Category: Worship

Churches Can Be Happy, Happy, Happy

Posted in Church Chat, Church Revitalization, Discipleship, Evangelism, Funny, Preaching, WorshipLeave a comment

Duck Dynasty

Every time I watch Duck Dynasty I go away with a smile.  I’m encouraged, challenged, and sometimes emotionally moved.  In short, I go away happy, happy, happy.  Why can’t our churches be that way?  If our Baptist churches were a little more happy, I suspect that 75% of them wouldn’t be declining or on a long plateau.

Now, don’t misunderstand, I’m not talking about the heresy of prosperity theology that is expounded from so many mega pulpits today.  I’m simply talking about preaching the truth of the Bible in love and in the joy of the Lord.  Biblically, the Greek word for joy is the word chara.  The word occurs 59 times in the Word of God and is generally translated “joy” throughout.  Joy is not something that is derived from the world; joy comes from Jesus.

In a post at Thomrainer.com, Dr. Thom S. Rainer shared Nine Traits of Happy Churches.  Here’s Dr. Rainer’s list:

  1. The pastor was a strong leader, but not an autocratic leader. He was able to maintain that healthy balance of providing clarity of vision without imposing his will on every decision.
  2. The pastor regularly demonstrated and affirmed love for the congregation. In both his actions and his words, the pastor communicated clearly that he loved the members of the church. And he loved them regardless of their apparent feelings toward him, though most of the members genuinely loved the pastor as well.
  3. The pastor regularly demonstrated and affirmed love for the community where the church was located. Though he could not be omnipresent, the pastor made it a point to be involved in many of the affairs of the community. He genuinely loved people in the community and viewed the entire area as his mission field.
  4. The ministry staff liked each other, and they worked well together. If there are tensions among the staff, they cannot be hidden from the congregation. But if the staff is unified and banter in fun with one another, the members feed off that joy and unity.
  5. A high proportion of the membership was actively involved in ministry. When church members are doing the work of ministry, they have a sense of fulfillment and joy. When they aren’t, they often have extra time on their hands to be divisive.
  6. Business meetings were brief and friendly. These meetings were rarely a time of infighting and complaining. To the contrary, most of the members were too busy doing ministry to be negative (see #5).
  7. A high proportion of the members were in a small group or Sunday school class. Community grew in these small groups. People who are true members of a community tend to be happier people.
  8. The pastor’s time in the Word was protected. It is easy for a pastor to yield his time in the Word for the tyranny of the urgent. Thus he becomes frustrated, as he has to rush to complete a sermon, or as he does not have sufficient time to do the sermon well. The members likewise become frustrated because they don’t feel like the pastor is feeding them. A happy church makes certain that the pastor has adequate time every week to be in the Word.
  9. The pastor had a small informal or formal group to whom he was accountable. This group includes those members who clearly love the pastor. They offer both encouragement and accountability for him. The interchange between this group and the pastor is frank, transparent and, overall, healthy. And all communications take place on an unmistakable foundation of love.

If churches truly want to experience revitalization, this list should be reviewed from time to time.  Keep in mind, this IS NOT a formula for church revitalization, but let’s be honest, it sure couldn’t hurt!  People are much more likely to “tune in” to a church that is happy, happy, happy!

Prayer Changes Things

Posted in Preaching, Worship4 Comments

In one of my recent sermons, I preached about prayer.  I began by asking the following honest questions:

  • Why is it that the average Christian makes so little progress in their Christian life?
  • Why is it that the average Christian experiences so little victory over sin?
  • Why is it that the average Christian feels so defeated in their walk with Christ?
  • Why is it that the average Christian sees so few people come to know Christ as a result of their witnessing?
  • Why is it that so many churches never experience growth?
  • Why is it that so many churches rarely see the baptismal pool stirred from activity?
  • Why is it that so many churches struggle with constant budget shortfalls?
  • Why is it that so many churches bicker and fight over the most insignificant matters?

I believe the simple answer to all of these questions can be found in one, 10-word sentence found in Jame 4:2 (NIV), “You do not have, because you do not ask God.”  Prayer is the answer.

James, the author of the book and the brother of Jesus, was a mighty man of prayer.  Tradition tells us that he prayed so often and so long that his knees became like the knees of a camel.  Because he spent so much time in prayer with Jesus, he became like Jesus.  No surprise that when he was martyred in A.D. 62, his words were the same as Jesus’ words on the cross:  “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Our words need to be the words of Christ.  Every day we encounter people who desperately need to hear from God.  God wants to speak to them through us.

How’s your prayer life?  No, really?  How is it?  God is breaking my heart in this area.  He is speaking much-needed truth to me, maybe He is saying the same thing to you as well.

