A Church Where Everyone Ministers

Posted on May 28, 2013 by parklinscomb

Are you involved in the church’s activities? This question might be answered in a number of ways by various people in the church. Some would say that they’re up to their eyeballs in church activities, while others, on the other end of the spectrum, would reply, “Well, I come to church—sometimes.” And still others might say that they’re up to their eyeballs in church activities, because they come to church services most of the time.

It’s interesting how the religious culture around us influences what we understand God’s expectations of us might be. Because the world around us is almost utterly uninvolved in religious life, we are sometimes tempted to believe that “more than them” is plenty and even pretty dedicated. But this is not how early disciples of Jesus understood their commitment to the Lord.

The New Testament carries plenty of encouragement for serious involvement in the life of the church and the purposes of God. 1 Peter 2:5, 9 and Revelation 1:6; 5:10; and 20:6 all call Christians priests “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5). Priests are active—really active—in the business of God. Their lives revolved around service to God; they were dedicated and sanctified to God for use in His service. This understanding began to “lose steam” according to history about the 2nd or 3rd century.

Everett Ferguson wrote in Early Christian Speak:

“…by the time of Cyprian in the third century the language of priesthood was no longer an Old Testament analogy but an established designation for officers in the church. Clement affords the first use in Christian literature of the language of ‘laity’ in contrast to ministers, In the Bible ‘the people’ (laos, from which laity is derived) is a noble concept, ‘the people of God,’ and refers to the whole of God’s elect. As God’s elect, all participated in the “priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5,9). Someone has observed that the organizational history of the second and third centuries, therefore, is not the story of the emergence of the priesthood but the emergence of a distinct laity not exercising a priestly ministry.”

And to this day, aren’t we often tempted to think in “clergy/laity” terms?

And we do this to our detriment, because there are so many benefits to personal involvement in the church.

  • Our faith grows when it works — inactive faith is a dead faith according to James 2:14 and following verses. On the other hand, active faith grows, flourishes, and blesses others.
  • The church is healthier and more capable, when you contribute your involvement — 1 Corinthians 12 pounds the point that a healthy body always has healthy and active organs. We are the organs of the body of Christ. Without the activity and involvement of all of us, the body is less than completely healthy and is handicapped.
  • Other Christians are encouraged — nothing is more discouraging than to be the only one or one of the few involved; ask any minister. On the other hand, few things are more encouraging than when the whole body rises up in involvement and works together for the Lord’s cause.
  • Fellowship is enhanced — fellowship isn’t limited to just eating together, is it? Some of the greatest fellowship of the church is in its work together, like GAD.
  • The world is attracted by an active church and active disciples — the world is looking for something worth their time, effort, and heart; they are looking for meaning for their lives. An involved church tells the world that yes, there is something worth living and dying for.

Let me encourage you to be involved: work day, Bible classes, Vacation Bible School, Monday Night for the Master, the youth group, Give Away Day, work around the church building and grounds, help with our benevolent program, becoming a followup teacher, becoming an evangelistic teacher, becoming a home of hospitality, becoming an active encourager of other disciples, becoming a greeter at church, helping with the nursery, and so much more.

Park Linscomb

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We Persuade Men

Posted on May 24, 2013 by parklinscomb

Although the world discourages and even frowns on the sharing of the Christian faith, sheer humanity demands that Christians speak up, be bold, and persuade men.

“Did you say, ‘Sheer humanity’?” you might ask. “Aren’t you being a little dramatic, a little ‘over the top’? It’s really not that dire, is it?”

May I be blunt? Yes, it is that dire; and no, it’s not being over-dramatic to say that it is nothing less than an act of great compassion to speak up. The inspired word of God, the Bible, tells us quite clearly…

  • The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
  • This “death” is spoken of as Hell/Gehenna (Lk. 12:5), the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14)
  • Good works cannot offset the sins that we’ve committed (Ephesians 2:8,9)
  • Other religions, other gods cannot save (Isaiah 45:20)
  • Jesus is the only way to Heaven, to the Father (John 14:6)
  • There is no other name under Heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12)
  • The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16)
  • No other “gospel” will do (Galatians 1:6-9)
  • Men must hear and respond to (obey) the Gospel to be saved (Romans 10:13-15)
  • Failure to obey the Gospel results in eternal destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9)

No small wonder then that Paul said, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Yes, the story of Jesus — His identity, His purpose, His cross, His resurrection, His ascension, and the appropriate response to it all — is indispensably important. And although a lot of people think they know it, the vast majority really don’t. You do; you, as a New Testament Christian, hold in your heart and mind the golden key to the eternal salvation of men’s souls, the Gospel, that only waits to be unleashed by your courage and your tongue.

