The Church in HD: Aligned with God?

Last week, was a great day for Fairfax Baptist Church. We were able to celebrate the new and fresh look of our sanctuary. It provided a new and fresh feeling among the people too. The day was good. The day was important. And the day was worth celebrating.

But...

If we are honest, not everything about the church looks as nice. Again, we need to celebrate what God has done. I am thankful for last Sunday, but let’s face it, our focus was on what looks good, not on the remaining areas that need improvement. And beyond general maintenance, we have one particular area that is in need.

Our downstairs children’s area recently had some flooding and the carpet has been ripped up. That is an area where we do not want to bring focus. But if we are to be good stewards of this building with which we have been entrusted, we cannot just turn off the lights and shut the doors of certain rooms, we need to look everywhere for areas which need improvement. And wherever we find those areas, we need to evaluate the situation, make plans to improve, execute those plans, and then evaluate the results.

But...

We also need to remember that the church is not a building. When Jesus said, He would build His church, He was not talking about brick and mortar. The materials Jesus has used for these last 2000 years is the hearts and minds and hands of His people. God’s people are the Church. We are a part of that church, and just like we want people to see the best parts of this building, we want others to see the best parts of our lives – individually and as a church collectively as well. The truth is that we all have parts of our lives that we are ok with people seeing and parts of our lives that we would rather keep hidden from others. The same is true of our houses, our church, and our lives.

So...over the next couple of months, we are going to get personal – in a corporate kind of way. We cannot clean up the church (and by church I mean people) without cleaning up ourselves individually, but as we address these issues, we will be looking at them primarily from a corporate perspective – that is, how can we do better as a church. But for us to make significant improvements as a church, we will have to make incremental improvements as individuals. Therefore, the plan is to expose some deficiencies of the modern-day Church (including this church) by comparing what the Bible says about God’s design for His people, and specifically Jesus design for His Church. Specifically, we will be reviewing the first several chapters from the book of Acts to see how the early church functioned and determine how we can best approach the biblical model while living in the 21st Century. Please be aware, the early church was not perfect (e.g. Paul sent letters to churches because they were dealing with problems), but if we cannot learn how the church should function from the written Word of God, then we have no business in allowing the living Word of God to include us in the Church He is building.

To begin our study, let us consider how the six basic questions – who, what, when, where, why, and how – relate to the Church in general.

• Who? The Church consists of God’s people.
• What? The Church is exists to make disciples – going, teaching, and baptizing others who will then do the same.
• When? The Church began at Jesus word, and persists because Jesus said it would.
• Where? The Church exists anywhere God’s children are gathered.
• Why? The Church was created as a tool to do the work of ministry and expand God’s kingdom.
• How? This is the question we must ask and attempt to answer for ourselves over the next several weeks!

Our goal in answering the How question is not to find the perfect answer (because one rarely exists); rather our goal is to use the Bible to explore options on answering the How question as best we can as Fairfax Baptist Church. To do that, we may have to look in some hard to reach places and see things that we might otherwise not see. I honestly have not looked ahead on this, so I am interested to see what God will expose to us as we shed His light on this church. For today, let us consider three areas which must be true for us to be properly aligned with God.

1. To be aligned with God, we must use His building design, not ours.

In Matthew 16, Jesus said, “I will build my church.” As I mentioned a moment ago, that means a focus on people, not blueprints that include bricks, doorways, and rooms, let alone carpet and  pews.

Consider the passage from Genesis 11.1-9. The story is often simply referred to as The Tower of Babel. We focus on the tower and the eventual dispersion of the people after they begin to speak different languages. The problem was that their purpose in building this mighty tower into the heavens was that they were seeking to make a name for themselves, not for God. But we cannot overlook one important verse. Take a moment to read verse 6. God said the people were united – just as we should be. And because the people were united, God said that they could succeed – nothing will be impossible for them – that is, they will be able to accomplish anything!

Imagine this, the people had a unified vision and thus they were destined to succeed. The only problem was that the vision they had was not the vision that God had. Imagine if their vision had been aligned with God’s vision. Imagine if their work had been aligned with God’s work. Imagine if their lives had been aligned with God’s desires for their lives.

To keep this in perspective, we must ask are we, that is, those who say we are God’s people (i.e. the Church), aligned with what God wants to do? I will not limit God to one particular vision idea, but if we look at our vision statement, it is certainly aligned with God. It must be because our vision statement is not something made up by man, it is straight from the Bible. Our vision statement is firmly based upon Matthew 5.13-16 which speaks of our need to be salt and light and to do our good works to that others might see our good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven. So, our vision statement as a church is shiny and new and worth showing off to others. But, if we look in the cracks and in the hard to reach places what will we find? Are we aligned with God in our attempts to fulfill that directive from Jesus or are we too busy trying to promote our own agenda (i.e. seeking to make a name for ourselves rather than allowing God to get the glory)? Again, we will seek to better answer that question for this church in the coming weeks, but hopefully that question gives each one of us a reason to pause and answer the question for ourselves.

2. To be aligned with God, we must focus on His work, not ours.

Again, in Matthew 16, Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Earlier, in Matthew 4, Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” But after Jesus died, and even briefly after He had returned from the dead, His closest followers were back doing their own business. For instance, we find in John 21 that several disciples followed Peter back out to sea to fish. At daybreak, Jesus was on the shore, but despite having already appeared to them (notice the “again” in verse 1), they do not expect Jesus – and do not even consider the possibility it is Jesus when they see Him OR hear Him (v. 4, v. 7)! Now, before I go on, this passage does not mean that we cannot, or should not, be engaged in work apart from the church. But it does mean that we should consider all of our work as a part of our ministry to God.

The key for us here is that Jesus said He would build His Church, but His people went about their business without considering it was them who would help to build it. But Jesus pulled Peter aside and said, “Feed my sheep” which also meant, “It is time to quit fishing for food from the water and start giving others the food that I have given you.” And that is exactly what they began to do beginning in Acts 2 after receiving the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised in Acts 1.

