Are You Thin on the Oil?

I took my car in for maintenance today.  I have been putting it off.  Not a good idea with a car with over 100000 miles on it.  I can’t afford a new one, and thanks to some debt restructuring I did a few months ago I owe a fair bit on it!  So its a good idea if I stay on top of those things.  And even if I did not owe on it, what a shabby way to treat what God has given me if I don’t properly maintenance it.  Am I really being grateful?  If He can’t really trust me in this little thing, can He trust me in much?

But I don’t.  I let things go longer than I should on the car.  I don’t take it in for every flashing sensor.  I don’t have it in at 3 months 3 thousand miles.  In fact I went 6000 miles this time.  Its really rather dirty inside too, which produces interior wear.  I don’t wash the bird doo off often enough, which means I am damaging the exterior.  I follow other cars too close sometimes which makes me susceptible to flying rocks.  I can’t remember the last time I had it in for a full service, or a coolant change.  I don’t faithfully check the air in my tires or regularly check the oil level.  

I know some of the guys out there have skins that are just crawling right now.  Hearing stuff like that is like having finger nails dragged across a chalk board.  You know that I am putting not only my car at stake with my dereliction of duty but actually others as well.  An improperly maintenance car may actually put other people’s life and health at risk.  “Shame on you, Pastor!” you may actually be thinking. Many of the effects of poor maintenance result in a slow degrade that is simply not reversible except at great expense.  And that degrade is usually quite invisible!

Just so you know, I DID take it in for an oil change today, and they did the “20 point check” on it.  So that is something right?  Yeah, I know some of you guys are still shaking your heads.

But guess what?  This is the blog of your “Spiritual Doctor.”  So now that I have you roped in real nice, it is time to lower the boom on you.  How are you doing on your “Soul maintenance?”

Regular maintenance on your car deals often time with a lot of “invisible” things that a person won’t notice until perhaps its too late.  Soul maintenance is dealing with things that really are very much invisible, and the effect of poor maintenance is often far from overt.  In fact it will be quite invisible to you, though others will probably notice the erosion first.  And failure to do soul maintenance WILL result in catastrophic damage to yourself and to others around you.  

Jackie can tell if I have not had a quiet time recently.  I will get nasty (she might say, “Nastier”) and testy (the kids say “testier”).  If I go a couple of days without soul maintenance, watch out!  Usually by then, as obtuse as I am, I even begin to notice it.  That usually happens at the end of the day as I am sitting haunted by the things which I have said and done.  

An oil change is easy to forget because it happens once every few months.  The disciplines of Bible reading, prayer and confession, service and worship are things that ought to be a part of our regular rhythm of life.  Guys, you were unhappy with me “sinning against my car” by not maintenancing it. But are you daily reading the word and checking your life against it?  Are you asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, daily, and confessing your sins to God?  Are you being God’s hands to others that desperately need His love?  Are you making personal worship a daily habit and corporate worship a weekly practice?  If not, watch out!  Your soul might be running a little thin on the oil!

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The Purpose of the Christian Life: Christ

To live is Christ and to die is gain.

I have had the privilege of reading this for a few folks who are in the hospital.  Some of you may find this an odd text.  Normally you would expect a psalm or a passage that gives some kind of bigger picture for your suffering.  You want a passage that is going to give you hope or promise you healing. Usually I will read such a passage.  But for some I do not.

Where I am convinced that a person has a saving faith, and there is great doubt about the outcome, I read Philippians 1:21.  Where I believe the person has a solid understanding about God’s real plan for life, and is soaked in the word I read: "To live- Christ; to die- gain."   

You see, Paul was on trial for his life.  He knew that outcome, as far as human understanding goes was in doubt.  He did believe he would probably be saved from death, because he could see and believe that he still had a role to fulfill.  To remain alive, he knew, was Christ.  “To live- Christ” means that he understands the real goal of life is to become like Jesus.  Becoming like Jesus means that you begin to reflect his character.  You show his love, grace and mercy.  You are patient with people, and walk humbly with your God.  Life, if we live with the right attitude can make you better or it can make you bitter.  The difference is your perception of the purpose of life. 

