Sleeping in Church

I love the story of Eutychus because he reminds me of myself. When I first became a Christian, I was a ‘twicer,’ which meant that I used to go to church services twice each Sunday. I went to my Presbyterian Church in the morning, and then worshipped at an evangelical church in the evening. The preacher usually spoke for about an hour, and I always ended up sleeping against the church wall. I made sure that my seat was against the wall in order to do this.

Podcast version here

Bible Verse of the Day


Acts 20:9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.



Of course, it wasn’t the preacher’s fault. It was mine. I had a great big Sunday dinner just before the service, so by the time I reached the church, I was ready to snooze. I tried everything to stay awake. I would grip the pew in front of me until my knuckles were white. Sometimes I blinked my eyes really fast or opened them as wide as I could to keep awake. Other times, I would move my toes within my shoes in order to be attentive. Eventually, all of my efforts would fail me, and I would nod off to sleep. Thankfully, I didn’t snore; otherwise someone would have woken me up.

God has a great sense of humor. When He saw the Eutychus in me, He was also busy planning to make me a preacher. Now, on Sunday mornings, I get to look at the congregation and sure enough, during the sermon, someone’s fighting and fidgeting to stay awake. If they end up sleeping, I don’t mind. Perhaps they’ve had a busy week, or were up late, or the sermon is boring. Whatever the case, to sleep in the House of the Lord is a good thing. It’s the one place where peace and love, comfort and security are meant to be experienced.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing us to sleep in church and for quietly refreshing our spirits in Your Presence. Some of us come to church looking for answers, needing encouragement, and seeking rest from all our worries and busy-ness. Grant us the blessing of Your Love, and enable us to become all that You need us to be. In Your Holy Name, we rest and pray. Amen.

Melted Hearts

There’s a new report from the Pew Research Council that is showing a decline in the numbers of people who are Protestant Christians. Protestantism, which has shaped American identity for generations, may soon become a minority faith. In the 1980s, 65 percent of Americans called themselves Protestants; today that number is down to 51 percent. Only 43 percent of those aged 18-29 say they are Protestant.

Podcast version here

The reasons for the decline are many and it means that local congregations have to work harder to grow in faith, commitment, and size. Protestants, especially Presbyterians, can no longer take it for granted that their voices are being heard. In fact most of the figures show us that we are consistently being ignored. Whatever theological tussles and scriptural squabbles we have in our denomination may seem important to us. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, we’re outdated, unimportant, and insignificant.

It seems like we have been hit with a mortal blow. For some people, this will just make them want to give up. Instead of making faith a lifetime commitment, people are choosing to make church going a life-style choice. Rather than give of their time, talents, and resources to Christ’s mission, people want to spend time, effort, and money on themselves. It’s hard to overcome this sort of spiritual ambivalence. It seems to be, according to these statistics, far easier to let go of the Church and give up believing in Jesus.

Personally, I think the Church has been dealing with the here and now too much, forgetting about the future and hereafter. More pastors are into preaching prosperity rather than salvation. More congregations are looking for life style enhancements instead of life changing conversions. We are meant to be the Church in the world, but sadly we’ve let the world come into, and take over the Church.


Bible Verse of the Day


Joshua 7: 5b They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.



When the Israelites were defeated at Ai, their hearts melted with fear. They no longer had the strength or commitment to go on fighting their enemies. They lost their faith and confidence in God, and even Joshua was depressed by the defeat. It was a turning point for the people. They could go quietly into the night and be lost forever, or they could turn back to God and look for His guidance. They had to revive their faith and fulfill their destiny, or they could retreat across the Jordan and return to the desert.

As I see it, we have a straight forward choice before us: revive and survive, or deny and die. I don’t know about you, but I don’t intend to give up. There’s too much at stake, and there are too many souls that still need to be saved.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You command us to go out into the world to make disciples of all people, bringing them into Your Kingdom. Call upon us today to reach out to our families and friends, our neighbors and colleagues in loving and faithful ways that will attract them to You. In Your Holy Name, we live and pray. Amen.

Erin Church devotional - New Prospect

Audio version here

Psalm 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a re-dedication of an old church in South Knoxville. The church, New Prospect, had been destroyed by a fire a couple of years ago. On Sunday afternoon, it was re-opened and rededicated to the work of the Lord. I was asked to preach at the service, along with two other pastors. It was a wonderful occasion and a great blessing for the community.

New Prospect Presbyterian Church was originally built in 1834. It was established in the midst of a tragedy. At one time Presbyterians in South Knoxville had to cross the river by boat to worship in their local church. One Sunday, a boat tragically capsized and several members with their children drowned. New Prospect was built so that Presbyterians would no longer have to cross the river and risk their lives to go to worship. It was given its name to herald a new beginning for the Presbyterian community that had been struck hard by the tragedy.

The new church is beautiful and I am envious of what the congregation has accomplished. I think I’ll have our elders and Impact team visit the church to see what a small congregation has managed to do in the midst of unfortunate circumstances. The Lord has wrought a miracle in that part of South Knoxville and I hope that it will become a stronghold of faith for the entire Presbytery.

Going to the House of the Lord should be a time for rejoicing for all of us. And when we focus upon what He wants, that’s when miracles can be experienced, churches can be enhanced, and our mission in the community can make a great impact for Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your goodness to our churches and for the many miraculous ways that You are making a difference in our lives and communities. In the midst of difficult times, guide us by Your Light and enable us to have complete confidence in Your words and ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church Daily Devotional: Tertullian - A Braveheart Warrior in Heretical Times

Romans 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (NIV)

For a long time, I have wanted to read the works of an ancient presbyter called Tertullian. He lived during the second century AD and spent most of his life fighting the heresies that were prevalent in the Early Church. His writings laid the foundation of much that we believe in the church today. He was a warrior for the faith and he influenced a whole new generation of church leaders, who went on to strengthen Christianity and protect it from the false teachings of the Gnostics.

In my heart, I feel that there is something gravely wrong with the Western Church today. We have gone down a path that leads to a dead end. For decades, I have heard people say that the church needs to be more inclusive, politically correct, and tolerant of other people’s life styles in order to be accepted by the world. But if this is the case, then why is Western Christianity dying?

Even in our own denomination, the PCUSA, diversity is worshipped and glorified as the best way to keep us relevant in society. But if this is true, then why has our denomination declined by over 15% in the last ten years? If embracing the new culture is meant to be the panacea to keep us strong, then why are PCUSA congregations diminishing in size, influence, and relevance?

This is why I am reading Tertullian. He was a man of his times who confronted the heretical threats to the church. In reading his works, I personally hope to find a way to counter our Christless culture and find the right path for the church to grow, be more influential, and make a positive impact in society.

I am working on an online study series of Tertullian’s works, as well as a parallel 21st century apologetic to confront the new heresies in the church today. If you would like to sign up for the online study, then send me an email at Traqair@aol.com . Write Tertullian in the subject line and I will get you signed up via the church’s webmail. If you would like to see what the apologetic looks like, then please visit my wordpress blog at

http://stushie.wordpress.com/

Prayer: Lord Jesus, these are confusing and conflicting days for Your Church. We are being crushed by society and ignored by our culture. We are trying to please everybody, forgetting that we should only please You. Forgive us for taking the wrong path and help us to return to Your Highway. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.