Senior Citizens Sit at the Feet of Church Leaders

In the waiting room of the doctor’s office I visited with an older woman who proudly said she was a life-long Southern Baptist. She loves her church, but grieves because hymns have been replaced with repetitive praise songs. She said, “I so miss the hymns. They want to sing other songs to bring in younger people.” I often hear the same lament from other seniors and I’m becoming more convinced that church leadership is practicing favoritism — favoring the younger generation over the needs of the older generation. James said, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts” (James 2:1-4 NIV)?

Preach the Word

After the stoning of Stephen, a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem and Saul began to destroy the church. If something similar happened to the church in our town today many of us would likely keep our heads down and pray for the persecution to pass, rather than looking for opportunities to serve. Luke wrote, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said” (Acts 8:4-6 NIV).

The New Has Come

A couple weeks ago I went shopping for some new tops and it dawned on me that from a clothing-style perspective, I no longer know who I am. The styles I once wore no longer fit who I am today. In my teens I felt something similar after I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, made the good confession and was baptized. As a born-again Christian, I was no longer who I once was. Paul said, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:16-17 NIV)!

Doing Your Best

The enemies of President Trump are rejoicing because in their words, “Trump caved and opened up the government without getting any money for boarder security.” The picture they paint is that Trump failed, lost and was defeated. Parents teach children that it is not always about winning or losing, but rather that they tried their best. From my perspective Trump is a winner, whether or not he succeeded, simply because he did his best to fulfill the campaign promise he made to voters. Paul tells people of faith to do their best. He said, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15 NIV).

Mediator

People of faith sometimes view church leaders as the head of the church. Priests, preachers, and elders are shepherds of the church; however, church leadership is not to assume the role as mediator between believers and God. Paul said, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time” (1 Tim 2:5-6 NIV).

The Progressive Wing

My friend remains active as a Seventh Day Adventist, but she shared with me that she would be much happier if there were a progressive wing of the denomination. Webster’s definition of progressive is, (1) of, relating to, or characterized by progress. (2) making use of or interested in new ideas, findings or opportunities. No doubt there are also people in mainstream churches who have a similar desire be progressive. However, Paul cautioned, “As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (Gal 1:9-12 NIV).

The Father Knows What We Need

A friend and I were discussing various churches and he said, “I think my church is the poorest [financially] in town.” He went on to say that most of the church membership has a hard time supporting themselves, much less supporting the church. It occurs to me that the words Jesus applied to individuals are also applicable to the collective body of Christ. Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life” (Matt 6:26 NIV)?

Stand Firm

At the Lincoln Memorial this weekend Native American veteran Nathan Phillips encountered a group of Catholic high school students who were participating in the Right for Life march, and who were also wearing Make America Great (MAGA) hats. The 64-year-old Indian activist approached the students, beat his drum and sang Indian chants just inches away from the face of one young man. Catholic student Nick Sandmann responded by simply smiling and standing firmly in place. Sandmann, who described himself as a faithful Christian and a practicing Catholic, thought if he just stood still without reacting it would defuse the situation. Because of the MAGA hats, the mainstream media painted the Catholic students as aggressors and many on social media piled on without knowing the facts. Young Mr. Sandmann showed remarkable Christian maturity by standing firm. Paul said, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58 NIV).

You Are a Seal

Some people questioned Paul’s apostleship and he responded, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” (1 Cor 9:1-2 NIV). It occurs to me that the spiritual maturity and strength of believers today is also the result of the work of church leaders (preachers, elders, deacons) and that we are a seal of their positions in the Lord.

Do What is Right

Returning home from Denver I stopped for a break in a mountain town and went through three roundabouts before I could get to the rest area. On my way back to the Interstate I took the off ramp in one of the roundabouts and wound up on the Interstate…but going the wrong direction. I was forced to go nine miles to the next exit before I could legally turn around and retrace my steps. In those nine miles I passed numerous highway crossovers with signs that said “Authorized Vehicles Only,” but I resisted the temptation to use the emergency services crossover for fear of getting a ticket from the State Patrol. Paul said, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you” (Ro 13:1-3 NIV).

Advancing the Enemy

During a speech in Cairo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated the position of the US in working with others and the repercussions. He said, “…and when we partner with our enemies they advance.” In hindsight there are times when believers unintentionally partner with Satan. We repent and move on; however, we seldom give much thought to the long-range effects, and that we have in fact advanced the enemy. “But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen 3:9-13 NIV).

