Thankful in All Things

The Apostle Paul said few things that are harder to live out than being thankful in all circumstances (Eph. 5:20; I Thess. 5:18). Times can be rough. Pain and suffering are widespread. Relationships are bruised or broken. Life goes on when all desire to live has ceased. The best laid plans fall flat on their face. Dreams come crashing down. Helplessness and hopelessness are far more common than either help or hope.

Then Paul rises up before us and says, "In all things give thanks!" We have to ask what world is this guy living in. Is he for real? Does he know what life is all about? Has he had to sacrifice more than a little comfort? What does he know about pain, long term pain? What does he know about broken bones and broken hearts?

We want to point our finger in his face and tell him that he knows nothing about the depth of agony one can experience in this life. We want to tell him that he hasn't experienced the day in and day out struggles we have in this 21st century world. Sure, he can give thanks, but he has no right to expect that from someone who has to live in this day and time.

I see Paul going quiet and rather introspective. Then he quotes a few selections from some of the letters he wrote to the churches he helped start. He might mention 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 or 12:7-10. Maybe he would throw in part of his letter to the Philippians, 4:10-13, to show how he had made it through all the times of sacrifice. He would say that yes, times could be very difficult, dangerous, even life-threatening. Yet even in the worst of times we can and should give thanks.

Paul might tell us that in the midst of tragedy, God can still bring out good (Romans 8:28). Even in the midst of suffering and pain, we can see God's hand at work to make us stronger. Paul would tell us that God is greater than any natural or moral evil that may come upon us. We cannot settle for the short view. A much bigger picture demands our attention. Even in the worst of times, we can give thanks because God is sovereign and can bring something better out of the mess we might be facing.

Perseverance might be seen as an active waiting. God wants us to persevere through the rough times because he has something better waiting for us. We might not experience that something better if we don't hang in there. Heed the lesson of the butterfly escaping from its cocoon. We don't just sit back and wait. We are working with God to prepare ourselves for what he has planned. That's perseverance. That's walking and working by faith. Paul says we are to rejoice in the midst of the struggle, not because we are struggling but because the struggle produces something beautiful that could never be without the pain (Romans 5:1-5).

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in America. This day is special to our country. It is a unique part of our national history. For followers of Jesus Christ like the Apostle Paul, it should be a standard part of our daily existence. Every day should be a day of thanksgiving. It's not easy. Sometimes we have to look hard to find a reason to believe that good is on its way. Sometimes we have to be thankful simply because God is in control and not us.

The Persecuted Church

November 13 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The event is sponsored and promoted by such organizations as The Voice of the Martyrs, <persecution.com>. The free Church of the west would do well to remember its many brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who must worship their God in darkened rooms and secret places in wilderness areas. Persecution is real. Loss of financial support, jobs, homes, health, and even life are risks that believers of Christ must often face if they seek to remain faithful.

Throughout the year I notice how our nation remembers those who have contributed to its strength and progress. Not all notables are military. We memorialize those who have made life safer, easier, and its materials and cultural blessings more accessible to more people. We have celebrations, parades, speeches, offer awards and examples to those who have succeeded and to those who would follow.

How do we as Christians measure up in celebrating the heroes of our Father's Kingdom? Even setting aside some names that would raise disagreement, we have more than enough martyrs in our faith heritage to give us reason to remember with pride those who have gone before. Not considering the martyrs, individuals beyond count have made sacrifices that resulted in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. They turned their backs on family, material comforts, and positions of privilege. Do our church members celebrate these individuals? Do our church members know what they have done? Do our church members know their names?

David Platt, pastor of the Church at Brook Hills, has a special interest in the persecuted church, the Secret Church, due to his contact with them in various countries. His broadcasts of Bible studies under that name have been received by more than 50,000 people at a time through simulcasts. His experiences in working with the persecuted church have led him to see the strength of the church can never be in its material image or possessions but only in its faithful sacrifice. His book, Radical, is a result of this faith pilgrimage.

At least once a year our churches should remember that not all Christians enjoy religious freedom. We should remember that many Christians are paying heavy prices for living out their faith. We should remember that the freedom to worship openly without government interference is a blessing and a freedom granted by man and as such can be taken away by man. We should also remember that the strength of our faith is not determined by the laws of the land but by the Lord of our hearts. Our persecuted brethern know that all too well.

My plea is that on at least one day of the year our churches remember that the strength of our own fairh may well be dependent upon the faithful prayers of individuals who cannot share their prayers. The strength of our faith may be dependent upon the faithful lifestyles of individuals for whom such a lifestyle will result in imprisonment, torture, or death. It may well be that as we enjoy our freedom to worship, we do so because people who have no such freedom are praying for us. Let us take the time to pray for them.

