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Sermons

Letters to the Churches Part 2

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Do you really love Jesus and his church?

As we look at the first of the seven letters that Jesus wrote to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we will start with the letter to the church in Ephesus.

The Successful Church (v. 2, 3 and 6)

This first century church in modern day Turkey was one of the favorites of the apostles. Paul pastored this church along with Timothy and John. This congregation had a legacy of being one of the most fruitful and well-known Gentile churches.

We see that they were a church that served well, doing the work of the Lord. They probably had a calendar full of events and church activities. They were a church that sacrificed and labored even under intense persecution. In spite of the hardship, the Lord commended them on several things that they were doing well.

The Ephesian church rightly tested false apostles and refused to let them teach. This struggle is relevant for us; daily there are ample false teachers who post videos online and gain millions of followers. The only way we will be able to identify and warn against false teaching is by knowing the truth found in God’s Word.

Jesus continues to commend them in verse 6 saying, “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate”.

The Nicolaitans were a sect of the early church who persuaded people to abuse the grace of God and promoted sexual immorality. In addition, the Greek word Nicolaitan means “to conquer people”. And it is suggested that their leaders used their authority to abuse and control the people. This, too, is relevant for us, as we have seen countless examples of leaders who abuse their authority. The root of this is pride; God opposes prideful leaders.

The church in Ephesus appeared to be doing well: their doctrine was sound; their ministry was seemingly fruitful. But something was off. Despite these commendations, Jesus had a problem with this church.

The Failing Church (v. 4)

This model church seems to have lost their “why”. They had lost their first love, the reason why they were doing all they were doing. They were busy with activity and bearing good fruit, but their passion for Jesus had gotten lost in their good works. Jesus points out the ailment and then gives a prescription.

The Prescription for the Church (v 5)

Jesus offers a three-step prescription to remedy their sickness of forgotten first love.

1. Remember: When a married couple forgets the love that drew them together at first and takes each other for granted, the marriage is in danger. Nostalgia can be effective medicine for failing love in romantic relationships, and the same is true in our relationship with Jesus. Jesus tells the church to remember – and keep on remembering! A daily reminder of the grace and love of Christ that drew us to himself is an antidote for fading passion for Jesus.

2. Repent: Jesus instructed the church to repent because they were taking the grace of God for granted. They were neglecting the love of a relationship with their Savior. Even though their external works looked good, Jesus still wanted them to repent for their internal apathy.

3.   Do: Jesus called them back to the disciplines they did when they first were saved—worship, prayer, meditating on the word of God, and sharing the Gospel; all the spiritual disciplines that came so naturally when they first believed.

The Warning for Our Church

What happens when we lose our first love for Christ? We see tasks and duty in place of adoration and worship. We get burnt out, and serving the Lord becomes a drudgery.

When this happens, many people stop attending worship servicesbecause they are exhausted from doing things for God, but this is counterproductive. It is a lie from the enemy, when we think that separating ourselves from the Body of Christ is the solution for our lack of passion for the Lord.

What we need often requires discipline—pressing into the very things we are tempted to neglect. We are called to encourage one another and spur one another on (see Hebrews 10:24). 1 Corinthians 12 encourages us that we are each valuable and needed parts of the Body; we are all hampered when one piece is missing.

The Comfortable Church

There is a significant distinction between us and the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was undergoing intense persecution as the Roman Empire tried to eradicate the church.

The twenty-first century Western church has it easy in comparison. We have a different problem. I believe that we are losing our first love because of a lack of persecution. It is simply too easy and convenient to be a Christian. Without sacrifice, there is no commitment (see James 1:2-4).

“It is a very remarkable thing that the church of Christ persecuted has been the church of Christ pure. The church of Christ patronized has always been the church of Christ impure.”G. Campbell Morgan

The Application of the Prescription

How are we to “do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:5)?

These are those personal and corporate spiritual disciplines that fuel our growth in love for Jesus and his church. Out of that love will flow acts of service and ministry.

This is works based on an outflow of our love relationship with Jesus. If your first love has grown cold, you will quickly get exhausted, and you will be tempted to quit.

What we do and accomplish is secondary to us knowing Jesus and being conformed into his image.

Oswald Chambers once wrote, “The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain, and the atmosphere produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to look after, and it is the one thing that is continually being assailed.”

How do we maintain a healthy heart posture?

When God created the world, he put in place a model for work and rest. One of the most overlooked of the Ten Commandments is the fourth, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”, Exodus 20:8.

Do you set aside a day in the week to worship, rest, pray, and be thankful? It is one thing to have daily rhythms for spending time with the Lord; it is another to cease working and producing for a full twenty-four hours to be filled up in the Lord.

The Reward for the Church(V7)

The prize for getting back to our first love, putting Jesus first in our lives, is the restoration of the access to the tree of life. The paradise that was lost in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve sinned, will be restored. Eternal life starts the moment you become a follower of Jesus, and the abundant life is available to us now (see John 10:10).

Have you abandoned your first love? What adjustments do you need to make to realign your life today?