The words of an old hymn have always moved me:

When in the better land,
     And before the bar we stand,
How deeply grieved our souls will be, If any lost one there
     Should cry in deep despair,
“You never mentioned Him to me!”
     “You never mentioned Him to me! You helped me not the light to see.
You knew me day by day, And knew I was astray,
     Yet never mentioned Him to me!”

For the sake of the lost, in the name of sheer humanity, in obedience to the command of Jesus—SHARE, INVITE, LIVE IT, TEACH IT.

 

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Mothers’ Day Thoughts — 2013

Posted on May 11, 2013 by parklinscomb

I read the other day an alarming article about the significant rise in the number of “walk-away” mothers in our current culture, and the corresponding rise among single-parent fathers in our nation. This was no spurious right-wing blog, but a mainstream news article from CNN citing a number government studies. Even more unexpected was the fact that the article speculated that the reason for it was a rise in the “me-first” mentality that eschews postponed gratification, that values making money, that values business success, and that values pleasure now.

For years we’ve tried to remind men that fatherhood is more than just a sexual contribution to the procreative process. It would seem that they time has sadly arrived that we must now remind women, too, that motherhood is more than just bearing children.

The effects of this unnatural shift in “walk-away” moms and other dysfunctional motherhood practices have not been insignificant either. How many children live in poverty’ without fathers; unsupervised; raised by TV, peers, video games, and gangs; because women who have borne children have neglected to be true mothers. From having done a number of years of counseling individuals and families, it’s apparent to me that good mothers can make a huge difference in children, whereas poor mothering can have detrimental effects that a child will struggle against for years.

What a tectonic shift from only 50 or 60 years ago! Make fun of it, if you want, but the effects of a functional, traditional family is unquestionably much better. Even among widows and divorced women who are forced to be single-parent families, when mom is actually being a mother, the results are much, much better. It would seem that the picture of motherhood that the media and feminists ridicule from the Ozzy and Harriet days may not have really been all that bad.

On this Mothers’ Day, let’s consider the deeply wise counsel of what has been called the Worthy Woman of Proverbs 31 and meditate on how we might apply it—even in the 21st century…

Proverbs 31:10-31

  • “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.
  • The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.
  • She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
  • She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.
  • She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.
  • She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens.
  • She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
  • She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.
  • She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.
  • She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle.
  • She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
  • She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
  • She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
  • Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
  • She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
  • Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.
  • She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
  • She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
  • Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
  • “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”
  • Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
  • Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.”

Happy Mothers’ Day.

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Fear of the Lord

Posted on April 7, 2013 by parklinscomb

Many of our contemporary world might congratulate themselves because they don’t fear the Lord. Thinking themselves quite “evolved” and grown-up enough to either no longer need fear as a motivation for doing the right thing or (much worse) thinking that God is “all bark and no bite”. Yet, the Bible gives us a much different teaching…

Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 10:27 “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.”

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”

The fear of the Lord is apparently quite important, even for “evolved”, grown-up, advanced people like us modern folks.

“Wait a minute,” someone says, “ I thought that He was our friend!” And indeed you are correct; Jesus said, John 15:14, 15 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” So you might rightfully wonder how we might both fear Him and call Him our friend.

An unbalanced view of anything in the Bible leads to a distorted picture of God and false doctrine. For example, an unbalanced view of faith and works has produced both “faith only” and “salvation by merit” heresies — neither of them are biblical. So it is with the concept of fear or love for God: some see God as dangling men over the flames of Hell looking for a chance to condemn us, while others see God as a doting grandfather who would hurt a fly, doesn’t intend to punish sin and who really only suggests things, never commands. Neither of these views are biblical. The truth is that we should both love and fear the Lord.

Of the two opposite points of view — 1) dangling men over the flames of Hell and 2) wouldn’t hurt a fly — the most prevalent one today seems to be “wouldn’t hurt a fly” view. The world doesn’t want a God to be feared, it wants a cooperative buddy-God. And it is the cause of much irreverence, disrespectfulness, “freshness”, and disobedience toward God. It is the origin of a number of other false doctrines, too: “It doesn’t matter what you believe,” “Everyone’s going to Heaven,” and “The new morality”. It is a viewpoint, therefore, that Christians need to be very careful of.

