It’s Sunday Again: Sunday Morning Reflections on the Lord’s Day

It’s Sunday again–no preaching nor teaching obligation today. Early this morning the breeze on the back patio feels cooler than normal–a welcome harbinger of summer’s almost end. Another Lord’s Day–this must make over 3000. I suspect that I have preached on at least 2000 of them.
The opportunity to arise and celebrate God’s presence and power, to meditate and read devotionally is refreshing. I appreciate that John was “in the s(S)pirit on the Lord’s Day.” What an unequalled blessing. No last minute review of notes, no “cramming” to make final adjustments in wordsmithing and to guarantee communication that is just right. Drink deeply at God’s well–it was a job requirement in preaching, now it is pure luxury. During my years of preaching, getting up early on Sunday and preparing heart and mind for worship were a given–now these are a joyful choice.
By the time the rest of my world awakens and thinks about today as a day for worship, the refreshment of worship and communion will be long in my life. Praying for a message from God, for clearer directions, for more opportunities to serve and for the ability to serve faithfully in the opportunities He provides.

I guess not all are “morning persons”–but this is the Lord’s Day. He is calling us to Him, and for the most part our culture still allows us a day with few excuses for failing to come to attention. How interested are we in honoring our Lord and God on this day? Are we serious, or are we just going through the motions?

Reporting on 2010-2011

Many readers of this blog know that about a year ago I finished my full-time ministry commitment with the local church, and that since that time we have devoted our time to various ministry and mission activities. I was recently asked about how it was going and about some of the things we have done, and so I took a few minutes to review the activities for the last year (2010-2011). Because others may also be interested, here is a summary of the ministry and mission activities.

Activities in the U.S.
I have had the privilege of speaking (preaching and teaching) in nine congregations in the U.S. (four states), including an interim work with a congregation that was between preachers. I have continued to provide ministry support for the local church as requested. In addition, I have presented two leadership seminars, preached for several mission emphasis Sundays, provided consulting for churches and leaders, and preached an evangelistic series.

Foreign Mission Work
With regard to mission work, I taught a series of classes at the Pan-American Lectureship in Tegucigalpa, served as a class teacher for two seminarios at Baxter Institute, and preached at four congregations in Honduras. In addition, I served as guest speaker on the national television program in Honduras, La Biblia Abierta (The Open Bible). In Guatemala, I preached and taught at four congregations and a Bible training institute. In Guatemala, I presented a leadership seminar, a family seminar, and spoke at a drug rehabilitation center. I served as a keynote speaker for the Latin American Leadership conference in Houston and enjoyed visits to the Memorial and Northwest congregations. This month, I am scheduled to present leadership development lessons at five congregations in Colombia. We have invitations to Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, and Guatemala, and we are trying to work these into our schedule for 2012 and beyond.

You can see that God is keeping us busy! We are also continuing work on the production of New Life Behavior videos for use in prison work and I write regularly (including a series of devotionals on every chapter in the New Testament) and maintain the website. I also serve as chairman of the board of directors of Association Amicus which oversees the mission work at Baxter Institute and the JMA Clinic in Honduras.

As always, we would be happy to share the good news of what God is doing in this world, both in ministry and missions, with your congregation. Contact us for details.

I’d Give Anything!

You have perhaps heard the story of the church member who in admiration of the visiting preacher’s knowledge of Scripture said, “I’d give anything to know the Bible like you do!” Emphasizing the point, the member gushed, “I’d give my life to know the Bible like you do!”
To which the preacher replied, “That’s exactly what I gave!”

August was a reading and study month for me. I have spent a majority of the days and of my time reading, preparing, studying, and refreshing my knowledge of Scripture. A church secretary once told me, “I think you must spend at least 30 hours each week reading and studying, preparing sermons and classes, reading books, thinking about and talking about the Bible.” That may be a fairly accurate estimate–which got me to thinking….

An estimate: 30 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, for 40 years, equals 60000 hours of study.
A full time job: 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, 30 years, 60000 hours.
The equivalent of 30 years of full-time work–devoted to understanding the Bible and knowing the message of God, devoted to communicating effectively in classes and sermons the essence of what God has revealed about himself and his will for humankind.

I recognize that the estimate may be off a bit–perhaps my secretary was being too generous. Maybe I’ve missed more days than I would like to admit.

I know this–knowing the Bible does not come in little snippets here and there. Preachers: if you are serious about the God-given task you have accepted, become a person of the Book. Devote yourself to reading Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Be diligent in these matters, give yourself wholly to them, persevere in them, because if you do, you will save yourself and those that hear you. Incidentally, I trust that you recognize that the preceding words are not mine, but Paul’s!! [See 1 Timothy 4:13-16.]

