Category Archives: Blog

What to Do When you Catch the Ball

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  

I’m proud to be a pastor of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and believe our teachings are true, because they’re all Biblical, but I’m not so arrogant as to think we do everything right. One of the ways we’ve failed is to define being a disciple of Jesus Christ as memorizing Luther’s Small Catechism (and a little Scripture and maybe a few hymns, but mostly the catechism) and attending worship regularly. Most of the emphasis is on gaining knowledge, but if knowledge alone defined being Jesus’ disciple, the devil would be the greatest disciple ever, since he knows the Bible well enough to twist it to deceive us. And if wisdom alone were enough, Solomon would have never fallen into idolatry so deeply. Discipleship isn’t a seminary degree.

But then, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? What do we have to do? How is our relationship with God different from that of the apostles? How could Paul and so many Christians not only in the early church, but still today, face torture and even death and thank God for the opportunity even as they looked into the mouth of a hungry lion or live imprisoned in a shipping carton with barely enough opening to allow breathing that serves as their entire home, including dining room and bathroom? What does it take to have the kind of faith that can endure such things and still look forward to the rest of the day? Imagine one of the highlights of your week being when you write out your tithe check, because you’re so excited about the blessings God has given you and can’t wait to see how He’s going to use your offering to change lives! What if, having the ball of faith, you knew where to run with it?

First, a few disclaimers: You can’t do anything to be saved. Jesus already did everything necessary by dying on the cross, rising again, and sending the Holy Spirit to give you faith. Second, you can’t will yourself to have more faith. That comes by hearing and reading the Word of God. But what does God’s Word say about this?

So get rid of all immoral behavior and all the wicked things you do. Humbly accept the word that God has placed in you. This word can save you. Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves. If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect teachings that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s teachings say. If a person thinks that he is religious but can’t control his tongue, he is fooling himself. That person’s religion is worthless. Pure, unstained religion, according to God our Father, is to take care of orphans and widows when they suffer and to remain uncorrupted by this world. (James 1:21-27, GWV)

What Lutheran pastors are afraid to tell you is that yes, because God has set us free from sin, He doesn’t want us to go back to it. He expects that the Holy Spirit will turn our hearts to Him so we actually grow in faith. Growth is noticeable and measurable, like babies who progress from milk to pureed food to porterhouse steaks. In spiritual terms, such growth occurs in the heart as we trust God more and more, which leads to choices made out of trust instead of fear.

While we’re working on a full-blown discipleship system that surpasses anything else in effectiveness, the most important part of discipleship is being in God’s Word, so you can get a start by just committing to read the Bible. To get started, let me suggest that you set aside 10 minutes more per day than you do now. Go to bed 15 minutes later with Bible in hand or on your phone (Check out youversion.com for the best free digital Bible). Read it over breakfast or lunch. Get a free audio Bible from audiotreasure.com, and listen during your commute, pausing to think about what God is speaking into your life. Follow these easy steps suggested by Martin Luther:

  1. Read a passage (sentence or paragraph) and answer, “What did I learn from this?”
  2. Based on what I learned, what sin do I need to repent of?
  3. Confess that sin to God and thank Him for forgiving you.
  4. Figure out what you need to change in your life to avoid that sin in the future and ask God to help you commit to that change.

If you want to go all in on this, get a friend or two to meet with you every week to follow this process together. (You can do this with your spouse, but having friends of the same sex will allow you to be more candid if there’s sin in your heart that would hurt your spouse to hear about.)

Imagine how different your life would be just by following these four steps. Since the Bible covers every aspect of our lives, this personal study will bring God into every corner and help you see not only His influence and love, but the direction He has for you.

Now imagine how our community would change if every member of Shepherd of the Ridge began this discipline. As our perspective changed, thus changing our lives, that change would flow through the community. But don’t just think about it. Do what it says.