To understand the biblical point of view about the proper balance of fear and love, it’s probably important to begin with a good definition of fear. Although we can sometimes see men in the Bible truly afraid (raw fear), when they found themselves in the presence of God; the key issue is really about respect and reverence. The reality of Hell and the just nature of God who will not let sin go unpunished is plenty of good reason to rightly be terrified of God, if we are not saved; and it is even a very appropriate and biblical motivation for initially becoming a Christian (see, for example, Acts 2:37 or 2 Cor. 5:11). Even after salvation, respect and reverence need to continue in the heart of the disciple.

Why?

First of all He is our Creator and the Ruler of the Universe!

The very first line of the Bible is…Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Notice, it doesn’t refer to Him a the builder or manufacturer, as if He took some already existing materials and put the universe together. Instead, God took nothing — not time, not space, not material, not energy, not dimensionality (zip, zero, zilch) — and created everything, seen and unseen. And this creation is not exactly the size or blandness of a bread box; it’s — well, words fail me on the size, complexity, beauty, power, and strangeness of just the Newtonian universe that we know about, let alone the quantum universe that we’re just starting to learn something about, let alone the spiritual universe that we are given just a bare keyhole in Scripture to look into! Such power, such creativity, such complexity! The mind and the power to bring it out of nothing — and to do so in a way that it works so beautifully! Wow!! It boggles and super-surpasses the ability of man’s mind to even begin to comprehend it. As we start to meditate on WHO God is it renders all the superlative words that we know weak, insipid and useless. And just think about it — when you pray, you speak to the KING of the universe. When you read the Bible, you read His words! How can we not reverence, respect, and fear such a being, our Creator?

He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent!

Do you fear a nuclear war? Then fear Him who made the sun and star which are trillions upon trillions of nuclear explosions for our benefit. Can the one who created the sun, stars, and more be to weak or unable to punish the wicked? God is indeed the Almighty! Do you respect knowledgeable men? Then let’s respect the fountain of all knowledge and wisdom down even to the secrets of men’s hearts, the omniscient One; and also the omnipresent One, from whose presence we can never hide. We may be able to hide from the eyes of men, but how will you hope to lie to Him about your life, when He knows your life better than you?

God is holy, the ultimate “other-ness”.

He is perfect, flawless, and revulsed by sin. He is extreme in purity, truth, love, justice, and goodness. Although Isaiah was a good man, he felt unclean in the presence of God (Isaiah 6). Even the world admires the virtues that God possesses, though they might be loathe to admit it. Such soaring goodness should be respected and reverenced.

And the Father, in His Son Jesus, will judge us.

If we are guilty of the violation of a law, do we fear a judge in this world? Then we should fear God. Jesus told us, (Matthew 10:28) “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

And it is this fear that truly is the beginning of wisdom, that causes us “sit up straight and listen” to the eternal and always applicable wisdom of God. It is this respect that gets us to take the proper things seriously. It is the awe we have toward our Creator God that appropriately humbles us and saves us from our own human folly.

“So,” you might further wonder, “now that I am conscious of these things about God, how can I do anything but be fearful of Him? How can I love such a high powerful, holy, and all knowing God who will judge me?” It’s much easier than you might think. Many of us easily balance it with our own earthly fathers, who we both love and respect and at times fear. And if you had no such father, perhaps a coach or mentor. The point is that these things are not mutually exclusive; it is possible to feel deep awe-respect-fear and at the same time deep love and loyalty.

It is the fear that makes His love for me such an honor! That He would give His Son for me, would be willing to forgive me over and over again, would be willing to call me friend, would give me ready access, would speak to me (through the Bible) with the best advise and counsel ever, and would make absolutely sure that no wrong done to me will go “un-righted”.

No wonder, then, that the many spiritual heroes of the Bible worshipped the Lord with both love and awe (Psa. 40) and lived for the Lord compelled both by love and fear (2 Cor. 5). It is the perfect and natural balance for a disciple’s life.

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The Suffering Servant

Posted on March 29, 2013 by parklinscomb

This being Easter, much is said about the cross of Christ and His resurrection. Most of what is said is truly moving and thought provoking, but none of them top what was said about the cross and resurrection of Jesus 700 years before He was even born — in Isaiah 53:1-12. But sometimes the poetry or even the familiarity of this famous passage can get in the way of really “getting it”. If I may, I’d like to humbly offer a rough paraphrase and commentary on this famous passage in hopes of clarifying some phrases, emphasizing some important points, and letting us hear it with different words. I hope you find it helpful.

