Author: Wayne Elston

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Do You Know Him?

Most people – Christian or not – would say they know God. Our English word “know” can mean a number of different things. A majority of people would say, “I know God.” Unfortunately most would be referring to knowing ABOUT HIM, not really knowing Him.  God wants more than His creation knowing about Him. Adam and God communed together. God has always wanted a close, intimate relationship with man. And now, through Jesus, that fellowship is available again – and even more!

It’s really sad that we’ve come to be satisfied with a level of intimacy so far below what Jesus provides. And believe me, I’m not judging you, because I’ve been in the same boat. There have been a few times in my life when I finally got dissatisfied enough to do something about it. I think I’m at that place again.

I read once of a married couple who were cruising along a familiar street when suddenly they were passed by another vehicle. As the other car pulled away the wife quipped from the passenger seat, “Did you see how close they were sitting together? Why don’t we sit close like that anymore?” It was quiet for a moment, after which the husband replied, “I haven’t moved.”

Well, we can be assured that God hasn’t moved either! [Malachi 3:2; Hebrews 13:8] But through Jesus He has opened the door to a kind of fellowship beyond all we could ask or think. If we’re born of God we are both qualified and capable of enjoying communion like this every day, in good times and bad.

Jesus defined what our attitude toward God should be when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [Matthew 22:37-39] For one thing, loving God is assessing Him great value in your life. And notice that Jesus ties together loving God and loving others. Plus, He tells us the criteria for loving is “as yourself.” To me that means if I don’t see value in myself, I won’t see it in anyone else either.

Are you recognizing, as I am, that truly knowing and loving God requires that I truly know myself? By “truly knowing myself” I mean knowing who I am in Christ and who He is in me. Having taught biblical truths for almost 40 years now, I’m aware of lots of scriptures about who I am in Christ. I’m becoming aware also that knowing where the scriptures are found or even quoting them won’t get it done. It’s my heart-level awareness that counts. What do I down deep, passionately believe about myself? If there are discrepancies on this level, loving myself, others and God are all affected.

Thank God there are ways to change our heart-level awareness! There’s no time or space to share them all here. Let me emphasize one very important one – meditation. Meditation is a wonderful tool we’re all equipped with. Here are three verses that laud its importance:

Psalm 1:1-3 –   Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

Joshua 1:8 – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Purpose to meditate – meditate on purpose! See yourself, even innately experience yourself to be as God says you are!

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Life in the Spirit

August 2017

 

Life in the Spirit

John 16:7 [Amplified Bible] – However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

My wife and I have focused our attention this summer on the Holy Spirit. Unless we’re reminded, we Christians tend to forget about this wonderful Helper Who has come to reside in us. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be in us like a bubbling artisan spring, and coming out of us like rivers of living water!

The Amplified Bible uses seven different titles to identify the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, and Standby. Let’s take a quick look at each of these so we’ll not miss any of the benefits of Jesus’ gift to us.

Comforter. This is one who gives comfort. (Duh!) According to the dictionary, “comfort” means to give strength and hope to; to ease the grief or trouble of. There’s no reason to be weak or hopeless when the Holy Spirit lives in us. With His help we can do what Jesus told us [John 14:27] by taking the peace He gives and refusing to let our hearts be troubled or afraid.

Counselor. This is defined as a person whose job it is to give advice. There are a couple of things to consider here. First of all, even the best advisor does us no good unless we listen! Reading the Bible and praying in the Spirit are ways of listening. Then also there’s the principle of application. The best, most precise and wisest counsel in the world does no good unless it’s applied to one’s life.

Helper. The dictionary goes deep on this one. “Helper” is defined as “one who helps.” Okay. I think the key here is that the Holy Spirit is always there for to help, but not to do it for us. The Apostle Paul tells us the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. [Romans 8:26] The concordance says that these weaknesses can be “inability to produce results.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t do this FOR US, but helps us, assists us, in the process as we apply His advice in our lives.

Advocate. What is great about “advocate” is that we have two! Jesus is our Advocate in heaven. [I John 2:1] And the Holy Spirit represents us here. The dictionary gives these definitions: one who pleads the cause of another, specifically before a tribunal or judicial court; one who defends, maintains, supports or promotes. We might use the word “lawyer.” We are represented by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit partners. [Talk about heavy hitters!] And the great part is they represent us NON GRATIS! No charge. Jesus has already paid the fee! Unlike some worldly advocates, this team can be reached any time – day or night – 24/7 – toll free! Amen!

