Mandeville Church

“Missing Church”

church, fellowship, worship 4 Responses »

Aug 052010

What If I'm Sick?

Yesterday we thought about the question “When do I HAVE to go to worship?”

Today, let’s think about the question: “Is it ever okay to ‘miss church’?”

On the face of it, this seems like the opposite of the first question. It sounds like the person asking has a healthy respect for God’s mandate for us to always be at church…assuming we are using the correct language.

Challenge #1 – Where in the Bible does anyone ever use the phrase “at church”? In the New Testament “church” is not something you GO TO; it is something you ARE. If you are a Christian, you are part of Christ’s church. If you have joined yourself to a group of Christians who work together in an area, you are part of that church. What do we always tell the children? “The church is not the building; it’s the people.” That’s right. See Matthew 18:17; Acts 5:11; and Acts 8:1 as three New Testament references to “church,” and see how the word is used.

Challenge #2 – Where in the Bible does God ever command you be at every assembly of the Christians? The closest you will get is Hebrews 10:25: “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Did God say that you have to be at every assembly of the church in order to be saved? No – He said your HABIT should be to assemble with the Saints; and DON’T have the habit of forsaking the assembling of yourselves together. In other words, you should have a habit of being with your brethren when they gather together. Is this “church,” as so many call it? Or is this a general habit of gathering together with Christians no matter where or when? It would certainly include the times when “the whole church” comes together (1 Corinthians 11:18; 14:23).

It would seem to me this question (“Is it ever okay to ‘miss church’?”) is almost of the same mindset of the first question (“When do I HAVE to go to worship?”). Both questions focus on the same thing: “What are God’s specific commands regarding me going to church so that I can figure out exactly how often I HAVE to be there and when it’s okay to miss?” Now, I’m not saying EVERYONE who asks these questions has this mindset, but I think most do. This is the legalistic mindset of checking off the boxes to make sure I’ve done everything to make certain of my salvation. Don’t get me wrong – we ought to work hard to make sure we are doing what is right; but at the end of the day GOD saves us DESPITE ourselves.

Do you really want an answer to this question? Okay, then: “It is never okay to miss our assemblies.” Oh…that’s not what you wanted to hear? Well, good, because that’s not in the Bible, either.

God is not looking for a perfect attendance record. He’s looking for a HEART that loves Him more than anything else. He’s looking for a heart that loves its brother more than it loves itself. He’s looking for individuals who are willing to go out of their busy ways to stop and encourage their brethren. He’s looking for people who are willing to make a habit of working in fellowship with other brethren.

It’s all perspective, isn’t it? Are we looking TOWARD God, or AWAY from Him? That’s what makes your question good or bad.

God bless,
Nathan

When Do I HAVE to Go to Worship?

Hebrews, church, fellowship, worship 4 Responses »

Aug 042010

Do I Have To Go?

When Do I HAVE to Go to Worship?

Wow, there are a several things that make me cringe when I hear this question. For those of us in our Sunday morning Bible classes, do you remember our discussions around “asking good questions”? What makes a good question?

A good question is a SEEKING question. A good question is one that searches for truth. It’s the “Lord, what does this parable mean?” by Jesus’ disciple (Mark 4:10) as opposed to “Who gave You the authority to do this?” by the Pharisees and Scribes (Mark 11:28). This particular question is probably not a seeking question. The one who asks, “When do I HAVE to…” is trying to find a LIMIT on worship. He’s trying to find a line where he can say, “Okay, Lord, I’ve done just what You said…now You owe me heaven because I kept Your commandment.” Okay, I’m sure he wound never say it that way…out loud…but isn’t that the sense of these kinds of questions?

What is the better question? What is a good question?

First, it is this: “Lord, what do You want Your children to do in joint worship?” When you begin to search the Scriptures, you find God certainly DOES want His children to worship together, to have fellowship one with another. There are MANY examples through the New Testament on this one. If you ask me, I’ll be glad to give you a bunch of examples if you don’t already know where they are.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:23-25

Second, ask this, “Lord, how CAN I be with the Saints MORE, so I can do this great work of encouraging?” Now THAT’S a question I really like – and I’ll bet the Lord loves it! That’s a seeking question. It fulfills Hebrews 10:24 because in the question you are considering how to stir up your brethren to love and good works.

We can have further discussions on how the word “worship” is used…but that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms.

God bless,
Nathan

What is a Pastor?