Jesus’ Prayer Life

Luke’s Gospel has a frequent focus on prayer. I have been restudying the prayer life of Jesus as part of my preparation for a series of presentations designed for Latin American leadership training.

Jesus’ life reveals a cycle of prayer and power, mountainplace and marketplace. This oscillation hardly seems accidental. Jesus prayed at his baptism (3). [Numbers in parenthesis are chapter numbers.] After 40 days in the desert and his temptation, he ministers with power (4). After spending periods of prayer alone with God, the power of the Lord is present to heal (5). Before he chooses the Twelve, he prays (6). He calms a storm (8) and sends forth his followers with power and authority (9). He is praying before Peter’s confession and Jesus’ announcement of his passion (9). He is praying before the Transfiguration and as he prepares for the journey to Jerusalem–the journey for which he has come to earth (9). He prays powerfully and his disciples ask him to teach them (11). He teaches about persistent prayer and prayer without pride (18). He models prayer in the Garden (22). Luke catches this rhythm of Jesus life in a comparison of 19:47-48 and 21:37-38. He prays on the cross (23). He is recognized by the two men on the Emmaus road when he blesses the bread (24).

What is it God wants from your life? Have you found it possible or impossible, easy or difficult? Could it be that our greatest challenge is our lack of prayer–lack of time spent with God and lack of contact with the power of God in our private mountaintops? Is this the explanation of why his power is absent as we minister and serve in the marketplace?

In Luke 22, Jesus had the custom of prayer–he was accustomed to prayer. Seek your closet and pray. Commune with and communicate with God, find in prayer your commitment and your cup, your cross and the power for conquest. Jesus arose from prayer refreshed and resolute–the disciples arose from sleep weary and tired.

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

We were challenged to think yesterday about the amazing, confident harbor of God’s amazing grace, even when we face seemingly insurmountable odds. Jesus DOES know all about our troubles, and there is indeed no one like him–no not one! What a privilege to walk with him as he walks with us. Thanks, Stan, for super encouraging words.

It’s Sunday Again: Desiring God, Desiring God’s Family

Today we are traveling, but it will not hinder the desires that now after more than half a century of developing habits, are easily and naturally associated with the Lord’s Day. On this day, we will worship God, declaring adoration and praise, thanksgiving and loyalty. We will share time with the spiritual family of God. We will celebrate the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us and for all humanity, and we will look forward with anticipation to what he will do in our lives in the coming week, and ultimately to his return.

It is not hard for us to imagine how those who have never known God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, or the family of God can fail to understand the importance of this time with God and the spiritual family. It is quite difficult to understand how those who have begun the Christian walk can treat worship and family fellowship flippantly or nonchalantly.

I hope you know the importance of seeking God. I hope you know the importance of sharing a community of faith as part of a spiritual family. I would love to hear your reflections on these themes. I would welcome also your questions about how to develop such relationships with God and his people.

How NOT to grow a church!

U.S. culture is enamored with numbers. Churches are into marketing. Some churches seem willing to do almost everything to attract numbers. This tendency can be noted at two extremes. I am amazed at some of the things included in “worship”, for example, the sport of preacher vertical rock wall climbing. I am amazed also at the willingness to exclude, as in the case of consistently short sermons or no biblical preaching at all (which some sermons have attained with stories and entertaining before dinner speeches). The attractional model of church is well entrenched in most places, representing an effort to satisfy church attenders with entertainment, excitement, and minimum boredom.

My friend, Bob Smith who serves as a leader in the church in Edmond, recently sent a quotation that addresses this search for numbers. The quotation is attributed to Jeffrey Gitomer: “Satisfied customers are apathetic. Loyal customers will be your advocate.”

Churches, ministers, and church leaders would do well to ask whether they are seeking satisfied members or loyal members. Satisfied members will show up most Sundays for worship, but will hardly be involved in other church activities. Churches experience a decline in Bible class and Sunday night attendance because of the absence of satisfied members. Churches have trouble attracting satisfied members to special events. Satisfied members will seek to maintain the attractional model and its satisfying activities, but will seldom invite or involve others. (They will tell the minister and elders how good the status quo is, but will be generally apathetic toward additional activities of the church.) Satisfied members generally live at a level of spiritual superficiality. They are consumers and know what they like. They will seek it elsewhere at the drop of a hat.

Loyal members, on the other hand, are faithful advocates for the church. They can be counted on through good times and bad. They are the contributors, they are those who are consistently present, they are those can be counted on in almost every activity. They are the defenders of the church, they speak for it and not against it. Experienced ministers and church leaders can easily add to these descriptions.

