The Holiness of Being

The Book of Acts explores various aspects of the early Church. Its central theme is "continuing in the faith." Faith is portrayed as a journey that teaches us to follow and depend on a God who is very much present in our lives. The power evident in Acts comes from the Holy Spirit, which empowers the Church, resulting in healing, significant events, and a sense of "heaven on earth."  But Acts is about one more thing.  It is about "being" the Church as the person of Christ is lived out through regular people.  There is a holiness to this that is beautiful and supernatural!

In Acts 16 we get a glimpse of "being the Church" vs "going to Church."  The believers were gathered together on the Sabbath.  It was how they lived.  It wasn't one option among many.  Gathering was part of the life of the Church, and it was as common as breathing.  The believers were seeking a "place of prayer."  The believers were a mix of people, very different from the gathering of Jewish men in the synagogue.  Paul is speaking to a group of women.  The Holy Spirit, amid Paul and his team serving in obedience, shows up in the heart of a woman named Lydia.  "One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth.  She was a worshipper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to God's message (Acts 16:14)."

Five things are highlighted here ... five things we seem to struggle with in our "Pre-Christian," modern world.  Here they are:

1. Lydia was present.  I wonder if our modern rationalizations lead us to think we can be the Church in a non-connected and distant way?  One of the vows we make as we become part of our local congregation is the vow of presence.  Remember that Lydia was THERE and all of the other things happened because she first chose to be in that place of teaching and time with God's Church.  Are YOU present?

2. Lydia was listening.  The Bible, and lots of preachers, repeat certain things.  When you learn to critically read Scripture, you learn to pay special attention to those repeated themes and words.  They are repeated for a purpose, and one of those purposes is to lead us to listen.  "Faith comes by hearing," Romans 10:17 says.  We can't hear if we aren't listening.  Are YOU listening?

3. Lydia was worshiping.  Do you know the reason God claimed and called His people out of Egypt?  Most of us think it was about the Hebrews (just like we think the Church is about us).  The Bible tells us God brought the people out of Egypt "to Himself" so they could worship Him!  God (Exodus 19) calls us a Kingdom of Priests, a chosen people, and a treasured possession (i.e., we are His).  We are called to worship.  Are YOU worshiping?

4. Lydia allowed God to "open her heart."  When you walk into the church on Sunday morning, is your heart open or closed?  Is your heart full of your issues or empty to be filled up by God?  C. S. Lewis reminds us that one of Satan's ploys to distract us is to have us think about what is wrong with the church, the person beside us in the pew, or the preacher.  We fill ourselves with all of that "mess" and are not open to what God is actually doing.  Are YOU open?

5. Lydia responded!  The next verses in this story are all about Lydia's entering into the work of the Church.  She first responds by submitting to God in baptism, dying to self, and rising to live with Jesus in the life of the Church.  She invites the ministry team (Paul's leadership) to stay in her house and receive her hospitality.  Lydia responded ... do YOU respond?

Do you see what is happening here?  Lydia entered the "body of Christ!"  "You yourselves have seen what I did in Egypt (remember My actions) and how I carried you on eagles' wings (remember my provision) and brought you to Myself (remember your destination).  Now, if you obey My commandments (remember to follow ME), and keep My covenant (remember you are keepers of My promise), then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession (you/we / the Church is special to God). ... you will be for Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (we are called into His holiness) (Exodus 19:4-6)."

Do you see it, hear it, and perceive it?  It is all connected to God and you are invited to be part of that connection ... to BE the Church!  What a blessing, honor, and responsibility!  Lydia got it ... do you?  

To Those Who Wait

You all have heard the old saying, "Good things come to those who wait."  My parents probably said this so I would develop patience.  I lacked patience in my teen years, and I probably retain that trait now.  In fact, patience is a fruit of the Spirit.  But, we might take this trait too far.  Patience and procrastination are sometimes close bedfellows.  And there is an urgency to Scripture, as God calls us, leads us, and warns us that time is moving way too fast.  One of my friends says, "Daylight's a burning!"  He is right!

The writer of Hebrews quotes the Holy Spirit, saying, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for 40 years they saw what I did (Hebrews 3:7-9)."  Responding to God is an urgent matter.  Failure to respond is likened to "the rebellion."

Let's break this down.  "The rebellion" here was a time when stiff-necked people were led by Moses in the wilderness.  God provided manna ... the people complained.  God provided quail ... the people grumbled.  Though God delivered the people over and over again, they continued to gripe, moan, and reflect back on slavery as "the good old days."  God, in this story from Numbers 11, calls all of this dissatisfaction and complaining rebellion.  Because that is surely what it is!

