Recently, on my way to church I caught a glimpse of a bank advertisement on a billboard that read something along the lines of, "Join our bank family." I sort of squinted my eyes and pondered the message from that billboard for the next mile or so. Truly, it is a great marketing strategy. After all, the idea of 'family' is peaceful, comforting, and calls for trust and loyalty. This works well for the bank who wants loyal customers that enjoy banking with them, and it works well for the customers who want to feel secure that their bank is trustworthy, will take care of their money, and will treat them well - as I'm sure many of you are aware that customer service has completely vanished off the face of southern California, but that is another blog entry all together.
As I think about using the term 'family' when discussing an organization, I don't see any gathering of people being more of a family than the Church. Now, whether a particular church is living as a family is indeed another issue, but the fact remains that the church is supposed to be a family - brothers and sisters united in Christ Jesus as sons and daughters of the living God.
Today, I was able to help some good friends move into their new apartment, but I was not alone. There were 9 other people who gave up their Saturday morning to help. It was a proud moment for me because, as the pastor, I want our church to do well at being the Church. Part of living as a church family means sacrificing for one another, however small or large that may be, and investing into the lives of one another. After we finished with the move, we all sat in our friends' new apartment with 3 extra large pizzas and two tasty salads. I looked around and felt true peace, true comfort, true loyalty, and true love, which is only found in Christ. Then I thought, "Now this is truly a family."
I pray we continue to grow in our understanding and desire to live as the Church. I also pray we do well at going beyond our church walls and living a life of love in our community - and to people with whom we are connected outside of the church. But, for now, as we move forward in that direction, I can say I am grateful and very blessed to be a part of my church family.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
helpful assessment
REASON FOR HOPE TEST
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. -1 Peter 3:15
My father-in-law gave this to me and I thought it was a helpful tool for us to know if we can articulate the hope we have in Christ - and to also help us recognize if we truly know we have a solid hope and assurance in Christ. See how you do...
1. Can you recite three different Bible verses that express your faith and hope in Christ?
2. Do you have a personal testimony of a recent answer to prayer?
3. Do you have a personal testimony of a recent spiritual lesson you have learned?
4. Can you explain briefly how the Old Testament presents the message of Jesus Christ?
5. Can you define what the “peace of Christ” means to you personally?
6. How would you explain why you believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?
7. Can you explain why you believe there is a heaven and a hell?
8. Can you explain in simple terms the role of the Holy Spirit in your life?
9. Can your children explain why they go to church?
10. Can your children explain why they believe in Jesus Christ?
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. -1 Peter 3:15
My father-in-law gave this to me and I thought it was a helpful tool for us to know if we can articulate the hope we have in Christ - and to also help us recognize if we truly know we have a solid hope and assurance in Christ. See how you do...
1. Can you recite three different Bible verses that express your faith and hope in Christ?
2. Do you have a personal testimony of a recent answer to prayer?
3. Do you have a personal testimony of a recent spiritual lesson you have learned?
4. Can you explain briefly how the Old Testament presents the message of Jesus Christ?
5. Can you define what the “peace of Christ” means to you personally?
6. How would you explain why you believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?
7. Can you explain why you believe there is a heaven and a hell?
8. Can you explain in simple terms the role of the Holy Spirit in your life?
9. Can your children explain why they go to church?
10. Can your children explain why they believe in Jesus Christ?
Friday, February 19, 2010
letting the LORD take care of it
As we steadily move toward Christ on our spiritual journeys, there are times when we feel the weight of our fears, our burdens, even the burdens of others on our shoulders. This makes for difficult travel as we eagerly and desperately struggle to put one foot in front of the other and make forward progression, however little. During these times, we may feel the need to pray, after all we are supposed to pray when times are tough are we not? And, if you are like me, you may have heard or felt like these are times in which our prayers are supposed to be so humble, and we are to be on our knees and so passionate in our words. Yes, but... there is more than offering up passionate prayers while kneeling down with a broken spirit. We must remember to give our problems and cares to the Lord so we are able to get up, strengthened, and move steadily in our spiritual journeys without the extra weight of the world slowing us down. We have to know that the Lord is a loving parent who is eager to help us as sons and daughters move forward - and it is empowering for us to trust our Lord in such a way. It is comforting. It is necessary.
Here is a small devotional I recently read that gave me some things to think about. Particularly, the fact that we as Christians serve a God who desires to take the burdens off of our backs and help us as we move forward in our journeys toward fullness in Christ. Read as through Christ were speaking to you.
