Yearly Spiritual Diagnostic

In life it is good to do annual checkups. We should do them for our physical health. We should do them for your vehicles and homes. We should also do them for our spiritual health. An annual checkup on how you are doing spiritually is vital to ensure you are growing and progressing in your walk with Christ.

In my small group and with other leaders in the church, I'm giving them a spiritual diagnostic tool for them to gauge where they are in their walk right now. When it comes to spiritual growth, you are either progressing or regressing, there is no standing still. So how are you doing spiritually? Are you further in your walk with God right now than you were a year ago? Since we celebrated Easter this past Sunday and the new life we can have in Christ, let's use this as a chance to gauge how that new life is coming along. Take time to prayerfully answer the following questions:

1. What kind of time are you spending in God's Word each week?

none barely any regular daily

2. What kind of time are you spending in prayer each week?

none barely any regular daily

3. How frequently are you sharing your faith and/or inviting people to church?

never rarely sometimes all the time

4. How generous are you with your time, talents, and treasure for God's Kingdom?

none very little fairly good very generous

5. When you evaluate your walk with God over the past year, how would you rate it?

neglected lazy good, but needs improvement strong

6. What actions do you need to take to strengthen your walk with God?

So how are you doing?

Are You Coasting or Sprinting?

God didn't save you so you could coast toward the finish line of life. If you hear nothing else from this post, please hear that. None of us were saved so we can sit comfortably awaiting our ticket to heaven. Just the opposite is true. We are saved for a purpose that goes beyond relationship with God and the promise of heaven. We were saved for good works, which God prepared for us before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 2:10).

Do you understand what this means? If you have been saved by the grace of God, then you realize that this salvation leads to a transformed disposition toward our lives and actions. God wants us to join Him in the salvation of others. Some of us are given gifts that will build up and equip the next Billy Graham. Some are given gifts that make possible the environment for the next Billy Graham to hear the gospel. In other words, we all, if we are followers of Christ, have been given specific gifts for specific purposes. How do you discover them? Not by doing nothing. You must get off the sidelines and into the game. We must begin to serve.

If God were to evaluate your level of service to the Kingdom of God, like a performance review, would you look forward with anticipation or shrivel with dread? Lets get busy. There's work to be done. Coasting is not in the playbook. We must finish the race marked out for us and we are called to run with the intent to win.

What is Church About Really?

I'm glad to be blogging today. I've been on a couple month sabbatical from blogging. I finally feel that I have something to say after taking a break. The question I want to ask and briefly explore is: what is church really about?

This is a question that as a church right now, is vital that we answer. Since we have started utilizing video, there have been some comments from people saying things like, "well, we can just watch a video at home" or "I can watch videos online." While these things are absolutely true, they reveal a much deeper issue. If church is nothing more than going to listen to a preacher talk, then yes, you can absolutely do that at home. HOWEVER, is that all a church is really about? My answer is a big fat NO!

Church is much more than "GOING & GETTING." Church is about "GOING & SERVING," "GOING & CONNECTING," "GOING & GIVING." There is a big difference between the first one and all the ones that came after. Church is not about sitting and listening to a live preacher, it is about much more than that. It is about WORSHIPPING CORPORATELY TOGETHER, it is about BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE TO SHARE LIFE WITH, it is about GIVING YOUR GIFTS TO THE BUILDING OF GOD'S CHURCH. You can't do these things from your computer at home or from your couch.

So let's reevaluate what we are saying when we begin to make comments about what the church is really about. It is much more than watching a live preacher. May God grow us in our understanding of the church, and lets move from being consumers of a service, to people who are consumed with serving.

American Idols

In my reading time this morning I read a passage that I have read many times before, but a particular verse resonated with me and caused me to ask a tough question. The verse is from Acts 17:16 where Paul is in Athens and he is about to give his infamous address to the Areopagus. Scripture says:

"Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols."

When I read this I just paused and thought to myself, "does it bother me the way it bothered Paul that people in my city and culture are immersed in idol worship?" Sure we don't have as many physical idols (images and statues intended to serve as gods), but we have idols everywhere. For some, the big football stadium is an idol. It's where we go worship our heroes. For others, the big house is an idol. Still others are more subtle. There idol is how they look or status at work or a title. An idol is anything that we put before the One true God in our lives.

