Let This Mind Be in You

A confirmation message.

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The Scripture that Dylan read a few minutes ago from Philippians, chapter two, what Paul wrote, to let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus[2].  I had a sermon, a WONDERFUL sermon prepared today.  On the way here God changed it; sometimes I hate it when He does that.  But God placed it upon my heart that everything about this confirmation was contained in that one sentence, let this mind be in YOU that was in Christ Jesus. 

The “mind of Christ” – that’s a strange sentence, isn’t it?  When Jesus was feeding the 5,000, what do you think the mind of Christ was doing at that moment?  What was he thinking about?  When he reached out and grabbed a leper by his diseased hand, what was His mind considering?  Jesus did some stuff that, I wonder, if we would ever do. 

Confirmation: the word itself means to make firm.  Have you ever ordered something online?  Yeah, I know; I should have said, during the first hymn, did you order anything online.  We do that all the time, right?  What do you get in an email 7 seconds later?  The Confirmation!  They’re telling you, YES…we got your order, and we are PLEASED to take your money…thank you very much!  That money would be out of your account before you even spoke.  Confirmation means something has happened.

In just a few moments we’re going to have this platform filled.  We are going to be confirming these young people.  We generally think of confirmation in the church as something the church does TO the young people; NO…this is what these young people are doing BEFORE God!  And so will we…we will be answering also (see the answers in the bulletin).  It says, do you, the congregation….  That’s you!  We are reaffirming our vows, but for these young people, for the first time, they’re making firm their vows publicly before God.  If you were here on March 27^th, we had a “wet experience” in the fellowship hall.  We baptized those young folks in the gigantic fish tank.  The early church identified as fish…it was kind of the secret handshake they drew in the sand to identify each other back when Christianity was illegal.  They were saying they were of one mind.  What mind?  The mind of Christ.  That’s what this is all about, they’re making firm their vow before God.

Look at those promises (vows) in the bulletin.  I want you to see that there are five of those promises that these young men will be saying “yes…we do…we will be supporting this church and its ministries by these five ways.  They’re saying what each of you members said when you became part of this church, that these five working parts of the Christian faith is the sermon challenge for each of us…those who took those vows in the past, those who are taking those vows today, and for those who will consider taking those vows in the future.

Let’s look at the first one

1.  We vow our Prayers

What we ask is, are you going to participate in the church’s ministries by your prayers?  We’re asking for that mind to be in Christ Jesus by doing what Jesus did, continually praying.  I had a friend who recently passed, who, years ago gave me an understanding of what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote pray without ceasing.  She told me, Russell, I have so much to pray about I can never say Amen.  I thought, Donna, what in the world are you talking about?  She said, when you say ‘Amen’ that’s the end of the prayer, right?  I never stop praying; I have this conversation that’s going on with God all the time.  That is the issue with the praying promise…are you going to be joining with your fellow believers in this mind of prayer, which is the mind of Christ, and have an ongoing conversation with God…24/7 (I know that will keep you awake at nights, but He will let you sleep when it’s time to sleep).  So, by your prayers you are known.  Then…
2.  We vow our Presence

Your presence is exactly what you’re doing this morning…you’re here!  You’re showing up.  Isn’t that 90% of life, just showing up?  Once you get past that you can see what else (the other 10%) needs doing.  I’m not just talking about showing up in church; I’m talking about all of life.  Are you engaged?

There are two ideas about that business of “presence.”

a.     When you’re in school the teacher takes attendance.  She calls your name, and you answer, present.  That’s presence

b.    But what happens when the lecture gets boring a little later?  You’re not so present anymore, are you?  You kind of check-out sometimes.

To be “present” in terms of this vow is to be engaged in what God’s saying.  The preacher may have a message, or think he does, but God is speaking through the preacher’s words.  The question becomes, are you engaged enough with God in that message that it will go with you when you leave?  If you invite God to be Lord over your life, and not just Savior from spiritual death, He will go with you everywhere. 