Halloween Is a Lie

(A little time spent indisposed while dealing with a minor medical problem kept this entry from going out on the proper date. It's late, but I wanted to address the subject anyway. TL)

When we look past the cute costumes (some of them at least) and the creative pumpkins and the incredible edible chocolate, we have to admit that Halloween is just a lie. Costumes and masks, the threat of tricks if we don't get treats, and games of skill designed to take very little skill make Halloween a time when we throw reality out the window. We have a great time in pretending, but we know that it is all just a lie.

Sad to say we carry that into our churches. To say someone has lied or to call them a liar to their face is a rather harsh way to say that we disagree with the veracity of their statements. Society frowns upon such blunt statements of disagreement. The recent episode which got a member of Congress censored because he said, "You lie!" in the middle of a presidential address is a prime example. We can disagree with how someone is handling facts or making up facts, but the use of the term "lie" or any of its derivatives is not acceptable in polite company.

Jesus didn't use the word lie very often. His favorite word for such occasions where words and actions contrasted was hypocrite. The intent was the same and his listeners had the same response that modern society has to the word lie. Being told that your lifestyle does not reflect your words does not make for pleasant conversation. Yet Jesus never hesitated when the situation called for the unpleasant task of stating the truth.

In our churches we allow power plays to take place based upon lies and half truths, lies that just sound better. We tolerate it from church leaders because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. We accept it from our ministry staffs because we believe the work of finding another pastor or staff member whom we can trust is not worth the effort of stirring up a confrontation. We allow the hypocrites to destroy the Body of Christ because we believe that any action we take will cause even more serious damage. There is little damage that can be done to the Body of Christ that is more severe than the toleration of lies.

In recent months I have seen this in action as pastors twist history to give themselves a better resume. I have seen it among members who redefine the playing field through deception to keep themselves in power. I have seen it among committee leaders who make decisions based ostensibly upon doing the will of God when it is apparent to everyone that the decisions reflect a self-centered and self-supporting agenda.

We do not expect truth to rule the world when the lord of the world is the father of lies. Within the Body of Christ, however, we should and must expect better. Standing up for the truth got Jesus crucified. Standing up for the truth is never a healthy thing for the individual to do in the eyes of the world. Yet when we bring the deceit of Halloween into the patterns of church life, then we have handed the Body of Christ over to the father of lies. God's judgment will not be pretty.

Why Party?

Tis the season for fall festivals, Neewollah celebrations, and blatant, in-your-face efforts to Christianize a Halloween party. I like to party. I like going to fall festivals hosted by the different churches in my association. I like seeing the various costumes that parents can force their children to wear, even convincing some kids they really like what they are doing, regardless of how hot they get.

The question is are our churches just creating another opportunity for their members to escape the drudgery of their daily existence. If that is the case, then someone needs to do an evaluation of how much work is involved in pulling off a high quality fall festival. It takes a lot of work and time and often money. Is that what our churches are all about?

If we are using these festivals to reach out into our communities and say, "Hey, guys, Christians know how to have fun too, and we don't have to celebrate the demonic and all the bloodletting to do it either", then that might be a good reason. It should be a description, however, of how we Christians live our lives every day. I say we can still find a better reason.

If the reason we have fall festivals or whatever we call them is to create a context in which we can meet the unchurched of our communities in what is a safe environment for them, then we need to look at what we do and see if that is accomplishing our goal. Giving their kids a calorie rush and sending them on their way may not be the most effective way we can impact our community families. I suggest we examine how we intend to impact these families beyond encouraging them to visit the dentist on a regular basis.

Fall festivals and others such events can and should be safe places for the community to meet the church family. Physical and relational safety are paramount priorities. Feel-good environments are hard to find and creating one for the community is always appreciated especially when the focus is on children. The church with its emphasis upon love-based relationships is the ideal group to produce this sort of  context.

The enduring impact, however, is where congregations too often miss their golden opportunity. By focusing upon the feel-good event, the chance to offer a meeting with the gospel of Jesus Christ is often skipped. By avoiding the appearance of being confrontational, we avoid a gospel conversation altogether. This need not be regardless of the physical set-up of the event.

As a minimum every church that hosts a fall festival style event needs to discover a way to register everyone who attends no matter what their current relationship with the church might be. Follow-up on non church members needs to be immediate and by people who will be visible when these guests decide to explore your church family. Greeters, Sunday School teachers, and other class workers are ideal people to be involved in this follow-up.

The church needs to make available information about its own ministry opportunities for anyone who might be unfamiliar with the work of this particular congregation. Offer free copies of the Bible, New Testament, or the Gospel of John, whatever is possible. Offer free issues of Christian life magazines and devotional guides especially if they have the plan of salvation laid out somewhere in their pages.

Open the door for community members to ask questions. Have church members wear a button that tells they are a local church member or may simply have the words "Ask Me!" They can carry around church brochures or the previous Sunday's order of service to hand out to guests who are not familiar with the ministries of the church. With our multicultural context, have information available in languages most common in the community other than English.