Intercessor. This again is a team effort. We’re told that Jesus ever lives to intercede for us. [Hebrews 7:25] This is an interesting word in the original Greek. According to Strong’s it means: to go to or meet a person, especially for the purpose of conversation, consultation, or supplication. One thought that jumps out at me here is that this means I always have Someone to talk to – Someone whose infinitely wise, and who cares about me deeply! Wow, talk about good news!

Strengthener. This is quite self-explanatory, isn’t it? He gives us strength! We can do as the Bible instructs and say we’re strong, even when feeling weak, because the Strengthener resides in us.

Standby. The dictionary cites this as “one to be relied on especially in emergencies.” The Holy Spirit – in any emergency – is more reliable than any first aid kit. After all He is God! That makes Him omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (always there)!

So, my advice is, get to know your Helper! Cultivate your relationship with Him. Learn to recognize His leading. Apply His advice in your life. Pray in the Spirit regularly. This is not a duty – it’s a privilege!

Romans 8:11 –But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

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Should Christians Be Involved in Politics?

Politics – A Christian Enters the Fray

Presently we are a divided nation. We’ve fallen a long way from “One nation, under God, indivisible …” It seems that citizens either fear other citizens, or they’re angry at them. Yet being angry or afraid of people with whom we disagree is not only divisive, it’s unproductive. We need brave leadership to lift us above the anger and fear. We need our leaders to be our GPS – to work together and discover a route leading America out of this rut and back on a path to unity.

God has given us the Bible as an atlas to guide us forward. It provides us with God-given principles by which to live. Whenever we can find a potential leader who already endeavors to live their lives by these principles, we should take note. We have such a person in Loretta Rigney.

Loretta is currently running for Schenectady County Legislator. Recently I posed a few questions for her to answer. With her answers we can get a sense of what kind of leadership she would provide. Here is a record of these questions and her answers.

What steps brought you here?

Over the years, God has put wonderful people in my life who have helped me develop good relationship and community building skills. After watching the division that the Presidential election caused in our country, I began to think that perhaps those skills would be useful in local government so I wrote down a simple goal: “To run for public office”.  In my mind, it was a five year goal, but God opened doors so quickly that within a few months I had an interview for an open Town of Glenville Board seat.  I wasn’t selected for that position, but I made a good impression on the interview team which included members of the Schenectady County Republican Committee.  They asked me to interview for the County Legislator race and a week later they called me and asked me to run. It’s definitely been an exciting whirlwind.

Is your family on board?

I discussed running for office with my husband, Tom before I interviewed for the Town Board position and he was in agreement with me.  We discussed it again when I was asked to interview for the County race and again we were in agreement.  We prayed together before each interview.  When I got the call to run, I called him first and together we made the decision that I would accept the offer.  Campaigning is extremely time and energy intensive.  I’m out of the house a lot and the time away will continue to increase as we approach the election in November.  To have a supportive spouse is absolutely essential if I’m going to come home to a happy and peaceful house at night.

What has been the biggest surprise so far?

The biggest surprise was the impact that the minor parties have in the election of the major party candidates.  In NYS, in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties, there are also the Conservative, Green, Working Families, Independence, Women’s Equality, and Reform parties.  If these minor parties do not have their own candidates to run, they can endorse the major party candidates and their names will appear on that line of the ballot.  It’s agreed that the more times your name appears on the ballot, the better chance you have of winning, so getting those endorsements is highly sought after.  Candidates who were not endorsed can choose to get enough signatures from registered members of those minor parties to hold a primary in order to get their name on the ballot instead, but that can cause friction between the parties. Candidates have to decide between potentially “burning a bridge” with the influential leaders of the minor parties or fighting for that space on the ballot.   In this race, my running mates and I were endorsed by the Republican and Reform Party.  We decided not primary for the Conservative and Independence Parties and we have collected enough signatures to hold a primary for the Green Party.  We decided not to go after the Working Families and Women’s Equality endorsements due to conflicts with some of their positions.

What do you say to Christians who think we should stay out of politics?

God can use government to influence society. Since He works predominately through His people, if we’re not involved His opportunities to influence America are diminished.  Not all of us are called to run for office, but there are lots of ways to be active.  Good government is kingdom business.