In Acts 1, Jesus was leaving, but having promised to build His church, He gave the command for the apostles to do the work so it could be built (i.e. Matthew 28, Acts 1.8). But with that command came a promise that Holy Spirit would empower the work. In Acts 2, we see the Holy Spirit empowering the apostles, and the work beginning to take shape. The essence of that work will be better defined next week , but a large part of the work the Church is to help people with their spiritual formation, and that is what we find throughout the book of Acts and the letters which were written to the various people and churches in the New Testament.

3. To be aligned with God, we must be His Church, not ours.

Again, Matthew 16 says Jesus will build HIS church. Thus, point number three should be obvious, but it is much harder to make it true. A few months ago, a particular blog article captured the idea by sharing three common types of church models – all of which are deadly. Ultimately, the problem with each of these types is that the church quit being the church and started acting like a church. Scripture is clear that we must be before we can truly do. When we try to do things with the wrong motive, we often convince ourselves we are better than we are. For instance, if we try to be a Christian, we might think we are one, but if we do not believe, we can act all we want all the way to hell. Let me briefly share the three ideas the author conveyed about these deadly church models.(1)

• Business Model: Budget and Bylaws are the most important items. The Bible is important, but wherever the Bible interferes with money, finances win.
• Truth – Being good stewards and having strong church documents is important, but these are not solid foundations on which to build a church.
• Political Model: Identification is with a political party, not Jesus. If the other party is in power, sermons and lessons talk about persecution. If the favored party is in power, “God is in control.”
• Truth – Moral and social Issues must be confronted, but not because they are political issues, but because they are biblical issues.
• Family Reunion Model: Focus is on trying to get back to the “good old days.”  The good old days ended when Adam was booted from the Garden.
• Truth – Jesus said He would build His Church. If He has not returned, He is still building which means what it was or is still has room for improvement and growth if aligned with Him.

Again, all of these models are unhealthy. The only model that counts is a model based upon the Bible. Jesus will identify with a healthy church because a healthy church identifies with Jesus. Therefore, to align with God, we must focus on being the Church He wants us to be, not just acting like another type of model that pretends to be a church.

I am thankful that Fairfax Baptist Church is a church built on a biblical foundation. But just because we are built on the Bible, does not mean we are perfect. This understanding means we need to seek ways to improve who we are and what we do for the reasons why Jesus gave us whenever and wherever He wants us to. As for the How, we are given many options. The Bible gives us a lot of the what and the why, but is mostly silent on the how. So, as we seek to align ourselves to God’s design, God’s work, and His purpose for His Church, let us explore how we can best do it given the gifts, abilities, and skills He has given to each of us individually and all of us collectively.

CONCLUSION

The goal in this series is to expose whatever needs to be exposed in this church to ensure we are aligned with God. A church can be moving in the right direction, following Jesus, and then with one major issue or a series of small ones that are not dealt with in a timely manner, we can begin to go adrift. Consider a car. We can get our wheels aligned, but after driving through Fairfax for awhile, the alignment begins to shift just a little. It isn’t too bad so we live with it. But eventually it puts more wear on the tires and we either have to get new tires, get the car realigned, or both.

We may not be mechanics who know how to realign the car, but we do have a manual that can help guide us to find any areas where we, as Fairfax Baptist Church, may need to be adjusted. To fix a car, a mechanic needs to do more than look at the outside of the nicely washed car; s/he must get a little dirty or greasy. Church, over these next two months, we may find ourselves in some unpleasant thoughts as we get a little dirty and greasy allowing God to expose any shortcomings we have. But if we want to honor God, if we are truly followers of Jesus, then we will allow Him to work in us individually and collectively to become what He desires for us to be.

JOURNEY: The JOURNEY letter for this week is: J – JESUS.

PRINCIPLE: Jesus promised to build His Church. We must choose to work or against Him.
QUESTION: What can I do that, if done well, and done for Jesus, can make a difference in this church?

NEXT STEP(S):

• LEARN: Study more about the Church during this series. I have flagged two studies in Right Now Media to help you dig further into God’s plan for the church. We are also going to study this concept on the next 5 Sunday nights in place of our usual E.Q.U.I.P.
• LIVE: Commit to serve God through God’s Church. Answer the question: What can I do that, if done well, and done for Jesus, can make a difference in this church?
• LOVE: Love God, love others, and love one another. See Mark 12.30-31 and John 13.34-35). These are not options, they are what Jesus expects from His Church.
• LEAD: Assist in developing new documentation for this church. Updates will be made to team descriptions and goals, to ministries and positions of service, as well as the policies and procedures that will guide FfxBC into the future.

(1) Three Deadly Church Models – LifeWay Pastors blog on April 2, 2018, now at Facts and Trends, https://factsandtrends.net/2018/04/02/three-deadly-church-models/

As It Is In Heaven: Series Introduction

Have you ever said words similar to the following? “If only Jesus were here to tell me what to do?”

The reality is that He has told us plenty, but sometimes we don’t listen or perhaps we don’t like what He has said. Of course, at other times, we make the excuse that what He has said is too hard and must not be meant for us. Perhaps, Jesus was only talking to super-Christians or someone who is smarter, or better, or whatever. Well, we can make excuses, but when we stand before God, those excuses will be about as helpful as an air conditioner in the wintertime (the current temp as I post this is below 0).

We are beginning a new series this week on the Sermon on the Mount. It is a passage many will know well. But regardless of how well we know it or not, the key is for us to live out the principles within it. Today, my intent is simply to provide some background for how the series came to be, briefly cover the opening verses of the text for this series, and introduce a new church-wide initiative to help with our discipleship efforts. That sounds like a lot to cover, but this week’s message is vitally important. Why is it important? Well, the passage we will be covering over the next five months is one of the five great discourses of Jesus as chronicled by Matthew, and likely the most impactful sermon ever preached.

What is the passage? Matthew 5-7 – a passage known simply as the Sermon on the Mount. Our series title is taken from near the middle of the passage where, in the midst of Jesus teaching His disciples to pray, says, “on earth as it is in heaven.” For the series title, I have dropped the “on earth” portion, but the point of these three chapters is Jesus introducing the concept of kingdom-living to His followers. A few weeks ago, during our previous series on adoption, we applied these same verses to our role as children and our interactions with the Father and with each other. As I mentioned at the time, the primary understanding of this sermon regards living as a part of the Kingdom of God; however, if God is also our Father, then we can apply the concepts as children as well.

