A Fresh Look at the "Sower"

Do you ever notice how we identify with the heroes in stories? We watch movies where the good guy goes through all kinds of trouble and battles and fights and against all odds comes out in the end as the champion saving the girl, or saving the world from destruction or overcoming the villain. It is easy for us to get involved and get caught up in the story and see how we can overcome in our lives.

I want to consider something today from a approach that is a little different from our usual approach. I want to ask you about how you relate to stories in the Bible. When you read through the story of David and Goliath who do you identify with? Kind Saul, standing in command of an army but unwilling to stand against the giant? David’s brothers, trying to talk David out of going into the fight? The army of men who are scared to go against this giant of a man knowing that their whole nation of people will be sent into slavery if they lose? The giant, standing in opposition to God and His people? The Philistine army, taunting behind their champion? Or David, the meek little shepherd boy, who against all odds goes in against a huge foe with the faith and courage given to him by God?

It is easy to identify with David, and we get excited to think that we just have to stand strong and do what we know needs to be done and all our giants will fall! Here is the problem with identifying with David, what happens when our giants don’t fall? What happens when we get beat up and left for dead? What happens when the enemy comes in and destroys our relationship? Our marriages, our jobs, our family or our church and leave a big old mess in his wake? We feel let down, we feel like God was not on our side, and we feel like we are left picking up the pieces.

In reality, the giant is Satan, our enemy. We can see Jesus as David, standing strong against Satan and we can see ourselves shaking in our armor behind the lines watching this whole battle go down. Now, on this side of the battle we see the victory, we see Satan beaten and we are given hope so we charge against the enemy army and chase them until they are wiped out! That is a story of Victory! It is a story of Christ the overcomer! When we put ourselves in David’s role, we try to be the overcomer and guess what…we are not! It is only through the victory of Christ that enables us to be on the winning side.

You might be thinking, “But wait! We are more than conquerors! Who can stand against us?”

Let’s look at Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conqueror through him who loved us.” Or as the NLT says, “despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

Back just a few verses in 31 we do read that idiomatic Christian phrase “Who can be against us?” but what does it say right before that? “If God is for us then who can be against us.”

I wanted to introduce this blog in this way so that we can consider our place in the stories that Jesus tells in His parables. We have followed Jesus as he taught large crowds and performed many miracles and now He is standing on the shore of a lake again speaking to many people. Matthew 13:3-9:

“He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: ‘Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

First of all I want to point out that we often identify with the sower in this parable. We are the ones sowing the seed. We think of the Great commission that tells us to go into all the world spreading this gospel! Get out there and Sow!! We are the ones doing the planting, but I think there is much more being stated here. Jesus is telling us about the reaction of people when the seed is sown.

This is a story or parable spoken to a large group of people. It is not a plain message. It is spoken in a parable form for a reason. In fact the disciple noticed that it was not a simple message and asked Jesus why he was speaking in parables, read verse 10: His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

Why does Jesus speak this way? Lets read His reply (verse 11-13).

“You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.”

Now we get an interesting glimpse of What Jesus is doing here. He has spoken to many people, performed many miracles, and what have people done with it? What has been the benefit of all this? Jesus has been sowing seed and now he gives his disciples an inside perspective to what is actually happening. He tells them that they have access to the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciples heard and understood. They listen and were given more understanding. Jesus points out that there are those who listen and do not understand. They heard but turned their back on the message and now, even the little understanding they do have will be taken away.

Hebrews 6:1-3 says this: “Let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we do not need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God! You don’t need further instruction about baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”

We hear about these things, we read the Bible and hear it taught, but do we understand it? Do we grow in our maturity or is the little understanding we do have taken away from us because we do not continue to grow in understanding, in spiritual maturity?

Jesus goes on to explain that this scenario was even prophesied about: (Matthew 13:14-15)

“This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’”

Jesus is saying that this is the way it happens. It was even prophesied that there would be people who do not listen. Their hearts were hardened. Now, when he talks about people with hardened hearts he is not just talking about the lost, unsaved people who have rejected the word. He is talking about anyone, just like the parable states, and how the word of God is handled within the context of their life, within their heart. Is it a heard heart, a rocky heart, a shallow heart, or a god heart?