Is there room for disagreement on political issues?

WWII General George Patton said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” When disagreements become personal attacks or lead to deadlock, nothing is accomplished and people are hurt and frustrated.  When differences in opinion lead to new ways of thinking and creative problem solving with everyone having a respected voice then amazing things can happen. We need people in office who can facilitate healthy discussions that result in high levels of efficiency, impact, and outcome.

How much influence can Christians have in the political arena?

Every American citizen qualified to vote can influence the political arena by casting a ballot in every election, especially local elections where the races could be very close. Parents should take their children to the polls with them to firmly instill this value.

As Christians we must be praying for our elected local, state, and federal officials.

At election time we must actively seek out accurate information on each candidate to make an informed decision on how to vote.  If possible, find an opportunity to speak personally with a candidate such as at a community event, a “Meet the Candidates” night, or if they come to your door. Reach out through social media or email and ask them about the issues that are important to you.

If a Christian wants a deeper level of involvement or strongly supports a particular candidate, there are opportunities to volunteer for the campaign. Things that can be done include donating money, putting a yard sign in front of your house, passing out literature, and making phone calls

What are the most important issues here locally?

I’m running in District 3, which includes Glenville, Scotia, and Niskayuna.  We are very concerned about the unfair distribution of sales tax revenue from Schenectady County to our towns.  Buying locally might keep sales tax within the county, but it’s not trickling down to our towns because our share of the revenue hasn’t increased since 2004. If you include inflation, that’s actually a decrease of 34%. The towns have been working hard on economic development including a new Target, Panera, Shop Rite, etc., but we get less than 1% of that new sales tax revenue back.  Beyond, the sales tax issue, if you look at the Schenectady County budget and compare it to other NYS counties of similar size, our spending is extreme! We can definitely do better and still take care of our residents.

Where do you see yourself going from here?

I’ll always be seeking out opportunities to use my skills and talents to serve our community.  Every morning, my prayer is that God will use me to execute some of the plans that He has for His world today.  Right now, He has me running for office and after Election Day on November 7th, He will have new plans for me. I just don’t know what they are yet.

How can your brothers and sisters best support you?

The support and encouragement that I’ve already gotten from those closest to me has been humbling.  Going forward my brothers and sisters can help by praying for me regularly, especially for wisdom in every situation. They can also give financially into the campaign, put out a yard sign, introduce me to their friends and family within the District, like and share our Facebook page, walk door to door with me in their neighborhoods, and make phone calls right before Election Day to encourage people they know to get out and vote. My goal is to really engage with the voters in the district so that they feel good about casting their ballot for me. An introduction to a candidate or a phone call from someone you know has much greater impact than a mailing, a billboard, or a television ad. I’m committed to building relationships, both with the voters and other leaders in the county, regardless of party affiliation.  It’s similar to building unity within the Body of Christ. We may come from different denominations, but we can find common ground and work together to achieve a common goal for the good of those we serve.

So, now you’re a little better acquainted with Loretta. Let’s take her final advice and be less fearful and angry. Find leaders like Loretta that you can wholeheartedly support and enter the fray.

 

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Life in the Spirit

Life in the Spirit

John 16:7 [Amplified Bible] – However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

My wife and I have focused our attention this summer on the Holy Spirit. Unless we’re reminded, we Christians tend to forget about this wonderful Helper Who has come to reside in us. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be in us like a bubbling artisan spring, and coming out of us like rivers of living water!

The Amplified Bible uses seven different titles to identify the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, and Standby. Let’s take a quick look at each of these so we’ll not miss any of the benefits of Jesus’ gift to us.

Comforter. This is one who gives comfort. (Duh!) According to the dictionary, “comfort” means to give strength and hope to; to ease the grief or trouble of. There’s no reason to be weak or hopeless when the Holy Spirit lives in us. With His help we can do what Jesus told us [John 14:27] by taking the peace He gives and refusing to let our hearts be troubled or afraid.

Counselor. This is defined as a person whose job it is to give advice. There are a couple of things to consider here. First of all, even the best advisor does us no good unless we listen! Reading the Bible and praying in the Spirit are ways of listening. Then also there’s the principle of application. The best, most precise and wisest counsel in the world does no good unless it’s applied to one’s life.

