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A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election (Part 3)
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Part 3 of series: A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election
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In my first two posts in this series I’ve outline three facets of a Christian response to the presidential election:
1. We Should Act Upon the Call of Jesus to Peacemaking in the
Way We Relate to Our Fellow Citizens.
2. We Need to Reaffirm Our Dual Citizenship.
3. We Need to Refocus Upon Our Fundamental Mission.
In today’s post I’ll finish up this short series, adding items 4 and 5 to the list.
4. We Need to Renew Our Trust in the Sovereignty of God.
No matter who will be our new president, we Christians need to renew our fundamental trust in the sovereignty of God. I guarantee you that God is not surprised by the election results. In fact, before the foundation of the world, he worked these results into his plan for the creation. Whichever person will be our new president, the truth of Romans 8:28 remains rock solid: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Photo: A Serbian icon, picturing Christ as Pantokrator, the “Ruler of All Things.”)
When elections don’t go our way, it’s easy to doubt God’s sovereignty. We wonder why God let the “wrong” candidate win. Our doubts and passions are exacerbated when we hear believers on the other political side claim that the election results reflect God’s personal endorsement of their candidate. Yet there is a benefit for our souls when our candidate loses. We’re reminded once again that our primary trust is in God, not in any human being.
Conversely, when election results match our voting, it’s easy to put too much confidence in a human being or an administration. In our glee, we can neglect God’s sovereignty in favor of political victory or national pride. Thus, even and especially if your candidate will be the next president, you need to remember just who is really in charge of the universe, just who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
This leads to my final of five points.
5. We Need to Recommit to Praying for the President.
No matter who was just elected president, we need to pray for this person and his administration, daily, if not more often. However you voted, you can surely agree that the next president desperately needs God’s help. Scripture is clear that we’re to pray for our rulers (1 Tim 2:1-2). The need for such prayer is clear, now more than ever.
Many Christians find it much easier to pray for the president if they voted for him, but not if they didn’t. This is both ironic and mistaken. The irony is that if your candidate lost the election, then you must surely believe that the winner needs God’s help even more than if your candidate had won. So logic would suggest that we intercede more consistently for a president we don’t like than for one of whom we approve.
Moreover, we should remember that the early Christians were called to pray for, not a president whom they elected, nor even a ruler of whom they approved, but rather for an emperor who had been foisted upon them, and who in many cases actively sought to persecute them. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 actually reads:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.
“Kings” includes both the Roman Caesar and other subordinate rulers (like King Herod). Notice, Scripture does not say, “Pray for your ruler when you agree with him, or when you’re on his side.” Rather, we are to pray for our leaders . . . period. (And, I might add, no matter how bad the next president may be in your eyes, I guarantee you he won’t be as bad as Nero, who was the Roman emperor at the time Paul urged Christians to pray for him. Nero was famous for, among other things, proclaiming himself as a god and senselessly crucifying hundreds of Christians.)
Added in 2008: When I was pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I led our church in prayer during most worship services. In these prayers I almost always prayed for the President (Bush, Clinton, and Bush), the Administration, the Congress, and the courts. On a fairly regular basis I added prayers for state, county, and local officials. I would hope that, in the days ahead, more churches would be united in praying for our government officials. Surely now, more than ever, they need divine wisdom and guidance.
Conclusions
Admittedly Christians will differ widely in many of their responses to the presidential election. This is natural, given the diversity of our views on many topics, including politics, economics, world affairs, not to mention theology. But, I believe that all Christians, no matter our political inclinations, should respond with unity to what has happened in our country.
In review and conclusion, here are five facets of that unity:
1. We Should Act Upon the Call of Jesus to Peacemaking in the
Way We Relate to Our Fellow Citizens.
2. We Need to Reaffirm Our Dual Citizenship.
3. We Need to Refocus Upon Our Fundamental Mission.
4. We Need to Renew Our Trust in the Sovereignty of God.
5. We Need to Recommit to Praying for the President.
Topics: Presidential Election: Christian Response | 7 Comments »
A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election (Part 2)
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Part 2 of series: A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election
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In my last post I began discussing a Christian response to the presidential election. More accurately, I began repeating a discussion I posted four years ago. At that time, I wrote this series without knowing the results of the election itself. I was trying to articulate a Christian response to the election that wasn’t dependent on its results or on partisan affections. Here’s what I have so far:
Facet #1: We Should Act Upon the Call of Jesus to Peacemaking in the Way We Relate to Our Fellow Citizens.
