Posted by David on June 10, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
Only Jesus’ godly trust exceeded Abraham’s demonstration of godly faith. Commonly, writers in the Bible used Abraham when they explained God’s concept of faith. [As examples, consider Romans 4 and James 2:21-26.]
Abraham demonstrated both sides of faith. He both quietly and actively trusted God. Though he never touched a Bible, read a scripture, or knew about Jesus’ life, he trusted God in ways we hope to equal but can never surpass.
Abraham learned one side of faith is quiet, trusting God’s promise in silent confidence. He did not learn that side of faith easily. God’s promises to him in Genesis 12:1-3 could come true only if Abraham had a son. Though he was 75 years old (Genesis 12:4) when God made those promises, he and Sarah had no children. When God made the promise, Sarah was not pregnant.
Abraham learned trusting God to keep His promise meant patiently waiting. That is not easily learned. Abraham, like us, was anxious, concerned, and impatient. He attempted to give God a way to keep the promises by asking God to accept Eliazer as his son (Genesis 15:1-6). God said, “No. You will have your own son.” Genesis records that Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham to be a righteous man on the basis of that trust. It would be 25 years before God’s promise of a heir born from Abraham and Sarah’s marriage became fact (see Genesis 17).
Years after Isaac’s birth, God, without explanation, instructed Abraham to take this promised son and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah (see Genesis 22). Without delay, Abraham obeyed. He would have killed the child in sacrifice had God not stopped him. In faith, he trusted the God who gave him the child, not the fact the child existed.
Abraham learned to trust God quietly. Having learned that lesson, he learned to trust God in aggressive action. In that, Abraham is a permanent example for Christians. Before the people of Israel existed, Abraham learned what Jesus demonstrated hundreds of years later. Faith in God trusts in quiet surrender (as in Gethsemane) and trusts in active surrender (as in the cross).
It is the rare individual who learns both sides of godly faith. As Christians, we struggle to learn the fullness of complete faith in God. Full, complete faith knows when to trust quietly and when to trust actively. Full, complete faith allows God to help us understand that obedient faith quietly trusts at the appropriate time, and actively trusts at the appropriate time.
Through God’s values and guidance, godly wisdom learns when to patiently trust and when to be active. Godly faith understands serving God can be quiet or be active.
Posted by David on June 3, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
My use of the word “kids” is not intended as disrespectful to us or to God. I chose that word because I want to use a metaphor as an illustration which most understand. All of us have been kids. Most of us have been or are parents of small children.
To any caring, conscientious parent, no life experience sobers you as deeply as does rearing children. The weight of responsibility in rearing children is enormous. It is as though parents have a personality placed in their hands to mold into a person.
As kids, most of us had parents determined to influence the way we looked at life. They used a variety of influences to shape our view of life–from gushy love to powerful discipline. Teaching us right from wrong shaped our view of life–as did teaching us how to work, teaching us the meaning of honesty, and teaching us responsibility. All such efforts were much more than a “do this!” list. They declared, “Look at life this way!”
Are you tempted to disagree? Consider: is there a difference between the adult with a solid sense of right, who works hard, who is always honest, and who is responsible and the adult who cannot distinguish right from wrong, who rarely works, who easily lies, and who is never dependable? If the answer is “Yes!” what is the difference? A basic difference is this: those two adults look at life entirely differently.
When our kids look at life in ways that conflict with the way we look at life, our common reaction is a profound sense of horror. Christian adults want our kids to look at life as we do. It matters! It is important–fundamentally important to existence!
So it is with God! Scripture’s common metaphor used to illustrate the relationship God wants to maintain with us is contained in the word “father.” God wants the same relationship with us that exists between loving fathers and their children. When we enter Christ, we become God’s kids. What we are and do matters to God!
God wants us to be spiritual people (1 Peter 2:9,10). To be spiritual we must look at life and life’s influences as does God. We consciously choose between forces and influences that oppose God’s spirituality and forces and influences that encourage God’s spirituality (1 John 2:15-17). We cannot oppose and belong to God at the same time!
When we justify and love influences that oppose God, we choose to love influences that make it impossible for God’s love to live in us. God does not choose to stop loving us as “His kids.” We surrender to influences that make it impossible for His love to survive in us. If we are to be “His kids,” we must want Him to teach us how to look at life.