So back to my original question I asked of myself: does it bother you that idol worship is alive and well around you? My guess is that we have grown so use to it that we don't even recognize it or deem it as a big deal. For Paul, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw the city was full of idols. He understood what they were costing themselves. He understood how desperate they were to worship, but they worshipped things less than God.

Pray today and ask God to open your eyes to the idols around you, maybe even in your life. Pray that God would stir your heart to compassion and mission to those you see entrenched in idol worship. Ask God to reveal Himself and make Himself known to those who are worshipping things less than the Real Thing. Ask Him to break your heart for the same thing that broke Paul's.

The New, but Old Deist

Some Christians are Deists who would claim that they are not. What is a deist? It is a term that started to really gain steam post-Enlightenment period. Deists were people who believed in God, but did not believe that God could play a role in the created order. He was outside of time and did not enter into time. He was much like a clockmaker who creates the clock and then lets it run. God has set the world into motion, now we are left to figure it out and fix it, if it can be fixed. That, in a general explanation, is Deism.

Now how is that still practiced today by Christians? Well, first, the traditional Deism mentioned above is still very alive. Many Christians who are connected to science (not all) still maintain a very deists view of God. But there is a very new type of deists in today's church. It is not that new, but it has a new package. This person is one who cuts out all the passages of Scripture that doesn't match with his/her worldview. This is exactly what Deists of the Enlightenment period did too. Thomas Jefferson created his own Bible (Jeffersonian Bible) that eliminated all the miracles of Jesus and the New Testament because it didn't align with his scientific belief. Why did he believe he had the authority to do this? Because the Bible didn't align with him in certain places, so he just took out those places.

Many are still in the habit of this practice today. Many skip or ignore completely chunks of Scripture, even entire books of the Bible because they don't like what they say. They would rather hang on to one or two verses that affirm their worldview than the entirety of Scripture and full counsel of God. As much as they would deny this charge, they are indeed modern Deists. You simply cannot make the Bible what you want it to be because it doesn't fit your worldview. You must either call it a lie and turn from it or you must heed its words, all of its words, if you indeed intend to call yourself an orthodox Christian.

Do some examination of your own heart in this matter. You may find, as I did, we all have some Deist habits.

What are some ways you have seen this type of Deism displayed? Why do you think we are so willing to ignore passages of Scripture that don't align with our worldview?

Holiness: Possible and the Key to Being Used by God

The Bible tells us in Leviticus 11:44 that God says, "⁴⁴For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy." The command is one that we almost passively read through because at the end of the day we know that we won't be holy as God is holy. We know far to well that we are sinners. We are not just people who sin, we are sinners. It is a part of our nature. Yet, this does not excuse us from God's command to be holy.

R.C. Sproul, a great theologian, lays out in his book Chosen by God that we are born with a sin nature. The reason for this sin nature is that we are under the curse of Original Sin from our first parents Adam and Eve. Before the Fall of Adam and Eve, man was able to sin, but he was also able to not sin. He has the choice between obedience and disobedience. After the Fall of Adam and Eve, the nature of humanity changed. We were now able to sin, and unable not to sin. In other words, we were free to sin with our choices, and at the same time, our freedom is restricted in the sense that we are unable not to sin. We will sin as a result of the Fall of Man. The beauty of the gospel and being a person set free in Christ is that we are no longer obligated to sin. Whoever the Son has set free, he is free indeed. When we are born-again we now go back to our pre-Fall nature: we can sin and we can not sin. The process of holiness is trusting and leaning on Christ more and more to be able to choose not to sin when sin is before us. If we are in Christ, we curse him if we continue to say that you sin because you can't do otherwise. Not so if you are in Christ. Will we still sin? Yes. But make no mistake, we no longer have to sin. Before our rebirth in Christ, we are unable not to sin because of our corrupt hearts, minds, and nature. In heaven, when we finally are glorified and redeemed fully, we will be able not to sin and be unable to sin. So we will not only have the ability to not sin, we will lack the ability to sin. Praise God for that!!

