For some people, the term “social media” carries with it fears and stigma. For some it is associated with pornography, cyber-bullying, identity theft, loss of privacy, and addiction. But social media in and of itself is not evil. Social media, such as e-mail, cell phones, text and picture messaging, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media provide our society with many benefits. We keep in touch with family and friends anytime and anywhere. We can communicate with our kids and know where they are instantaneously. In the medical field, these media have been instrumental in monitoring patients with a variety of illnesses. In business, social media to market useful products and services. Social media promotes communication among employers and employees, educators and students, and military leaders and their troops. The use of social media has alerted police to potential terrorist acts, preventing the loss of lives of U.S. citizens.

The problem with social media is not the media itself, but the heart of man, meaning the “flesh”, the natural man, the human nature apart from God. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart (of man) is deceitful and desperately wicked”. Think about it. Adam and Eve had it made in the Garden of Eden. Everything was perfect – the weather, the food, the animals, even the marriage. Yet, Adam and Eve found a way to mess it up! Before we cast any blame on them, we need to consider that at some point, we would have messed it up, too!

However we would argue that point, the fact is we are messed up! That’s the bad news. The good news is that Jesus came to redeem us, to fix us, and all of creation that has been messed up by sin. This is the most important message anyone can ever hear, and we have another way to share this good news by way of social media. In just two weeks on Sept. 12, you will have the opportunity to bring someone to church to hear this amazing story of the One and only One who can heal the broken heart and cleanse the sinner from his sin. Since this message matters more than any other in all of life, shouldn’t we use every means possible to let someone know there is hope? Let’s get them back to church to find out what church is really all about, that is to find out about Jesus, the One who can change their lives forever!

The Apostle Paul says, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” Paul used all the methods available to him to reach some! Are we doing all that we can so that some will come to Jesus Christ? So that they can know the most glorious news of all – that Jesus died for them that they might have abundant life now and eternal life with Him in the future?

Maybe someone you know responds best to email. Maybe if you wait to talk to them in person, you won’t have the opportunity to invite them and they will miss hearing the good news. Maybe you will get busy and forget to ask. So why not try social media to reach someone with the good news of Jesus! – Try email…or Facebook

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H2O Extended Trailer from City on a Hill Productions on Vimeo.

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H2O Extended Trailer from City on a Hill Productions on Vimeo.

H20: A Journey of Faith

Begins Sept. 19

11:00 AM

Hosted by Mike & Sue Topf

Ten episodes, ten stories, one timeless quest – to quench the thirst that burns in every human spirit. Join H2O Guide Kyle Idleman for a cinematic journey through the human experience, and find out how the offer of Living Water has the power to change everything.

Used by permission.

Written by: Joe Olachea, III. © July, 2010

“I’ve got to live my life and run around on the ground and realize that I’m nothing more than a grain of salt… the salt of the earth… and everything is grace.” – Mineral

I have friends who follow Jesus from all different walks of life. Each of them is at a different place in their faith. Each of them has different convictions, different passions, and different stories of how God’s redemptive love has been displayed in their lives. The ones that I connect most deeply with seem to be wary of church. I certainly fall into this category. As a pastor’s son, who grew up steeped in the American evangelical “church culture”, I know firsthand the damage it can cause. There have been points in my life where I have shut out the Christian community as a whole because of incidents at particular churches (some of them occurring over many years).

One of my newest friends also falls into this category. From what I can discern, he has both a powerful and profound theological framework. He also has keen insight into how Western culture has affected American churches and distracted us from the fundamental calling of community (among other things). His (com)passion for the Church to actually be what God has called us to be is contagious, and his gentle approach to invoke change is humbling. But, we do have a key difference when it comes to this topic.

My friend has abandoned church services because he no longer believes they are of value and he does not want to continue to promote a broken system that is so vastly different from what God intended. This thought process seems to be a recurring theme among so many of my Christian friends. As they seek to live out Christ to the world, they find that “church” is irrelevant, ignorant, and even irreverent toward the world, Scriptures, and God himself. I wholeheartedly agree. However, I want to propose a different – and I believe more Scripturally-grounded view of a proper response to American churches. Please understand that I am not attempting to prove any of the above points wrong. Also know that I could be mistaken on this (so feel free to respond), but my desire is to clear away as much of the pain, baggage, and bitterness we may bring to the topic and to try to let the Scriptures inform our thinking and actions on this matter. I am going to focus mainly on I Corinthians (for the sake of time), but I do think that there is much that could be said based on the entire Biblical metanarrative.