Most of us live life like this:  "To live is gain, and to die, Christ."  

Do you see the reversal? That’s backwards from the real verse.  Yes its good to go and be with the Lord.  But what we seem to  really want (for all practical purposes) in our prayers and theology is gain.  It comes out in the frustrations I hear people express:  “I thought God wants me to be healthy wealthy and happy.”  No, thats the bad theology that the false teachers are giving on the TV set.  Its a lie.  They have never even read their Bibles.  

Peter did not spend his life healthy, wealthy and happy.  He died upside down on the cross.  If the "Name it and claim it" crowd is right, I guess he must have been sinning when before he died, because that’s the way lapsed believers die.  God wants us healthy, wealthy and happy.

Paul didn’t spend his life healthy, wealthy and happy.  He spent it on the run, getting beaten, stoned to death, and ship wrecked.  He apparently had some type of eye conditioned that remained with him throughout his ministry years.  He ended his life poor cold, sick and wretched, then ushered to an executioners block.  I guess he forgot to name and claim a better life for himself.  Or he didn’t really believe when he tried to speak it into existence.

I guess Peter got his theology messed up in 1Peter.  He keeps talking about suffering in that book.  That’s not really God’s plan if we are to be healthy wealthy and happy.  Peter was just in error I guess.

John was on the “Rock” of Patmos.  He forgot to name and claim his way to wealth out there I guess.  He must have been a lapsed Christian.

Of course all this is just baloney.  Peter, Paul and John weren’t lapsed.  These false teachers don’t read their Bibles and then hope that you don’t either.  They hope you send them “seed money” so they can buy fancy cars, theme parks, and dodge taxes.  They promise that if you do, you’ll be rich too….if you have enough faith.

Gain.

We have bought into a lie of the world that says, “if you take on a Patron, whether a god or a corporation, it should be ‘I’ll scratch your back and you’ll scratch mine.’” That’s what we have come to believe God is for.  We are here for gain.  We are here for God to please us and serve us and do right by us.  We will scratch your back God, if you will scratch ours. And that means gain.   "That’s your job God!"

“God is good” if he stops a few bullets with a pocket bible.  “God is good” when I get a deal on a car repair.  “God is good” if he keeps the secular bullies off my back.  “God is good” when he keeps some cash in my wallet.   We’ve sure got it backwards.

Life is suffering.  That’s what Peter taught in 1 Peter 4:12: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.”  In other words, it should be “normal” for us to experience trials, and not a surprise.  Paul taught this world was the domain of Satan, and that those who “live godly in Christ will suffer persecution” (2Tim 3:12).  Jesus taught that to love the world is to be at enmity with the father and that wealth rusts, and clothes rot.

Paint

I don’t know if this is really significant or not.  But I think there HAS to be an illustration here someplace.  So a little stream of consciousness here, but let’s see if we can come up with something…

A year ago I painted two walls of my house.  A year later, portions of one of the wall need to be repainted.  Yes they were washed.  Yes they were scraped.  Not all the wall, mind you.  Just one portion.  This produces frustration obviously.  Its money and time to paint.  Its not something I enjoy.  And I don’t like getting my clothes covered with paints spots and streaks.  Its inevitable. It will always happen.

And it always happens that so  me times I would come home from the church, still dressed in something “decent,” and I would try to paint.  After all, “I will be REALLY careful THIS time.” 

Haha.

So I started changing into clothes that were more work type clothes.  But I still splash on them.  And pretty soon I look like some renegade from a clown nuthouse.  So not only is there a time investment in painting, and a money investment, but there is also an investment in extra shampoo (for getting it out of my hair)  and clothing and shoes which can never be worn for anything except other paint jobs.

I am sloppy with paint.  I spill it.  A year ago I was painting in the church and spilled some outside of it.  And wouldn’t you know it, that paint is still there.  Not peeling.  Not flaking or chipping.  Not washing away.  If deliberately put it on my walls, it will peel.  Spill it on the pavement, and its NEVER going away.

