from reading this short book. Pick one up yourself and please, get it in the hands of someone else.