In the book of I Corinthians we are introduced to a church community that Paul is very concerned for. It appears that some of the pagan practices they were involved with prior to their faith in Messiah were creeping back into their lives – and even their worship. Paul begins the book by discussing what kind of people God has chosen and what he chose them to (1:18-31): God has chosen the foolish and weak things of the world to be a part of his redemptive plan displaying His wisdom and power. “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1:27-29). In fact, just prior to this Paul explains to his readers that even the message of the cross itself is foolish in the eyes of the rest of the world (1:18). Paul is categorically breaking down everything that the Corinthians have to boast in. As a part of the Messianic community, you have been chosen, because of your weakness and lack of wisdom, to believe in a foolish message. I remember when I first really started to grasp this passage. I was floored with the realization that, in becoming a part of this community, I was admitting that I am one of the weak and foolish. Not only that, but by continuing as a part of the community, I choose to remain in that status (so that God can become more and I can become less).

As Paul continues through the letter to the Corinthian church, he confronts various immoralities that are happening both in and outside of their meetings. At one point Paul states, “In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing” (11:17-22) The Corinthian church was an example of all the things a church should not be. They were boasting in themselves (1:18-30; 5:6), immature and worldly (3:1-3) involved in sexual misconduct (5:1-5), divided against each other (1:10-17; 6:1-8), desecrating the Lord’s table (10:16-11:33), misusing their spiritual gifts (12-14), and dismissing the importance of their physical bodies as means of fully worshiping God (15:1-56).

At this point, Paul could very well have said, “You know what, I’m done with this. You all do not get it so I’m not coming back – and if any of you wants to join me in a new and different movement where people really get it, let’s go!” But he doesn’t. He actually does the opposite. As we have seen he begins by leveling the playing field and exposing them (and us) for the weak and broken vessels they are. He expounds how God has chosen them in their foolishness to represent His wisdom and power. Paul goes on to call them to unity based on their varied positions of foolishness and weakness, because of the work of Christ, and through the power of the Spirit (2:1-3:23). He calls them to be humble and unified (12:1-30) and to build each other up in love (13:1 – 14:40). He describes the hope that they have in and through the bodily resurrection of Christ (15:1-58) and he finishes the book basically saying, “I want to spend a good deal of time with you and I’m trying to get there, but for the time being let’s get on with it. There is work to be done” (16:1-24)!

Through I Corinthians, and much of the New Testament, we see a very messy picture of the church trying to find its way. And we find in the larger picture that somehow God is using the very foolish, weak, and broken community known as the Church to advance his kingdom and continue his plan of reconciliation. The modern American corporate gatherings are not the foundation for Christian community but rather are an expression of Christian communities coming together to celebrate and corporately express their love for and desire to follow Jesus the Messiah. Unfortunately, many of these gatherings (or church services) are influenced by American consumerism and Western culture as a whole. However, my question is would Paul – and more importantly, does God – participate in the burden of living within and challenging the brokenness of the present system? And the answer I am left with is YES! From what I can tell, Paul would argue that the grace that has been given to us, needs to be expressed reflected into the broken structures of the church. Not that we embrace the whole system, but rather that we be the Church that brings renewal to the church and that we live in the tension of loving our brothers and sisters just as God loves us.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

John 17:20-23

9:30 AM & 11:00 AM

Momentum Building for ‘Back to Church’ Sunday!

Did you know?

• Only 20% of Americans attend church regularly

• 7 out of 10 unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives

• 82% of un-churched people are likely to try church again if they were invited by a trusted family member or friend
• Only 2% of church going people invite someone to church in a given year
• 98% of church going people NEVER invite anyone church!

However:

• “A study finds people who attend religious services weekly live longer.” –Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience http://www.livescience.com/health/060403_church_good.html

• Children and youth who attend religious services weekly, exhibit fewest behavior problems, are more likely to have high–quality relationships with their parents, and are more likely to exhibit positive social behavior, including showing respect for teachers and neighbors, getting along with other children, understanding other people’s feelings, and trying to resolve conflicts with classmates, family or friends.

“Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.” – Dwight L. Moody

“BACK TO CHURCH’ SUNDAY is

A Sunday church service dedicated to helping people

TRY CHURCH AGAIN!