In today’s post I’ll discuss the second and third facets of a Christian response to the presidential election.
Facet #2: We Need to Reaffirm Our Dual Citizenship.
Christians are to live in this world, but not of this world. Though we are citizens of a nation – and ought to exercise our citizenship faithfully – we find our true citizenship in heaven (Phil 3:20). Moreover, we are to exercise our citizenship in a way that is consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:27). Thus, no matter how involved we may be in secular politics, we must always stand back and view earthly affairs from a divine perspective. And no matter how much we may support one candidate or the other, we must always remember that our primary allegiance is not to any human being, or to any political party, but to the one true God.
The fact that we are citizens of heaven should not mean we care less about human politics, however. In fact, the more we embrace our heavenly home, the more we realize that we have been “sent” by God into this world to make a difference for his kingdom. For those of us who live in a democratic nation, this surely entails living out our citizenship as an act of discipleship.
But, at the same time, as citizens of heaven we are not beholden to the narrowness of any nation or party or ideology. We have a perspective from which to critique, not only our political opponents, but also political allies and even ourselves. Moreover, we have a perspective from which to affirm our political opponents when they act in ways consistent with God’s kingdom.
Thus our dual citizenship doesn’t dilute our joy or our sorrow over the results of a presidential election. But it does allow us to see such things in a heavenly light. It allows us to see beyond raw partisanship. Moreover, it reminds us that there is only one true Savior of the World, and his name isn’t John or Barack, but Jesus.
Facet #3: We Need to Refocus Upon Our Fundamental Mission.
On the day before the election, we Christians had a mission in the world. We were sent by Jesus Christ to make disciples from all nations (Matt 28:19). We were called to be light in the world, so that as people see our good works they might give glory to God (Matt 5:14-16). As Christians, we have accepted God’s instruction through the Hebrew prophet Micah to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with [our] God” (Mic 6:8). We joined Jesus in his mission of bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free, and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19). As the church of Jesus Christ, we have accepted our calling to be a provisional demonstration of the truth of the gospel, not only to this world, but to all powers in the universe (Eph 3:1-13). On Monday, November 1st, 2004, and on Monday, November 3, 2008, this was our primary mission as believers in Jesus Christ. (Photo: Christ’s Great Commission window from the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland. This is the oldest Anglican Parish in Canada, having been founded in 1699 as a response to Christ’s Great Commission in Matthew 28.)
It’s still our primary mission today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, until Christ finishes the work of new creation. No election result will change this basic mission. Nor will a struggling economy or economic prosperity. Nor will a season of peace or the threat of terrorist attack. Nor will the enjoyment of political freedom or life under political oppression.
In saying this I’m not minimizing the importance of secular government and politics. Far from it. But I am aware that such matters, as significant as they may be on one level, can easily distract us from our primary calling as Christians. Given how much attention has been focused upon the presidential election in the last year – for better or for worse – it may be time for each of us to refocus our sights on what matters most in life. And it may also be an opportune time for our churches to do the same.
Added in 2008: In recent weeks, the troubled economy has often stolen the spotlight from the presidential election. The greatest concern of many Americans right now is not who will be the next President, but how and when the economy will be fixed. As much as I join those who are concerned about the recent economic downturn, I’m also aware that it can help us to realize what matters most in life. These things, like family and faith, cannot be purchased with money. They are both free and inestimably valuable. Moreover, when the world economy spins out of control, we realize once again that God, and God alone, is worthy of our full trust.
In my next post I’ll finish up this series by addressing elements 4 and 5 of a Christian response to the presidential election.
Topics: Presidential Election: Christian Response | 4 Comments »
A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, November 3, 2008
Part 1 of series: A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election
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In November 2004 I put up a short series entitled – Presidential Election Results: A Christian Response. I meant for this series to be relevant to all Christians, those who supported John Kerry and those who supported George Bush. I was searching for common ground, for affirmations that would help all believers to respond to the election in a Christian way. So that my readers would know that my thoughts were not a result of my own response to the results of the presidential race, I wrote the entire series on the evening before the election itself. I put up the whole series early so people would know that I didn’t “cheat” by shaping my comments in light of some specific result. As you may recall, the election of 2004 promsied to be very close, with some polls favoring Bush and others favoring Kerry.