Let Me Do It
"Never miss these times. It is not what I reveal to you so much as the linking up of your frail natures with the limitless Divine Powers. Already, forces are set in motion. Only My Will is coming to pass. And now God is blessing you very richly. You think that there is much to do in a crisis like this. There is only one thing to do. Link your lives onto the Divine Forces, and then, it is as much My work to see those lives and their affairs run in an orderly right manner as to see that tomorrow's sun rises. It is not passionate appeal that gains the Divine Ear so much as the quiet placing of the difficulty and worry in the Divine Hands. So trust and be no more afraid than a child would be, who places its tangled skein of wool in the hands of a loving mother, and runs out to play, pleasing the mother more by its unquestioning confidence than if it went down on its knees and implored her help, which would pain her the rather, as it would imply she was not eager to help when help was needed."
Here is a small devotional I recently read that gave me some things to think about. Particularly, the fact that we as Christians serve a God who desires to take the burdens off of our backs and help us as we move forward in our journeys toward fullness in Christ. Read as through Christ were speaking to you.
Let Me Do It
"Never miss these times. It is not what I reveal to you so much as the linking up of your frail natures with the limitless Divine Powers. Already, forces are set in motion. Only My Will is coming to pass. And now God is blessing you very richly. You think that there is much to do in a crisis like this. There is only one thing to do. Link your lives onto the Divine Forces, and then, it is as much My work to see those lives and their affairs run in an orderly right manner as to see that tomorrow's sun rises. It is not passionate appeal that gains the Divine Ear so much as the quiet placing of the difficulty and worry in the Divine Hands. So trust and be no more afraid than a child would be, who places its tangled skein of wool in the hands of a loving mother, and runs out to play, pleasing the mother more by its unquestioning confidence than if it went down on its knees and implored her help, which would pain her the rather, as it would imply she was not eager to help when help was needed."
Monday, February 8, 2010
how to prepare a 'teaching' sermon
As I thought about writing a short article on preparing for a sermon I knew I would have to begin with a confession. I choose not to be a “preacher,” at least not in the the way pulpit preaching is generally understood. Let me be clear, I have nothing against charismatic preaching at all. Several of my favorite preachers are very charismatic and do a wonderful job hitting home their points, stirring up the emotions of the congregants, and beautifully articulating the sermon in such a way that it might speak to each individual listener. If I ever feel led to ‘preach’ as it were, I will gladly take on the role, but as of now I do not.
The word “preach” has several definitions. In short, the word has a sense of speaking something out loud with the sense of victory, making a public announcement, and proclaiming God’s saving action. In that sense, I definitely am a preacher. In fact, all Christians, not just pastors or priests, are called to preach. For all of Christ’s followers have the obligation to share publicly the saving action God has demonstrated through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, all of Christ’s followers are to proclaim victory by means of the cross and power through the Holy Spirit. Now, preaching from the pulpit is a different avenue of preaching altogether and the topic of discussion for this short article.
I gave my first sermon when I was 15 at a small show in which my band played. It must have been 8 minutes of me saying something about God and how I love Jesus and everyone else should too. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what I said. From that point I would give the “talk” every 5 shows to allow for each of the 5 people in the band to speak on rotation. When I was 17, I was asked to be the speaker for an organization based out of Carson City, Nevada. I spoke at different Christian shows, gave altar calls and was privileged to lead many young people to Christ. I also began a Bible study my senior year of high school in which I prepared a weekly Bible lesson for my peers. From 18-21 I volunteered and interned at different churches as a youth leader. In doing so, I prepared several sermons when it was my turn to give the “lesson.” When I was 22 I accepted a job as a youth pastor in which I was to preach 3-4 times a week for middle school, high school, college, and Sunday school meetings. Throughout this time I was invited as the guest speaker to a few different Christian camps, other youth groups, high school Christian clubs, the morning “big service,” and some other places. Finally, when I was 25 I began leading a church and preaching the Sunday sermon. In the beginning I preached once a month, then bi-monthly, until finally I was preaching every Sunday.
I have offered a brief history of my preaching experience for one reason; to show that I have had to speak to a variety of groups in a variety of contexts. Why is this important? Simply, one does not preach to adults at a Sunday service the way they would preach to middle school students. In the same way, I have gone from preaching to teenagers as a teenager myself to preaching to teenagers as an adult. Thus, my preaching style has had to adapt over the last 12 years I have been doing it.
