Over Time The Pastor Isn't Enough

We didn’t need Gallup to tell us this; we’ve know this for a while. You’ve heard of Gallup. They are the company that conducts all kinds of opinion surveys. From politics to popsicles, if you want to know what America thinks, Gallup has been the standard for a long time. Recently, Gallup surveyed church-going Americans about why they attend the church they attend. Their conclusion – Three in four worshippers say sermons a major factor in why they go. Apparently, what’s important is the content of the sermon, and sermon content cannot be separated from the person delivering the content.

I’ve not surveyed church going Americans, but I do have an opinion. While a church’s pulpit may be the initial draw for believers and seekers looking for a church, the pulpit alone won’t keep people at the church. Keeping them at the church will require connection beyond the pulpit to the whole of the church family.

Here in the Twin Cities, and I suspect in many more places, good preaching is available in a wide array of local churches. By good preaching, I mean preaching that is faithful to the text, delivered passionately and clearly, and calls the listener to respond. Conservatively, you can find that kind of preaching in dozens of pulpits around our cities. No doubt, geography and church size might play a factor in choosing a church, and other matters will contribute too, but the pulpit and the personality in the pulpit regularly are the clincher. While the pulpit and the personality in it may draw you to a church, the pulpit is not likely to keep you connected to that church over the long haul. Long term connection to a local church requires deep relationships within the whole church family not merely the pulpit.

Think about it: the pastor is not the church. He’s one part of the church. He’s one member of the whole body. Paul teaches us a church consists of many members, all of whom are critical to the life of the body. Connection to the church should be broader than one person or one ministry. If the connection is narrow, what happens if that connection goes away? What if your one connection becomes a foreign missionary or a church planter? What if your one connection is to your favorite children’s ministry whose shelf life has come to an end? What if your one connection is to a family who relocates to another state because of a career move?

Often when church members become unsettled in their church it is not because the content in the pulpit has changed, often the discontent is because of a lack of connectedness to the broader church body. Simply, there are no meaningful Christian relationships keeping people closely connected to their church. They are not discipling a younger Christian nor are they receiving mentorship from a more mature Christian. They experience few moments of shared prayer with others in the church. They do not engage with others in the mission of the church. They cannot point to anyone in the church as someone they’ve pursued with the gospel with whom they now worship and serve our Lord. A growing sense of emptiness takes over their minds leaving them wondering, “What’s here for me?”

Well known pastor and author David Jeremiah gets it right when he says, “Every believer is commanded to be plugged in to a local church.” Being “plugged in” means being connected to the people of the church and having the people of the church connected to you. When this is a reality for you, I think you’ll find much deeper satisfaction with your church, and I think you’ll find improving health in your church.

While I will always elevate the pulpit ministry of a church as key in the overall health of a church, I will also elevate the necessity of relationships in the church as key to the overall health of a church. Grown over time, these relationships will foster Christian maturity in all parties, can promote the fulfillment of the Great Commission, bring great joy to the whole church, and please our Lord as we pursue our love for each other.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Do You Follow the Example of Jesus?

Seated now at the right hand of God is a human being. His name is Jesus.

As our Lord walked the earth in his brief but glorious life, none who saw him wondered if he was a human being. Of course he was human; they accurately stated, “Isn’t he the carpenter’s boy?” As much as we defend and declare that Jesus is God, we must also defend and declare that Jesus is human. Always and forever he is and will be fully God, and always and forever he is and will be fully human. I preached on this last Sunday morning. You can listen to the full sermon here.

Because Jesus is fully human, he can be our example for how to live life. Think about it, if Jesus isn’t fully human what difference does how he lived make to us? If he’s not fully human, then what he does is not typical for you and me, mere humans. It’s like when a parent compares one child’s accomplishments to a sibling, “Why can’t you be like your sister?” Exasperated, the scolded child blurts back, “Because I’m not like her!”

If Jesus isn’t actually one of us, then his example really isn’t an example for us. His prayer life is not an example for us. His victories over temptations are not an example for us. His kind displays to needy people are not an example to us. None of it matters because none of it was done by an actual human being.

But he is fully human. He was hungry, thirsty, tired, tempted, emotional, and in the end, he died. Death, the ultimate expression of what it means to be human, is the experience we all have in common. Jesus is human, and because he is human we have an example of how to live life. Isn't this what Hebrews means when we read, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:1-2)?

