Growing Through 1 Timothy

Here's an old joke for you:

• Do you know why ministers' children misbehave?
• Because they spend most of their time with the children of elders and deacons.

Over the last two months, I've talked to some elders representing three different churches. Each conversation had one thing in common: They were frustrated with one or more ministers on the paid staff of their respective congregations.

Most church of Christ elders long for their minister/paid staff to be like Timothy:

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.--1 Timothy 4:14

We all want the church's minister to live up to his or her potential! But let me get straight to the point. If leaders want their ministers to be like Timothy, then those same leaders should try to be like Paul. At Lake Christian Church, our elders and deacons sign a letter of intent that simply states that they are committed to a Pauline pattern of leadership:

• Model to the People
• They intend to lead by example just as Paul modeled the kind of ministry he desired in others--2 Timothy 3:10
• Mainstay to the Paid Staff
• They intend to establish a partnership with their ministers, looking out for their interests as well as providing tangible guidelines--1 Timothy 1:2
• Mentor to Potential Leaders
• They intend to be connected to other men in the church in order to influence and inspire them--2 Timothy 2:2

In Eugene Peterson's Message, he offered this insight from 2 Chronicles 10:7--

If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they'll end up doing anything for you.

Would you like to serve with a minister who would "do anything for you"? Then be considerate of his or her needs. Consistently make positive assumptions about them so you'll respond with compassion. Remember, Jesus worked things out with Peter. Barnabas worked things out with Paul. And Paul worked things out with Timothy.

So, who's your Timothy?

Growing Through Colossians

Editor's note: We'd like to apologize for the inconsistency in publishing new posts. But, our chief blogger has experienced an inordinate number of personal setbacks this year! So, now that he's back on his feet, we'll continue our journey through the Bible as we grow through Colossians:

Extreme self-denial, worship of angels, seeking spiritual visions, and the punctilious observation of religious festivals characterize the Christians in the Colossian church. To counteract the false teachings circulating through the Christian community, the apostle Paul pens a letter, challenging them to renew their commitment to Jesus Christ:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.--Colossians 3:1-2

Paul was battling the erroneous teachings of Gnosticism (the belief that salvation is found through hidden knowledge and that matter is evil). Today, we face a form of Gnosticism known as the New Age Movement (NAM). Adherents to NAM generally believe that knowledge is subjectively constructed  and socially determined. New Agers insist that truth isn't universal to all human beings but, instead, varies according to what "works." Subsequently, moral values become individualized.

The ideas of NAM are widely disseminated through television (Oprah Winfrey Network) and movies (Avatar). The NAM influence has even infiltrated today's church as evidenced in the writings of Rob Bell (Love Wins)--pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan--and Elaine Pagels (The Gnostic Gospels)--professor of religion at Princeton University.

So, to the 1st-century Christian in Colosse being misled by Gnosticism and to the 21st-century Christian in Fluvanna being unduly influenced by the New Age Movement, Paul's message is clear:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--if you continue in your faith...--Colossians 1:21-23

Please join us this Sunday as Lake Christian Church's discipleship minister, Chris Long, unpacks the teachings of Paul's letter to the Colossians in his sermon:

God's 4G Network

Growing Through Acts (2)

"The whole congregation of believers was united as one--one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need."--Acts 4:32-35 (MSG)

One heart plus one mind equals more generosity!
The early church shared everything. Do we live up to that standard? A few years ago the Fluvanna Review published the story of a local girl's unique birthday party. She asked her guests to bring a gift, but not for her. She asked them to bring a gift for the Fluvanna County Animal Shelter! Her generosity made a difference for homeless animals. Now that's sharing.

"They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing..."--2 Corinthians 8:4

One heart plus one mind equals more love!
Christians are called to a life of sincere love. Show someone that you really love them. Send them a card. Invite them over for pizza and a movie. Go the extra mile for them!

