When You Miss the Gathering of Your Church

Church attendance is not improving. As researchers continue to study the habits of Americans when it comes to Sunday worship, they are discovering the harsh reality — “even with a broader definition of church attendance, classifying a regular attendee as someone who shows up at least three out of every eight Sundays, only 23–25 percent of Americans would fit this category.”

Three decades ago, a very active church member attended three times a week.

When I was a kid, most pastors admonished Sunday morning only Christians, warning them that their lack of commitment to the local church would bring consequences they would later regret. Few pastors in 2019 openly condemn those who gather together only on Sunday mornings. In fact, most pastors count it an accomplishment when families or individuals show up on Sunday mornings three out of four weeks.

A Theory on How This Started

For the last 30 years church leadership and church members have erroneously contended that church life was about attracting people with a variety of programs. If the church hoped to keep its current group of people and pull new families and members into its group, it had to offer more and more and more. A church must have a great children’s program, a great teen program, a great college / singles’ program, a great newly marrieds’ program, a great women’s program, a great men’s program, a great recovery group program, and a great senior citizens’ program. A church without these options would decline in participation quicker than you can say, Have it your way.

The natural result is church life is now about what you get out of a church, what you take away from a service, or what a ministry contributes to your life in that moment. In essence church life has become blatant consumerism. Church life is one of the many options available to you, and it’s a great option when it will do something for you. When it doesn’t do something more for you than other options available to you, meh.

Pastoral Comments Don’t Help

Pastors have too easily reinforced this with their comments promoting people to come. From the pulpit you will hear him say, “You don’t want to miss being here. It’s going to be really great!” Well, what if the last time he said that, it wasn’t all that great? What if there is something else equally great that is also an option? Why not do that great thing instead of the great thing the pastor is suggesting? Who’s to say which great thing is better?

Is gathering for worship to sing the same songs and hear the same preacher better than completing that unfinished house project you’ve told you’re wife you’d complete?

Is going to a weekly small group meeting better than staying home and having a family night with the kids?

It is flawed thinking that leads to decisions of participation in the Christian life based upon what’s in it for me.

Thinking Differently about Why You Go to Church

Similar to what he wrote in 1 Corinthians, Paul also addresses participation in the Christian life in the book of Ephesians. He told those churches that God had given to each one in that church the capacity to contribute to the spiritual lives of the rest of the church. With capacity comes responsibility to act. Paul taught that Christians show up where the church gathers not to receive but to give (4:11–16).

• When you miss Sunday worship, you forfeit your opportunity to encourage with your smile a sister-in-Christ who hasn’t attended in weeks. She leaves wondering where was her friend.

• When you miss your Sunday School / education hour class, you deny others the opportunity to receive from you the insight only you can provide.

• When you miss your weekly small group gathering, you squander your opportunity to join in corporate prayer with the others in your group.

All Our Reasons Make Perfect Sense to Us

Our explanations for why we missed worship, the Lord’s Table, our weekly small group meeting, or Sunday School all sound good to our ears.

• We were out late the night before.

• We just returned from a long trip.

• My cough would distract those around me.

• It’s so cold outside we decided not to venture out.

• It’s so nice outside we decided to take advantage of the great weather — this is Minnesota, you know.

• The kids were up during the night.

• If my kid is going to be a varsity athlete, he has to play travel sports.

• We had a family party.

• I needed to get this chore done that I’ve been putting off for months.

Is This about Me?

I suspect some might be wondering, “Is he writing about me?” I’m writing about all of us. I have no one particular person or scenario in mind. Nor is this post a recent thought. This has been in my head for many months. This is a real issue in the American church and an issue Paul addressed in his letters. Paul could not be more clear when he writes, “every person doing his share causes the growth in the church by the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:32). When we fail to show up for whatever reasons, the members of the body do not receive from us.

Our churches would be healthier if member absenteeism from the gatherings became the rare exception and not the norm.

We are disciples of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, we are called farmers, slaves, and soldiers. The commonality between the professions is sacrifice for the benefit of others. Jesus told his disciples, “take up your cross and follow me.” Sometimes taking up the cross might be as simple as showing up week after week after week at the gathering of God’s people.

Next week I want to convey to you the four occasions in the life of the church that you simply cannot miss. You just can’t. I look forward to interacting with you again.

