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Becoming something we were not supposed to be …

9 Sep

I’ve been reading a book from another fine graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary named David Platt.  Radical discusses the idea that we in the US have “Americanized” the church and taken it to a place Christ never intended.  A place that many churches around the world would never go.  We’ve made it about our comfort and convenience.  Wait a minute … there is the problem right there:  We’ve made it about US instead of about GOD!!!

I’ve been reading this book and evaluating where I am right now.  Where we are right now.  Not only Ebenezer, but churches across this area.  And Platt is correct!

There is something fundamentally WRONG with a church that complains about having to move from the sanctuary to a gymnasium to worship together (for space purposes) when there are men and women around the WORLD worshiping in secret, for DAYS at a time, out of fear for their LIVES.  There is something fundamentally wrong when we have 5 gazillion committees to do 3 million things and only two hundred people sharing all of the jobs.  (Call that ministerial estimation!!)

I am reeling right now about this one:  We have many great programs and ministries at Ebenezer.  Every one that I see has the purpose of pointing adults, youth, and children to Christ; the purpose of helping to support and build a solid relationship with Christ.  Every one of them has the purpose of discipling in some way.  And it just evidences Platt’s premise when, as a senior pastor, I hear more complaints about our programming than I do broken hearts about those who are lost and dying that drive by our church EVERY DAY.  And the REAL church had better do something about this, because pseudo-churches are popping up all over.  Much of their message does not measure up to the words of Christ.

Believers in Christ, we MUST listen to the words of Paul in II Timothy 4:

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

That time is here and now.  What are we gonna do about it? THIS IS NOT BURGER KING!!  We are people, and have many differences.  Let’s work our differences out WITH LOVE.  In fact, Peter said Love overlooks a multitude of sins!!  Why don’t we love each other, sacrifice our comfort, and get about the business God called us to in the first place??

PLEASE BE THE REAL CHURCH!!!  Let’s become what WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!!!!

Remaining Relevant

7 Sep

Read a blog post from pastor yesterday.  Made me really think about many things.  Seems he was the pastor of a church that died.  At one time, this church was prominent and vibrant.  And relevant.  And they died.

How does a relevant church die??  They die when they become so inwardly focused on themselves that they cannot hear the cries of a world, dying and desperately needing Christ.  Right outside their doors.  It’s almost as if God leaves them to the results of their pride.  They literally die staring in the mirror at themselves.  They forget to digest His word.  They forget to exercise His work.  And they die.

And, with God as my witness, I DO NOT EVER WANT ANYONE TO WRITE THIS ABOUT EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH.  And I will do my part to try and make sure this never happens.  I just hope everyone else is up to it.

It’s time we, the BODY OF CHRIST, stood up and followed HIM!!!  And I mean ALL OF US!

For the duration …

3 Sep

What is your level of commitment?????

One of the trends I’ve noticed in the past decade is a hesitancy to commit.  In MANY, MANY areas of life.  I first noticed this in some of the regular activities of our church that require people to sign-up.  To put their name on the dotted line.  Fifteen years ago, if you asked folks to do this, they would do it and live up to it.  There was this commitment to our word … “If I put my name on the line, you can count on me!”

But times have changed.  Not only at church, but throughout our community there seems to be a trend of not wanting to sign-up or commit until the last minute.  We are ALWAYS waiting on a better deal, wanting to keep our options open!!  Makes things tough on those who need attendance numbers to plan events, but that is the way it is in Florence, SC, in the year 2010!!

And, yes, this bleeds over into church commitment.  Some take the cafeteria style approach, especially in areas like youth ministry.  There is ALWAYS something going on in a youth ministry somewhere in Florence.  That is a good thing!!  And I am glad so many churches have healthy church ministries!!  But sometimes I think people forget about making a commitment to a local church body and living up to it!!  (And they forget to teach their children commitment, too!)

And then there are the church hoppers.  You know, those who NEVER stay at a single church for too long.  You know them, as do I.  Many years ago I had a meeting with a person who attended another church.  That person proceeded to tell me how horrible the youth pastor at his current church was.  It was an enlightening moment for me:  As I sat listening to him bash a colleague, I realized he would say the same words about me someday.  And he did.  And he left the church for another.  And another.  And another.

Let’s cut to the chase here:  I wish everyone in Florence could find a church in which to plug in.  And when they do, they need to COMMIT and PLUG IN.  End of story.  No riding the fence.  Find the place where you belong and BE THERE and BE A PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING THERE.

For the duration.

