Here is a sample of what we hear:

“They have great programs for my children!”

“I can engage in wonderful worship because the music is so good.”

“They have a mission program that is vast and on every continent.”

“The sanctuary is beautiful.”

Wow.

Why don’t we hear these types of comments?

“Because of the teaching and what the Holy Spirit has done, my marriage changed for the better.”

“We had lunch with the head pastor.  He is real and approachable.”

“My children are learning what the Bible says about the Gospel.”

“The depth in spiritual maturity in our youth can be seen in the baptisms we had.”

“I have read that passage many times before but it came to life for me.”

“The teaching connected the dots for me and answered my questions about the meaning of those verses.”

What then are the vital parts of a church that we should consider as non-negotiable?

Here are seven that must be considered when looking for a good church.

1. Plurality of godly Elders, qualified from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
2. Teaching that is committed to preach all that the Bible teaches, even the harder teachings (i.e., the sovereignty of God in salvation).
3. Loving members who strive to serve and love Christ.
4. Reformed in doctrine, holding fast to the Doctrines of Grace.
5. Practices Biblical Church Discipline.
6. Discipleship is taking place, i.e., members are growing in the truth.
7. Holds to a gospel message which includes the need to repent and submit in complete obedience to Christ’s Lordship in order to be saved. There needs to be the teaching of repent and believe as Christ commands: believe in His person and work on the cross.)

May I ask:  does your church follow these vital biblical components?

Let us be a people that love Christ and his Body as He would want us to, and who are committed to search the Scripture for guidance in our attending a church.

/Bill

I was thinking about the Sovereignty of God in our marriage.  Here are some of my thoughts.

1.  He designed marriage in its perfect pristine state in unity between the man and woman and without shame.  (Genesis 2:24, 25.) Marriage is a good thing, a holy union, a blessing to husband / wife and a picture of the unity between the God-head.

2.  He commands us to rejoice in our wives (Proverbs 5:18).  Ask yourself:  how can I rejoice in the hard times?  It is easy to do so when things are in unity and comfortable. But, what about during and after an argument?  How can I rejoice then?  Simple answer — just do it.  God commands it.

3.  He makes us shine because of our excellent wives. (Proverbs 12:4; 31:10).  Some may say, read the rest of the verse.  “…but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.”  Why is it that a woman can be our glory or our shame?  Since we are one with our wives, anything we do directly causes a reaction in the relationship.  However, most of our shameful times stem from OUR sin allowing hers to appear as well.  Going unchecked, sin will cause a relationship to bleed.  We as the leaders must be the first to repent, to admit fault and to go to our wives to reconcile.  We alone must lead.  We must in turn disciple our wives so that they will do the same with their sin. 

She is worth more than the wealth of jewels and gold.  Who could ask for anything more valuable than that?

4. He gives favor to husbands when they marry. (Proverbs 18:22).  Note that Solomon did NOT say… “He who finds a GOOD wife…”  This is significant.  God blesses us with favor as husbands.  He satisfies some of our needs and wants in our wives.  Since it is a perfect union and a perfect institution, all our physical and emotional needs are met in Christ but seen partly through our wives.  That is favor.  She is our reward.  She helps us succeed, blesses our homes and takes care of our family.  Many of us men would really mess things up if we had to do what they do for us.

5. He has commands for the husband. (1 Corinthians 7:3)  What is the duty of a man to his wife?

    A. Love her as we love our own bodies (Eph. 5:23), as we care for ourselves and have selfish ambitions, we are to have the same love toward them, wanting them to grow, be successful in their Biblical role, mature in Christ, stay healthy etc.

    B. Love her as Christ did the Church (Eph. 5:25; Col. 3:18), to the point of death.

    C. Give ourselves up for them (Eph. 5:25), as a sacrificial self-less way of living.

    D. Present her to be sanctified by Christ (Eph. 5:26), through discipleship.

    E. Wash her with the Word (Eph. 5:26).  Daily reading with her or to her is vital.  It is through the Word that she is discipled and renewed. (Rom. 12:1-2).

6. Divorce is not an option. (1 Corinthians 7:11; Mal. 2:16)  God commands us NOT to divorce.  There are reasons to divorce but it is only because of our spouse leaving us or becoming unfaithful with another man.  We are never to entertain the idea of initiating a non-Biblical divorce.  Those thoughts are sinful because of God’s explicit commands.  We cannot seek an out (1 Cor. 7: 20).

As we think about our marriages, humbly recognize who designed them.  Meditate on His sovereignty over each of our relationships with our wives.

 My soul magnifies the Lord, 
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

That my King would come… to earth…. for… me?

What other response can I give than thankfulness…

 …in humility…

1 : the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : loveliness
2 : a beautiful person or thing; especially : a beautiful woman
3 : a particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality
—————- 

I am so touched this afternoon by the intense love of the Body of Christ…  What a beautiful thing to see each member doing their part… working together for HIS good!