Isa53

(vv. 1-3)“Who would have believed or even imagined that God would bring His salvation to us this way? What a seemingly strange way for God to work! The Savior would come from humble and unexpected beginnings. He wouldn’t come looking like the King; instead, He’d come looking quite ordinary and plain. He would not make His appearance with a large entourage, but as an ordinary carpenter, even born under suspicion of being illegitimate. He likewise would not be protected like a prince from the sorrows and troubles of this world. He would not be part of the “in crowd”, rather He would be an outlier.

(vv. 4-6) “But as a man He would not only bear our physical illnesses and pains like any ordinary man, but He would more importantly be made to bear our spiritual illness, sin. Men would perceive His suffering as being a judgment from God for His own sin, but the truth would be that He would be bearing the punishment of our sins, not His. His suffering and death would pay for our disobedience and rebellion toward the Lord. Let’s not fool ourselves, each of us has foolishly wandered away from God like self-absorbed sheep; but the Lord God Himself provided His own Suffering Servant Son to let the consequences of our sin fall like a deadly anvil on Him!

(vv. 7-9) “Despite the fact that this Suffering Servant Son was unjustly accused, unjustly convicted, and unjustly put to death; He never offered a word of defense for Himself. Like a sacrificial animal, just before having His throat cut, and just like a sheep about to be sheared, the Suffering Servant Son would offer no objection. His unjust conviction by trusted but corrupt leaders would make the people of His generation believe that He was being put to death for His own crimes, when the truth would be that He was dying for theirs! Ironically, although the manner of His death would call for a dishonorable burial among criminals — unloved and unmourned — He would actually be properly buried in a rich disciple’s tomb by His devoted followers, with the honor and love that is due an honorable and good man.

(vv. 10-12) “One might rightly wonder why God would allow His Suffering Servant Son to be crushed and put to such profound grief. He did it because men needed a truly effective guilt offering — not just a bull or goat, which could really not pay for men’s sins. But such a high, holy, and truly effective sacrifice by God’s Suffering Servant Son would not end in a tomb and corruption — not at all! It would instead result in a wonder-filled resurrection and in the glorious multiplication of God’s adopted sons (heirs of Heaven) and the Son’s soaring exaltation as the everlastingly blessed King of kings! The Son’s sacrifice would completely satisfy the holy justice of God’s righteous nature against the sins of those who would believe and obey the Son. Such a mighty rescue, redemption, and victory calls for nothing less than supreme exaltation and reward for the Suffering Servant Son — He poured out Himself to death, bore undeserved shame, bore the punishment due to us, and stood between us and the righteous wrath of God! 

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Park Linscomb

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SPIRITUAL MATURITY IS…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by parklinscomb

Over the past few weeks we’ve been considering growth, personal spiritual and corporate church. I’d like to wrap up this “binge” of articles on growth (at least for now) on a note of “outcomes” — what does spiritual maturity (mature disciples and mature churches) look like. On the one hand, we know the short answer: “It looks like Jesus.” But on the other hand, it’s really good to have some more specifics. Knowing the spiritual specifics is crucial to beginning to arrive there (though not even the apostle Paul achieved it — Php. 3:13,14).

WILLINGNESS TO SERVE RATHER THAN BE SERVED

In Jesus’ own day among His original disciples (apostles) He had to continually correct His followers about the tendency to be served rather than serve — (Matthew 20:28) “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet and the lesson that Jesus Himself attaches to it should have settled for all time that Christianity is the religion of “the towel” (service to others), yet the tendency to want to be served lingers on and on among His followers, even 21 centuries later. Maturity understands this and actually seeks for opportunities to serve the Master by serving others — (Matthew 25:40) “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” Spiritual immaturity will continue to seek power, place, prestige, and service from others.

FORBEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER’S OPINIONS

Paul spent much of his time in helping mature the churches he planted — and a few he hadn’t planted (e.g., Rome); and one of the subjects he addressed in one form or another was keeping the churches loving and harmonious despite differences that really made no spiritual difference. Paul was quite intolerant of wrong, of unholy behavior, and of false teachings and false teachers; but in each of these congregations there was going to be quirks and diverse opinions that had the potential of dividing the church for no good reason. In many of these pleas for unity (Romans 14,15; 1 Corinthians 8-10; or Ephesians 4), he appealed to them to have the maturity to recognize 1) how important unity among God’s people was and 2) how insignificant these earthly opinions, tastes, and traditions really were. In part, their immaturity showed through in their inability to discern doctrine from opinion (Matt. 15:9), or to recognize wisdom (Heb. 5:14). Immaturity frets and fusses with others about “carpet colors”; while maturity strives for the unity of the body, ably discerns between opinions and Scripture, and refuses to be a party to division over unimportant matters.