In Galatians 5:13 – 18 God inspired Paul to write,

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Paul is warning against both legalism and license. The answer to these two extremes of Christian freedom is “…through love serve one another.” In this way we, like Christ our example, will fulfill the Law that God has given us. Paul then describes two aspects of our lives, the “flesh” and the “Spirit.” We will serve one or the other, for there is no in between. WE ARE EITHER IN SLAVERY TO SIN OR IN SLAVERY TO GOD AND OTHERS!

Slavery to sin is to walk in the flesh while slavery to God and others is to walk in His Spirit. One might exclaim, “Well, it is still slavery!” That may seem a legitimate response, yet this is not a contradiction but a paradox. When we study God’s creation of this world (Gen. 1 – 3) we find that we were made for an intimate relationship with God and with others – an intimacy that was destroyed because of sin. To be called back to that is God acting in salvation in our lives. We are now living kingdom lives even though the kingdom, in its fullness, is not yet here. The Spirit of God has been given to us that we might live the character of the disciple of Jesus Christ. This life is neither legalism nor license, but it is true FREEDOM! To die to self that Christ might live through us is to walk in true freedom. This is the freedom that Christ created humanity to live in and calls us back to as His disciples. May we follow Christ’s instruction of Luke 9:23, “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” This is the daily and moment-by-moment of living out the kingdom life. This is true freedom.

God’s right to reign and rule over all creation and over all peoples of the world must be univocally understood. This brings together the message of the OT and NT narratives because the Kingdom of God is one of the most central themes of the Bible. Although explicitly a New Testament theme, we are deeply persuaded that the Old Testament can also be understood from this perspective…The lordship of Christ can be best understood when it is informed by OT concepts of kingship.

As part of my sermon preparation for this Sunday I printed out the verses that speak of the “Kingdom of God” and Matthew’s synonym, the “Kingdom of Heaven.” I was amazed that just the verses (not the context verses) on the “Kingdom of God” take up five pages and the “Kingdom of Heaven” verses take just over two pages. The “Kingdom of God” takes us from Matthew 6:33 to 2 Thessalonians 1:5. Understanding that the Kingdom is what God has called us into in the present even as we wait for its ultimate fulfillment (when Christ returns to rule and reign) invites us to live beyond this world as the “light” and “salt” that Jesus called His disciples to. This has a major impact upon our lives as we are to, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13 – 16, vs. 16 quoted). When we live with the realization that Jesus is King of all things it will call others to surrender to the Rightful King! This is the evangelism/discipleship that Jesus called His disciples to in some of His last words with them (Matthew 28:16 – 20; Acts 1:8). As Jesus’ modern day disciples, this calling is now ours. It all begins with the realization of Who the True Sovereign is – Who is really in charge! Have you and do you (and I) continue to surrender to His Kingship? Something to meditate on.

In delineating the rationale for the Christian life we should heed seriously the biblical dictum that being is prior to action. We must be in Christ before we can act in harmony with his will. This truth is underlined by Paul: “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Col 1:9, 10 NKJV)

Jesus makes this same point when he contends that good fruit can only come from a good tree (Luke 6:43–45). Once we are converted into salt and light by God’s grace we must sprinkle our salt and let our light shine before others so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven (Matt 5:14, 16).

As Christians we are enjoined to be rich in good works (1 Tim 6:17–19), but our motivation is not to make ourselves acceptable before God or to earn the favor of God. The Heidelberg Catechism rightly reminds us that our commitment to a life of service is to be based on gratitude for what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ (Bloesch 1991, 184).

From the very beginning, however, we must understand that ethics is a way of seeing God and ourselves in relation to him before it is a matter of behaving a certain way. Without vision of God as high, lifted up, and worthy of worship, there will be no permanent change of life. Surely that is why God produced such a dramatic scene on Mount Sinai. Worship is the foundation on which the ethical life of the people of God is built. Until we feel the “tremble” produced by a vision of God’s glory and might, making ethical choices is a burdensome duty. But when ethics are grounded in reverence, the pursuit of a holy lifestyle becomes the joyous enterprise of discipleship (Shelly 1984, 18 & 19).