If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher

Who was your favorite teacher from elementary school to high school? Do you remember the name? My guess is although time has passed, the name and the influence of that teacher remain until today.

It was the late summer of 1970 and my first day of first grade at Balmoral Elementary School in Chicago’s far south suburbs. There I met Mrs. Humeister, my first grade teacher. She was old, like really old, at least that’s how she appeared to my five-year-old eyes.

I quickly learned first grade was different than kindergarten. No more half days of school. No more naps on a rag-strip blanket. This was the real deal, and it was going to be this way for a long time. I had eleven more grades to endure after this one. Why can’t we just play baseball, ride our bikes, catch frogs in the drainage pond, and bother our little sisters?

I don’t know anything about Mrs. Humeister’s personal life. I can’t tell you if she was married or had children of her own. I have no idea what happened to her after I left the first grade. What I do know is that she provided me an amazing experience that ignited a love for learning, especially reading.

She introduced me to great literature like Fun with Dick and Jane and anything written by Dr. Suess. Her small classroom library was a field full of treasures waiting to be discovered. There I found The Sugar Creek Gang and something called a dictionary.

On her shelves was the greatest treasure I had ever seen. Twenty volumes of something called The World Book Encyclopedia contained for me all the knowledge in the world. Volume 1 told me everything there was to know about words and ideas that began with the letter A. Volume 20 compressed all the knowledge of the letters W, X, Y, and Z. I figured if four letters could fit into one volume, then those letters must not have much to offer.

On those pages were words I didn’t understand and pictures of astronauts and atoms, bears and brains, cars and computers, diamonds and dirt, engines and epilepsy, fire and fog, and on and on. Every page revealed something new and often more amazing than the page before.

I do not know if Mrs. Humeister was a Christian. I hope so. I’d love to meet her again in heaven. What I do know is God used an old woman to help a young boy find fascination in all that God created, whether that was her intention or not.

Can you do that with others? Can you help them find and discover in the creation the wonder that is the infinite imagination of God?

Mrs. McDaniel was the lead English teacher at Oak Forest Christian Academy. My parents moved my sister and me from Balmoral Elementary School to OFCA for my third grade year. We would complete our educations in a Christian School.

My sophomore year of high school I sat at a desk and in front of me stood Mrs. Marni McDaniel. Her husband was our school principal. His reputation is legendary, and his outer layer was like dragon’s hide. Mrs. McDaniel was the polar opposite. Her petite frame, cropped red hair, and gracious demeanor met us daily for grammar, vocabulary, spelling, literature, and writing. I quickly grew to love Mrs. McDaniel.

She was a demanding teacher without the demanding personality – what a great skill to possess. Her assignments were challenging but fair. She knew her craft, and she was a master at it. In hindsight she was probably the best teacher of any subject in our school and one of the two or three best teachers I’ve had at any level. We were fortunate to have her.

Well into the school year, Mrs. McDaniel moved on from the eight parts of speech to the discipline and skill of writing. As a fourteen-year-old kid, I had no idea what she was contributing to my life.

She challenged my classmates and me to write. We wrote journals and research papers, fiction and poetry, short paragraphs and lengthy tomes. Before long I discovered I liked putting pen to paper and retelling an experience or articulating an idea.

Like I said, she was demanding. I submitted a writing assignment and was anxious for its return. Across the top of the page in bright red ink was the letter B. “B? I thought. This isn’t a B paper.” At the bottom of the page, she explained the B reflected the good content but the poor discipline in spelling, vocabulary, and grammar. Her B was probably generous. If I wanted an A grade, I would need to submit A work. Tough but fair. Demanding with a smile.

The skills Mrs. McDaniel taught me have been my weekly routine for nearly 40 years. From class assignments to dissertation, it was the work of Mrs. McDaniel that made it possible. Every sermon I write, every weekly post I pen, every card to a church member, and every letter to my wife or children is because of what Mrs. McDaniel did for me. I owe her a significant debt.

Paul tells us that our Lord Jesus gave to the church gifted people called teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Neither Mrs. Humeister nor Mrs. McDaniel fit perfectly into a correct interpretation of Paul’s instruction. However, both ladies were gifted by God to do what they so skillfully did. God used them greatly in my life.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week. I love teachers. My mom was a teacher. My wife was a teacher. My daughter is a teacher. My daughter-in-law is a teacher. Many of my closest friends are teachers, and many of the people for whom I have the greatest appreciation are teachers. I love each of them.

