A week in Guatemala left me with many concepts floating in my mind….
The first missionaries of the churches of Christ arrived in Guatemala a little over 50 years ago.
There are likely somewhere near 40000 members of Iglesias de Cristo in Guatemala, in about 300 congregations (more or less).
There is a good level of receptivity in some places and many of the churches are growing and new churches are being planted.
An area-wide worship in the Guatemala City on the first Sunday of November had 3500-4000 present.
A few years ago, the Guatemala churches set a goal of planting 100 new churches in the northeastern part of the country–there are currently 49. In February 2014, I will have the privilege of working in a seminar with a group of these churches in the northeastern part of Guatemala.
The churches of Guatemala have an annual conference with an attendance of 4000-5000.
New churches are being planted without U.S. financial support.
It’s Sunday Again: Back to ‘Normal’
After five consecutive Sundays of international travels and time away from Park Plaza, today I am ‘at home.’ In October I worshiped and preached at a house church in Chile with no more than 30 present; last week I was at an area-wide worship assembly in Guatemala City with almost 4000 present on Sunday morning.
On Friday evening in Guatemala I taught the Bible study at a new church established less than a year ago. This church has about 35 present each Sunday and is being established by Guatemalans without U.S. financial support.
Here are some things I want to remember today and every Sunday….
God is among his people wherever they worship, in both small and large assemblies
The gospel is being proclaimed in many different places around the world by God’s people
The gospel bears fruit when it is proclaimed
God is growing the church in marvelous but often unseen ways
The Supper binds us together each Lord’s Day as saints around the world share remembrance of what God has done to redeem and unite a holy people for his glory
Seated in the Heavenlies
Paul uses the phrase, “in the heavenlies,” four times in Ephesians. The phrase does not appear elsewhere in the New Testament. Translators generally feel the need to add a noun and use “heavenlies” as an adjectival modifier, e.g. heavenly places, heavenly realms. In the heavenlies Christians receive every spiritual blessing in Christ; in the heavenlies Christians are seated with Christ. More problematic is that in the heavenlies exist various powers, some of which oppose Christ. It is probably best to understand the heavenlies as a sphere and to avoid words that suggest geographic or place references. The heavenlies exist right now and in some way Christians participate in the heavenlies during the time we live in this world.
My purpose is to suggest some contemporary applications of the concept. What do these verses mean for Christians today?
What we do on this earth has eternal (heavenly) consequences. We are seated in the heavenlies right now and we wage war in the heavenlies in this present life. We are not merely participants in God’s plan and purpose on earth–we are participants in the heavenlies, with God and with Christ. “What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?” is not a selfish question. This is our personal spiritual development. This is motivation for sharing the good news. This is everything we do so that our lives can be an influence for good.
A Bible Problem
It really was not funny (at least not to the person involved), but several people in the Bible class were laughing.
Jan and I were visiting another church, sitting near the back of the auditorium which was only sparsely populated. In the middle of the Bible class we began hearing someone speaking. At first I thought it was interference with the microphone system and that we were hearing feedback from other channels, shortwave, police, etc. Before long, I could tell that the voice was coming from a pew two rows in front of us. It seemed the noise was getting louder.
Finally, the person sitting in front of us got up to exit the class. As we she walked by us she explained, “The Bible on my phone is reading the text to me and I can’t figure out how to turn it off.”
The situation got me to thinking about possible uses for a Bible ap that reads the Bible to you and cannot be turned off. Equally useful would be an ap that turns the Bible on and begins the Bible reading automatically when the owner is contemplating some negative action. Even better, the ap could choose especially appropriate verses.
A more practical thought: In reality, the Bible cannot be turned off. We may choose to read it or not, to hear it or not, but the Bible is still there, and God’s Word is still God’s Word.
It’s Sunday Again: Home and Family
Yesterday I wrote about home and family. This morning we are traveling and are “away from home.” As we prepare to worship with the family of God, I am thinking about how the reflections I wrote yesterday apply to God’s family and our spiritual home. Our spiritual home is usually defined most sharply by our relationships in a local congregation, but Christians have family in many places.
Reflections….
Spiritually, our family is larger than the part we experience regularly in the context of our daily lives.
Our spiritual family is a major part of our identity. Through our church family, we know who we are and are continually reminded of our significance, that others love us, and that others care for us and want to be with us.
In our spiritual family we learn the value of sharing and we become more like Jesus as we serve others. In the deep relationships of a spiritual family, we willingly serve, knowing that others have done and will do the same for us.
In our church family, we invest ourselves in others, seeing the beauty of the past and the hope of the future.
Church is a place where we give without asking how much it will cost or whether we will get anything back in return.
Church is a place of encouragement and strength, a place of laughter and life lived lovingly.
Church is a place where we share life fully, a place where we know that others will welcome us and accept us.
Home and Family
I arrived home late Monday night this week after almost three weeks away.