Sermons

A Healthy Church Grows

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I’ve had two trees in our backyard since we moved into our house eleven years ago, both of which grew  rapidly and quickly exceeded my ability to manage their growth.

As I was thinking about this problem, I realized that this is a common problem in churches that are experiencing growth. When the growth exceeds the capacity to manage the growth, the result is a poorly maintained organization that leaves people frustrated on the outside and burnt out on the inside.

Growth can be challenging, so how does a healthy church grow?

The early church is a model of church health and, as we have seen in Acts 2:42, there were 4 distinctive indicators of a healthy church: they were devoted to the Apostles’ teaching, to a healthy community, to breaking bread together and to prayer. These are four devotions of a healthy church that lead to dramatic results as we read in Acts 2:43:47.

An awe-filled church  (vs. 43)

The apostles had walked with Jesus; they had seen his many powerful miracles, and they began to do the same things. Signs and wonders are for the express purpose of bringing glory to God. Today, all over the world, amazing miracles are happening, and their primary purpose is to declare the glory of God and the Gospel message. We see this throughout the book of Acts; signs and wonders lead to people being saved. Awe came upon everyone as they recognized a greater power at work; they couldn’t ignore that God was working in power and it caused a reverent fear (see Hebrews 2:3-4).

A unified church (vs. 44)

The church was in its infancy. There were no arguments over doctrine or opinions about buildings and programs. They were unified in their devotion to the gospel. A church that is devoted to the things of God will be a unified church.When we lack unity, we have likely lost our purpose and our focus. The early church had an intense feeling of responsibility towards one another which was an answer to Jesus’s prayer (see John 17:21-22). Many were drawn to the Savior as a result.

A generous church (vs. 45)

This verse is not promoting a form of socialism, rather this was voluntarily caring for each other as they shared their wealth to help those in need.

The rapid growth of the early church resulted in many physical needs. During Pentecost, there were Jews from every nation of the world.  Many of them stayed in Jerusalem after being converted. They would have quickly run out of money and food, and they needed places to stay. There was an outpouring of generosity as the unity of the church led to caring for these needs.

Generosity must be an essential mark of the church (see 1 John 3:16-18).

William Barclay wrote, “a real Christian cannot bear to have too much while others have too little.”

A rejoicing church (vs. 46)

Daily the believers were celebrating their salvation; they were celebrating that Jesus was alive and that their lives had purpose. They weren’t simply following a religion of going through the weekly and yearly festivals; this new devotion to Christ affected every aspect of their lives.

There was no separation between secular and sacred. They didn’t only gather once a week to dress up in their Sunday best and try to impress others with their holiness. Their lives were transformed by being totally committed to the Lordship of Jesus, and it affected every aspect of their lives.

This is such a challenge for us in the western culture. We have bought into the idea that we can be Christians so long as we attend church regularly and give to the church. This is not what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Being a Christian affects every minute of every day of our lives, whether it is at home, work, school or in fellowship with other believers.

We don’t add Jesus to our lives; we give our lives to Jesus. That is Lordship and real Christianity.

An attractive church (vs. 47)

There have been many books written and seminars held regarding the subject of church growth, encouraging churches to change the decor, the music, the lighting, the website, and much more. Some even encourage pastors to reduce the amount of teaching using the Bible, and by all means, please don’t tell people that they are sinners! These books and seminars have made a lot of people rich, but they’ve also fostered a consumer church culture. This culture is so focused on the desires of the attendees that the church forgets its reason for gathering.

This consumer mindset is extremely damaging to the health of the church.  If we cater to what people want in order to gather a crowd, we will necessarily deviate from the gospel message.

The church is good at religion, creating a list of things to do that a good Christian should do. But the early church focused not on what they should do but what has already been done by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  

The early church praised God for all that He had done. They were not seeking any fame or notoriety; they gave all the glory to God. As a result, they grew in number. People were attracted to the miracles that were being done and to the genuine, authentic worship that the church enjoyed.

True church growth must be a work of God as it is an authentic display of individuals living as followers of Christ which will draw others to want the same.

We can do our part to welcome people and invite people and witness to people, but ultimately Jesus is the one who builds the church (see Matthew 16:18).

Are you contributing your part to a healthy church?

Sermons

Community that Glorifies God

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We live in an era when we are more connected than any other time in the history of man.

But psychologists tell us that loneliness is the number one health issue of our time. How can it be that we are so connected but at the same time so lonely?

In Acts 2:42, we read that the early church devoted themselves to fellowship. The Greek word “Koinonia” means partnership, participation, communion, and companionship.

In Romans 15:1-7, the Apostle Paul instructs the Roman church how to live and relate to one another in light of the Gospel.

The Gospel Leads to Unity

In the first verse Paul gets straight to the point, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” He uses the word obligation, which could also mean duty, or legal requirement.

We don’t like this kind of language in our culture today; we are free individuals, so why should we be obligated to do anything for someone else? This issue existed in the first-century church as well. Paul answers the question very clearly in verse 3 of Romans 15, “For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.””