But the operative part of this passage relates to the word "today. "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." I wonder if these two points are connected because they are related. Hardened hearts, the urgency of God's plan, and hearing God's voice relate directly to the negative aspects of "blowing off" what God is saying.

Let me highlight this with a few questions.  Has a pastor's message moved you?  How did you respond?  Do you see a need in the church?  How did you respond?  Do you know God calls His people into regular fellowship?  How do you respond?  Did you hear the call to allow God to use you and your giftedness?  How do you respond?  If, in all of these opportunities, you waited, you are part of what Hebrews calls, "rebellion."

Sunday, we will speak truth into the rebellion of this world.  We will sing grace, into the hardness of this world.  And, we will speak Jesus into a world that needs Him.  Will you come?  Or, will you wait for a better time?  "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."  Great, and true advice!  Randy

Winds

For parents, grandparents, and from a church that would love to make a positive difference, I have a statement.  Somebody will influence the young people (youth, kids, young adults) you love.  Who will that be?

I bring this message knowing that God desires every person on the face of the earth to hear and follow the Gospel.  This is a Wesleyan thing, informed by John 3:16 ("all who believe in Him") and John 3:17 ("for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it").  I think this is really good news, because I am all for God saving this fallen world we share, full of strife, war, conflict, division, and hate.  We need the beauty, grace, and peace of the Gospel.  But somebody doesn't want any of that.   Here are a few thoughts and a few nuggets of advice from God's word.

First, let's all remember that we have an enemy.  It is popular to believe there is no Satan, cosmic enemy, or conscious presence of evil in the world.  God's word disagrees.  "Stay alert!  Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)."

Second, even when the message of God is preached and taught, we (the fickle people we are) are (as Moses would have said) stiff-necked.  The Old Testament term is a blend of pride, arrogance, and stubbornness.  In Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel and the word of God spread, but there was serious opposition, especially from jealous Jews.  "They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region ((Acts 13:50)."

I give these examples because influences and influencers are all around us.  My friend, John Riley, talks about "influence" as "leadership."  I think he is right.  Those who influence us, lead us.

Over the past 2 weeks, I have had two things happen that show how God's people, good people, have chosen to allow themselves and our young ones to be influenced and led, not by the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit, but by the reckless winds of culture.

I read an article from the New Yorker (not exactly a bastion of conservatism).  It was about how we have been influenced (led) to believe that Cannabis (and all its derivatives) is safe.  The article went on to describe cases of psychosis, debilitating symptoms, and severe mental health repercussions that are related to Cannabis use.  By the way ... this is the recreational drug the media, much of the medical profession and a large segment of society have let themselves be convinced is "harmless."  We (culture) have been blown off course by the reckless wind of deception.

I also have seen many who have allowed the winds of influence to creep into their Sunday choices.  Facebook pictures of boating on the lake, absences so preparations can be made for hunting season, football, and one person asking about having sporting events on Sunday.  All of these choices are made by "good" people, but are these good choices and good "influences" for us and our kids/grandkids? Are our children stressed at an early age, all because we consider cultural conformity more important than spiritual maturity?  I hope you will consider these observations as "truth in love."  Maybe these are symptoms of something deeper.  Our children are frantic and busy to stay in the cultural norm, but is that norm healthy?  Are WE following the wind from Ephesians 4 ("tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching (Ephesians 4:14)") or the wild but faithful wind from John 3:8 (the wind of the Holy Spirit)?  We are choosing our leader ... our influencer ... and possibly our god.

There is a better way, my brothers and sisters!  And here it is.  We (the Church) follow the Holy Spirit and our leader Jesus.  Here are the results we can expect, straight from God's word ... "Then we will no longer be immature, like children.  We won't be tossed about by every wind of new teaching.  We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way to be like Christ, who is the head of the body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly (Ephesians 4:14-16)!"

Which wind will you choose?  Which wind will you teach?  Will you fit the culture, or fit the Kingdom of God?

From Fallen Stones

This week, on Wednesday at 6:30 pm (meal at 6 pm), we will have our first full Charge Conference as a Global Methodist Church. Liberty Methodist will join us, and we will have a meal, fellowship, conversation, and celebration of life together. Wesley described this as Christian Conferencing. Wesley loved this time, which he kept brief, as a means of God's grace poured out on God's people. Wesley would have treasured this as a blessing.