Here are two questions for you to consider as you think about the truth that Jesus is fully human. First, what example from the life of Jesus is a helpful model to you? In the gospels you’ve read accounts of something Jesus did or character he displayed and you have taken this as your pattern in your life. We are Christians, “little Christs,” and we pattern our lives after Jesus. What part of Jesus’s life are you following today?

Second, what example from the life of Jesus do you find a difficult model to follow? Is his prayer model hard for you to follow? Do you find his model for overcoming temptation hard to follow? Do you find yourself failing to do the will of the Father though you see your Lord setting the pace for how to do the will of the Father? Have you asked yourself, “Where could I follow the example of Jesus?” Today would be a great day to begin.

Long ago Matthew Henry wrote, “The example of our Lord Jesus Christ is set before us. We must resemble him in his life, if we would have the benefit of his death.” Yes, this is our pursuit in this life – to be like Jesus. I trust you will become more like him today.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

The Extraordinary Value of the Ordinary

We aren’t promoting anything extra ordinary this week. We don’t have a week of special meetings coming soon. There’s nothing seasonal to draw our attention and maybe a crowd, and we aren’t organized Friend Day, the Sequel for this Sunday. The first three weeks of April were as busy as we get at First Calvary, but now it’s back to the routine, and that’s a good thing.

A Christian builds her life on the layers of the ordinary. Ordinary Bible reading, ordinary prayer, ordinary gathering together for worship, and ordinary faithful living to the Lordship of Jesus Christ are the hallmarks of the mature Christian. Boring is not a synonym for ordinary. Ordinary equates to normal, usual, regular, or familiar. And ordinary church life is the hallmark of a healthy church.

The spectacular moments of a church may, and I emphasize may, inject a momentary jolt into the system, something like the impact of a Red Bull, a six-pack of Mountain Dew, or a double espresso (I really don’t know what that is.) But the spectacular moments are not the foundational stones of the church. The bedrock of the church is the ordinary. When we embrace the ordinary together, we grow a healthy church.

Ordinary corporate Bible reading informs the gathered church of what God thinks about his creation and what He wishes to reveal to us about himself. A church that knows the mind of God is a healthy church.

Ordinary corporate prayer unites the body in mutual dependency on God and broad agreement on what is important and needful for the church at the moment. A church that routinely enters God’s presence together is a healthy church.

Ordinary corporate worship promotes so much that is good for the church. In ordinary worship we learn to subdue our preferences in seat location or even music selections. In ordinary worship we gravitate to the same comfortable faces and choose to receive the less than inviting ones. In ordinary worship we receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit every time the Word of God is faithfully preached to us. We can count on the Holy Spirit showing up to the faithful preaching of the Word. We don’t need a special tent meeting to have him do a work in us. Just take in the ordinary preaching of the Word of God, and He will be there. A church that routinely gathers to worship together is a healthy church.

Ordinary faithful living by the church to the Lordship of Jesus Christ calls the next generation to the same ordinary faithful living to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In my opinion a major though not singular reason the next generation does not live faithfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is because they saw so much unfaithfulness in the local church. They want nothing to do with that kind of religion. And rightly so. As a rule, generational Christians point to those before them as models for faithful living to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

In addition, ordinary faithful living by the church to the Lordship of Jesus Christ calls an unbelieving world to salvation that comes from Jesus Christ. The big events may aid evangelism, but they are no replacement for the ordinary faithful life of the church to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the unbelieving world sees our love for each other, our holiness because of the change brought about by the Holy Spirit, our generosity with our resources, and our peaceful response to pain and sorrow, our words that convey the gospel resonate in their souls. A church that routinely lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ is healthy church.

So, there are no flyers in the lobby announcing the coming big thing. You won’t receive any emails reminding you not to miss out on what’s happening next. However, I do hope you will eagerly anticipate the ordinary as the steady way to grow a healthy Christian and healthy church.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Lost, Alone, and Out of Gas

This isn’t the Musing I planned for you to read today. That one goes back into the file for another time. Instead, let me tell you about my morning.

I arrived at the church building a little after 8:00 to find an older Jeep Cherokee abandoned in the middle of the parking lot. The smashed lift gate window and shattered side windows meant somebody had a cold ride overnight. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find inside.

When I opened my car door to take a look, I expected to discover someone passed out in the SUV. It wouldn’t be the first time. Our location, adjacent to a major highway in the Twin Cities. makes our parking lot a convenient rest stop for weary and occasionally inebriated travelers. But this vehicle was empty. The broken glass in the backseat probably meant the damage was recent. The driver left a note, pink ink with big curvy writing. I’m guessing a girl.

