Verse of the DayThis year’s Costume Party at the Olivers was another great success! We had no spilt chili – despite all the spooks there! And try as they might, Matthew, Leslie, Brad, and John weren’t able to scare anyone to death on the hay ride!
Here’s a little slideshow of the night:
I listened recently to a sermon by a well-known preacher. He described well the functions of different members of the Lord’s body and stressed the importance of each member’s role. He referred to Ephesians 4:11 and following: “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”
We focus a great deal on elders, deacons, and ministers-but those of us who serve in these leadership roles really have one job: glorifying God by equipping everybody else for the work of ministry! (Remember, ministry is just a fancy word for service…)
The preacher I listened to said that there are only three kinds of people: those who go out with the gospel (apostles, missionaries), those who send others and equip others (elders, preachers, givers, and disobedient saints-that is, everyone who isn’t going or sending.
Every person at Burns has a special responsibility and opportunity to spread the good news to our friends, family, and world. While our elders shepherd us, and our deacons serve around us, and our ministers teach to us, we all share a common responsibility as the body to make a difference in the kingdom of God. This year is more than halfway complete: will your spiritual status be different than it was on January 1? Did your “spiritual new year’s resolutions” keep you on fire, or have they fizzled out?
A teacher once referred to himself as a “red-circle” player on the basketball team. What he meant was that he was one of those players who spent the entire game on the bench, with his elbows on his knees. If you do that for long-you have these nice red circles on your legs to prove it! If you haven’t quite found your niche in the body at Burns, look around for your opportunity to minister-or ask one of the elders or deacons for some ideas. There is no room for red-circle players in God’s church.
Listen to how Paul concluded his message about the united body of Christ: “when each part is working properly, [it] makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Eph 4:16). Will you be a go-er, or a send-er?
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
As a child, I never understood what a big metal stick had to do with sharpening knives. I just knew that occasionally my mom would pull it from its spot in the pantry and start sharpening. To me it looked like more of a one-person sword-fighting competition than sharpening! I couldn’t understand how a bunch of scraping noises would equal a knife that peeled my apples better!
There’s nothing special about a sharpening steel that magically sharpens knives. It’s simply the fact that it is sturdy and strong—and that its surface rubs together with the knife you’re working on.
Our new Sunday night Bible groups are a lot like that knife steel: they’re not very fancy, they’re just strong with a biblical foundation and potent because they give us a chance to interact with God’s message and each other.
We believe that any person can approach the Bible, study it honestly and sincerely, and find what God wants him to know. Didn’t Jesus say “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”? (John 8:28). Starting next Sunday night, we’re acting on that belief. We’ll join together for half hour of study and while doing so, we will interact with and sharpen each other, just as God described in Proverbs.
This is new for us—it’s a special chance to sharpen and be sharpened. Our prayer is that we’ll be encouraged and well fed from God’s word before we conclude all together with a brief worship service and observance of the Lord’s Supper.
If you want to kick-start your Bible study, and you want to refill your tanks—join us next Sunday night ready to sharpen away! I’m looking forward to learning together!
In 1 Samuel 1 there’s a story about a woman who had one more prayer than she had answers. She was her husband’s favorite wife, but her rival taunted her by constantly reminding her of her barrenness.
Had her faith been weaker, her barrenness might have become a stumbling block, but it was not so for Hannah. Instead, she fled towards the presence of God. Like a small child, she made her request over and over again, even while weeping bitterly. Her fervent prayer was so outstanding that the priest Eli observed her and was convinced that she had one too many before coming to the tabernacle that day.
You may know the rest of the story. God intercedes on Hannah’s behalf and grants her a boy, Samuel. (Samuel sounds like the Hebrew phrase heard of God.) Hannah did what she promised and dedicated the boy’s life to the service of God.
Samuel had an amazing “career” as a minister. It got off to a difficult start when he had to rebuke the last great judge, Eli, on account of his worthless sons. He anointed Israel’s first and second kings, and he made a begrudging post-mortem appearance to set the then-apostate Saul straight.
It’s fitting then, to know that even before his birth, he was the subject of intense prayer. Jeremiah’s prophecy had a similar backstory. God told him outright, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
Prayer is powerful. I saw a note the other day that said “Do you want to change your preacher? Pray for him.” Jesus said we should pray for our enemies. He prayed for his disciples, for the church, and even for the city that rejected him. Who are you praying for today?
Life is more than food, clothes, cars, and cash, right?
Jesus thinks so. He once warned a man who was upset about his family’s inheritance to “take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15). He offered this teaching right before telling a parable about a rich man who hoarded his good and looked forward to a luxurious retirement. Do you remember what Jesus called this man? A fool! (12:20).
Almost every news story I saw this week talked about the economy. Gas is approaching $4 per gallon. Rice and flour are rationed in some stores. Homes are in foreclosure and the stock market has been wavering. Is this news bothering you? For most Americans, the answer is “yes!”
Being light in a dark world means that we should be different. Remember when Jesus said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”? He meant that our focus should be on kingdom-building instead of keeping a worried eye on the evening news.
If we’re truly different, and if we truly have the comfort and peace that passes understanding, we can learn to “consider the lilies of the field” (Lk 12:27) and learn to be content in whatever situations we find ourselves in (Philippians 4:11).
We’re getting “economic stimulus” checks sometime in the next month. Have you thought about what you’ll do with yours? The government is giving you an opportunity to glorify the name of Jesus. (That doesn’t happen every day!) Will we build bigger barns, lay up treasures on earth, get new toys, and try to buy contentment OR will we build up the kingdom of God? This is a great opportunity to help our missionaries or the needy…or even begin a new ministry!
So, think about how the world and the Savior will see your actions. The choice is ours: economic stimulus or spiritual stimulus? Let’s seek first his kingdom.