Is such a thing Biblical? Emphatically, yes. In Acts 15, the Apostles are meeting in Jerusalem. The issue at hand was that some Christians thought new Christians needed to become Jews to join in the new fellowship of the "People of the Way" (the early Church). When I read this chapter, I was compelled by James's words describing the rag-tag people who were called into the early Church. "After this, I will build again from the fallen stones. I will set (God's building) up again. Then all the nations may look for the Lord, even the people who are not Jews, who are called by my name" (Acts 15:16-17), a reference from Amos 9:11.

Two groups of people are spoken of in this passage. The first are those Jews who were part of a broken building, called "fallen stones." This should resonate with us as Global Methodists, coming from a broken house fractured by division and understanding of Biblical authority. But, as "sinners," we also identify as "fallen stones" as we have been lifted up by a master builder who will take our ruins and build something beautiful and useful.

The second group in this discussion are the Gentiles. James makes the point that "we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." James realizes that God has opened this door, and our rules, regulations, and structure should invite, not restrict, the Gentiles who desire to come to the faith.

Aren't we all "broken?" Aren't we all sinners redeemed by the goodness and grace of God? Haven't we all been raised up as shattered stones and placed into the beautiful Church God is building? Isn't this part of the best news ever? We CAN be restored! We CAN be used by God! We CAN be "born again!" Praise the Lord! AMEN

Tricks and Beliefs

In today's world, there's lots of trickery happening.  Listen to a presidential candidate speaking, and you will hear some trickery.  Things will be promised that (if you stop to think) aren't exactly in control of that candidate (whichever candidate you support).  Read posts on social media, and you will soon get caught up in something you want to believe, but it is really only trickery. I have discovered, sadly, that two of the faith stories I used for years were really not true.  Trickery!

So, how do we keep from trickery?  How do we know what to believe and what not to believe, even as we try to rely on a pure and holy God?  How do we discern the truth?  I ask questions.  And the main question is, "Who benefits from my belief in something?"  There are a huge number of posts that are created by artificial intelligence.  Others are created by foreign powers that want to promote their interest or influence our upcoming election.  If you ask the "who benefits" question, you will find that many of these posts are good for Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Russia.  Do these people promote our interests, or are they mortal enemies who wish us ill?  Are they for chaos, while our God is a God that brought order to chaos (Genesis 1)?  Who benefits?

In Acts 19, there are serious challenges to the People of the Way (the early Church).  The Chapter is all about what people believe.  Do they believe in the Gospel message or, do they oppose the Gospel message?  Will they leave their belief in Artemis (the Greek goddess of hunting and wild animals) and follow the truth of the Gospel?  And, are there deeper and more sinister things in the undercurrent of the story?  Those who are caught up in the commerce of the Temple of Artemis stand to lose money if people join Paul's movement and Jesus' Church.  Jews caught up in the commerce of the Jewish Synagogue stand to lose if the people learn about Jesus.  When people follow Jesus ... truly follow Jesus ... it changes everything!  The Jewish sacrificial system is out of business.  The "merch" of the Artemis movement becomes worthless when people learn Artemis isn't real.  Who benefits from what people believe?

If you think this is just a story from Scripture, think again.  Who would benefit and who would lose if we (Christians) became so caught up in following Jesus we actually allowed that belief to change our lifestyle?  Music sales, the football industrial complex, alcohol sales, and a fair number of political icons, would lose followers ... because the people would follow a God named Jesus.

The preacher, Tony Evans, made a promise years ago.  I hope he has kept it.  He said, "I will not let any expense (cost center for you accountants) be greater than what I give to God's kingdom."  The decision impacted where he lived, what he drove, and what he did for recreation.  It even impacted his family, as children and grandchildren were no longer at the top of the spending plan.

I hope you are getting the point.  Acts 19 is full of what happens when people choose to follow Jesus, and what happens when these choices come into conflict with societal norms and Satan's plan to oppose Jesus at every turn.  The choice, here, comes down to asking a question, answering the question, and following the answer you have chosen.  Who benefits from our beliefs, and who we choose to follow?

More

This coming Wednesday, we will have the blessing of hearing a beautiful message from Rev. Carolyn Moore, one of the newly elected interim Bishops in the Global Methodist Church.  I have had the privilege of meeting Bishop Moore, and have enjoyed ministerial interactions with her over the past couple of years.  Rev. More is a real-deal, Spirit-filled, and Jesus-led person.  But she does have one character flaw.  She is relentless and passionate about her vision that the Church (in our case, the Global Methodist Church) needs to hunger and thirst for a God that desires to give the Church more than we have sought in recent years.  Her question is ... "Have we become satisfied with an institutional church, when God's plan and desire is for us to have a transformational Church (note one is capitalized and one is not).  Here are three questions that haunt me, and make me restless for fresh wind and fire.