As we begin to review this sermon in detail, we will do so from the context of being a follower of God. If you are a follower of God, or desire to do so, this series will be both a blessing and a challenge to you. I know it will be for me as well. So, with that, let’s get started.

The Background

Over the past few years, I have had in my mind to do a series on Paul’s letter to the Romans. Each year, I sense that the time is not right and God provides another path of study. This past Spring, I thought we would begin Romans today, but with an interesting twist, I would teach on Romans and show some parallels between Paul’s letter and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Then, our book club read a book on holiness, and we talked about how well that idea fit my series concept. But then, I started to get the same sense that Romans wasn’t right even as the thought of teaching from this great sermon of Jesus gained strength in my mind. One of the problems, at least for me, was that we just concluded a year looking at the life of Jesus. But the reality is that Mark focuses very little on the teachings of Jesus, so…

Last September, I was reading a book that mentioned Habakkuk 2.14. The verse says, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHWH, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2.14). In the book, the following two questions were posed after quoting the verse:

• Suppose that isn’t just an extravagant way of speaking?
• Suppose it means what it says?

Said another way, what if the earth was filled with the knowledge of God’s glory? What if we lived according to the glory of God and then shared that glory with others? Well, those questions led me directly to Matthew 5.16 (the verse that captures the vision for our church), and that helped me conclude that a series on Matthew 5-7 was the right approach for the new year for Fairfax Baptist Church. As we will see in the coming weeks, that question about God’s glory will be the driving force for how we approach our application of Jesus’ teaching in these verses.

The Setting

Take a moment to read Matthew 5.1-2.

Who? The crowds, Jesus, and His disciples. It is difficult to discern from Matthew’s account how many disciples are present or exactly who is a disciple. In Matthew 5.1, he mentions crowds (plural) and disciples, yet at the end of the sermon (7.28-29), only crowds are mentioned. This may seem like a minimal issue, but we truly must question who is being taught. In verse 2, Matthew uses the pronoun “them” which could refer to the disciples and/or crowds. I believe Jesus was teaching His disciples and the crowd was a secondary beneficiary of the teaching. It wasn’t that they were eavesdropping, merely that they were interested in what Jesus was saying so they crowded in around the disciples to hear better. The text does not provide any number regarding the crowds, so we might guess several dozen, several hundred, or even potentially several thousand.

What? Jesus sat down. In Jesus day, the rabbis, scribes, or other teachers sat down when they taught. However, whomever read Scripture would do so standing (the people often did as well – a tradition that goes back, at least, to Ezra reading Scriptures in Nehemiah 8). Thus, Matthew records that Jesus is seated which indicates that important teaching is about to take place.

When? This teaching takes place early in Jesus’ ministry. In Matthew’s account, this happens just after Jesus calls His first disciples and ministers to large crowds through Galilee. This fits well with Luke’s account as well although Luke’s version is often called the Sermon on the Plain (I will cover this apparent difference in just a moment). Luke’s version of the gospel should be considered the most accurate as far as the sequence of events, but again Matthew and Luke have this teaching near the very beginning of His ministry, so we do not have a conflict in timing.

Where? Matthew says that Jesus went up a mountain. Luke says that this teaching happened “on a level place” (Luke 6.17). But Luke 6.12 said that Jesus had been out to the mountain and then came down with them (the disciples, v. 17) to the level place. Luke also says Jesus stood. So, is the Bible in error? No. Let me explain.

First, Matthew and Luke are talking about the same place. Galilee is a very hilly region. (SermononMount pic – SB folder under Sermons) The picture here is a possible place where the sermon occurred. A few different locations have been considered possibilities and a church has been erected on top of one site. But the point that this picture shows is that Jesus could have walked up the mountain (to pray, Luke 6), come back down to a level place (Luke 6) and still be considered up on the mountain (Matthew 5). Furthermore, the acoustics in situations like this have been scientifically proven to allow a person to speak to several thousands of people by simply using the natural amplification that comes from the backdrop. Thus, being in a lower place and speaking to those above you (Luke 6 says He looked up at His disciples), would create an optimal teaching setting.

But what about Jesus standing versus sitting? This is where the writer’s intended audience is important. Matthew is writing to the Jews whose tradition said that the teacher (rabbi) would sit to teach. The Jews present that day would have recognized this and, indeed, recognized a superior authority from Jesus according the verses at the end of this sermon (Matt. 7.28-29).

Why? Jesus had just begun His ministry. He began by calling for people to, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4.17). Now, He is explaining what living within the Kingdom of heaven includes. Later, in Matthew 13, Jesus will explain what the Kingdom of heaven is like. As I have mentioned in the past, the Jews consider God’s name so holy, Matthew did not write the Kingdom of God; rather he called it the kingdom of heaven. But because heaven is the domain of God, the Jews would fully understand the implications of the words of Jesus and Matthew.

How? Jesus opened up his mouth and taught. This is a profound statement which we will cover later in our series. But consider the words Jesus uses several times in Chapter 5, “You have heard it said…, but I say…” These words have tremendous significance as we will see in early February. For now, we simply need to understand that Jesus was using the traditional means of teaching, but His intentions were to elevate the people’s understanding and perception of the situation.

The Initiative

If Jesus intended to raise the people’s awareness to what God’s expectations were, what was His reason? Simply to help people rise above the lives they were living and focus on living according to God’s standards, not man’s. In other words, having them live at another level. That level of living – as it is in heaven – is quite different than their normal one – and these were people who had a great respect for God.

So, Jesus comes to share the idea of what having a true knowledge of the glory of the Lord would do for them. Furthermore, He came to share what having a true knowledge of the glory of the Lord would require of them. And what was true for them is certainly true for us.

Such a knowledge and understanding means we must choose to live at another level – next level living, we will call it. That requires next-level discipleship, next-level fellowship, next-level worship, next-level service, next-level sharing.