Prayers, Presence, and then…
3.  We vow our Gifts

Stewardship…your tithes and offerings are the gifts we vow.  But there’s another sense in which gifts come into play.  The idea of stewardship is to be found faithful[3] with what you have been given.  This is a favorite theme of mine.  Whatever we are doing, wherever we find ourselves, at school, at home, at work, in the garden, fishing, going on vacation, all diverse ways of spending our time,  are we faithful stewards of the gifts we have been given?  Maybe you’ve been given the gift of discernment – you need to be on guard to look and see what is being said, or what is going on, so you can make discerned decisions and act according to what the mind of Christ demands.  If you’ve been given the gift of preaching, you ought not stay silent.

So, Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and there’s also…
4.  We vow our Service

Service is making sure you are faithful over the resources you’ve been given.  As a faithful steward your presence involves service.  It’s not just “onlooking.”  We are not just “onlookers” observing what happens in the world, we are hands-on!  Your service means you are willing to help other people.

These five words – five things we do as Christians, are the way we exercise our commitment to God, our vow, worked-out in daily life.  These are the true measurement sticks by which we monitor our progress of growing into Christlikeness.  There’s a fifth word…

5.  We vow our Witness

My understanding of “witness” is simply retelling your story, that which has happened to you.  To witness to someone is to tell that person what Christ has done in your life. 

Now, listen, I get the feeling – I get the sense, that, if you get the first four words right, that tells you you’re meeting the criteria for the fifth word.  For instance, if your prayer life is what it ought to be.  You’re in an ongoing conversation with Christ, and He’s talking back to you, speaking to your heart, moving you into serving, you’re going to be the kind of witness for Christ He needs, because that conversation with Jesus is not going to stay silent…it will come out of you. 

What about gifts?  If you are a faithful steward with what God has placed in your hands, to help other people in service, financially, or however God directs, then that, is a witness…is it not?  Where you are on a Sunday morning (presence) is also a testimony (witness) to other people.

Years ago I read a story about an elderly lady who had spent all her life in church.  And it was still going on.  Every Sunday morning she’d get up early, study her Sunday School lesson, get ready and walk the three blocks to church.  And every walk was past the same houses.  One of those houses, there was a guy who never darkened the doorstep of a church.  Each time the lady passed there he’d mutter, there she goes, church lady, goin’ t’ church, every Sunday…church, church, church!  After years of this it was finally enough.  She got up one Sunday, studied her lesson, got dressed and walked to church.  When she got in front of that house, he was at it again, there she goes, that church lady, goin’ t’ church, every Sunday…church, church, church!  She stopped, turned to him, and kindly said, that’s ok, friend…I got my priorities and you have yours; I just want God and everybody else to know whose side I’m on.

And that’s the point about witness.

Truly, I think, the most graphic, the most vivid demonstration of whether you’re on His side is your service.  It’s when there’s no question that, if someone needs an arm around the shoulder, your arm is ready.  It’s when you’re ready to take that five-dollar bill out of your wallet when you’ve only got two of them, and place it in the hand of that one who has nothing.  Offering to bring someone to church.  Offering to help someone rake their yard, or whatever needs doing.

So how do you do all that?  How do you get your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness all in line?  It works something like the picture of that “double tree.”

“Christ likeness” is the goal.  If friends, or a family, church, or even a nation would be unified, enjoying genuine fellowship, then Christ like is what we seek.

A great Bible scholar named A. J. Gordon wrote: 

Two little saplings grew-up side-by-side.  Through the action of the wind they crossed each other.  By and by each became wounded by the friction.  The sap began to mingle until one calm day they became attached.  Then the stronger began to absorb the weaker.  It became larger and larger, while the other withered and declined till it finally dropped away and disappeared.  And now there are two trunks at the bottom and only one farther up.  Death has taken away the one; life has triumphed in the other.

To become Christ-like, is to grow so close to Him that people see Him, and precious little of you.  This is unity, where the spirit of Christ has taken over.

Our goal is to grow into Christ in maturity, to be so much absorbed in Him that when people get to know you, or even just observe the way you live your life, they will become curious enough to ask the question:

Are you a Christian?

And what they’ll mean is…I believe you are a Christian…you’re like a picture of Him.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!  

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[1] This sermon is transcribed from video, with minor edits for clarity

[2] Philippians 2:5

[3] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.  1 Corinthians 4:2  

Is IT Really Finished?

