Do we have to share everything with others? Aren't there some things we should keep for ourselves and God?
Podcast version here
Matthew 25:9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
It’s strange, but you would think that in this situation, the girls with oil in their lamps would share it with the others. After all, it’s a Christian story, and isn’t Christianity all about sharing our resources with other people? Jesus usually criticized selfish people and urged his followers to give what they could to the needy. So why doesn’t He end this story with: ‘and the five selfish maids were not invited to the bridegroom’s party for not sharing their oil.’ After all, that’s the way the world would end it, right?
This means, as usual, that there must be something deeper going on. The parable is not about sharing, it’s about being prepared and showing respect. The five clever maidens were ready for any inconvenience. They wanted to make sure that they could honor and escort the bridegroom when he eventually arrived. They weren’t thinking about themselves. They were concentrating on what the groom needed to make his wedding party a great success. The five wise girls had already committed their resources to him; if they shared their precious oil with the foolish maidens, then the bridegroom would have been dishonored by all. By keeping the oil to themselves, they were at least ensuring that fifty percent of the bridal party would properly honor the groom.
I guess we all feel sorry for the five foolish maidens because we identify so readily with them. Most of us are last minute shoppers at Christmas and get by each day by doing just enough. It always amazes me on Sunday mornings when a lot of people arrive just a couple of minutes before the worship is due to start. One minute the sanctuary looks half empty; the very next it is three quarters full.
The point Jesus was making with this story is something that we all should seriously consider: leaving our faith commitment to the last minute may be fatal to our souls. Our lives are meant to be used for enjoying God and worshiping His Son. If we take them for granted, then we may unexpectedly run out of time one day, with no earthly chance of making things right with God.
That’s why making and taking time to read the Bible, reading or listening to these devotions, and to ponder about what God is telling us is so important. We can get sidetracked too easily. We can leave holy things to the last minute much too often, that we unintentionally end up disregarding, dishonoring, and disrespecting God.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are often too busy for our own good and end up sapping our resources and energy on things that are unimportant, trivial, and meaningless. Help us to reset our ways and enable us to honor You with our love, devotion, and faith. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Short daily devotions for busy Christians and Church meetings
Showing posts with label Christ and the Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ and the Church. Show all posts
Monday, December 03, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Ineffective & Unproductive - Why we need to close small churches
Podcast version here
2 Peter 1:8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are two things that most pastors fear for the churches that they serve: that the congregations become ineffective and unproductive. Over the last thirteen years, I’ve watched small unproductive and ineffective churches drain the pooled resources of our Presbytery and denomination year after year without any change to their status. And when Presbytery threatens to pull its resources from them, they become church tyrants monstrously opposed to any interference to their non-existent mission to their local communities.
Most of the time, these small churches are manipulated by one or two strong families who believe it is their divine right to keep the congregation the way it is. They firmly possess all the power, property, and prestige that the church has, sucking its life away by their refusal to let go.
Take, for example, a church in our town that has a beautiful sanctuary, which can seat at least three hundred people, but only has about twelve people worshipping each Sunday. An approach was made to the Session by the local Korean Presbyterian church to combine their congregations in order to redevelop the building and bring life back into the church. At first things seemed to be going well, and then when an agreement was almost made, the twelve member church refused to finalize the process. Rather than bring in hundreds of new Korean church members with their families, they backed out and decided to remain small. Eventually, the church will fall into major disrepair, become dilapidated and die. The congregation is both ineffective and unproductive. God will surely not bless such an out-of-touch-with-reality community.
It’s about time we held our smaller congregations accountable for their lack of mission and purpose, ministry and vision. There’s no good reason to sustain them if they are not willing to make the necessary changes. Let’s not let nostalgia and rooting for the under dog get in the way of Christian practicality and Presbyterian polity. If they will not grow, they need to go.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You hold us all to be accountable for what we say and do on behalf of Your Kingdom. You call upon us to go out into the world, making disciples of all the nations and baptizing people in Your Name. Bless our churches with a great desire to increase Your Kingdom in the communities where we reside. Close those churches who impair Your work by just wanting to coast along and do nothing effective or productive. In Your Holy Name, we sadly pray. Amen.