MORE CONCERNED ABOUT CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITIES THAN CHRISTIAN RIGHTS

As Paul reasoned with the Corinthian Christians about maturity issues and forbearing with others’ opinions, he urged them on to maturity with an example out of his own life, (1 Corinthians 9:12) “If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.” Part of the problem among the Corinthians was their fixation on their rights, a common worldly concern. To help these immature Christians overcome the worldly divisions that threatened to break the body apart, Paul called on them to focus more on their responsibilities than their rights. And today it remains a challenge to Christian maturity to grow beyond the world’s “wisdom” of preferring rights over responsibilities. Christian maturity, seen perfectly in Jesus, may use its rights, when it is appropriate; but willingly yields its rights in the best interest of others. Spiritual immaturity tends to be more self- centered and less concerned about others.

STRETCHING SELF TO GROW, RATHER THAN WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE’S EFFORTS

Full grown, mature adults will rarely blame someone else for not getting them the food, clothing, and shelter that they need. They learned as they grew up to get a job, go to the grocery store, cook and eat regularly, perform regular hygiene, pay their bills on time, and go to bed on time. Only children and the immature will expect others to “do for them”; adults do not. And spiritual maturity is similar: the spiritually mature don’t need someone to coax them to come to church, don’t need someone to remind them to pray, don’t need someone to prompt them to read their Bibles, don’t need someone to take them by the hand to volunteer or get involved. The spiritually immature look to others to “grow them”. Among new Christians, it is understandable; but among older Christians, it is undesirable immaturity. Spiritual maturity knows what is necessary to continue to grow, what it needs to do, and does it.

BECOMING MORE DISCERNING ABOUT MORAL MATTERS

Paul wrote to a very young Thessalonian church, (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 22) “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” “Why?” someone might ask, “Isn’t good always obvious? Isn’t evil always clear?“ Well, not always — wait, on second thought, maybe not very often at all. You see, Satan knows just how to couch evil, so that it looks innocent and sometimes even really good — like bait with the hook cleverly hidden. He’s even learned how to make good sometimes look “intolerant”, “mean”, “ignorant”, “uncompassionate”, “judgmental”, and certainly “old-fashioned”. This is exactly why Paul, inspired by the Spirit, urged the Thessalonian church to examine everything carefully. For example: compare the deed you contemplate to Scripture (the true compass of right), consider what could happen (the worst happens more often than we’d like to admit), weigh the impact it would have on unbelievers or weaker Christians (our deeds are often seen and noticed by those looking for a good example of right), ask how it will effect your own spiritual strength (are you really as strong as you think you are?), and other considerations. Spiritual maturity examines everything carefully, considers the outcome of such actions/words/attitudes/thoughts has had on others (learns from others spiritual mistakes and victories), and acts according to wisdom and good judgment.

Let’s work at making these marks of maturity ours as individual disciples and as the body of Christ “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13).

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From the Mouths of the “Unchurched”

Posted on March 15, 2013 by parklinscomb

Last week in this bulletin article we started considering how we might grow in numbers. We noted that we must start we “going”, the original command of the Lord and the proven best way. If we want to grow, we have to “go”.

But beyond “going”, what else might we find out about how to reach the lost? Well, it might be helpful to know what they say they’re looking for, what helps them to connect, and what might keep them connected and active. Fortunately, there are a number of polling organizations that have asked such questions recently. I think you’ll find the results interesting.

The top reasons why people attend church
(research conducted by Gallup)

  1. 23%- for spiritual growth and guidance
  2. 20%- keeps me grounded/guided
  3. 15%- it’s my faith
  4. 15%- to worship God
  5. 13%- the fellowship of other members (the community)
  6. 12%- believe in God/religion
  7. 12%- brought up that way (tradition)

The top 13 reasons why unchurched people chose a church
(Research conducted by Thom Ranier)

1. 90% – Pastor/Preaching
2. 88% – Doctrines
3. 49% – Friendliness of Members
4. 42% – Other Issues
5. 41% – Someone at Church Witnessed to Me
6. 38% – Family Member
7. 37% – Sensed God’s Presence/Atmosphere of Church
8. 25% – Relationship Other than Family Member
9. 25% – Sunday School Class
10. 25% – Children’s/Youth Ministry
11. 12% – Other Groups/Ministries
12. 11% – Worship Style/Music
13. 7% – Location