Tags: 
Continue reading →

Missional Living: The Prereq Course

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  
Figure of a Missional Perspective

 

Image via Wikipedia

They will come, and you will see them. They will ask questions like, “Where do I pay?” and they won’t know where to sit. They’ll scout the place out before bringing their kids. They’ll look around constantly to make sure they’re doing what everyone else is doing. They’ll check what you’re wearing to figure out whether they’re overdressed or underdressed. And they’ll be terrified. But they’ll also find themselves in awe and wonder of a God who can love them, a Supreme Being greater than the universe that wants to be in a relationship with them, and a pure and just God Who at the same time forgives all sin.

They’re the unchurched, but they won’t come unless they have a compelling reason to. And they have lots of compelling reasons not to. Now, you may be tempted to think, “But they just should!” But that makes church sound like Metamucil: It’s not pleasant, but it’ll clear the bad stuff out of you!

Missional living is about showing people that faith defines who you are instead of being something you do. And it’s more than being nice: it’s living sacrificially. “These things that I once considered valuable, I now consider worthless for Christ. It’s far more than that! I consider everything else worthless because I’m much better off knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It’s because of him that I think of everything as worthless. I threw it all away in order to gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8, GWV) Some pastors call it, “Living the Six,” or living out your faith the other six days of the week like you do Sunday morning. And what happens when we do that?

In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16, GWV)

As Christians, we live in such a way that it will lead people to praise God. Think about that as you plan your day, your week, your life. “How can I live that people will be so amazed by the love I show that it will move them to praise God for me?” That’s a tall order, isn’t it? Yet that’s the kind of life Jesus calls us, His disciples, to live. He calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us. What does that look like? St. Paul spells it out for us in a familiar passage often read at weddings (then forgotten before the reception!).

Read this passage, and think about your spouse. (If you’re not married, think about a family member or good friend.)

I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don’t have love, I am nothing. I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don’t have love, none of these things will help me. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, GWV)

How greatly have you failed in this kind of love?

Now read it again, but think about the people in our community who don’t know Jesus. Seriously, read it again. Have you been loving to your community? No? Jesus forgives you. He didn’t just come to model that love, but to live that love and die that love for you as well as for those who don’t even know that.

But read it one more time, and as you read each sentence, pray, “God, show me how to love that way, the way You loved me.” Memorize it. Tape it to your car’s dashboard. Attach it to your computer monitor or your TV or bathroom mirror. Set it on your dinner table. Paste it in an email and send it to [email protected] so it keeps getting sent back to you every day. And read it, praying again and again that God show you how to live that kind of love.

When we read about Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, we don’t bat an eye, because our feet, at worst, have sweaty lint on them. To get an idea of the kind of life Jesus was demonstrating, contemplate volunteering (i.e. no paycheck) to change adult diapers in the local Alzheimer’s unit. Every day. Third shift.

If God hasn’t called you into charitable elderly care, in what ways is He calling you to live like that? Because when you do, people who don’t know Jesus will come to know you. And they will wonder what makes you tick, why you’d live your life in a way that may seem admirable, but just doesn’t make sense. And when they hear about Jesus, they’ll realize that the Almighty God did exactly that for them, all the way to the cross and back. And they’ll change their Sunday morning plans.

Continue reading →

Going Back for Seconds

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  
A homeless person sleeping on a street in Clev...

Image via Wikipedia

When we have guests or are at a dinner somewhere, we want our children to be polite, so we tell them, “Don’t go back for seconds until everyone else has had some.” This is pretty standard etiquette, but this is also a simple way to show love to others. I imagine most of your families have a similar rule.

But sadly, this rule tends to stop at the buffet line and not follow us out into our lives.

But what if we applied this rule to our lives? How many pairs of shoes do you have? Before getting your second pair of shoes, did you ever think to buy a pair for those who don’t have shoes? TOMS Shoes is a great example of a company that has taken this to heart. For every pair they sell, they donate a pair to someone in a developing country to prevent soil-transmitted diseases.

What about food? What if, for every can of food each of us bought, we donated a can to Community Care or another local food pantry? Think about clothes, toilet paper, and more. Last year, we had a sock drive when we found out the Lorain Haven Center for the homeless needed socks. But what if, instead of having “drives,” we just made a habit of picking up a few extra cans or boxes of food every time we went shopping? Or when getting that new pair of shoes, grabbing a pair of nice shoes off the Clearance rack for someone in need? Or when you need socks, buy an extra bag for someone who doesn’t have “firsts.”

