The Most Important Decision of the Semester

Kevin DeYoung has a helpful article at the Gospel Coalition about the most important decision students will face as they move into adulthood and go out on their own. He writes, "Of all the decisions you’ll face this year, the most important one may be whether you get up and go to church on the very first Sunday when no one is there to make sure that you go to church."

There will always be other things pressing for your time and attention: exams to study for, a job, friends, a campus ministry, etc. Those are all good things. However, other things may not be so good: laziness, a desire to avoid relationships that require work, or a desire to hide sinful lifestyle choices. 

But, if you belong to Jesus, you need to be gathering with the church family. You might think your personal relationship with Jesus doesn't require this, but you would be wrong. DeYoung provides a helpful quote from John Stott on this: "An unchurched Christian is a grotesque anomaly. The New Testament knows nothing of such a person. For the church lies at the very center of the eternal purpose of God. It is not a divine afterthought." God says that the church is Jesus's bride, body, family, and temple. If we ignore what God prioritizes, then we will miss out on joy, and we will easily begin to ignore other things he tells us. 

One more thing to consider. The church body needs each member if it is to grow as a healthy body (1 Cor. 12). If you choose not to prioritize it, you will also deprive other brothers and sisters of what you owe them. 

There are always other things that compete with attending the worship service and other meetings. Sometimes we might have to miss, but we should miss being there in our affections. We should take long to be with God's people. Don't fall into the temptation of saying you are too busy. We are busy with the things we think are most important. So, if we are consistently too busy, then we are saying it isn't the highest priority. But, for the sake of your own soul and the building up of the body, decide to make gathering on Sundays (and coming to a Bible study if you can) a top priority. 

Facing Fear Biblically Part 1 – Our Best Life Isn't Now

In the last post in this series, I mentioned that our goal in facing fear is to honor God. We might not be able to remove the feeling of fear, but we can grow in trusting God and obey him. In these next few posts, I plan to address how we can trust God when we face fear.

Today, we will think about the need to live as a people who know that our best life isn’t now. Rather, we must live in constant hope of our resurrection. Essentially, we must remember where we live in redemptive history.

Remember Where You Live in the Biblical Storyline.

We live in a fallen world – so we should not expect “our best life now.” 

Sin, sickness, and death all remain until the new Heavens and new Earth. So, we should be realistic about our expectations. We don’t live in a time and place free from danger and risk to our physical lives. In fact, your chances of death are 100% (unless the rapture happens first). I know this sounds gloomy, but it is where we live. Even as God’s people, we are not exempt from suffering (read the Psalms, Job, Daniel, Acts). The Bible doesn’t hide the hardships of life in this fallen world, but that’s not all it says.

We also must remember that we live after the first coming of Jesus – when he came to die in our place. 

He died to rescue us from the one truly irreversible calamity, namely the catastrophe of dying in our rebellion against God and facing his just wrath. Jesus died to redeem us from sin and the judgment we deserve, and he rose from the dead to guarantee our resurrection life. Thus, God has demonstrated his love for us by giving his own Son to redeem us (Romans 8:32).

Beyond that, we must remember that we live in anticipation of being resurrected. 

Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we too will be raised to dwell with God in the new Heavens and new Earth forever (Rom. 8:11)! There will be no more sin, sickness, or death (Rev. 21).

Two Results of Remembering Where You Live

Two good fruits blossom in our lives when we remember that we live in a fallen world, after the first coming of Christ, and in the hope of our resurrection. First, we know that God loves us. We have no reason to doubt his love when we face temporal dangers because he has secured our eternal joy and salvation by sending his Son.

Second, it teaches us that all our afflictions, as severe as they can be, are “light and momentary” (2 Cor. 4:17).  That is what Paul said, and he faced beatings, natural disasters, and times of as he served God.  He wasn’t sadistic. He just saw the bigger picture. He knew even hard suffering worked ultimate good for him. After all, if God is for us, who or what can ultimately prevail against us (Rom. 8:31)? Not even death will have the last say in our lives because its sting has been removed by Jesus’s work (1 Cor. 15:55-56).

Live as Those Who Have Resurrection Life

So, the first way to fight against fear is to reflect on our dangers in light of the gospel’s unshakable hope. In other words, we must live as those who believe in a resurrection and who believe that our best life is not in this fallen world.

This doesn’t mean we fail to value life here and now (1 Tim. 4:4). It doesn’t mean we live recklessly (we are not to test the Lord). It just means we factor more into the equation than unbelievers. They focus only on what is seen – physical life and temporal comfort. We consider what is seen but give greater weight to the unseen and eternal. Therefore, we don’t count it as a net loss to obey God even if we might lose our physical comforts, possessions, or life.  

This way of calculating will enable us to make wise investments of our God-given lives. We are stewards of our lives for God’s glory. So, if gathering to worship God is a good investment of our lives (Heb. 10:24-25), then in a time of pestilence or persecution, we will seek to mitigate risk based on the information God allows us to have and move forward in trusting obedience.