In the mind of God, he provided for us a way to discover truth and ideas about his creation. We can know truth. We do not need to wander in the darkness looking for answers. Instead, there are among us those who teach us art, history, philosophy, music, the wide array of mathematics and science, history, language, literature, and applied sciences and most importantly, the truth about God as revealed in his word, the Bible. Whatever their area of expertise, these people possess unique gifts from God which benefit all of us.

Be sure to thank a teacher this week, and be sure to thank God for another of his many gifts to us - teachers.

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

"They Hate You Because They Hate Me," Jesus

Fact: persecution of Christians, especially in Asia and Africa, occurs today like it did in the New Testament book of Acts.

• Easter Sunday, 2019, Sri Lanka – terrorists bomb Roman Catholic churches killing more than 300 and leaving hundreds more gravely injured. Reported only minimally in the West was the attack on a Methodist prayer center on Palm Sunday one week prior to the Easter bombings. In 2018 Christians were victims of dozens of acts of violence.

• Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019, Nigeria – Zealots killed 17 Christians ranging in ages from 10-80 following a baby dedication at Ruhaniya Baptist Church. The group gathered for a celebration meal when the murderers unloaded their weapons as the friends and family ate together. The mother of the baby was killed in the attack, and the father was critically wounded.

• April 12, 2019, Egypt – A mob attacked a Christian Coptic congregation during its children’s Bible classes injuring two priests and damaging the church building. One day before the attack, the village mayor confiscated building materials from the church premises. The church was expanding its structure to accommodate a growing congregation.

• January 27, 2019, Philippines – terrorists bomb a Roman Catholic cathedral killing 20.

• January 13, 2019, India – Local police disrupt a worship service arresting the pastor and other church leaders. They tortured the pastor before releasing her. In the first two months of the year, there have been 77 verified acts of violence against Christians in India, including two murders of men in their 40s, expulsion from places of residence in villages, and physical coercion of converts to seek forgiveness from local Hindu temples for embracing Christianity.

Search the Internet for yourself and you will read of Christian persecution in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Chad, China, Columbia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Mexico, North Korea, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and in dozens more countries.

Persecutors, mobs, oppressors, and terrorists make no distinction between “Bible believing Christians” and anyone else connected to any Christian denomination. They kill, torture, kidnap, rape, and abuse indiscriminately.

If you are a Christian of any variety in dozens of countries worldwide, you are a potential target. If you openly evangelize in dozens of countries worldwide, you may be arrested and jailed without legal representation. In dozens of countries worldwide if a small group prayer meeting meets in your home, you risk the loss of your property, your employment, your children’s education, and maybe your health or your life.

This is the reality of what it means to be a Christian in a significant part of the world.

For us in the United States, we have been mostly spared from the kind of persecution Christians experience worldwide on a daily basis. Even where acts of violence have occurred in Christian churches in the United States, the evidence suggests the deeds were often related to race relations, domestic clashes, or psychopathic behaviors.

Jesus and his apostles warned and instructed the early Christians about the inevitability of persecution. Revelation hails the faithfulness of those who suffered for the cause of Christ. Acts records the bloody scenes of many Christians.

Jesus’s words and the apostolic instruction were not only for the first Christians. They instruct us as well. The stories in Acts serve as models for us to follow. The promise to the martyrs in Revelation may belong to some of us.

I don’t know if the persecution experienced across the oceans will reach our shores in my lifetime or yours or ever. I do know there is a price to pay to follow Jesus. There is no price for your salvation. That’s a free gift to you. Jesus paid with his life what we receive by grace alone through faith alone. Yet, there is a price to be his disciple (Luke 14:25-35).

The price may be friends.The price may be acceptance of your family and your children by those in your kids’ school or by the other members of your kids’ athletic teams or school clubs. The price may be advancement in your career or no career at all. Your unbelieving spouse may walk out on you if you follow Jesus too closely. Your parents may disown you if you follow Jesus as if there is nothing more important to you in the entire world than Jesus. You may sit by yourself in the school café because you follow Jesus. You may not be included in side conversations if you follow Jesus. You may be shunned, mocked, or ignored if you boldly follow Jesus. You may be alone in your moment of great need if you follow Jesus. The price to follow Jesus may be your life.