Helper. The dictionary goes deep on this one. “Helper” is defined as “one who helps.” Okay. I think the key here is that the Holy Spirit is always there for to help, but not to do it for us. The Apostle Paul tells us the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. [Romans 8:26] The concordance says that these weaknesses can be “inability to produce results.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t do this FOR US, but helps us, assists us, in the process as we apply His advice in our lives.

Advocate. What is great about “advocate” is that we have two! Jesus is our Advocate in heaven. [I John 2:1] And the Holy Spirit represents us here. The dictionary gives these definitions: one who pleads the cause of another, specifically before a tribunal or judicial court; one who defends, maintains, supports or promotes. We might use the word “lawyer.” We are represented by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit partners. [Talk about heavy hitters!] And the great part is they represent us NON GRATIS! No charge. Jesus has already paid the fee! Unlike some worldly advocates, this team can be reached any time – day or night – 24/7 – toll free! Amen!

Intercessor. This again is a team effort. We’re told that Jesus ever lives to intercede for us. [Hebrews 7:25] This is an interesting word in the original Greek. According to Strong’s it means: to go to or meet a person, especially for the purpose of conversation, consultation, or supplication. One thought that jumps out at me here is that this means I always have Someone to talk to – Someone whose infinitely wise, and who cares about me deeply! Wow, talk about good news!

Strengthener. This is quite self-explanatory, isn’t it? He gives us strength! We can do as the Bible instructs and say we’re strong, even when feeling weak, because the Strengthener resides in us.

Standby. The dictionary cites this as “one to be relied on especially in emergencies.” The Holy Spirit – in any emergency – is more reliable than any first aid kit. After all He is God! That makes Him omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (always there)!

So, my advice is, get to know your Helper! Cultivate your relationship with Him. Learn to recognize His leading. Apply His advice in your life. Pray in the Spirit regularly. This is not a duty – it’s a privilege!

Romans 8:11 –But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

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The Good Old Summertime!

When I was a teenager our local radio station used to play an ad at this time of year that went something like, “In the good old summertime, in the good old summertime. Keep your radio on for more fun in the sun, to WARM radio.” Without a doubt we have hit the time of “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.” Yesterday’s temperature was in the 90’s!

I think most of us are happy that the seasons come and go. I know I am. Bring on the summer, but I’ll be more than ready for fall come September. I have aged to the point where I’d be satisfied with a shortened winter season, though. Then back to spring and around we go again.

The summer is vacation season for many. It’s not difficult to understand why. We’ve been “cooped-up” inside over the cold winter months. Now the sun is warm, the pools and beaches are open, the aroma of steaks sizzling on the grill is wafting through the air and the great outdoors is beckoning to us! No more “cabin fever!” In Pennsylvania a local TV newsman used to say we should get outside and “Enjoy, enjoy!”

We all need time to relax and be refreshed. My wife and I didn’t have a lot of money for family vacations when our kids were small. So we had to be creative. We found inexpensive things we could do as a family and in the process created some wonderful memories. We had picnic lunches, went to museums and historical sites, took drives in the country, and the like. There are always things you can do.

Having been a full time pastor for the past 38 years I’ve come to understand that summer season affects the local church also. Church attendance and participation tend to move down a few notches in our sense of what is important. It’s an uncomfortable subject to bring up. On the one side, as I said, we all need some rest & relaxation. But on the other side, we all need the strength that comes from community and worshiping together.

Someone will surely say, “Yes, but I can read my Bible at home.” My comment would be that we should all be doing that AND worshiping together. Another statement I’ve heard is “I’ll just watch Christian TV!” My concern? Christian TV is not a viable substitute for worshiping together. The biblical principle is “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…” [Hebrews 10:24, 25a] We all have responsibilities to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need each other.

My recommendation then? Enjoy the summer. Take a vacation. Get outside and enjoy some summertime activities. Just make your home church a vital part of your summer too. Attend, participate, give, sing, worship, serve, and fellowship. You won’t regret it!