For most of us, a few extra cans in the cart won’t make a noticeable dent in our checking account. (If it does, let us know, and we’ll help you out with some of it!) But when I was at seminary and had access to an on-campus food pantry and resale shop, most of you can’t imagine how much we appreciated that. Others are in worse situations than we are.

Loving your neighbor isn’t just about giving your 10%. Jesus gave us His all. Loving your neighbor as yourself means going beyond the “drives” and letting your life be driven by the One Who was driven to the cross to save you.

But enough talk. Talking won’t help anyone. If you’re interested in helping with this drop me a note or leave a comment. We just need a container to collect items (or maybe two, one for groceries and one for clothes, etc.) and someone willing to deliver the items to Community Care or wherever they’re needed. Everyone else, think about what “seconds” you have in your life, and ask whether you are able to to help provide “firsts” to someone in need.

 

Continue reading →

The Skin of Christ

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  
Worship BG - We Are The Body of Christ

Image by bemky via Flickr

A little boy was scared during a thunderstorm. His Mom said to him, “Don’t be scared, God will keep you safe.”

“But Mom!” the little boy cried, “Right now I need a God with skin on!”

At Christmas, when celebrating the coming of Christ into the flesh, into a physical human body, we celebrate that Christ is literally God with skin on. With that skin, He was not only able to touch people tenderly and hug them, He was also able to suffer and bleed in our place for our forgiveness.

And while we still get His touch in Holy Communion, our world still needs a “God with skin on.” St. Paul says that we, the church, are the body of Christ. Even though Jesus has retained His human body forever, He has called us to be “God with skin on” to the world, specifically our own community. (It’s hard to physically touch someone on the other side of the world, no matter how many of their Facebook statuses we like.)

This is a huge honor. When people need Jesus, the Savior of the world, He has sent you to meet that need.
But isn’t that asking too much? Jesus is God. He’s the Creator of the universe, and He sustains all things in His hands. During His three years of ministry, He showed a kind of compassion the world rarely sees but so needs.
So how can we be God to our community? God is holy and perfect and pure! We have trouble going more than a few minutes without a sinful thought or action, and Jesus didn’t have a full-time job and a family!

Yes, Jesus was able to feed thousands like a human soup kitchen, but when the recipients only focused on their stomachs, Jesus went away. Like the child in the story, God has called you to be the ears of Christ that listen to a hurting friend. He has called you to be the shoulder of Christ to bear the burdens of your coworkers. He has called you to be the hands of Christ that help a friend (or an enemy!) in need. And He has called you to be the mouth of Christ that speaks His Word of comfort, forgiveness, and acceptance. And He’s so sure that He can work through you, He brings people into your life for that specific purpose.

Keep an eye open for them. When they need a hand, even a nail-scarred one, reach out with the hand of Christ, and lift them up.

Tags: 
Body of Christ
Christmas
Service
Continue reading →

Overcome Evil with Good

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  
Conveyor belt

Image via Wikipedia

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

When things don’t seem to go our way, whether in our jobs, our family, our finances, or our church, it’s easy to get discouraged. We try to get ahead, and so often, as we try to move forward, we find ourselves on a conveyor belt pulling us back. It’s all we can do just to remain stationary, and when we manage just to keep up, we can feel pretty good about ourselves. 

In his book, Direct Hit, Paul Borden says, “Being content with an impotent, declining congregation that is ignored by the community is evil.”

Those are strong words, but they’re true. Right here in North Ridgeville, 20,000 people don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior, and many of those who do treat Him more like a casual acquaintance instead of the lover of our souls He really is. God has placed us here to reach out to them with His love to foster new and renewed relationships with Christ Himself and with His bride, the church.

But if we’re doing the best we can and still not moving forward, how do we change that? The answer is simple: get off the conveyor belt.

Have you ever, while driving, seen a bird in front of your car, and when trying to get away from the car, it flies straight ahead instead of going up or to the side? I just want to yell, “You’re a bird! You have wings! Go up!”

We’re the church! We have the Holy Spirit! Go up!

