A Christ-follower with a limp: 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Some Righteous Resolutions

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” Carl Bard

Every year, around 45% of Americans seize upon the desire for a fresh start at New Year’s and make one or more resolutions. We determine to lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking, or get out of debt. We feel determined. We join a fitness center or a 12-step program. We create a plan for change. Yet every year, 97% of us fail. Early efforts prove to be a flash in the pan. In the end, we forget and quit. It’s over and nothing changes.

Please do make some of those needed changes and stick with them. Yet, let me add to that – consider what really counts, the eternal and spiritual. If you get out of debt, lose weight or stop smoking – it only counts for this short life. Changes though in our spiritual life make a difference in eternity. It’s the difference between buying a gift for someone at the Dollar Store or at Neiman Marcus. Which would you rather have? So let me share some suggestions on eternal changes to consider.

Reading your Bible daily. This is one of the most important commitments a Christian can make. Each day we must make decisions and want to accomplish something. If you begin your day with the Bible, you’ve already accomplished one of the most important things you’ll do that day. You’ve spent time with your Heavenly Father who loves you and knows exactly what you’re going to face that day. It’s best to start small and be systematic. If you’ve never done this before, begin with one of the Gospels. Read a chapter or least half a chapter a day. I’d consider adding a chapter from Proverbs. The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters and you can easily read the chapter that coincides with the day. Perhaps you’ve never read the Bible through. There are several Bible reading plans available. We have one on the back table available and a link at the bottom of this week’s Sword Challenge that will direct you to four different options.

Committed prayer time. Reading our Bible is allowing our Father to speak to us through His love letter. Prayer is our conversing back with Him. Too often our prayer life is little more than a grocery list. How would we feel if the only time that we heard from a friend was when they needed something? God wants us to talk to Him. But it’s normal to struggle with what to pray about. I love this simple approach called A.C.T.S. Adoration: Give God praise and honor for who He is as Lord over all. Confession: Honestly deal with sin in your life. Thanksgiving: Verbalize what you're grateful for. Supplication: Pray for the needs of others and yourself.

Commit to worship and community. God designed us for worship and community. Our struggle is that there are so many options and we seemingly have so many things to do. It’s easy to deceive ourselves in to thinking that we’re faithful in worship if we attend once or twice a month. Let me encourage you to commit to attending every Sunday unless you’re providentially hindered. And determine to make some type of Grace Group part of your life, whether it’s one that meets on Sundays or one that meets every other week on a weeknight. Since sin entered the world, we’re resistant to community. We like to keep others, even brothers and sisters in Christ, at a safe distance and not let them glimpse into our souls. Community is essential to our spiritual health and growth. You will never grow spiritually and have all that God has for you ALONE.

Grow past that sinful habit that keeps throwing you spiritually. For some it may be something overt like substance abuse, porn addiction, anger or materialism. For most of us though, it’s an attitude which pops up as a sinful behavior. First, remember that it’s already paid for and conquered at the Cross, and your Heavenly Father already knows about it. But you can never just stop something. Scripture teaches the principle of godly replacement. Check out Ephesians 4 for a wonderful model of leaving something and replacing it with something godly, eternal and better. This might be one where you ask a mature Christian friend to help and share with you where he/she thinks that you most need to grow. Most of us are blind to our own spiritual weak spots. Our attitudes are usually the biggest barriers to a vibrant relationship with the Lord and with others. Some of the more common sinful attitudes are arrogance, a critical or negative spirit, a selfish one, or even a fearful or doubting spirit.

Grow in generosity. If you focus on the other four, the Spirit will make this one nearly happen spontaneously. First, praise God each day for His countless blessings. Then, most of us need to grow and learn to be lavish in our praise toward those closest to us. Praise and affirm the ones that God has brought directly into your life – your spouse and children. For many of us, one encouraging word a day would be a huge step forward. How sad that we often are kinder and more gracious with a clerk in a store.

Then, be generous in sharing your faith. Everyone that you meet will spend eternity somewhere. Ask the Lord for daily opportunities to share the gospel and seek to build gospel bridges. Finally, be generous with your time and money. Ours is a narcissistic world, but we are not of this world. Those who are spiritually mature and love the Lord are always generous. You can’t be close to a generous God without becoming generous as He is.

Finally, write it down and date it. Writing it down helps keep us accountable. You might ask a godly friend to be your accountability partner. As you look back at it at the end of 2018, it will encourage you. You probably won’t get as far as you desire, yet you’re headed in the right direction! And God is more interested in our direction than in our distance.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

I'll be Home for Christmas

“I’ll be Home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.”

Have you ever noticed that many of the Christmas movies center around home and family? Most of us have a mental picture of the perfect Christmas scene – a peaceful picture of home with loving family gathered together for the holiday. Yet, even when everything is seemingly perfect, there’s still some dull nagging in our hearts that there’s something more. Even when we’re home, in an ideal, nearly perfect home…there’s an innate longing for something else, a longing for the perfect home.

Home has a powerful influence on us. Billions are spent annually by those retracing their ancestry. Those who were foreign born long to return home, even if home is continents away. Home is such a powerful part of our make-up that children who never find a place where they feel they belong struggle with an incapacity for attachment into their adult lives.

Most of us have had the nostalgia longing for a special place from our youth…the family home or annual vacation place. It carries a very special spot in our hearts. Yet, if we have the opportunity to return to the actual place, it’s filled with disappointment. It doesn’t live up to our expectations. The reality of actually being there leaves us with a sense of loss.

That song, “I’ll be home for Christmas” has long been one of my favorites. Originally recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, it became a top hit. It was written to honor American soldiers overseas who longed to be home at Christmas. It’s sung from the point of view of a soldier stationed on a foreign battlefield during World War II, writing a letter to his family. In the message, he tells his family he’ll be coming home and to prepare the holiday for him. He requests snow, mistletoe and presents on the tree. It ends on a melancholy note, with the soldier saying, “I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.”