Starting out, I was all about jumping around on stage, making people laugh, telling jokes, sharing humorous illustrations, and using props. This worked well for youth talks and even, in some cases, adult talks. However, I was told on an occasion by a few different adults that they wished I would speak to them as adults and not as youth persons. I took the comment seriously and began to reevaluate my audience before I was to speak to them. I would discern the appropriate way to communicate to a given audience. I learned about my audience prior to my appointed speaking engagement with them. Soon I asked the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom and insight as to what the audience needed.
As I have progressed in my preaching through experience and seminary classes, I have come to find what works for me. I found, through it all, that I love to teach. Furthermore, I love to study and learn. As a result, I naturally began to teach lecture type sermons. This worked for a while, but I could tell people were missing the stories, illustrations, and humor to a certain extent. I learned that frankly, people go to school for lectures whereas they go to church for preaching. Therefore, I had to learn how to convert lecture type sermons into teaching-style preaching. Now, at this point in my life, I preach teaching sermons. These are exegetical messages that fit in different series’ based on different passages in Scripture. Thus, Scripture is the forefront. The opposite of this style of preaching would be topical in which different topics (e.g. Marriage, Stewardship, Evangelism) are at the forefront and Scripture is used as a support. With the latter style of preaching many illustrations, personal stories, statistics and movie clips are used to push the topic of the sermon and apply Scripture accordingly. On the other hand, teaching-style sermons strive to take the message out of the passage of Scripture and apply any illustration, story, statistic or movie clip to that very passage.
There are several books on preaching that discuss different ways to prepare for a sermon, how to preach, exegetical preaching versus eisegetical preaching, and so on. The following is a list of books that have been helpful for me in developing my preaching skills. They also serve as a wide range of styles of preaching.
Too Deep for Words – Clayton J. Schmit
Designing the Sermon – James Earl Massey
The Homiletical Plot – Eugene L. Lowry
The Witness of Preaching – Thomas G. Long
The Heart of Black Preaching – Cleophus J. LaRue
Preaching the Presence of God – Eunjoo Mary Kim
Preaching the Story – Jeffrey W. Frymire
Performing the Word – Jana Childers
Birthing the Sermon – Jana Childers
Patterns of Preaching – Ronald J. Allen
For those interested, I offer my Eight Steps to preparing for a Teaching Sermon. The goal of each sermon is to first understand the passage of Scripture myself. That is to say, I want to first learn, grow in my faith, move closer to the Lord in my spiritual journey, and hear the wisdom of God from the Holy Spirit. Then, I want to be able to outline the passage in such a way that helps me articulate the message of the passage, along with how it has affected me, to a group of people. Finally, I want to use relevant sources to help create a solid bridge of understanding when it comes to the message of the passage.
Izzy’s Eight Steps to Preparing for a Teaching Sermon
Prayer: 10 minutes
When beginning a series, I ask the Lord if this is truly what Halogen needs to hear and if this series is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit in such a way that matches the heartbeat of our church family.
For each specific sermon, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom of God to me. I ask God for understanding as I read. I ask God to clear my mind and open me to hearing the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the grace of the Word. I ask the Lord to open me to past instruction I have received on the passage, illustrations, examples, stories and so on that would fit well with getting the message of the passage across.
Read: 30 minutes
I read through my passage 5 times. I read it twice in the Bible from which I preach, the TNIV. I read it in the Greek or Hebrew. I then read it in the NRSV and NASB. Along the way I take notes of words and idiomatic phrases and symbolism.
Word Study: 45 minutes
I look up words of interest. I do word studies, word searches, and take notes of how these words are used in other passages of Scripture and why they are being used in the passage of Scripture from which I am preaching.
Read: 10 minutes
I read the passage again from the TNIV and work in the definitions I have looked up and take notes.
Write: 3-5 hours
I ask the Lord for direction and wisdom as I put together an outline/manuscript
Introduction: How do I want to introduce this passage?
Flow: I write the sermon like I would an article
Points: I pick 3-5 things I want people to write down in their bulletins and take home
Illustrations/Stories/Specials/etc: I think of things that will help communicate the message of the passage
Consult Commentaries: 1-2 hours
I look up 2-3 different commentators and the way in which they have interpreted the passage on which I am preaching and I compare it to my own interpretation. I take notes on what they say, what I want to add from them, how I want to argue with them, and/or what I want to ask concerning their points.
Edit: 2-3 hours
The next day: I pray for God to guide my endeavors
I reread my sermon and make any notes. I add and take away. I use the notes from the commentaries and add them in accordingly. Lastly, I rewrite my sermon in manuscript style.