2 Peter 1:8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are two things that most pastors fear for the churches that they serve: that the congregations become ineffective and unproductive. Over the last thirteen years, I’ve watched small unproductive and ineffective churches drain the pooled resources of our Presbytery and denomination year after year without any change to their status. And when Presbytery threatens to pull its resources from them, they become church tyrants monstrously opposed to any interference to their non-existent mission to their local communities.
Most of the time, these small churches are manipulated by one or two strong families who believe it is their divine right to keep the congregation the way it is. They firmly possess all the power, property, and prestige that the church has, sucking its life away by their refusal to let go.
Take, for example, a church in our town that has a beautiful sanctuary, which can seat at least three hundred people, but only has about twelve people worshipping each Sunday. An approach was made to the Session by the local Korean Presbyterian church to combine their congregations in order to redevelop the building and bring life back into the church. At first things seemed to be going well, and then when an agreement was almost made, the twelve member church refused to finalize the process. Rather than bring in hundreds of new Korean church members with their families, they backed out and decided to remain small. Eventually, the church will fall into major disrepair, become dilapidated and die. The congregation is both ineffective and unproductive. God will surely not bless such an out-of-touch-with-reality community.
It’s about time we held our smaller congregations accountable for their lack of mission and purpose, ministry and vision. There’s no good reason to sustain them if they are not willing to make the necessary changes. Let’s not let nostalgia and rooting for the under dog get in the way of Christian practicality and Presbyterian polity. If they will not grow, they need to go.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You hold us all to be accountable for what we say and do on behalf of Your Kingdom. You call upon us to go out into the world, making disciples of all the nations and baptizing people in Your Name. Bless our churches with a great desire to increase Your Kingdom in the communities where we reside. Close those churches who impair Your work by just wanting to coast along and do nothing effective or productive. In Your Holy Name, we sadly pray. Amen.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tertullian Revisited: Chapter 4: Tolerating Heretics destroys the Church
Some people find it difficult to call others in their midst, “heretics.” We live in a culture where tolerance is the panacea to all our troubles, and intolerance is anathema to peace and unity. But it was Jesus Himself who pointed out that heretics would be in our midst. We delude ourselves if we believe that He is totally tolerant of those who would twist His words and bend the truth of the Gospel. Heresy happens because we are phobic about being called “intolerant.” We have believed the world’s propaganda that we are narrow-minded, conservative reactionaries instead of faithful servants of Christ. We are not Torquemada and the Inquisition; we are followers of Christ and of His Kingdom. The world crucified Christ – are we so deluded that we think it will deal with us without hostility?
Those who are heretics often present themselves in the noblest of terms. They are seeking to be inclusive and non-judgmental. They want peace in the world and equality for everyone. They preach a message of tolerance, yet beneath their words there is a deep intolerance of those who keep to the old ways, the lasting virtues, and Gospel values. They want to devour the Church and make it bend to their universalistic will. They forget that the Church is Christ’s Bride – it submits to no will but His own.
It is both sad and shocking to realize that most heretics come from the ranks of the clergy. They have their own personal agenda to make the Church what they want it to be. They lead with deceit and seek to make more followers of themselves. They preach their own gospel and set aside Christ’s words, work, and ways. They look for weak-minded people and lovers of selves, hoping to bring them into their pack by disguising it as a flock. On the outside, their congregations look like a church, but on the inside false teaching, narcissistic nurturing, and worldly views are treated and presented as being Christian.
The heretics proclaim a rosier future where all people can live in peace throughout the world – a utopian place where all thoughts are acceptable, all notions are tolerated, and all religions are the same. They seek a perfect world, but not the perfect kingdom; they want a united world, but not a united faith; they seek the glory of God for themselves and look to plunder the Church. Heretics are dangerous teachers – they contaminate souls and dismember the body of Christ.
The object of heresy is to make as many disciples as possible to strengthen their ideas and to bolster their opinions. They denounce their opponents as uncaring, unloving, and unchristian people. They seek to divide and conquer. They gloat when some sheep leave the fold. They glory in apostasy and revel in the moral ambivalence of the people. Heretics abound where Biblical ignorance exists. They confound the faithful by willfully misinterpreting the scriptures and questioning Biblical authority. They are more interested in the present times than the past. They are more concerned with things happening now, than those which are still to come. They judge people today, forgetting about the judgment that awaits all of us tomorrow.