Christ gave himself for us. This is the foundation for the Gospel message: Jesus, being obedient to the Father, preferred us over his own life and his position in heaven. True unity in the church is an outworking of the Gospel; it is a miracle as the Holy Spirit draws us to prefer each other in light of what Jesus has done for us.

Endurance and Encouragement Leads to Unity

Though unity among believers is an outflow of the gospel, it still takes work. Paul repeats the phrase “endurance and encouragement” in verse 4. Being devoted to the fellowship of believers, as the early church was, takes endurance, hard work, and commitment.

Endurance is the ability to  persevere in doing something even when it is difficult or when the finish line never seems to get any closer. Walking in unity requires endurance; there are days when it seems easier than others, but we keep on going because we are committed to each other just as Christ is committed to us.

Along with endurance, we need encouragement. We are encouraged by the faithfulness of those who have gone before us (see Hebrews 12:1). We are encouraged by the Word of God, and by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the church.

All of these encourage us and keep us moving forward towards greater unity, towards a healthier community.

The Purpose of Unity

Community literally means living with unity. But what is the purpose of unity in the church?

Is it so that we can just get along or portray the image of a nice happy family? Is it so that we attract more people to our happy community and grow? Actually, unity is significantly more important than all those outcomes; unity in the church is to bring glory to God (see Romans 15:6).

How do we display the glory of God as the church? In Ephesians 3:10 we read, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

God is using the followers of Jesus to display His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. The word for “manifold” is the same word that one would use to describe the many facets of a diamond. God holds the church up like a diamond and points to the church, teaching the angels and principalities of the spirit world about Himself.

Even as we are weak, broken, and struggling towards unity, we are used by God more than we will ever know because of the Gospel and the righteousness of Jesus. When we walk in unity and prefer others over ourselves, we display the glory of God. In John 17:22 and 23, Jesus prayed that we would display the glory given to him by the Father in order to draw others to a saving knowledge of himself.

The Miracle of Unity

Unity is not simply getting along for the sake of peace; unity is a miracle of God displaying the glory of God to a lost and dying world. Jesus went to the cross so that we could be a community of believers united in fellowship and love.

There is much at stake, including the eternal destiny of our neighbors. It is vital that we are a healthy community.. Our culture is starving for authentic community, and we have the solution to show it to them—the power of the gospel, the encouragement of the Word and of those who have gone before us, and the example of our Savior.

The Path to Unity in Community

Many people are thirsting for community but are afraid to step into it. Building authentic community can be scary as it requires vulnerability, self-sacrifice, and laying aside our fears of rejection. But something powerful happens when we reach out and proactively strive to build community,  not for what we can get out of it but for the Glory of God to be displayed. When the focus is off of ourselves,  we will get more out of a community than we ever imagined, and we will be healthy.

When we grasp that Jesus went to the cross for us, we will easily give ourselves and our self-interests away in order to step into a community where Jesus is glorified. If we struggle to stay in fellowship with each other, it is because we are not allowing the Gospel message to permeate our relationships; we are self-centered rather than grace centered.

We live in a culture of individualism and consumerism, and the church can easily fall into the trap of feeding the desires of the consumers instead of focusing on the glory of God. A healthy church is where people willingly step into community to display the glory of Jesus.

Stepping into Community Begins with the Gospel

Firstly, we need to understand that supernatural unity can only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the head of the church. A church community that is not centered around a common relationship with Jesus will always leave us wanting (see John 4:13-14a).

Stepping into Community Requires Vulnerability

Stepping into community requires vulnerability and involves risk. We are all busy, but we prioritize what we value. What might happen if you volunteered to serve, hosted a meal, or invited others into your life and home?

What if we prioritized and valued authentic community—what better way to spend our time than to display the glory of God?

Are you ready to take a step into community today?

Sermons, Uncategorized

Healthy Church Part 1

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What is a healthy church? 1 Corinthians 12 describes the church as a body, with each part functioning well so that the whole body is healthy. But we all bring our brokenness and pain with us, how can we function together as a healthy body?

In Acts 2, we have a model of a healthy church. One hundred and twenty followers of Jesus, praying in the upper room, were filled with the Holy Spirit and they went into the streets proclaiming the Gospel message. Three Thousand people were added to the church that day and this same church has influenced the world for the past two thousand years. But what was their secret?

A Focused Church

The few weeks have been filled with mission trips, outreaches and praying for those going out to share the message of the Gospel, focusing on the lost in our city and across the nations. This is all good, but a church that only looks at missions without caring about the discipleship of the members is not healthy. Just like a church that focuses only inward is not healthy.

There needs to be a balance of equipping (discipleship) and mission (going out).

Athletic trainers will tell you that a strong core is vital for the body to function well and spend hours strengthening the core. If the core is weak, the whole body is weak and cannot operate at its best. The same applies to the analogy of the church as a body. If the core of the church is weak, the whole body does not function well.

The early church was more than a gathering of like-minded believers who came together once a week for a time of fellowship and worship. It was a body of fully committed people, committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ personally, and committed to each other in fellowship and unity. The first church was the healthiest and most effective the Church has ever been.