The U.S. War Department released Crosby’s performance of the song in a December 7, 1944 broadcast. It touched the hearts of Americans, soldiers and civilians alike, in the midst of World War II and became the most requested song at Christmas U.S.O shows. GI magazine, Yank, said Crosby had “accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era.”

It wasn’t until college that I recall ever hearing that song but it became very special to me my junior year. That year, I had no Christmas plans and was staying in the dormitories for the entire holiday season. On Christmas Eve, I worked a 16 hour shift through Christmas morning as a security guard at Brownberry Ovens in Oconomowoc. It was one of the few times that they shut down all year and they needed someone in the plant. Needless, to say it was a very lonely Christmas.

Yet, even in the most idyllic home and Christmas gathering, the child of God still senses it. We are not Home yet. The Apostle Peter refers to us as “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11). Add to that, believers in Christ are soldiers engaged in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10). Deep within us there’s a longing that nothing on this side of eternity can satisfy or suppress. We want to be Home. It’s great to know that we’re on the winning side, but we often grow weary of the battle.

Home, then, is a powerful but elusive concept. The strong feelings that surround it reveal that deep longing that we all have within us for a place that suits us, where we can be or perhaps find, our true selves. Even with the very best Christmas, there’s a sense of “Is this it? Is this all there is?” No place, home, or actual family satisfies those yearnings, though many situations arouse them. The concept of home awakens a desire that just can’t be totally fulfilled, so we end up disappointed under the weight of our own impossible expectations. Why? We are made for another Home.

As we turn to the pages of Scripture, Hebrews 13:14 encourages us to remember and find strength in the fact that “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” It’s a losing battle to pursue lasting satisfaction in this life. The words, “here we have no lasting city” drive us to the only source of contentment on this side of Home: the promise that Christ is always with us (Matthew 28:20) on our journey because we’re not Home yet. He’s bringing us home to a place where love, joy, and satisfaction never end. As Randy Alcorn writes, “Things won't always take a better turn on an Earth that is under the curse. Sickness, loss, grief, and death will find us. Just as our reward will come in Heaven, laughter (itself one of our rewards) will come in Heaven.” Christmas, then, is a reminder that Jesus, in the Incarnation, left His Home in Heaven for us so that we could have a true Home.

In another December, December of 1903, after multiple attempts, the Wright brothers were finally successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”

Katherine hurried to the editor of the local paper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news, man had finally flown.

Many at Christmas miss the biggest news. They’re looking for Home here but Jesus came so we could have a Home there, a perfect and everlasting one. Jesus came to this earth, took on human flesh, lived a perfect life, died for us thus paying our debt of sin so that we can have a Home where there’s no more pain, dissatisfaction or death. It’s His Christmas gift to us. Your name is on the tag (John 3:16). So have you accepted God’s Christmas gift to you so that you can have a real Home for all eternity?

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Real Royalty!

“He was created by a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, He the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.” Augustine

Maybe I’m missing something but I just don’t get it. Personally, I don’t see why it even made news, but it did. I’m referring to the recent “history-making announcement” that Prince Harry and his American girlfriend, Meghan Markle, are engaged and will wed in the spring (Uhm, should I stop yawning now?). But don’t we celebrate every 4^th of July about getting free from royalty, for something like 240 years now? Didn’t that mean we switched tea for coffee? Soccer for a man’s sport, like football? Stopped talking funny and all proper? Replaced tiny cars with big ones? (They don’t even drive on the right side of the road.) And who wants to live on an island when you can have a continent?

Yet, in spite of all the reasons that we’re glad that we’re not British, countless Americans still treat British royalty like royalty…even though in the U.S. of A, we don’t have royalty. And if Meghan and Harry get married at 3 am, gazillions of Americans (particularly those of a certain gender) will get up to watch the whole affair.

Have you ever noticed that the very ones who should have sought out royalty at Christ’s birth didn’t? In the narrative of His birth I find one part that always leaves me bewildered. It’s in Matthew’s Gospel. When the wise men came to Jerusalem looking for the “King of the Jews,” the theologians and professional clergy all knew, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’” (Matthew 2:5-6). So since they all knew, why didn’t the religious leaders go to Bethlehem? After all, it was so close, a mere six miles. If they knew that the Messiah was to be born there, why didn’t they go and check it out for themselves?

Comparatively, the Magi knew so little, yet came so far and gave so much. The priests and teachers of the law knew so much but did so little. If Jesus came to Milwaukee, would we go and see Him? What if Jesus came to Chicago, would we be too busy to check it out? But they didn’t.

Why not? It’s the age-old problem, good people, nice ones, and particularly religious people don’t think that they really need Jesus. In spite of those silly Facebook quizzes about who is naughty or nice, most of us believe we’re on God’s “nice list” and Jesus didn’t come for “nice people.”

Nice people think that ultimately their niceness will pay off, that in a sense God owes them. Good people are fastidious in their compliance to ethical norms. They faithfully fulfill all the traditional family, community and civic responsibilities, but it’s often a slavish, joyless drudgery.

The word “slave” has strong overtones of being forced or pushed rather than drawn or attracted. A slave works out of fear—fear of consequences imposed by force. This goes to the root of what often drives the “good” and religious crowd. Ultimately, good religious people live good lives out of fear, not out of joy and love…and certainly not freedom.

The bottom line is that though they may be kind to others and even helpful to the poor, at a deeper level, they’re doing it either so God will bless them, or so they can think of themselves as nice, virtuous, charitable people. They’re not really doing things for other people or even for God. They’re not feeding the hungry and clothing the poor for the poor. They’re feeding and clothing themselves. The heart’s fundamental self-centeredness is not only kept intact, it’s nurtured by fear-based moralism. Religious and moral duties are an incredibly heavy burden. Emotional frustration and inner boredom with life is repressed and denied. Good people are under extreme pressure to appear, even to themselves as nice, happy and content.

But the greatest loss though is a lack of assurance of God’s love and acceptance. What are some signs of a lack of that assurance? Every time something goes wrong in their life or a prayer goes unanswered, they wonder if it’s because they aren’t living as morally or upright as maybe they should. Theirs is a “hope so” religion. “I hope God really loves me.” “I hope I’m forgiven.” “I hope I’m on my way to heaven.”