“Ran out of gas. Be back soon. Sorry.”

“That’s good,” I thought, “Now I don’t have to spend my morning trying to figure out how to get this piece of junk out of our parking lot.”

It wasn’t long and Emily walked up the hill from the main road carrying an empty gallon jug, the kind that usually holds window washing fluid. The closest gas stations are over a mile away, and the bank tellers across the street probably couldn’t help.

“Hi. It looks like you’re still out of gas.”

“Yeah, there wasn’t anyone across the street to help.”

“I’ll check in our church garage and see what we have.”

A few minutes later I returned with a small gas tank and started pouring gas into her tank.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Emily.”

“I have a daughter named Emily. Are you from around here?”

“No, I’m from Anoka (Anoka, Minnesota is 35 miles northwest of our church building).”

“That’s a cold ride without any windows in the back.”

“Yeah, my boyfriend and I had a domestic. So…”

“Anoka’s a long way away. What are you doing down here?”

“I got lost. I don’t have a phone. Then I ran out of gas. I only have $6.”

“Do you have a church up there in Anoka?”

“Yeah, St. Stephens.”

“Is that a Lutheran church or a Catholic church?”

“A Lutheran church. Sister Marie helps me out.”

I emptied the last of the gas from the can into her tank and asked her to give it a try. The engine fired. She said thanks and drove away. I watched her leave and wondered, “Lord, what did you want me to do for her?”

Do you ever wonder how many women like young Emily drove our Minnesota roads last night with nowhere to go? I’m guessing the “domestic” with her boyfriend happened sometime late last night. The fighting escalated. Lots of screaming and cussing and she tells him she’s leaving. She is so desperate to get away from him, she doesn’t grab her phone. How threatening must her life have been to run without her trusted companion?

She races to the car, and he follows her with something in his hands, maybe a baseball bat? He threatens as she climbs behind the wheel. Suddenly, glass shatters, and he winds up for the next swing. Smack! There goes another window. She stomps on the accelerator, shaking uncontrollably as she speeds away.

Getting as far away from him as possible, she turns on this road and then takes that exit as warm tears stream down her face. Before long the moonlight fades to sunrise, and her gas tank is nearly empty. She’s lost and without a phone. Her car lurches toward the exit ramp and comes to rest in our church parking lot. “Now what do I do?” had to be part of her thoughts at the moment.

Again, I ask, “Lord, what did you want me to do for her?” The only answer I can surmise is, “Put gas in her tank.”

“Yes, Lord, but what about the abuse?”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Yes, Lord, but what about her soul?”

“I love her, and I died for her. I will woo her and chase her. I want her to love me like I love her.”

“Yes, Lord, but what did you want me to do?”

“I wanted you to put gas in her tank.”

“Yes, Lord, but she lives too far away to invite for Friend Day, and she drove off too fast to even give her a gospel booklet or to offer a prayer with her.”

“Like I said, I wanted you to put gas in her tank. That’s all. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Yes, Lord.”

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Why We Must Pray Corporately?

This Sunday evening we begin a new event at our church, our Spring Prayer Refresher. Jonathan Edwards of The Great Awakening fame helps us with why we should give these days to corporate prayer.

I have often said it would be a thing very desirable and very likely to be followed with a great blessing, if there could be some contrivance, that there should be an agreement of all God’s people in America, that are well affected to this work, to keep a Day of Fasting and Prayer to God; wherein we should all unite on the same day…Some perhaps may think its being all on the same day, is a circumstance of no great consequence; but I can' t be of that mind…It seems to me, it would mightily encourage and animate God’s saints, in humbly and earnestly seeking God, for such blessings which concerns them all; and that it would be much for the rejoicing of all, to think, that at the same time, such multitudes of God’s dear children, far and near, were sending up their cries to the same common Father, for the same motives. Jonathan Edwards, 1742

Edwards delivers impactful ideas in the brief quote. For me, I like the clause, “(corporate prayer) would mightily encourage and animate God’s saints.” We want that in our church, right? We long for encouragement for ourselves and our church family. We hope for each of the church to live the Christian life within our Christian community and to a lost world. Prayer is the catalyst for both.

Would you commit to corporate prayer, “for the same motives?”

Our corporate prayer begins Sunday night as we gather around the Lord’s Table. Our emphasis will be confession. Monday we will commit to obeying our Lord. Tuesday will find us declaring our dependence on God, and Wednesday we will ask God for his intervention. I trust this emphasis will be good for the church and glorifying to God.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.