A high quality fall festival event requires a lot of work, planning, and people power. Don't let it pass with nothing more than a sigh of relief. Make it count for the Kingdom of God!

Associational Annual Meetings: Past-dwellers or Future-feeders?

It dawned on me that this was a lot like the many church homecomings I have attended. Special reports highlighted what had happened in the previous year. We counted the numbers that showed something had progressed or regressed. We heard multiple sermons. We visited with a lot of people we hadn't seen in a year. And we ate, a lot. After it was over, the question still remained. Was the effort worth it for what we accomplished for the Kingdom of God?

Sometimes it's hard to remember that the priority for our actions is to glorify God and strengthen the work of his Kingdom. We have our reports to make about what we have done. We talk a lot about what we need to do. We strengthen our relationships with other Christians both as individuals and as churches. And we eat, a lot.

Associational annual meetings have multiple purposes. They strengthen fellowship between sister churches at work for the Kingdom of God. They educate the various members about what has worked, what has not worked, what has been done, what has not been done, and who has done it or not done it. They inspire others to try what they have never tried before. They shed light on the unknown and so provide encouragement for churches to go where they have never gone before. They also provide another opportunity to eat, a lot.

Are these good enough reasons to have these annual gatherings of a population that has more white hair, or less hair, each year? With time being our most valuable commodity, is this the best way to spend this asset? If we are to involve the younger generation on the associational level as the state convention is seeking to do on that level, are we focusing on the right purposes? These annual gatherings meant much to our parents in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's when they represented critical times of mutual support. It's doubtful those same  reasons exist today.

If we asked the under 40 crowd today what would be the primary purpose for gathering in an annual associational meeting, what might they tell us? The first response might be, why meet? We have skype if we want to see each other. We have webinar conferencing if we need to get into a group discussion. We have live streaming if we want to hear a sermon or special music. We have fax and email if we need document transfer. We can even vote by hitting a button on our computers if that is necessary. Why meet?

Why meet indeed? This old 20th century guy missed at least half the methods of communication now available for use instead of coming together at a physical location. Yet there is that one form of communication that is missed in all the above that may be the most compelling reason for having annual meetings. We communicate through touch and visual cues when face to face. Few of our electronic means of communication allow these forms to take place. We are the poorer without them.

We are becoming a touch starved society. We may live in the 21st century, but we are creatures that need personal touch. We may have our personal space that no one should enter, but we need others who will approach that space and share their lives with us. We need people in proximity. Infants desperately need physical touch. Because we age does not mean that that need disappears for the continuing development of a healthy personality. Observe any elderly person when you put your arm around their shoulder in that gentle, supporting fashion!

Without a doubt we need to be in a constant process of evaluating why we meet. What do we hope to accomplish? Did we accomplish what we set out to do? If we didn't, what needs to change? How can we through the process tell everyone they are important and have a role to play in the future of the association? How do we pass the future of the church into the hands of the next generation? It will happen. We might as well plan how to do it.

My closing suggestions:
1. Minimize the organizational business.
2. Magnify worship, celebration, and inspiration.
3. Maximize intergenerational activities.
4. Multiply opportunities for involvement.
5. Mercifully avoid alliteration if at all possible.

We need associational annual meetings. We need short meetings. We need focused meetings We need the in-person connection. We need to worship together. We need to celebrate together as a family, a family of all ages.  We need to eat together, just not as much.

Death's Impact Can Be Limited

The recent death of a cousin brought to mind once more the mortality of life here on earth. Since the church is often described as a living organism (and perhaps the association as well, manmade though it might be), I was once more reminded of the decision that is faced by those in both a local congregation and an association who must decide if it is time for that organism to cease to exist, to die, or if prayer and resources should be devoted to reviving it. The decision should never be easy for a congregation any more than it is for the family who decides if artificial life support must be removed from a loved one.

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." John Donne: The Tolling Bell - A Devotion

Commentary on the Rev. Donne's thoughts indicate that he was inspired to write this devotion by hearing the bells of a local church announce the death of a member of the community. He says in other parts of the essay that it is not important for him to know who it was that had died, only that a member of his community was gone. He did not have to know the individual to know that his community was lessened because of the loss.

So it is with a family, but it is not so with the Kingdom of God and its citizenry. For a congregation to pass from existence is not to remove its impact and value from the Kingdom of God. To a lesser extent the same can be said of an association. Since God does not measure time by human events, we cannot allow our decisions to be based upon our limited perspective of importance. God looks at eternity. Our sense of value and importance should also be based upon that. At the recent funeral our grief was tempered by the fact that our belief said this loved one's life was not over. It had only transitioned into a more glorious one that the rest of us would one day share with her.