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Death, Burial and Resurrection Overview

Without going into an extensive Bible study, allow me to give an overview of the events of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

  • After supper together (the Last Supper) Jesus and the disciples went to a garden they had used often, for prayer. Judas, simultaneously, went off the finalize plans to betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders.
  • After praying off by Himself in the agony of the moment, Jesus committed Himself to God’s will and woke the sleeping disciples.
  • Judas showed up with a small mob of people carrying weapons and gave the fatal sign to Jesus’ enemies – a kiss.
  • Jesus was carried off for a mock trial. He had to actually help the Jewish leaders to convict Him. He was sentenced to die for blasphemy.
  • The Jews didn’t have the authority to carry out His death, so they were forced to take Jesus to Pilot the governor, needing to persuade him to condemn Jesus. Pilot wanted to free Jesus, recognizing His innocence, but feared the crowd who were crying, “Crucify him!”, and send Jesus off to receive a Roman scourging.
  • Jesus was tied to a post, His back exposed, and beaten 39 times with a whip – but not just any whip! This one had pieces of bone and such that tore at the flesh, ripping away chunks of skin, probably even exposing bones and organs. Isaiah’s prophecy tells us that after this beating it was hard to tell that Jesus was a man – a human.
  • Jesus was forced to carry His cross toward the place of crucifixion. He did so till it was more than He could bear. The soldiers then picked a man out of the crowd to carry His cross to Golgotha.
  • On a hill overlooking Jerusalem Jesus was crucified. It was nicknamed “the place of the skull”. Crucifixion was the Roman means of the death penalty. He would have been laid out on the cross, then huge nails would have been driven through His wrists and into the rough-hewn wood. A nail would have been driven into His crossed ankles. After He was secured in this manner, the cross would have been raised up vertically and dropped into a hole dug for that purpose. The condemned would hang like this until, after hours of agony, they died.
  • The Bible says that the sun grew dark as Jesus was raised up on that cross. And it remained dark for three hours, from noon till 3 PM.
  • Jesus made seven important statements from the cross, but probably the most important as far we’re concerned was, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” At this juncture Jesus had all the sin of mankind placed on Him. “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.” Jesus paid our debt for us at the price of His life.
  • Because the Passover holiday was at hand the Jewish leaders pressed to get Jesus dead and buried quickly. The soldiers were about to brake His legs, making death come quicker, but Jesus commended His spirit to God His Father and cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished!” as He “gave up the ghost” (died).
  • A local rich man asked for the privilege of burying Jesus in his own tomb. With the help of Nicodemus he took the body off the cross, performed some hasty burial preparations, and placed it in his tomb. In order to keep the body of Jesus from being stolen, a huge stone was rolled over the mouth of the tomb and soldiers were placed on guard.
  • So, here is Jesus’ body in the tomb, but where is Jesus? Jesus’ spirit and soul left His body as He cried out in a loud voice and gave up the ghost. Scripture indicates to me that Jesus would have been carried off to hell and torment because of the sin of all mankind placed on Him. He had to trust the Father to rescue Him from there by sending the Holy Spirit to raise Him from death.
  • Jesus also took a quick trip to heaven to present His blood sacrifice in the Holy of Holies in heaven. Adam’s sin had even affected heaven, but Jesus’ sacrifice made all right again.
  • Then, early on a Sunday morning, Jesus returned into His body, still scarred by whip marks and nail prints, and began presenting Himself to those who had believed in Him.

There’s much, much more to say about the resurrection, but time and space press me to move on. So I’ll close with the lyrics to an old Easter hymn:

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes.

He arose the Victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah Christ arose!

 

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Easter

Well, it has been a confusing winter – warm then cold – a lot of snow to no snow at all. March has certainly been windy. Even the birds at our feeders seem bewildered. But hey, “Spring has sprung!” [I’m tempted, but I’ll refrain from posting my long-standing “Spring has Sprung” poem here.] It’s now ‘officially’ Spring!

The “Big Event” for April is … (drum roll please) EASTER! Now I know that not everyone likes the use of the “Easter.” Some prefer the more scriptural title of “Resurrection Day.” Unger’s Bible Dictionary says, “The word Easter is of Saxon origin, Eastra, the goddess of spring, in whose honour sacrifices were offered about Passover time each year. By the eighth century Anglo–Saxons had adopted the name to designate the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.” That sort of explains how Easter became the holiday [Holy Day?] as we know it today. [There are scholars who believe that Spring isn’t even the right season for Easter!]

I think the most important thing is not the name it goes by but what it means to us personally. We celebrate Easter at our church with “Easter Celebration” aimed especially at the kids. We use egg hunts, games and animals to bring them in, but our object is get them – parents and children alike – to see and experience God’s love, demonstrated amazingly in the Resurrection.

