Church Growth - April 29, 2018

Acts 9:31 - So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Throughout the years, I have attended several different churches. Some of these were large and some quite small. A few were traditional but the majority were of a non-denominational "flavor." I can think of a couple in Texas and some in Missouri which have continued to grow in both numbers and the ministries they provide to their communities and the world at large. However, there are others that have remained static or are even diminished in both their congregation size and their impact on their respective areas. While there are many reasons why churches do not seem to grow both in numbers and influence, there are reasons from both religious polling and the word of God that might give us pause regarding why this is so. 

According to a 2003 Barna Research Group study regarding the theolographic (spiritual beliefs and practices) limitations of churches with less than a 100 parishioners, the following polling data regarding church size was compiled which "... reflect challenges that are less prevalent in larger congregations."

The data revealed that small churches have a lower proportion of attenders who are "spiritually active," which was defined as individuals who attend a church service, read the Bible, and pray to God during a typical week. This paralleled a finding that showed small church attenders are less likely to claim that their religious faith is "very important" in their life. In addition, the research showed that adults affiliated with small congregations are less likely to be born again, less likely to believe in salvation by grace alone (i.e., not by good deeds), and less likely to have an orthodox view of God (i.e., holy, creator, ruler of the universe, alive today). The report indicated that such views undermine a solid theological foundation for congregational growth and may suggest that other spiritual perspectives that conflict with the Bible are common in smaller churches.

While Barna's research provides a contemporary view into growth dynamics of smaller churches versus larger congregations, it is important to look at the word of God why this might be the case. In the aforementioned report, the pollster states education and economic status are also factors. However, I believe Luke gives us some insight in the book of Acts that possibly benchmark these survey findings with God's word. As our lead verse states, the church enjoyed peace after Paul's conversion, "... going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit." It would seem these are inseparable commodities regarding church growth, if we understand their importance to a healthy, growing congregation. First of all, it is relevant to acknowledge that churches will generally produce more parishioners after their own kind. (The metaphor holds true that oak trees will produce more oak trees via acorns.) So, if church people are continually taught the fear of the Lord is the way to keep away from sin, then these will be less likely to create factious schisms through unrepented lives (Proverbs 14:27). For instance, husbands and wives will remain in faithful relationships and children will learn the wisdom of obedience. Secondly, when members and attenders fear the Lord, they will seek instruction, not only from the Lord but from those gifted in the local body to teach (Proverbs 1:7). Therefore, they will more than likely find their place in the body and function according to their individual gifts. This is the "comfort of the Holy Spirit," when parishioners can find where they are jointly fit within the church and respond in obedience to the Holy Spirit's guidance. Rather than quenching or grieving the Spirit, they are then working along side the Comforter, bringing aid to the church. Of course, this finds great favor with both God and men.

 The purpose of this writing is not to judge anyone and the size of congregation they might attend. It is meant to challenge anyone who does not feel as they are growing in parallel with their church. If growth has stopped, both individually and congregationally, it is time to reassess where we fellowship. If we can be part of the solution, helping our body to grow through the fear of the Lord and through the equipping of the saints (comfort of the Holy Spirit), then we should by all means be that support. However, if others within the local body are comfortable in the problem and the church continues to die, then it may be time to move on. If we are not individually functioning in the fear of the Lord and the Holy Spirit's comfort, then it is superfluous to believe we are not providing assisted suicide to our local gathering of believers. Whether we stay or go, let us bring life through our personal relationship to strengthen our local body and bring the church, as a whole, closer to the calling the Lord desires.

Heavenly Father, may we individually live in the fear of the Lord, causing Your Holy Spirit to have His way in our lives. May we then collectively take Your message to our community, city, country, and the world as we join together to share the word of hope to a dying world. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Chronic Injury - April 22, 2018

Luke 10:19 - Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

When I was a kid, it seemed like I was regularly in the emergency room. Though never admitted into a hospital for surgery or long-term physical treatment, I had plenty of occasions where I required stitches. These were generally from carelessness and not watching what I was doing. Once, a ladder that was leaned up against our two-story clubhouse blew over and crashed into my head. Fifteen stitches were the result of not watching what was going on around me. Another time, I was walking down a set of steps on a slide. I slipped and a bolt protruding at the bottom ripped my leg open where a dozen or so stitches were needed. I could relate many other instances, but the two mentioned will make my point. If I had paid better attention to my surroundings and not tempted fate by my carelessness, then things would have undoubtedly turned out differently. As I grew older, I learned important lessons in this regard. If we learn to heed warnings and obey common sense, then we generally are safe in our surroundings. However, if we take chances and go against better judgment, then the opposite can and often does occur.