A few years back I was painting the garage at the church...just touching up a couple of bare spots.  White paint.  Some little kid (I don’t remember who) came by, got his/her hands and feet in it, and walked across the old school yard in the back.  Even after walking across the yard, he/she was still leaving prints on the sidewalk and the road...ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GREEN AREA!!!

At that point, he/she dropped down, and put some nice hand prints on what then was a brand new sidewalk laid down by our fine public works man, Tom B.

The hand prints are still there and look like they were put down yesterday.

There are still foot prints out there.  Not as strong as the hand prints.  But still there.  But put the paint on my house (or for that matter on the church garage) and there she goes.  I think there is a layer of teflon on my garage and house that does not exist on sidewalks.  Maybe they should spray it on them.  “No stick sidewalks.”

Here are some spiritual applications.

1) We leave a mark where ever we go.  What kind of mark are you leaving behind?  Do you want a mark that leaves a fond memory of you?  Or are you leaving the kind that people want to scrape away when you are gone?

2) No matter how careful we are, we will find that there will be “mistakes.” When Jesus comes into our lives, he scrapes off the old paint mess, and paints us up in Him.  His paint does not chip, soil or fade.  The Father sees us in Him, and deals with us gently as sons.  He will never call us out based on the old paint job.   And no matter how careful we are, we will get the paint dirty.  But Jesus will clean us up if we ask Him to do so.

3)There is a really cool product out right now.  Its called 3M paint protection film.  It goes on your car, and keeps the rocks and other things that can come at you as you are driving, and keeps your paint safe.  Its even self repairing to an extent.  

Jesus is like that for our lives.  He covers us.  He keeps us safe.  He fixes the chips.  And He WILL present you complete and whole in Him when He comes in His glory.

A Case for the Small Church

One of the great heartaches of ministering in a small rural church is seeing people leave over the limited number of “amenities” a small congregation can provide.  It happens when young people grow up and discover there are other churches out there that have youth groups or ministries that cater specifically to them and provide them with opportunities for fun.  It happens when young adults decide they want to get married, and want to look at other churches because they offer dating programs, or ministries for “college and career.”  It happens when parents look around and want more services for themselves or their kids.  Consumerism comes to Christianity.  

The small rural churches are left with a greying congregation, and the people who leave say “There was something wrong with that church.”

I would like to submit that such people have it the wrong way around. They were the problem all along.

We had another family stop (dare I say “Shop”) into our church not long ago.  They abandoned the home church they had been attending for years because the youth group was not big enough at the previous church.  I bumped into one of the members of that family not long ago.  They were now attending a budding mega church not far away; they found a bigger buffet.

I don’t blame the larger churches for offering such opportunities.  I do blame them for not discouraging transfer growth on these flimsy excuses alone.  Such Pastors and ministry leaders ought to be telling such people, “Go back to your home church and start a ministry there.”  Yeah, I may as well wish for a million dollars while I am at it.

When I first saw this family, I have to admit that I was willing to contribute to the problem.  Yes, I began to try to sell them on the “amenities” my church offers.  Shame on me.  I was just another shill for faith based services.  Contrary to my typical practice, I was inviting them to come to youth group and talking about all the ministries our church offers.  

Of course there are people that do leave churches for very legitimate reasons.  Sometimes they leave because of error in the pulpit.  Sometimes they leave because of abuse in the church, or  because they were systematically shut out of the inner circle, and not welcomed into ministry.  If a church does not preach the word of God, or if they won’t let you use your giftedness, or they shun you, etc., then that’s different. We have some such people here in our church.  There really are legit reasons to leave.   I find that most people who leave churches don’t have such things in mind.  Moving to a new church because you changed addresses?  Legit.  Moving to a new church because the music isn’t moving you? Not legit.

Now, normally, if a person is church shopping, and they are leaving another local church to do it,  usually I try to be a little more discerning.  I have even discouraged some folks from coming to our church i the reasons are flimsy and at the least I tell them that in order to come to our church they have to at least contact, by letter if necessary,  their old Pastor and church to tell them Biblical reasons why they are leaving.  Needless to say, I have not seen much transfer growth for flimsy reasons here at BCC.  But I really don’t want someone else’s problem here at this church.  