Jesus came to give us assurance and true hope as part of God’s forever family. He came to be our Savior, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior” (Luke 2:11). The religious leaders in Jerusalem were ignorant of their greatest need. Though they were good and religious, it wasn’t enough – they needed a Savior, and so do you and so do I.

Perhaps you’re very nice, religious and believe in Jesus, but for far too many that belief has never led to a point of personal commitment. You know Him intellectually, but not personally. And we all have the same great need. It’s the one that the angel told Joseph about, “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). We all have a sin problem. It’s one that we can never solve ourselves. It’s why Jesus came. But we must come to Him, like the shepherds and Magi. Christ never turns away any heart that’s open to Him. Those who seek Him find Him. The wise still seek Him. Have you sought Jesus as your Savior?

If you want to watch the royal wedding next year, go ahead and enjoy it. Yet, whatever you do, please don’t miss out on the real King and true royalty that can make a difference in your life now and for eternity. Crown the one true King, King Jesus, as King of your life today.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Blessed are "The Silence Breakers!"

“The silence was killing me. And that's all there ever was. Silence. It was all I knew. Keep quiet. Pretend nothing had happened, that nothing was wrong. And look how well that was turning out.” J. Lynn

I can’t remember the last time that a Time magazine cover caught my attention, particularly in a good way. Yet, their “Person of the Year” cover did just that. Not only did it catch my attention, but I commend them for it.

This year’s person of the year are a group of women that Time called “The Silence Breakers.” Finally, after decades of the exploitation of those less famous and powerful, it’s coming out that Hollywood has had a long vile and hidden history of rape, sexual exploitation and harassment. While it’s true that a case can be easily made that the Hollywood culture has encouraged this dehumanization and exploitation with its movies and TV shows, but that’s drama and fiction, not real life. What is coming out is real life, true victimization, criminal and inhumane.

Personally, I think it will sadly be a temporary noise that will all be soon forgotten. The reason that I say that is because from what I can see, rappers and star athletes not only have long exploited women but continue to do so with little accountability. Add to that, the inherent hypocrisy of the Hollywood culture. That’s evidenced by two other recent magazine front covers – one with a picture of Harvey Weinstein condemning his actions and the other, right next to it, with Hugh Hefner’s picture applauding his life. It's the natural outcome of a culture with no moral compass.

While those in the limelight have long been purported as being nothing like the rest of us in that they wear clothes we can’t afford, drive cars and live in houses beyond our dreams, yet it turns out that—in the most painful and personal ways—celebrities are more like us than the public ever knew.

And when celebrities don’t know where to go for justice, what hope is there for the average person? What hope is there for the secretary who repeatedly fends off her boss who won’t take no for an answer? For the hotel housekeeper who never knows, as she goes about cleaning rooms, if a guest might corner her in a room that she can’t escape? For the high school athlete who doesn’t want to be a labeled a tattletale when his coach attempts sexual advances on him?

The Church of Jesus Christ must be that safe place! Our church must be that safe place. While we have little control over the Church universal, you and I are accountable for this local church body and family of believers.

Tragically, in some churches, because of the predator’s position or finances or power, it’s swept under the rug. That must never happen at Grace. How can we expect God’s blessing if we fail to live by God’s standards of holiness and integrity? Even if it’s the pastor, a church leader or the biggest donor in our church – if there is a violation of biblical commands or moral integrity, it must be dealt with.

Over the years I’ve told some spouses, that if I learn that they are physically abusing their spouse, their spouse will not have to call law enforcement because I’ll be making that phone call. But it’s not just the pastor who carries that responsibility, it’s everyone in our church family, because too often the pastor is the last to know.

As brothers and sisters, if we observe someone being sexually inappropriate, we need to confront them and hold them accountable. By that I mean, if you notice someone flirting with someone other than their spouse, or putting themselves in situations where there could be questions about their moral integrity, they must be held accountable.

Then, if someone confides in you that there has been sexual abuse, it must be dealt with. It’s not only sin, but it is criminal behavior. Periodically someone will say something silly like, “Well, I promised not to tell.” So if they’d confided in you that they were going to murder someone or harm themselves, would you keep it a secret? My practice is that if someone comes to me and says, “I need to tell you something but you have to promise not to tell anyone,” I respond, “I’ll try but I won’t promise.” What if someone tells me something that needs to be shared? I don’t want to be locked in by a foolish promise…and neither do you.

Sometimes it’s verbal abuse. If someone is demeaning or speaking cruelly to their spouse or child, they need to be held accountable. Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…” And there is no place for locker room talk, even when those of the other gender are not present. Off-color jokes are never funny and God is always listening and will hold us accountable for every word we speak. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

As believers, it is vital that we are pure, respectful and kind in our words toward everyone. Just because we have the power to verbally brutalize someone like a spouse or child, does not mean that it can be justified. No one should ever be shamed, just because someone has the power or position to do so. If it happens, other believers should graciously hold the “shamer” accountable. Galatians 6:1 encourages us, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

It’s imperative that the Church be a place of safety. That begins with me and you. We’re on the front lines. We must trust God and have the spiritual courage to do the right thing even if it costs us, because some day King Jesus will hold us accountable for what we did or did not do.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

David Cassidy and the Tragedy of Deja Vu

“So much wasted time…” David Cassidy’s last words

David Cassidy, known primarily for his role in the 1970s musical-sitcom, The Partridge Family, died on November 21^st. He was 67. Born into a show business family, he rocketed to stardom on The Partridge Family. As eldest son “Keith Partridge,” he became a global heartthrob as the face – and voice – of the Partridge Family’s biggest hit, “I Think I Love You.”

