Entries from May 2008 ↓

“The pardoned soul is out of the gunshot of hell.” (Thomas Watson)

I find it interesting that Christians will often make big, life decisions without consulting the ones who could best counsel them. For example, if they have an issue with the church and are thinking about leaving, they don’t talk to the pastor about the issue and ask for help. They talk to the people who agree with them and then leave. It seems they treat church like a service or product being offered by the pastor and elders and they can choose when and how long they will use the product.

Although this sounds normal in our capitalistic society, the Bible describes the church differently. The church is not a product, but a body. It is a body of people of all ages who have unreservedly given their lives to Jesus Christ. The body meets together in order serve one another. In other words, Sundays are not to get your needs met, but for you to meet the needs of others. Each believer has been entrusted with a spiritual gift and the church is the garden in which these tools are used.

It seems that if someone sees a weakness in the body, he treats it like a messed-up fast food order. He is displeased and complains to those around him. He may just deal with it for a while, but if it happens week after week, then he decides to leave and never come back. He may leave without talking to anyone, but he may also ask to see the manager to give his two cents about how he thinks it should be done and then storms out.

A beliver in the church should realize that he is not being micro-managed for greatest productivity, but his pastor is keeping watch over his soul and caring for him and will one day be judged how he did so. He puts his whole heart and soul into shepherding the whole body of Christ. So why would one not go to such a leader when there is conflict, dissatisfaction, or any other issue. If for nothing else, we need our thoughts and desires tested to see if they align with the will of God and who better to test them with than the men who spend their time studying the Word, praying, and caring for souls.

It’s sad to me to see people actively a part of a church and then just disappear because they think they found something better. Although the issues are different in every case, I hope they will seek counsel from their elders, who aren’t worried that they are a dissatisfied customer but are concerned that a part of the body needs help.

Two weeks ago, I embarked on a journey to begin memorizing the New Testament. I first received the idea from an RD at Master’s. My roommate, Andrew, and I committed to a program of memorizing a chapter a week, starting with the book of Romans (download the plan). Today we start on chapter 3. At this rate, we will finish the New Testament in 5 years (260 chapters, 260 weeks). I know it sounds a little crazy, but I know I need it.

Over the years, I have become more and more familiar with the Bible. I can locate generally where things are found and can recite the idea of a particular verse. I have “memorized” all my life too. But this memorization has not been of my own choosing, but an assignment either for school, Awana, or church. I know the desired purpose of all those assignments was to really remember the verses for my own spiritual growth, I didn’t walk away meditating on the truth and wanting to know God better.

I know I need a vigorous memorizing plan like this because it will force we to interact with Scripture in the small spaces of my day. When I am driving in the car, waiting for someone to show up, or just walking around, I have time to whip out the small piece of paper and work on the next verse. In this, I turn my attention to the things of God more often. Already I’m seeing the fruit of this, but I need it more. I need it also because Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” If I want to fight against sin, then I need to be storing the word in my heart. Try to sin against God when you have Romans 1 on your mind.

If you don’t have any plan for locking God’s truth in your soul, I encourage you to do so. I doesn’t need to be a chapter a week, but it should be something you can meditate on and that will send your mind Godward when you are tempted to sin.

“Adoration is not seeking the divine presence, but it is conscious of it to an unutterable degree, and therefore full of awe and peace.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“How you use your time is either helping or hindering your walk with God.” (Len Bone)