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May 212010

Shepherds

Do you know what a pastor is? The word means “shepherd.” A pastoral scene might be a picture of the side of a mountain with a flock of sheep grazing quietly while a shepherd watches over them. Ephesians 4:11 is the only verse that is translated “pastor.” There are several other verses that use the exact same Greek word (poimen), but they are all translated “shepherd.” I kind of wish the translators had been consistent and just translated it “shepherd” in Ephesians 4:11!

Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord…

1 Peter 2:25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian (or “Bishop”) of your souls.

In those two verses above, the term “shepherd” is applied to our Lord Jesus. He is our Pastor. He is the good shepherd. He is also our “Bishop,” which is translated as “guardian” and “overseer” in different translations. You might recognize the Greek word, episkopos, from which we get the word “Episcopalian.” Jesus is both our poimen and episkopos.

: Watching the Flock

In our text, Acts 20:28, we read: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” We know Paul was addressing the elders of the church of Ephesus (Acts 20:17). The term “elder” is from the Greek word, presbuteros, from which we get the term “Presbyterian.” But in this single chapter, we see the LEADERS of the church described as (1) Elders presbuteros, (2) Overseers episkopos, and (3) doing the work of Shepherding / Pastoring poimaino. These three terms come up in 1 Peter 5:1-2:

1 Therefore, I exhort the elders (presbuteros) among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
2 shepherd (poimaino) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight (episkopeo) not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;

The elders of the church are our shepherds. They are our overseers. These words describe their functions, because they feed, nurture, protect, and watch out for both growth opportunities and warning signs within the congregation. They look up to the Master Shepherd for guidance and example.

I thank God we have three able pastors among the church here in Mandeville. May God bless them in their work as shepherds.

God bless,
Nathan

The Man Who Fell Asleep in Church

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May 192010

Many Lamps in the Upper Room

His name was Eutychus. Paul had been preaching for quite some time, evidently (Acts 20:9). I have to chuckle at the way the Holy Spirit phrased it: “as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep…”

Have you ever felt this way when listening to a preacher (maybe listening to me)? It’s not a new problem for the Saints. It’s been around since the beginning.

As a preacher, this makes me understand that I don’t have to be the most powerful motivation speaker in the world to be effective and do great things for the Lord’s Kingdom. It’s not about me, but about the gospel message (1 Cor. 2:1-5).

As a listener, I understand it’s a good idea NOT to sit in a window three stories up when the preacher gets up Ha!

Okay, that’s probably not the lesson I’m supposed to learn.

This is a simple story of a boy who died and an apostle who raised him back up. No big deal is made out of this, which is amazing to me. Here is a resurrection, and the response of the people is not even recorded. God’s power is amazing to us, yet it is simply who He is. His power is a fact, and the Holy Spirit reveals it as such. God never struggled to perform some mighty deed – He simply did them. It is nothing for God to raise the dead. It is nothing for Him to heal the blind, deaf, and lame.

Our God is an awesome God! That’s a fact. Maybe we should praise Him right now while we marvel at His strength.

God bless,
Nathan

We Need a Few Good Men

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Mar 032010

An Encourager

Do you consider yourself to be “good”? Would you use that word to describe yourself? Do you think GOD would call you “good”?

Barnabas was blessed by God in this special way – God called him “a good man” (Acts 11:24). Notice two quick things about this good man:

1. His main purpose in life was to encourage. His real name was Joseph, but the apostles nick-named him Barnabas, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). Are there any sons or daughters of encouragement around? Are you one? Am I? What does an encourager do? Specifically, Barnabas rejoiced with the brethren when he saw the work of the Lord prospering, and he encouraged the brethren to remain true to the Lord with a resolute heart (Acts 11:23). The seed for his encouraging nature must have been strong faith. He believed…and he shared his faith with others – probably with a big smile on his face.

2. His encouraging attitude led many to the Lord. As a direct result of his encouragement, the church at Antioch flourished and prospered. “Considerable numbers were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). This attitude of encouragement fostered real growth! You can imagine unbelievers looking at all the joy and unity of the Antioch church and just wanting to be part of something like that. Also, the brethren at Antioch would be energized by this attitude to go out and share this faith with others.

There’s a lot of power in the right attitude and focus. There’s a lot of good one good man, or one good woman, can do in the kingdom. Are you that encourager? Then encourage with all your might! See the kingdom prosper as the attitude of faith, hope, and trust pervades the church.

We need a few good men.

God bless,
Nathan

Who Knows Who Will Come In?

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Feb 152010

Come on In!

I was talking with a brother a couple of weeks ago about a church that changed its sign from “Jemson Road church of Christ” to “Jemson Road church – a church of Christ.” They were merely trying to express their non-denominational view-point. They didn’t want to be recognized with a new, upcoming “church of Christ” denomination that is sweeping the country…and, frankly, neither do I.