After the show ended in 1974, he devoted himself to recording and songwriting, but struggled to match the success of his early-20s. Late in life, he struggled with numerous personal problems. He was charged with driving under the influence on three separate occasions. His third wife, Sue Shifrin, filed for divorce in February of 2014 after 23 years of marriage. In 2015, he filed for bankruptcy, listing assets and debts of up to $10 million. That September, he was cited for leaving the scene of an accident.

David Cassidy is survived by two children, musician Beau Cassidy and actress Katie Cassidy, with whom he acknowledged having a distant relationship. “I wasn't her father. I was her biological father but I didn't raise her,” he told an interviewer earlier this year. “She has a completely different life.” Yet, David Cassidy himself was estranged from his father, actor Jack Cassidy. He often expressed regret about Jack being mostly absent from his life after David’s parents split up when he was 5. He stayed with his mother and by the early 1960s had moved to Los Angeles.

As I read articles about his death, I felt very sad. What saddened me the most was that though David Cassidy personally knew the pain of being estranged from his father, he repeated that terrible wounding in the lives of his own children. They needlessly became victims because of his failure to change generational family patterns from which he himself had so terribly suffered. Sadly, it’s a common pattern and one we often find in the Bible.

If we do not determine to be proactive, we too will face the consequences of generational sin. Sin always has consequences. Many of us are familiar with the law of the harvest that we find in Galatians 6:7-8a, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption…” You reap what you sow. There’s no escape from this law. If you sow carrots, you get carrots. If you sow strawberries, you get strawberries. If you sow good things in your life, you reap good things. If you sow sin in your life, you reap the consequences of that sin.

David Cassidy passed down family sin generationally. It’s a common cycle – sin patterns are passed down from parents to children and then to their children. For example, Abraham passed down the sin of lying to Isaac, who passed it on to his deceiving son Jacob. A study of Israel’s kings show how one king after another was influenced by his father’s sin. Let me share just one example. “Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel…and he reigned two years over Israel. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother…He provoked the Lord…to anger in every way that his father had done” (1 Kings 22:51-53).

We see this law at work within our own families and in society around us. Prejudice is passed down. Alcoholism runs in families. Children of divorced parents are more prone to divorce. This law of the generational harvest should sober us when we ponder the implications for our children and grandchildren.

When I counsel a young couple in our pre-marital sessions, I warn them that unless they are biblically pro-active, their marriage and parenting will repeat the patterns of their parents. Recently, I saw a picture of a family gathering. The grandfather had a reputation for being surly and negative. It was very disheartening to see that same spirit reflected in the countenances of his grandchildren. Yet, the opposite is often true. If parents are kind and thoughtful, the adult children will often be kind and thoughtful.

Any pastor who has been in the ministry for at least a generation can fairly accurately predict the spiritual aptitude of the next generation. If the parents were casual about spiritual things, haphazard about church attendance or the application of spiritual truth, their adult children will often only increase in those sad patterns. Many times they completely drop out of church and have little or no fruits of Christlikeness in their lives.

So what can we do? Be honest with ourselves, God and our children. The wrong tendency is to rationalize and justify ourselves. The solution is to instead confess our sin and humble ourselves. Then, we need to ask the Lord to reveal secret sins to us and sinful patterns. After we confess them and ask for God’s grace, we must be honest with our adult children and take responsibility for our failures. I appreciate that David Cassidy was honest and admitted that he blew it. Unfortunately, he waited until nearly the end of his life to do it.

Finally, we need to faithfully study God’s Word and look for spiritually healthy patterns. As we see them, we must cry out to God for grace and the Spirit’s power to replace our sinful patterns with the successful, godly ones that we see in Scripture.

As I look back on my countless failures as a husband and father, the truth of Proverbs 18:13 encourages me, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” We all blow it but God loves to pour out His mercy and grace on us. But someone needs to stop and break the evil pattern. Will it be you?

Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Reformation missed a vital church doctrine.

“The biblical pattern of congregational independence is clear.”

Kyle Pope

During the last month, social media has been overflowing with posts, regarding the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation. To be sure, every believer has a debt of gratitude to the Reformers who often risked their lives for the cause of Christ and changed both the Church and their world.

Yet, Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on Wittenberg’s Castle Church on October 31, 1517, wasn’t really the beginning. The seeds of the Reformation had been sown centuries earlier and were already growing. Luther watered them and saw them come to full bloom, but the teachings of John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, Peter Waldo and many others were already being proliferated across Europe. Movements such as the Anabaptists were among Luther’s strongest supporters in the early years of the Reformation. Contemporaries of Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, William Tyndale, fanned the flames of the Reformation, solidifying its impact.

Yet, it seems that we forget that the Reformers were sinful men and women just like us. They lived in the light that they had. But we’re dishonest when we rationalize away some of their failures. For example, Luther said horrible things about Jews and turned on his early supporters because they believed in immersion after conversion, even declaring that they should be drowned. John Calvin oversaw the death sentences of dozens of teachers he disagreed with, not because they did anything wrong, but because they taught differently from him. Yes, times were different and medieval Europe was a bloody landscape. But culture does not give believers a free pass to ignore the teachings of Scripture, yet often the Reformers joined in some of the cultural depravity.

One vital church doctrine the Reformers were oblivious of but one that we as a church hold precious is local church autonomy. The word “autonomy” is derived from Greek words auto meaning “self, or same” and nomos for “law.” The idea is a church is “a law unto themselves” or self-governing. This term can give us the wrong impression and lead us to think that each congregation is left to govern themselves. Autonomy doesn’t mean that each congregation may decide for itself what it should teach or how it should function. That’s determined by the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, who leads His church through what’s revealed in Scripture. Jesus described this as He talked about vital church procedures in Matthew 18 and in that context declared, “whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in Heaven” (Matthew 18:18). What it does mean though is that no diocese or denomination dictates to a local body of believers. There is no “federal ecclesiastical government” dictating to the local church on what they can or cannot do. They are both in control and responsible for their ministry. But while no human or group has the right to tell a local church what it should do, Jesus Christ does have that authority. Our efforts to seek truth must lead us to conform to His will.