How do we do that? First of all, pray. Pray some more. Pray for God’s direction, for clarity of vision so we can see the path that lies before us. Pray for faith to walk down that path. No, pray for faith to run down that path. When God parted the sea for Israel to escape Egypt, it took faith to walk between those two walls of water, knowing at any moment, the wind could stop, and the walls would crash down on them. But really, that couldn’t happen. They were being held up by God, and God would never destroy His people as they walked by faith. Pray for the assurance that He will lay His path before us as well. And when He lays that path before us, pray that God give us swiftness and sureness of foot, that we move forward boldly, but all the while remain on His path, not our own.

Tags: 
vision
Continue reading →

Your Secret Responsibilities

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  

OK, everyone, as a member of Shepherd of the Ridge, has certain responsibilities: Worship, Bible study, taking care of your family, and that whole 10 Commandments thing. But did you know that, as an (all too often secret) agent in God’s army, you have secret responsibilities?

In his blog, church leadership guru Nelson Searcy suggests that every church member, when attending worship, have a set of responsibilities to accomodate guests. Borrowing from his list, here’s my custom list for Shepherd of the Ridge members:

  • Fill out the pew pad and offer it to anyone else in your seat: This helps us make sure nobody “slips through the cracks” if they haven’t been here for a while. It also encourages guests to fill it out, since they’re not being singled out. (Being a smaller church, they already feel exposed.)
  • Sit toward the middle of the pew instead of at the aisle. (If you have trouble walking due to a medical condition, I’ll excuse you from this one, not doctor’s excuse required.) This allows guests to easily find a place to sit.
  • When you see someone you don’t know, introduce yourself. If you think they may be members, but either you or they haven’t been to church in a while (or you just haven’t had a chance to talk to them before), “Hi, I’m <name>, but I’m not sure we’ve met,” works. In a smaller church where “everyone knows everyone (not true, but that’s the perception),” guests want to know that they won’t be excluded.
  • This may sound obvious, but when you talk to guests, invite them back. There’s a reason the kid at McDonald’s says, “Thanks. Come again.” He doesn’t care, but he’s been instructed to say that. It plants the idea. We actually do care, and we want people to know that they are welcome here unconditionally.
  • If you request a prayer before the service, be loud enough that everyone, not just the pastor, can hear you. People care and want to know whom they’re praying for.

Is God going to strike you down if you sit by the aisle? Nope. He loves you. But He also wants you to love your neighbor as yourself, and that means making personal sacrifices for others.

We sometimes talk about assimilating guests and new members, that is making them more like us. That’s not our job and is, honestly, selfish. We should accomodate guests and new members, making (pretty small, really) sacrifices to make them feel comfortable and welcome.

So next time you come (and we want you to come back, too!), keep these suggestions in mind. If you have other suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

Tags: 
Guest Accomodation
Continue reading →

3 Questions about the existence of God

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  

Recently, physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking said, “Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing,” but this statement from a scientific standpoint has a hole in it the size of, well, a black hole. According to the Big Bang Theory, when the universe exploded and expanded, it wasn’t simply matter and energy filling the void, but space and time coming into being. This includes all the laws of physics. So Hawking credits gravity with the Big Bang, but gravity and all other natural laws could did not exist until after the universe had already come into existence. Some force outside the universe must have caused it to come into existence in the beginning.

“I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.” (Acts 17:23b, WEB)

To describe this outside force, I tend to use the word, “God,” or, “Jesus.” But because, unlike Hawking, I believe this is a personal God, not just a random force, many questions arise from those who see no evidence of such an intervening Being.

If God wants all to be saved, why does He not go out of His way to prove His existence?

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus points out that even such a grand miracle as raising the dead wouldn’t convince those who reject the Word of God, and then toward the end of His ministry, He raised a man who had been dead four days (also named Lazarus). The response? “But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” (John 12:10-11)

Then to remove all doubt, Jesus rose from the grave Himself. Surely, this would be sufficient! The response? They bribed the soldiers to say the disciples had stolen the body. (Matthew 28:11-13)

So in short, He did!

But I don’t believe the Bible. Why doesn’t God do miracles today?