Top 6 Things that Keep the Formerly Unchurched Active in the Church (research conducted by Thom Ranier)

  1. 62% – Ministry Involvement
  2. 55% – Sunday School
  3. 54% – Obedience to God
  4. 49% – Fellowship of Members
  5.  38% – Pastor/Preaching
  6.  14% – Worship Services

Top 4 Reasons Given By Youth that Choose to Continue Attending Church
(research conducted by Lifeway Reasearch)

  1. 65%- say church was a vital part of their relationship with God
  2. 58%- say they wanted the church to guide their decisions in everyday life
  3. 50%- say they felt that church was helping them become a better person
  4. 42%- were committed to the purpose and work of the church

The statistics speak for themselves. Overall, doctrine, the minister and his preaching, and the active fellowship of the congregation are the most influential qualities. We shouldn’t be amazed; they are the very things that the New Testament writers and Jesus Himself said would be important to emphasize. People, lost and saved, young or old, will always be interested in solid, decisive Bible preaching (2 Tim. 4:1ff) and a warm, active fellowship (John 13:35)!

So, let’s emphasize these things to others, when we share the good news or invite them to come; they are the very things which many of them will be looking for.

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If We Go, They Will Come

Posted on February 24, 2013 by parklinscomb

In the last couple of months I’ve talked about some of the ways and means of spiritual growth. Certainly more can be said about this and probably will be over the course of this year (Lord willing). But another important type of growth is the numerical growth of the church, and that’s what I’d like to write about today.

There is a whole specialty of ministry and study in the religious world known as “Church Growth”. There are tons of books, college courses, and seminars that attempt to hawk just about every idea that you can imagine about how to grow the number of one’s church. Some of the ideas are really quite useful and some of them are — well just plain bad. Among one of the more popular bad ideas lately has been the notion that if your worship services has enough “flash” and “bang” (my terms, not theirs, but you get the idea) that your assembly will grow. The rationale is that people are staying away from church attendance, because the church has ceased to be culturally relevant and speak the same language of the current world — that is to say, we’re boring them.

There are two problems with this assumption: 1) the early church didn’t speak the same language of their cultural world (competing with the extravagant pagan pageantry and “miracles” of the day), yet they grew tremendously, and 2) people stay away from church for entirely different reasons than boredom. Mostly they stay away because of one or more of the following reasons…

  • they don’t want to change their lives
  • they aren’t really interested in the truth
  • they are primarily interested in this world and its sensuous experiences
  • they’re angry at God
  • they’ve been deceived by the philosophies, empty deceptions, traditions of men, or elementary principles of the world (Col. 2:8)

“Flash bang” worship may bring some in for the show, but as soon as it might begin to touch these sore points they will not come anymore. “Flash bang” worship has historically not produced much more than televangelists and their fan-base.

Biblically speaking, Christian worship assemblies, not unlike the Temple worship, were never primarily designed for the Gentile, the seeker, the outsider; they were primarily focused on God’s people, the saved, the insider. Of course, the assembly, in both Old and New Testaments, included outsiders (1 Kings 8:41-43 and 1 Cor. 14:23,24); but the New Testament is clear on the purpose of the assembly, the edification of the saved (e.g., 1 Cor. 14:3,12,26). And edification for the church, according to the inspired apostle Paul, includes:

  • 1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”
  • 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

Please notice that entertainment, “experiences”, and non-boredom were not in the list.

So what’s the solution? We dare not compromise and dumb-down the truths of Scripture. But what else would work? Maybe something tried through the centuries and found to be true? “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19, 20 ). The short answer: “Go!”

“Going” is God’s command. Like wandering sheep or wayward children, the lost seldom come, so we must go. If you try to lure them with “candy” to get them to come, you will always have to lure them with candy to get them to come. Although “going” is more trouble, more effort, more challenging, it is always more effective. We must resist the non-biblical notion that “if you entertain them, they will come” is an appropriate substitute for “going”. The truth is that, for the most part, if we don’t go, they won’t come — to Christ.

If the church is not growing numerically as much as it should, let us put the blame where it really belongs — not on the biblical message about sin, salvation, and the teachings; not on our insistence on conforming to the biblical pattern for worship; but on a failure to go.