This one particular family did not come back again.  At first I was really disappointed.  But I remember this last week God tapping me on the shoulder and whispering to me, “You didn’t want them here anyway.”

There may be a variety of reasons God would say that to me.  But certainly the fact that they would leave a church because their youth group was not big enough says that the problem was really with the family, not the church.

Congregations ought not to exist or be enticing because of the smorgasbord of activities they provide. They ought to exist to preach the word and make disciples.  Disciples are made when they take up the Word and start serving on their own.  Churches ought to be enticing because of the practice of love they show across the generations.  They ought to be places to go where I,..me, myself and I have an opportunity to use my spiritual gifts and become a disciple.  If all the ministry is handled by professionals, and I don’t do anything but soak it up, you are not really at the church. You are at the theater.  You are not a disciple; you are a mere consumer of religious goods.

If you are feeling like moving on to some other church because they don’t offer enough programming, the problem isn’t the church.  Its you.  You are the one called to stay and make a difference.  Stay.  Get plugged in.  Build the congregation.  Use your gifts.  YOU go and make that ministry that you feel your church is lacking.  You won’t get the opportunity to influence others for Christ at the mega church like you will at your small home church.  

Or are you just another Consumer of Faith based products like most people in our culture?

To the Pastors who sell their churches on the basis of “Amenities” rather than disciple making  I will tell you that you will never know the joy of watching someone grow from a baby Christian to being a passionate Bible Student or Sunday School Teacher or mission trip participant.  You will always have to be worried that you need to offer more or better “amenities” than the big church in the town next door.  If they start something new, then you’ll have to as well.  If they add one screen you will have to add two.   I’d rather make disciples, thanks.

Number 5: Noah

Hero Number 5: Noah

The fifth person I want to meet in heaven is Noah.  But there is a different dynamic at play in this meeting than meeting with the other Biblical people I have already mentioned.  The reason: he’s my ancestor. 

Certainly there are things that I want to ask him about that are questions meant to fill up my gaps in understanding of the accounts we have in the Bible.  Perhaps most of these will have been answered if and when God the Father holds his “History 101” class for us all.  There certainly is that hunger to know what life was like as he lived and dealt with the critters we know of today as Dinosaurs.  How did he build the ark?  What exactly is “gopher” wood?  How close was he to the other patriarchs that he knew as his ancestors? What are his perspectives on parenting?  What’s the deal with that “Curse on Canaan” thing;  His perspective on the epic of Gilgamesh, and if Nimrod and Gilgamesh were one and the same.

Yet the approach to such a person must be different than an approach to the other people I mentioned.  He is a forbear, THE Progenitor.  From him, all humanity after the flood are descended.  Would he be deal with me in a Fatherly sort of way?  

My ancestor would be Japheth.  What was he like as a kid and a young man?  How old were they before they weren’t a “kid” anymore in that culture?  What stories does he have about “dad?” 

He is also the archetype of the preacher who preached and did not get any results. What did his preaching message look like?  How did the crowds respond? Anger? Laughter? Poor Noah.  If he was a preacher in a lot of our churches today, he would probably be fired.  Yet the results he got certainly were not his fault!  How does a man preach for 120 years to repent and “get into the boat” and not get discouraged?  What was his secret?

Most of all there is just the enigma that this man is.  For a short time, all of human history hung on the thin thread of his life.  Yet we really know so little about him!  There are legends that he eventually moved to what we know today as Lebanon but returned to the area of Urartu (Ararat) to be buried.  The name of the city is Nakhchivan, a name which is even derived from its association with Noah. 

So set me up for my appointment!  I am ready to meet Noah!

Youtube!

I have uploaded a new sermon for my Youtube channel.  If you don't like your J-O-B perhaps this sermon will help to light your fire, and feel differently about it in the future!

Edit: I also added another one today!  May God bless you!