Renewing Our Minds and Imaginations

Let me close by giving you a growth assignment to help reinforce this mindset (because it is not natural to you or me). It takes work to renew our minds. It only happens as we saturate our minds with the truth of God’s Word (Rom. 12:1-2). So, here is a suggestion for how to renew your mind in this area:

1. Pick a verse about heaven (Rev. 21), the resurrection (1 Cor. 15), the light and momentary nature of affliction when compared to eternity (2 Cor. 4:16-5:9), or the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Rom. 8).
2. Write out 20 observations and implications of the passage on a sheet of paper (maybe do 5 a day until you get to 20).
3. Daily think over the glorious realities by reviewing a few things from your list of observations. This will help you retrain your imagination to conjure up your hope-filled future rather than all the anxious “what ifs” of short-sighted living.
4. Memorize a verse or two from the passage (write it on a notecard and carry it with you and review it regularly).
5. Pray to thank God for the truths you are seeing. Truth has not fully impacted our soul if we have not given God genuine thanks for it.

Thinking Biblically about Fear and Health During COVID

This is part of a series. To see part one, click here.

People with phobias might see reality more clearly than those who are not afraid of much - if you don’t factor God in the equation. There are many dangers in a fallen world. The theme song from the TV series Monk summarizes it well (he was a detective who saw dangers a bit too clearly):

 It's a jungle out there
Disorder and confusion everywhere
No one seems to care
Well I do
Hey, who's in charge here?
It's a jungle out there
Poison in the very air we breathe
Do you know what's in the water that you drink?
Well I do, and it's amazing
People think I'm crazy, 'cause I worry all the time
If you paid attention, you'd be worried too
You better pay attention
Or this world we love so much might just kill you
I could be wrong now, but I don't think so
'Cause there's a jungle out there
It's a jungle out there

When it comes to the Coronavirus, we have heard a lot of statistics and stories that can make us afraid. Having some level of fear doesn’t make us crazy or worthy of some sort of psychological label.

However, Christians serve the living God and look forward to resurrection life as our ultimate hope. That means something for how we should deal with fear and respond to it. In this post, I want to address how the Bible tells us to think about fear in general. Then I want to tackle one fear we might have – the fear of getting extremely sick or dying from this virus.

The Biblical Picture of Fear

Fear is not inherently wrong. It is the opposite side of the coin as desire. If I fear something, it is because I desire something else (and fear losing it). So, we should fear God (fear his displeasure and desire his smiling face). In a fallen world, I should fear jumping from a 5-story building or being bitten by the rattle snake I am staring at on a trail. God gave us fear to protect us physically and spiritually.

Fear, however, like other God-given emotions, can reveal where our desires have gotten off track. For example, Saul was king of Israel, and he disobeyed God’s direct command “because [he] feared the people” (1 Sam. 15:24). He feared losing the approval of people more than losing God’s approval. This fear revealed a heart that elevated a good thing (wanting the approval of people) to an ultimate thing (“I must have it, even if I have to disobey God”).

So, fear can be useful, but it can also reveal where our hearts have gotten priorities out of order. We need wisdom from God and the help of loving Christian friends to help us sort this out.

Fear and Disease

It is not bad to fear a serious disease as long as it is kept in its proper place. Life is a gift from God, and we should care for our bodies. We should take reasonable precautions (knowing what is reasonable has been challenging with COVID because much was unknown early on).

But, we must also check to see that good health does not become ultimate or idolatrous. Our bodies are a gift, but they are not worthy of our total allegiance and worship. God is. Good health is a good gift from God, but it makes a terrible god. We must steward our health in service to him. However, we must not worship it because all things are from him and through him and to him so that he might be glorified (Rom. 11:36). In other words, our problem comes when our desire for good health gets ordered above our desire to obey God. We should not be controlled by the fear of anything except the Lord.

Should Fear of COVID Keep us from Gathering?

If fear causes us to disobey God, then that is a problem. If fear of persecution made me deny Christ, that would be a sin. If a fear of getting sick (or even dying) caused me to forsake assembling, that would be a sin. Remember, forsaking is not the same as temporarily not gathering[1] or being providentially hindered (like a Christian being in the hospital for a month).

If we might get sick from gathering, we know that our physical life is not ultimate. The world lives as if this life is all they have because it is all they have (kind of like the Monk theme song). We should display our faith in God by being willing to gather. This is not a faith that we won’t get sick. It is a trust in God’s sovereign ordering of our lives, including sickness, health, life, and death.

Conclusion

I realize there are other reasons, besides ungodly fear, which might keep some from being able to resume gathering for worship at this stage. I am not assuming everyone has ungodly fear. But I know that in my heart, there have been seasons of fear, and I assume others might have that experience too.

Our goal isn’t to avoid feeling fear as much as it is to honor God, even when we feel afraid. I often tell my boys when they feel scared that courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is doing what honors God, even when they feel afraid. I need to be reminded of that too.

In the next few posts, I plan to address how to renew our thinking with God’s Word. Specifically, how to fight fearful thoughts.