As we read through the pages of Scripture, we find that though local churches cooperated with one another, each was independent. There’s no reference to committees, boards, or denominations dictating to them. Even the Apostles did not dictate to local churches (1 Peter 5:1-3; Acts 14:23). There was a specific structure. Each church had its own leaders but they were not leaders of others churches or appointed over a city, district, or diocea, but in every local church.

Consequently, each local church is equal to the other. Church leaders in one church were not to rule over the affairs of other churches. Biblical leaders were to be appointed in “every church” and each was to oversee the affairs of those that are “among” them. Since each congregation should be under the oversight and rule of its own leaders, each is absolutely independent of other churches or organizations. And because a local church is autonomous, it has the authority and the ability to solve the problems of its own members. (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 6:1-8). It has the authority and responsibility to appoint its own leaders, pastors and deacons (Acts 6:1-7). It has the authority and responsibility to commission missionaries, choosing who it desires to support (Acts 13:1-3). It has the authority and obligation to regulate its own membership (1 Cor. 5:1-5).

Practically, this means that the local church collects and disperses its own funds and can choose to incur debt. It conducts its own business and business meetings. It buys and owns its own property and can also choose to sell that property. This is very important because many churches in a denomination do not own their own property, the denomination owns the property. If the church should determine that the denomination has veered from the teaching of Scripture and desires to leave it, though they’ve paid for the property and buildings, they’ll lose the property to the denomination, if they leave the denomination.

Independence though is not isolation. Being children of God is to mean something. Scripture teaches that those who are in fellowship with God the Father are in fellowship with others in fellowship with Him (I John 1:3). In other words, in Christ we are family. It’s a big family. Congregational independence doesn’t mean we ignore the needs or spiritual well-being of our brothers and sisters in church or in other places.
Autonomy is biblical and vital. The local church is responsible only to God. All decisions and choices must be done in the light of the coming day when every believer and each local church will give an account to our loving Head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Preaching: Sharing God's Truth

“One of the reasons for the disinterest in expository preaching is surely that so many attempts at it prove lifeless, dull, and even thoroughly boring. I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity of those who are capable of taking the powerful, life-changing text of Scripture and communicating it with all the passion of someone reading aloud from the Yellow Pages!” Alistair Begg

Today we’re in the third week in our return to the study of Luke’s Gospel, Luke: Finding Jesus. Every now and then it’s important to share why we do what we do at Grace Church.

At Grace, we’re committed to a systematic study of God’s Word. All of us have lots opinions and sometimes can speak with authority, but only God’s Word has ultimate authority. It’s what the Reformers called, Sola Scriptura. That term is from the Latin. Sola has the idea of “alone, ground and base.” Scriptura means “writings,” referring to the Scriptures. Sola Scriptura means that the Bible, God’s Word alone is authoritative for faith and practice. It’s complete, authoritative and true. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Because the Bible is our only authority, we’re committed to expository preaching. That simply means that the sermon is designed to communicate what the biblical text says with its meaning and application for today’s audience. A recent example would be the last two sermons from Luke 12.

Yet, those were very difficult passages. First, they were very convicting for all of us and secondly, Jesus says some “hard things.” To be candid, if we were not working our way through Luke, I doubt if I’d ever preach on those passages. But they’re part of the Bible and specifically, the words of Jesus. They’re very important. Expositional preaching means that just because something is uncomfortable or not PC, we can’t skip over it.

Expository preaching then means to preach with the highest view of Scripture. It demands that the preacher take the Bible seriously and show the utmost respect to the original meaning. The preacher is not the interpreter of what God has written, rather he is responsible to honestly seek to understand what the passage means and then share that with the congregation. It’s not bringing one’s own interpretation or opinions to the biblical text, but instead submitting to God’s intended meaning and purpose. The preacher must let the text speak again through the sermon with the same message God intentionally had the original message declare.

Expository preaching is not a commentary or seminary lecture. It’s a sin to take the living Word of God (Hebrews 4:12) and make it boring. Our aim in preaching is not to be some world class scholar. Nor is it to titillate and amuse. Our aim is not even to build a big church or be flooded with comments of “nice sermon” at the door at the end of the service. No, our aim is to take the sacred text, explain what it means, tie it to other scriptures so that people can see the whole a little better, and apply it to life so it corrects and heals, instructs and edifies. It’s our conviction that there is no better way to accomplish this end than through expository preaching.

Dr. Don Carson, professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School has suggested a number of strong reasons why expository preaching deserves to be the primary method of preaching God’s Word.

It’s the method least likely to stray from Scripture. If you are preaching on what the Bible says about self-esteem, for example, undoubtedly you can find some useful insights. But even when you say entirely true things, you will likely abstract them from the Bible's central story line. Expository preaching keeps you anchored to the main source.

It teaches people how to read their Bibles. Especially if you're preaching a long passage, expository preaching teaches people how to think through a passage, how to understand and apply God's Word to their own lives.

It gives confidence to the preacher and authorizes the sermon. If you’re faithful to the text, then you’re certain that your message is God's message. Regardless of what’s going on in the church—whether it’s growing or even whether people like you—you know that you’re proclaiming God’s truth. That is wonderfully freeing for a preacher.

It meets the need for relevance without letting the clamor for relevance dictate the message. All true preaching is to be properly applied. That’s of extraordinary importance in our generation. Expository preaching keeps the eternal and the real world central to the discussion.

It forces the preacher to handle the tough questions. You start working through text after text, and soon you hit passages about divorce, re-marriage, church conflict, lawsuits, etc., and you have to deal with the text.

It enables the preacher to expound systematically the whole counsel of God. If we’re going to preach the whole counsel of God, we must teach the whole Bible. Other sermonic structures have their merits, yet none offers our church family more, week after week, than careful, faithful exposition of the Word of God.