Jesus goes on in verse 16 of Matthew 13:

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

Then Jesus gives us his explanation of the parable. He explains not the role of the sower nor the way that we need to get out there and spread the message, but this is a parable of the effects of the message of the Kingdom on the lives of different types of people. He explains (13:19):

“The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.”

Have you ever been given an explanation of something and just plain old didn’t understand it? What do you do about it? Some would ask for clarification, others would research the topic until they get it, but many would just shake their head and walk away. They did not understand it so then the seed that was sown is snatched up so that their interest is not piqued later. And the evil one wins.

This can happen over and over in the life of a Christian. There is so much to understand about God, and about his saving grace and about living our lives for His glory! We are in a constant state of learning. But when we are taught something about God that we do not understand what do we do?

Do we have an insatiable desire for God’s word? Do we have an unquenchable hunger to understand the things of God and His will in our lives? Whose responsibility is it to fulfill that desire, that longing for knowing God? Is it the pastor’s? Is it the Elders job? That reminds me of the old Hymn “You never mentioned him to me! You helped me not the light to see!” Wait a minute! Is it my job to make sure you are getting into God’s word and studying? Doesn’t the Bible say to show YOURSELF approved unto God? It’s your role! It’s your job.

The seed has been sown into your life, What is it doing? Has it landed on hard ground that doesn’t get it right away? Then before Satan comes and snatches that seed, cultivate the soil, till it, fertilize it and allow it to sprout. Go talk to an elder, talk to the preacher or someone you trust as a knowledgeable source to help you find understanding. God will give more understanding to those who understand. If you don’t strive to understand, then the little understanding you do have will be taken away.

Now let’s see verse 20-21:

“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”

Here is soil that takes the message in quickly! They get it and they start to grow, but there are things that are causing the roots not to go down deep. This is a maturity issue. This is where many Christian find themselves. They get to a certain point of growth and they stop. They don’t know why really, they just stop. They don’t mature in their faith. Then they fall over because the stalk of the plant is not strong enough to hold them up. Then they get kicked while they are down. Ha! You thought this Christianity thing was going to pull you through but there you are lying on the ground dying!! Why did you even bother?

This is what happens in persecution. How deep do your roots go? Are they deep enough so that when you are kicked and persecuted for believing in God that you can withstand it? Are you like a tree that’s planted by the waters; are you like a wise man who built his house on a rock so that when the storms come you will have a firm foundation in God? Or are your roots shallow?

Let’s keep reading in Lets keep reading in verse 22:

“The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.”

Wow! Here we see Christians who heard the message, receive it, but the things of this life have distracted them. Their worries are choking them. The lure of wealth is distracting them. No fruit is produced. Jesus taught about worry. What did he say about it? To NOT to! Don’t worry about this life! This life is not your reward! Your reward is in heaven! The things in this life that we worry about will burn up—they will pass away!

Then Jesus touches on another topic that is pretty sensitive—wealth. I bet if I asked how many wealthy people are reading this none of you would say, Yeah, I’m wealthy. And when we read about the cautions to the wealthy people in scripture we think, “Oh! That’s not talking to me because I’m certainly not wealthy!” But yet what do we spend so much of our waking hours doing? Working! For what? Wealth! It is a lure. What do you use lures for? Any fishermen (or fisherpersons I should say)? You use them to catch fish. Then what do you do with them? You fry ‘em up with some butter and bread crumbs and eat ‘em!!

Wealth is not something to take lightly! It will choke the life of the message of God right out of you! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God! Wealth is not evil, but it certainly has the strong ability to turn us aside from what our purpose on this earth is!

