There is REAL Joy Found Here

 

This week was Vacation Bible School week at my home church.  It’s always a memorable time, but this week I participated fro the first time as a volunteer, not as ‘the pastor.’  I took note of the many ways that other volunteers (58 in total) played a part in creating  an amazing experience for a group of children learning that God's love is MONUMENTAL! 

What beautiful cooperation, dedication, and love that witnessed. People grew weary, but knowing they were doing ‘God’s work,’ they experienced joy. Each one found a place to belong and a place of grace, acceptance not based on beauty, brains, or brawn.  They loved and were loved.  In this CoffeeBreak reflection, I want to return to an old theme, something about which we all need to be reminded.

Are you, disciple, part of the Body? Are you committed to the Church and the church?

The Church is the universal Body of Christ. We are joined to her when we are born of the Spirit and baptized in faith. But, we need to do more than know this. We need to do this!  If we will make the weekly gathering with our church family a priority, we will discover support, fellowship, and encouragement; and who doesn’t need that? 

So, why don’t more of us find the richness of relationship I’m describing? Because churches are made up of real people, flawed people, who don’t always love well.  It takes commitment, patience, and time to create the connections that return the kind of joy promised to those who are ‘in the Body.’  Look what is possible. "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad." (1 Corinthians 12:26, NLT)

Experiencing real ‘body life’ requires radical commitment; akin to that which we make in marriage.

Some Christians “date” churches endlessly, but never marry one!

Thus, they never know the great joy that can only be experienced as a part of a team that is building the Kingdom of Christ. They let the superficial stuff – who was nice to me, who talked to me, who noticed me – replace the unity of the Spirit that binds us all together.  When we let the Tempter stir up feelings of resentment toward other people in Christ's Body, we will fall into the sin of offense.  Inevitably a high wall will appear dividing us from those who are our best allies in the fight for faith. Even worse, when we let resentment loose, we will begin to attack and destroy what Christ loves! Think what it does to His heart when we tear down, for selfish reasons, the Bride (the Church) that He loves so much that He gave His life for her.

The Bible offers this lofty description of Christ’s Church. "By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:7-11, NLT) God's plan is to use the church to demonstrate His grace and goodness to Heaven and Earth!

Church attendance numbers are sharply down in post-COVID America.  Break that trend by investing time and effort in body life.  It’s a commitment that pays rich and numerous dividends.  And, it’s not all work and effort. Good churches are more than an organization. They are ‘family.’  Yes, just like natural families there will be problems, dysfunctional people, and disappointment, but there will also be friendship, support, grace, and purpose in the Presence of God.  

Here's a word from the Word to ponder today. "I ... beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each  other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all." (Ephesians 4:1-6, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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House Of The Lord

We worship the God who was
We worship the God who is
We worship the God who evermore will be
He opened the prison doors
He parted the raging sea
My God He holds the victory yeah

There’s joy in the house of the Lord
There’s joy in the house of the Lord today
And we won’t be quiet
We shout out Your praise
There’s joy in the house of the Lord
Our God is surely in this place
And we won’t be quiet
We shout out Your praise

Oh oh oh
We shout out Your praise 

We sing to the God who heals
We sing to the God who saves
We sing to the God who always makes a way
'Cause He hung up on that cross
Then He rose up from that grave
My God’s still rolling stones away

('Cause) We were the beggars
Now we’re royalty
We were the prisoners
Now we’re running free
We are forgiven accepted
Redeemed by His grace
Let the house of the Lord sing praise

There is joy in this house oh yeah
There is joy there is joy
And we won't be quiet
We're gonna shout out Your praise

We shout out Your praise
There is joy in this house
There is joy in this house today
We shout out Your praise
We shout out Your praise

 

Jonathan Smith | Phil Wickham

© 2020 Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

Cashagamble Jet Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

Phil Wickham Music (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

Simply Global Songs (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

CCLI License # 810055

Are you in?

 

More than once I have avoided some ‘new’ or unfamiliar social wondering about ‘how I should act’ or if I would ‘fit in.’  However, I enjoy a new experience if someone who knows ‘how it works’ will accompany me.  I’ll pass up a new restaurant for one where I know the menu, but if a friend invites me to someplace novel, I am ready to go.  

When I was pastoring a local church, occasionally people told me that they would like to visit the church but that they were unsure of what was expected:  how should I dress? when do I stand? will I know the music? what will be expected of me?  I get it!  Being in ‘church’ is as natural to me as breathing, part of my whole life, because I am an insider.   Those congregants who took time to introduce someone else to our gatherings, who would offer to sit with another until they became familiar with the language and customs of our worship, brought me true joy.

We all want a place where we belong.  And, yes, I believe that to be true of a spiritual home. People need a place to worship, to pray, to find care and experience God’s presence and yet many who have not been part of a church growing up, or who are searching for a new church home, are hesitant to venture into a new place of worship, unless someone offers to lead the way. Could that be you?  In our crazy, unstable world one of the ways we can love others and serve Jesus is to be attentive to spiritual need and offer the act of hospitality. With sensitivity and gentleness, we can be that person who ‘opens the door’ to a friend, a neighbor, or a family member who hungering for more in life, a hunger that will be satisfied by knowing the love of Jesus and the connection of a good, loving church home.

Paul’s words can put us off if we them read with incomplete understanding. "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:19-21, NLT)  

Ours is a great privilege, serving as Christ’s representatives in this world. “But, Jerry, I’m no preacher. I don’t have a command of theology.”  That misses Paul’s meaning. He says that the way we live - our compassion, our character, our hope – is a window into the world of the Father. We represent most effectively in how we live more than what we say.  And, we can take a second step with just a simple invitation to a spiritually hungering friend – “Why not join me at church this week and have some breakfast afterwards with me?”  That’s not too hard, is it?