In the Body, there are no orphans there are no strangers…we are brothers.   The true family of Christ surpasses even blood family.  A depth of understanding exists in the Church where in many families, that profound commonality and sharing is not available.

I watch as the members of our Body work together and work for Him and work with each other…

All of us struggle at times, we blunder in life.  As one falls we pick them up.  As one soars we watch with joy and celebration.

Watching how the depth of the riches of Christ is spread among His people is quite humbling. 

We need each other.

My children’s faces are beautiful.  Each one has a glow in life that is contagious… if I let them in.  My youngest, smiles when I walk in the room. My daughter is so proud to show me the picture she “did herself”.  One son says with joy, “Look Daddy, I cleared the snow off your car!”

Beautiful.

Creation is beautiful.  I have on my computer’s background a scene from Banff, Alberta, Canada.  Exquisite and picturesque.  A friend sends me a picture from his trip to California this month.  The coast the water the blue sky.  God made it all that we would give Him the glory and for our pleasure.  True beauty.

Lastly, but not in the least…

My wife.  She is my best friend.  She is the most beautiful person I know in this life. (She will want me to stop at that so she won’t get embarrassed.)  I am proud to be her husband, extremely proud.

What do you see as beauty defined? (Hint: look around you, it might be right there…)

Recently, Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter”, was killed in a ‘freak act of nature’.  A friend told me about his pastor who committed adultery and how troubling it is for him and his congregation.  Then there was a wedding where the couple’s pastor did not come to the wedding (I don’t know why) and one of the elders of the church did not greet me (I know him from the church…)  Then there are the continual threats of nuclear and even more conventional wars etc.  and Chesterton and Lewis as Christian scholars.  Sigh.

What does life dish out? How do we handle it?

One thought is the word “cope” — a popular dictionary defines this as “to maintain a contest or combat usually on even terms or with success — used with with OR to deal with and attempt to overcome problems and difficulties”.

Another thought is the word “hide” — “to put out of sight OR to conceal for shelter or protection; OR to keep secret;OR to screen from or as if from view; OR to turn (the eyes or face) away in shame or anger”

Yet another thougth is the word “flee” — “to run away often from danger or evil OR to hurry toward a place of security; OR to pass away swiftly OR transitive verb : to run away from”

Hmmm… I believe all of us do these types of behavior at certain times in our lives. Some cope, hide or flee better than other folks do; some cope, hide or flee more frequently than others.  Some cope in a positive way, others negatively. All face the decision at some point.

I also believe that psychology and therapeutic environments today tend to point us to ways of coping.  Coping methods.  A positive way to cope with our struggles.  Thousands of articles help certain people with the understanding that they do not have control over their surroundings, so they must deal with the pressure, pain or problem in some manner.

Some might even say that “common sense” or “conventional wisdom” are ways to deal with life and its difficulties.

I am compelled to handle life because it is all I have. All the blunders that come my way must be faced and confronted.  There is no way to get around, cope with, hide or flee from the blunders.  No way at all.

How though?

The provoking thoughts: a pastor who schedules healing services; stories about healings of the body; the laying of hands in prayer; and witnessing to others.

A pastor shared with me recently that not only are they scheduling healing times for anyone to visit to recieve prayer and ministry (in particular words of prophesy and healings through the laying of hands) but they are also planning on going into the community in small groups to minister (in particular words of prophesy and healings through the laying of hands) to anyone who ‘the Lord brings along’. Interesting.

I wish they would focus on the Gospel.

A friend told me a story of when he who walked into a hardware store this past weekend. While he was there, he met an employee of the store.  The employee didn’t seem right in his health.  He admitted that he had a tremendous headache, a migraine.  The man asked if he could pray for him.  He did and instantly the headache left.  Later in the conversation, he said he began to tell the man about Jesus. “He accepted Jesus with me there and said he would go to church this coming Sunday.”

No one can deny the power of prayer.  Christ is alive and well. The Holy Spirit is at work, doing miracles every day around the world.

I hope there is follow-up with that healed man and that the cost of discipleship was explained.  I pray he focuses on the the message and the God of the Gospel.

A woman who has been battling anxiety and illness was in pain this weekend.  I dropped by to see her and her family.  According to what I see in the Scriptures, I had no option but to pray for our dear sister.  So, I went to her and laid my hands on her and prayed that ‘be it God’s will’ that she would be healed.  I prayed that if He doesn’t heal her that she would continue to trust Him in perseverance and adversity.

I haven’t heard how she is now.

I pray that she would be able to see Him as a faithful God.

Then there is a story of a man who has been praying for his neighbor for months and months, if not years.  They share a fence and his dog found a way through it. This prompted the neighbor to try to work with him to make sure that both of their yards prevent the dog(s) from escaping.  The man asked the neighbor to go to the hardware store with him. As they drove, she told him how her girlfriend is leaving her.  Since they live together that is significant for her.  The man listened, and when there was a pause, he asked her who she thought Jesus is.  She responded that he was only a man.  The man explained that if he was only a man and not God then thousands of churches are idolatrous because they claim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  She said, ‘that’s true’ and recognized that truth.  He went on to tell her that she in her sin would go to Hell, but that the Son of God came to forgive sins and that if she placed her belief and trust in Him AND repented of her sin, that she could know Him and have eternal life.  She said she had been watching his wife. “She is a woman of principle.”  She noticed her life was stable, right and pure.