Posted by David on May 27, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
Many Christian principles are stated simply but are challenging to understand. One such principle is this: God saves us to do good works, but our good works do not save us. It is easy to place our faith in our accomplishments (good works) instead of the grace in Jesus’ atonement.
Paul emphasized that principle to the Christians in Ephesus. He stressed Christians owe their salvation to God’s grace (Ephesians 2:1-10). God’s rich mercy and great love makes it possible to be resurrected to life in Jesus Christ. They were saved by God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The “surpassing riches of His [God’s] grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” made their salvation possible (Ephesians 2:7). No reason for human arrogance exists. Everyone depends on God’s grace for salvation. Salvation is the result of what God did, not what we do. God saves; human works do not.
However, God recreated them when He saved them (Ephesians 2:10). Salvation recreates. When a person enters Christ, God makes him or her something he or she never was. God recreates Christians for a purpose. His purpose is simple: to do good works [to live daily life doing good works]. That remains God’s intention for all who enter Christ: every Christian is saved to do God’s good works.
American Christians have difficulty understanding this simple principle. Our view of human existence rejects that principle. We are products of the free enterprise system. Our economic system declares a person should be paid for what he or she does. Payment for our work is earned wages “owed us.”
Older generations regard a common concept of younger generations confusing. That concept is entitlement. “I am entitled to have (or to enjoy) ‘X’ because I am owed ‘X’ experience.” Older generations survived times when “no one owed you anything.” The concepts of “society owing me,” “the world owing me,” or “life owing me” are foreign to their experience.
Younger generations regard older generations’ past experiences as irrelevant to current existence. All are “entitled” to a basic standard of living. Everyone is “entitled” to specific experiences. “Society,” “the world,” or “life” owes everyone specific things.
Salvation is not the result of earnings or entitlement. It is the result of Jesus’ atonement.
As a people, we are poorly prepared to understand that God does not reward us for what we do but for our trust in Christ. We are poorly prepared to understand that God expects each Christian to do good works when salvation is never a matter of earnings or entitlement. The foundation of Christian existence is not mere “church membership.” It is serving God’s purposes in Jesus. It is doing God’s good works because we love God, believe in Jesus, and live in the atonement they provide through grace.
Posted by David on May 13, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
Commonly we associate “cravings” with eating. To “crave” something is to yearn for it with such inward desire that the desire seems undeniable.
Years ago when I taught in Africa I remember a specific moment when I “craved” something sweet. My desire for something sweet was beyond merely wanting it. It was not, “It would be nice to have something sweet.” It screamed, “You must have something sweet!”
We had nothing sweet in our house. At that time in those circumstances, buying something sweet was not an option. Sweets were not available. The fact that sweets were unavailable intensified my “craving.”
I walked to a nearby fellow missionary’s home and asked, “Do you have anything sweet?” I suspect the thirty-year-old memory lingers in their minds of the day when David had to have something sweet.
Did you ever crave chocolate? a steak? a particular meal? a particular fruit? homemade ice cream? Did you satisfy your craving? What is your most unreasonable act to satisfy a craving for a specific food? What is the most unreasonable price you paid for a food you craved?
“Cravings” are associated with appetites, but those appetites are not always for food. A craving of itself is neither good nor bad. What determines if a craving is good or bad is the focus of the appetite.
The gospel of Matthew records a sermon Jesus gave on a mount (chapters 5-7). He spoke to Jewish people. Common religious interests were seldom based on a personal desire to be close to God. Too many reduced God’s will to systematic procedures. In the majority, the personal hunger for righteousness had died.
Jesus began the sermon with the beatitudes, the “blessed are’s.” A common way to study the beatitudes is to focus on each individually (which should be done). Often that focus is so consuming that we fail to note the overall description of the beatitudes. Collectively they describe Jesus’ and God’s concept of a righteous person. That picture stood in distinct contrast to the commonly accepted description of a righteous person.
In Jesus’ description of a righteous person, he noted that person hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Only the person who “craves” God is promised his or her appetite for righteousness will be satisfied. Today a key problem in and out of the church is this: many people have little or no craving for God.
Can God through Jesus Christ enable us to be righteous? Certainly! He can and will–when our appetite craves righteousness.