Preaching and deep study of God’s Word is not just for older saints. Millennials long for truth and authenticity. Even in today's hyper-techno-driven conversational-wiki-culture, preaching is of supreme importance. Of the several church-related or pastor-related issues noted by church dropouts, preaching came up several times as a critical issue in retaining young adults. In a day of “fake news,” the world is starving for ultimate truth. God’s Word is that source of truth and we must honestly share it!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

A Sliver of Encouragement

“We lost more than Belle yesterday. And one thing that gives me a sliver of encouragement is the fact that Belle was surrounded yesterday by her church family that she loved fiercely and vice versa. Our church was not comprised of members or parishioners, we were a very close family. We ate together, we laughed together, we cried together and we worshipped together…our sweet Belle would not have been able to deal with losing so much family…” Sherri Pomeroy

Like many of you, my heart was breaking and head reeling as I watched the tragedy unfold at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. 26 people were murdered in last Sunday’s church shooting with another 20 wounded. Among the dead was the 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle or “Belle,” of Steve and Sherri Pomeroy, the church’s Pastor. Pastor Pomeroy, and his wife, Sherri, were traveling out of state when the massacre occurred.

As I watched Sherri Pomeroy share the above statement to the media, tears flowed down my cheeks. Because even in the face of a senseless tragedy and horrible violence like this, a biblical church is first a family. Others may dialogue about guns and violence, or the lack of funding for mental illness. I agree though with Sherri Pomeroy, the church as a family is “a sliver of encouragement.” It’s something that church had. It’s something our Heavenly Father wants us and every church to have.

We are not a club. We are not together because we have so much in common. A church is not monolithic. The Apostle Paul wonderfully unpacks this God-given reality in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” A true church is a place of great diversity, (ethnic, economic, age, gender, occupation, political ideology, tradition, etc.) What brings us together and keeps us together is not us, it’s the Gospel. It’s the fact that we’re so unworthy and yet so loved – that Jesus shed His blood and died for us and we are redeemed because we trust in His sacrifice alone for forgiveness and assurance of heaven. We’re literally blood brothers and sisters. The church is not for good people or even nice people. It’s for those who are so very needy, who know it and are trusting in a loving, gracious God to meet their greatest need, their sin and guilt.

We are not a store. We do not come together so our shopping list is taken care of. Scripture has no understanding of coming together because of “felt needs.” We’re not consumers looking to be enthralled by the music, challenged by phenomenal teaching, entertained by a program or even to have our children cared for in an exceptional way. We’re here because we’re givers, not takers…because we, ourselves have been given so much.

That means we love each other. We love each other, even when humanly speaking, we might be repulsed by each other. We love because we’ve received undeserved love. Families love each other and no one thinks it’s strange. In fact, it’s very strange when they don’t.

It means that we pray for each other. Oftentimes, we don’t know what to say. Recently, we’ve had some of our families who’ve suffered great losses. We feel so inadequate in those situations but we can always pray. When we see a couple that’s obviously having marital issues or struggling with a wayward child, or having emotional or other issues – the right words may not be there. Our Heavenly Father knows what they need and we must always bring their needs before Him.

It means that we give to and for each other. Sometimes we see a financial need and give money. More often we give of ourselves in the form of serving. It means we befriend young children or elderly saints. It means we serve the children of parents so they can have their souls fed in a worship service or small group. It means we give precious time up for each other.

Can you imagine a Mom telling her family, “Do you know how much time it took me to make dinner and wash clothes today?” Or a Dad saying, “Do you know how much time it took me to pick you up from practice and to help you with your homework tonight?” No, they’re not clock watchers – they give out of love. And so we are to give to one another. It’s not a bother or inconvenient, it’s a privilege.

It means that we sacrifice for each other. If you called your brother in the middle of the night and said, “My car broke down. Can you come get me?” He’d come because that’s what brothers do. In a local church it means we sacrifice our expectations and our heritage for the sake of the family. Many of us have a mental picture of what church is supposed to be, usually what we grew up with. But for the advance of the gospel and the glory of God, we willingly sacrifice our preferences, even what we feel comfortable with.

It means that we problem-solve. One of the saddest indicators in the American church that we don’t understand the biblical model of a church family is that we bail without seeking to problem-solve. We’d be horrified if someone came to us and said, “I’m not going to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner because I’m mad at my sister.” The first question out of our mouths would be, “Have you talked to her? Have you tried to work things out?” How would we respond if they said, “No, I’m just looking for a new family”? No wonder a lost world mocks us. If the gospel can’t help us love and get along with one another, what do we really have to offer it?

Last Sunday a church family gathered to worship together in Texas and ended up worshiping together in heaven. A church family knows what it means to live with each other. And sometimes King Jesus even calls us, as He did last Sunday at First Baptist of Sutherland Springs, to die together.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Pray for the Persecuted Church!

“If I’m following Christ, why am I such a good insurance risk?”

Ernie Campbell

According to a disturbing new report, police in China arrested a woman, Xu Shizhen, along with her daughter and 3-year-old grandson, for singing Christian songs in a public park. Recently, China passed even more restrictions of practicing faith that make it illegal to publicly minister if you’re not inside of a church that’s been registered with the government. Christianity Today reports that, according to Chinese advocates inside the country, since the arrest, the three have not been seen.

“The new religion regulations are sweeping in scope and, if fully enforced, could mean major changes for China’s unregistered church, not only in its worship and meeting practices, but also engagement in areas such as Christian education, media, and interaction with the global church,” wrote ChinaSource president Brent Fulton. “Yet the nature of these activities and, indeed, of much religious practice throughout China, makes enforcement extremely problematic.”

It appears enforcement, at least in Xu’s Xianan district of Xianning, is going to be very strict. The regulations which include prohibitions against publishing religious materials without approval, accepting donations without approval, or renting space to an unregistered church, don’t even officially go into effect until February 2018. Other provinces have been coming down especially hard on religious education for children. In Zhejiang province—where hundreds of crosses were ripped off of churches over the past several years—elementary and middle school children weren’t allowed to attend church or Sunday school this past summer. In Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province nicknamed “China’s Jerusalem,” officials warned more than 100 churches to keep their teenagers home from summer camps or Sunday schools. North of Zhejiang, officials in Henan province also forbid church summer camps, claiming the “hot summer temperatures would be unhealthy for youth.”