Normally, God works through means: doctors, medicine, etc., but we’ve all heard stories or know people personally who’ve had inoperable conditions that were inexplicably healed. But since spontaneous remission happens about once in every 100,000 cases of cancer, the argument comes across as, “But it happens fairly often, so it’s not a miracle. We just can’t explain how it happens. So again, why doesn’t God perform miracles?” Could you define “miracle,” please?

But not all ailments have been spontaneously cured from time to time. Stephen Hawking has Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Others have amputations. Why doesn’t God miraculously regrow organs or limbs? Well, amputations may be a bad example, since limbs do sometimes regrow, but we’re in no position to make demands on God or demand signs. (Matthew 12:38-40) If God miraculously healed all or most missing limbs, we would have no reason to develop assistive technology. In weakness, God drives us to act in compassion toward others, thus demonstrating His love through us and teaching us to love each other. God uses the suffering in the world to draw us closer to Him. Jesus even uses amputation as an example to demonstrate this. (Mark 9:43) But that leads to a related question:

Why does God allow suffering instead of just miraculously healing us?

God’s goal is not to impress us or somehow live up to our expectations. He also hasn’t promised to make us happy, at least not today. God’s greater concern is our salvation, eternal life with Him, and through suffering, we see our need for Him. Through the suffering of others, we learn how to love as we care for them.

But all of these questions discount the depravity of mankind. God led the Israelites by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire in the sky. That didn’t stop them from making the golden calf and worshiping a false god. Our rebellious nature will always look for an explanation or alternative when presented with spiritual truth. Any miraculous occurrence can be explained as, “We just don’t know, but I’m sure there’s some explanation.” While we can respond to misinformed arguments or answer questions, faith only comes by hearing the Word of God. It’s a gift of God, not something so weak that our intellects could somehow contain it.

And this is the greatest miracle of all, that even though we’re in active rebellion against God before we’re even born, that He breaks down those walls of doubt and brings billions of people, including scientists of every field, to faith and knowledge of their Savior. And as they enter the Kingdom, God’s mercy shines through while the angels wonder at His amazing plan.

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are: that no flesh should boast before God. But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:20-31, WEB)

 

The_grand_design_book_cover.jpg
Tags: 
atheism
Science
suffering
Continue reading →

Honest discussion

LCMS Pastors' Resources Posted on by  

After inviting a handful of atheist bloggers to our Genesis discussion, one of their readers sent me a poem. Sadly, the email address given was fake, so I couldn’t respond directly, so in the interests of making a point, I’ll post the comment publicly and respond (it’s a bit crude–you’re warned):

The Christian’s Jehovah is Almighty God,
a capricious and cantankerous sod,
and, so far as I can tell,
the Christian often is as well.

because

The Bible Bogey, he’s taught to see,
is three that’s one, and one that’s three;
it’s a father, a son, and a friggin’ ghost,
that with magic spells becomes wine and toast!
With the problem of theodicy,
it sure as hell is idiocy.

similarly

The Jew’s Yahweh is a wrathful old jerk,
setting strict rules on when to work,
how to dress, and what to eat and sip,
and giving baby boys the snip.
Myths of Bronze Age, goat-herding nomads
metaphorically get them, by the gonads.

also

The Muslim’s Allah is a fierce great djinn;
Submission is even the name of his religion.
Apostasy is treated just like a crime;
they’ll threaten to kill you, to keep you in line.
The Religion of Peace is what they call it,
with warfare & terror, they zealously enforce it.

likewise

Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Jain,
Confucianist, Taoist, Wiccan, – they’re all insane;
the faithful of every cult or religion,
are mired in the miasma of superstition.

My response:

That brings us to the atheist
Who says he’s not religionist
Yet holds that God does not exist
But without proof, he’ll still insist.

Instead of intellectual theses,
He’s satisfied throwing verbal feces.
While holding tight to Dawkins’ nape,
He shows his relative’s an ape.

But all rancor from either place
Results in only saving face.
To coexist, instead we must
Sit down together and discuss.

Hammer your sword into a stein,
And raise your glass of malt or wine.
Then talk of what we disagree,
To see with your eyes, and yours through me.

Continue reading →