The words of Scripture can teach us a great deal about God and about ourselves. Thankfully, God has provided tremendous teachers who make the words of Jesus, Paul, Moses, and others not only understandable, but applicable. Thanks to technology, we have access to some of these teachers right from our televisions, computers, and even our telephones. One such resource is called Right Now. Many of you are familiar with Netflix. Well, RightNow Media is basically the Biblical version of Netflix. We have been using this resource for a couple of years for our Community Groups, but now I want to make it available to any member of the church that would like to access it. It is free to all members. Thousands of Bible studies for all ages (young children to senior adult), access to speeches from various conferences, etc.

(In the service a promo video was played at this time.)

Jesus said to Follow Me. He came to make disciples. The Sermon on the Mount is His first extended teaching to turn His followers into disciples who would change the world. RightNow is a tool we can use to be better disciples and make more disciples. And, oh yes, it is free to you.

CONCLUSION
In this series introduction, we have covered the background for how this series came to be, the setting for Jesus teaching, and the initiative, or purpose, for His teaching and how we can capitalize on resources to make us better disciples as well.

As we move forward in this series, the prevailing thought will be about how a knowledge of the glory of the Lord impacts our understanding of the principles in the Sermon on the Mount. Each week my plan is to show what the world’s typical response is regarding the various topics, and what Jesus expects from those who choose to follow Him. That is, we will compare the worldly kingdom against the heavenly one.

So, with that said, our JOURNEY letter for today is:

JOURNEY: JOURNEY

The reality is that for each one of us, some of the principles we will learn in this series will be very challenging while others may be reasonably within our grasp. But Jesus wants us to live at another level, and, thus, our journey is not complete. This series will not complete that process, but it should prepare us to take a few steps closer to becoming the individuals and the church that God wants us to be.

NEXT LEVEL STEP(S): LEARN

1. Consider your response to the following question each day this week.

• How would having the knowledge of the glory of the Lord impact my current situation?

2. Consider signing up for an Right Now Media. Again it is free for all members of Fairfax Baptist Church. All you need is an email address. You may email the church if you are interested in having an account.

Adoption: Grace Upon Grace

In Fiscal Year 2016, the United States Sentencing Commission received information on 67,874 federal criminal cases in which the offender was sentenced. Almost 12,000 more individuals were resentenced or had the sentences modified. Thus, nearly 80,000 criminal cases (the vast majority related to drug, immigration, fraud, or firearms) included a sentencing of some kind – and that is just at the federal level. Effectively, that means that in each of these 80,000 cases, the defendant heard a verdict of guilty – at least, to some degree. Most of these verdicts resulted in jail time with an average sentence around five years. (1)

In a country with a population of well over 300 million, the numbers may not seem too disproportional. However, what is important to us at this moment is that you and I are not among those for one reason only – the grace of God. Romans 3 makes clear that no one is righteous (v .10) and that we all sin (v. 23). Sure, those of us gathered today may not have committed certain crimes, but if circumstances were different, we could have, and be facing time in jail. However, by the grace of God, we did not and hear about these statistics rather than being a part of them.

Now, what I want you to imagine is that what if each of those 80,000 cases had been declared “Not Guilty” instead. Whether the case was heard by a jury or not is somewhat irrelevant. But, whomever determined the judgment, the judge proclaimed the defendant “Not Guilty.”

Ultimately, as Christians that is what has happened to us. The difference for us is that we are guilty, but Jesus paid the price. He served the sentence. And the wages (the sentence) of sin is death. But Jesus defeated death and thus those who place their faith in Him do not die, but live forever – not because of what we have done, but because of grace.

I realize we just had a sermon on sola gratia, by grace alone, four weeks ago. And I realize that the word grace is in the title twice. But what may surprise you is that grace is not the ultimate subject today. Grace is necessary to realize the fullness of the subject, but grace is simply a step. In fact, as great as grace is, as amazing as grace is, it is simply the avenue to what God really has for us.

Over the next several weeks, we will explore this great gift God desires for His children. In fact, that is it, He wants us as His children, and thus the grand idea – the great gift – available because of His grace is: adoption. As we will see in the coming weeks, even if you have never really thought about the idea of adoption, it is a foundational core of those who believe in God – for whenever we call Him Father, or talk of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we imply that we have been adopted by God. So, as we unpack this great gift over the next seven weeks, my prayer is that we will better understand what the Bible says about adoption and what it means for us now and for eternity.

Adoption Is Made Possible By Jesus (John 1.1-12)

Some who read this may have parts or all of this passage memorized. It is a great passage, but let me start with verse 12 and then summarize the previous eleven verses. Verse 12 says we have been given the right to become children of God. Why? Because Jesus came and died? How? By believing that to be true and our only source of salvation. It is Jesus that we are to receive, the name in which we are to believe (v. 11, cf. Acts 4.12).

Why should we believe in His name? The preceding verses give us a great deal of information.

• He was there in the beginning. He was with God. He was God.
• All things were made through Him.
• Life was in Him. He is the light of man. He drives out darkness.

The reason John wrote this version of the gospel is to show that Jesus was real – that is, He is God, but He came as a human. Verse 10 paints a very clear picture. He was in the world…even though He made the world…but the world did not care. Not even the chosen people of Israel cared.

But those who do recognize who He truly is become the true children of God.

Adoption Requires a New Birth (John 1.13)

Each person is here today because two individuals – one male, one female – engaged in procreation. The biology behind the birthing process is known and understood. Therefore, when you are born, you have a father and mother.

But with adoption, a child receives a new parent or set of parents. Such is the case with God’s children. Verse 13 makes this contrast clear. John begins by writing of a natural birth – where blood, the flesh, and man’s desires are involved. He then wrote that adoption requires a birth available from God. In John 1, we are not given any real detail of what that kind of birth would be, but John 3 answers the question fully – we must be born again.

Like Nicodemus, when we first hear a phrase like being born again, we should have questions. Nicodemus asked how it was possible for a grown man to enter his mother’s womb. Jesus responded that a person must be born of the Spirit (John 3.5). Jesus response fits perfectly with John 1.13 which, again, states that the being born of God is different from birth related to the flesh. Because the Holy Spirit is God, then the new birth through the Spirit is of God. And thus, when we are born of the Spirit, we are born again, which means we are born into the family of God – that is, we are adopted as a child of God.

