SSS: Philippians 4:2-9

Today's "Single-Sentence Sermon" comes from Philippians 4:2-9.  I've been preaching, verse-by-verse, through Paul's letter to the Philippian church since late-April.  It's probably been one of the most personally profitable studies of my life.  God's Word is so amazing!

Today's "SSS:
In Philippians 4:2-9, the Apostle Paul begins to close his letter by commanding the Philippians Christians to "practice" reconciliation (v.2-3), rejoicing (v.4), reasonableness (v.5), resisting worry by prayer (v.6-7), and right-thinking (v.8), all of which constitutes "the path of peace with God" (v.7).

Questions to Consider:

• Paul gives six imperatives (i.e. a command) in these eight verses.  Can you identify them in the English text? (see vvs. 3, 4, 5, 6 - 2x, 8)
• Why did Paul put the command to "rejoice" after his command for "reconciliation"?
• How does unresolved conflict effect the work of the gospel?
• How many times does Paul use the phrase "in the Lord" here?  What difference does this phrase make?

I'd love to hear your comments.  You can find audio files to my messages here.

SSS: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Today's "Single-Sentence Sermon" comes from 1Thessalonians 1:1-10.  Yesterday's sermon was a special one for me as it was our "Regional Pulpit Exchange" Sunday and I was able to preach to the fine people of Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Wallingford, PA.  Thanks, GBFC, for such a warm welcome!!!

Today's "SSS":
In 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, the Apostle Paul encourages the young, but exemplary, church in Thessalonica, praising God for their "work of faith", "labor of love" and "steadfastness of hope", as well as providing the basis (God's sovereign, electing love) and evidences (hearing the word, turning from idols, serving the Lord, and waiting for the Son) of their salvation.

Questions to Consider:

• Paul established the Thessalonian church around 50 A.D. on his second missionary journey, how long did he stay in Thessalonica (see Acts 17:1-9)?  What is so impressive about the testimony about this young church given that Paul writes this letter only about a year after the church was founded?
• What were the two main purposes of Paul's missionary journeys, especially beginning with the second journey?
• What do you think the "work of faith", "labor of love", and "steadfastness of hope" refers to?
• How can you apply this text to your life as an individual believer in Christ?...as a local church?

Feel free to leave a comment or question.  I really would love to dialogue with you.

(To listen to this sermon, please visit Grace BFC's sermon page.)

A "Grace" Day

Back in March 2004, Laurie and I found ourselves looking for a new church home.  It was a really discouraging season in our "church life" for reasons that I won't go into right now.  But at the invitation of our good friends, Bill and Joanne Platt, we visited Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Wallingford, PA.  God has used that visit to shape the better part of the last decade for my family.  The Bible Fellowship Church has been our home ever since.  Even though it was more than eight years ago, I can still remember the warm reception that we felt that day.  The family of Grace BFC has had a special place in our hearts ever since.

I was in my second year at Biblical Theological Seminary studying for my Master of Divinity degree at the time.  It wasn't long into our time at Grace before the pastoral staff invited me to join their team in the inglorious position as (unpaid) pastoral intern (a.k.a. Pastor Taylor's "lackey").  This afforded me the opportunity to meet with the pastors for mentoring sessions, attend various board meetings, and to preach once in a blue moon.  As an aspiring minister and enthusiastic seminary student, I was in "hog heaven".

As my seminary days wrapped up, the elders of Grace graciously created a new full-time position, Pastor of Outreach and Evangelism, and the church approved my appointment to the post in January 2006.  These early years of ministry at Grace were exciting and deeply challenging.  I learned  a great deal about pastoral ministry, and even more about myself and how little I truly knew of taking care of God's people.  Some of my favorite experiences included college and small group ministry, as well as ministering to a host of "neighbors" from our community.  Today, more than four years removed, I am still noticing little aspects of how I serve as a pastor that were shaped by the family of Grace.

This morning I have the privilege of preaching back at the "friendly confines" of Grace BFC.  I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and encouraging this church which has been such a tremendous example of Christian love to me and my family.

Mousecapades

Our summer vacation was a once-in-a-decade trip to Walt Disney World.  Laurie's parents surprised the kids (and us!) with the big news back at their birthdays in February.  We had an action-packed week with The Mouse and all his friends.  Here are a few snapshots from a special week of memories back in July.

Mike was really excited!

