Archive | September, 2018

Church… There is no substitute

24 Sep

There is something about the church.  Something special.  In Matthew 18, Jesus Himself said wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He will be there with us.  Think about it!!

The church brings so much more value into the lives of its family than one could imagine.  We celebrate each other’s victories.  We shoulder each other’s burdens.  We hold each other accountable.  We strive together for a deeper understanding of the Word of God.  We band together to work as one body in this world, achieving far more as one body than we would ever achieve as individuals.  There really is no substitute.

Over the years, I have heard many points of debate about the church and a Christian’s need to be part of it.  “I can worship God on a softball field (or from a boat or a deer stand).”  Yes, certainly you can worship God from anywhere.  But the church is NOT ONLY ABOUT WORSHIP!!

“My children attend a Christian school.  They are getting plenty of Bible education.”  (By the way, I attended a Christian school.  And used that excuse, too.)  If the church were ONLY about EDUCATION, that might work.  But it is not!

“I am involved in a community Bible study.”  That is AWESOME!!  WONDERFUL!!  Discipleship is definitely a HUGE need within the church.  But, the church is not only about discipleship.

I would ask “Where do you practice stewardship?  Where do you engage in ministry?  How do you pour into the lives of the next generation?”  In other words, you need to find a church family.  And be true to that family, wherever it might be!!

And, in all honesty, when we spread ourselves across the community and attempt to replace the church with different activities, 99% of the time we are trying to AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY.  Because NO ONE likes to be held accountable.  But a huge role the church plays in the lives of its family is accountability.  If you walk away from accountability, you will eventually walk away from the family of God.  (I’ve seen that happen, pretty much 99 times out of 100.)

There really is no substitute for engaging in a church family.

The Morning After

16 Sep

Okay, Ebenezer, I DO NOT like this “being home on Sunday morning.”  Not one bit.  There is so much to be thankful for, but I wish I could see you guys.  Look you in the eyes.  Know that my family is okay.

At Wednesday Night Bible Study, we talked a little about Jesus calming the storm.  As we shared those words and prayed, all of the experts were telling us that a Category 4 or 5 hurricane was going to SLAM into our coast and obliterate us.  And do record-breaking damage to South Carolina, North Carolina, and a good bit of the Eastern Seaboard.  So we braced for it.  We prepared.  We cancelled Sunday worship because the forecast showed the eye of the storm about 30 miles due south of us on Sunday at 8am.  And we waited.

Two memes I saw told the story:  One said waiting on this hurricane was like being stalked by a TURTLE.  True!!  The other struck more fear into my heart .. It said that waiting for this hurricane was like waiting for your father to get home, KNOWING that you were in trouble and you were gonna get a good spanking!!!  (It didn’t quite say that, but that is the clean version)  Honestly, I’ve been there and done that more than I care to say.

SO… We sat, glued to the TV and internet.  Hearing this storm would break all of the records.  CATASTROPHIC DEVASTATION.  And we waited.  And we waited.  And we prayed.  And there was NO WAY this storm was not going to completely gut the eastern side of both states.

But God wasn’t writing the story that way.  It is true, there were people who lost their lives in the storm.  There are cities and families whose worlds are COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED.  But God was at work.  Right before the storm came ashore, it apparently hit a pocket of dry air that no one saw coming.  The mighty Cat4/5 hurricane was deflated to a mere ONE when it came ashore.  The path of devastation was reduced to a more confined area.  Now, do not take these words lightly:  THESE PEOPLE NEED OUR HELP.  And will need it for WEEKS TO COME.  This, too, is how God works.  He calls His people to make a difference in His world.

I do not make lightly of the damage, of the water and wind, and of the storm.  But I am afraid we were all so hypnotized by the radar, the forecasts, and the science of it all that we forgot one HUGE important factor:

GOD IS GOD OF ALL.  EVEN THE STORM!!!

My friend Lyn Myrick felt compelled to read this at the end of our Bible Study.  He told us it was his favorite passage.

Psalm 46 (NIV)

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 

I am afraid we all forgot that GOD IS OUR REFUGE.  And even when the earth gives way, and the mountains fall into the sea, HE IS STILL IN CONTROL.

And, instead of being angry with our weather forecasters and our government, perhaps we should be thankful that God deflated a Cat4/5 storm.  We prayed, He moved His hand, and look what happened!!!!!!!