I should clarify that taking chances is not necessarily wrong. Often, we must step out and take calculated risks in our personal lives. Businesses would never prosper without a certain amount of anticipated jeopardy as they invest capital to create more wealth. Similarly, we must weigh the possibility of personal loss and gain as we make a myriad of decisions daily. The key is to minimize loss. If we operate within safe boundaries, we will often achieve this goal. However, once we step out of obedience regarding known wisdom, then we allow ourselves to be subject to personal harm. That is why most financial planners suggest a long-term strategy for growing assets. Small rather than large adjustments can be made along the way without dramatic changes to a wealth portfolio. As with business, this paradigm is also true in the spiritual realm regarding building spiritual affluence. It often comes as a result of slow, methodical growth through faith and obedience. The spiritual rocket fuel in this equation is generally God's wisdom.

As our lead verse states, Jesus has granted His disciples "authority to tread on serpents and scorpions." However, authority is often different than permission to act. Just because we have the right does not necessarily mean we have allowed faith and obedience to mature us to the point of victory in a given situation. The seven sons of Sceva learned this the hard way. While they mentally understood there was power in the Name of Jesus, they did not possess the faith generated by heart wisdom. Therefore, this presumptive exorcism was a case of blatant disobedience grounded in unbelief, leading to their injuries as the demons shamed them (see Acts 19:13-16). However, in another instance, John reported to Jesus how someone was casting out demons in the Name of Jesus and how the disciples attempted to stop him because he was not following them. Jesus tells John to leave him be, saying that if he was not against them he was for them (Acts 19:13-16). In other words, I believe the Lord was saying if he is operating in faith and obedience with heart wisdom, that he was fulfilling the authority of Christ through faith and obedience. This man understood his influence over Satan's realm through Christ's Name and he obviously stepped out in faith and obedience to demonstrate it.

Whether we believe the Lord's statement regarding our position in Him is superfluous regarding the reality. As the Lord told His disciples, we all have the authority to exercise our rights over Satan's kingdom. Yet, do we have the wisdom that is born out of faith and obedience through our daily walk? The reason why many Christians are continually getting injured by the enemy is because of their supposed faith not working through obedience. As the sons of Sceva, we want to rush out and do great things for God without a depth of relationship. (When Paul was exorcising demons at the church of Ephesus, he had been walking with the Lord Jesus for at least 20 years!) Once we choose to obey God, He will begin to work within us the faith to remove mountains (see Luke 17:5-10). Faith of this type may take years to mature. However, once we start obeying, trust becomes evident, whereby faith can grown and flow. Injury -- physically, emotionally, or spiritually -- is not the heritage of a child of God. It usually comes through unbelief rooted in sentimentality -- that God is not able to do what He says or through presumption when we get ahead of God's wisdom. May we all lean to trust and obey and allow faith to grow, healing all perceived injuries as we trample the enemy of our souls.

Heavenly Father, may our faith and obedience grow with wisdom to use Your authority as You direct. May we never get ahead of you in presumptive arrogance, nor behind you in unbelief due to lack of wisdom. Give us the spiritual knowledge to walk with You, treading down the kingdom of darkness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Wings of Wealth - April 15, 2018

Proverbs 23:4 - Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it.

Francis Bacon is quoted as saying, "Be not penny-wise. Riches have wings. Sometimes they fly away of themselves, and sometimes they must be set flying to bring in more." Most have experienced either or both points of this English philosopher's admonition regarding money. When we have set our hope on wealth, it has often disappointed us. Playing the stock market can often be a risky undertaking and many can attest to Lord Bacon's observation because of bad investments. While the first part of his quote is understandable for many of us, the mention of us providing the proverbial wings to wealth is quite another. To possess a sense of control over our finances is one thing -- it is quite another to allow the income we have so deliberately built up over the years to suddenly take flight without a thorough understanding where it is heading. For Christians, this is often the case when we do not understand why the Lord is requiring us to give a certain amount to this person or to that organization. However, this is when our faith becomes apparent to others, and especially to ourselves.

We have often heard others speak about the futility of pursuing wealth. The wisest man who ever lived (besides Jesus) reflected upon the pursuit of material wealth and categorized it with similar futilities of life (Ecclesiastes 2:1-9). Throughout this diatribe, I feel quite certain Solomon was not speaking of merely material wealth. I believe it is also reflective of his admonition in our lead verse. Because of the wisdom of Solomon, I believe he understood that secure, material wealth was merely a result of solid spiritual riches. Until one has surrendered both to the Lord and for His bidding, then wealth may easily depart us as we desperately try to hang onto it and control it. However, a most incredible dynamic begins to occur once we acknowledge that wealth is not just material. We see the value of our entire lives given to God for His service. (The truly rich in life will understand.)