This person who receives the message but is choked out by the thorns does not produce fruit! Are you producing fruit? Did you receive the message of God and take hold of it and grow in its glory and then because you could not contain it this message spills out every time you open your mouth? See that is the kind of heart the last seed found (in verse 23):

“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

It produces a harvest! This heart received the message and grew! It didn’t just grow, but it produced fruit! What do you find in fruit? Nutrition, good taste, beauty, but I think most importantly…more seeds! Then those seed can be planted to produce more fruit! Then in those fruit more seeds are found and because of one willing heart of good soil a harvest can be produced thirty sixty or even a hundred times more than just that one seed produced!

Here is the message of this parable: he who has an ear to hear, let him hear! The message is spoken; the seed has been sown in your life. What are you going to do with it?

Duck Dynasty Debacle

If you have not heard anything about Phil Robertson or Duck Dynasty or A&E over the past week or so then you need to crawl out from under that rock and take a look at the sunlight. Okay, it might not be that bad, but everywhere you look there is "Support Phil" articles and social media pages cropping up just a little more often than the anti-Phil regime who is also posting and blogging in rare form about the things Phil said in an article interview with GQ magazine. (If swearing offends you, watch out. This article is not censored. Sorry.) 

I usually do not chime in on things just because they are a popular topic or because of the widespread issues they promote, but this one piqued my interest. I have watched most of the Duck Dynasty episode with my family. I found them to be funny, entertaining and family friendly. After seeing all the controversy online and reading articles from both the supporting and opposing entities I decided to read the article for myself.

Drew Magary went out to the Robertson's house and interviewed Phil (he also went out and shot Phil's .22 and crossbow #soundsfun). The article was very well written and showed the "real" Robertson's. It also helped me understand where this whole things is comming from. I am not a political activist or a "Bible-thumper" like Mr. Robertson, but I am a Christian and I do believe the Bible. I do think that there is much to say in the Bible about sin and sinners. And that is the reason I felt like I should write this blog.

The first thing that I thought of when I read through this article was not that I supported this man or his beliefs. Nor did I offendedly shudder at the tone he took regarding sexual orientation. I did picture a man sharing what he believed with someone who has a public platform to share the information he learned about Phil. (Magary tweeted that an A&E representative was with the Robertson's and Him the whole time). 

Now, if one man can share with another man his thoughts, beliefs, and the shooting of a crossbow, and the two of them come out the other side unscathed then it has been a good day. This does not seem to be the case according to many who stand in opposition of what Phil has said. Some of the things he believes are very difficult for some people to handle. But, on the other hand, if I found out that my lifestyle is considered sinful by someone else, I would probably have a hard time with it.

To those Christians who support Phil: I ask you, "How much more of a sin is homosexuality in your 'book' than slander?" If you read the very next verse that follows the "homosexuality is a sin" verse (1 Cor. 6:9-10) then you will see that revilers (or verbally abusive people/slanderers, as some translations say) are in the very same list of those who are not going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Now what was it that you were going to say about A&E or the "gay rights" activists?

Here is where I think Phil supporters have gone wrong; they justify their own sin by degrading other "sinners". As long as the other one looks worse than themselves they are the lesser of two wrongs and therefore must be right. I say this to Christians because you cannot claim to hold biblical truths in abhorrence of one sin through committing another. That is why there are so many people who want nothing to do with Christians, the church or God, because we do such a poor job of portraying our beliefs through our dislike of others choices.

Now, sin is sin. Thats just the way it is. If you do not agree with that, I am sorry. But your lesser sin does not make someone else's sin worse. If you want to point out sin in other people's "eyes" take care to look at the sin in your own (Mathew 7:1-5).

It is not popular for a Christian to stand up for a "sinner" but Jesus did give us that example. He told the accusers of the woman caught in adultery to go ahead and stone her for her sins. The only condition he put on it was this, "He who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7, paraphrased).

This is not to say that you cannot stand up for what you believe in if you have ever sinned. The people accusing the woman were right in saying that she had done wrong "according to the law". but their actions, according to Jesus, were just as bad or possibly worse than hers. 

Stand up for what you believe in, sure. But not at the expense of compromising your stance with God. That is to say, if you can condemn others for sin, be prepared to defend your state of perfection. If you cannot, you will forever be labeled as a hypocrite and never be taken seriously again.

How about this, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18 NKJV). In your support of Mr. Robertson are you striving to fulfill this command? Are you thinking about the repercussions of your comments on social media sites or blog responses? are you becoming agenda driven just as much or worse than those you are calling agenda driven? Are you reflecting the love Christ demonstrated through your words?

To those who support Phil but may not call yourself Christian: I have to ask you some similar questions. I will not use the Bible to support them, just simple logic. Do you want to change the mind of those you are railing against? Do you want them to see your side of the coin? If so, is this the best way to do it?

The use of logic in arguments goes way back to Socrates (and even further I am sure). Socrates (whose student was Plato, whose student was Aristotle, whose student was Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world) used the socratic method of dialogue to come to a conclusion. It would be illogical to think that the one who speaks the loudest and is heard by the most people is the one who is right. That is probably what you think of the liberal media who you are standing in opposition of. And so you respond in kind by shouting at your computer screen or TV when a new report about A&E comes up. Your loud voice is attempting to use the very thing you are arguing against as its support for your stance...how's that working for you?

Logically, your stance against something or someone ought to include dialogue. Do you know any gay people? Are you friends with them? Do you love them? If not then you have no place in this discussion. You only have a one-track mind that points out something about someone else that you view as a fault. That does not give you the platform (or soapbox for that matter) you need to change anyone's mind.

Get to know someone who is a homosexual and you will have a better place to have a discussion about their choices. Think of it this way, do you think bank robbery is wrong? If you do then would shouting "robbing a bank is wrong" change a robber's mind? Would he to decide that he ought not rob the bank? Logically, no, it would not change his mind. Now, if you knew a robber and knew their intentions and were able to talk to them about the issue, do you think you would have a better platform to have influence with them? 

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that you will be able to change someone's sexual orientation just by being their friend and entering into discussion with them. But simply from a logical standpoint, that definitely would be a better place for you to start. You will probably have a problem with this when you get to the point where you become vulnerable. Because when you are vulnerable you may change your mind. That is why we go into an argument hoping to catch someone in a vulnerable state. 

That is the problem we all have to face. Are we willing to become vulnerable? Chances are pretty slim because we think we are right in what we believe (that's why we believe it I guess). But that is also why the one we are arguing against believes what they believe—they think they are right. This does not have to put us all at an impasse where two logics are forever interlocked or opposing like magnetic fields. If anything it puts us in a position of power. Power to make the choice to become vulnerable and enter a discussion with an open mind instead of screaming like a child trying to get their own way. (no Bible, just logic)

To those who are in opposition to Phil: I have to ask, "What if you stood up for your beliefs and were reprimanded by your employer?" I know that the right to free-speech has entitled many right-winged legalists, but how much has it empowered you? I know that you believe with all your heart that you are right. I know that you believe you have the right not to have to put up with hose who stand in opposition to what you believe. I also know that there are those who do believe in opposing ways to what you believe and they want to have the same rights to express it as you want to have.

So, again, is this just the battle that we will forever have to fight? Your rights infringe on my rights...no, your's infringe on mine...nah nah nah nah nah!! This sounds like something you would hear on a playground filled with six-year-olds. I had it first, its mine! No, I had it first, its mine!! The screaming match begins until either one party or the other loses out to the volume of the other, or a teacher steps in and settles the argument for both of them. "No," the teacher says, "its mine. Now go play on the slide!"

Herein lies the problem. We are in a "mine! mine!" shouting match and there are no teachers in sight. So how do we settle our argument? There is an adult way. Give-in. (this goes for everyone involved in this argument! Not just those opposing what Phil said!) Thats right Christians, right-wingers, gays, and homophobes alike. Give in! Would it be too much to ask for you to swallow your elevated pride and give in? Then you can go your way and find something else to play with and we all can be happy!

From a Christian perspective, this is not a betrayal of your belief system or a compromise of your faith and standards. It is the way that leads to peace. You will never get your way by rebelling and standing in opposition to something. Unless it is war you want and you intend to kill everyone who does not believe what you believe.

Jesus came into Jerusalem in what is known as the Triumphal entry and he wept over the city. Why did he weep? It was not because he knew that coming there would lead to his crucifixion. He said, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!" (Luke 19:42). He then he went on to predict the destruction of Jerusalem. He was saying that the Jewish people who were standing in opposition to the Romans who governed them were not going to get their way by rebelling. In fact, it would lead to their destruction. And he was right! In 70AD, according to historian Flavius Josephus (War of the Jews, Book VI), the Roman soldiers destroyed Jerusalem in response to the militant rebel Jews. 

You see, I have never won an argument by voicing my opinion more boldly or louder than my opponent. I may have caused them to walk away shaking their head for a moment as I bask in my own glory that I created in my mind resulting as a "win". But I bet I did not change their mind. I bet I did not change their heart.

Yes, I am suggesting that we talk this out. Not yelling and screaming our agenda, but as humans discussing our hearts with one another. Interestingly enough, this is part of the article that has not made national news. Magary said: (censored)

"Whatever you think of Phil’s beliefs, it’s hard not to gaze upon his cultivations and wonder if you’ve gotten life all wrong. This is life as summer camp. It’s gorgeous, in a way that alters you on an elemental level. I feel it when I breathe the air. I feel it when I survey the enormity of the space around me. I shouldn’t be sitting around the house... [complaining] because the new iOS 7 touchscreen icons don’t have any drop shadow. I should be out here! Killing things and growing things and bringing dead things home to cook!"

What I am suggesting is that we get to know those who are on the opposite side of our beliefs. It's hard to spend time with someone, get to know them and begin caring for them to then turn around and oppose them so aggressively. You begin to see things from their perspective and you begin to have what is known as compassion for them. Compassion does not compromise, it offers life, healing and grace.

Now, this may or may not lead to changed minds. Christians may change their views on homosexuals. Gays may change their minds on Christians. And there will be some who will choose this as a hill to die on. But, we should watch out if we continue to bite and devour one another, we may be consumed by one another (Gal. 5:15). The only thing that will be changed is that we will go from standing for what we believe in to the point of our destruction.

If only we knew the things that lead to peace we would be have more ability to live at peace with all men.

What the Church Needs More Of

(Ending a sentence in a preposition, “…is the kind of tedious nonsense up with which I will not put.” –attributed to Winston Churchill).

I recently had a conversation with a couple friends about the struggles in the churches they were attending. They were smaller churches that had been around for a very long time. Now, keep in mind that these are independent non-denominational churches that have their own governance and autonomy from other affiliated churches. These conversations caused me to think about our struggles as churches. Why are we struggling with attendance, money, participation, Bible study, etc.? What do we need more of?

I was a part of this type of church all my life. In fact, nine years ago I began to pastor in these churches. I started as the lead pastor of a smaller rural (town of 58 pop.) church of about 25-30 regular weekly attenders. In that ministry I was the sole person on staff.

After that I took a role as youth pastor in a church of about 100 in weekly attendance. That town was much bigger—237 population. Here I was working under a lead pastor and we had a part-time secretary on staff.

I then moved to a church right outside of a larger city to a church of 300 in weekly attendance. There I served as a youth pastor as well. At this church there was a Sr. Pastor, Children’s Pastor, Youth Pastor (me), s full-time secretary, a part-time secretary and two full-time cleaning and maintenance staff.

And most recently I served as a Family Pastor in a church of about 60 in weekly attendance. That church was in a town with about 1500 in population. There was a Worship Minister already on staff when I got there and we shared the preaching and pastoral duties.

I give all of this demographic information for the purpose of explaining my experience. I have worked with multi-staff as well as on my own. In each of these roles, and in retrospect, I can see three things that we needed to do more in these churches. Here is a quick list of the things we did not need: More programing, more external events, more money, more people inviting more people to fill the pews (or chairs), and certainly we did not need more opinions about what we needed!