A Devoted Church

Acts 2:42 begins with the phrase, “And they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching…”

Devotion means a regular observance. Individual committed devotion is a sign of genuine salvation. Saying that you do not desire to read God’s Word regularly is like saying that you are alive, but don’t need to drink water. The foundational mark of a true believer is someone who abides in Christ, who feeds on God’s word (see John 8:31).

So, what were they teaching? The Apostles had sat under the greatest teacher of all time for three years. In the upper room at Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth and now they were teaching the new believers who in turn taught others. This is the pattern of the early church and sadly something that we have lost in the modern church. We all need to carefully study doctrine, know what we believe, why we believe it and then be able to teach it to others. This message is intended to come to us and then flow through us (2 Timothy 2:2).

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), Jesus commands all of us to make disciples, to win converts and disciple them. This is not only a command to go to the ends of the earth, but also to the person sitting next to you, or the young person who is desperate for a mentor to help them walk the Christian life in the twenty-first century.

A Dead Church

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on the planet and lies between Israel and Jordan. The river Jordan flows into it from the sea of Galilee but does not flow out of it. As a result, the Dead Sea has ten times the concentration of salt than the oceans and is unable to sustain any life. This is a picture of many individuals and even churches who pride themselves on their theological knowledge, amassing more teaching, but never applying the word.

Such people and churches are deep, salty and dead!

A healthy body of water allows the life-giving resource to flow in and then out again, feeding another pond or stream. Are you stagnating on the word? Or are you allowing the word to flow through you to others?

A Gospel Church

The early church focused on the resurrection of Jesus and the Gospel message, they preached John 14:6. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who spoke all of creation into being. He came to earth in the form of a baby, his mother Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a perfect life, he was crucified and buried, but he rose again on the third day, overcoming death and paying the price of the judgment of God for our sins. This Jesus ascended into heaven, where he is seated at the right hand of the Father and where he is preparing praying for us and preparing a place for us to be with him. This same Jesus is coming again to restore all things and judge the earth.

This Gospel message is the message that saves us, but it is also the message that sustains us and keeps us growing in our own personal walk with the Lord.

We have the blessing of the eternal Word of God; a healthy church devotes themselves to the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Hebrews 4:12).

The church and individual that studies and meditates on the Word of God will be healthy.

Jonathan Edwards, the 18th century theologian defined 5 metrics for determining a genuine move of the Holy Spirit in a church.

  1. A growing esteem for Jesus Christ.
  2. A discernible spirit of repentance.
  3. A dogged devotion to the Word of God.
  4. An interest in theology and doctrine.
  5. An evident love for God and neighbor.

Are you healthy? Is our church healthy?

Sermons

Summer of Community part 2

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While I was studying Missiology in 2013, the Lord called me to be a pastor. Initially I had no desire or vision for the pastorate, but as the Lord began to impress on me the desire to see a missional church in Grace Point, I submitted to His leading.

Every church is called my God to be missional. Today, billions of people are heading for an eternity separated from God in hell. I believe there is no greater need today than to preach the Gospel to those that do not know the name of Jesus (see Matthew 28:19-20).

Healthy missional churches are growing churches. However, we are not responsible for the growth of the church, that role belongs to Jesus. We are called to be obedient to his instructions and leading and the Holy Spirit will bring about the multiplication (see Matthew 16:18). Jesus promised to build his church.

For 2000 years, the church has always known the mission and the vision of the church. The preacher would proclaim the Word of God and the church went out and did the work of the ministry (see Ephesians 4:11-12), transforming communities by the power of the Gospel message.

The Vision Movement

In 1974 Peter Drucker published his book on Management theory and since the 1980’s almost every business in the world began using mission and vision statements. This became universally accepted and was embraced by the church. Church leaders felt the pressure to come up with unique, catchy vision statements.

We have ours at Grace Point:

Our Purpose Statement

The purpose of this church shall be to exalt God through Jesus Christ through worship, witnessing, ministry, missions and fellowship.

Our Vision

Love God – Love Others – Change the World

To be a loving church family, worshipping God and transforming our community with the message of the Gospel.

They are both good statements, but what is our priority, the Great commission or the church vision? I would argue that many churches love their mission and vision statements, because they are easier and more marketable than the Great commission.

The Vision Verse

For the last few decades church leaders have used a verse to promote the need for a vision statement in the church, Proverbs 29:18. This verse has become so well known because many Christian leaders have used it to inspire, to motivate the church.

Rick Warren writes: “MY IMAGINATION INFLUENCES MY ASPIRATION. In other words, your dreams determine your destiny. To accomplish anything, you must first have a mission, a goal, a hope, a vision. “Without a vision the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18.1                           

The phrase, “the people perish” is interpreted to mean that a church without a 21st century vision statement, will eventually close its doors.

But is that what God’s word says?

Interestingly, Warren and many others use the King James version of this verse which reads, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he”, Proverbs 29:18 KJV.

I find it interesting that leaders who use this verse would never use the King James Version from the pulpit. And they would probably discourage using it as a devotional Bible. So, why would these motivational leaders use an older translation?