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[1] I believe temporarily suspending meeting together when the government asks us to can be right. When there is evidence that the lives of many citizens will likely be put at grave risk if any group gathers, we can rightly decide to suspend meeting out of a love for our neighbors and proper submission to the government.  

Desiring and Planning to Return to Church During COVID

For much of history, gathering to worship God with other Christians has been a challenge. There are always things which seem like "good" reasons to avoid gathering to worship. 

Most often, persecution has made it difficult. In the Roman empire, Christianity was not encouraged (to say the least) by the government.  Gathering to worship God could easily bring persecution (see Hebrews 11:35-38) and ostracization from society (John 9:22). The same is true in much of the world today (N. Korea, China, etc.).

Add to that our own sin nature which makes us difficult to get along with. It is hard to gather with fellow sinners (Phil. 4:2, 2:1-5). 

In addition to being sinners, in the modern American context, we also compete against our desire for ease and comfort. Much of life is easy. Much of life is aimed at meeting consumer desires. It is easy to slip into seeing the church as a commodity and to desire convenience. 

Add to these “common” experiences a global pandemic, which gives us a mysterious fear (mysterious because we didn’t know much about how bad it would be and faced conflicting information). Mix in technology which makes it more comfortable and safe to watch a worship service at home.  The result is that it might be hard for many to overcome the inertia of the moment and move towards gathering for Christian worship.

I want to offer some pastoral counsel to those that are finding it hard to envision returning to worship. Over the next few posts, I plan to address a few issues that you might be facing as you seek to honor God in the decisions you must make. In today’s post, it is sufficient to say, “We need to desire to be with God’s people, and we need to plan for it.” 

Why We Need to Desire to be with God's People

Before getting to my reasoning, let me provide a caveat.  There are certainly times where gathering, in God’s providence, is temporarily suspended. For example, in Acts, when persecution broke out, many had to flee. Maybe they couldn’t gather immediately with “the church,” but I am sure they desired it and planned for it. Other examples include a temporary suspension of church gatherings during the 1918 flu. It is important to note that God brought such circumstances. The people didn’t simply decide they would not meet during normal circumstances. However, even in such extraordinary times, there should be a desire and laboring towards being able to gather again.

So, why should we desire to gather for worship in the face of a pandemic? 

First, it is intrinsic to who God made us to be as Christians. The word “church” refers to a gathering of God’s people that he called to himself. More than that, the church is described as the family of God. It is inherent in a good family to want to be together and love one another. (see Pastor Rod's sermon  from last Sunday for a more in-depth treatment of these things).

Second, we have an external reason. We should want to gather to obey God’s command. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us not to “forsake” assembling. Why say it that way? Why not just say, “Meet together every week”? I don’t know all the reasons, but one reason is that there are times we can’t gather (illness, inability to be mobile). To forsake, on the other hand, refers to letting other things become more important than gathering. For example, a kid’s travel team could be a way that we find ourselves pulled towards forsaking assembling. The point is, God commands us not to forsake gathering with other believers for worship and encouragement (Note: He is speaking to a church body in Hebrews, so this isn’t just a call to grab coffee occasionally with a few Christian friends. It is a call to gather with the body).

Third, we should want to gather because gathering in worship and fellowship should stir us up to love God and serve others. Christians find joy in our relationship with God and in serving him and others. Hebrews 10:24-25 says this happens as we gather. Furthermore, the “one another” commands of the New Testament (a way to show our love for God and others) require some sort of gathering with God’s people.

So, we should desire to gather, and we need to plan for it. I am not saying each person can or should come back immediately.1 But, each one should desire to return as soon as possible and plan for such a return.

Why plan to return?

The reason I say plan to return is that planning is what manifests our desire. It’s not merely saying, “I want to run in the marathon,” that proves desire. It is signing up for the race and doing the training needed (in our case preparing the heart and mind to think biblically). To put it another way, a young man can say he loves a young woman, but if he never makes plans to marry her, it calls his desire into question. Even if the event must be postponed due to God’s providence, there is a desire that leads to some sort of planning and hoping.

My next posts, Lord willing, will address some issues that you might find yourself facing as you begin this process of planning to return to corporate worship. Many of these I have encountered in my own heart. So, if you find one applies to you, take heart, for you are not alone.

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1 It may be that you are in a situation in which you need to wait for more information. Or perhaps you are very elderly and a shut-in. Let me encourage you to express your desire to be with God’s people by finding as many ways as you can to contact other members in the church and by faithfully praying for your fellow members. And, keep live streaming the services. Furthermore, consider asking for a pastor to call you to check in on you occasionally.

What Dead Men Say about How Christians Should Think about COVID-19 (Part 3): Francis Grimke

This is part three in a series (click here for part one and here for part two)

Francis Grimke, a pastor in Washington D.C. during the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, preached a sermon entitled “Some Reflections, Growing out of The Recent Epidemic of Influenza That Afflicted Our City.” In this sermon, he reminds us that it is not wrong to suspend church gatherings in order to preserve life. He also reminds us that Christ’s people will intensely long for the gatherings to resume.