 

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.  Psalm 118:1

I attended a friend’s church last Saturday evening.  Pastor Michael’s sermon was an inspiring recounting of the transition that flows from the cross, as Jesus proclaimed those fateful words:  It is finished.  That flow turned the typical Easter din of “cross, grave, empty tomb….and (yawn from getting up too early for sunrise service) to now what else?  The sermon was:  It is Finished; but He is Not![1] 

The message centered around the Greek word tetelestai, from which we translate into English “it is finished…or completed”.  The word is military in origin, as in a completed mission.  It was also used in antiquity as a legal tool for debts.  When a debt was fully-paid the debt-holder would write TETELESTAI across the original document, as testament to the honorable completing of all claims.  This is the word shouted from the cross by Jesus…completed…nothing else required.  That is true beyond question, as Scripture declares over and again that His death was propitiation for our sins…paid-in-full. 

But what of the last part…IT was finished…but HE is NOT?  The crux of Micael’s message rested on the fact (again rooted in Scripture) that the completed work of the cross was but the firstfruits of what was to come.  To summarize, it means Christ died once, for all sins; but He’s still working with us (and on us) to develop who we are…we are being transformed into His image.

This concept isn’t new.  Any believer who has entered the world of discipleship, following Jesus with prayer, presence in worship, meaningful stewardship of tithes and offerings, learning to serve others in the community, and being a faithful witness, has an understanding that Christ is anything but finished working on us.  He is bringing us to a mature stature in His character.  For all of us, THAT takes a considerable transformation.  It’s what apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the church at Ephesus:

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Ephesians 4:13

Now, here’s the candy of it all – it isn’t something we HAVE to do…it what we GET to do!  It’s like this:  Elizabeth and I have struggled all our lives to make a monthly mortgage payment.  We never quite got there in the first four houses we bought.  By the time we got to this fifth house, we settled on a 15 year mortgage.  It was paid-off several years ago – I don’t think they actually wrote tetelestai on the mortgage paper – but we did get a letter of thanks from the mortgage company saying our debt was over.  It was finished.  But we are not.  We get to live in the house now.  Elizabeth gets to (within reason) redecorate and rearrange.  Russell gets to repair and take care of cutting the grass. 

And that is what Jesus did with your eternity.  He’s given us a place and a purpose that is as secure as the promise of that empty tomb.  And He’s given us freedom to create (with him) all the beauty that life holds in promise.

For You Today

Two great truths to rest on here:

·       IT (the payment of debt for your sins) is finished.  Receive that gift, and cherish it!

·       YOUR walk with Christ through an eternity of blessing is just getting started, because his faithful love endures forever!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] You can listen to the sermon here

The Difference of Presence

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Friday, December 28, 2018

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.  And the sea was also gone.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people!  He will live with them, and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever.”  And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”  And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  And he also said, “It is finished!  I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.  Revelation 21:1-7(NLT)

Elizabeth and I began losing our parents in 1985 when Sofie went to be with the Lord.  Then, seven years later it was her dad, Tony.  Within the last 10 years my parents, Cecilia and Elwood, joined them.  Most of their siblings have also passed, and so our connection with that great generation has also faded into awaiting the great reunion.  Two days after this year’s Christmas festivities we were having our usual breakfast conversation and my bride remarked rather wistfully how different the holidays are without them. 

The difference an absence can make is startling once it settles-in.  You don’t get to ask any more questions, or be reminded of that special smile, or share the intimacy of those inside family jokes or stories.  So, now the responsibility falls to our generation to pass along the connection of past, present, and future.  Of course, it’s hard to improve upon what Scripture does with that; Genesis starts with creation, and Revelation ends with re-creation.  Start at the beginning, march through history, and celebrate what’s coming.  In each of those tenses there is presence!

When I was a young preacher, new in the ministry, there were times, when called to a deathbed, that I spoke too much, and much too quickly.  I’m certain it was nervousness; I didn’t know what to say, and so I spoiled holy moments by speaking well-meaning, but useless platitudes:

·      I’m sorry for your loss

·      He’s in a better place now

·      At least she’s not suffering

·      It was a hard road, but he was ready

I should have waited for the silent presence of the holy to be completely God’s place to speak; I’ve learned to try to be present rather than vocal.