But now, let me show you why I am preaching this series. As I consider the idea of adoption, in a theological sense, I am becoming convinced that adoption is a greater gift than salvation.

Adoption Is a Compounding of Grace (John 1.14-18)

In the previous point, I mentioned we must be born again to be adopted by God. Adoption requires us to be born of the Spirit, but that is only possible because Jesus came in the flesh (v. 14). For God to send His Son was an act of grace. For the Son, Jesus, to die for us was an act of grace. But if that is where the grace ended, something would be missing.

Consider the following. Suppose someone finds an animal that needs to be saved from something (e.g. the cold). After the animal is brought in from the cold, the person realizes it is likely hungry and thirsty, but s/he has “saved” it so let it fend for itself. In fact, let’s take this a step further and consider that the person does not have room for it, so s/he places it right back in the cold without any protection. Technically, the animal was saved, but then put it right back in (or near) the same conditions in which it was found.

The initial rescue was successful, but if nothing else was done, the potential for the animal to find itself in need of help again is very high. Would we say the rescue was complete in that situation? Of course not. The rescue would be complete if the animal is able to be warm, get food and water, and perhaps receive medical treatment, at a minimum.

With that in mind, consider the rescue (salvation) that Jesus provided? Many are happy to know Jesus died for them. But is that all? What if Jesus saved you, but then put you right back in a position of sin? What if His death saved you, but then He abandoned you? If that were true God’s grace may have saved you, but what kind of salvation would that be?

John 1.16 is one verse that helps us to know that Jesus did not rescue us for the purpose of then releasing back to our own troubles.* I must admit, I am enamored with this verse. “And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” What does that mean?

* It is important to understand that trusting in Jesus does not remove us from our troubles and make life perfect – not in any way. But the difference is that having trusted in Jesus for salvation, His promise is to be with us as we have times of trouble in our lives.

Well, God’s grace saved you, but He offers more grace beyond that. Saving you was not the fullness of God’s plan. It was/is definitely a part of the plan, but He has something even more – the “fullness” mentioned in this verse – in store. To make sure we make the right connection, let us compare verse 12 and verse 16.

In verse 12, John wrote that those who receive Him get the right to become God’s children. Verse 16 says we receive from His fullness grace upon grace. The word receive is repeated. This word is the Greek word lambano – a word that is found many times in the book of John. So, if we receive Him (Jesus) we are saved (by grace), but the fullness of His gift requires more grace – grace upon grace – and that fullness is our becoming children of God. (To further elaborate, notice verse 11 contrasts those who do not receive Him – paralambano, in the Greek.)

So, grace is given for salvation, but more grace is needed, and thus supplied for us to become children. God was not content with merely saving His creation, but to claim it – to claim us – as His very own, just as He did in the very beginning with the man and woman in Eden.

Finally, notice how this passage ends. It ends by contrasting a knowledge of the law to truly knowing God. Again, the idea is grace upon grace. Apart from Jesus, no one has ever perfectly kept the Law given to Moses. It requires God’s grace for us to overcome the law. But simply overcoming the law does not necessarily mean knowing God intimately – at least not without more grace. Again, grace upon grace. What an awesome God we serve!

CONCLUSION

Let me now return to the idea of the criminal cases I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Remember, some 80,000 criminal cases last year ended with a verdict of guilty. But I asked you to imagine that the verdict had been not guilty – not because they were not guilty, but because the sentence had already been paid. Again, that is precisely what Jesus did for us.

But here is the twist for us to consider. Suppose, again, in each of those courtrooms the “Not Guilty” verdict was made. What happens next? The judge goes home. The defendant is free, but free to do what? Again, the defendant admitted guilt, so perhaps s/he had been incarcerated for months waiting for trial. Perhaps the person has nothing left – no place to go, no food to eat, etc. The defendant was saved from the sentencing that comes from a guilty verdict, but to what end? The judge’s job is complete.

But God is more than our judge. He wants to be our Father. God, unlike a human judge, does not just declare the person innocent, He invites the person home. He invites all people who receive His Son to eat with Him…to share with Him…to live with Him – as a child of God.

That is adoption. That is why I believe adoption is another step beyond salvation. Many earthly judges have “saved” a person because of verdict, but they will not be involved in the person’s life from that point forward – let alone for all of eternity. But God wants to do just that. He not only provided a means to save us, but He grants us all the privileges we can imagine as co-heirs with Christ – a term we will explore in a few weeks.

That my friends, is grace upon grace. That is, at least, a part of what John meant when He wrote that it is from God’s fullness that we have received all we have received – and all we will receive in the future. Let us be thankful for God’s grace. But let us be even more thankful for His grace upon grace. Let us be thankful for the opportunity to truly be a child of God!

JOURNEY: Y – You

The JOURNEY letter for today is Y because for us to receive all He wants to give you, you must first receive Him. We must never chase what God has for us over Who God is to us. To chase things is idolatry, but according to John 1.16 and other verses we can be certain that if we embrace God then He will embrace us and give us more than we can know possible. Why? Because we are His children. But it starts with You making a claim as to who Jesus is. Jesus asked His disciples, and He asks us here today, “Who do you say that I am?” Your response is the key to everything else.

NEXT STEP(S): Learn. This week’s step is to memorize a verse we will touch most every week during this series. The verse is 1 John 3.1. The goal will be not only to memorize the verse, but to LEARN to understand it, so we might LIVE in light of its truth, LOVE others because of it, and ultimately LEAD others to embrace it as well.

(1) https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/research-publications/2017/FY16_Overview_Federal_Criminal_Cases.pdf

After Darkness, Light

One stereotype about men is that we will not ask for directions. This stereotype persists regarding putting items together as well as when driving. I want to focus on the driving for a minute. What is the danger of not asking directions? We get lost and sometimes we don’t even know how to get back to being “unlost” – let alone being in the right place. Of course, we lose time, we certainly lose patience, but perhaps most importantly, we lose the trust of those with us. Sometimes the story, or recurring stories, become a laughing point for all involved, but in the moment, it is not funny, and can even be threatening depending upon the circumstances.