Suspending Gathering Is Not Necessarily Wrong

During the outbreak, the D.C. government wanted all gathering places, including churches, to suspend meeting. This “shut down” lasted for about 1 month. Grimke knew the priority of the church gathering. And if the government had just asked churches to close (and not theaters, etc.), he might have seen it as an effort to hinder religion. But since it was the government’s attempt to stop the spread of disease, and encompassed every area of life, it was proper for churches to help. Grimke said,

The fact that the churches were places of religious gathering, and the others not, would not affect in the least the health question involved. If avoiding crowds lessens the danger of being infected, it was wise to take the precaution and not needlessly run in danger, and expect God to protect us. [1]

Some may think that our current situation does not require this in every city, and that might be true. My point is not what the health policy should be. It is simply that suspending meeting is not wrong in very rare conditions.

God’s People Long to Gather Again

God’s true people love gathering, for they are, at a fundamental level, the people God has gathered into his family.

I imagine that for those with a shallow view of Christianity, the convenience of online “services” will tempt them not to return to church when the disease relents. Maybe they are not Christians and just attended out of habit. Now that the habit is broken, they will not return to it. However, for those who truly are God’s people, they desire to gather. That was the testimony of the church in D.C. in 1918. Grimke said,

The fact that for several weeks we have been shut out from the privileges of the sanctuary has brought home to us as never before what the church has really meant to us. We hadn't thought, perhaps, very much of the privilege while it lasted, but the moment it was taken away we saw at once how much it meant to us. One of the gratifying things to me, during this scourge, has been the sincere regrets that I have heard expressed all over the city by numbers of people at the closing of the churches. The theater goers, of course, have regretted the closing of the theaters. I do not know whether the children or the teachers have regretted the closing of the schools or not; I have heard no regrets expressed, but I do know that large numbers of people have regretted the closing of the churches. I hope that now that they are opened again, that we will all show our appreciation of their value by attending regularly upon their services.

While we find ways to connect digitally around the Word (and in small groups), let us humbly long to return to the privilege of corporate worship. Let’s pray that at the end of this, we will have the same attitude as the Christians had in D.C. in 1918, even if the kids are a bit sad to have to return to school.

(HT: Mark Dever and 9Marks.org for pointing me to this sermon)

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[1]Francis Grimke, “Some Reflections, Growing out of The Recent Epidemic of Influenza That Afflicted Our City,” delivered November 3, 1918, Accessed on 3/18/20 at: https://www.logcollegepress.com/authors-g#/francis-james-grimke/

For Your Own Soul, Plan to Join a Church in College

A LifeWay Research study showed that 66% young adults who regularly attended church in high school stopped regularly attending church for at least 1 year between the ages of 18-22.1 Many factors might contribute to that trend.  For my purpose, I want to address the issue of those who are genuine believers and heading off to college who are a bit neutral on the importance of being regularly with the church.  There are two main things I want to say to those in that category.

First, joining a church body is healthy for your soul.  

One reason is that it is how the Lord will work to keep you trusting in him.  Hebrews 3:12-14 states, 

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

What is the way we avoid being hardened by the lies of sin?  How do we recognize that the allure of the flesh and world are dead-ends when they look so promising?  By exhorting one another every day.  In other words, the means by which God sovereignly preserves us from spiritual destruction is by giving us a desire to regularly be with the family of God.  Don't resist that desire, instead cultivate it.

Another reason it is healthy for your soul is that you were made to function in the family and body of Jesus.  Think of how often the New Testament speaks of Christians as "brothers and sisters."  This is not just a verbal tick.  It is a reminder that we have a bond with fellow believers that requires family loyalty and love towards one another.  It is in this social context that we do the work of Christian love and community.  We meet needs. We encourage one another.  We correct one another. We rejoice with one another.  We weep with one another.  This all happens as we are around one another and in the body with Jesus as our head. 

All of this entails membership in the family or body of Christ.  Just as no family member or body part is only loosely connected, so, too, no believer is to remain loosely connected to the church (i.e., anonymous, uninvolved, or uncommitted).  What if your liver suddenly decided it didn't want to be connected to the rest of the body or that it was too busy to do its part?  Each member is made to function together.

Second, make a plan to attend and join a church.

This is the second main thing I want to say.  Many genuine Christians come to college with ideas of joining a church, but then life happens.  They get busy, and they establish new habits which don't include regularly gathering with the church family.  It is not unusual for me to meet a college student who is a senior, and who tells me that he had planned to join a church.  Here it is 3 years later, and he is just now following through.  He regrets the wasted time.  How many corrections, encouragements, and family meals (communion) he missed?  How many opportunities to do good to the household of faith were announced that he never heard?  I am glad these students desire to reunite with their spiritual family, even it is a bit late in the game.  So, if you are in this category, it's not too late, even if it is later than you planned. As they say, "better late than never."