How NOT to grow a church! Attract as many “satisfied customer members” as possible. Listen to what they like, and keep on doing more and more (or less and less) of it. Do not worry about the loyal members who tell you they are starving spiritually. But be aware also that you will have to constantly increase the attractional “ante” to keep the satisfied folks coming, because their regular presence is dependent on whatever attracts them–fun, interaction, entertainment, personalities, short sermons, etc.

I will grant that in some few cases, satisfied members can be encouraged to grow and become loyal members. On the other hand, a healthy church is characterized by Christians who are committed and loyal to Christ and his body–not by increasing numbers of satisfied customers.

God Sightings: God Reveals Himself

A popular religious song asks, “Have you seen Jesus my Lord?” The song affirms that Jesus can be seen in numerous aspects of daily life. Theologically, one might ask whether sunset and rolling waves clearly declare Jesus, or God. Can one see the necessity of a Creator God in such experiences, or do such experiences demand the existence also of a Jesus Savior? Despite the theological imprecision, the point of the song is valid.
God has revealed himself in his Word. The purpose of the Bible is to reveal God. This is special revelation.
God is seen in nature. He is visible in our world. These evidences are called natural revelation.

I am working on a devotional series focused on “God sightings.” Where have you seen God? Where have you caught a glimpse of God? I hope to include responses in the devotional series, with credit noted, of course.

84: what you may call 42!

Today is my anniversary. It is also my wife’s anniversary. The sage wrote, “Husbands, even if you don’t have an anniversary, remember that your wife does!” Today Jan and I celebrate 84 years of marriage–42 for her, 42 for me. We started that way when we celebrated one year (6 months each) on Valentine’s Day, 1970. We have continued consistently, celebrating an additional year every August and every February.
It has become a source of nostalgia, remembering the special celebrations shared. It has helped cement our marriage with romance, a sense of the special, and an awareness of life shared. Especially during the years our children were at home, we never quite managed the monthly “night out” (both time and money constraints!), but have always managed to celebrate our marriage.
Happy birthday, darling!

Sharing the Gospel: Prayer and Conversation “Starters”

At the conclusion of Sunday’s sermon, I asked those who wanted to commit to go forth into the world with the spirit of Jesus to raise their hands. I also asked those who would prayerfully seek Jesus’ power so they could touch the lives of others to raise their hands. I would guess that at least 2/3 to 3/4 of those present raised their hands. I have put these two items on my daily prayer list and am praying about them this week.

Last week, I visited with a member who shared her difficulties in starting spiritual conversations. I suggested I might provide a list of conversation starters on my blog. She seemed genuinely excited about the possibility. Coincidentally, in mid-July, my friend James Nored wrote a blog entitled “People sharing faith: Spiritual conversation openers.” You can access his website and blogs at http://www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com. I reprint his thoughts below.

Our challenge is this. In order to be able to share our faith, we have to be able to talk about our faith. Ironically, however, the best way to share our faith is to ask others about their faith and spiritual journey–and listen! Jesus was a master at this, as shown in his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

I found the following spiritual conversation starter questions at http://home.snu.edu/~HCULBERT/assess.htm. See what you think!

General issues
What gives most meaning to your life?
What, or who, are your sources of strength in your day-to-day living?
When you have problems or crises, how do you manage to get through them?
Is religion or God important to you?
In what ways?
If not, is there any particular reason why not?
Wouldn’t you like to have faith in something? [ follow-up material ]

Relationship questions
Does God (or a Higher Power) seem personal to you?
Do you feel close to or far away from God?
What do you imagine that God is like?
Can you point to things that God has done for you?
How is God working in your life right now?
Are you comfortable with what you understand to be God’s guidelines and laws for living?
Do you feel there are barriers of some type separating you from God?
Have you ever been mad or upset with God?
Have you ever done something for which you feel God could not forgive you?
Do you understand the way to forgiveness and what it means?
Do you think God has a plan for each person’s life?
What would it take for you to live up to what God expects of you?

Devotional life and practice
What kinds of religious material do you like to read?
What are your favorite authors, writings?
Do you like religious music? Kinds? Favorites?
Have you read much of the Bible?
Do you understand the Bible when you read it?
Does Bible reading help in living? How?
Is prayer a meaningful part of your devotional life?
Do you feel there is any spiritual growth going on right now in your life?

The Church
Are you involved in a church?
What you get out of being involved in a church?
Which teachings of your church resonate the most with you?
Do you personally know anyone who is the pastor of a church?
Are you a member of an accountability or nurturing group in your church?

Religion and illness, dying and death
Has being ill made any difference in your thinking or feeling about God or your religious faith?
How has being ill affected your devotional life?
When you are ill, do you ever have feelings that God is punishing you or that it is His will for you to be sick?
How do you feel about suffering?
Do you trust God with your future?