The first question is ... are we zoo keepers or liberators?  To a God, who has proclaimed that when Jesus comes to town, captives are freed, are we content to make the prisoners content and passive?  A preacher visited a zoo and saw the animal enclosures.  He asked a similar question to the one above.  Do we do to people what zoos do to animals?  Most zoo animals, I believe, would rather be free, even if it means that they would be exposed to the elements, predators, and danger.  I can't answer that question for the zoo animal, but I can answer it for me.  And what would your answer be?  Is your spiritual life one of contentment, or do you hunger for the wild ride God has planned?

The second question is ... is our mission words or wonders?  In Acts 19, God's word says that Paul was so Spirit-filled that "when handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them."  WOW!!!!  Paul and his team preached Jesus, and spread the Gospel.  They were known for the wonders God did through their ministry.

The last question?  Are WE obstacles, or opportunities?  One of my team members and I have been conversing about this very thing.  What if some of our ministries are hampered because we are only invested in the plan we have made and the picture we have painted?  When I read Acts (go read Acts 19, for example) I see the unbounded and powerful manifestation of God's Spirit.  Do we want that?  Does that scare you?  Are you down for more, or are you fine with the same?

Maybe it comes down to this.  You and I have painted a picture, maybe even a vision, of how we think our church and our ministries should operate.  Our pictures and visions might be just fine, but how is "just fine" working for us?  Rich Mullins writes about this ... "Joy and sorrow are this ocean, in their every ebb and flow.  now the Lord, a door has opened, that all hell can never close, here I'm tested and made worthy, tossed about, and lifted up, in the reckless raging fury, that they call the love of God."  Do you see it? Maybe God's plan, word, and story are filled with wildness, beauty, and a passion that died for us!  That isn't logical, manageable, or confinable.  IT is more of God, bursting into a world that needs a great and holy God.  AMEN?  AMEN!!!

Nice Things

I can't have nice things.  I am not worthy of them, and I am prone to break or lose them.  Watches, sunglasses, reading glasses ... you name it!  

Yesterday, a pair of glasses fell in the driveway.  So I drove over them.  A few weeks back I was playing golf, and my sunglasses fell off ... I destroyed them with my driver.  Lee used to get me watches.  Every single watch was broken within a month.  That's how I roll!  

When it comes to nice things, I settle.  One thing I settle for is cheap.  My rule with sunglasses is one of my coping mechanisms.  I will not pay over $10 for a pair of sunglasses.  Whenever I have violated this rule, I sit on them, crush them, or break them.

When it comes to nice things, I fear them.  I am afraid I will somehow mess them up.  I fear the inevitable time I crush them, lose them, or mangle them.  They are nice but useless.

When it comes to nice things, I protect them.  They become like a trophy that sits on the shelf.  They are part of my past, but have nothing to do with my present or future.  They are something that happened, but is not happening now.

God gives us nice things.  He gives grace we don't deserve.  He gives forgiveness that we don't receive or pass on.  He gives salvation we fail to embrace and enjoy.  Instead, we settle ... we fear ... and we protect.  How do we change this pattern of shielding ourselves from the very blessings God gives us?  Here are a few thoughts.

Dealing with nice things is addressed in the Bible.  In Matthew 25:14-30, we find one of several stories about how we will be judged by God.  Most of us might not like that image, but it is right there in the Bible!  Three people are given "talents" to invest ... they are given a chance make good use of their gift, and 2 people invest wisely.  The third person is a lot like me and nice things ... he settles, fears, and protects.  He settles for rolling along, doing life in the safe, slow lane.  This is the "cheap" alternative, "but doesn't the Master want us to be thrifty?"  He fears what might happen to him if he loses or misuses what has been given.  He is afraid of how all of this might come down on him.  And, he rationalizes that he must protect the gift.  So he buries his gift/talent in the ground, safe from enemies and safe from use.

All of the above reactions, leading to becoming separated from God, are based on "self."  "I don't want to fail, I don't want to expend energy/time/resources, and I don't want to risk."  What begins each of those statements?  I!

Do we realize what should be obvious to every Believer on the face of the planet?  We are called to reflect the image of our Master.  He invested (into this world) the most precious thing in the universe!  Jesus!  He didn't give what was cheap! He didn't give in to fear!  He didn't place Jesus on a useless shelf!  He placed Him on a cross.  So we should give and love and risk, because the nice things we have been given weren't cheap.  We should serve and sacrifice without fear.  We give Jesus away, because we aren't in charge of protecting Him ... He is perfectly capable of protecting Himself.

Do you want nice things from God?  Then invest and risk and live!  AMEN