Heading towards the castle

Daddy and Luke on the "People Mover"

One of the kids' favorite "rides"

Pool time with Poppy

They're having fun, I promise

Gabbie posing with "Jake"

Ditto

Thank you, Marmie and Poppy!

Do you have a special summer vacation story that you'd like to share?

"Buh"-Rometer

How do you evaluate success in your church?  This is a question that (literally) keeps me up late some nights.  God's humbling call to love and lead His church drives me to my knees daily in prayer.  I am constantly reminded of my weaknesses and insecurities.  I mean, is it normal for "the church" to be on one's mind 24/7/365?  Is it for you?  Well, that's my reality.  More than anything, I want to be approved by God as a faithful servant.  But if I'm really honest, too often I am equally concerned with being approved by men as a real "go-getter", a top-notch pastor...much to my shame.

As a pastor (a.k.a. a "professional Christian"...for the record, few things bother me more than being viewed this way...but that's another post...sorry for the long parenthesis...it's quite annoying isn't it), I am constantly reminded of people's expectations and the typical "measurements" for what constitutes a "healthy" church.  (I've met a lot of "church experts" in my day.)  Perhaps this post falls under the genre of "confession", but truthfully, the complexity of ministry today and managing people's expectations can be exhausting.  Regrettably, I think that many folks apply the diagnostics of today's business models ahead of the Spirit-given biblical instructions for the church.  Don't you think we should be more informed by the Book of Acts as to what "health" looks like in a local church than we are by Forbes or even Outreach magazines?

The following is a short list of "measurables" that can sometimes overshadow the real signs of health in a congregation.  Let me be clear, none of these are inherently bad.  In fact, they are all good things when viewed in a proper relationship to the real signs of health.  I offer this as a helpful reminder, first to myself, of what "success in the church" may or may not look like.

Budgets

Sometimes people look to the church's bank account as an indicator of its health.  How are the weekly offerings?  How much did we increase this year's budget over last year's?  What percentage are we giving to missions as opposed to the (clearly non-missions work?) youth, children's, or local outreach budgets?  Are we secure financially?

Does having a solid financial statement at the end of the month always indicate "success" or "health" in a church?  Probably not.  Godly stewardship and generous (hilarious) giving is a great thing, don't get me wrong.  But, it isn't the most important thing.

Buildings

Another false indicator of church health are the physical structures that are often mistakenly called "the church".  The size and number of a church's buildings can be really impressive.  But we have to remember that the church is a body, not a building.  The church is a spiritual temple which temporarily gathers in physical spaces.

We at New Beginnings have been trying to figure out our long-term facility needs.  It has consumed much of my time, energy, and attention over the past two years.  It's been an issue of stewardship for us, and I'm glad we've been addressing these questions.  But we can never mistakenly believe that having more or bigger buildings means we are "nailing it" as a church.

Bible Studies

I always get a little paranoid when I say this, but just because you attend 3-4 Bible studies a week, that doesn't automatically make you a great Christian.  Certainly, we are to love God's Word and spend time in it--privately and with other believers.  However, some churches boast in their "spiritual health" when in actuality they have an unbalanced spiritual diet.

We need to exercise (that is, to put into practice) the lessons and principles we receive from God's Word.  Listen, you can never get too much of God's Word.  But, you can over schedule yourself into so many "study" contexts that you fail to do what the Scriptures actually teach--like loving others, sharing the gospel, praying for the sick, visiting the widows, etc., etc.

Buddies

The final thing that we need to watch out for is equating the sheer number of people who attend our (said with puffed out chest) church with spiritual health.  Sure, it is probably a good thing to see new people coming and the membership list growing.  But my point is that the spiritual sum of one's church is not equivalent to the mere numbers of people attending.  Authentic relationships, more than church acquaintances, are a truer indication of spiritual growth in the body of Christ.  

So, what is a Better indicator of "success" in the church?  What should really be the source of our boasting?

Baptisms

More than budgets, buildings, Bible studies, or buddies, the testimonies of people being saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ and following Him in the waters of baptism are true signs of spiritual success.  The Book of Acts speaks of "the Lord adding to their number day by day those who were being saved" (2:47; 4:4; 6:7, etc.).  The movement of the Spirit is a true sign of real advancement for God.  People build buildings; God builds churches through the gospel.  I am desperate for God to keep saving people through our faithful witness.

oBedience

I'm running out of "B"-words, so I'll stop with this one.  Jesus said to His followers, "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:14).  True, spiritual obedience unto the person of Jesus Christ is the summary of real success for the church.  Jesus set the pattern for us; a pattern of sacrifice, service, and surrender to the will of God.  I am reminded of John's words, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.  For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 2-4).  Simple surrender and obedience to the truth of God will result in a vibrant expression of church life.  