Posted by David on May 6, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
Recently I talked to a friend after an auctioneer sold his family’s material possessions. The objective of this type of auction is to dispose of the estate. Late in the day there are some incredible “bargains.” For family members, it is often a time of unique grief.
Why? Piece by piece, chair by chair, plate by plate you watch a lifetime disappear. It is as though a huge eraser removes the marriage of your parents, removes your childhood, and removes your immediate family’s history. Things accumulated through a whole lifetime of living disappear in one afternoon. Late in the day the auctioneer begs anyone to make an offer on things that are priceless in your memories, but of little “real” value to anyone else. Amazed, you note how little money a lifetime of accumulations is worth. The value is cheap. The “real” evaporates. When the sun sets, all is gone.
What do you have that someone would want? Your vehicles? Your house? Your furniture? Your “prized” possessions? Maybe now. What about 10, 15, 25 years from now? In time, how many of your “prized” possessions will be “prized” only by you? Are you not amazed when you realize “memories” are the principle ingredient of a “prized” possession? Take away the memories, and many priceless “prizes” have little value. “Prizes” are best shared with memories still attached. To the one with an attached memory, it is priceless. To the one without an attached memory, there is little value.
I hope your most valuable things are not material. I hope the most “prized” qualities of your life have little to do with what you own. I hope prized memories are about you and not about your possessions. I hope the most valued qualities of your life include compassion, mercy, kindness, respect, consideration, fairness, and gentleness. I hope the most valued qualities in your life are rooted in your faith in God and Christ. I hope the thing you have that others most admire and desire is your faith.
Consider this wondrous quality of faith: the more you share it the more you have. Your faith in God and Christ is never diminished by sharing it with someone else. When you share it, it becomes no less valuable, no less “prized” by you. In fact, the more you share it, the closer you come to God and Christ.
Sunday is a day for sharing. In the first century, the most powerful influence that initially attracted others to those who belonged to Christ was their sense of community. We want visitors to see that we have and share something special: a sense of community taught to us by Jesus Christ. May it be obvious to everyone that we care and love. May they feel our caring and love by being with us. May our desire to share our caring and love be obvious. May it be obvious that Jesus Christ taught us to be that kind of people.
May the value of your faith be seen. May others want to find what you found in Jesus Christ. May your faith in Jesus be the most valuable thing you possess.
Posted by David on April 29, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
“Growth” is measured in many legitimate ways. An increase in size; or advancement toward maturity; or development in ability; or an increase in understanding; or an advancement in productivity; or an expansion are all measurements of growth.
A crop growing, a child growing, a business growing, or a marriage growing all share some common factors. However, growth in each is measured by different standards. The same criteria for measuring growth in a marriage and a business, or in a child and a field of corn cannot and must not be used.
My life is [and has been] spent working among, with, and for Christians in congregations. All congregations I have known wanted to grow. Regardless of happenings in the past or present, those in a congregation want present and future growth to exceed past growth. Every congregation expects to grow.
I do not grasp expectations in congregational growth. Is growth just statistical, a matter of numbers? Are three baptisms a week growth, but a Christian individual using faith to overcome a crisis not growth? Is genuine repentance growth? Does growth occur in an individual, in a group, or both? Is quality of faith, or degree of spiritual maturity, or involvement, or service, or increased commitment, or improved value systems, or improved relationships growth? Is increased love, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness growth? Is growth a matter of perception? Is a congregation growing when over 50% of its members say growth is occurring?
My conclusion: there are many legitimate standards for measuring congregational growth. Some are statistical measurements. Some are not. Different spiritual realities are measured by different standards.
Bottom line: when people become more like Jesus in heart, attitude, spirit, and surrender, growth is occurring. Whether this occurs because people are coming to Christ or people are developing in Christ, congregation growth is occurring. “Becoming like Christ” is God’s standard for measuring growth (Ephesians 4:13,15).
We want to grow in every aspect of our existence as Christ’s body. Consider some personal observations. (1) Growth and comfort are mutually exclusive. Growth commonly creates discomfort. Comfort commonly inhibits growth. (2) People will want us to teach them when they see the value of our faith in our personal lives, our marriages, our behavior, and our character. (3) People must feel wanted, valued, and loved–as visitors or as members. (4) God’s presence must obviously be with us, and worship must honor God. (5) Our spirituality must be as centered in our daily lives as it is in our assemblies and programs.