Paul boldly asserts, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” Are you?

What can we do?

First, we can and must pray for persecuted Christians (Hebrews 13:3).

Second, we can encourage Christians around the globe suffering or threatened by persecution. For example, in our church are Cameroonians, and we partner with gospel workers in India and Uganda. Simple words of comfort and love contribute to their faithfulness to Jesus.

Third, be faithful to Jesus here and now in this mostly peaceful realty we enjoy in the United States. Jesus first and Jesus only despite any potential ramifications must be our disposition. How likely are we to live for Jesus in persecution if we do not live for him in peace? Should our children and the generations after us face persecution will they be able to look at our faithfulness to Jesus as a model for their faithfulness to Jesus?

Remember Paul’s words as he writes to the church in Philippi from his jail cell? By God’s grace may his words be ours.

According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (1:20-21).

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

“Is it Gonna Burn” The temporal status of the things of this world

Today’s Musing is a first for a budding author. Jeffery VerWay studies business at Bob Jones University and has a goal to visit all 47 South Carolina state parks before graduating in December.

I finished my 1:00 class today to look down at my phone and see a notification from the Wall Street Journal, “A terrible fire is burning at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.”

I didn’t think much of it but decided to click on the notification and see what it was. One of the most prominent gothic era buildings was up in flames. The world looked on as it could do little to nothing about this historic monument being destroyed. The roof sustained major damage including the collapse of the famous spire towering over the rest of the cathedral.

A building that endured since the 12th century and withstood many wars including two world wars had sustained severe damage in just a few hours. This is not the first-time man-made wonders have fallen before their creators in the history of the world.

In 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg, and the ship deemed unsinkable disappeared below the waves to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The Hindenburg, a massive blimp, crashed shortly after takeoff in 1937 as it went up in flames.
 
Just recently in 2016 a wildfire spread through the state of Tennessee and caused devastating damag e and casualties to famous landmarks, towns, and cities in the Gatlinburg area.

All these great and beautiful creations by man were destroyed in just a few days or even hours, so what can we learn from this?

Everything in this world is temporary.

From an early age many people will learn that life on this earth is temporary. James 4:14 “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
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Christians must be careful in this life to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The things of this world, including the people around us that we allow to influence us so much, will soon perish.

I used to sing the old hymn, Is It Goona Burn? in youth group and Sunday School on occasion. The song illustrates well James 4:14. The song talks about how God’s people squander their time on earth and waste it with the things of this short life. The chorus then goes on to ask, “Is it gonna burn? What you build in this life, is it gonna burn? Will you lose it all, when your work is tried will you lose it all? Will you enter the kingdom as one, to whom the Lord will say well done? Or will you cross over into his land, burned and scarred with an empty hand? Is it gonna burn?”

When we die, we take nothing which we cumulate in this life. One man may be a billionaire while another starves to death on the street, but when they both die, they will stand before God facing the same judgement.
So, what are some things Christians should keep in mind when it comes to the things of this world?

• Having possessions is not a bad thing.

There  were many rich people in the Bible, and those with wealth were not condemned by God. There are many examples to look to and many to learn from as well. The rich young ruler that asked Jesus what he must do to enter Heaven was too attached to his riches and not willing to let go of them to follow Jesus. This is when our things take control of us. They must not take first place from God and become idols. An example to follow is that of Joseph, who when given control of everything the superpower Egypt had to offer was still selfless in his actions and provided for those in need. Money is a great tool when we control it. It is a deadly weapon when it controls us.

• Christians should be wary of wasting their time on this earth.

God put us on the earth to glorify him. Christians should live out their lives looking to obey this commandment and not just to satisfy ourselves. We play this out by sharing God’s Word with others and giving Him the glory in all that we do. Do not be attached to the temporal things that distract us from what really matters. As the credit card commercials say, “Chase what matters.”

• Enjoying the things of the earth is not inherently evil.

Just because the things of the world take so much of our time and attention away from what we should really be paying attention to doesn’t mean they are always sin. Because of the fall mankind has a way of perverting everything we touch. This includes temporary  things. Things like marriage have been perverted by those deciding marriage is for them to decide the definition. The world takes things, stuff relationships, buildings, and anything that we decide is more important to us than God in the moment and make them into our own personal time wasters. This is one expression of when they are sinful. God wants his people to enjoy things in their life. Afterall he gave us his beautiful creation and great things like food and family to enjoy. Like the old man said, “enjoy the things of the earth, as far as conscience will allow.”