His focus was on the message of and the God of the Gospel.  He showed both her sinfulness and gave her the truth about the Son of God.

Wow.

The letters that Paul wrote intrigue me.  As I thought about the words that Paul wrote to the churches in Asia, I realize that not once does he explicitly use his conversion experience on the Damascus Road as a springboard to share about his credentials.  In as much as Paul used the supernatural to validate his ministry, he never once shared in the pages of Scripture his conversion story.

If our model of a man who clearly experienced the supernatural power of God is to minimize the actual experience, what should our response be?

One trend in the church, especially in the charismatic, spirit-filled congregations is to exalt the supernatural.  The emphasis on the experience, the thing that God did, the touch of God, the healing, the miracle, the … move of the Holy Spirit.  Why is that?

We as humans tend to get bogged down in the mundane of life.  My job is boring, my marriage has no spice, my children are all moved out, I am in debt so I won’t be able to take a vacation for a long while, and I have the same car I have had for years.  We even say in the church: I have heard this message before, we sing the same songs, there has not been many new members, …

The mundane.  The boredom.  The foolishness of life.

But I thought that all my life was to glorify Christ!? What about in the mundane, the boredom?  There too?  YES.  There too.  God is not mundane, but walking with Him can be (if our focus is on this life or ourselves.)

We enjoy the emotions of the supernatural because we feel free from the mundane and the commonplace.  Our human tendency is to begin turning toward those things that free us.  Then when the experience comes, and they come more frequently our focus moves toward that more and more.  The feelings of complacency move aside and the excitement and the new takes their place.  Almost an adrenaline rush in our emotions.

(I wanted to post this incomplete as the thoughts grow … I will continue a bit later.)

Not ashamed of the Gospel.  Paul was writing to the true Believers, the Elect, that were in Rome at a time when being a Christian was unpopular in society.  He had a sense that the Church of Jesus Christ would have to face the culture and its mores head on.  He knew that to know Christ was much more than owning a title of “Christian”.  It meant life and possibly death for those he cared for and cherished.

To Paul, Christ was all He knew. (See a previous post on this site.) He wanted nothing more than to know Him…even to the point of being tortured for knowing Him.  He understood that knowing Christ was a shameful thing to many, but not to him.  Not to Paul.

Listen to this: “ …that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;” (Phil. 3:10). 

Paul longed to know Christ more, moment by moment.  It was all about Christ, not about Paul.

With that zeal for His glory, Paul scribes the words…”I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”  He wrote with the Spirit’s inspiration to say that there was nothing he wanted more than to stand tall, carrying the Gospel message and live out the Gospel message.  The message that Christ came so man could know God.

Paul knew also that the Gospel is an extremely difficult message to swallow to the carnal man.  The unregenerated man cannot handle the Gospel; therefore, he will reject the men who live and preach it, and reject Christ Himself.

THAT is what Paul meant, almost to say “I don’t care what happens to my life.  The Gospel is most crucial to me. So much so that they can strip me naked and beat my body for HIS sake. I am not ashamed to be one of Christ’s men.”

This was Paul…A man that hated Christ and His people. A man that stood approving at the innocent slaughter of a True Believer.  A man that ran headlong into the destruction of families because they loved Christ… A man saved by grace.

Oh Lord, make me unashamed to be your mouthpiece so that without shame, I might proclaim the excellencies of You who have called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light.

Christ is everpresent, everknowing and ever powerful.  To neglect Him, I neglect all I need in life, here on earth and everafter.

He is everything.  He should be my all, He should be MY everything.  The struggle is that while I am in this tent, I wrestle.

Jesus Christ deserves my life.  He is LORD regardless of how I treat Him; however, through the Word transforming my life, He makes me His.  He becomes MY Lord, personally.  He puts His desires in my heart; He shares His will and makes it my will; He puts me where he wants me to be, when He wants me there.  All this, on His terms, not mine.

In order for that to happen, I must turn away from (by His grace and His will) all wrongdoing, sin, evil intentions and actions and turn to Him. He will do that work in me when He so chooses. Then I must undoubtedly place my trust and faith in Him.  I must willfully submit my life, will, emotions, actions, desires, thoughts and goals and dreams to whatever He chooses for me.

That is the true meaning of repentance.  Selfless living.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” – Colossians 1:15 - 20

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:7-11

May He have all of me because it is all about Him, Christ and Christ alone.

 Very clearly He states: “ Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2

 Renew the mind, understand His good will; be transformed through the Word, understand His acceptable will; and allow the Spirit to sancify by His Word, understand His perfect will.

 I look forward to walking down His path, with my blunders and all.