People will trust us to show them how to build a relationship with God when it is obvious to them that God teaches us how to build relationships with each other.
Posted by David on April 15, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
God gives us major challenges. His calls to holiness, godly behavior, righteous lifestyles, purity, unselfishness, and the Lordship of Jesus Christ are major, continuing calls. These calls demand focus, commitment, and sacrifice from each of us.
Perhaps of all God’s calls, the call to be His family is among the most difficult. “Why? Those other calls seem much more demanding than His call to be family!” The call to be family is difficult because it seems easily attainable. We all see holiness, godly behavior, righteous lifestyles, purity, unselfishness, and surrender to Jesus’ Lordship as way beyond human ability. However, we consider being family as “very doable.”
We may not grasp God’s call to be family. It involves helping the weak, loving the unlovable, strengthening the burdened, rejoicing with the blessed, encouraging the strong, and forgiving each other. We are God’s family because He is full of mercy and grace. Therefore, we use lots of mercy and grace with each other.
God’s family at West-Ark grew this week. We had two births. Courtney Strong and Jeff Tucker were immersed into Christ to put on Christ. Courtney (Kevin and Deborah Strong’s daughter) has seriously considered baptism for a few years. Jeff Tucker (David Burn’s close friend) has worshipped with West-Ark for about three years. We are delighted both of them are part of this family! May we be God’s family to them!
Susan Tygart and Sean Doyle share a special feeling of closeness to West-Ark. They plan to be married May 19 in our building. Their wedding will be simple. Their desire is for the wedding to have a “sense of family” by including their West-Ark family. The music will be congregational singing. They will have no professional photographer because they want no distractions from “the family moment.”
The wedding is planned for 10 a.m. that morning. Since they are combining two households, the only “gift” they would like is the “gift” of a finger food fellowship in the Family Life Center. They would like for “their family” here to bring finger foods for an informal occasion of fellowship after the wedding. They do not wish to burden the congregation with showers, wedding gifts, and a fellowship. They just want us to share the moment with them.
Susan and Sean find great joy in their association with their spiritual family at West-Ark. They love us for the bond we share together in Christ. Nothing could make their moment of commitment more meaningful than sharing it with us as family.
May West-Ark be God’s family. May we do more than exist. May we accept God’s enormous challenge to be family. May we reflect Jesus’ light to the weak, the struggling, the burdened, the strong, and the joyful. May we rejoice together in Jesus’ Lordship.
Posted by David on April 8, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
Being a citizen of a huge nation is difficult. Why? Regional concerns radically differ. A region commonly fails to grasp radically different regional realities. A single law cannot address all regional situations. Truly good things for one region can be truly horrible things for another region.
In a huge city, a .270 caliber scoped rifle is an unnecessary, deadly weapon of destruction. On a cattle ranch in Wyoming, a .270 caliber scoped rifle is a necessary tool in providing security for the herd. Cattle herds do not roam huge cities, and deadly people-to-people violence is not a reality on Wyoming cattle ranches.
California’s population, climate, and sensitive environment necessitates environmental concerns. Automobiles and equipment with gasoline engines sold in other states often must be modified for California. Emissions standards addressing Los Angeles’ smog problem are unnecessary and repressive in Kansas.
Commonly, one region’s problems do not reflect another region’s needs. From region to region, situations, needs, and people change.
People are poor at producing positive responses that respectfully understand differences. As long as “I am not affected,” we can be understanding (or indifferent). Typically, people regard radical differences to be “stupid” (if we are prejudiced) or to be “ridiculous” (if we consider ourselves “enlightened”).
In a horrible way, God’s people often misrepresent Him. Outside church circles, godliness is regarded to be bad. Why? Too often, we use prejudice, arrogance, judgmental behavior, unkind attitudes, and negative emotions in attempts to force the values of godliness on others.
We find it difficult to be concerned for those “significantly” different. We more easily care about those “just like us” or “far, far away.” Caring about the people among us who are different is hard.
This is God’s basic influence on men or women drawn by faith and understanding to Him: He who cares about people leads us to care about people.
Matthew 5:44-48, But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect (complete, mature), as your heavenly Father is perfect (complete, mature).