Prayer:  Oh God.  Thank You for the harsh truth!  Thank You for not giving up on me.  Thank You for being patient enough to speak the same thing to me again and again until I hear it….until I get it….until I obey.  God, please teach me to pray in the way you desire for me to pray.  God, I love You….I praise You….I worship You.  Amen.

4 Steps to Forgiving Those I Hate

Posted in Church Chat, Deacon, Discipleship, Leadership, Life Happens, Ministry, Preaching, Worship2 Comments

How can we forgive people we hate? How can we show grace to those we can’t stomach? The honest truth is that we can’t! In our own strength, we are unable to forgive those who have hurt us deeply, but with God’s help, it is possible.

4 Steps to Forgiving Those I Hate

1. Turn our hurts over to God. We should remind ourselves that nothing happens that God does not allow. As a result we should acknowledge our hurts and ask God to help us with them. He may choose to teach us through them and shape us into the person He wants us to be. God never wastes a hurt!

God never wastes a hurt!

2. Ask God to transform our hate to love. In time, God will change our hearts to match His heart if we allow Him to do so. We should pray and ask God to start the process of healing and forgiveness in our hearts.

3. Read what God’s Word says about forgiveness. The Bible is replete with verses on this topic. Reading what God says is a major part of how He moves us towards a heart of forgiveness. Here are a couple of passages on the topic:

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) 

“He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”  Luke 11:2-4 (NIV) 

4. Remember that we sinned against God. God forgave us when we didn’t deserve it, so we should forgive others when they don’t deserve it. We are never more like God than when we grant forgiveness to undeserving people.

Don’t spend the rest of your life without rest in your life!

If you’re struggling with hard feelings toward someone . . . if you’re mad, hurt, bitter, or all the above rolled into one, then let it go! Forgive! Do it for their sake! Do it for your sake! Do it for the Lord! Don’t spend the rest of your life without rest in your life. Unforgiveness can slow down or even sidetrack your spiritual growth.

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Is God A Kill-Joy?

Posted in Life Happens, Ministry, Preaching, Uncategorized, WorshipLeave a comment

Sad

Many people think that God is some kind of cosmic kill-joy, but NOTHING could be further from the truth. The truth is, God is the happiest being in the universe! C.S. Lewis said “joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:21 tells us that “…Jesus, (was) full of joy through the Holy Spirit” and we can be also.

God is the happiest being in the universe!

Keep in mind that joy and happiness are not the same. You can be happy without being a Christian, but only a Christian can experience the joy spoken about in the Bible. You can be happy when . . . 

  • You make good grades.
  • Your team wins the Regional Tournament.
  • You get engaged.
  • Your baby is born healthy.
  • You get a promotion at work.
  • Your checkup goes well.
  • Your portfolio is doing well.

Happiness is not wrong or bad, but happiness depends upon happenings! Happiness depends upon circumstances and is temporary at best. On the other hand, joy transcends circumstances and is eternal. You can be full of joy, even when . . . 

  • Your grades disappoint you.
  • Your team doesn’t play well.
  • Your relationship ends.
  • Your baby has health challenges.
  • You lose your job.
  • The doctor says, “I’m sorry, but it’s cancer.”
  • The market crashes.

Walk closely with the Lord as a believer and experience His amazing joy! Jesus desires that our joy is “complete.” God is full of joy and the Holy Spirit desires to produce the fruit of joy in our lives each day.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  John 15:10-11

 

Love is FIRST!

Posted in Life Happens, Ministry, Preaching, Uncategorized, WorshipLeave a comment

Berries.2

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

Recently I’ve been preaching a sermon series on the fruit of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5. When I addressed the fruit of love, one of my points was that “love is first on the list.” After a casual reading of the text, you might be tempted to say “duh.” “Brother Steve, that’s so obvious! You went to seminary for that? And don’t you have a doctorate?” Look, I know it’s listed first, but it’s not just listed first, it IS first.

“It’s not just listed first, it IS first!”

In the New American Commentary, Timothy George wrote, “It is significant that love heads the list of these nine graces of the Christian life. Paul might well have placed a period after love and moved on into the conclusion of his letter, for love is not merely ‘first among equals’ in this listing but rather the source and fountain from which all of the other graces flow.’”

3 Key Conclusions about LOVE:

God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 teaches this marvelous truth. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8   

The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is mentioned by name is the second verse of the Bible and referenced in the first verse because He is part of the Trinity. He fully participated in the creation of the world. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

The Holy Spirit is love. Since God is love and since the Holy Spirit is God, the Holy Spirit is love. He wants to produce the fruit of love in our lives above everything else. He wants to produce a love for God, a love for fellow believers, and a love for those who are lost without Christ.

Love is FIRST on God’s list. Is love first on our list and first in our lives? When we’re full of the Holy Spirit, the answer to both those questions will be YES!