Here are a few scriptural examples of the love and power that resonates from the Resurrection:

Jesus was informed of His friend Lazarus’ sickness, and waited awhile before coming to Bethany to see him. I believe it was because Jesus knew that by the time He was told of Lazarus’ sickness, Lazarus was already dead. [No Uber service back in those days] On His way Jesus met Martha, who was only seeing an “end of days resurrection.” Jesus responded:

John 11:25, 26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

After the actual event – the Resurrection – Jesus breathed on His disciples, introducing them to the Holy Spirit, and sent them out to minister. Those rag tag bunch of guys became the force through which God changed the world! And what did they preach? The Resurrection.

Consider this verse from Early Church history:

Acts 4:33 – And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

So, Easter – Resurrection Day – whatever you call it, celebrates the most important event in all history. Someone said, “History is His Story.” The only negatives about the holiday are focusing merely on bunnies and candy, or that resurrection is only celebrated once a year. But we can each overcome these on our own and make sure that we build our lives on the power of the Resurrection!

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Is Sunday Morning Service Only For Adults?

I grew up in church. Sunday School was an important part of our lives. Our church met at 10 AM for Sunday School, followed by the “regular” service at 11. (And the pastor was required to be saying “Amen” by noon, or else!) The Sunday School was divided into age-group classes. For each age group our church provided a teacher’s manual and student manuals. It was very organized and built on the best of intentions.

Not only did I grow up in this system, but, after attending Bible Institute, I was elected our church’s Sunday School Superintendent. So naturally, when we pioneered our church, we developed a similar system for training our children. We were meeting in a home that was built to be a doctor’s office, so there were some available rooms. We assigned some adults to teach and sent the little ones off to their classes.

Having Sunday School and church requires a lot of volunteers and space, so we shifted quite easily into the Children’s Church model. We could then meet at 10 AM, and send the kids to Children’s Church while the adults had “big church.” Again, all this was done with good intentions. Plus we had some good results. I think I can truthfully say that we had one of the best ministries to kids in our area. Life was good.

However, there was one glaring deficiency to this model: when our kids reached 12 they graduated to “big church.” Sadly a huge percentage of these were dropping out of church all together. By that I mean that as soon as they could decide for themselves, they stopped coming. Church was no longer a part of their lives.

There’s a quote attributed to Einstein, Ben Franklin and Mark Twain which says, “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.” Evidence can’t be found to prove any of these men authored the phrase, but the truth remains. Insanity for us would be to do children’s ministry the same, yet expect different results. Not being willing to give up on this generation, we began to look for different ways to minister to children.

Recently I came across a quote by Tim Wright in his book, Sunday Schooling Our Kids Out of Church: “Kids who attend Sunday School but not worship are unlikely to be a part of a church as adults.”

Mark Holmen gave the following statistics in his book Church + Home: The Proven Formula for Building Lifelong Faith:

  • 60-90% of children enrolled in church programs will disengage from the church when they become young adults. [70-90% of boys will leave the Christian Church in their teens and early 20’s and most won’t come back.]
  • Only 12% of youth have a regular dialog with their mother on faith and/or life issues.
  • Only 5% of youth have a regular dialog with their father on faith and/or life issues.
  • The greatest faith shapers by large margins in the life of kids: Mom and dad, followed by grandparents.

We cannot overemphasize the importance of parents and grandparents in the lives of our youth. The truth is that, as parents, we are affecting our children wherever we are. Parenting isn’t limited to time at home. Our offspring are observing us always. They watch how we react to life around us as it transpires. And having them in the “adult” service with us affords wonderful opportunities to demonstrate what church is all about. They get to see us as we hear the teaching, sing praises to the Lord, and fellowship with the body of Christ.

As parents and grandparents we want the best for our kids. We want them to do better than we’ve done. We want our “ceiling” to be their “floor.” So we’re bringing them into “big church” with us. Our hope is that as they get older they’ll decide to continue with God and demonstrate genuine Christianity to future generations.