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Continually…Devoted…Themselves

Posted on February 18, 2013 by parklinscomb

There are a lot of things that could be (and are) said about how to grow spiritually. This is because 1) it is not a simple task to turn back the desires, passions, and “wisdom” of the flesh; and 2) Satan hopes to thwart our spiritual progress in every way possible. To the many things that you may have read or heard, let me add three thoughts found in one Greek word “pros-kar-ter-oun-tes” (προσκαρτερουντης) in Acts 2:42 — translated in the New American Standard Version, “They were continually devoting themselves…”.

This Greek word for “devotion” is one that was ordinarily used in reference to a loyal servant standing near his master, often of a loyal attendant to a king, who would be attentive to, perhaps even anticipating, the needs of the one he served. But the single word “devotion” doesn’t really cover the whole meaning of the word. There’s more.

Continually
Part of the original “warp and woof” of this word was the idea of not abandoning one’s post of service. The way it was used in contexts like Acts 2:42 it carried an emphasis on constancy, continuance, and perseverance — continually. And what an important emphasis this is to spiritual growth!

Christian growth doesn’t come from efforts that are only in “fits and starts”. Why? Because if we’re not growing, we tend to be shrinking, going backwards, dying. It’s a lot like physical nutrition and exercise. Your children will not be well nourished if they eat well 2 or 3 days a week and fast the rest of the week; all you’ll get is malnourished children. Neither can any of us expect to get that great, strong, Greek-body look by visiting the gym once or twice a month; all you can expect from such a “regimen” is muscle soreness a couple of times a month. Good nutrition and bodily strength come from continually eating well and exercising really regularly. Why would we expect more from a haphazard effort at spiritual growth? And yet we not only do, but sometimes even defend it! “Well, I know I don’t come to worship much (or read the Bible much or do much or…), but I pray now and again and I feel like God and I are OK.” As they say, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

The earliest Christians were day by day in the apostles’ teachings, having fellowship, in prayer, and breaking bread. Is this part of the reason that church numbers mushroomed? That the Gospel was boldly and effectively preached? And that despite violent persecution, people steadfastly remained faithful and courageous? You bet it is! They were continually devoting themselves.

Devoted
Devotion itself is also a necessity of spiritual growth. The continual part will be ineffective, if the devotion is missing, if the efforts are tepid or bored. Biblical devotion is about more than loyalty, love, and being moonstruck. It is about the focused attention of service and about knowing what the priority is — as opposed to “butterfly watching”.

We live in a world of “butterfly watchers”. The vast majority of the world ignores or gets distracted from the eternally important things, and instead jumps from one trivial pursuit to another (no pun intended) with the intensity and focus (devotion) usually reserved for life and death matters — intensity and focus that really belongs to spiritual matters and result in significant spiritual growth.

Think about it. It’s the devoted students who makes the doctors. It’s the devoted pianists that becomes the virtuosos. It’s the devoted gamers that gets the highest scores — ever!  And it’s the devoted disciples, not the casual ones, who grow in knowledge, wisdom, talents, good fruit, understanding, practice, and example — who change.

And it was this focused and intense attention to the apostles teachings, to fellowship, to breaking of bread, and to prayer that quickly and solidly established the church with strong and courageous disciples. It was doubtless this same devotion that factored in to the establishment of strong, spiritual leadership early in the history of the early churches. They were continually devoting themselves.

Themselves
This last key to growth is especially significant. It indicates a real desire on their own part to do these things. They weren’t continually devoted by the apostles to the teachings of the apostles. Nobody had to push them on to maturity; they earnestly desired it on their own, so that they did things to attain their spiritual maturity. This is key, because nobody grows if they have to be pushed into it.

Pushed people stop as soon as the pushers stop. This is true regardless of the area of growth: spiritual maturity, athletic skill, academics, career success, etc. Spiritually pushed people have no serious interest in their eternity, have no interest in others’ salvation, have no real zeal, nor any hunger or thirst for righteousness. Are you relying on someone else pushing you, prodding you, or keeping you interested, in your spiritual pursuit; or are you a self-starter?

First century Christians were self-starters. No one had to beg them to come to Bible classes. Nobody had to urge them to bring a friend. No prodding was needed to get them to study God’s word or pray. Of course they encouraged one another; but they eagerly sought one another’s company, they looked forward to learning more about the teachings and life of Jesus, and they really sought to live the life of the Spirit. They were continually devoting themselves.

Are you looking to grow spiritually? Are you wondering why you haven’t grown more? The answer could be found in the meaning and practice of the single Greek word that means “continually…devoted…themselves” (Acts 2:42).