1. The Church Needs More Prayer

First, we needed more prayer. Sure we had opening prayers, pastoral prayers, closing prayers and even prayer requests printed in our weekly bulletins. But what I am talking about is prayer outside of the corporate setting. In one of the four churches I was involved with we would have a weekly staff meeting where we would regularly pray over the affairs of the church. But in that same church we were thinking of adding another staff person during one of the leadership meetings and the thing we overlooked was prayer. I thought of it after the fact and mentioned to one of the other leaders that we ought to pray together at the next meeting and ask God to guide us in the right direction for finding a new staff-person. I suggested that we pray about it for an hour together and ask God for a name. Then when we are done each one write down the name that comes to us. If any of them match—call the guy! I was faced with all kinds of objections to this suggestion. “We have to give the search due diligence.”

I was told that we couldn’t just go hire the first name that came to mind. “Even if we knew the name came from God?” I had to ask. I was shocked to realize that we as leaders in the church relied much more heavily on our own ability to judge character and diligently decide on a new staff-person than to rely on the guidance of God through prayer.

This did cause me to realize how much I did the very same thing in many other areas of my ministry. I could come up with sermons, plan class schedules, choose curriculum, and organize my ministry calendar all from the equipping and experience I had and without a prayer.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I would pray for sure. And even regularly! As regularly as a prayer before a meal, before bedtime, or at the close of a service. It was then that I realized that prayer had become a transitional element in our corporate worship as well as in my ministry. Prayer was a great opportunity for the worship team to make their way to the stage unnoticed by the masses for the close of the service. It was a great way to officially begin our leaders meeting (it was even on the agenda who was scheduled to open and close in prayer at one church). And, in my ministry, prayer was almost an obligation. I knew what I needed to get done, and I knew what I was capable of doing—why would I need to bother God with the details I already had control over?

I have seen the same negligence in regard to prayer in many churches. It is easy to loose focus on God and His will when we think we can do it on our own. This is also a sign of our lack of faith. We don’t want to ask for guidance in something and then nothing happens, so we think it’s better to just move forward without asking for guidance.

Prayer is our communication with God. It is through the power of the Spirit who interceded on our behalf. It is through the name of Jesus that we can come boldly before the throne of Grace. When we are told to pray without ceasing it is not that we must assume the position of reverence with bowed heads and closed eyes every part of every day, but we do need to be open in our communication with our Father who is in heaven.

Prayer is the connecting factor that couples the power of the spirit that is at work in us with the will of God. There is power in prayer! There is healing in prayer! There is direction in prayer! And unfortunately, in churches across this country, there is a lack of prayer! Not the transitional type of prayer—there is plenty of that—but the deep heartfelt communion with our Father in heaven.

The church needs more prayer!

2. The church needs more purpose!

The second thing the church needs is purpose. It is easy to fill a calendar with events for teens, outreach, feeding starving children, or holiday events. But what is the purpose of these things? Why do we do them? If there is a unified vision and purpose for the church then every event that is planned can be evaluated under the parameters of that purpose.

It is easy to put out a mission statement (typically along the lines of “love God, love others”) and call that the purpose. With a broad purpose we can plan any event, use any curriculum, hold any type of conference, or plan any direction for the church and it could fall under that purpose.

The definition of the word helps us realize what a purpose ought to give us: the reason why something is done or used; the aim or intention of something. With an over arching purpose we can evaluate programing, classes, content, or anything else we might plan for the church. If it is not accomplishing the purpose that is agreed upon by the leadership of the church then why is being done?

Now, this can be abused in two extremes. It can be overly permissive or overly objecting. The purpose can be liberally written so that evaluation is not necessary to allow something to fit under it or it can be so stringent and restrictive that nothing gets done.

The purpose of any organization ought to be represented clearly for anyone to desire to be a part of it. Think of any non-profit group you can right now. You not only can think of a name, but probably a logo and most importantly the reason they exist as an organization. Do people know why we exist when they see our church sign or read our church's name somewhere?