May we see the full Blessing of God in our lives as we focus on the right signs of spiritual health.

"Mommy, I'm Ready to Die."

Is it possible that these words..."Mommy, I'm ready to die."...could ever be a good thing?!?!

After returning home from youth group Sunday night, Laurie told me that the kids were huddling in the playroom having a "very serious" discussion.  She informed me that Gabbie and Luke had emerged from the room to tell her how sorry they were for all the disrespectful things they had done.  They also had apologized to Jonah for being mean and yelling at him about "stuff".  According to Laurie, the kids really beamed with excitement about the new leaf they had turned over.  She went on to tell me about how Luke, in particularly, had told her that he was "ready to die" because he "really wanted to be with Jesus".  Apparently, Gabbie had even corrected Luke at one point when she matter-of-factly stated that "Daddy would be the first to go" (really?!?!).

"Mommy, I'm ready to die."  Wow, sort of sounds "Pauline", doesn't it?  "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain...I am hard pressed between the two.  My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better" (see Philippians 1:21-26).  I took some time the next morning to share with Luke how proud I am that his love for Jesus is growing so strong.  I also told him that God still had a special plan for his life and that he needed to love God here on earth until Daddy had first kicked the bucket!  It's pretty incredible when your four-year-old "gets" something as heavy as heavenly homesickness.

I've been thinking and reading a lot about our hope as believers in Jesus Christ.  All over the pages of the New Testament we are called to "set our minds heavenly things" (Col. 3:1-4) and to "wait for our blessed hope" (Titus 2:11-14).  I am especially taken back by the connection of "present faith" (leading to faithful service for God) and "future hope" (yearning for the return of Christ) found in Paul's Thessalonian correspondence.  Is my love for Jesus creating a restlessness for heaven?  Do I long to depart to be with the Lord?  Or, am I perfectly content with the shallow stuff of this earth?  Yeah, it can sound a little creepy and morbid to hear the phrase "I'm ready to die", especially coming from a little guy like Luke.  But, to me, there is something beautiful and holy (and biblical) in his words to Laurie the other night.

Thanks, little buddy, for being such a good boy.  You are so loved by God, your mommy, and daddy.  Believe in Jesus and you don't have to wait until after you die to have a piece of heaven, because heaven (Jesus) will come into your heart.

Are you "ready to die"?  That's a pretty important question to have answered.  If you aren't quite sure, please contact me and I'd love to share with you the wonderful news to give you hope and peace with God.

SSS: Philippians 3:17-4:1

Last Monday I posted a summary of the previous day's sermon at New Beginnings.  To this, I received the ever-so-encouraging feedback of "YOUR POST WAS TOO LONG" from my beloved wife, Laurie.  Hmm, thanks a lot, dear!

All kidding aside, I got to thinking about what she said and, as usual, she's probably right!  So, I'm rolling out a new weekly feature on my blog.  Each week, on Monday, Lord willing, I will share an "SSS" or "Single-Sentence Sermon".  My approach will be to boil down all the savory juices of my weekly sermon to a short, memorable sentence.  Ultimately, my aim is to encourage you with a God-honoring "spiritual nugget" from Scripture and to stimulate your mind and heart to grow closer to the Lord.

I actually think Laurie's point is brilliant (as usual)!  I remember back in seminary when my homiletics "prof" told us that a good sermon could be succinctly summarized in a single, cogent sentence.  It's harder than you might think!  So, here goes...

Today's "SSS":
In Philippians 3:17 - 4:1, Paul calls the Philippian believers to follow ("imitate") his example by living Christlike lives that are representative of their 'heavenly citizenship', resisting those who are 'enemies of the cross' of Jesus.

Questions to Consider:

• Why could Paul confidently encourage the Philippians to "imitate" his life?  (see 1 Cor. 11:1)
• Who do you look up to in your life as a godly example of Christlikeness?
• What does it mean that "our citizenship is in heaven"?  How does Paul contrast this in 3:18-19, specifically?
• What impact should our "earnest expectation for the Savior's return" have on our lives now?

Feel free to comment!  I'd love to dialogue with you.

(To listen to my sermons, visit this link!)