A quick word on habits.  Habits are intentional and regular practices used to direct our lives to the things we value most.  They are more than good intentions.  When you move for school or find that you can set up new habits, be thoughtful.  List what God wants your life directed towards.  Then add other things that you desire.  After that, plan practices which will lead your life towards these goals.  This takes mental effort and self-discipline.  You won't coast into good habits.  If you want to be an excellent musician, you must plan and discipline yourself.  You must develop practices to direct your life towards that end.  As a Christian, you will want to be like Christ and to love and serve his church - the ones he loves.  So, make gathering with the church a regular habit!


1. The question was asked, "Did you stop attending church regularly (twice a month or more) for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22?"  (This was asked to young adults age 23-30 who attend protest church consistently for at least 1 year in high school).

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Exercise Humility to Maintain Unity

In Philippians chapter 2, Paul writes

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Paul is happy if the church at Phillipi is unified in their thinking and love. He does not mean that they would be cookie-cutter Christians. He doesn't intend for all of them to think the exact same way about everything. What does he mean?

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus... (Philippians 2:3-5)

He wants them to have a mindset of humility. The thinking that unites them is a humble mindset - a Christlike mindset. 

As church members, we are responsible to exercise humility.  Humility is like a muscle.  You apply it every time you put the interests of others ahead of yourself.  So, if you want to grow in humility, you need to look for opportunities to serve others and prefer them. 

Practically, when the church has an event that you'd prefer not to attend, perhaps you should see it as an opportunity to exercise humility.  Prefer the other believers who you will be able to see, encourage, and serve.  When another believer talks about something you are not interested in at a fellowship dinner, after service, or at a Bible study, you can exercise your humility muscles by disciplining yourself to listen.   You can attend a Bible study or fellowship event even if your best friend won't be there because you aren't thinking first of yourself, but primarily of how you can encourage others.

How do you motivate such thinking, though?  The best way to facilitate humility is to put on Christ's mindset as your own.  Philippians 2:5-8 tells us to do this.  It mentions that Christ put himself below others to bring them up.  He did not hold on to his rights and prerogatives.  He was willing to lay them aside to serve others.  You might think you have the right to avoid relating to difficult people.  But the mindset of Christ doesn't leave room for that.  So, think about Christ and his humbling himself by becoming a man and then dying on the cross for you.  Then incorporate that mindset into your thoughts towards the church. If Christ wasn't too good for it, then neither are we.

Related to this, you can make progress in this sort of unifying humility by thinking of the church as your family.  You can remind yourself that this is your brother or sister in Christ, one for whom Christ died.  Just think of how often the Scripture speaks of Christians as "brothers and sisters."  Just like a family, we don't put our own needs and desires ahead of others.  Instead, we look to serve the interests of others.

I'll bring this to a close, but think of how many areas of church life this principle affects.  Song selection (the older like this...the young like this...both prefer the other), what type of events are planned, how we use our time, etc. Humility promotes unity in every area of church life.  So, let's exercise humility. 

"An Open Letter to the Church on Singleness"

Sam Alberry has a short, helpful letter (at crossway.org) reminding us why the Bible's teaching on singleness is important for the whole church to be aware of.

His three reasons are

1. The Bible's teaching on singleness is given to the whole church (1 Cor. 7)
2. Most who are married will one day be single again prior to heaven
3. The local church is a body. 

It is this last point that is most helpful. He writes,

We’re a body. So what happens to some of us, therefore, affects all of us. When I stub my toe, it is not just my toe that suffers, I suffer. If some of us in the church are struggling, it hurts all of us. We’re invested in one another, therefore I need to know what the Christian life is like for you in your situation, and you need to know what it’s like for me in mine.

He goes on to say that this implies that singles ought to be concerned about healthy marriages and married folks ought to be concerned about seeing healthy singleness in the church family.  

He is right in writing this.  The metaphor of the church being a body indicates the need for a common concern and investment in the lives of one another.  Marriage and singleness are not who we are, but our marital status is a significant experience and provides direction for how we will honor Christ. 

May God grant us to have genuine love, fellowship, and humility so that we might know one another and spur one another on in the faith.

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Disciple and Be Discipled

A disciple is a learner and follower. Not like following someone on twitter where you just read their tweets and move on. It is a use of mental energy to learn and spiritual energy to apply what is learned. It is not simply knowledge accumulation but also wisdom in applying truth and growth in Christlikeness.

Jesus commanded all Christians to "make disciples" of all nations. We gave some thought to that responsibility in the last post on sharing the gospel. In this post, we note that making disciples of Jesus isn't simply sharing the gospel and seeing them enter into the family of God. It also involves "teaching them to obey all that [Jesus] commanded."

This isn't something we do merely for new converts, though just as with a newborn the intensiveness of care will be greater for a new believer than a mature one. Instead, we do this for one another. Specifically, those who are older and more mature in their following Jesus are to disciple those younger and less mature in the faith. Titus 2 makes this clear. God expects older men and women to teach what fits with true and healthy Bible doctrine - that is what sort of living and believing and character fits with God's truth. They do this by being real-life examples of right doctrine lived out.

