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Published: 22 October 2021

“Does It Matter?”

Serving.  Giving.  Loving.  Sacrificing.  Hurting.  Trying.  Failing.  Losing.  Those are all words I would associate with church life.  I’ve been in “the ministry” for about 40 years this year.  I’ve never been hurt like I have been hurt in church.  I’ve never been as tired and worn out as I have been by the work of the church.  I’ve given when I had nothing else to give and tried when I had nothing else to try.  I’ve gone back to work on days I wanted to quit and I’ve watched investment in people go completely bankrupt.  I’ve been lied to and lied about.  I’ve seen Diane cry and pray and give in ways no one else will ever know.  I’m not complaining and I’m not asking for anything; because at the end of the day, when I consider what God has said about serving Him, I believe it is worth it. Now, and in the life to come.  I have seen love, joy, peace, holiness, beauty, praise, worship, miracles, conversions, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, loyalty, commitment, provision and blessings that can only be explained by supernatural means.  And, we have hints throughout the Scripture that what we have in this life is not the end.  It’s interesting how many little reminders there are that the rewards God has for us in the life to come are well worth the investment.  The enemy and the world actually hate what the church is really about.  My own flesh craves ease, comfort and accolades.  If not for the active assistance of the Spirit, no one could continue the Kingdom life.  But, He is with us and for us.  So, yes, it matters.  What you do for Christ in and out of the church matters.  He knows.  He loves you and is with you in the struggle.  You will see things serving Him that others will never see—and, the best is yet to come.  “Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

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Published: 15 October 2021

“Cultural Issues?”

Some things that we struggle with culturally are here and gone.  They are a big deal at the time but then they vanish.  Remember Y2K?  However, some things that we struggle with as a culture transcend time periods and are a part of the human condition.  It’s interesting to note this in Paul’s “pastoral epistles.”  For example, we don’t know what he meant by “disputations, wranglings, idle talk and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge.”  Those matters were a big deal at the time but vanished.  However, there are some things that we continue to struggle with and the Holy Spirit addressed those matters, they’re timeless.  We’re still dealing with government issues, gender issues, character issues and social justice issues.  These issues are addressed in 1 Timothy 2-6.  What we’ll see is that they are more than cultural issues, they are actually theological issues.  They are part of the human condition that we can trace back to the big themes of creation, fall and redemption.  As one writer mentioned, “They are part of our mega-narrative.”  I had thought about skipping 1 Timothy chapter 2 or at least doing a fly-over but we’re going to dive in, with a little fear and trembling.  Hopefully I won’t be looking for a job on Monday.  Even if I am, these issues aren’t going away any time soon.  We better figure out how the gospel applies to these timeless struggles.  Let’s pray to that end.