At the most difficult times in my life I have been blessed to be surrounded by presence in the people who care about me, and by their presence and thoughtfulness they leave little question that I am loved.  Presence makes all the difference.  Words are important, but they are no match for that beating heart next to yours. 

During one of those very difficult times, when I had absolutely no clue which way to turn with my life, a dear Christian brother came alongside me.  I respected this friend, father, and honest businessman; his walk matched his talk!  It has been more than 40 years since that day, and I cannot recall a single word he said, because he just sat with me.  His caring presence made the difference in my life, and that presence spoke so loudly and clearly, if there were any words, they were completely unnecessary to his ministry to me.  God’s Spirit spoke for him directly to my heart.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.  Romans 8:26(NLT)

For You Today

It just may be that not every millisecond of eternity has to be filled with noise.  When you’re not certain words will accomplish God’s will, be silent.  God has been known to speak in a whisper, but none of us can hear that when we’re all about the noise.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.                                                                                                                     

Go to VIDEO

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com

Paraclete

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Friday, December 18, 2015

Devotion VIDEO here

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.    John 14:16^(NLT)

In this Season of Advent our church has been looking again at the promises of what and who we are to each other and the Kingdom of God as members of Christ’s body, the church. 

This past Sunday’s theme was “presence”.  The shepherds ^{(Luke 2)} didn’t stay “abiding in the field” – they came to the manger; they became a presence of rejoicing at what God had done.  And we are to be a presence in each other’s lives, as well as Christ’s presence in this world.

Our enemy, the devil, uses doubt as his chief weapon.  And so often, especially when feeling alone or a little blue, we take the bait. 

There was a time years ago when much had gone wrong for our family with sickness and financial woes, and a job that wore me down like a ground-out tree stump.  I took the bait, and it led directly into the parlor of despair.  My dear friend Jerry Hutchinson came to the house one Sunday afternoon and sat with me for a good while.  He couldn’t change any of my circumstances; my kids were still sick, the finances were a mess, and Monday morning the job would still be there.  But, there was just something comforting and reassuring having a brother to share the load.  It gave me courage that I wasn’t alone and the strength of hope for the days ahead. 

Presence like that cannot be purchased.  And there is no way to imitate the genuine presence of God’s Spirit in another coming alongside to comfort when you’re in distress!

Last Sunday, as we were coming to the close of worship, this message of presence was demonstrated to our church family so dramatically, I was blown-away by the sight.

In our church the children serve as acolytes, lighting candles representing God’s presence with us as we worship, and carrying that light out at the end of service.  For the child who served last Sunday, it was her first time, and she was nervous, having a responsibility in big church where everyone would be watching.  She did fine lighting the candles as the choir called us to worship, but was hesitant and unsure about what to do as we sang the last hymn.

And so, as I walked toward the candles where I meet the acolyte each week, I noticed this small child had company coming with her to the altar.  Her older cousin walked with her, and stood with her, and she did just fine.

And then the rest of us made a big deal out of how well she did.

This was presence – one came alongside to help – and then many others who joined-in the comforting and strengthening of a little sister in Christ.

And that is the meaning of the word “Paraclete” – one who comes alongside. 

When Jesus was teaching his disciples the hard truth that he was leaving soon, he also assured them that the One who was coming to them would never leave nor forsake them in life’s difficult times.  He would be so close, so in tune with our fears, hopes, dreams and questions that it would be like He is on the inside, carrying on a God-conversation with us, encouraging, comforting, building hope and assurance.

He showed-up at Pentecost like tongues of fire, and He has been warming believers from the inside ever since!

For You Today

Need a travelling companion for the tough times?  He’s always there!

You chew on that out on the Rocky Road today…and have a joy-filled and blessed day!

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[1] Title image:  Gian Lorenzo Bernini [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Jesus Church - Part 5: Wholehearted

Watch the sermon VIDEO here

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For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.    Jeremiah 29:11-13 ^(NLT)

These are very familiar verses; well, at least the part about God’s plans for our future being good and hope-filled with His promises, and the fact that when we pray JHWH is going to be listening with both ears!  You can buy plaques at the bookstore with these words; we write it on graduation Bible covers.  Good words – God’s plan for us is good…protected…prosperous!

We certainly do like the sound of those words!  Preach it, Lord!