Almost all of us will be further along than others in learning the ways and truth of Jesus. And almost all of us will be less mature than others in the faith. So, we all have a calling to be a learner and be a trainer. This happens as we gather together and intentionally seek out those from whom we can learn. Perhaps it is making it a point to get to know an older godly man or woman and to chat with them regularly after church about what God is teaching you and what he is teaching them. Perhaps it is writing notes of encouragement to a younger guy (if you are a guy) or girl (if you are a woman). Perhaps it is a more formal meeting up with an older man (for men) or woman (for women) to study the Bible and pray and receive accountability and encouragement.

Regardless of what it form it takes, discipleship is part of the job description of members in a local church. It is not only the job of the pastors. Paul makes this clear in Titus 2 and in Colossians. In Colossians, he says it is his goal as a minister to see others mature in Christ:

Him we proclaim, warning everyone (Greek is noutheteo) and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Col 1:28).

Lest we think it is a job solely for pastors, later, in chapter three, he says:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing (Greek is noutheteo) one another in all wisdom (Col 3:16a).

So this "teaching" and "admonishing" is for all of us to be a part of. It might look different for a college student or young mom, or retired man, etc. We all have different opportunities, giftings, etc. But one constant is that it is flowing from the "word of Christ" (Col 3:16). So it is not us trying to make others our disciples. We are following Jesus and seeking to help others follow Jesus. What this means is that I don't try to make someone look like all my idiosyncratic ways of applying Scripture. Instead, we might say, "Here is what God says in his Word, and here is how I work that out as a Christian. You might work out the details a bit differently, but let me help you work it into your life. Following Jesus means finding a way to apply this to your life."

If you are looking for a place to start, why not spend some time praying that Jesus would give you a sense of your need and a humility to seek to learn his ways from others in the church who are wielding and living the Word. And why not ask him to help you find ways to do the same for others who are less mature too. After that, you might want to spend some time thinking about discipleship (especially if this idea is new for you).

Two Resources to help you think about discipleship: 

Titus 2:1-8 

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 

The short book entitled Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus by Mark Dever (there is a copy in the church library).

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Share the Gospel

Share the Gospel

Continuing the series on the responsibilities of a church member, we now turn from our role in preserving the gospel to our sharing the gospel.

The great commission is familiar to us. But, perhaps, we quietly insert something into it.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore [all who are extroverted and smooth in speech] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (bracketed text added by me to bad effect)

Do you see what we might quietly add to the great commission? In reality, however, this is not a call to an elite group of Christians. It is not a call only for pastors. It is a call for all of God's people. The promise at the end of these verses is for all Christians, so too is the command that the promise undergirds.  Jesus is with all Christians to the end of the age, and his call to make disciples is the mantle all Christians bear.

As a member of the church, one of your responsibilities is to share the good news and to disciple Christians (more on this aspect in a future post). We are to seek to share the gospel with family members, friends, neighbors, classmates, and others we encounter.  Not every conversation will be about the gospel. And not all gospel conversations will be a full laying out of the gospel. We don't try and force people to listen to us share the gospel, and we don't merely try to get through a checklist of facts. But, we do have the responsibility to share the gospel. 

And we do this not only individually but through the corporate witness of the body of Christ. Our love for one another (which requires us being together and living the Christian life as a body) is a way the world will know that we belong to Jesus. Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

For a good book on the topic of evangelism, check out Mack Stiles Marks of the Messenger: knowing, living and speaking the Gospel. 

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Preserve the Gospel

Help Preserve the Gospel  

The gospel message, the good news of God about salvation, is what creates a redeemed people. If we don't have the gospel, then we don't have the people of God, the church. Paul says in Ephesians 3 that the mystery of Christ (the anointed, promised one of God who would save his people from sin) was not fully revealed, at least not in flesh and blood, until the coming of Jesus who is the Christ and creation of one body - Jew and Gentile. So the gospel message is what creates the church. 

Since the gospel is the foundation, the church, made up of its members, is responsible for guarding this central truth against error. In Galatians, Paul rebuked the entire congregation for turning away from the gospel to false teachings (Gal 1:6, 3:1. He didn't just rebuke the leaders. Why? Because we all have a responsibility to cling to and preserve the only good news of God. 

So, I take from this, that each member has a responsibility to guard and cling to the gospel. Personally guarding oneself from false teaching concerning how a person is made right with God. Also, listening to the teaching in the church and being sure it does not "go off the rails" when it comes to the gospel. If it does, there needs to a loving, humble, and bold effort to bring correction. 