But there were many who expressed their extreme anger and distaste for such a change. Some from their own congregation left to join with another church across town. It was a mess, not because of the attitudes of the brethren who changed the sign, but because of a bunch of brethren in other churches who pointed fingers, wrote articles, and generally slammed this church. They said, “Jemson Road is ashamed of the name of Christ.” They said, “The Bible says ‘THE’ church of Christ – not ‘A’ church of Christ” (the Bible, actually, does not even contain the phrase “church of Christ” in the singular).

But this was most telling: They said, “If we change the name of the church, who knows who will come in our doors?” EXACTLY! It seems these brethren, deep down, wanted to keep out the riff-raff! They didn’t want to deal with anyone who wasn’t already on the same “church of Christ” page. Is that a scary thought? What if a bunch of folks from the community walked through our doors? Is that what we really want? It’s what the Jemson Road church wanted.

And I think it’s what God wants. In Acts 8 there are two events which prove this.

1. Philip preached to the Samaritans. If you have studied about the Samaritans, you know they were basically bastard Israelites. The northern tribes had been scattered all over the world, but some had returned to their land. When they came back, they intermarried with the nations in the area. So they were mutts. To the pure-bred Jews, they were dogs. They were unclean. And yet, God sent His gospel into their land. God proved His acceptance of them by allowing Philip to perform many signs and miracles, and then two apostles went up there to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit. God accepted this unclean people.

2. Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunuch. In Deuteronomy 23:1, we find “No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.” This man had traveled many miles to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost…but he wouldn’t have been able to enter the temple with everyone else. He was unclean. He was less than a man. He was marred in his flesh, and that made him unacceptable for worship. Is it any wonder he went on his way REJOICING after learning about the gospel of the kingdom?! He found something so much better in Jesus Christ. Here he was accepted. Here he could worship whenever he wanted to. Here he was on equal footing with everyone else in the kingdom! What a wonderful thought.

God doesn’t keep out the unclean – He accepts them and makes them clean! The Jews would have done well to realize this fact: they really weren’t as clean as they thought. They, too, were unclean and needed the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. We would do well to remember this as well. Just because we think we are attending a “right church” doesn’t make us any better than those in the neighborhood who have never been blessed by the blood of Christ. God wants them to come. So should we!

Let’s love our neighbors today!
Nathan

PS The “Jemson Road church” is not the actual name. Names changed to protect the innocent

This is Not a Game! (Acts 5:1-11)

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Jan 222010

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Joe Phony comes to church all smiles and bear-hugs. He’s quick to jump to the defense of the church. He volunteers when work is needed. He talks about how great Jesus is and what God is doing in his life. His wife stands beside him and smiles. His children, on the other hand, are completely bewildered – because they know what he’s like at home.

When Joe Phony takes his family home the Christ-like spirit evaporates quickly and he becomes a man on the edge. He uses Scripture to beat up his family. “The Bible says I’m the leader of this family, and you guys have to do what I say! That’s what God wants.”

“The Bible says for you children to OBEY your parents. Now, get in the kitchen and help your mother!” he says as he props his feet up in front of the Television.

“The Bible says for wives not to withhold sex from their husbands (1 Cor. 7:4-5).” And yet, Joe Phony somehow missed all the verses which explain HIS duties as a godly husband.

Ananias and Sapphira were two phonies in Acts 5:1-11. They wanted MEN to see their charitable deeds, but they didn’t want to give everything. Barnabas gave everything and he was praised for it. So…what if they gave PART of their money but SAID they gave it all? They would have the best of both worlds, right? They would have one foot in God’s kingdom and the other in their own world. How nice to be able to put on a front for the “church people” but still live the way you want!

But God made a clear statement at this point. He said, in no uncertain terms, “This is not a game!” If you want to follow Christ, you are either IN or OUT. Pick one. Choose the world in which you’ll live: God’s world or your own. You cannot serve God and wealth, Jesus said. Jesus Kingdom will not accommodate Phonies. We had better not be playing at church. This is serious business to God.

Ananias and Sapphira would have gotten away with this charade for a while if God hadn’t stepped in and immediately made an example out of them. Today, how many of us are “getting away” with playing the church game? Know this: God sees and God knows. We will not get away with it!

This is not a game.

God bless,
Nathan

“Missing Church”

When Do I HAVE to Go to Worship?

What is a Pastor?

The Man Who Fell Asleep in Church

We Need a Few Good Men

Who Knows Who Will Come In?

This is Not a Game! (Acts 5:1-11)

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