Looking at some of the newer translations, we see a different understanding of the verse:

NIV – “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…”
NLT – “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild…”
CEV – “Without guidance from God, law and order disappear…”
HCSB – “Without revelation people run wild…”
ESV – “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint…”

Looking at the word translated as “vision” in the Hebrew, we see that it means, “revelation, a communication from God to be communicated to others, with a focus on the visual aspects of the communication.”

Simply put, this is a divine word of God, to be communicated to others. I think this is far more significant and valuable than sitting around the table and coming up with a cool slogan for the church.

Additionally, the phrase, “my people perish” in the King James Version, does not mean to die, it is better translated as, “casting off restraint”, or “casting off the law of God”. God’s word restrains us from walking in sin. It is a guide to our path, for our good.

Based on the Hebrew dictionary I prefer the English Standard Version translation, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint…”

Furthermore, the rest of the verse backs up this interpretation, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18 ESV.

The incorrect translation of this one verse has birthed the sale of millions of books, conferences around the world.

The Vision of Jesus

Having a vision statement is not a bad thing, but sadly some have used catch phrases and motivational conferences to build the church without Jesus as the head of the church.

When Jesus was asked for a vision statement, what did he say?

In Matthew 22; a lawyer tried to test him and asked him which was the greatest commandment? Towhich Jesus responded, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

These are the restraints, the law for the church.

In our 21st century worldview, Jesus would have been a terrible visionary leader (see some of his vision statements, Luke 14:27, Luke 9:23, John 6:53, Matthew 20:26, John 16:33b).

I would suggest that sometimes we want a mission and vision statement because the ones Jesus gave don’t look great on a billboard.

A vision statement is not wrong, but vision must come out of prayer and meditation on God’s word, rather than from a church growth handbook or seminar.

Let’s ask the Lord for his vision statement for Grace Point.

1 https://www.walkingwithgiants.net/bible/prov-2918-where-there-is-no-vision-the-people-perish/

Sermons

Your Best Life Now

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Who doesn’t want to live a meaningful life full of peace and joy? The Bible gives a prescription for us to live life to the fullest. 

Peter is preparing the church for further suffering, preparing them to be strong and healthy as they endure hardship. The Western church is not familiar with persecution, but that may change soon. For a church to remain strong during persecution, they must operate according to the principles of the kingdom of Heaven.  

Living Healthily

Peter lists five essential characteristics of a healthy church in 1 Peter 3:8.  

1: Unity: Unity is not uniformity. We all have different spiritual gifts and different parts to play in the church. We need to be united around the mission of the church. The mission that Jesus gave us has never changed and we are to rally  around that call (see Matthew 28:19-20).                                                                                                       

2: Sympathy: This is having care and compassion for the needs and pain of others in the church. We need to be careful that we don’t simply come and go while overlooking the needs of our fellow brothers and sisters. It is tempting to become hard hearted towards one another, but we must never stop caring (see Romans 12:15). 

3: Brotherly Love: The Greek word for brotherly love is “philadelphia”. This word is only applied in the context of love within the group of believers. Peter encourages his readers to love earnestly from a pure heart.

4: Tender heart: Love in the church is revealed in our tenderness towards one another. Sadly, tenderness is viewed as a weakness today. Tenderness is a heart attitude of actively engaging with the pain of others. Not simply glossing over it with an, “I will pray for you”. Having a tender heart means that we see people and show that we care. 

5: Humility: A humble person puts others first and listens first. Humility is the opposite spirit of the world, and it is the mark of a healthy believer and a healthy church. 

Responding Well

Peter continues in verse 9, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing”.

Jesus was our perfect example as he prayed for those crucifying him. 

This is turning the other cheek, even if another believer says something about you that is untrue.  

I have had the privilege to meet some amazing leaders over the years working with various mission organizations. One of the essential character qualities that I have found in respected Christian leaders is that they don’t defend themselves. Even when they are falsely accused. 

I know this is easier said than done. We need to learn to commit accusations to the Lord. Sometimes an accusation is warranted, and we must receive it and make corrections. But if it is false or malicious, hand it over to the Lord. 

Blessing Others

In the face of reviling, Peter exhorts to live in the opposite spirit, “…on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing,” 1 Peter 3:9b. 

There are so many ways that we can bless others and as we do, we are promised a blessing from the Lord. 

Living Fully

In verses 10 to 12, Peter inserts some verses from Psalm 34. David wrote this Psalm when he was in extreme danger. 

Verse 10 begins with, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days.”

Everyone should want to live life to the fullest, squeezing every drop of opportunity out of our days. This does not mean living free from trouble or pain; that is not what is promised. But Jesus’ promises of abundant and eternal life begin now.

Sadly, many believers are not enjoying the gift of eternal life that we have been given. They are not accessing the fullness of the life God has given them through Jesus. 

There are many different reasons why people are not living life to the full: emotional trauma, sickness, depression or even apathy. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to live full and rich lives. 

How do we do this? The Bible gives us three keys for this kind of life. 

Speak Positively

“Let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit,” 1 Peter 3:10b.

If you want to enjoy life, watch your tongue. Ceasing from gossip, criticism, and lies. 