This week at Faith Discovery Church we have Vacation Bible School, a week-long fun event aimed at the kids, but enjoyed equally by the adults! I listen to the shuffle of little feet moving from station to station and it makes me glad. Then, I see adults, volunteers who have taking vacation time, who have postponed trips to serve, and they are talking together, sharing life.  Many of these people are not even part of our regular worship gatherings, but they love the songs, the fun, being part of the work, while spending quality time with others.  

God made us social creatures. Our best life is not solitary, it is lived ‘with’ others. Is that sometimes hard? It can be. Do situations sometimes get awkward or uncomfortable? They do!  Can it be hard to ‘find a good fit?’  Yes, that is true, too, for more reasons than I can explore today.  But, here is a key fact, if you want to fit it, you have to show up.  Yes, that uncomfortable unfamiliarity may persist for a time.  Even in church, people who have friends may not engage you at first but persevere. Show up a bit early. Stay a little longer. Listen for an opportunity to volunteer. In time, you will have found a home, too.  Life will be richer, your Christian experience better. 

If you are not part of a Christian church and are looking for a ‘home,’ I invite you. If you are in a church, look outward and make the effort to make a way for others to find their home, too.

That familiar passage that describes the nature of Christ’s Church is our word from the Word today. Lord, use it to increase our understanding of the importance of your Church in our spiritual life.

" The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NIV) "God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." (1 Corinthians 12:24-27, NIV)
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Big House

I don't know where you lay your head
Or where you call your home
I don't know where you eat your meals
Or where you talk on the phone
I don't know if you got a cook
A butler or a maid
I don't know if you got a yard
With a hammock in the shade

I don't know if you got some shelter
Say a place to hide
I don't know if you live with friends
In whom you can confide
I don't know if you got a fam’ly
Say a mom or dad
I don't know if you feel love at all
But I bet you wish you had

 

Come and go with me
To my Father's house
Come and go with me
To my Father's house
It's a big big house
With lots and lots of room
A big big table
With lots and lots of food
It's a big big yard
Where we can play football
A big big house
It's my Father's house

 

All I know is a big ol' house
With rooms for ev’ryone
All I know is a- lots of land
Where we can play and run
All I know is you need love
And I've got a family
All I know is you're all alone
So why not come with me

 

Barry Blair | Bob Herdman | Mark Stuart | Will McGinniss

© 1993 Up In The Mix Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

 

Here, take my hand

En·cour·age:
to inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten.|
To give support to; foster.
To stimulate growth; spur onward in personal development.

Recently I have re-committed myself, with varying success, to seek to encourage, to be a person who adds ‘oxygen to the room’ rather than sucking the life out of others with critical or negative words. I don't mean to suggest that I will be dishonest or a phony that is  that guy who insincerely pours out nonsense. But, overall, I believe a worthwhile aim is to desire, with God's help, to choose to give hope, to lift up others.

Many years ago, at a time in my life when I was following a dream on a road full of potholes and detours I met a generous soul who was an amazing encourager!  That guy, knowing I needed a job to support my family, introduced me to his boss and then quit on the spot telling that man to hire me!  He showed up at our door with bags of groceries. He introduced to a pastor who taught me about the grace of God.  Though nearly a half century has passed, I have never forgotten the pivotal role that Tom played in my life during a difficult year.

In the story of the early Church there is this mention of a man with a gift. "Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet." (Acts 4:36-37, NIV)  Joe was such an encourager that Peter nicknamed him, Barney, ‘the encouraging guy.’  The name stuck and for the rest of Acts we know him by that name that described his gift.

Christ Jesus calls on us to active caring. It isn't enough to passively love each other. We can, by the help of the Spirit, pour life and hope into others.  Teaching about the ways that God, the Holy Spirit, works through us, Paul says "if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:8-10, NIV)  The writer of Hebrews is direct: "Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out," (Hebrews 10:24, The Message)

 Let me plant some practical suggestions in your mind of ways you might be an encourager today:

a. Send a note of sincere appreciation or small gift to someone who has served you sacrificially.

b. Take note of a person who's work is 'behind the scenes' and sincerely compliment their efforts.

c. Offer to pray with a friend that seems overwhelmed by life, then pray a positive prayer full of words of blessing. (Careful, don't preach while you pray!)

d. Roll up your sleeves and practically lift someone's burden for a couple of hours; mow their lawn, watch their kids, cook their dinner, or take them to a movie.

e. Actively listen if someone opens their heart without offering any advice. Let them unburden their heart to you. Let your eyes and posture say, "I really do care!"

The world is full of critics. It is easy to point out another's flaws. It is often easy to 'see' (in our self-important opinion, anyway) why our brother or sister is in that situation. "Well, if she would just.... " Can the criticism. It doesn't help. A preacher once told me, "Just about anyone can do demolition, but it takes real skill to be a builder!"

The word from the Word for today is a contemporary paraphrase of this passage. Meditate on the wisdom here and pray to encourage. "So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, The Message)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us
Line the way
Cheering on the faithful
Encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament
To God's sustaining grace

 

Surrounded by so great
A cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race
Not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives

 

Oh may all who come behind us
Find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion
Light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live
Inspire them to obey (to obey)
(Oh may all who come behind us)
(Find us faithful)

After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone
And our children sift through all
We've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the mem'ries they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find

 

Find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us
Find us faithful

Jon Mohr © 1987 Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Jonathan Mark Music (Admin. by Gaither Copyright Management)

CCLI License # 810055