The sweet reunions and special times spent with family during the week have given me opportunity to reflect upon the importance of home and family. Not only have Jan and I spent more time together this week than during a “normal week”, I also had some one-on-one time with my youngest grandson on Tuesday–climbing trees, looking at pine needles, and enjoying some late afternoon rays from the sun as it treks further south in the sky. Wednesday evening our two oldest sons joined us for homemade pizza and salad before Bible class; Thursday evening Jan and I enjoyed time with Geoffrey and his family–eating out, lingering over the meal, talking about plans for the future (Thanksgiving plans together and Skyla’s plans for college in the spring), agreeing together that ice cream afterward was a bit much, enjoying small talk and sharing life. This weekend Jan and I will get away together for a mini-vacation, and next Tuesday we will make a day-trip to Arkansas to help take care of various issues related to her mother’s ongoing care.
Reflections….
Family is a major influence in our identity, a part of who we are. In family, we are continually reminded of our significance, that others love us, that others care and want to be with us.
Family time depends on quantity. One cannot spontaneously generate “quality time.” Quality time is a serendipity of quantity time.
Family is an opportunity to learn mutuality. In the midst of deep relationships, we do what we do because we confidently know that others have done and will do the same for us.
In family, we invest ourselves in others, seeing the beauty of the past and the hope of the future.
Family is a place where we give without asking how much it will cost or whether we will get anything back in return.
Family is a place of encouragement and strength, a place of laughter and life lived lovingly.
Family is a place where we share life fully, a place where we know that others will welcome us and accept us.
Wisdom
Today I share a “borrowed” thought, origin unknown.
Wolves Within
One evening an old Indian Chief told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
“The one you feed,” replied the Indian Chief.
Effective Leaders are Dreamers and Vision Casters
Steven Covey wrote, “Management works in the system. Leadership works on the system.” Leading up to the 2012 presidential election, President Barack Obama suggested that his first three years were off target to the extent that he thought that getting policy right and people right would fix everything. He admitted that he had at times failed to keep on sharing the dream.
Many leaders face the same temptation. It is easy to confuse management and leadership. It is easy to think that the job of a leader is to get the policies and procedures right, to get the right people in place, and to pay close attention to personal relationships and people connections. These are essential and leaders must at times pay attention to management details, but leadership ultimately fails without dream telling and vision casting. Where are we going? How will the future be different from the past? What opportunities will we seize? How will we overcome the challenges? How will we adjust in a rapidly changing world?
I am thankful for managers who work on HR policies, budgets, and financial stability. I am thankful for managers who help in the development of right attitudes and healthy relationships. Every organization needs a good Chief Operating Officer (COO). But ultimately, the health and future of the organization depends on having a good Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who dreams the dream, sees the vision, sharpens the mission, and shapes the future by sharing a vision of how exciting and bold the future can be. That is the difference between operational management that does things right and executive leadership that does the right things to carry out the mission and follow through on the dream.
Being Church in the World in Which we Live
Today I share some random thoughts concerning the challenges of our contemporary world. How should the church live out the faith of Jesus in the present world?
We live in a religiously divided world; we live in a non-Christian world, we live in a post-modern world.
Some days it seems that everything that was nailed down is coming loose.
That we can be objective is a great myth.
The new paradigm is lack of predictability. With the development of quantum physics, we discovered a world that does not behave the way Newton said it should. It is impossible to pin down, with waves turning into particles and particles into waves. What has mass one moment is pure energy the next, and none of it is predictable. The very act of observing a particle changes its behavior, which destroys the concept of scientific objectivity. A scientist cannot stand outside the world to observe it. The same particles that are busy responding to each other respond to the observer as well, revealing a world that is not made up of manageable things but of constantly changing relationships. It is no longer possible to think of the world as a machine.
The great challenge before humanity is the quest for community. The great challenge before the church is the quest for community. The church that exists in genuine community will touch the world.
It’s Sunday Again: Preparing for Ministry
What was it like to assemble with the church in the first century? What were the attitudes of the Christians as they came together on the Lord’s Day? What did they talk about? What did they think about? Some of the places of assembly may have been public buildings; more often the church assembled in the homes of members.
Did some came early and spent time together before those with work obligations arrived? (Thus the practice in Corinth to partake of the Supper early and separately before the body was totally assembled.) How did they integrate the Lord’s Supper and the agape feast? How much time did they spend together? Did the early church take note of those who were not present? (The Hebrew writer reflects the awareness that some are not assembling regularly.)
Was it during the Sunday assemblies that the letters from Paul and other missionaries were read? How much did the church at Rome think about and pray about Paul’s ministry (Romans 15:14-33)? Did they consider his ministry as their ministry? How did they fulfill the request of Paul for their prayers? Paul obviously hoped that his plans would become the plans of the Roman church.
As I read the text in Romans 15, it occurs to me that Sunday is a great time to prepare ourselves for the ministry or ministries God will present to us in coming days. As we pray about the doors God is opening and will open, we depend on God’s power for his work and prepare ourselves.
Today I am thinking of several things that the church and each individual Christian can accomplish during the praise and reflection of this day, in the assembly and in the way we use the Lord’s Day.
Sunday is a day to look back, but it is also a day of preparation. The first day of the week–what will the week ahead hold? How will our future be devoted to kingdom things? Sunday is a good day to seek fresh preparations for the ministry God wants to accomplish through us.