China’s young Christians drew international attention over the summer when two were killed by ISIS in Pakistan. Meng Li Si, 26, and Li Xinheng, 24. These two Chinese martyrs were teaching in a private school in Quetta when they were kidnapped and murdered. Their deaths prompted scrutiny from both China and Pakistan. Meng and Li were in Pakistan on business visas, two among thousands of Chinese sent West to help build infrastructure and trade routes as part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” trade push. Chinese believers are using their careers in China’s trade initiatives to send out thousands of lay missionaries to spread the Gospel. Only God could use an atheistic government to unknowingly finance bi-vocational missionaries to share the Gospel in anti-Christian Islamic ones. With the boldness of the early church, believers living under the iron heel of Communism are being imprisoned in their own country or martyred in another for their faith. Not only are Chinese believers sharing their faith in China – risking their lives, children, and property but they’re fanning out over the fields of the world to share the message of God’s grace. And because there are so many of them, and they must be covert, there are no accurate numbers of how many, but there are lots of them.

At Grace today we are participating in the Annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It’s tempting to act as if Christianity is American and wrap our faith in the Stars and Stripes. We too easily forget that we have more in common with Christians in China (and around the world) than we do with our unregenerate neighbors who live across the street. They worship the same God, have the same worldview, live life with the same blueprint (the Bible), and hold to the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation and restoration of a relationship with a loving, holy God. They have the same final destination in that we will spend eternity with them worshiping the One who died so that we might live.

My heart is often broken as I learn of the suffering of brothers and sisters around the world for the sake of the Gospel. Lately, I’ve been mulling over: When did we start to think that Christianity is supposed to be safe?”

Christianity has never been safe. Jesus warned us in John 15:20, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” We truly know so little of persecution in Western Civilization. Having a “friend” not invite you to the annual Super Bowl Party or making fun of you behind your back, or even losing your job for your faith – is hardly persecution.

According to Open Doors USA, a Christian advocacy group focused on ministering to persecuted Christians, 1 in 12 Christians today experiences high, very high or extreme persecution for their faith. Nearly 215 million Christians face high persecution with 100 million of those living in Asia. It’s estimated that between the years 2005 and 2015, 900,000 Christians were martyred. That’s an average of 90,000 Christians each year.
How dare we play it safe? How can we rationalize not sharing the Gospel with a lost friend or co-worker because they might not like us anymore? How can we keep silent about our faith with our family because it might cause tension at the annual holiday get-together? Obviously, we should never be rude, insensitive or obnoxious (which sometimes Christians are), but isn’t it time for us, as Christians in America, to stop playing it safe? Jesus didn’t play it “safe” when He came to earth. The Gospel is risky and revolutionary. It should turn your life upside down. It’s also the only hope for a decaying world. True Christianity is anything but safe!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Monday, October 30, 2017

The GIFT no one wants: Pettiness

“Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.”

George Will

Charlie Pender was the Mayor of Corner Brook, a quiet little town in Canada. It’s the kind of place where nothing much happens. Recently, Charlie was up for re-election but for some reason someone thought it’d be funny to vandalize his political signs. It wasn’t major, just a bit of odd humor. They cut a flap in his signs and placed hotdogs in them so it appeared that the hot dogs were coming out of Mayor Pender’s mouth. His political foe, of course, distanced himself from the Corner Brook Wiener Bandit. But the cold hot dogs made Mayor Pender very hot over what was a silly prank…and it cost him. Voters decided they didn’t need a Mayor who lacked perspective and made such a big deal over something so trivial.

Did you know that October is Pastor Appreciation Month? We’ve all met those people who want a gift and leave subtle hints. I decided to not be so subtle. I want a GIFT! But you can’t buy it in a store. And it’s really not for me, it’s for our whole church. In the end, it’s also for you. Every pastor would love it if their church would give them this same gift. Here it is: Please don’t be petty. Please don’t complain about the insignificant.

It’s true that it’s probably not insignificant to you, but it really is. The mission of the church is not about making you or me happy. It’s not about making you or me comfortable. The mission of the Church is about glorifying God. It’s about believers growing in grace and becoming more like Jesus. It’s about reaching with the Gospel those who don’t know Jesus.

It’s very noteworthy that the most infamous petty complainers in the Bible were always referred to as the “children” of Israel. Obviously, God was making a point. When believers whine about the petty, they reveal their spiritual immaturity. They divulge that they don’t understand the Gospel, or what it means to be like Jesus, or even what discipleship is all about. That’s both sad and anything but insignificant.

The Bible commands us to not complain, “Do all things without grumbling” (Phil. 2:14). Sadly, that doesn’t stop most of us. God’s Word commands us instead to speak words that are edifying and encouraging (Ephesians 4:29) “only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Many of the trivial complaints and arguments people have in churches are shocking and even funny. Here’s a small sampling compiled by ministry blogger, Thom Ranier: One church had a 45-minute heated argument over the type of filing cabinet to purchase: black or brown; 2, 3, or 4 drawers. Another had folk upset over what type of green beans the church should serve. Someone made an issue over whether the church should allow people to wear black t-shirts, since black is the color of the devil. Someone got upset when they discovered that the church budget was off $0.10. There have been church wars over the type of coffee served. In one, they simply moved to a stronger blend and members left the church over it.

We may chuckle yet some of our “big issues” are just as silly. This has been on my heart lately. Because as we make decisions for our new building, there will be strong opinions. The reality is that the vast majority of them simply don’t matter. They’re just opinions and subjective. For example, there is no right or wrong color for the walls or the carpeting (though most of us would prefer that they not be hot pink.) So how should we handle it when something bothers us at church?

First, we need to ask, “Is this something that takes away from God’s glory?” If it’s something that’s truly biblical, then that’s obviously the case. Most things aren’t. If they were, because leaders are usually biblically focused, they would have already known it was a problem.