Because there is one true people of God on earth, there remains a “theopolitical” structure and calling for the church. It is not the structure of the kingdoms of the world. To apply to the world the form of the church is a sacralizing process that is just as illegitimate as the secularizing process that would apply to the church the forms of the world. Yet the fact that the church does not possess a worldly political structure does not mean that it possesses no political structure whatever. The “politics” of the kingdom are the pattern, purpose, and dynamic by which God orders the life of the heavenly polis in this world. Only as it conforms to this heavenly pattern is the church a city set on a hill, given as salt to preserve the world from corruption and as light to point the way to salvation.

Christ builds his church on the confession of Peter; a confession of faith that is given by revelation of the Father. Since only the Son can reveal the Father and only the Father can reveal the Son (Matt. 11:27), human wisdom cannot bring in the kingdom. Long ago the Qumran covenanters recognized from the-Hebrew Scriptures that the community of God must be founded upon the truth, the revealed mysteries of God. But only in Jesus Christ is that foundation of truth laid (Clowney 1979, 301 – 302).

WORKS CITED

Bloesch, Donald G. “Law and Gospel in reformed perspective.” Grace Theological Journal 12 (Fall 1991): 179 – 188.

Clowney, Edmund P. “The politics of the kingdom.” Westminster Theological Journal 41 (Spring 1979): 291 – 310.

Shelley, Dr. Rubel. 1994. Written in stone: Ethics for the heart. West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing Co.

Thank you for participating in SonQuest VBS!

At Lakes Community Chapel, Vacation Bible School is the priority of our summer! Our VBS Coordinators, Drew & Jill Deighan and all of their crew, spent months transforming our building into an amazing rainforest with life sized animals in a realistic setting. From our teens to our senior citizens to some of our missionaries, everyone got involved to make this the Children’s Event of the Year for our community!

I Timothy 4:6 – 11, If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.  But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.  For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.  For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.  These things command and teach.

Hebrews 5:13 – 14, For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The Apostle Paul described the Christian life, among other things, as that of an athlete, a soldier, and/or a farmer. Imagine going into an athletic competition, a battle zone, or a field for harvest without having done any preparation! This would be an absolute disaster as there would have been no training in the first two cases and no sewing of seed in the latter. Yet this is how so many of us treat the walk of discipleship to which we have been called in salvation.

We often hear people say, “I have tried to do what I know God wants me to do” or “I have tried to do what I know is right.” Understanding the above Scriptures lets us know the problem is in the word “tried.” Both Paul and the writer of Hebrews (we know that God authored it, but are uncertain of the earthly writer He used) have implemented the word “exercise(d)” in their letter. This reminds us that the Christian walk is not about trying, but about TRAINING!

How much time did you spend today (or this week) exercising yourself, “…toward godliness?” We so often fail and become discouraged, wondering why we don’t do better when we have failed to exercise the very disciplines that God has given us to put into practice. After all, the word disciple comes from the word discipline.

In Matthew 11:29 Jesus said,

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We either surrender to the King of King’s will, or we fight it. The call to take up our cross daily means death to our selves and all of our desires that we may live for and desire only His glory. May we be challenged to do just that!

“To see the church as a building or as the activities that go on in the building is to return to the sacred/secular split that has done so much damage to modern life. If church is only the meeting that occurs at a particular building at a particular time of the week, then the rest of the week is not church. And if church is a spiritual activity, then the rest of the week is not spiritual. But, …this is simply mistaken. Our formation as disciples of Christ is more influenced by the rest of the week than by the hour or two a week that we meet as a congregation. We must come to see that people cannot be engaged in kingdom life and work if they have reduced salvation, gospel, church, and ministry to only those programs or activities that are part of the church. This is destructive not only to our people but also to our understanding of what a church is.:

- Mike Erre in Death by Church (p. 241)

This is so well put! The church is neither the building nor the activities that take place there. The church is us 24/7! I believe that one of the things that must take place if we are to once again influence our culture for the Kingdom of the King of All Things is to stop DOING church and start BEING church! Some have labeled this “program paralysis” in that we follow a program that works at another “church” going from fad to fad, or we are so busy at the building that we fail to be the church in the world because we just don’t have time to be. Both of these scenarios are damaging to the cause of inviting others into what God is doing.

This has also led us to view the church as an institution rather than a movement. Institutions generally exist to perpetuate themselves. Movements exist to engage others. This is discipleship! God is moving in this world. The question is: Are we moving with Him and inviting others to join us?

The need is great, but so is the opportunity. I challenge you to BE the church this week.