I want to put up a slightly revised version of my 2004 series because I think we Christians need to be reminded of a few things with regard to our citizenship (or citizenships, actually). At the moment I write this, most pundits are predicting a victory for Barack Obama. Of course, you never know how it will turn out until the actual results are tallied. But my comments are independent of the results of the presidential election. They’ll be just as valid, in my opinion, no matter who wins tomorrow. Of course there’s always the possibility that we won’t know the victor for several weeks, as in 2000. (Photo: Truman celebrates his “loss” to Dewey. One of the great photos from American political history. It reminds us that strange things sometimes happen in political affairs.)
Whatever happens tomorrow in the presidential election, some Christians will be glad while others will be upset. I can’t remember a year in which Christians were more obviously split in their party loyalties (except, perhaps, the 1976 election). No matter what happens tomorrow, some Christians will believe that the best candidate won, while others will believe the opposite. Post-election polling will show what sort of Christians voted for which candidate. But it will still be true that a vast number of Christians will have voted for the winner while a vast number of Christians will have voted for the loser.
Yet, though our emotions and prognostications of the future may differ widely, I believe that all Christians in America can and should be united in a five-fold response to this election. I’ll explain Response #1 today, with more to come in the next couple of days.
Facet #1: We Should Act Upon the Call of Jesus to Peacemaking in the Way We Relate to Our Fellow Citizens.
We should recognize that our nation is deeply and almost evenly divided on many, many issues. The fact that one candidate won the election in no way erases this fundamental reality. Moreover, our national divisions are not only ideological, but deeply emotional. When the next president is announced, many Americans will be ecstatic, while many will be profoundly concerned about our nation’s future. Furthermore, no matter whether we’re facing the prospect of President Obama or President McCain, we can be sure that the next four years will be filled with disagreement, dissembling, and disgust as both sides continue to duke it out in the political arena.
Can anything help to heal our nation? Can anything bring us back to more civil discourse about the crucial issues in our time? Yes, I believe so. I believe that the church of Jesus Christ can help to accomplish these worthy goals. After all, Jesus himself has called us to be peacemakers (Matt 5:9), to forgive those who wrong us (Matt 6:14), to be salt and light in our world (Matt 5:13-16), and to love, not only our neighbors (Matt 22:39), but even our enemies (Matt 5:44). We who follow Jesus Christ should treat our political opponents in the spirit of Jesus even as we call others to do the same. (I’ve had much more to say about this vision for the role of the church in our nation. See my series: “The Church and Politics in America.”)
Now of course I’m well aware, sadly enough, that the church in America often contributes to the divisiveness in our land, rather than helping to heal it. Some of the most vitriolic rhetoric in this last election has come from Christian pulpits and pundits. This is tragic and wrong. Though believers should speak their convictions clearly and courageously, they should refrain from doing so in a way that is inconsistent with Christ. Perhaps before becoming peacemakers, Christians in America need to repent for the ways we have contributed to the meanness of our national discourse.
I believe that all Christians and all churches, no matter what our political leanings, need to embrace once again the call and promise of Jesus in Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
Added in 2008: What you’ve just read is almost word-for-word what I wrote in 2004. It seems rather scary and sad that in the 2008 election some of the rhetoric from pulpits and pundits has been even more vitriolic than in 2004. Yikes! Yet, at the same time, there were moments of hope in this recent election. I’m thinking, for example, of Rick Warren’s televised interviews of Senators Obama and McCain in The Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency. This was the most sane, balanced, and insightful interchange of the whole election. Rick Warren exemplified the kind of clarifying, peacemaking role that Christians can play in our civic discourse. Of course there is certainly a time for Christians to express their divergent views, to disagree, and to promote their visions for our country. But, even then, we should do this in the manner of Christ.
Topics: Presidential Election: Christian Response | 26 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, November 2, 2008
Freedom that Comes from the Servant
“You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison,
releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.”
In Isaiah, the Servant of God will open blind eyes, free the captives, and release the prisoners. These tasks were part of his work of bringing God’s salvation and justice to Israel and to the nations.