"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them..."--Romans 12:9

One heart plus one mind equals more service!
Lake Christian Church regularly conducts the PLACE Ministry workshop to help believers find a place of service. Not just any place, but a specific place of service that connects one's passion to ministry. Remember, when you're faithful in your service, you are doing it for Jesus (Colossians 3:23).

"God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another."--1 Peter 4:10

One heart plus one mind equals more growth!

Unity in the church fosters spiritual growth for the individual and numerical growth for the congregation. In the beginning of Acts 4, we're told "the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children" (v. 4). The church's significant numerical growth was a direct result of unified commitment to Jesus Christ. Then, at the end of Acts 4, we learn that Barnabas "sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles" (v. 37). His cheerful giving is evidence of his spiritual growth.

"As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ."--2 Corinthians 9:13

Growing Through Acts

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."--Maya Angelou

Will Bowen, a Kansas City minister and author of A Complaint Free World, recognized there was far too much complaining in the world. He proposes that word choice determines thought choice, which determines emotions and actions. Bowen believes if you can eliminate complaining, you will experience more happiness.

So what exactly is a complaint?
 
For me, any negative description of an event, person, or issue is a complaint. Gossiping is pretty easy to define. Criticizing is too. Discussing facts is okay. Complaining is not to be confused with informing someone of a mistake or deficiency so that it can be put right. And to refrain from complaining doesn’t mean you have to put up with bad quality or behavior. There's no complaint in telling the server your coffee is cold and needs to be heated up -- just stick to the facts -- which are neutral. “How dare you serve me cold coffee?” That’s complaining.

The church has had to deal with its fair share of complainers. Look at what happened in the very first church:

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers...--Acts 6:1

The church was dealing with growing pains, making it difficult for the leaders to minister to everybody. This situation could have created an even greater rift between the Greek and Hebrew believers, but the apostles dealt with the difficulty with wisdom and grace. Satan didn't get a foothold in the fellowship!

Lake Christian Church, like all growing churches, has occasionally had to face a serious problem that presented the members with a number of challenges. But those challenges gave the leaders a chance to examine ministry and make essential changes.

In Acts 6, the apostles realized they created the problem themselves. Instead of praying and teaching, they got caught up in the secondary task of running a food program. They were trying to do too much. Even today, church leaders get so busy with secondary tasks that they fall short in the areas of prayer and study. They fail to "keep the main thing the main thing." As a result, the church becomes spiritually anemic making it easy for even more problems to develop. (Do you think we'll ever hear a church member complain that his or her minister doesn't pray and study enough?)

It is valuable to remember that complaining isn't an attractive attribute in anyone!

It's better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.--Proverbs 21:19

Note: The message on the book of Acts will be on Sunday, August 7 at 10:30a.

Growing Through John

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.--John 20:29-31

John emphasizes belief in his Gospel. He makes close to 100 references to believing in Jesus Christ. Even though you and I can't see Christ perform miracles, we do have John's record of those miracles, so we don't need to "see" Jesus in order to believe. After all, faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ (Romans 10:17).

In his commentary on the book of John, Warren W. Wiersbe writes: "Faith in His miracles should lead to faith in His Word, and this leads to personal faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus Himself pointed out that faith in His works (miracles) was but the first step toward faith in the Word of God (John 5:36-40). The sinner must 'hear' the Word if he is to be saved..."

At Lake Christian Church, we are growing together through God's Word! That's why we diligently search the Scriptures daily to discover: 

The Works of Jesus Christ

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father."--John 14:12

The Words of Jesus Christ

"I tell you the truth, those how listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."--John 5:24

The Walk of Jesus Christ

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.--1 John 2:6 (NIV)

By depending on the power of Holy Spirit (Hebrews 4:12), we believe in Jesus Christ and walk as he walked. To learn to live as he lived, read the book of John this week. See Jesus performing miracles. Hear Jesus speaking life-changing words. See Jesus living a perfect life. I hope and pray you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.