Occasionally you will meet truly happy people, and one thing you might notice about them is that they never speak ill of anyone. 

So, if you want to enjoy life, speak only about the positive attributes of others and control your tongue (see James 3). 

Do Good

Verse 11 continues, “Let him turn away from evil and do good,” 1 Peter 3:11a.

This is both a turning away and a turning towards. This is not doing good things and hoping to balance out the bad things we do; that is not the Gospel. We must hate sin; it is our sin that took Jesus to the cross where he completely atoned for it. Then we must pursue good as a response to his goodness.

Seek Peace

The final key is also found in verse 11, “Let him seek peace and pursue it,” 1 Peter 3:11b.

As followers of Jesus, we are to exercise wisdom as we relate to others.  Humility leads us to seek peace rather than our own way, preferring others in love. 

Now, this is not always possible; life without conflict is never possible. Rather we have the opportunity to grow closer as believers, through handling conflict with grace and humility.

Live Your Best Life Now 

You may question whether living by these keys will lead to others taking advantage of you?

Peter quotes an amazing assurance in verse 12. 

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

It takes faith to trust the Lord in every circumstance (see Romans 12:19). He alone can bring about justice for us. 

Follow these principles and live your best life now.

Focused Thoughts

Pray for the Persecuted Church

In the book of Acts, we read about the beginning of the church. The Holy Spirit had filled the early church with power and there was favor and great expansion as the church began revolutionizing the first century world.

In Acts 2:47 we read: “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

This past week, I was reading Acts 7, and the account of the sermon that Stephen preached before the Jewish religious leaders leading to his death by stoning. The death of Stephen began a tremendous persecution aimed at  the early church as we read in Acts 8:1, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

The history of the church since that day shows us that persecution has always been a part of the church. This should not surprise us. In John 15, where Jesus speaks about him being the vine and his followers being the branches, he also says that his followers will experience persecution, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also,” John 15:20.

The Bible teaches us that testifying to the truth of the Gospel will not always be well received and may even result in physical harm, even death. In fact, we should be concerned when we don’t experience persecution of some sort as we live for Jesus as our Lord. And by persecution, I am not talking about being unfriended on social media or some trivial discomfort.

But God has a purpose for allowing this persecution, it always spreads the Gospel. People throughout the ages have always wondered what it is about the message of the Gospel that someone would be willing to give their lives for it? The early church was scattered, and took their message with them, the Gospel spread, and the church expanded rapidly throughout the known world.

Isn’t it interesting that in Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his followers, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And a few chapters later we read the account of the dispersion in Acts 8:1. Could it be that Jesus was prophesying of the coming persecution that would force the church out beyond Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria and ultimately to the ends of the earth. Ultimately persecution is part of God’s plan to see His name glorified throughout the nations of the world.

So, this week, as we pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted, let’s pray for them to remain strong and unwavering in their testimony. As we heard today from Dr Pam Arlund, the word “testimony” is another word for “martyr”.

As we pray for the churches around the world who are experiencing persecution, let us pray for our churches that when the day comes for us to experience persecution, we will remain faithful. Firmly grounded in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sermons

Healthy Church Leadership 1

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As the Apostle Paul came near to the end of his life, he traveled around to the churches he had planted on his missionary journeys to encourage them, telling them that they would not see him again (see Acts 20:36-37).

One of these churches was the church in Ephesus in a region that influenced most of Asia Minor. Paul had invested years in this region, and he had a deep love and passion for this church. He called the elders of the church together and gave them a farewell speech.

But who were these men and what was their role in the church in Ephesus?

The Calling of Elders

The early church grew rapidly and so did the need for godly men to lead the churches. They appointed elders to care for the spiritual health of the church. While Jesus is the head of the church— he is the Good shepherd—he calls under-shepherds to tend the flock of the church (see Ephesians 4:11-12 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7).

Paul, speaking to the elders in Ephesus in Acts 20:28, says, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”

Jesus valued his church in Ephesus. And he values the representation of his body here at Grace Point. It is his, bought with his own blood. And it is because the church is precious to Jesus that he calls men to shepherd it.

The Role of Elders

Paul continues, warning the elders in verses 29-30, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

The early church was under constant persecution for the first four hundred years. But there were also internal challenges from false teachers and leaders who sought to manipulate the church for their own profit.  Paul warned the Ephesian elders of “fierce wolves” who would infiltrate the church, as well as those from within who would distort the teachings of Christ. Jesus used the same imagery in Matthew 7:15.

False teaching takes various forms, but Satan’s tactics have remained consistent throughout history. Some common signs of false teaching include denying the divinity of Jesus, rejecting the resurrection, challenging the authority of the Bible, or diminishing the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. These are explicit deceptions. More subtle false teachings might encourage salvation through works, striving to earn God’s favor, or promoting extra-biblical revelations.

Elders play a crucial role in safeguarding the church from false teaching. Their primary responsibility is to nurture and feed the flock with the Word of God. John 6:35 illustrates that Jesus is the “Bread of Life,” and elders are tasked with ensuring the church is nourished by the Word. It’s the Word of God that sustains and grows the church, not marketing or management strategies.

