Warning! Do Not Let This Person Join Your Church!
Do whatever you have to do to keep this person away from your church! He will do more to keep your church inward focused and ineffective than almost anything. Because of this person, needs are going unmet in our community today. He has provided excuses, caused conflicts, and often raises unfounded questions and criticisms. He will also keep other people in church from serving God, using their spiritual gifts, from worshiping through giving, and growing in their walk with Christ. He or she may even cost your church more money as you have to hire more staff to fix what this person has done to the hearts and minds of people in the congregation.
Let me give you this persons name: SOMEBODY ELSE.
As a ministry leader, I heard often about the exploits of SOMEBODY ELSE, but it was always false and there efforts always resulted in less ministry being accomplished.
- “I thought SOMEBODY ELSE would do it.”
- “Why didn’t SOMEBODY ELSE think of that.”
- “I can’t, but certainly SOMEBODY ELSE will be able to be there.”
- “We don’t have to go, SOMEBODY ELSE can do my part.”
Pastor, do yourself a favor, at the next Business Meeting lead your people to vote Somebody Else out of the church. And remind the church regularly that SOMEBODY ELSE is gone FOREVER. So, SOMEBODY ELSE = NOBODY = less of what God wants to do through the body of Christ in your community.
“Too Many Hypocrites at the Ballpark, I’m Not Going”
Probably will never hear that one. This is an accusation generally only aimed toward the church. Here are a few of the best comebacks I’ve heard when someone says, “I don’t go to church, because there are too many hypocrites.”
- From my 91 year old grandmother from Grant Parish, “There’ll only be one more if you show up.”
- From Mike Miller, pastor of FBC Kenner, “What a great place for hypocrites to go, right?”
- From a church sign I saw once, “This Church is not FULL of hypocrites. We have room for a few more. Join us Sunday.”
- From another friend, “There are hypocrites at Wal-Mart, but that doesn’t keep you from going there.”
- The harshest, “I’d rather go to church with hypocrites than go to hell with them.” Ouch!
I like my grandmother’s answer myself, because it’s true. We all tend to demonstrate hypocrisy at times in our lives. It comes with being a part of the human race. Sin divides our heart, giving us a desires to please others or be pleased by things instead of pleasing and finding pleasure in God. Until we are rescued from this cycle by the power of Christ we will be powerless to take off the mask.
Here’s a few different levels of Hypocrisy. Where are you and how can you change?
1. Intentional Dishonesty. At it’s root hypocrisy is living a lie. Whether it’s being a two faced cheater or hiding what’s really on the inside or in the past just so people will like you, deceit drives hypocrisy. But some seem to do hypocrisy on purpose. Often it appears that way, because they’re caught in a way of life that causes them even to believe the lies.
2. Best Intentions. Most of us are not intentional hypocrites, but we just don’t live how we intended to live. Researchers call this the Halo Effect. We often give ourselves credit for what we intended to do, even if we didn’t do it. Example – Every year around 60% of people tell pollsters that they voted, but the actual voting roles usually show that around 40% actually do. The other 20% intended to, and gave themselves credit. Church attenders do this often. As a pastor I occasionally meet people who say they attend my church when they never have. What they mean is, they feel a connection with our style or location, and if they ever do go to church they intend on going there, so they give themselves credit. Is that not hypocritical?
Best intention hypocrites live with a gap between what we say we believe and even what we want and how we actually live day to day. Do you find yourself saying things like this?
- “I know what I should be doing, BUT…”
- “I know what the Bible says, BUT…”
- “I know what God wants me to do, BUT…”
You’re revealing the gap between what you know to be right and where you’re actually living at the moment. Thus you are a HYPOCRITE.
3. Fear of Man / People Pleasing. Then there is the people pleaser. The chameleon. The person that lives their lives one way in front of one group and another in front of the next group. He/she is double-minded and thus unstable. This was Peter’s story as told by Paul in Galatians 2:14. Peter found freedom from the law in Christ, began partaking with the gentiles of food traditionally considered unclean for the Jews. However, when Jewish leaders who believed that you had to accept Jesus AND keep the law showed up he did as they would have wanted. Why? Because he was afraid of what they might think of him (Galatians 2:12).