Perhaps the worst part of being lost is to not know you are lost. Maybe you are travelling along with someone who thinks they know where they are going. Maybe you are following someone else. Everything seems fine until you realize something is drastically wrong. By then, the question is, “Is it too late?”

A story which captures this idea is that of a frog in a pot. If a frog is put in a pot of water it will not jump out. The pot is then put on the stove and the temperature is turned up very gradually over time. Eventually the frog is boiling because it did not recognize the subtle change in temperature until it was too late.

Such is the case with being lost for some of us. More importantly, such was the case with the church over a period of nearly 1200 years from the fourth to sixteenth centuries. At the end of October, we will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the official date where the church was challenged to find its way back from being lost. Reformation Day takes place on October 31st each year, but this year is particularly special because it is the 500th anniversary of the date that Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (or challenges) against the Roman Catholic Church. His goal was not to change religious understanding, but to reshape the Church. But God had grander designs as we will see over these next several weeks.


The Re-form-ation

As we begin to discuss the idea of The Reformation, we need to clarify a few ideas. First, although the term The Reformation is most common, the idea was considered a protest of sorts, so it is also known as The Protestant Reformation (Protest-ant) Reformation. But to understand this idea, we need to know what reformation means.

Reformation (Re – Form – Ation)

• RE – from a Latin word; has an element of “again” or “again and again” or a backward motion (like retrace or revert, e.g. return)
• FORM – to construct or frame; to arrange or organize
• ATION – an act of process

Thus, the protestors want to initiate a process to construct, frame, or organize something as it had been in the past. What was that something? The Church. The Church as Jesus said He would build it – not what it had become over the centuries. We will get into more of the specifics of that next week. For this week, I want to focus on the overall idea of darkness and light.

The series title reflects this idea. Post tenebras lux is Latin for “After darkness, light.” The people of the 16th Century were looking for, and promoting an idea of, light in the midst of the perceived darkness around them. With the idea of light following darkness, I present the following reminders about the contrast of darkness and light in the Bible.



After Darkness, Jesus Created the Light

Genesis 1 begins with God creating the heavens and the earth. In verse 3, He commands light to come forth. And verse 4 say that God saw the light was good. Darkness was already present (see v.2), but once light was created the word “good” was used.

For untold centuries after that, darkness and light alternated each day. This is true in what God called Day and Night, but it came to be true of the state of the world too. Humans can do good, but the Bible says that we are not good – not one of us (Romans 3.10). Jesus makes the same claim in Mark 10.18 stating only God is good. Of course, Jesus is God, so He was good, but no other human can claim that on their own standing. Ultimately, our idea of good and bad are primarily based upon human emotions, human decisions, human actions, etc. God bases His on perfect righteousness.

Over the centuries leading up to Jesus, the idea of God’s goodness had been lost to most people. Not only that, but the understanding was that strict obedience to a set of rules is what would appease God and maybe, maybe put you in good standing with Him.

The truth is that we cannot truly appreciate light until we have an idea of what darkness is. But we cannot realize how dark our surroundings are until we see what the truth of the light is. The world’s system had been corrupt for a long time and thus it was time for Jesus to make His appearance.


After Darkness, Jesus Showed His Light

The theme of darkness and light is a large part of John’s account of the Gospel. The first instance of this theme is in John 1.4-5. He then uses the idea of light four more times in the next four verses as well. 1 John 1.5-9 have the same focus on light and darkness. But the idea of Jesus being the light was not just something John considered, it was an explicit statement of Jesus – as recorded by John.

In John 8, Jesus stated that He is the light of the world. He made this statement during the Feast of Tabernacles. The day prior, He had announced that He was the living water as the water was carried by the priests from outside Jerusalem up to the temple. Afterwards, luminaries would have been lit to keep the temple complex aglow all night. It was in this setting that Jesus announced that He is the true light.

Of course, the Pharisees challenged Jesus – and why not? They had just been humiliated by Jesus regarding the incident with the woman who was caught in adultery. They were ready to stone her for her sin, but Jesus said that only those who were without sin should cast stones (see John 8.1-11). During the ensuing dialogue, Jesus claimed to be the light, the Pharisees claim Jesus is a liar, and then the question about Jesus' Father arises. Frankly, it is not difficult to see why the Pharisees thought Jesus to be dangerous. God was certainly the Father of Israel, but to claim God as an individual Father was strong language. Frankly, how can it be proven?

Yet, looking back on the story, knowing what we know about Jesus now, the idea fits perfectly. Thus, Jesus was the light of the world. Furthermore, as His light was shone, the darkness abated. At least for a time.


After Jesus Left, Darkness Returned

Just as when God created the light and all was good, the early church flourished initially – despite intense persecution. However, just as darkness crept into mankind after Creation causing people to fall away from God for centuries, so too, the Church would fall away for centuries causing people to have a distorted view of God. Certainly, God still had a remnant, but overall darkness was so characteristic that we call the time period the Dark Ages (and not because they didn’t have electricity). By the fourth century, the persecution stopped as the government and church united in a sense. Over the next 1200 years, this led to many challenges. Next week, I will break down some of the challenges during this time-period which will help explain a) why the Reformation was so needed, and b) why it was so difficult for many to embrace.

The church abandoned certain principles and, worse, placed man-made traditions above biblical teachings. But the fact is that Jesus told His disciples that He would be with them to the end of the age, so although He left, the light still shone where He was allowed to shine. In many ways, however, the darkness returned because people did not know how to seek or where to find the light. And, thus, darkness persisted for a long time.

In the previous section, I mentioned Jesus statement in John 8.12 about being the light of the world. But notice the rest of that verse. “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Again, the Church, for the most part, was not teaching people to find the light, but rather to fund the treasuries. Again, I will expand on this later in the series, but that issue was one of the biggest concerns of Luther and a definite mark of a need for reformation. We recently spent one full year looking at the life of Jesus and what it meant and means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus – that is to heed His call to “Follow Me.” For as He said, those who follow will not walk in darkness. And that leads us back to the title of today’s message – post tenebras lux (after darkness, light).