The ability of heresy to camouflage itself in the life of the Church is what makes it so dangerous, and needs to be exposed. The choosing of Church leaders needs to be carefully scrutinized; the positioning of teachers in our seminaries needs to be fully recovered by the Church; and the publishing of heretical works under the guise of being academic needs to be halted. Gospel values are undermined when the Church neglects to uphold traditional beliefs and to promote the Gospel. If the Church has become a channel for promulgating Christless studies and false teachings by our preachers, doctors, and professors, then we have become apostate in nature and need to repent. And remember, heretics do not see the need for repentance, nor do they wish to humble themselves before God.
Just because a heretic can present his or her false teachings in a sound and studious manner, does not mean that their heresy is any less. The arch advocate for apostasy eloquently argued with Christ in the wilderness, using scripture and doctrine, flattery and logic to present his case. Christ, however badly He was tempted, did not succumb to the heretic from hell’s words. Christ resolutely remained loyal to God and stuck to the Truth. He did not compromise His beliefs; He did not yield to false arguments in order to be accommodate His opponent, nor did Christ respect the devil’s research and knowledge. In order to remain faithful to Christ, we must be ready to do the same.
Those who are heretics often present themselves in the noblest of terms. They are seeking to be inclusive and non-judgmental. They want peace in the world and equality for everyone. They preach a message of tolerance, yet beneath their words there is a deep intolerance of those who keep to the old ways, the lasting virtues, and Gospel values. They want to devour the Church and make it bend to their universalistic will. They forget that the Church is Christ’s Bride – it submits to no will but His own.
It is both sad and shocking to realize that most heretics come from the ranks of the clergy. They have their own personal agenda to make the Church what they want it to be. They lead with deceit and seek to make more followers of themselves. They preach their own gospel and set aside Christ’s words, work, and ways. They look for weak-minded people and lovers of selves, hoping to bring them into their pack by disguising it as a flock. On the outside, their congregations look like a church, but on the inside false teaching, narcissistic nurturing, and worldly views are treated and presented as being Christian.
The heretics proclaim a rosier future where all people can live in peace throughout the world – a utopian place where all thoughts are acceptable, all notions are tolerated, and all religions are the same. They seek a perfect world, but not the perfect kingdom; they want a united world, but not a united faith; they seek the glory of God for themselves and look to plunder the Church. Heretics are dangerous teachers – they contaminate souls and dismember the body of Christ.
The object of heresy is to make as many disciples as possible to strengthen their ideas and to bolster their opinions. They denounce their opponents as uncaring, unloving, and unchristian people. They seek to divide and conquer. They gloat when some sheep leave the fold. They glory in apostasy and revel in the moral ambivalence of the people. Heretics abound where Biblical ignorance exists. They confound the faithful by willfully misinterpreting the scriptures and questioning Biblical authority. They are more interested in the present times than the past. They are more concerned with things happening now, than those which are still to come. They judge people today, forgetting about the judgment that awaits all of us tomorrow.
The ability of heresy to camouflage itself in the life of the Church is what makes it so dangerous, and needs to be exposed. The choosing of Church leaders needs to be carefully scrutinized; the positioning of teachers in our seminaries needs to be fully recovered by the Church; and the publishing of heretical works under the guise of being academic needs to be halted. Gospel values are undermined when the Church neglects to uphold traditional beliefs and to promote the Gospel. If the Church has become a channel for promulgating Christless studies and false teachings by our preachers, doctors, and professors, then we have become apostate in nature and need to repent. And remember, heretics do not see the need for repentance, nor do they wish to humble themselves before God.
Just because a heretic can present his or her false teachings in a sound and studious manner, does not mean that their heresy is any less. The arch advocate for apostasy eloquently argued with Christ in the wilderness, using scripture and doctrine, flattery and logic to present his case. Christ, however badly He was tempted, did not succumb to the heretic from hell’s words. Christ resolutely remained loyal to God and stuck to the Truth. He did not compromise His beliefs; He did not yield to false arguments in order to be accommodate His opponent, nor did Christ respect the devil’s research and knowledge. In order to remain faithful to Christ, we must be ready to do the same.
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