4. Bondage. However you define it and whatever it looks like, the truth is, the hypocrite is in bondage. Afraid someone may find out who you really are or who you’re really not, frustrated with why you just can’t live by your best intentions, tired of hiding. Hypocrisy enslaves.
My hypocrisy will keep others in bondage as well. The often quoted words of Ghandi in reference to Christianity are so pertinent: “If Christians lived by the teaching of Christ, all of India would be Christian.” Another friend of mine said it like this, “If it weren’t for Christians, there’d be more of us.”
Psalm 86:11 is a prayer I pray often, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; UNITE MY HEART to fear Your name.” I don’t want to have a divided heart, living one way in front of certain people and another way later.
I don’t want to always be saying what I believe but failing to live up to it. To overcome my hypocrisy, I need a power outside of myself. The gospel of Jesus Christ brings real change and can turn my many faces into one.
So asked yourself:
- If I really lived like I say I believe, how would my life be different?
- If I closed the gap between what I know and say and what I actually do, how would my life and the lives of others change?
- If I were to really get honest about my life, can I say that I am free from what others think of me? from personal preference? from prejudice?
Next week at Bridge Church we’ll turn to another vice that tends to enslave when we discuss being Set Free from Legalism.
Worth Reading: A Few Links
A few posts that caught my attention last week:
- Loved this list by Joe McKeever – How to Spot a Sick Church.
- Ed Stetzer’s Outreach Magazine article on Church Birth Control is worth reading.
- Love reading Seth Godin’s blog daily – appreciated his post on Work and “Trying Different instead of Harder“
- Critical issues in North American Church Planting by JD Payne. No big surprises, but worth noting. Loved that he adds “turfish churches” as a critical issue. Most are afraid to say it.
- Using Facebook for the Gospel by Bryan McAnally.
Before and After
We spent a recent few weekends restoring an old dining room table and its six chairs for our new dining room. I love the experience of restoration. If you ever do it, you’ll never look at old wood furniture the same again. You can see it’s potential and envision making it come alive. I was reminded over and over again through our little revitalization process of the restoration that God has begun on my heart and life, stripping away my selfish pride one layer at a time, and adding His touch to the interior of my life making me come alive. Also, couldn’t help but think about some of the guys in our church right now who have joined me in this continual process. Guys carrying a lot of baggage, lots of scuff marks. I can see God’s work of refinishing each week.
And we’ve got a responsibility in this process as well. Galatians 6:1 says, “if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.” The word restore was actually used by the Greeks to describe the refinishing of wood or the mending of nets. It could also be translated “equip” or “mend.” The sense is that the object is to be made useful and fit for service once again.
That’s what the Gospel does. Takes something old, dry, dead and restores it to beauty, usefulness, and for service. And I love seeing the before and after pictures of God’s work in the lives of people. Not always an easy process. Not always enjoyable for those walking with people in God’s restoration program. It’s much easier to just draw a crowd, stay at arms lenght, and assume everyone’s ok, than to actually develop and seek the restoration of what the world has damaged.
Good questions:
- Am I allowing God to restore my heart? We can’t do it alone (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 2:8-10).
- Who am I restoring, equipping, encouraging?
Excited the old table is back in service. Today was our first day to utilize it. Even more excited that b/c of Christ, my lifelooksdifferent today and can be useful to Him. Glad to be one of God’s before and after stories. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about many more.
Responsiveness
Talking with a single parent with three kids who is disabled and unable to work.
Me – “Anything I can pray for you about? or help out with?”
SP – “Yea, my water heater just went out.”
Me – “Wow! I’ll pray for you. Bye.”
On my way home to relax.
God – “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and well filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” James 2:15-16.
Me – Ouch!
God – “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him. Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” 1 John 3:17-18.
Me – Wait a minute!
God – “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered” Proverbs 21:13.
Now there’s a Water Heater in the back of my truck!