Constructive Criticism

1 Sep

What is the difference between criticism and constructive criticism??  Two things come to mind.  FIRST OF ALL, subject matter.  Is the criticism being shared a valid concern?  Is it something that will really help a person??  OR is it just a rant?  SECOND, was it shared from a GOOD HEART or in malice??

This week, I had a visitor.  A friend.  What he said to me is not as important as HOW he said it.  He shared a little constructive criticism.  OF COURSE, my initial response was to be defensive.  But, quickly, I realized what he said was valid and he shared it from a place of loving his pastor.  He wanted to help me by sharing it.  And it took great courage to share it.

How did I know this??  I could see it in his eyes.  I could hear it in his voice.  And it made me appreciate him even more than I already did.  It was the way he shared that told me.  Carefully chosen words and a gentle demeanor.  Honestly, I’ve heard much criticism in my day.  MUCH of it through the grapevine.  I also appreciated the fact that he came to ME instead of sharing it in the court of public opinion.

It IS the church BEING the church!  An older brother coming to the aid of a younger brother!  Man, I LOVE my family in Christ!!!!

A Crazy Summer

14 Aug

By far, this has been the craziest summer of my Ebenezer years.  It all began with the great lightening strike of 2010.  Since then, Drew has worked (VOLUNTEER BASIS) at the church a couple of days every week!!  We are almost out of the hole as far as getting everything back to normal (still a couple of issues with the fire alarms, but other than that we are back).  And just in time, because school starts back on Monday.

Looking back,  I cannot believe the summer went this fast.  There are also several things I cannot believe happened, but I can’t blog about those … saving them for my book!!

As the school year begins for colleges, high schools, and on down the line, I hope you and yours have a great year!!  I pray the same for mine!!!

Five things

10 Aug

I’ll start with five things that bug me …

Dangerous topic.  Could be a dangerous post.  Could make some folks mad at me.  What’s new???  (Disclaimer: These are things that have been on my heart for sometime.  So don’t think that YOU are the reason I am writing it)

Five things that bug me:

1.  The craziness that has been going on for MONTHS NOW with the alarms and phone lines around here.  We have beaten our heads against the wall until mine has a permanent mortar line … Our lines seem to work perfectly.  Sometimes the alarms do, and sometimes they don’t.  Could be some of the roadwork going on around here, but we won’t know that until it is all finished, and I might be retired before that happens.

2.  Apathy among God’s people.  There are some fired-up people around this place, ready to charge the gates of Hell with a water pistol.  And then, there are some that ARE NOT.  Some that would just be happy if all that was required of them was sitting in a pew once a month or so, never having to give a dime to anything, and being thoroughly entertained (because, after all, worship is about OUR ENTERTAINMENT, RIGHT???).  I know that disappoints God.

3.  Failure to take responsibility for life.  Too many things I could write here, but the bottom line is IF YOU DID IT, MAN-UP (or woman-up) and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LIFE.  You will never grow in life if you don’t.  Your momma or daddy will NOT be around forever to get you out of messes.

4.  Gossip.  If you need to talk to someone about an issue you have with them, please do it.  Sharing it with your Sunday School class, co-workers, or any other group that will lend you an ear is not always the best thing to do.  I have several friends who believe in hitting things head-on, and honestly that IS the best policy.  It might seem abrupt or in your face, but it really is the right thing.  See Matthew 18 if you don’t believe me.

If you DO NOT have an issue with someone, and are just passing along juicy tidbits, please stop.  Gossip acts like a colony of termites in the foundation of any church.

5.  Realize that EVERYTHING you put out on Facebook, Twitter, and any other type of social media IS OUT THERE.  For the WORLD to see.  If Christ is your Savior, be aware that you now have a SOCIAL MEDIA WITNESS to maintain.  Look at your act, and clean it up if necessary!

NOW that those are out of the way … How about five positives and possibilities for Ebenezer:  (be reminded that these are things on the top of my heart and head … nothing official here, just some speculation)

1.  What if we started worshiping in the FLC for more space??  Even if it were at 8:30, with 11:00 still held in the Sanctuary??  Some will like this idea.  Some will hate it.  All it will take is the greenlight from God and people willing to help make it happen (logistically)!!

2.  What if we started a second Sunday School hour??  Maybe we would shift our schedule to something like this:

Early Worship, Children’s Church, and 1st SS – 9:00am

Late Worship and 2nd SS – 10:30am

(And we can beat the Methodists and Presbyterians to the restaurants!!)