• Remember our true treasures lie in Heaven.

Ultimately in life Christians need to think about their eternal life that approaches. We should not take these things in our short lives and put them above the things that will be in eternity. Stop and think for a moment about what you are valuing more than eternity. For me it is friendships with unbelievers. I worry more about my reputation and not wanting to be seen as that guy who only talks about Jesus, so instead, I will just not talk about my faith so that I fit in. Don’t waste your life feeling this way. Pray to God and ask him to help you remove the things from your life that are distracting you from Him.

While the world mourns that which is temporary and short, celebrate the gift you have been given that is forever in eternity.

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

Your One Shining Moment. Are You Ready?

Even the most uninterested enjoy One Shining Moment.

For nearly 30 years, CBS ended the 67 game NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a montage of emotions, faces, game highlights, and big moments accompanied by the pop song, One Shining Moment, a catchy tune whose opening line is “The ball is tipped.”

When Virginia’s Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy celebrated their overtime victory, they celebrated both the championship and the recovery from last year’s tournament game of infamy.

Millions worldwide saw Guy’s semifinal heroics when he scored six points over the last seven seconds of the game, including three clutch free throws before 70,000 fans. Guy stepped to the line with less than one second on the game clock and trailing Auburn University by two points.

The first of his three attempts drew his team within one. When he made the second, he tied the score. The third shot provided the winning margin, sending his University of Virginia to the first title game in school history. Thomas Jefferson would be proud.

One Shining Moment highlights one great play, but that one great play is made by doing the same basic actions again and again. I don’t know Kyle Guy, Matt Mooney, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, or any of the terrific players competing in this year’s tournament, but I do now the game of basketball. I know for a fact that every player on every team has been working on his basketball skills for at least a dozen years or so. Running, dribbling, passing, catching, jumping, shooting, and lifting – all the necessary moves that went into each player’s One Shining Moment.

I guarantee when Kyle Guy hit the corner three late in the semifinal game and when he stepped to the free throw line for those pressure packed shots, that was not the first time he took and made those shots from those spots on a basketball court. Granted, it’s the first time he’s done that in a final four matchup, but it wasn’t the first time he’s done it as a basketball player. If asked, I suspect he’d say he’s made those shots thousands of times in a gym, a driveway, or on a playground.

You don’t develop the ability to make those shots in a high level, high pressure situation without making those shots countless times in less intense moments. There is a correlation to Christian discipleship.

When we face a great opportunity, a passionate temptation, or a significant trial, our responses in the moments will be the result of the myriad of minor actions over a long period of time.

Think about it:

• You don’t develop a theology of death when your mom dies that carries you through the pain of the moment. Your theology of death must be established long before the tears begin to flow.

• You don’t learn to defeat lust when the image flashes across your television screen or the phone in your hand. You must have rehearsed your battle plan when the dopamine wasn’t flooding your brain cells.

• You don’t establish a worldview at the moment of exposure in the classroom. You must have practiced viewing creation through the prism of God before a teacher persuaded you that perversion is progress in human development.

• You don’t determine if your recent increase in income will promote materialism or the mission of Jesus Christ the day you get a raise. You must have put in place when you were working for minimum wage what your approach to money and riches will be.

As a former athlete, I can attest that ball handling drills in the driveway, chasing down clanged shots on a windy playground, and conditioning a body for a season that is six months away can be little fun. No fans cheer you on in those instances. The hours are lonely, tedious, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding.

I’d love to ask Kyle Guy or Matt Mooney about all the hours he put in to his basketball game and if he regrets any of it. You already know the answer.

Developing spiritual maturity that allows you to shine like Jesus in your One Shining Moment happens in daily practice of your Christianity.

Choosing to read your Bible today. Choosing to spend time in prayer with God today. Choosing to gather with God’s people on the Lord’s Day unless providentially hindered. Choosing to connect with another Christian disciple today so your iron is sharpened by his. Choosing to deny self today. Choosing to submit to the Holy Spirit today.

Choose to engage today in the basics of Christianity so in the moment when you need your Christian maturity, you’ve already taken that shot thousands of times.  

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