I’ve always thought my concerns were mostly that preaching from a screen (or even a hologram) doesn’t seem personal enough. That, as a preacher myself, I need the feedback of the congregation and the influence of the Holy Spirit to know when the message needs to change a bit from that planned.
But the more I think about it, that’s not the main issue.
For years the leaders of these very same multi-site churches have been, quite rightly, pushing us to spend more time building leaders. Investing our time into them so they in turn can build leaders and the influence of Jesus through those leaders can grow exponentially.
But because of the marvels of technology one single preacher can reach the exponential numbers themselves.
The trouble is… are we investing time in the young preachers, building them up so the good work can carry on after we are off the scene?
Or are we heading for a time when we have a dearth of quality, Holy Spirit inspired communicators?
A couple of things have happened lately that have really bugged me.
Unwanted E-Mail Subscription
I was phoned by an evangelist I know touting his latest study which consisted of a 21 part DVD series along with a massive study guide to go with it.
Out of respect for him I ordered one set at a not insubstantial cost and said I would give it a try out with my own small group.
Unfortunately this evangelist took this to also mean he could put me on his e-mail newsletter list which is really just a sales pitch each time the e-mail arrives. I didn’t want to be on it, I wouldn’t have asked to be on it and even worse, there is no unsubscribe link.
Targeting of Congregation Members
Our demonination is starting up a new plant in a suburb not too far from us.
We’ve been advised by some of our congregation members that they have been invited by way of a written invitation to the launch.
Now it actually makes sense that some of these people should be invited because they live close to where the new plant is opening but it seems to me it would be only good manners to contact their current church leadership to give them a heads up first.
What Should My Response Be
As a Christian, how should I respond to such things? Should I:
ignore things like this?
react against them?
discuss them (in love)?
or should I just blog it as a venting mechanism and then move on?
Yesterday, a member of our congregation passed away suddenly.
Today, it would appear the body of a 15-year-old girl who has been missing for four days was found in Wellington Harbour. Although not a member of our congregation many of our youth knew her through school and other common interest groups.
Sometimes life really sucks. So this afternoon I went to YouTube to look for a specific song to listen to.The song is "It Is Well with My Soul" and here is a YouTube version. It helped me and I pray it helps you also. I’ve also included some history about the song as well as its lyrics below.
The song was written in 1873 by Horatio G Spafford. Here is the story behind the writing of it:
Text Author and Hymn-Writer Horatio G. Spafford Spafford was born on October 20, 1828 in North Troy, New York. He was a successful lawyer in Chicago who maintained a keen interest in Christian activities, deeply spiritual and devoted to the scriptures.
Chicago Fire and a Son’s Loss Sometime in 1871, a fire in Chicago heavily devastated the city, and months before that , Spafford had invested hugely in real estate by the shore of Lake Michigan. The disaster greatly wiped out his holdings. Before the fire, Spafford also experienced the loss of his son.
Calm Before Spafford’s Worst Life Storm Two years after the fire, Horatio Spafford planned a trip to Europe for him and his family. He wanted a rest for his wife and four daughters, and also to assist Moody and Sankey in one of their evangelistic campaigns in Great Britain. He was not meant to travel with his family. The day in November they were due to depart, Spafford had a last minute business transaction and had to stay behind in Chicago. Nevertheless, he still sent his wife and four daughters to travel as scheduled on the S.S. Ville du Havre, expecting to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship laden with his wife and daughters was struck by the Lockhearn, an English vessel, and sank in few minutes.
Spafford’s Wife "Saved Alone" After the survivors were finally landed somewhere at Cardiff, Wales, Spafford’s wife cabled her husband with two simple words, "Saved alone." Shortly after, Spafford left by ship on his way where his beloved four daughters had drowned, and pen at hand, wrote this most poignant text so significantly descriptive of his own personal grief – "When sorrows like sea billows roll…" The hymn "It is Well with My Soul" was born.
It is Well with My Soul It is noteworthy that Horatio Spafford did not dwell on the theme of life’s sorrows and trials, instead, focused in the third stanza on the redemptive work of Christ, and in the fourth verse, anticipates His glorious second coming.
Lyrics
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain: It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
It’s been a long time since I picked up a book and got so engrossed that I couldn’t put it down. Most books I read follow the same format, I read a couple of chapters until I get a handle on the main characters and then I flick to the back to see how it finishes. I tried to do the same thing with this book, but it revealed so little … the story was so wonderfully written. The story unpacked itself along the way, and it was how it did that captured and held my interest.
Eva Longoria Parker’s comment on the back of the book, "Beautifully real characters" is so true. It was easy to find yourself really connected … to see the story as more than just words on the page. I could easily imagine the exchanges described in the book really happening.
We all have hurts in our lives, which is why I guess it was easy to identify with the main character, Jade. Some of us, like Jade, search for the key to peace and healing from those hurts. Some of us try locking them away "letting the past stay in the past" as had been her motto. But as with real life there’s no real peace in that … no real closure … and this book shares a wonderful journey towards the only place where we can achieve true peace and closure.
I feel that my review, doesn’t really do justice to what a great story I thought this was … Definitely a 5 Star book.
But today I want to point you to an amazing article that highlights what I think is the most dangerous issue for the church today. In the article about prosperity gospel Sam Storms is quoted as saying:
That is, believers have no concept of a love and a joy that does not eliminate hardship and heartache… For most professing believers if God is love He must promise to minimize my struggles and maximize my pleasure," he lamented. Many believe it’s their spiritual birthright to experience comfort and prosperity and that it’s God divine obligation to provide it.
Personally I absolutely abhor every aspect of the prosperity gospel but I also struggle working out the best way to preach and teach about the necessity of going through the valleys.