The Plurality of Elders

Elders are also sheep, and as such need accountability and shepherding as well. This is why a church needs more than one elder. Having more than one elder in the church strengthens the church and guards against strong personalities that might slowly begin to introduce false teaching.

Biblical leadership principles emphasize plurality in leadership. While we may use terms like “senior pastor” or “associate pastor,” the New Testament emphasizes a team of elders who pray, study the Word, and provide spiritual guidance together. Plurality ensures a healthy balance of leadership, preventing any one individual from potentially leading the church into false teaching. John MacArthur wisely points out, “their combined counsel and wisdom helps assure that decisions are not self-willed or self-serving to a single individual. In fact, one-man leadership is characteristic of cults, not the church.”

The Nature of Elders

The term “shepherd” might have been perplexing to the first-century church. Shepherds were not held in high esteem; instead, their role was one of humility and sacrifice. Similarly, elders within the church are called to be spiritual shepherds, and by nature, that means three things

1: Shepherding is spiritual work. 

Shepherding sheep was not flashy work; it was humble, sacrificial work with no shortcuts. Similarly, the growth of the church is not driven by worldly methods or quick-fix strategies. It’s a spiritual endeavor that requires spiritual leadership.

2: Shepherding is hard work.

Just as being a shepherd in the ancient world was dangerous and challenging, shepherding the church involves spiritual warfare, discouragement, and many other challenges. The elders of the church must be prepared to commit to pray, fast, and serve the body of Christ.

3: Shepherding is answerable work.

Shepherds answered to the owners of the sheep; they were responsible for the care of the sheep they had been entrusted with. Elders are accountable to the Lord for the health and spiritual growth of the church. The church belongs to God, and they are stewards of His people (see Hebrews 13:17).

The Church and Elders

You might be reading this asking, what does this have to do with me?

I encourage you to commit to the church. Become a member of the church if you haven’t already and be an active member of the Body of Christ by praying and using your gifts to serve. This goes far beyond our gathering on a Sunday morning; that is just a springboard for the impact we can have on one another and our community today and for generations to come. As the elders – shepherd and the sheep commit through serving and praying, the whole church is strengthened.

In this age we live in, being part of a church will require active engagement. The season for passivity is over. Being a follower of Jesus is not for spectators. Jesus is building his church and raising up elders to oversee it; will you engage with him in it?

Will you commit to the church?

Sermons, Uncategorized

Why Deacons?

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This past weekend we had the joy of praying for three new deacons as they were installed into the role of deacon. But is the role of a deacon still relevant in the twenty-first century?

The first deacons were appointed in Jerusalem as we read in Acts chapter 6. In the book of Acts, we get a glimpse of the first century church. The church was growing rapidly and due to the work of the Holy Spirit it is estimated that the church had grown to somewhere between 20,000 and 50,000 disciples.

The Church was a radical movement of people gathering daily for prayer and teaching. The believers sold their belongings and gave to anyone who had a need. The early church was a healthy and thriving community as the Gospel message was being told from person to person all over the region.

But then a complaint arose. There was a disagreement that some of the people were being overlooked as food was being distributed to the poor and the widows.  This imbalance may have arisen due to the logistical challenge caused by the rapid addition of Hellenistic Jewish Christians.  

The church was initially made up of Aramaic and Hebrew speaking Jews who believed in Jesus, but as the church grew, more and more Greek speaking Jews came to faith in Christ.

The church had two distinct groups, Hebrews and the Hellenists. It was sadly a form of racism that was being practiced as the needs of the widows and the poor among the Greek speaking believers were overlooked.

The Apostles called a meeting and said in verse 2, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” Acts 6:2b.

Does this mean that the original disciples who were trained by Jesus himself were above helping the poor? Not at all, but they had a primary purpose and calling to preach the word and to pray.

This is the primary calling on pastors in the church, to primarily focus on the clear and correct teaching and preaching of the Word and prayer. For the health of the church and the continued growth of the Gospel message in our community, I must give attention to prayer and preparation for preaching, constantly hearing from God the word that he would have for us as a church. It doesn’t mean that I as the pastor do not care about people, I do very much. I love to visit and share life with people, but I need to prioritize my time and remember my primary calling.

Research has shown that if a pastor would be the only one in the church doing the ministry of visitation, care and prayer for the congregation, that pastor could only put his arms around seventy people. Hence the average size of churches in America is around thirty.

The number of our current active members and adherents at Grace Point is a little under 280.

That is impossible for one or even three pastors to stay in touch with. The role of the deacon in our church is the same as it was in the first century; to assist in member care, to minister and love the people of God.

In the first church in the book of Acts, the people chose seven and brought them to the Apostles. These men had particular requirements, they were “men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3). These were men of godly Character.

In 1 Timothy 3:8-13 the Apostle Paul wrote the qualifications of a deacon.  It is a very intimidating and demanding list of qualifications. Can anyone meet those requirements? And in verse 10 we read that they must prove themselves blameless!

Well, that excludes all of us, because we all fall short, we are all sinners saved by grace. But there is a key verse of hope in what Paul wrote, 1 Timothy 3:9, “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.”