3.  What if we started a bus ministry to Creekside?? Maybe another locale??  Would we accept our new guests???

4.  What if we changed some things in our programming and really made a commitment to GO DEEP with our relationship to Christ??  What if we went to a year-round small group format on Sunday nights??

5.  What if we REALLY believed that Jesus IS the only way of salvation and started living like it??  And TELLING like it??

Realizing there is MORE to His church than just me!!

3 Aug

One of the common mistakes made by people all over the world is the belief that what THEY are doing for the Kingdom of God is the ONLY THING GOING ON IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!!!  Wow … we couldn’t be more wrong.

Paul wrote to many churches about the multitude of gifts God gave each local church.  And when a church gathers together, and begins to use the gifts God gave them, many great ministries blossom and grow.  And the Kingdom of God flourishes.  And, I believe He smiles BIG!!!

I look at the garden that is Ebenezer and I see MANY THINGS that glorify Him:  Children’s ministry, Youth ministry, Weekday Ministry, Worship ministry, mission projects (Angel Food, Creekside, Honduras, Haiti), and the list just KEEPS ON GROWING.  I’d better stop here, because I cannot possibly name all of them.  And all of them have a place in the kingdom.  And all of them co-exist at EBC.  (And, at many OTHER churches, too!!)

I pray EACH of them will continue to grow, continue to bless God’s name and build His kingdom.  And I pray that HE will help US co-exist for many, many decades to come!!!

Tired of the games??

2 Aug

I get tired of the games people play.  Sometimes I can’t even form words about the games people play.  I SURELY cannot blog about them in detail, because I would get into so much trouble.  But I see it all:  People playing games with each other, with love, with God, with the church, with their jobs, and with their pastor (just to name a few).

There are times when I get full … filled up and cannot take it any more.  And just when I think I can’t do it anymore, God reminds me of a couple of things:

1.  As long as there are people, there will be games.  Of course, the games will decrease and disappear as maturity grows.  But our nature is to play games, to work angles, to negotiate.  Games, unfortunately, are a fact of life on earth.

2.  God called me to love people.  Regardless of the games.  And that call is still alive, still loud and clear.

I take comfort in knowing that God is still in charge, regardless of the games.  And He is doing something special at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  I am just glad to be a part of it!!!

Cramped for space

27 Jul

A good problem for any church to have, but ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO SOLVE.  The NEED for space is great at Ebenezer in several ways … Storage space is almost non-existent, education space for Sunday School is so jammed-up you can’t believe it, and now OFFICE SPACE is the new frontier.

For the past several days we’ve debated where Dusty (our new administrator) will be billeted … The answer, for now, is that she will share space with Lisa.  So yesterday we moved stuff, assembled stuff, and got things ready.  Today we will run a few wires and set her up!!

Space limitations are good and bad.  Good that we have the need.  Bad that we have nowhere to go.  In this economy, this type of problem calls for us to do creative things.  Things that we’ve possibly never done before with Sunday School, with storage, and yes, with office space.  God is blessing up and growing us.  We might just have to break out of the molds we’re in and help make it work!!!

Two-Hundred

26 Jul

(Today’s funny from Mikey.  www.mikeysfunnies.com)

The pastor said to Mr. Smith, one of his long-time parishioners, “Thank you, Mr. Smith, for attending out church.  I wish I had twenty parishioners like you.”

“Gosh, it’s nice to hear that, Pastor, but I’m kind of surprised,” admitted Smith.  “You know that I complain about every sermon and hardly ever give money.”

The pastor said, “I’d still like twenty parishioners like you. The problem is, I have two hundred.”

************************

Okay, only a pastor would laugh at that … And I’ll be honest, in a 1300-member church, I really DON’T believe there are 200.  But there are some …  Are YOU one of the 200?

It never ceases to amaze me that some people thrive and survive on conflict.  You know the type … they are not happy unless they are UNhappy.  So they make it their business to find fault with everything and everyone.  And here is a little secret:  NOTHING and NO ONE but God is perfect.  So if you look closely enough, you WILL FIND imperfections and problems EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.

So, are you looking??  Do you focus on the negative, or on the positive??  Focussing on the positive is the best way to survive!  Seriously, none of us are perfect.  Why focus on the negative in others when there is so much positive out there??

Don’t get me wrong … this does not give us licenses to bring less than our best to God.  As individuals and as a church, we need to bring our best and give our best every time when come to His altar.  And if we would each focus on OURSELVES and what IS our best, we would all be much better off.

Are you looking for the good or the bad in things?????

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