But then, as in many other parts of Scripture, God muddies the waters and puts a spin on what we wanted to hear, which was:  let the good times roll…let the blessings fall down like rain!).  But, if we’re honest, what we are forced to hear (or ignore) is the last part of it:

For God also says:  You know all that about MY good plans for you…hope, prosperity and a good future?  They’re just that – MY PLANS; and if you really want in on ALL MY Promises, you must also hear (and live) the part about coming to ME whole-heartedly!

Ok!  So…what does “Whole-hearted” mean?

1.      Whole-hearted Means Committed

“Commitment” is the all-time favorite word to use if you want to see people scatter!

We use a whole lot of words around the church – Bible words – that tell us what Jeremiah meant about being whole-hearted, or committed to God. 

Words like:

·        Surrender

·        Loving God with all your mind, soul, strength and spirit

·        Give your life to God

But, the hard fact is many people want all the benefits of being close to God, but more than not we have trouble committing to actually doing it – staying close to God. 

We want to have Just a Closer Walk with Thee when God’s blessings start flowing, but when God finishes the sentence with the commitment He requires of us to stay close – it’s more like we run like a scalded rabbit in the opposite direction!

Fact:  

You cannot have both; you cannot have blessings AND 

be independent of the One who is the Blesser!

Another factor that enters this equation is the difference between being a metaphysical Christian and being genuinely close enough to God to get your hands dirty.

A metaphysical Christian is someone who loves the idea of loving Jesus, loving God, and walking with the Holy Spirit, but somehow his or her Christianity never gets out from between his own ears.  It’s all hymns, cum-bay-ya around the campfire, first in line at dinner-on-the-grounds, and all the feel-good stuff, but the idea of committing to be a servant in the Kingdom requires an appearance of the Virgin Mary in his cornflakes.

Now, don’t misunderstand me – the head/heart/metaphysical stuff isn’t bad…we do need a vertical relationship with God and a prayer life.  But God called us to more than that – he called his church to get together, stay together and work together.  Churches that do that will find they become healthy, strong and connect with many ways in the Kingdom of God to do the work of God.  Churches that refuse to go to work become bloated, sick and in danger of needing a funeral director, rather than a pastor.

Taking the cornflakes out of our doctrinal stance here, let me review with you just what it means to be committed to God in a practical sense (as opposed to just the ethereal and metaphysical “head/heart” relationship).

To be committed is to be part of the Bride of Christ, the church here on earth.  Many people take the high-sounding stance that so-called “organized religion” isn’t for them, because of all the hypocrites and holier-than-thou types.  So….what’s the choice, un-organized religion, where I keep to myself so all those hypocrites won’t contaminate my pure and holy walk with Jesus?

Friend – Jesus never talked about a church like that in the Gospels.  But example after example in the New Testament shows us that God wants us to commit to the earthly expression of His body – the church. 

He wants us to be whole-hearted seekers of him together – which leads to the other understanding of what commitment is all about for a practical follower of Jesus Christ…whole-hearted not only means commitment…

2.Whole-hearted means Community

The community-expression of God’s church on earth is just what you’re looking at – look around at the warm bodies in the pews; we’re it!

And each one of us, when we joined this community of faith, made vows.  Take a look in our hymnal ^{page 38} and be reminded of what it is like to commit to being part of Christ’s church:

As members of Christ’s universal church, will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?

As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness?[2]

And so, is that your testimony?  That you are committed to being in worship and discipleship regularly?  That your gifts (tithes and offerings) are brought regularly?  That you offer yourself in service?  That your life away from this building is a witness for Christ?

Or were those vows simply a ritual; you said the words, but nobody really expects you to do all that stuff…do they?

Short answer:  only if you really want to see God and His blessings.  He is only visible to those who seek Him whole-heartedly!

I want to suggest that you think about that whole-hearted thing this week.  Read this sermon online, or take a copy home with you and re-read it. 

Because next Sunday we will have a time to re-focus on those vows of commitment and whole-heartedness as we gather at the baptismal waters to renew those vows.

We will say “yes” to the blessings; it also means we say “yes” to our commitment to community!

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

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[1] Title Image: Rembrandt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[2] “Witness” added several years ago by General Conference