An association or a convention is lessened by the death of a congregation. That does not mean that its impact is lost. While alive that congregation may have impacted hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. Through those individuals future generations would also be affected by the faith that was passed on. The life and value of a congregation can no more be measured by its earthly remains than that of a human being.

At Pentecost God created the Church, not a local congregation. God's Church will have an eternal existence as the Bride of Christ. The local congregation was established to fulfill a purpose in a local setting with worldwide influence. Its eternal life was never guaranteed by anyone. To hold on to it when all viable life is gone is as selfish and unproductive as to force a beloved family member to stay on artificial life support when all possibility of human interaction is gone. The decision is never easy, but love can provide the strength especially for the follower of Christ.

My family is diminished when a member dies. At the same time the family has been expanded as three weddings in one year have added new members. We rejoice as our relationships are increased. We grieve as we are forced to give up one who has been with us for so long. Even in our grief, however, we rejoice at the positives that will go on for generations as stories are told and memories recounted.

If the local congregation must cease to exist because its productive life has ended, then let us rejoice at the influence it has had, the lives that have been transformed through its ministry, and the example it leaves for others to follow. We will be diminished in our earthly numbers, but the Kingdom of God will have lost nothing. Let us rejoice that God is not diminished because our numbers have changed.

When Deacons "Deac"

With every decade new books and studies are written on the role of deacons. Now that elders are becoming more acceptable for Baptists, the same may start to be true for that office as well. In this brief essay I do not intend to write a new book on the role of a deacon. What I do want to offer is a few suggestions about making the office of deacon more effective in the local church. With having encountered the power of deacons a few times in recent weeks, I felt this was an opportune time.

How much power should a deacon have to determine church climate, direction, and priorities? What decisions to deacons make for a church? For what areas of church life are they to be responsible? What should their qualifications be? How long should they be recognized as active in service? For what should a deacon be responsible if he retires from active ministry service? Is such retirement an option for a deacon?

Every church will arrive at its own answers to the above questions. As long as we operate as autonomous congregations with no hierarchy outside to dictate our actions, this will remain so. My prayer is that as they answer these questions, churches will allow the biblical text to guide their discussion more than tradition or some self-appointed church patriarch.

In Acts 6 the Apostles determined there was a problem within the Body. They asked the Body to choose seven men with specific character qualities to solve the problem. They were given one particular task by those they were intended to serve (diaconos = servant, table waiter). Beyond the task of making sure the hungry poor in their midst received proper care, the responsibilities of those deacon are not stated.

The character of a deacon receives much greater emphasis. Not only do we have the three qualities mentioned in Acts 6: good reputation (witness) in the community, full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom, but we also have the long list in I Timothy 3:8ff. Too often churches become so involved in determining if a woman can be a deacon, or if a divorced man can be a deacon, or if a single man can be a deacon, that they never get around to reading the rest of the qualifications that Paul enumerates. I might add that pastors should come under the same scrutiny.

Let me share my list of overlooked qualities at this point:
1. Anyone who serves as a deacon should be an upstanding member of the community held in high respect by believers and unbelievers alike. (Acts 6:3)
2. Anyone who serves as a deacon should be grounded in and guided by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 6:3)
3. Anyone who serves as a deacon should be guided by divine wisdom, not worldly common sense. (Acts 6:3, James 3:17)
4. Anyone who serves as a deacon should already have the reputation of seeing material possessions as belonging to God and are to be used for his service before personal comfort and position. (I Tim. 3:8)
5. Anyone who serves as a deacon must have the reputation of being truthful and trustworthy to the point of bringing on personal pain before hurting someone else. (Psalm 15:4)
6. Anyone who serves as a deacon must have shown both within and outside the Body of Christ that the qualifications already exist before taking on the office. (I Tim. 3:10)
7. Anyone who serves as a deacon must show that his household is following in the ways of Christ including the children while living as minors at home. (I Tim. 3:12)
8. Anyone who serves as a deacon must have a commitment to continued spiritual growth and understanding. (I Tim. 3:9)
If our deacons, male or female, had these heart-deep qualities, quite a few of our church controversies would disappear.

Now what would I like to see deacons doing?
1. Support their pastor 100%. If there is a problem, keep it between the pastor and the deacon in private conversation until it is obvious church life is being hurt. Disagreement is not the same as damage.
2. Know the families of the church well. Communicate regularly. Convey information to the pastor regularly.
3. Encourage members to grow spiritually, develop and use their spiritual gifts for the welfare of the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God, and show their love of neighbor through concrete action.
4. Be the first to be peacemakers in the congregation, encouraging members to find common ground, disagreeing in Christian manner, and showing honor to others above themselves.
5. Be servants to all, lords over none.

Deacons can and should be a blessing to a congregation. Following scriptural guidelines is a great place to begin in making sure the blessing is possible.