Practice: 1.5 hours
I perform my sermon 2 times before Sunday service. I read the Scriptures I am going to use for the sermon in order to make it less likely that I stumble over the words on the day I give the sermon.
The word “preach” has several definitions. In short, the word has a sense of speaking something out loud with the sense of victory, making a public announcement, and proclaiming God’s saving action. In that sense, I definitely am a preacher. In fact, all Christians, not just pastors or priests, are called to preach. For all of Christ’s followers have the obligation to share publicly the saving action God has demonstrated through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, all of Christ’s followers are to proclaim victory by means of the cross and power through the Holy Spirit. Now, preaching from the pulpit is a different avenue of preaching altogether and the topic of discussion for this short article.
I gave my first sermon when I was 15 at a small show in which my band played. It must have been 8 minutes of me saying something about God and how I love Jesus and everyone else should too. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what I said. From that point I would give the “talk” every 5 shows to allow for each of the 5 people in the band to speak on rotation. When I was 17, I was asked to be the speaker for an organization based out of Carson City, Nevada. I spoke at different Christian shows, gave altar calls and was privileged to lead many young people to Christ. I also began a Bible study my senior year of high school in which I prepared a weekly Bible lesson for my peers. From 18-21 I volunteered and interned at different churches as a youth leader. In doing so, I prepared several sermons when it was my turn to give the “lesson.” When I was 22 I accepted a job as a youth pastor in which I was to preach 3-4 times a week for middle school, high school, college, and Sunday school meetings. Throughout this time I was invited as the guest speaker to a few different Christian camps, other youth groups, high school Christian clubs, the morning “big service,” and some other places. Finally, when I was 25 I began leading a church and preaching the Sunday sermon. In the beginning I preached once a month, then bi-monthly, until finally I was preaching every Sunday.
I have offered a brief history of my preaching experience for one reason; to show that I have had to speak to a variety of groups in a variety of contexts. Why is this important? Simply, one does not preach to adults at a Sunday service the way they would preach to middle school students. In the same way, I have gone from preaching to teenagers as a teenager myself to preaching to teenagers as an adult. Thus, my preaching style has had to adapt over the last 12 years I have been doing it.
Starting out, I was all about jumping around on stage, making people laugh, telling jokes, sharing humorous illustrations, and using props. This worked well for youth talks and even, in some cases, adult talks. However, I was told on an occasion by a few different adults that they wished I would speak to them as adults and not as youth persons. I took the comment seriously and began to reevaluate my audience before I was to speak to them. I would discern the appropriate way to communicate to a given audience. I learned about my audience prior to my appointed speaking engagement with them. Soon I asked the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom and insight as to what the audience needed.
As I have progressed in my preaching through experience and seminary classes, I have come to find what works for me. I found, through it all, that I love to teach. Furthermore, I love to study and learn. As a result, I naturally began to teach lecture type sermons. This worked for a while, but I could tell people were missing the stories, illustrations, and humor to a certain extent. I learned that frankly, people go to school for lectures whereas they go to church for preaching. Therefore, I had to learn how to convert lecture type sermons into teaching-style preaching. Now, at this point in my life, I preach teaching sermons. These are exegetical messages that fit in different series’ based on different passages in Scripture. Thus, Scripture is the forefront. The opposite of this style of preaching would be topical in which different topics (e.g. Marriage, Stewardship, Evangelism) are at the forefront and Scripture is used as a support. With the latter style of preaching many illustrations, personal stories, statistics and movie clips are used to push the topic of the sermon and apply Scripture accordingly. On the other hand, teaching-style sermons strive to take the message out of the passage of Scripture and apply any illustration, story, statistic or movie clip to that very passage.
There are several books on preaching that discuss different ways to prepare for a sermon, how to preach, exegetical preaching versus eisegetical preaching, and so on. The following is a list of books that have been helpful for me in developing my preaching skills. They also serve as a wide range of styles of preaching.
Too Deep for Words – Clayton J. Schmit
Designing the Sermon – James Earl Massey
The Homiletical Plot – Eugene L. Lowry
The Witness of Preaching – Thomas G. Long
The Heart of Black Preaching – Cleophus J. LaRue
Preaching the Presence of God – Eunjoo Mary Kim
Preaching the Story – Jeffrey W. Frymire
Performing the Word – Jana Childers
Birthing the Sermon – Jana Childers
Patterns of Preaching – Ronald J. Allen
For those interested, I offer my Eight Steps to preparing for a Teaching Sermon. The goal of each sermon is to first understand the passage of Scripture myself. That is to say, I want to first learn, grow in my faith, move closer to the Lord in my spiritual journey, and hear the wisdom of God from the Holy Spirit. Then, I want to be able to outline the passage in such a way that helps me articulate the message of the passage, along with how it has affected me, to a group of people. Finally, I want to use relevant sources to help create a solid bridge of understanding when it comes to the message of the passage.