Second, “Have I prayed about it and examined my own heart?” Problem-solving must always begin with suspecting the person I know best – ME. Satan loves to use our ego against us. It’s not necessarily important or big just because WE think it is. Yet, little can make us angrier than feeling that we aren’t important BUT we’re not. Only God is important.

Third, “Is this a problem that hinders us in accomplishing our mission?” In nearly four decades of ministry, rarely has anyone ever come to me about a concern that needed addressing because it was a barrier to lost folk accepting the Gospel or it was hindering Christians from growing.

Fourth, “Do I want to problem-solve or only gripe?” Some are just gripers. They’re never happy. It’s poor stewardship to even listen to them.

Fifth, “If I honestly want to problem-solve, have I brought the issue to the attention of a leader in the church?” Some will seek to develop a coalition of supporters by sowing discord and causing disunity in the Body. When they finally go to a leader, they package it with something like, “other people are saying…” If the leader asks, “Who?” It’s “I don’t want to say.” They’re the self-appointed ambassador for the disgruntled.

Sixth, “Am I willing to invest (time, money, effort) to be part of the solution?” If I’m not willing to put skin in the game, it’s unlikely that it’s important. It’s very easy to complain or be part of the problem. God wants us to grow in our faith and learn to practice biblical problem solving.

Seventh, “Am I willing to humbly and graciously accept things if my wishes are not followed?” That’s a Christlike heart, a servant’s heart. A church family like a biological one is to be a place of giving and taking for the greater purpose. Our common goal must be to always please King Jesus, even if it isn’t our preference. Godly Christians are committed to Jesus first, the local church family second, and our own personal wishes last.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

We'll leave the light on for you....

“The first church a neighbor visits is your driveway. You don’t get to be a good church and a bad neighbor." Jon Acuff

A highlight for me while growing up was trick-or-treating. On one occasion it opened doors into the home of an older couple who became great friends. Like all children, I loved dressing up and I loved candy!

One Halloween we decided to see if we could make a bigger haul, so we went on the other side of a major road across from our subdivision to do some trick-or-treating. Somehow we convinced each other to go up a long driveway with a gated entry and trick-or-treat. We did know it but the Jamesons lived there. Looking back, apparently they were retired and lived on a large property of several acres. The reason that their driveway was gated was that they had two beautiful English Setters.

Apparently, no other trick-or-treaters ever ventured up there. They loaded us up with goodies and I had my very first caramel apple. They even took us on a wagon ride (another first). All because one of us had the courage to suggest trick-or-treating at their home. Later, as a boy, I’d often wander up to their home and play with their dogs or they’d load me up with pecans from their pecan trees. Fifty years later I can still remember how kind they were to all of us…all because they opened their gates and doors to a bunch of kids out trick-or-treating.

All year long at Grace we ask our neighbors to come and visit our church. But on one night of the year, Halloween, our neighbors are pouring into our church. Since we started our Halloween outreach some years ago, we’ve had many of them share that they never knew that there was even a church here. This year we’re inviting them to join us as we move up the road to our new building. We easily have some 300 neighbors come through. Over and over again they thank us again and again for being thoughtful, serving hot dogs, popcorn and candy. If the weather is chilly or rainy, they’ll thank us for opening up our warm building. Many will thank us for having a bathroom available for a small child with an emergency.

For several years, Janell Alvarez, has faithfully headed this up and done a fantastic job. This year though Janell is assisting Ryan Mueller, Jr. Ryan believes God is leading him into the ministry. We’re a family and this is a safe place to get some experience at leading in ministry, so Janell and Ryan’s father, Ryan Sr., will be assisting him as he heads up this outreach.

We can always use more help! We need folk to pass out candy, hot dogs and popcorn. We need people to greet our neighbors! There is plenty for everyone to do. Let’s use this tradition of children collecting candy as an opportunity to serve our community and to show-case our church, and invite them to our new building that will be opening soon.

If you’re going to stay home, let me encourage you to pass out candy to the little neighbors who’ll be ringing your doorbell. Ooh and aaah over how cute the children are. Greet the parents and commend them for spending an evening out with their children. It’s estimated that between 80 and 90 percent of children trick-or-treat each year, giving us the opportunity to build gospel bridges from the comfort of our own doorstep. The world might celebrate this night with ghosts and witches. We know the One who has true power over both this world and the next.

Let’s be honest though. For some believers Halloween is a difficult holiday. They just don’t feel comfortable participating in it, and that’s fine. Too often in the Church we make grey issues black and white. In our culture of choosing sides, we’ve jettisoned an important doctrine called “Soul Liberty.” We’ve made those who participate or who don’t believe that they should participate feel guilty. Some believers feel that Halloween is a pagan holiday that Christians should avoid all costs.

Where the Bible is clear, we need to be clear, but there are many areas of life and behavior that are not clearly addressed by Scripture. It’s in those areas that we need to live according to our own understanding of God’s Word and our conscience. Each of us is responsible before God to study His Word. We have the liberty to choose in areas where Scripture does not speak expressly about what we are to believe and how we are to behave. No one should be pressured to violate their conscience.

Through the ages Christians have struggled with these things. They are not a question of spirituality but personal liberty. We’re all tempted to give in to pride and judge others…judge them on their liberty or lack of it. Too many Christians are ignorant of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 9. Twice the Bible unpacks for us that we are not to judge each other on non-essential matters where the Bible does not give specific commands. There are many areas the Bible doesn’t address or where it allows liberty of conscience. In these matters, Scripture repeatedly says we’re not to judge or regard one another with contempt (Romans 14:1-10). Rather, we’re to always love one another and accept one another, just as Jesus Christ has accepted us.

Wonderfully, God doesn’t want “cookie cutter” Christians. A local church is a body made up of various parts. So if you can help us reach out on Halloween, please join us. If you want to build bridges to your neighbors, go for it. If you’re not comfortable with participating in Halloween activities and it violates your conscience, then please pray that our efforts will be effective for the Kingdom! All of us though have a responsibility to reach out to those around us with the Gospel, 24/7, 365 days a year. We’re missionaries. So what are you doing to reach your part of the mission field?