Lacking Zeal for the Gospel

In preparation for writing a book I’m going through the articles I wrote about church visits and categorizing the elements of worship — hospitality, sermons, bulletins, etc. After reviewing the sermons, I realize that many of them were a social, political and denominational gospel, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Out of more than 120 church visits there are only a handful of sermons that were convicting and thought provoking enough for me to tell others about the message I heard. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Ro 1:16-17 NIV).

Vantage Point

When I visited my daughter, who lives on the side of a mountain overlooking Denver, we were hit with a major snow storm. For over 24-hours we didn’t see the sun and we received over nine-inches of snow. From my vantage point I thought the whole area was getting hammered, but not so. While her subdivision roads were almost impassable, the metro area below received a mere three inches of snow. When we get caught in a spiritual storm and can’t see the rays of the Son we need to remind ourselves that God’s vantage point is different than ours. Proverbs said, “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever” (Proverbs 10:25 NIV).

Church Coveting

I discussed the lack of growth with a church leader and he said, “I just wonder how Saddleback Church does it.” God has not allowed all churches to become a mega church, but the desire of church leadership to become another Saddleback can have the appearance of coveting. James said, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3 NIV).

Have a Blessed Day

After I complete a transaction it’s my habit to tell the clerk or customer service representative, “Have a good day.”  During my last trip to Walmart the clerk who scanned my purchases turned our brief encounter into an opportunity to share his faith in God. When he handed me my receipt the rote phrase “have a good day” didn’t seem quite adequate; however, “Have a blessed day” rolled easily off my tongue. Paul said, “Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Gal 3:6-9 NIV).

Called to Preach

More and more pastors are getting sermon material off the internet and from other sources, rather than preparing sermons specific to the needs of their congregation. Paul said of Jesus, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:1113 NIV). I’m now trying to imagine an apostle or a prophet going to other sources in order to accomplish the task the Lord called them to.   

Appearances

I called a local church to find out their denominational roots and the secretary said, “Why do you want to know?” Churches today, in an effort to market themselves, are doing their best to conceal their denominational identity. They have removed denominational tags from the church name, bulletins, websites and letterheads. We all know the Lord would prefer we not have denominations and divisions. However, denominational tags help people determine where they want to worship. It is deceptive and manipulative for a church to withhold their denominational slant in order to give the appearance of a non-denominational church. Paul said of divisions, “No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval” (1Cor 11:19 NIV).

The Law is Good

A couple years ago our kids gave us a weather station for Christmas. Last week, during our first cold snap of the year, I sat in a warm house and watched the temperature plummet to -6 degrees. Had it not been for the weather station continually updating the data I would not have known how bitterly cold it was outside. I now have a better understanding of Paul explanation of the law. “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death” (Rom 7:710 NIV).

Love Does Not Boast

Many of us remember going to school and finding out that all our friends attended a Birthday party, but we weren’t invited. I felt that same familiar sting when a pastor announced, “Some of us went to a party last night, and you know who you are…” I have no doubt the pastor was trying to use the anecdote as a warm up to start his sermon. However, knowing his intention made me no less uncomfortable for those who were not invited to the party. Paul said, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Cor 13:4 NIV).

Sermon Prep

A snippet from a brief bio describing a Christian workshop leader said, “She also does biblical research, sermon prep, and styling for pastors at a multi-site Midwestern megachurch of 12,000.” It appears that the days of a pastor spending 20-hours a week in sermon preparation are over. I now wonder how many of today’s pulpits are filled with actors who simply want to learn a script. Paul said, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13 NIV).

Harvest Field

On my way to church the last few weeks I’ve noticed a sandwich-board on a sidewalk in front of a trailer park advertising a place for people to go to learn about Jesus. I’m guessing this is a fledgling church, but I find it curious since there are at least five established churches within a mile of the trailer park. That being said, I love the fact that someone in the trailer park saw the need to bring Jesus into their neighborhood.  Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2 NIV).

Solid Food

My bookshelves are full of books on the craft of writing and when I decided to de-clutter I started going through the books. Because I highlight and underline it was easy re-read the highlights and evaluate whether or not I needed to keep them. I was surprised at how I have grown and implemented most of what the books had to offer. I’m now looking at my Bible with a new perspective — as a measure of maturity. The writer of Hebrews said, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Heb 5:11-14 NIV).

Happy New Year

In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, welcome to 2019!