Each congregation has obvious purpose given to us from scripture: serve God, love Him, make disciples, teach others, help those who cannot help themselves. This list could be much longer, but that is for you to do. However, each congregation also has a unique set of gifts that would put them in a better situation to accomplish a very specific purpose in their community.

If your church suddenly ceased to exist for some reason or another, what effect would it have on the community? Would you be missed? Would anyone even notice? What purpose are you serving?

The Church needs more purpose!

3. The Church Needs More Christians

We are not Christians just because is says it on our car!

The final thing I want to suggest that the church needs is Christians. This may take a little explanation, and I will tell you now that your first response might be fairly defensive, but hear me out. It was suggested in a class this past Sunday that our concept of “taking the Lord’s name in vain” may not cover all that we ought to be cautioned against. We think about the use of the words “God” and “Jesus Christ” as swearing and that is the extent of taking these names in vain. But, what about people who take the name “Christ” vainly in their lifestyle? We call ourselves Christians—literally “of Christ”—but then live our lives as we see fit rather than as a representative of Christ.

Can we call ourselves Christians but not be really following Christ? Can we say we are Children of God but not be representing that familial relationship with Him in our lives? Jesus talked about people who will call out to “Lord, Lord! Didn’t we do all kinds of great things in your name?” and the response will be that the Lord never knew them!

You see, we can act as if we are doing things in the name of Christ but, in reality, they are done separate from Christ. The church is called the body of Christ in scripture. Are we the hands and feet of Christ? Are we acting as a united body that is doing the work of Christ?

Here is a test. Think of the things Jesus did while he was on this earth. Are you doing those things? Is your church doing those things? We are to be Christ to the world. If we say we are Christians but we are not actually doing the things Christ did in His ministry then we are frauds. We are using His name in vain!

We ought to be following Christ with our lives. This is where we will typically say, “well, we are following Christ!” It is easy for us to get defensive here and think that we are doing enough, saying enough, reading enough and attending enough church services to consider ourselves “followers of Christ.”

I have not used any scripture to this point. I have alluded to several, but I didn’t give any references. That is about to change. In Matthew 10:38 Jesus tells us that if we do not take up our cross and follow Him we are not worthy of Him. That cross is not our “lots” in life that we consider our “cross to bear” like a job we don’t like or an unruly child. It is literally death to ourselves!

Matthew 4:19 tells us that if we are following Christ He will make us fishers of men! In conjunction with the Great commission (Mat. 28:18-20) are we making disciples? Are we fishing for men? If your answer is, “Sure, every week I ask John in the next cubical if he’ll go to church with me the next week” then your barely fishing recreationally. I like to fish a little here and there, but the disciples of Christ were fishermen—that’s how they made their living! They loved fishing as often as they could. When Jesus told them about the transition into fishing for men I’m sure they had to have been picturing the long nights spent on the water hour after hour, repairing nets on the shore in preparation, nets full of fish, and all the other intricacies of professional fishers. I don’t think they pictured the weekend anglers casting out a few times till he gets bored not catching anything.

Read Luke 14:25-35. Go ahead and do it now (Luke 14, Biblehub.com). This is a great picture of what it means to be a Christian. Verse 33 sums it up well, “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” What have you given up for the sake of following Christ? are we growing as Christians? Are we reaching maturity in Christ?

Its easy to base our spiritual maturity on the number of years since we first "came to Christ" but Ephesians 4 gets more specific. In verse 12 the author gives us the responsibility of the church. He says, “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Our maturity comes from continuing to fulfill our responsibility, just like maturity in life. Just because someone knows a lot about a particular topic does not mean they are mature in that area, but if they have the information and knowledge coupled with experience in that area you can see maturity. 

We will reach maturity through building up the church and doing the work of God. This will also bring unity along with maturity. That is how we will reach the full standard of Christ. That is how we live out being Christians.

The Church needs more Christians!