Jesus' disciples were astounded when their Lord told them how hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom (Luke 18:18-30). I believe He had much more in mind regarding earthly riches, as the example of Solomon shows us. I can visualize Jesus mourning the lack of spiritual wealth in the rich young ruler as He spoke to the disciples regarding the rich young rulers "net worth." Jesus knew the requirement for a true disciple of His was a life laid down of both material and spiritual riches for the sake of others. Otherwise, wealth would "fly away" of itself. Conversely, the Lord requires any disciple of His to set riches flying on their own through His prudent counsel. Then, these very wings that have borne away our "supposed" wealth, both spiritually and materially, will bring it back a hundred fold to further invest in Christ's kingdom. 

Dictionaries misjudge the definition of wealth by limiting it to what a person can garner, materially. Wealth is actually anything which allows a person to prosper in life -- physically, mentally, or spiritually. Jesus tells us not to seek it in any form, but to seek first the kingdom of God and what we need will be given to us. Wealth will then come, as we need it, to supply first other's needs and then our own. Seeking the wealth of wisdom and that of money are equally wrong if we merely desire to waste them upon ourselves. God lavished upon us the wealth of salvation and He desires our hearts to be taken up with the same task for all mankind. Wealth will certainly take wings in every one of our lives. It is meant to fly. It is our responsibility to not let it do so without the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As Francis Bacon stated, we must set wealth flying to bring in more. This is the irony of the Gospel. We spend ourselves utterly on Jesus Christ and His will, only to become the wealthiest individuals on earth.

Lord Jesus, allow us to see with Your wisdom the riches within each of us who call You Lord. May we draw upon these to produce wealth of all kinds for everyone except ourselves. Then, may we marvel at how you have made us indescribably rich in the process. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Judging Righteously - April 8, 2018

I Corinthians 5:12 - For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?

Most of us are familiar with Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount when He said "Judge not so that you may not be judged." (Matthew 7:1) We may have used this verse to instruct the "intolerant," or possibly someone reminded us of this scripture when we voiced a negative comment regarding a person, place, or thing. Those who study Scripture and know the heart of God might tire of hearing those who know little of Scripture and God's heart misquote Jesus' admonition. The context of this verse spoke to those who lived under a Pharisaical culture which continually attempted to bring others under the burden of religious compliance. However, Jesus changed the complexion of what it means to judge righteously by telling the crowd to first remove all pretense of self-righteousness. (Once the log of contempt toward others is removed from my eye, I will be able to see clearly to remove the speck from my brother's eye [Matthew 7:3-5].) By doing so, we have the opportunity to demonstrate love within the bounds of humility which God has given to us regarding our fellow man.

If we are truly honest, we all make judgments dozens of times throughout our day. We judge whether we are color-coordinated when we get dressed in the morning. We judge whether a certain food is good or not so good for us, and especially our waistline! However, when we move from making judgments that speak into other lives, that is what often causes the rancor. What we must ask ourselves in these cases is: What is our motive? Is our desire to condemn or to construct? To meddle or to mend? To hate or to heal? Why we judge will often be the great determiner on how it is received. We know from the Scriptures that Jesus spoke much about judging and it was not always telling us not to do it. In context of Jesus' discussion with the Pharisees concerning healing on the Sabbath in John chapter seven, He tells them not to be so bound by their laws that they miss the intent. In John 7:23-24 He states, "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." [emphasis added] Jesus is saying to both those of His day and also to us how we are missing the point if we do not judge appropriately and according to the law of love. We must see that judgment must begin with us and our motives, and then we will be adequately prepared to judge with Christ's heart of love (I Peter 4:17).

The Apostle Paul understood this principle when he likewise dealt with religious passivity at the church in Corinth. Immorality, covetousness, slander, envy, and a number of other fleshly indulgences were in full operation in this young, burgeoning body of believers. However, he rightly pointed out how "outsiders," or those who did not know Christ, were not to be judged in a condemning manner. Paul preached the Gospel and allowed the seed to fall where it may, bringing some but not all to repentance. Like Paul, we can only speak the word of God and let unbelievers either continue in their wicked ways or come to Jesus and His salvation. However, for those who do come to Jesus and yet still continue in the ways of the world, it is our duty to judge them in love. Of course, we must be careful in how we present the truth. It must be done in compassion and through relationship. As an example, it is impossible to drive a 2-ton truck over a 1-ton bridge and not expect bridge damage. In the same way, if we have not bridged the relationship in those lives where we speak judgment, then we will very possibly damage the "bridge" and cause irreparable harm. Love is the key, beloved, to any type of successful judgment.