What is the mystery of the faith? It is the mystery of the age in which we live, the current church age, between when Jesus ascended into heaven and when Jesus is coming back again.

The mystery is that we who have placed our trust in Jesus Christ as Lord, are covered by his righteousness, we have died to our old way of life and have literally put on Christ like a garment. When God the Father looks down on His children, He sees us covered with the righteousness of Christ. We are not perfect; we will never be perfect until Jesus comes again, but by God’s grace we are being made more like Christ every day. This is the mystery of the Gospel; this is the only hope we have of being able to stand before our Heavenly Father in prayer.

Getting back to the first century church, the result of the deacon ministry was healthy growth. Notice that verse 7 says that the number of disciples multiplied, these were disciples, not believers, adherents or attendees. No, these were followers of Jesus, people who looked like and spoke like Jesus – disciples. This is the result of effective church ministry; this is a sign of a healthy church.

You may wonder, if we have deacons in the church helping with visitation, discipleship and member care, does that mean the rest of the church is not involved in the caring ministry?

Absolutely not, in 1 Peter 2:9, the Bible clearly states that we all are royal priests in the kingdom of God. We are all in ministry and we all carry the responsibility to do the work of the ministry as we read in Ephesians 4:15-16.

As we grow as a church, we will continue to see an increase in opportunities to serve one another, the deacons are to spearhead the care for the needy, but the entire church is to be a part of the care and the visible demonstration of the Gospel being lived out.

Let us continue to pray for the leaders in our church as they serve the Lord.

Sermons

Why the Church Needs Mothers

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Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a woman of integrity and prayer. God chose her to be the one who would carry the Messiah.  But there is an unusual encounter in Matthew 12 that causes us to pause and question the way we view mothers in the church (see Matthew 12:46-50).

This was a challenging time in the ministry of Jesus. In reading through Matthew 12, we read that the pharisees frequently challenged him and tried to trip him up. He was being put under pressure and probably being fully man, he was tired of the false accusations and possibly stressed. In verse 47 we read that a man came to let him know that his mother and brothers were outside and looking for him. He responded with an abrupt answer that seemed to indicate he was a little frustrated, “who is my mother and who are my brothers?”

We know little about the relationship that Jesus had with his family, however we do know Mary was with him all the way to the cross. Mary knew that Jesus was her son, but she also remembered the promise of the angels and the miraculous conception.

To Jesus, Mary was his mother, but also a person he came to save, and he knew his purpose was significantly bigger than his family. Jesus is not making light of natural family, but he was emphasizing the greater importance of spiritual family.

Our commitment to the Body of Christ and to the call of God on our lives must have a higher loyalty than to our own family. I understand our first mission field is our homes, but when God calls, sometimes family is left behind (see Luke 9:57-62).

Two weeks ago, we saw the apostle John in Revelation 19, where he begins to worship the angel. The angel rebukes him and says, “I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers…” Rev 19:10. Who are John’s brothers? Who are our brothers and sisters?

The Greek word “Adelphoi” is a plural and can mean blood brothers and sisters. What is being conveyed here by the original language is that our fellow believers around the world are closer than blood relatives. We are united together by the spirit of God and washed by the blood of Jesus, we are closer than natural family. That is the body of Christ.

The church needs spiritual mothers who can love and raise up the next generation. The way the church is designed by God is to be nurturing and caring. There is no shortage of pain and hurt in this world and many women in the church through their life experiences are uniquely positioned to be a mother to someone else.

But spiritual mothers are not to rebuke and correct at every opportunity.  We know that people don’t need more correction or telling them what they are doing wrong. What the world does not need is more people giving worldly advice.

The primary role of spiritual mothers is to pray for younger women and young families. And when a word of counsel is needed, or invited, then by all means, step in with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

Paul writing to Titus in chapter 2:3-4 writes to older women, perhaps widows, he says, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,”

Before we get too distracted about not being slaves to much wine, in order to contextualize this for our generation, it is basically any addiction that removes your ability to be an effective counsellor. To have a temperate and self-controlled life that understands the importance of training up the next generation and not wasting time with distractions such as social media, mindless entertainment, and the like.

What if the Lord would lay a young person on your heart, and you would simply begin to pray for them. Maybe a young married couple, just starting out, maybe their parents are out of town or even absent. It doesn’t matter what if the Lord would simply have you come alongside them and pray for them, encourage them and make yourself available.

Debbie and I have navigated the past twenty-three years away from our parents, and I can list a long line of spiritual parents who adopted us. They may not think they adopted us, but their love and actions were exactly what we needed as immigrants and as young parents navigating the challenges of adoption, ministry, immigration, financial stress, sickness and life in general.

Just this past week we visited Tom and Joyce Lyle in Oklahoma, and this is a couple who have adopted many children throughout their lives. Not adoption through the courts, but through love and action.

How different would the church be if we would actually be the family that Jesus calls us to be. We would be irresistible to the world, they would long to be a part of a family that lavishes love on the next generations and disciples them in the ways of the Lord.

Who is the Lord calling you to be a spiritual mother to today.