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Affirm Citizens of God's Kingdom

Help Affirm Citizens of God's Kingdom  

In baptism and church membership we are acting like an embassy of Heaven. We are affirming a person's claim to belong to the Kingdom of God (note this is different than placing them in or out of the Kingdom - God alone does that work).  Baptism pictures that a person has been united with Jesus in his death and resurrection. It is a public declaration which is administered by the church. When we gather to observe this ordinance, we are not merely spectators but serving as witnesses and agreeing that we believe the baptismal candidate has a credible profession of faith. Church membership gives visible "borders" to those who belong to Christ. Church means an assembly of people. And when we receive new members we are saying they are part of the assembly of those who are born again, as best as we can tell. We are saying we believe this person has been brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of the Son of God. 

The same is true in church discipline, but it is the opposite side of the coin. If a member stubbornly sides with their sin over Jesus and refuses to repent, then we are to clearly assert that we can no longer vouch for their being part of God's Kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul tells the congregation (not just its leaders) to remove the man persisting in sin. They aren't to disassociate with unbelievers who persist in sin (though they are not to live like the unbelievers). Instead, they are to disassociate with those who claim to be brothers (in the family of God) who are clinging to evil. Why? Because the person who is claiming to belong to God's Kingdom while living in a way that sides with the Kingdom of Satan should not be affirmed as belonging to God's Kingdom. And it is the church members who have this role. 

So, as a member of a church, you are responsible to participate in baptism, receiving members, and removing members. 

Responsibilities of a Church Member: Gather Regularly

I am teaching a couple of the membership matters classes, so I have church membership on the brain. I read an article by Jonathan Leeman at the Gospel Coalition a while back about the job responsibilities of church members. That has inspired this series of posts about the responsibilities of church members. Over the next few posts (I am not sure how many yet), I will list and discuss a few responsibilities of members. I hope it encourages you in fulfilling your God-given role.

Gather with the Church Regularly 
Hebrews 10:24-25 says we are not to forsake (leave behind, neglect) our gathering together. There are times when we can't gather (illness, a season at work that is busier than normal).  But, we are not to intentionally or unintentionally let gathering together fall by the wayside.

In addition, each member has giftings which the Spirit has given for us to use in building up the body. The spiritual gifts are not simply for our own upbuilding, but that of the body (the church). So, the implication is that we must be together to do just that.

Finally, Colossians 3:16 says we are to admonish and encourage one another with hymns and spiritual songs and with the Word of God. So, our singing outloud together and our speaking to one another about the Word of God is a key part of our calling as Christians in a local church. And this requires that we gather together in worship.

The next responsibilities can only be fulfilled if you do this one. As Jonathan Leeman wrote, "Attendance makes everything else possible."

Holding Your Horses - The Importance of Baptism

I was reading several weeks ago in Acts 8:26-40. In this passage, we encounter a man, a royal official (eunuch) from Ethiopia. Philip, a Christian, comes upon the Ethiopian who happens to be sitting on the tailgate of his chariot reading a part of the Old Testament. Specifically, he is reading a passage about the coming Savior (Isaiah 53). Philip asks him what he is reading, and the Ethiopian admits he isn't able to understand who the sheep that is lead to slaughter is in the passage.

Here is an excerpt from what happened next (35-39):

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Philip shared the good news about Jesus and the man believes! There are many lessons here about evangelism, the power of God's Word, and the sovereignty of God in salvation. But here is something I noticed for the first time. The Ethiopian, after hearing the good news, is the one who says, "hold the horses, there is water right there, can you baptize me?" (New Ben Translation). Philip, in sharing "the good news about Jesus," must have included Jesus' command for all his followers to be baptized (Matt. 28:18-20). Otherwise, how did the man know about baptism? It is clear that baptism does not make a person right with God (justification is by faith alone). Nonetheless, baptism is not unimportant or a nice thing for those who enjoy that sort of thing. 

In summary, my point is not that we must talk about baptism while sharing the gospel, but rather to show that baptism is not a "take it or leave it" type of thing. Philip included it in his overview of the good news of Jesus. And notice that the man who was baptized "went on his way rejoicing." He came to know Jesus as his Savior and Lord, and, so, he was quite happy. Baptism was the public testimony to that inward reality and, I would argue, magnified his joy.

Here is a closing illustration will highlight what I mean. Wearing a wedding ring isn't necessary for a marriage covenant to be real, but most couples are not indifferent to picking out a ring and exchanging them on their wedding day. They aren't indifferent to the ring and, in fact, they delight in it because of what it signifies. It is a physical picture of the commitment they are making to one another.  In the same way, baptism isn't necessary for our being united to Jesus. But that doesn't mean we are indifferent to sign of our covenant with him. We are glad to publically identify with the lover of our soul.

If baptism is a new concept for you, check out the booklet on baptism and communion at our church's website. If you are a believer in Jesus and have not been baptized since placing your faith in Him, contact one of the pastors to discuss baptism and get any questions you have answered.

Why Join a Local Church in College

Becoming a member of a local church is important. Occasionally I like to link to an article on the topic - mainly because it is such an important issue which is not often well understood. Here is an article at the Gospel Coalition site entitled "Fellow College Students, Please Join a Local Church." 

Below are his main points, but the whole thing is short and worth a read.