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Thanksgiving

November 2016

Thanksgiving

If we could hop on a time machine (anyone got a used DeLorean?) and go back to the first Thanksgiving, we’d be surprised at how much different it was than our present celebrations. Back in 1621 turkeys were only about eight pounds, not like the twenty plus pounders today. So the main course consisted of seafood (in Massachusetts), venison, and chicken along with the turkey. And, according to my research, the early holiday was a three day affair with eating, partying and shooting guns. But there also was a religious (spiritual) undertone. They were THANKFUL!

Unfortunately the “religious” aspect of Thanksgiving began to fade into insignificance. While we all love family gatherings, a sumptuous meal and even football frenzy, thankfulness isn’t in the plan unless we bring it with us.

Besides that, it’s sad to think that thankfulness would be relegated to one day a year. Shouldn’t Thanksgiving be a celebration of an attitude of gratitude that we live by year round?!

I’m not a doctor. (I don’t even play one on TV) But I’ve heard that an attitude of gratitude can even have wonderful effects on our health. All the media we’re subjected to provides us with lots of “evidence” that things are bad – and getting worse. But most anyone can find something to be thankful for. As Christians we have a Bible full of truths that should “bless our socks off!”

There’s a passage in the Psalms I’ve always liked.

Psalm 100:4, 5 – Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and Hebrew has a bunch of words that deal with praise and thanksgiving. The word here in verse 4 translated “thanksgiving” is TOWDAH in the Hebrew. Strong’s gives these definitions: an extension of the hand, an avowal, or adoration; specifically, a (sacrifice of) praise. Now there is a wonderful attitude to adopt for November 24th and all year round!

Thinking about Who God is, and who we are in Him, should move us – at church or wherever we are – to lift our hands in thanksgiving. Bringing the sacrifice of praise (i.e., when we don’t feel like praising) and agreeing with God, rather than arguing about what we think.

I don’t understand the ins and outs of everyday life any more than you do. Things happen – or don’t happen – that I can’t explain. But God’s Word is still true. I am who He says I am; I have what He says I have; and I can do what He says I can do! And He is the One true living God.

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Good News

Good News

A friend of mine recently posted this quote on Facebook:

“The Gospel is good news not good advice. Advice = what we should do. News = report of what was done for us.” Tim Keller

The truth expressed in this recitation caught my attention and immediately brought a scripture to mind.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16, 17

Why these verses? Because the word “gospel” means GOOD NEWS! The good news of the gospel is all about what God has done for us in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our response to that good news isn’t about things we need to do. Our response needs to be one thing – BELIEVE.

One of the biggest problems with this is that we’ve been trained to DO! “Give me something to do, Lord!” We’re accustomed to thinking things like – only those who work hard get ahead; idle hands are the devils workshop; put your nose to the grindstone; God helps those who help themselves; etc., etc. And, there’s a ring of truth in these statements. When there’s a job to do and we roll up our sleeves to apply diligence to it, good things are accomplished. But when it comes to our redemption, there is no more work to be done!

When we start working – doing – laboring – to bring about our redemption, we’re saying in affect that what Jesus has already done wasn’t enough. We’re adding our labor to His death, burial and resurrection, assuming that His sacrifice + our labor = our salvation, healing and deliverance. But the true “formula” is this: salvation = Jesus sacrifice + NOTHING!

Now, I realize this brings up some interesting questions. I can’t possibly anticipate them all in this article, so allow me to address just one.

James 1:22 tells us to BE DOERS. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Of course, this is absolutely true. Be a doer of the word! This doesn’t contradict what we’ve been discussing. On the contrary, it points us to the heart of the matter. The focal point on doing the word, when it comes to our redemption, is faith. We must believe. Christians are believers. We believe God’s Word. We believe the Gospel. We believe that Jesus’ death, burial, time in hell and resurrection paid the price in full!

Most of the New Testament – especially the Epistles – were written to address this question of “doing”. What separates religion from true Christianity? Lists of do’s & don’t added to the gospel. The Apostle Paul had “teachers” following him from city to city, telling people that they must believe in Jesus, AND … get circumcised, keep the law, remember the Sabbath, etc., etc. I’m sure it was frustrating for him at times. In fact, he got quite angry with the Galatian church for leaving the freedom of the gospel and returning to the pains of religion.

So, enjoy the good news! Believe it with all your heart. As the psalmist said, don’t forget all the benefits. [Psalm 103]

I’ll close with the Tim Keller quote again: “The Gospel is good news not good advice. Advice = what we should do. News = report of what was done for us.”