Coffee Stains

I like coffee.  I like it rich, dark, strong, and hot.  In fact, I have a favorite coffee mug.  It is not my favorite because of the saying on it, because of the color or even because of the picture on it.  It is my favorite because it is BIG.  I can drink two cups of coffee at the same time with this thing. It’s great!

The other day I picked up my favorite mug and saw, there in the bottom, two dark rings.  Now, when I had picked the mug up, I thought that it was clean.  From the outside, I could not see any stains.  It looked like it had just been washed.  “No problem,” I thought, “I’ll just rinse it out.” Guess what, it would not be rinsed.  The stains stayed there.  This got me to thinking, and that is a big deal since I had not had my coffee yet.  I thought about that stain in my favorite mug.  How did it get there?  How had I neglected something that I hold so dearly to the point that it became stained?

This thought process and line of thinking is what leads someone to more thinking and more questions.  This can be dangerous at early hours.  I started to think about life, about the Bible, and about the “stains” in our lives. 

How does a coffee mug get stained?  First, it has to get dirty.  You use the cup.  Second, the mug then sits for while with a few drops of coffee in the bottom of it.  Third, the coffee evaporates leaving behind residue that stains the inside of your favorite mug.

How do lives get stained?  First, they get dirty.  Second, they get left that way for a while, with just a little bit of sin in them.  Third, when the sinful events are done, they leave behind a little residue on our lives.

Are there “stains” in your life?  Have you allowed sin to sit in your heart long enough to leave a stain?  Is the outside of your life clean but inside, stained?  This reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:27.  He tells the Religious leaders that they are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful, outwardly, but on the inside they are full of dead men's bones (paraphrase).

Realize today that it does not matter what the outside of your cup looks like if the inside is stained and dirty.  Realize that man looks at outward appearance, but that God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7).  Realize that it is our own fault that we have stains in our lives.  We could have cleaned them out at any time, but yet they remain.

If the truth be told, My favorite mug was still my favorite, even though it was stained.  The stains did not bother me.  Oh, I knew they were there.  And every time I used that mug, I would think that I ought to do something about it.  But I didn’t.  Too often, this same thing happens with the “stains” in our lives.  We don’t let them bother us.  We get used to them.  We may even think of them as a status symbol.  We do not want to change.

Remember, we are God’s vessels. 1 Corinthians 4 calls us jars of clay that carry the message of Christ.  Do we want to carry God’s message in stained vessels?  No! We need to get cleaned, get up, and get going.

There is a way to get rid of our stains.  There is a cleansing that we all can experience.  Jesus Christ died to wash the stains of sin away from our lives.  Hebrews 10:22 talks about being washed with “Pure Water.”  Revelations 1:5 says that Jesus Christ “washed us from our sins” (KJV).  Jesus Christ offers “pure water” to wash and cleanse us from our stains. 

Now, you might be thinking, “I have been washed! I was baptized to have my sins washed away. I don’t need to have my “stains” washed again!”

That makes me think of One of Jesus’ followers, Peter, when Jesus came around at the Last Supper wanting to wash the feet of the disciples. Peter told Jesus not to wash his feet. When Jesus explained to Peter that he needed to have his feet washed Peter replied, “Then wash all of me!”

Jesus’ response was very interesting. He said, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean” (John 13:10a). You see, sometimes we get our feet a little dirty and need to be cleansed. These little “stains” or sins that we allow to linger will eventually undermine our intentions of remaining remaining clean and compromize our clealiness.

It is no longer a matter of taking a bath (see 1 Peter 3:21, not the removal of dirt from your body). It becomes a matter of the heart. What do we do when our heart gets stained? James 4:8 tells us to come close to God and He will come close to us. It says to wash our hands, purify our hearts because we have been “double minded” having our loyalties divided between God and the world. Our selfishness will make us want to keep drinking out of our favorite cup regardless of the stains. But God wants to give us a new cup, a new vessle, a new heart!

He wants to make us whiter than snow.  Do you have stains in your “Mug”?  Do you need washed? What are you going to do about it?