Living life on mission is about PROXIMITY, RESPONSIVENESS, AND GENEROSITY. Responding to needs sometimes means putting feet and funds to our prayers. Responding to the needs of others often means responding to God’s word. He blesses us to be a blessing to others.
New Small Group Resources
New Small Group Bible Study Resources available to churches at the Northshore Baptist Associations office:
- Dare to Be Uncommon (7-week Men’s Bible Study) by Tony Dungy
- Compelled by Love (7-week Bible Study) by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation
- Breaking Free: The Journey, The Stories (11-week Bible Study, Updated Edition) by Beth Moore
- Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman (10-week Bible Study) by Beth Moore
- The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority: Achieving Victory through Surrender (7-week Bible Study) by Dr. Adrian Rogers
- What Every Pastor Ought to Know (21 session study for Pastors, DVD) by Dr. Adrian Rogers
Contact Kathy @ 225.567.5086 to reserve one of these group studies or check on the availability of other studies before you buy. And let us know if your church has group studies that you’d be willing to make available to other churches.
Distorted and Different
Last Sunday, Bridge Church began a series of messages on the book of Galatians called Set Free. Follow the series at bridgenorthshore.com. The intent of the letter written by Paul the Apostle, to churches that he had been a part of planting in modern day Turkey, was to confront the false teaching that Jesus wasn’t enough. Along with Jesus, God expected a person to keep the law. Paul accused the Galatian Christians of deserting God by receiving this false gospel.
One reason I trust the Bible as authoritative is because of its timelessness. The theme of this letter is as relevant today as this hours news headlines (with technology, the morning newspaper is already outdated). So many today have a distorted and different view of the Gospel.
What is the Gospel? Paul defines it well in Galatians 1:3-4 – “the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” The Gospel is the truth that Jesus lived, loved, died, to deliver/rescue/save people from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. And this deliverance/rescue/salvation has nothing to do with our works or effort, but God’s work and will (John 1:12-13, John 6:44).
Here are some common ways we distort the Gospel today:
1. Become a _____________. The false teachers in Galatia were basically saying that to be a true follower of Christ you had to become a Jew. You had to believe the Gospel and be circumcised and keep elements of the Old Testament law. Today we fill in that blank with other things. “I’m going to become a BETTER PERSON” is the most common. “I’m going to become a CHURCH MEMBER.” “I’m going to become a CATHOLIC/BAPTIST/METHODIST.” Not that these are bad things, but if they become something that we trust for our deliverance/rescue/salvation, what we’re saying is Jesus is not enough. I can do this by becoming ____________.
2. Jesus + ______________. Another way we do this is seeking to add to what Jesus has done with our activity and effort. Cults do this. Churches sometimes communicate this when talking about membership. In our desire to assimilate people into our churches we must be careful that we don’t communicate Jesus +. When you add to the work of Christ what you’re really doing is taking away from the work of Christ. What you’re saying is Jesus is not enough.
3. Reversing Roles with God. Here’s the Gospel: “I’m accepted, forgiven, set free by God, so I’m transformed by God, so I obey God.” Here’s a distorted gospel: “I obey and I’m made changes to my life, so now I’m accepted by God.” The question is, whose work is it? A distortion of the gospel takes the work of salvation out of God’s hands and places it somewhere else – self, a church, a path of enlightenment, etc. Self-salvation is no salvation at all or as Paul says, “You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all” (Galatians 1:6-7 NLT).
Looking forward to Part two of our series this Sunday at Bridge Church, 10:30am, at the West St. Tammany YMCA.
Worth Reading: A Few Links
A few posts that caught my attention this week related to church planters:
- David Putman On Budgeting / Financing the Mission / Raising Money
- “Are you a Leader or just a Boss?” – On Leadership
- Critical Issues related to Church Planting in North America by JD Payne. Enjoying these series of post on critical issues.
Life Is A Mission Trip
Would you go on a mission trip if it were free and you could sleep in your own bed at night and not miss a day of work? Most people would say yes, and these opportunities are all around us. Though I wish everyone could go with us to Zimbabwe, or Chiapas, or New York City, and I hope you will get uncomfortable and sacrificial in your going at some point in your Christian life, a mission trip doesn’t have to be hours away. The Great Commission command to “GO” is not cushioned with any specifications as to what Great Commission living looks like. Find a need, make a friend, and GO meet that need, invest in that person and you are on mission.