1. To be watched over by church leaders. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Heb. 13:17).
2. To be discipled by older church members. “Older women likewise are . . . to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:3–5).
3. To build up the church. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–13).
4. To learn to love those Jesus loved. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25).

"Why the Church Needs Intergenerational Friendships"

Do all your friends fit within your own age demographic? What might you be missing out on if this is the case? How might this be counterproductive not only in your own spiritual life but in the spiritual health of a local church?

Unfortunately, we are much like electricity, following the path of least resistance, when it comes to friendships. But when we do this, we fail to maintain and participate in the unity God has built into the body of Christ.  We can miss out on hearing more of God's great works, as Psalm 71: says,

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come (v. 18). 

I recently read an article at the gospel coalition blog by Joseph Rhea entitled, "Why the Church Needs Intergenerational Friendships." In his article, Rhea lists several of the benefits of friendships across generational lines and some of the hard work associated with developing such friendships. Below are some excerpts, but you really should read the short article.

Benefits:

1. Wisdom "The most obvious gain is the wisdom that comes from perspectives other than our own."
2. Wonder "Learning the stories of God’s work in wildly different situations leads to wonder at his power and character."
3. Godliness He lists several areas, but one is love. He writes, "Loving someone different from me requires me to love more deliberately. I’m going to have to ask more questions and listen better. To hear things I don’t understand and maybe things I don’t agree with. I might have to sacrifice things on my schedule or my style. But developing that intergenerational friendship will make me into a more maturely loving person."

What it takes to gain these benefits (ie. to form intergenerational friendships). 

1. I must be willing to push through discomfort.
2. I must speak and listen charitably.
3. I must elevate Jesus above all else. 

A quick word about peer friendships. For some, it is hard to develop friendships with peers and, maybe, easier to do this with older folks. It is good to have those friendships with older folks, but don't neglect the benefits and unity with believers your own age within the church body. If you think they are too immature for you, then ask yourself, how should a mature believer respond to those that are immature? What does Christian love look like in such situations? 

"Pride Poisons Ethnic Harmony"

A good (4 min) video from a sermon by John Piper on how the gospel's pride killing nature is necessary to dealing with racial tensions. His main point begins around the 1:40 mark.



May our church be one marked by the humility of the gospel and a growing diversity which proves to the watching world that the gospel is the power of God of reconciliation to him and to one another.

What the Church Should Do Post-Election

Here are a few good quotes, about what we ought to do after the election, from Russell Moore's article "President Trump: Now What for the Church?"

1. "The first thing, of course, is to pray for our soon-to-be President Trump. The Bible commands us to pray for “all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Moreover, the Scripture tells us to give “honor to whom honor is due” (Rom. 13:7). Many of us have deep differences with our new president, and would have no matter which candidate had been elected, but we must pray that he will succeed in leading our country with wisdom and justice." 
2. "maintain a prophetic clarity that is willing to call to repentance everything that is unjust and anti-Christ, whether that is the abortion culture, the divorce culture, or the racism/nativism culture. We can be the people who tell the truth, whether it helps or hurts our so-called “allies” or our so-called “enemies.”"
3. "Moreover, no matter what the racial and ethnic divisions in America, we can be churches that demonstrate and embody the reconciliation of the kingdom of God. After all, we are not just part of a coalition but part of a Body—a Body that is white and black and Latino and Asian, male and female, rich and poor. We are part of a Body joined to a Head who is an Aramaic-speaking Middle-easterner."
4. "The most important lesson we should learn is that the church must stand against the way politics has become a religion, and religion has become politics. We can hear this idolatrous pull even in the apocalyptic language used by many in this election—as we have seen in every election in recent years—that this election is our “last chance.”...Such talk is not worthy of a church that is already triumphant in heaven, and is marching on earth toward the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ."
5. "We should be ready to pray and preach, to promote the common good and to resist injustice. We will pledge allegiance to the flag, but we will pledge a higher allegiance to the cross." 

Even under Persecution, Church in Iran Grows

In Sunday school, we looked at how believers ought to have a desire to not forsake gathering together. I mentioned how even persecution doesn't quell this desire (see Hebrews 10:24-25 - the situation of those he is writing to is one involving persecution).

The Gospel Coalition has a a modern example from our brothers and sisters in Iran. It is entitled "5 Ways Persecution in Iran has Backfired." I hope you find it encouraging.

Why Christians Need to be Part of a Church

In an culture that reeks of individualism, we, as Christians, must often remind ourselves that God has placed us into a family and body with other Christians. By definition we are not to be "lone rangers."

In an article entitled, "Yes Christian, You Need the Church," Josh Buice gives some ammunition for us to combat the pull towards personal preference and individualism. Below are the main headings, but the whole thing is a helpful read (the article is short, so give it a read).

We Need the Church for:

1. Worship – Not Entertainment or Performance
2. Spiritual Development
3. Christ-Centered Friendship
4. Biblical Leadership
5. Missions

If you are wondering what a healthy church looks like, check our 9marks.org for some biblical thinking.