Posted by David on April 1, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
Can you believe one quarter of 2001 is now history? Can you believe Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday morning, April 1? Can you believe summer is so near? As is graduation, the end of the school year, numerous weddings, and summer schedules!
Believe it! As you believe it, take a deep breath right now. In April and May this congregation shifts to overdrive. We will not shift to overdrive for the sake of “being busy.” Every week the elders and staff are plenty busy. The staff starts a marathon every Monday and tries to cross the finish line by Friday afternoon. We do not look for ways to increase “busy.”
We measure little by “busy’s” standards. Our measurements involve hearts touched by the Lord, spiritual growth, development of godly relationships inside and outside of the congregation, and the development of godly behavior in personal lives.
Programs do not prove success. Changed lives prove success. Statistical increase does not prove success. Godly attitudes prove success. Bodies on pews do not prove success. Hearts and minds praising God prove success. The number affirming “church membership” does not prove success. Surrendering to Jesus’ guidance and lordship proves success.
Often spiritual success is invisible, but occasionally it is visible. Much of the time success is quiet. Someone to whom you are close: overcomes a powerful temptation; turns his or her life around; is kind in the face of hostility; discovers the gratitude of being forgiven; promotes healing in a wounded relationship; returns good for evil; quietly shows mercy; actively expresses compassion; or lets God’s grace govern him or her.
Many things will happen in April: over one hundred in Leadership Training for Christ will spend a weekend in Tulsa; Easter; an important Family Meeting; a fellowship meal; a new quarter of adult Sunday morning Bible classes begins; a lot of worship; a lot of study; a lot of prayer; a lot of fellowship.
One major happening in April will be weekly preparation for Friend Day on Sunday, May 6. Every Sunday in April we will give encouragement and make preparation for Friend Day. The entire month will be used in preparation for Sunday, May 6. You will be challenged and encouraged to be involved.
What is the goal? What is the objective? Numbers? No. The greatest “life resource” in my existence comes from understanding Jesus Christ. My entire life is shaped by Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. In these uncertain, troubled times, Jesus is the foundation for recovering, coping, and enduring. The goal and objective: to introduce our friends to life’s greatest resource, Jesus Christ.
Posted by David on March 25, 2001 under Bulletin Articles
I love being “comfortable.” Comfort gets priority! My recliner, my bed, my whole house, and my car are comfortable. When guests visit, I want them to be comfortable.
This country makes priorities on comfort possible. Americans easily decide life is about comfort. When something makes us uncomfortable, we tend to avoid it or get rid of it. The uncomfortable is replaced with the more comfortable!
Our lifestyles seek comfort. Our society emphasizes comfort. “Discomfort cannot be in our best interest!” Yet, often it is. Some good things are uncomfortable: healthy diets; exercise; sacrifices made to build good relationships; surgery; many medical treatments; discipline of every kind; altering lifestyles; etc. Such things can be unquestionably good, but unquestionably uncomfortable.
Salvation contains elements of great comfort: the destruction of guilt; forgiveness; mercy; compassion; kindness; grace; redemption; atonement; and reconciliation. Nothing equals the comfort these gifts provide.
Salvation also contains elements of great discomfort. Repentance, when understood, is uncomfortable. So is acknowledging personal flaws and weakness. So is confession. So is learning humility, unselfishness, forgiveness, mercifulness, kindness, and compassion.
Perhaps our greatest discomfort is experienced by learning to be God’s church. No, not the “rules and regulations,” but the godlike spirituality. Learning to care about others as God cares about us. Learning to forgive those who have sinned against us as God forgives us. Learning to respect those who are very unlike us. Learning to care about others’ real needs when we never felt those needs. Being God’s church is difficult!
We easily define everything the church does from worship to work in terms of our comfort. Doing things “comfortable to me” just makes sense–to me. That is not new. We are not the first to feel that way.
Many first century Jewish Christians were extremely uncomfortable with Christians who were not Jews. How could God love people who, in the past, worshipped idols; did not know God; and needed to learn God’s morals and ethics? They had to learn right from wrong! They did not know scripture! They had not obeyed and practiced God’s ways! They were ignorant of godly diets, proper sacrifices, and holy days! Their worship assemblies were completely undesirable!
Yet, God did love those people. In Jesus, God stressed an eternal truth. Unity is not about comfort. Unity is about belonging to each other because we belong to Jesus.