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Struggling to Grow

Posted on February 15, 2013 by parklinscomb

Sincere Christians desire to grow, but growing more spiritually mature is not intuitive or easily accomplished. Paul speaks of his own personal growth this way,

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

Why does he describe it as such hard work? Well, because it is. It’s not out of reach, but it does take some effort, some diligence, some trying. May I offer just a few examples and paths for your own spiritual growth?

Turning our focus on Jesus

We’re often told in Scripture to look to Him: we are to be and make other disciples (followers) of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20); we need to fix our eyes upon Jesus (Heb. 12:2); and we must walk in the same manner as He walked (1 Jn. 2:6). A truly powerful key to spiritual growth has always been, from the beginning of Christianity, to carefully observe how He thought, pay close attention to how and what He speaks, and focus on what He did and didn’t do. It’s how people have always learned best, watching and imitating. As disciples that’s easy to understand, but it’s not all that easy to actually do. We live in a world which seems to very easily consume our time, our energy, our attention, and pretty much every hour of our conscious day. Spiritual things, the unseen things, are too easily pushed into the background. Spiritual growth, therefore, takes diligent focus to bring to the foreground of our minds the life of Jesus in the midst of our daily lives. It happens for some by integrating a time of Scripture reading into our daily schedules; finding time for prayer; or sometimes something as silly as putting a wad of paper in your pocket that has WWJD on it as a memory prompt. Whatever it takes, however, look to Jesus, then do it — do what Jesus did.

Obedience even when we don’t fell like it

“But what if I don’t feel like it?” One of our greatest stumbling blocks in growth is our feelings. When we’re faced with a moral choice we often have to work our way through our feelings to get to obedience. Does any of this sound familiar? “Lord, I know I should be in church Sunday morning, but I just don’t feel like it today.” Or, “I know that I should share the Gospel with so-and-so, but I feel so embarrassed and inadequate.” Or, “I know I should forgive, but I just can’t seem to let things drop.” We have a hard time getting past our feelings, and it will almost always cause to remain immature.

The spiritual giants of the Bible all had their difficulty with how they felt — but they overcame! Think of Moses (Exo. 3,4), who wanted to be anywhere but in Pharaoh’s court saying, “Let my people go.” Think of Gideon (Judges 6,7), whose fears took two “signs” to be overcome. Think of poor Job (Job 1,2), who must have been overwhelmed with grief at the loss of everything. Think of Jesus Himself who prayed that the Father allow the cup of the cross to pass Him by. Did these heroes struggle? You bet! Was it hard work? But they overcame, got past their feelings and obeyed. So can we! Indeed, it is only through a personal struggle through such feelings to do what is right that we will grow, too.

Hang in there and keep trying

This part of spiritual growth has two applications. First, we all know (don’t we?) that trying once will NOT be the end of our struggle. Very few (maybe no one) does anything perfectly the first time. Children only learn to walk and then run by trying and failing scores (perhaps hundreds) of times. So, despite the fact that trying to imitate Jesus and coming up short will always be a bit discouraging, we must keep trying. It’s important to realize that we’re only a failure, when we stop trying. Peter denied the Lord, but afterward repented and later preached the first Gospel sermon. John Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey, when things got difficult; but later proved useful again to Paul’s ministry. Stumble, fumble, trip, and fall. But were they failures? No, not at all.

Second, even after we’ve overcome the fumbles and stumbling blocks of our Christian efforts, we will have to overcome them again — and again. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” didn’t go away after the first encounter — in fact, it never did. And Elijah got deeply depressed even after his great victory for the Lord, when he thought about having to face Jezebel and the Baal worshippers — again. It was only through courageous perseverance that they were successful as servants of God. Paul continued serving the Lord, overcoming his thorn in the flesh — daily. And Elijah continued to serve the Lord even with a death-threat hanging over his head.

Our growth as Christians depends heavily upon our persistence, grit, and determination to serve the Lord faithfully and fully despite our mistakes, despite the obstacles, and despite resistance from others. Our growth and even our faith are in danger if we are willing to quit because of the struggle. We must try again and again; and even after success, we must keep on keeping on.

Spiritual growth isn’t about being a genius or about being especially deep and insightful. It isn’t about finding some elusive key, having a transcendent experience, or discovering some special knowledge. It’s surprisingly simple. It is available to those who put the effort into it by really knowing and following Jesus, obeying Him even when we don’t feel like it, and continuing to try in spite of fumbles and obstacles.

Will you put the effort into it?

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