Question: Do you think prosperity gospel is a problem in the church today?
My observation is that we often preach against sins that are not a problem in our church (sins more prevalent in the world) while not preaching against sins that are a common problem in the church
Ed states that the biggest sin in his church relates to a lack of ministry involvement by the majority of those who attend. He goes on to make the illuminating comment:
If I preach about gay marriage, everybody cheers. If I preach about sin you can hear the amens ring. But those aren’t the real problems. I tell people that the biggest sin in our church is you sitting there doing nothing and still calling yourself a follower of Jesus.
I’ve often said something similar because it’s always annoyed me when churches and Christians rail against homosexuality while I think God looks down at them and weeps at the pride he sees in those churches and amongst those people who profess to follow him.
In the church I’m honoured to lead we don’t have that many people who are sitting doing nothing. One of the reasons may well be that we make sure there are lots of opportunities for people to serve in ways that do not take up too much time.
That said, we would actually prefer to see less of our people serving in church and the more of them making a difference in the lives of their neighbours and work colleagues. We still think of this as ministry involvement but it’s a ministry involvement that’s very hard to quantify.
Question: What do you think the biggest sin in your church, or in the church generally, is?
There’s a lot of weirdos around isn’t there? A lot of strange looking people who reckon they’ve heard from God. A lot of unlikely folk who claim to have God’s Twitter address and that God DM’s them direct with information.
When Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple as was required they ran into two unusual people.
Luke 2:21-40
The first was Simeon, an old guy who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. He praises God effusively when he sees the baby Jesus.
The second was Anna who was a prophetess, a widow, and also very old. She stayed in the temple and worshipped day and night.
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Remember this was in a culture and at a time when women were not even allowed in the same parts of the temple as the men for worshipping. This was the same culture that prompted Paul to tell the Corinthian church that women shouldn’t speak in church. This was a culture where the law courts wouldn’t accept testimony from a woman.
Yet people were obviously willing to listen to Anna about the Messiah and the redemption of Jerusalem.
And of course to make matters even more interesting, when John the Baptist started spreading the word of Jesus Christ he wandered around in strange clothes eating nothing but locusts and honey.
Two very important points
Don’t presume that a word doesn’t come from God because the messenger isn’t who you would choose to deliver it.
Check their message doesn’t contradict Scripture. Simeon’s, Anna’s and John the Baptist’s messages were in complete agreement with Scripture.
How good are we at accepting people who are not what we expected?
Good News/Bad News
How gracious are we when people rain on our good news parade with their better news?
If you and your spouse had been told you couldn’t have a baby and then at last you found out you had managed to get pregnant, how would you feel? Then, in the middle of the celebrations, your niece shows up at the door to announce she’s pregnant, unmarried, and the baby isn’t her fiance’s.
Luke 1:39-45
Would your ego get in the way because it spoils your day?
Would you start by telling her what a stupid, irresponsible child she has been?
How Should We React
Or would you react the way Elizabeth did in Luke 1 when Mary showed up at her door unmarried, pregnant and claiming the child was God’s?
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”
Luke 1:41-42
Son
When your son comes into the room and announces he’s going to be an artist when you had him pegged as a doctor – remember Elizabeth.
Daughter
When your daughter shows up with a dullard who she obviously loves immensely – remember Elizabeth.
At Work
When an employee comes into office to proudly show you how she has achieved a task (obviously not how you would have done it) – remember Elizabeth.
And at Church?
And possibly most importantly. When someone who doesn’t fit, someone with troubles, someone who looks different from you, walks into your church and sits in your seat – remember Elizabeth, sit down next to them and welcome them with open arms.
There has been a lot of fuss in New Zealand lately about a stupid billboard put up by a liberal church designed to get people to think about the virgin birth. The problem wasn’t that it was challenging but that it was offensive, and unnecessarily so. The church involved would do well to consider just what message they are trying to get across.
Luke 1:26-38
At the same time, those who call themselves Christians but saw fit to break the law and deface the billboard needed to rethink their actions as well.
Maybe they, and we, could look to Mary for guidance on how to respond to both unlikely situations and circumstances that are bound to bring conflict and derision.
In Luke 1 and angel visits Mary and lets her know that she’s going to have a child. The child is going to be conceived before she is married. The father isn’t going to be her betrothed and her child is going to be the son of God! The angel then finishes are by telling her that nothing is impossible for God.
For nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
There is an interesting concept in the printing of books called “white space”. When we type of computer we put two new lines in to represent a new paragraph. But when it is typeset, the printer uses “white space” instead.
Sometimes in the Bible the most interesting things are found in the “white space”. This is one of those times.
In the white space between the angel speaking and Mary saying, “I’ll do it” there is a time of thought, faith and courage that we could all use as we head into 2010.
The other day I took our puppy out to the backyard (to do what puppies do) and the cat followed us out. What happened next was truly amazing.
The fantail is one of the smallest native New Zealand birds. It’s quite a beautiful and is named because its little tail opens up in the form of a fan. As soon as our great monstrosity of a cat showed its face outside a fantail fluttered down to within 6 inches of its nose and continued to do so until the cat had been moved to the other end of the yard.
“Stupid bird,” I thought, “it’s asking for trouble.”
But shortly after this event my daughter and I found a tiny baby fantail chick on the ground not far from where the cat had originally come out of the house.
The adult bird had been risking its own life to protect a chick that was too weak to protect itself.
I don’t think I’ve ever been asked to put my own life at risk but they have been many times when I’ve been given the opportunity to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
The question is, “How many times have I failed to do so?”
In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about separating the sheep from the goats. In essence, he says whatever we do, or do not do, for those people who cannot do it for themselves, we do to him.
A sobering thought for the New Year.
Question: What can you do in 2010 to help those who cannot help themselves?