After Darkness, the Light Regained Focus

The Reformers realized that the people were in the dark spiritually. They realized that the teachings were not biblical. And the idea was to return the focus to the way the church had originally been formed – re-form-ation. As this happened, the darkness would be turned to light – so after darkness, light or post tenebras lux.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8.12). But He also said that we, His followers then, and you and I today, are the light of the world (Matthew 5.14), commanding us to shine forth. For 1200 years, humanity largely forgot how to shine our light for Jesus. Humanity forgot that we are a city on a hill and cannot be hidden – at least not when we are shining our lights. And as our light shines, Jesus says God is glorified by others (Matthew 5.16). The Reformers wanted God to be glorified. I want God to be glorified. I hope you want God to be glorified too!

The problem is not just that the early church failed in being the light, the problem was that the church forgot what being the light meant. In this series, I am likely to get in some trouble who may listen online or read the church blog, but many do not believe the Catholic Church did wrong. But yes, they did. And I intend to expose some of that wrongdoing over the next several weeks. BUT. And this is a huge but...what Catholics did then, many churches, of all denominations, do now.

If you recall when I first arrived in Fairfax, and even when I came in view of a call, I said, one question I would continually ask was, “Why?” We must all ask that question. Why do we do what we do? Do we labor for our glory or God’s? Do we do what we do because it feels good to us or because God’s Word says it is right to do? If we want God’s light to shine, then what we do must be done for God.


CONCLUSION

I began this message about drivers being lost. We might laugh about it because the reality is that the inconvenience is real, but it is only temporary. However, if the church gets lost, the consequences are horrible because people go to hell thinking they are right with God. As a church, we should certainly help people to know who they are, know what to do, and help others live better lives, but we must always maintain our focus on Christ. Jesus came that we might never again be lost. Jesus said, “I will build my Church.” Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” And even when the world thought they had silenced Him – when for three days He was in the earth and all seemed dark – the world experienced post tenebras lux in a way that could never be duplicated when He rose from the dead. Truly it was for all who loved Jesus then, and who love Him now, the truest form of After Darkness, Light.


JOURNEY: R – Revere

Our life should always be about Jesus. When we fail (and we will), we must remember His light will always shine. The sun that gives light by day might set each evening, but Jesus light will never fade because He rose from the dead. So we must revere Him. We must put Him first. We must not allow ourselves to get off the path where it is dark. We must seek to follow Him and have the light of life He has promised.


NEXT STEP(S): Learn. Examine your heart. What do you want more than you want Jesus? If your answer is, “nothing,” then make sure with this question: what keeps you from spending the amount of time you wish to spend with Jesus? Examine your heart and make sure that you are truly walking in the light.

“Avoiding the Death Rattle”

The date is Tuesday, February 28, 2034. Winter has been particularly harsh in Fairfax. The power is out and conditions make it treacherous to drive. Signs of life are scarce in Fairfax because of the weather, but just because of life, in general. The town continues to fade and the most recent evidence of that is that Fairfax Baptist Church closed her doors for the final time – just two days earlier. What was meant to be a festive closing, actually ended with a whimper as only four people, including the pastor, his wife, and their two-year-old showed up to the final service of the church.  Just a decade before, people were talking about celebrating the church’s 150 years in the community. And the church tried to hang on as long as it could to make that celebration, but now just four months shy of reaching 150 years, the people are gone, the doors have closed, and another church will soon be forgotten.

Estimates show 80-120 churches close their doors for the final time each week. Fairfax Baptist Church will too. Just like a human has a certain lifespan, so do churches. Hear me, this church will cease to exist one day. That day might be in February 2034 or in 2023 or in the year 2280. None of us can truly know, but we can help to make sure that the date is later rather than sooner.

How do I know this church will die? Because all churches die. Some of the world’s great cathedrals still open their doors every day, but for all practical purposes, they are nothing but a place for tourists, major events, and a house of tombs, not worship services. A major reason many churches die is that they have no purpose, and thus they lose all hope. We have defined a purpose, but unless we embrace that purpose, we, too, may lose hope. And without hope, people, and church’s will die.

A few years ago, Thom Rainer wrote a book called Autopsy of a Deceased Church. In the book, Rainer provides a glimpse into the common characteristics which cause churches to die. Please understand, most churches do not die an instant death, rather, over a period of time decline happens. The characteristics of this decline, as noted by Rainer, are:

The Past is the Hero
Typical: Everyone laments not being in the good ol’ days.
Fairfax: This was more true when I came, and is still true now, but I think some have a hope for the future.
Truth: God is the God of the present – I AM, not I was (Exodus 3.6). We need to engage Him now.

Refusing to Look Like the Community
Typical: People do not feel welcome in the church. The church focuses on preservation rather than on serving the community.
Fairfax: Again, I believe this was more true in the past. The attitude persists somewhat, but church members appear to be more accepting than when I came.
Truth: We need to be with people in the community to impact their lives (Acts 2.46-47).

An Inward-Focused Budget
Typical: When budgets cuts are necessary, the cuts are to missions and ministry, not to the buildings and personnel. What makes us comfortable is what we will not cut.
Fairfax: We do well here. Just shy of 20% of our budget is for missions. And that doesn’t count Annie Armstrong, Reuben L South, Lottie Moon, or piki piki, etc.
Truth: We are to be cheerful in our giving and give well knowing we reap what we sow (2 Corinthians 9.6-8).

Omitting the Great Commission
Typical: Most church members know the words of the Great Commission, but do not live by them.
Fairfax: We find it easier to give money so others will do this rather than give of ourselves.
Truth: The verb is to make disciples (the focus of this series). But to make disciples requires us to be going, baptizing, and teaching. These are the words of Jesus (Matthew 28.19-20). Will we ignore them?

Being Driven by Personal Preference
Typical: My worship style. My length of service. My activities. My minister. My, my, my.
Fairfax: You all put up with a lot from me. I know some of this is true sentiment is true here, but nothing like most churches.
Truth: Philippians 2.2-11 – We must consider others and we must have the mind of Christ!