The aforementioned scripture in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians reads as follows, "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves." (I Corinthians 5:12-13) Was Paul angry? I believe that is certainly the case. However, what precluded Paul's anger was his love. When writing this epistle, I can only imagine the tears streaming down his face as he sorrowfully said, "Remove the wicked man from among yourselves." Paul had built that bridge of relationship and had poured his life into theirs. Therefore, he bore the right to judge with righteous judgment those for whom he had travailed in much work and prayer. We must likewise be careful who we judge and on what occasion. It is often easy to judge the behavior of someone else without first loving that individual. As stated, I believe Jesus' words "judge not that you not be judged" are often used to further the ends of people who want to remain tolerant of the worst behavior. Conversely, I believe it is also important that when we do judge righteously we do it with a heart of love that seeks to correct through the lens of Scripture. As Christians, we must not balk from our responsibility to judge righteously. Yet, we must do it always looking to ourselves, knowing we are only as strong and loving as we are humble before a loving God.

Heavenly Father, may we first judge ourselves correctly that we may be able to judge others with love and to help them on this journey of life. May we never condemn, but always lift up the standard of Jesus, allowing Your Holy Spirit to draw both us and others to Your saving grace. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Inner Room of Prayer - April 1, 2018

Matthew 6:6 - But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

For many years and at various times, I have been nominally to very involved in what is regarded the present day prayer movement. There is something commendable to be said for believers in Christ who are dedicated to 24-hour a day prayer, 365 days a year. Time spent in a prayer room with other believers, seeking God for our spiritually impoverished world, is wonderful. However, it cannot take the place of hidden prayer. Solomon tells us in the book of Ecclesiastes: "It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them." (Ecclesiastes 7:18) If we use this scripture as a measuring rod, there is a balanced approach to prayer. However, while private prayer is possible without public prayer, I believe the Scriptures unequivocally state that effective public prayer is somewhat superfluous without an inner room prayer life.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave both his past and present disciples an extremely important admonition on prayer. In ancient Judaism, the prayer life was regarded as sacred, yet it was mainly a public demonstration of faith. Jewish men would gather in the Inner Court of the temple, Jewish women would gather in the Court of Women, and all other peoples were only allowed in the Court of the Gentiles. In all of these places there was the public display of prayers offered up to God. (Today, there is no better example than those offered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.) However, Jesus turned the paradigm upside-down when he told His disciples to hide oneself in their inner room rather than allow others to see them voicing their prayers to God. According to Jesus, public prayer was not the pinnacle of devotion, but hidden prayer instead. Prayer should be a personal expression of our relationship with the Father. In the example He uses in Matthew, no one is to know how much we pray or do not pray. "Rewards" are not necessarily contingent on our earnestness or the length of time we spend in the inner room, but our obedience according to the Father's bidding.

If we took this one scripture in Matthew and built a theology on prayer, it would seem to condemn all public expressions. As with all Jesus' writings, it is important to see what He states in all instances regarding prayer and form a consensus of thought. He was not against public prayer, as we read in the Gospel of Mark. In the context of chapter eleven, Jesus had entered Jerusalem for His final week before His death. The previous day, the Lord and His disciples had cast out the moneychangers from the Temple. So, when He spoke about standing and praying in verse 25, it is evident He was referring to public prayer. Mark records Jesus' words in the following: "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." (Mark 11:25) While Christ has often been accused of rabbinic hyperbole in certain instances (e.g., plucking one's eye out if it offends), we have enough written on prayer by the Gospel writers to know Jesus did not condemn public demonstrations of this sort. To apply Solomon's wisdom once again, we must marry public prayer with personal devotion. Without a private life of prayer in the proverbial inner room, there is not much sense "standing" in prayer in any public setting. True, God hears all prayers. However, if we can only please God through faith (Hebrews 11:6), then how much of this substance will truly be part of our public petition if we have not developed it in the secret place of devotion? 

Do we hide our prayer habits so that others cannot see them? Or, do we make sure we are seen by others? Public prayer rooms are wonderful and have their place. However, there should be a reluctance for others to see us there and somehow equate we are "spiritual." Conversely, if we are seeking to conceal ourselves from men's approval then we can be hidden in God for His purposes and for His pleasure. We must covertly offer up prayers continually in our private devotion so we will have something to give in a public prayer forum. As a result, others should not necessarily witness our standing and spouting right-sounding prayers, but they should rather breathe prayer's fragrance exuding from our lives. If we are interceding continually to God then it will be moot whether anyone sees us. Nonetheless, it will be evident by the aroma of Christ upon our lives. Beloved, may we all seek to stealthily hide our prayer life from men. For in so doing, God will make it evident to all both in this life and the one to come.

Father God, may you draw each of us to that secret place within the inner room of prayer. Through this surrender, would you then equip us to be holy, humble servants of yours who are ready to take our place with others to stand in the gap and shore up the wall of intercession for our world. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick