Church Growth

2 Thess 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. 11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Much has been written down through the ages about church growth. Church growth is and should be important to all of us, but not necessarily in the way it is commonly presented.

Most of the flyers and conference invitations I receive in the mail have to do with the numbers of people in the seats. This is certainly the modern concept of church growth. It has everything to do with demographics in the community you serve, informative mail-outs, advertising, and slick presentation which can attract and “hold” a crowd.

Paul has nothing to do with any of this. While I am certain he was concerned with church growth, (after all, he gave his life to plant churches, and it was his fierce passion,) I am likewise certain Paul was not concerned at all about the kind of church growth the modern marketing experts speak of.

Numbers are a concern, because numbers can translate into people being born again and being on their way to heaven – but the number of people in attendance is never to be the focus of church growth.

Paul teaches us the focus of church growth is to be the heart of the individual – not the number of bodies in the seats. He teaches us that growth of faith and love for one another in each heart is the key to church growth. Always has been, always should be. Anything else is vanity.

-  Pastor Bill

Rejoice!

Matt 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"

Before we know Jesus the worst thing that can happen to a person is death. To die. To be dead.

This is because we have no perception of what death is, other than what it seems to be: death. (Loss of life.)

But, what if ‘death’ is really life - and life as it has never been experienced in any other way except our most fanciful dreams? And what if death is really life - and life even better than our most fanciful dreams may lead us to believe?

There is one description of me that will never be true: and that will be in the day when people will say, “He has died.”

In Christ, there is no death – there is only a better life in a better body in a better place. How much better will that better body be? I don’t know exactly, but I know it will be “new,” and “perfect,” and it will be “incorruptible,” (which means it will always be new and perfect.) How much better will the place be? I don’t know exactly, but I do know it will be indescribably beautiful, and that the streets will be paved with gold. How much better will this life be? Well, I don’t know exactly, but I know it will be lived in a body that is no longer tempted to sin, in an environment of unconditional love, and in the eternal presence of the love of Christ.

This is worthy of rejoicing, and it is exactly what Jesus says we should do with this understanding made plain by His resurrection. We serve a Lord Who has power over death and dying – to the extent that for those who believe, there is no death or dying - only the passing from an earthy-type of body into a heavenly-type of body.

This morning of mornings, we come face-to-face with The risen Savior, Who was dead and is now alive forevermore! The Bible says when we see Him we shall be like Him – and in His likeness we shall never die. Do you believe this? His resurrection declares it for one and all to see for themselves.

-  Pastor Bill

The Narrowing Road

Luke 19:28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.' " 32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?" 34 And they said, "The Lord has need of him." 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. 37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." 45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " 47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

Matt 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

At the end of His life on earth, Jesus accomplished what He came to do. In a sense, He had to take Himself through the eye of a needle.

The path got extremely narrow on the approach to Jerusalem, and though it widened slightly (in terms of acceptance) upon the exact moment of His arrival, by the end of this week, He would die virtually alone. These stones would indeed cry out.

Jesus went through the narrow gate first. He considered it, and the dread of it. He went to it. He opened it. He knew the cost. And now He stands forever just on the other side to welcome me. Hallelujah! Hosanna!

-  Pastor Bill

Life as a Thank You Note

1 Thessalonians 5:12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

The question is asked often enough: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The implication is ambition and maturity, responsibility and control. These are the known parts of our lives we have some control over.

How will I educate myself to be what I want to be? What conduct do I wish for my life? What will I do about it? Who will I choose to follow to get where I want to be? What will the outcome of that resemblance be?

Paul is advocating much thought and activity in all of these areas. One of his chief aims is who and what we will be when we grow up. (This is the concern of any loving father.)

To the church Paul advocates tender care for both the head and the body - and then careful attention to the part we play within the body. When all of these things are in place, the body grows up into maturity and strength without deformity.

Much of this has to do with letting go of things we cannot control, while taking much concern for the things we can.

And it has everything to do with what I want to be when I grow up – because the direction I am headed determines my present conduct - and conduct is very important for the Christian life. In fact, we will be defined by our conduct. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” Paul is saying the same thing. “Rejoice always. Give thanks in all things. Test all things. Avoid even the appearance of evil. Do not quench the Spirit of the Living God.” It truly comes down to making our very life a ‘thank-you note’ to God.

-  Pastor Bill

Get Carried Away

1 Thessalonians 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

These should be very comforting words: “Get carried away,” and yet, often the caution is exactly the opposite: “Hey, don’t get TOO carried away there!”

The admonition is to avoid becoming too fanatic, as if your fanaticism about a certain subject may be off-putting to those around you – especially whoever it may be who would instruct you to, “not get too carried away.”

Our relationship with Christ is one of the things the world teaches us we are not allowed to express outwardly, and this can range from friendly “advice” to outright persecution depending upon whose presence you may be in. An outwardly expressed, visible demonstration of a personal relationship with Christ is convicting to all those who see it, because it reminds them of things they do not wish to think about, namely eternity, eternal things, and eternal life.

Since every human being comes pre-wired with the ability to perceive and think about eternal things, (even without being taught anything on the subject,) a visible, outward love relationship with Christ is equally convicting in every culture. Jesus said it this way, “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you.” (In essence, we are hated without cause, simply for having a visible love for Jesus.)

But one day, perhaps very soon and certainly without warning, it is that very visible, demonstrable love for Christ which will save you from the wrath of God to come upon the world. God is about to bring the world into judgment according to its sin. Only those who love Jesus and are born again by that love will be spared – and that means of separation from God’s judgment will be very sudden, in the “twinkling of an eye,” and, “like a thief in the night.” Now is the time to ‘get carried away’ by the love of Christ, so when He comes for His church, you will also be carried away to meet Jesus in the clouds. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

-  Pastor Bill

When the Music Stops

1 Thessalonians4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. 9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

When I was a kid, we used to play a game called ‘musical chairs’ at birthday parties and such. I’m sure you probably remember it also, but just in case – here’s the deal: Music would be played, and the kids would circle around a grouping of chairs. There would be one less chair than the number of kids in the game. The music would suddenly be stopped and the kids would rush to sit down. Since there was one less chair than the number of kids, the one kid left standing would be out.

The excitement was that as you circled the chairs, you knew the music was going to stop – but you never knew when. You didn’t want to be left standing, so you had to really pay attention at all times.

Paul is saying we need to pay attention to our lives because the music is going to stop. To pretend otherwise is just plain foolish. One of two scenarios is going to play out: Either Jesus is going to come back for His church and take us out of this world, (the Rapture,) or we are going to breathe our last on this earth. In either case, we have no prior knowledge of when the event will take place. The question is: When you meet Jesus, what will you be found doing?

-  Pastor Bill

Represent

1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

In the U.S. we are used to the principle of representation, if for no other reason than our government structure. In its pure form, we elect a person to represent thousands of others. They ‘represent’ our views and our concerns to the totality of the governing body, and when they stop doing that we un-elect them.

This has not been true of the world for very much of its history, and was certainly not rue during the time of Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica. Throughout world history, despots have ruled in one form or another, either through power, (which has been true most of the time,) or through a form of benevolence, which has only been true in rare instances.

Imagine how blown away the Thessalonians must have been upon hearing their calling - now that they had become disciples of Jesus Christ. The Thessalonians lived in a world of Roman despotism, under Emperor Claudius, and then Nero. All they knew of governance was complete, total, silent submission. Anything else would result in death or severe persecution.

There was no participation in government. None.

Along comes Paul, the presenter of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Who is The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. King of Claudius even. Lord of Nero. And now Paul says, “I want you to represent The King of Kings to the world - to your world.” This gospel will so change your life, that when people look at you they will see Jesus Christ. He will be here in person in you. What a promotion this would have been to the life of the simple man. To represent Jesus to a lost and dying world. How could this be?

-  Pastor Bill