Izzy’s Eight Steps to Preparing for a Teaching Sermon
Prayer: 10 minutes
When beginning a series, I ask the Lord if this is truly what Halogen needs to hear and if this series is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit in such a way that matches the heartbeat of our church family.
For each specific sermon, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom of God to me. I ask God for understanding as I read. I ask God to clear my mind and open me to hearing the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the grace of the Word. I ask the Lord to open me to past instruction I have received on the passage, illustrations, examples, stories and so on that would fit well with getting the message of the passage across.
Read: 30 minutes
I read through my passage 5 times. I read it twice in the Bible from which I preach, the TNIV. I read it in the Greek or Hebrew. I then read it in the NRSV and NASB. Along the way I take notes of words and idiomatic phrases and symbolism.
Word Study: 45 minutes
I look up words of interest. I do word studies, word searches, and take notes of how these words are used in other passages of Scripture and why they are being used in the passage of Scripture from which I am preaching.
Read: 10 minutes
I read the passage again from the TNIV and work in the definitions I have looked up and take notes.
Write: 3-5 hours
I ask the Lord for direction and wisdom as I put together an outline/manuscript
Introduction: How do I want to introduce this passage?
Flow: I write the sermon like I would an article
Points: I pick 3-5 things I want people to write down in their bulletins and take home
Illustrations/Stories/Specials/etc: I think of things that will help communicate the message of the passage
Consult Commentaries: 1-2 hours
I look up 2-3 different commentators and the way in which they have interpreted the passage on which I am preaching and I compare it to my own interpretation. I take notes on what they say, what I want to add from them, how I want to argue with them, and/or what I want to ask concerning their points.
Edit: 2-3 hours
The next day: I pray for God to guide my endeavors
I reread my sermon and make any notes. I add and take away. I use the notes from the commentaries and add them in accordingly. Lastly, I rewrite my sermon in manuscript style.
Practice: 1.5 hours
I perform my sermon 2 times before Sunday service. I read the Scriptures I am going to use for the sermon in order to make it less likely that I stumble over the words on the day I give the sermon.
Monday, February 1, 2010
how to find the 'right' church
I have often been asked, “How do I find the right church?” Naturally, everyone has his or her own understanding of what the “right” church looks like. For some, the style of worship is a big deal. For others, the way in which the pastor delivers the message, and perhaps the content of the message itself, plays a significant role. In addition, people often desire the extra church amenities such as a solid children’s ministry, a good youth program, a cool look, friendly people, impacting ministries, a not-too convicting but self-helping sermon, comfort, an air-conditioned sanctuary, answers to all of life’s questions, and opportunities to be used in their giftedness. With such a long grocery list of church qualities, how do we find the right church? Before I discuss how to find the right church, I will discuss a few barriers that stand in the way, and “The Big Misconception.”
The first barrier is what I call, “ecclesial benefits,” namely, the grocery list of what the church has to offer. Personally, I can understand the desire for ecclesial benefits. As a teen involved with the youth group, I went to church mostly for my friends and the activities. When I was in college, I would “church hop” in order to find a service that could accommodate all my needs. I looked for churches with ministries that interested me. I enjoyed a church that had an appealing look. I looked for a preacher who was able to speak powerfully and intelligibly about the Bible so that I might “be fed.” Furthermore, as a musician I paid attention to the quality of music and talent of each musician on the worship team. The concern for that which the church “has to offer” blinds one from recognizing that which God is offering. This leads to the next barrier.
The second barrier is the distraction of the vessel. For the most part, people want to encounter God at church. Alas, many miss such an encounter because they search in the wrong places. Many people tend to look for a certain kind of speaker or worship style. All along, we ought to be looking for Jesus Christ. Many are listening for human knowledge when we should be listening for the wisdom of God. We are constantly distracted by human representatives when we should be focused on the Spirit. This was a major problem Paul faced in his correspondence to the church in Corinth. Paul writes:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 TNIV
The church in Corinth is looking to human persons, the vessels, and not to Christ. As a result, division is in their midst. They are not united in mind or thought, but continually bicker because of their human-allegiance. Should we not rather have a Christ-allegiance? Why do we argue about following the Paul’s and Peter’s in our lives? Have we mistaken some person as the head of the church? For, “Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:23b). If we are too concerned about the vessel, we are liable to miss the Spirit. We either pay too much honor the vessel and not Christ, or reject the human vessel through whom God is speaking and doing a mighty work.
A third barrier is the wrong attitude in searching for a place of worship. In essence, people hope to find a church in which they feel the pastor speaks to me, the worship moves me, and people welcome me. Do you notice how much “me” is in there? I suppose a question to consider would be, “Is church about me?” If church is, indeed, about me, then looking for a church that benefits me is a very important criterion. Yet the way I read Scripture does not merit a “me” attitude when it comes to the body of Christ. Looking for a church of which to become a member should not be done in the same way as one walks into Bed Bath and Beyond in an attempt to find desirable decor. I do not recall Paul saying, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, in order to market the body of Christ in appealing ways throughout the world so more people are attracted and join.” Rather, Christ gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13, emphasis mine).
In my own experience of trying to find the right church, I soon discovered the irony that though I was going to a specific church with the intention of meeting the Lord through the message and worship, and perhaps the people, I was missing Christ altogether. The message may have been powerful and Christ-centered, but I was focused on the person speaking the words and not the Word itself. Worship may have been Spirit-anointed, but rather than pouring out my heart in worship I was inwardly commentating on the performance of the band; the awesome drum beat or who hit the wrong note. I was so occupied with the atmosphere around me: the paintings, the interior designs, and media, I never entered into an atmosphere of worship. Is this the purpose of church?
Discussing the purpose of church leads to The Big Misconception. That is, the idea that the purpose of church is to “serve and feed me.” Though it is important for Christ’s followers to find a church in which they can participate as part of the family of God and be “fed,” the purpose of church is not centered on the follower of Christ. Rather, the purpose of church is centered on Christ and the Kingdom of God. We ought to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. Such an attitude alleviates any misconception that the church is about “me.” Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” How can we as followers of Jesus expect to be served when Jesus, our Lord and example, came not to be served but to serve? In terms of finding a church that “serves,” one should seek a church family in which they can actively serve as well as be served. In terms of being “fed,” one should seek a church family in which they can be equipped in such a way that develops his or her faith, walk, and understanding of the Bible in order to be used in powerful ways for God’s purposes in the world. Being fed does not mean being entertained, comfortable, or reached in ways that fit our ideas, attitudes or expectations.
So how do we find the right church? Keep in mind the “church” is not the building, the sanctuary, the campus, or the programs. The church is the fellowship and gathering of God’s people. Thus, Christ’s followers do not GO to church. Christ’s followers ARE the Church. Concomitantly, Christ’s followers make up the body of Christ and live as Kingdom workers. Therefore, the first step in finding the right church is recognizing as a Christian, “I am the church! I am a member of the body of Christ!” The second step is to understand the responsibilities that come with being a member of the body of Christ.
As Christ’s followers, we are on a trajectory towards fullness in Christ Jesus. Our characters are continually being transformed to match that of our Lord. Our minds are continually being renewed to focus on heavenly things. And we are continually being equipped and empowered as Kingdom workers. In short, church is not about “me,” or how the church can “benefit” or “serve me.” Rather, me being a part of the church means I have the honor of plugging in to a church fellowship in order to benefit the body of Christ and serve my Lord and Savior while preaching the Good News. As John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”; so should Christ’s followers have the mindset of, “Ask not how the church can serve you, but how you can be equipped to serve the church and the world.”
I do not want to give a false impression that the human vessel has no importance whatsoever. That would be foolish. Of course there will be church fellowships in which the pastor and/or people are not attentive to the Holy Spirit, not obedient to the Word of God, or have some off-the-wall doctrine that is not Christ-centered. In the same way, there will be church fellowships that are not the right place to be equipped for Kingdom work. Therefore, with an attitude of seeking Christ, ask God to lead you to a church where you will be most equipped, transformed, connected, and filled by the Holy Spirit. Taking note of the vessel will not do this for you. Taking note of the Spirit in spite of the vessel will do this. Consider the fact that you may be surprised of the vessel through whom you hear from God after following the Spirit’s promptings. Sometimes, people are led to the wrong church in order to be used by the Holy Spirit to transform it for the glory of Jesus Christ. In any case, follow God’s leading, not your own.
In summary, the church is made up of individual followers of Christ. Therefore, finding the right church is a matter of finding a church fellowship in which one can be equipped for service in the Kingdom, as well as a fellowship in which one can serve and be served alike. The following is a list of key pointers I have found helpful in coaching people who are searching for the right church. This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor do I claim that it answers adequately all the aspects of searching for a solid church fellowship. Nevertheless, it serves as a good starting point to, if nothing else, adjust our attitudes in such a way that we might put ourselves along with our egos and expectations aside in order to truly seek Christ.
A Quick Guide to Finding the Right Church
1. Empty yourself of your expectations concerning the worship and preaching style as well as your expectations of what you are looking for in the “right church.”
2. Seek the Lord. Specifically, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and lead you to a place in which you can hear from God in spite of the vessel.
3. The prospective church should be a place in which you can be moved from the place you are spiritually when you first walk through the door to a greater depth in your relationship with Christ. It is important to find a place that will help you grow in your faith, your understanding of the Bible, a heart of worship, and a life of prayer.
4. The church you serve should be a place through which you are encouraged and equipped to do Kingdom work, both by the leadership and fellow members.
5. Make sure the prospective church is a place where you can partner with other brothers and sisters in order to serve the church and community. Solid and lasting relationships are essential in a church family. With this point, ask the Lord to reveal the places in you that need to be changed so you are not a hindrance in developing new relationships.
6. Ask for the general doctrine (core teachings) of the church and make sure they are in line with Scripture, not necessarily your personal theology or your church tradition. I encourage people to ask the pastor questions and seek opinions from various trusted friends concerning core teachings of any church.
7. Ask the Lord how you can be used by the Holy Spirit to make the church better for the sake of the Kingdom and the glory of Jesus Christ.
The first barrier is what I call, “ecclesial benefits,” namely, the grocery list of what the church has to offer. Personally, I can understand the desire for ecclesial benefits. As a teen involved with the youth group, I went to church mostly for my friends and the activities. When I was in college, I would “church hop” in order to find a service that could accommodate all my needs. I looked for churches with ministries that interested me. I enjoyed a church that had an appealing look. I looked for a preacher who was able to speak powerfully and intelligibly about the Bible so that I might “be fed.” Furthermore, as a musician I paid attention to the quality of music and talent of each musician on the worship team. The concern for that which the church “has to offer” blinds one from recognizing that which God is offering. This leads to the next barrier.
The second barrier is the distraction of the vessel. For the most part, people want to encounter God at church. Alas, many miss such an encounter because they search in the wrong places. Many people tend to look for a certain kind of speaker or worship style. All along, we ought to be looking for Jesus Christ. Many are listening for human knowledge when we should be listening for the wisdom of God. We are constantly distracted by human representatives when we should be focused on the Spirit. This was a major problem Paul faced in his correspondence to the church in Corinth. Paul writes:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 TNIV
The church in Corinth is looking to human persons, the vessels, and not to Christ. As a result, division is in their midst. They are not united in mind or thought, but continually bicker because of their human-allegiance. Should we not rather have a Christ-allegiance? Why do we argue about following the Paul’s and Peter’s in our lives? Have we mistaken some person as the head of the church? For, “Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:23b). If we are too concerned about the vessel, we are liable to miss the Spirit. We either pay too much honor the vessel and not Christ, or reject the human vessel through whom God is speaking and doing a mighty work.
A third barrier is the wrong attitude in searching for a place of worship. In essence, people hope to find a church in which they feel the pastor speaks to me, the worship moves me, and people welcome me. Do you notice how much “me” is in there? I suppose a question to consider would be, “Is church about me?” If church is, indeed, about me, then looking for a church that benefits me is a very important criterion. Yet the way I read Scripture does not merit a “me” attitude when it comes to the body of Christ. Looking for a church of which to become a member should not be done in the same way as one walks into Bed Bath and Beyond in an attempt to find desirable decor. I do not recall Paul saying, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, in order to market the body of Christ in appealing ways throughout the world so more people are attracted and join.” Rather, Christ gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13, emphasis mine).
In my own experience of trying to find the right church, I soon discovered the irony that though I was going to a specific church with the intention of meeting the Lord through the message and worship, and perhaps the people, I was missing Christ altogether. The message may have been powerful and Christ-centered, but I was focused on the person speaking the words and not the Word itself. Worship may have been Spirit-anointed, but rather than pouring out my heart in worship I was inwardly commentating on the performance of the band; the awesome drum beat or who hit the wrong note. I was so occupied with the atmosphere around me: the paintings, the interior designs, and media, I never entered into an atmosphere of worship. Is this the purpose of church?
Discussing the purpose of church leads to The Big Misconception. That is, the idea that the purpose of church is to “serve and feed me.” Though it is important for Christ’s followers to find a church in which they can participate as part of the family of God and be “fed,” the purpose of church is not centered on the follower of Christ. Rather, the purpose of church is centered on Christ and the Kingdom of God. We ought to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. Such an attitude alleviates any misconception that the church is about “me.” Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” How can we as followers of Jesus expect to be served when Jesus, our Lord and example, came not to be served but to serve? In terms of finding a church that “serves,” one should seek a church family in which they can actively serve as well as be served. In terms of being “fed,” one should seek a church family in which they can be equipped in such a way that develops his or her faith, walk, and understanding of the Bible in order to be used in powerful ways for God’s purposes in the world. Being fed does not mean being entertained, comfortable, or reached in ways that fit our ideas, attitudes or expectations.
So how do we find the right church? Keep in mind the “church” is not the building, the sanctuary, the campus, or the programs. The church is the fellowship and gathering of God’s people. Thus, Christ’s followers do not GO to church. Christ’s followers ARE the Church. Concomitantly, Christ’s followers make up the body of Christ and live as Kingdom workers. Therefore, the first step in finding the right church is recognizing as a Christian, “I am the church! I am a member of the body of Christ!” The second step is to understand the responsibilities that come with being a member of the body of Christ.
As Christ’s followers, we are on a trajectory towards fullness in Christ Jesus. Our characters are continually being transformed to match that of our Lord. Our minds are continually being renewed to focus on heavenly things. And we are continually being equipped and empowered as Kingdom workers. In short, church is not about “me,” or how the church can “benefit” or “serve me.” Rather, me being a part of the church means I have the honor of plugging in to a church fellowship in order to benefit the body of Christ and serve my Lord and Savior while preaching the Good News. As John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”; so should Christ’s followers have the mindset of, “Ask not how the church can serve you, but how you can be equipped to serve the church and the world.”
I do not want to give a false impression that the human vessel has no importance whatsoever. That would be foolish. Of course there will be church fellowships in which the pastor and/or people are not attentive to the Holy Spirit, not obedient to the Word of God, or have some off-the-wall doctrine that is not Christ-centered. In the same way, there will be church fellowships that are not the right place to be equipped for Kingdom work. Therefore, with an attitude of seeking Christ, ask God to lead you to a church where you will be most equipped, transformed, connected, and filled by the Holy Spirit. Taking note of the vessel will not do this for you. Taking note of the Spirit in spite of the vessel will do this. Consider the fact that you may be surprised of the vessel through whom you hear from God after following the Spirit’s promptings. Sometimes, people are led to the wrong church in order to be used by the Holy Spirit to transform it for the glory of Jesus Christ. In any case, follow God’s leading, not your own.
In summary, the church is made up of individual followers of Christ. Therefore, finding the right church is a matter of finding a church fellowship in which one can be equipped for service in the Kingdom, as well as a fellowship in which one can serve and be served alike. The following is a list of key pointers I have found helpful in coaching people who are searching for the right church. This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor do I claim that it answers adequately all the aspects of searching for a solid church fellowship. Nevertheless, it serves as a good starting point to, if nothing else, adjust our attitudes in such a way that we might put ourselves along with our egos and expectations aside in order to truly seek Christ.
A Quick Guide to Finding the Right Church
1. Empty yourself of your expectations concerning the worship and preaching style as well as your expectations of what you are looking for in the “right church.”
2. Seek the Lord. Specifically, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and lead you to a place in which you can hear from God in spite of the vessel.
3. The prospective church should be a place in which you can be moved from the place you are spiritually when you first walk through the door to a greater depth in your relationship with Christ. It is important to find a place that will help you grow in your faith, your understanding of the Bible, a heart of worship, and a life of prayer.
4. The church you serve should be a place through which you are encouraged and equipped to do Kingdom work, both by the leadership and fellow members.
5. Make sure the prospective church is a place where you can partner with other brothers and sisters in order to serve the church and community. Solid and lasting relationships are essential in a church family. With this point, ask the Lord to reveal the places in you that need to be changed so you are not a hindrance in developing new relationships.
6. Ask for the general doctrine (core teachings) of the church and make sure they are in line with Scripture, not necessarily your personal theology or your church tradition. I encourage people to ask the pastor questions and seek opinions from various trusted friends concerning core teachings of any church.
7. Ask the Lord how you can be used by the Holy Spirit to make the church better for the sake of the Kingdom and the glory of Jesus Christ.
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