Decrease In Pastoral Tenure
Typical: Every 2-3 years. Pastor is asked to restore hope, lead in a few changes, finds resistance, leaves (asked to)
Fairfax: Every 4 years since Momberg (9) and Hendricks (12). Grimmett  (9+, 1920s). With 6 years in Fairfax, I am tied for the 4th longest tenure in the churches 133 years.
Truth: Bible does not provide guidelines here, but modern research shows that a church often has its best years around the 6th-10th years of a pastor’s tenure. I have heard countless stories of 1974-1976 time-frame which was Hendrick’s 6th-8th years.

Not Praying Together
Typical: Church feels like it is praying, but does not really or is a ritual instead of a time of devotion.
Fairfax: Our prayer meetings here are all but dead. On May 3, we had 4. May 17, three. I am not saying people may not pray in homes and such. But let’s face it, we fail to pray corporately.
Truth: Acts 2.42 says they were devoted – including to praying together.

A Lack of Clear Purpose
Typical: Being in a rut. Going through the motions. Fearful to make any effort of change.
Fairfax: I think this was true in the past. I think sometimes it still is true. Although we have a purpose, I am not certain how many really know the purpose. And until we own it together, we will still have further to go than we have already come.
Truth: Exalt the Savior (John 12.32). Equip the Saint (Ephesians 4.11-13). Evangelize the Sinner (Acts 1.8).

A Focus on the Facilities
Typical: Fighting over pulpits, carpet, rooms, the color of paint, etc.
Fairfax: We have purchased property, made decisions about major repairs or updates, and now look to update the sanctuary – all with much discussion, but no real dissension.
Truth: Our focus needs to be on the things of heaven, not of earth (Matthew 6.19-21). As we update our sanctuary, one of the reasons I am strongly advocating we also give to support building churches in Kenya is to maintain a healthy balance in our approach to the use of money – as we build for us, let us build for others as well.

Now that we have looked at the results of the autopsy of other churches, let’s look at the scorecard for our church. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being near death and 10 being vibrant, this would be my thoughts. The parentheses represent what I believe to be our trend.

• The Past is the Hero – 4 (up)
• Refusing to Look Like the Community – 5 (up)
• An Inward-Focused Budget – 9 (up)
• Omitting the Great Commission – 3 (up)
• Being Driven by Personal Preference – 7 (up)
• Decrease In Pastoral Tenure – 3 (up)
• Not Praying Together – 2 (down)
• A Lack of Clear Purpose – 5 (up)
• A Focus on the Facilities – 7 (up)

Scores < 5 = 4
Scores of 5 = 2
Scores > 5 = 3
TOTAL: 45 (90)

So, what can we do to prevent the death rattle from getting louder? Let me spend a few minutes providing two thoughts.

Two Objectives

Embrace Our Purpose
First, we need to embrace our purpose. If we, all of us, begin to embrace the vision, the mission, the strategy, and the steps, it will make a difference across the board. So, one aspect of our service in the next couple of months will include a time when we recite our GPS together. You have heard these statements from me for the last 5 years (and the E-E-E for 6). You have seen them in every bulletin for five years and in the newsletter or hanging in the church for the past several months. So, let’s internal them a bit by saying them aloud – together.

Vision: To be A large church in a small town. (Matthew 5.13-16)

Mission:

• Exalt the Savior (John 12.32)
• Equip the Saint (Ephesians 4.11-13)
• Evangelize the Sinner (Acts 1.8)

Strategy:

• Jesus (Matthew 16.18-19) – The One worth following.
• Observe (Colossians 1.28-29) – Following the commands of Jesus.
• Unite (1 Corinthians 1.10) – Being one in fellowship with other believers.
• Revere (John 12.32) – Worshipping God in all aspects of our lives.
• Nurture (Ephesians 4.12-13) – Building up others for the work of ministry.
• Engage (Acts 1.8) – Stirring the hearts of all people with the Gospel.
• You (Matthew 15.15-16) – The one who decides to follow.

Steps:

• LEARN With Each Other (Acts 17.10-12)
• LIVE For Each Other (Romans 15.1-2)
• LOVE God and All Others (Matthew 22.37-39)
• LEAD One Another (to Follow Jesus) (2 Timothy 2.2)
• (LEAVE) When Called by the One True Other (Acts 13.1-3)

The key is that any purpose we may claim must be biblical. That is true for us as individuals, and it is true for us collectively as a church. That is the reason our God’s Path for Servants (GPS) not only has a statement for us to consider, but a verse or verses to guide us as well.

Make Disciples
Secondly, we need to focus on making disciples. (Make Disciples) The steps we just read are a process for disciple-making. The strategy encompasses all aspects of a kingdom-focused church and therefore embraces discipleship. Our mission will be fulfilled when all of us are living as true disciples, which will impact this town and achieve our vision. So, why doesn’t this happen. Well, over the past many decades many churches have focused more on being a church than on having disciples. Anyone can come to a church and feel like they belong. That is fine, but that is not what Jesus said we should do. First, Jesus said what He would do. He would “build His church” which includes each person within the church and then all of us collectively. Then, He said what we should do – “make disciples.” If we focus on making disciples our churches will grow. If we focus on being a church, the church will eventually die.

Next week we will look at what a true disciple should do. Then, over the next several weeks, we will review what a disciple-making church might look like and explore several reasons why some churches refuse to, or simply are unable to, make disciples.

In short, these reasons relate to trust, autonomy, initiative, ability, identity, intimacy, and purpose which ultimately lead people (and churches) to feel good about their lives or to be in despair. Again, we will review these items as it relates to a disciple individually, and to a church’s focus on making disciples in the coming weeks.

JOURNEY:  The JOURNEY letter for this week is: JOURNEY.  I chose the full word this week to remind us that we are all on a journey and need to be faithful to complete our journey well.

REMEMBRANCE: Jesus said, “I will build my church.”  But that building includes you and I going out to make disciples of all nations beginning in Fairfax.

NEXT STEP(S): Learn Prepare yourself to be a (better) disciple-maker for Jesus.