Back to the issue of holiness. Holiness is possible. If you are reborn in Christ, you can be holy, you can choose not to sin. People often talk about how they want God to use them. I hear people ask me all the time, "just pray that God would use me." I don't have a problem praying for that, but here's the deal: God will use you if you are 1. reborn in Christ and 2. living a life of holiness. If you are not doing those things, no need for me to pray. In fact, look at the passage from 2 Timothy 3:20-21

²⁰Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."

The passage shows us that it doesn't matter what kind of vessel it is, as long as the vessel is clean it can be ready for honorable use. If it is clean, it can be set apart, useful to the master, ready for every good work. Paul is saying this: it doesn't matter what your spiritual gift is, your background, your age, etc. what matters in the issue of being used by God is holiness. We must be holy because God is holy. We must quit excusing our sin on our nature when in the rebirth we were given the ability not to sin. We must seek to be holy if we want to be used by God. We should quit praying for God to use us and instead focus on holiness. When we do that, God will wear us out.

Women Submit, Men Check-out

 
I know that the title of my post is exaggerated. I'm very aware that not all women submit and not all men check-out. The husband/wife dynamic is an interesting one to say the least. Throw into the mix the standards by which God expects us to uphold within that relationship according to the Scriptures and you have yourself a mess. The Scriptures in Ephesians 5 lays out the standard by which husbands and wives are to relate to one another. The popular passage from this chapter is tells wives to submit to their husbands. Every man, Christian and non-Christian, has likely quoted that passage to his wife at some point in their relationship, only to have her chirp back with something clever in return, leaving him grasping for a reply.

The Bible does tell women to submit to their husband's leadership in the home. The wife is supposed to respect her husband and fall under his leadership. The problem is: most guys do not lead in such a way that merits their wives to submit to them. Most guys checkout of their role as husbands and leaders of the home. The Bible gives men an even more difficult role than wives. The Bible says for men to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Christ gave his life for the church, and this is the example given for how husbands should love and honor their wives. 1 Peter 3:7 even tells us that the prayers of the man who doesn't honor his wife will be hindered. In other words, being the man God has called you to be to your wife and children is a HUGE responsibility.

Back to the Garden

I want to wrap up this post with a reminder of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Who ate from the forbidden tree? Eve. However, Adam, who was checked-out, was there beside her. Eve is having a conversation concerning their obedience with the serpent and Adam is sitting by passively. Eve eats of the forbidden fruit, and gives some to Adam too. Then they recognize their sin, hide from God, and await what they know will be a dreadful encounter. What happens next? God comes and they are hiding. God addresses the issue. Who does God question about the incident? Eve? No. "What have you done?," is asked of Adam, the husband. God went to the leader of the family and made him given an account. Eve was the culprit, and God was fully aware of this, but He went to the man, the husband, and held him responsible.

Men, are you checked-out at home? Step up. Quit playing it safe from the sidelines and be the man your wife wants and needs you to be. Wives, submit to your husbands, even when they fail in their leadership. Don't chastise him or belittle him. Let him lead, be supportive, encourage him to lead as God desires. This is the picture of the marriage God designed to exist. We need to relearn what healthy relationships look like and quit defining the parameters for ourselves.

Haiti Disaster Relief

In response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti last week, The Journey Church will be working in conjunction with several local churches and organizations to collect the following items to send to the people of Haiti:

1. New or used shoes (adults, kids, babies)

2. New clothes (adults & kids)

3. Cases of bottled water

4. Preferably new tents, blankets, and duffel bags

5. Baby food and formula

6. Diapers (mainly sizes 2 & 3)

7. Baby bottles (with nipples) and sippy cups

8. Flashlights and batteries

Note: we will be collecting these items starting this Sunday 1/24 through Sunday 2/21. You can drop the items off at the Pathways table at the campus you attend each Sunday. If you have any questions, please contact the church office at 615-547-7070 or John Griffin atjohn@thejourneytn.org.

Let's try to step up Journey Church to do our part in being the hands and feet of Christ in the world.

Haiti, The Gospel, and God's Sovereignty

The tragic story of what has and is happening in Haiti is astounding. To think of thousands in a matter of moments being killed by such a unsuspecting event is horrifying. Yet in the midst of this tragedy and sorrow, we must be reminded that God is sovereign. Though we wish we could turn away and it disappear, we must be reminded that our world is broken and awaiting the return of its Savior to bring it to final redemption. And though we don't always understand why or how things like this can happen under God's watch, we are reminded that the people of Haiti need the gospel, and this tragedy will and can usher that in.

Unlike crazy Pat Robertson, who I can't believe I have to call a brother in Christ, I do not believe God was acting out some kind of judgment on Haiti. Instead, I believe it is a good reminder from God's Word (Romans 8) that all creation is moaning as in the pains of childbirth, awaiting the redemption of the sons and daughters of God. Awaiting the return of Christ. Awaiting final restoration.

As a church (The Journey), we are looking at ways that we can help bring relief to Haitian people. We will have updates to come soon on how you can get involved. In the mean time, here are several things we should partner together to pray for:

1. That the relief efforts and aid being sent and delivered would help relieve some of the physical suffering going on.

2. That the gospel of Jesus would come in power and that many would find hope and salvation.

3. That parents who lost children and children who lost parents would be comforted by the great Comforter.

4. That as a global community, God could use a tragedy of this nature, to remind us that the "betterment" of earth is not where our hope should lie. It is in Jesus Christ in whom we put our faith. We believe he is going to return to make right the wrongs that have occurred on earth. There will be final restoration. We look to that day.

Take some time today to pray for the country of Haiti. Pray for the people. Pray for the relief workers and missionaries who are hitting the ground. Pray for a mighty move of the Spirit of God there, that Jesus may be made known.

Church Discipline

I was in a class all week last week for my class: History of the Baptist. I know what you're thinking. It was exactly what I was thinking when I realized it was a requirement for my Master's Degree: "great, this sounds like fun!" Note this was said sarcastically. To my surprise, I learned more in that class than I have in many classes. The class was loaded with church history, theology, and the question of how church polity (governing) should be. I know some of you are still thinking, "wow, sounds like fun," but in my own little nerdy way, I really enjoyed the class.

This leads me to what I wanted to bring up in the blog. We learned a lot and studied a lot on the practice of church discipline. Now I know this is not a very familiar term today, but church discipline is something that happened from the New Testament churches all the way to the present, though presently very few churches practice or know church discipline. A definition of church discipline would be: the action taken by church governing bodies against individuals or groups of individuals whose actions, beliefs, or reputation effect the holiness and purity of the church body. It is important to note that this happened within the context of single congregations. Members of the church were held accountable for various types of attitudes, actions, and beliefs both inside and outside the church. The church would regularly conduct "tribunals" to try cases being brought up. Evidence would be presented for the accusation and the church would vote on a verdict, then a proper sentence would be given. Sometimes the sentence involved repentance and reconciliation with members of the church, and in many cases, the sentence was expulsion from the church. There were some who refused to undergo such trials to respond to accusations against them, but for the most part, individuals absolutely went through this process.

You see, in the past, church wasn't viewed as simply a place to show up on Sunday to worship. Churches were families. They were communities of faith. There was much love and affection for each other, but there was accountability. They believed the only two ways to leave a church were 1. death or 2. expulsion. You didn't want the reputation of having been expelled from a church. You would not be quickly received by other churches because they assumed that you had doctrinal or character issues that they didn't want exposed to their churches. Purity in the church was paramount!

When I read of this and reflect on what happens in our society today regarding church, I cringe. Very few people would dare to hear a charge brought against them, more-less publicly repent in order to be restored to the "right hand of fellowship" within the church. Today's churchgoer would simply leave and go somewhere else. The church they would go to would blindly receive them into the fold and more than likely, more issues would arise later.

Here's my questions for you: what are your thoughts on church discipline of the Church of the past (NT - 1800's) vs. the Church of today? Would you undergo church discipline or would you leave? What are your thoughts on how churches can, to some degree, recapture the ability to handle issues of discipline, yet retain the individual within the fold of the church? I would love to hear your thoughts.