This weekend, our church will be taking a Local Mission Trip. We’ll be GOING into New Orleans and serving the hundreds of homeless men and women that live around New Orleans Mission. Working with Brown Bags and Jesus, we’ll serve a hot meal, seek to build relationships and pray with some of the neediest in our region.
Last week, myself and a group of church leaders met with Volunteers of America in our area and learned of hundreds of needs from wheelchair ramp building to cleaning house for someone who is elderly and alone. There are lots of opportunities to GO, through building partnership with local agencies.
I’m proud of those in my church who are ON MISSION through serving at our local Crisis Pregnancy Centers, leading Boy Scout packs, visiting at area nursing homes, teaching at our local jail, and being available for needs in their neighborhoods and spheres of influence.
A mission trip should not be a once a year experience. For the disciple of Christ, life is a mission trip.
What is Lent Anyway?
This week marks the beginning of a major religious celebration around the world called Lent. In our area it means FRIDAY’S ARE FOR SEAFOOD! What is Lent exactly? In Brief:
For Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and other liturgical protestant denominations (those with a continuous history before AD 1500) Lent is the forty day period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. It is to be a season of soul-searching and repentance. It can be loosely traced to the early days of the church, but was certainly less formal (most scholars believe the time of fasting was two to three days and not forty) and of course much more spiritual. Lent, as we know it today, originated in the fourth century and has changed in practice throughout the years. In AD 325, the Council of Nicea discussed a forty day season of fasting and preparation for new converts to be baptized. In the seventh century, Gregory the Great moved the beginning of Lent from Sunday to Wednesday, now called Ash Wednesday. He is also credited with beginning the ceremony of marking foreheads with ashes, as a symbol of repentance taken from the Old Testament. The practice of fasting during Lent has become more relaxed over the centuries and in 1966, the Roman Catholic Church restricted fast days to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Having moved to South Louisiana just 10 years ago, I have observed that Lent is practiced but not understood by many. Even many irreligious people will give up something of value (if you count chocolate, certain adult drinks, coffee, or some other modern convenience that doesn’t really affect a person’s way of life as valuable) and will abstain from meat on Friday. When asked the purpose behind this, the person will say, “I’m not sure,” or take a great guess that would fool everyone if they were playing the board game Balderdash. Herein lies the problem with modern spirituality – it’s long on activity and short on meaning and understanding.
Too often we use religious expression, such as Lent, as a means to fit in, to feel better about ourselves, but not to understand and conform to God’s desire for our lives. In many ways Lent illustrates our lack of understanding about God and His will for humanity. Many people give up for forty days what they know they shouldn’t be doing anyway. In the 2002, movie 40 Days and 40 Nights, a single man vows to stay celibate during Lent, but meets the girl of his dreams and regrets being unable to rebel against God’s commands concerning sexual purity (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8) and to “let the marriage bed be undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4) until Lent is over. As this movie illustrates, some people may see Lent as a window of time to be serious about their faith. I tend to believe God deserves and expects 365 days of devotion and obedience, not just forty.
A somber season of soul-searching and repentance, which includes fasting, is necessary for our generation. I don’t search my soul when I give up my favorite commodity but when I understand and get a glimpse of what God has done for me through Jesus Christ. His suffering, His sacrifice, and His love should make us forget modernity for awhile and focus ourselves on repentance and new life that Christ’s death and resurrection make possible.
So how should we view Lent? One 19th Century preacher called it “The Season of the Cross.” I like that. It’s the cross that is the centerpiece of our faith (1 Corinthians 15:3) and it’s the cross that we are called to carry (Luke 9:23). So, join me during the season of the cross and do more than just mark your calendar and do without some material luxury. Let’s increase our awareness of Christ’s love and His desire for our lives. We may find ourselves gaining more, spiritually, than we could ever give up in 40 days.
Lane Corley 