Thus when Jesus went about healing the sick and setting free those who had been in bondage to demons, he fulfilled the mission of the Servant of God. His miracles were not simply acts of godly compassion, but also signs pointing to his divine mission. By dying on the cross, Jesus broke the power of sin, thus setting us free from the ultimate prison . . . death itself.
As ones who have but our trust in Jesus, the Servant of God, we begin to experience the freedom he gives even in this life, though the fullness of our freedom is reserved for the life to come. Nevertheless, we can be set free from that which binds us: from shame, from addictions, from anger, from doubt, from despair. Through Jesus the Servant we begin to live in the freedom and joy of God’s salvation.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How have you experienced the freedom of Christ in your life? Where do you need to know more of his freedom today?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Servant of God, how I thank you for the freedom you offer. Thank you for giving up your life so that I might be set free from all that binds me, most of all from sin and death.
Help me, dear Lord, to live in that freedom today. Where sin has dug its claws into my soul, set me free. When I am tempted to turn away from you, may I say no to temptation. Where I am weakened by spiritual or emotional or relational bondage, break these chains, so that I might serve you with freedom, joy, and power.
All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for setting me free to follow you:
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.*
Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
*Verse from “And Can It Be the I Should Gain?” by Charles Wesley, 1738
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
Autumn in the Texas Hill Country
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, November 1, 2008
An autumn view of “The Blue Hole” on the H.E. Butt Foundation property, near Laity Lodge.
Topics: Texas | 3 Comments »
An Outstanding New Study Bible
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, October 31, 2008
I’ve just seen a copy of the newest study Bible. The ESV Study Bible, published by Crossway, is a work of excellence in both scholarship and beauty. Truly, I don’t know of any study Bible that shows such attention to the quality of its presentation as well as its content.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Crossway published my latest book, Can We Trust the Gospels? So I do have a strong appreciation for Crossway, its mission, and its people. But, if you read my blog very often, you know that I’m not solely devoted to Crossway’s translation, the English Standard Version, though I think this is an excellent “more literal” translation. It is one of the three English translations I consult and use most often.
If you’re familiar with the ESV and/or with Crossway, you won’t be surprised to learn that the ESV Study Bible represents conservative evangelical scholarship of a broadly Reformed strain. And you won’t be surprised to learn that the notes and essays in this Bible represent the very best of this kind of scholarship. Crossway’s commitment to excellence is as evident in this Bible as its rock-solid commitment to biblical authority.
If you line up with conservative evangelical scholarship of a broadly Reformed strain, then this Bible is a must for your library. But even if you find yourself on a different place in the theological spectrum, as do many of my blog readers, I would still recommend this Bible to you. It will help you get a balanced perspective on the meaning and application of the biblical text. Moreover, I have checked the study notes in many passages, and found them to be insightful, helpful, and thorough (given space limitations, of course). They reflect solid, well-informed biblical scholarship. You can check out a representative passage online, if you wish.
In addition to the notes on the text, the ESV Study Bible includes a compendious collection of theological and scholarly essays, all written by experts for lay readers. This is really a study Bible and a Bible dictionary in one volume. You’ll find top-notch articles on such topics as: The Reliability of the Bible Manuscripts, Biblical Ethics, The Roman Empire and the Greco-Roman World at the Time of the New Testament, and The Time Between the Testaments. 
One of the most impressive features of this study Bible is its collection of illustrations. You’ll find several hundred maps, charts, and pictures. For example, check out this illustration of Solomon’s Temple. (You can see it in much more detail here.)
Even more impressive to me, however, is that fact that this entire Bible is accessible online. If you buy the print edition, you automatically have access to the ESV Online Study Bible. Everything in the print version appears in the online version, plus some extras as well. Crossway continues to lead the Christian publishing pack with their wise and extensive use of the Internet and other technologies. (For example, my book published by Crossway, Can We Trust the Gospels? is available in a Kindle edition. I’m sure this made Oprah happy.)
Crossway explains its goal and vision for the ESV Study Bible in this way:
The goal and vision of the ESV Study Bible is, first and foremost, to honor the Lord—in terms of the excellence, beauty, and accuracy of its content and design; and in terms of helping people come to a deeper understanding of the Bible, of the Gospel, and of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry and all receipts from the ESV Study Bible go directly toward the support of this ministry goal around the world.
In my opinion, the ESV Study Bible has more than fulfilled this goal and vision, and I am grateful for this powerful new biblical resource.
Topics: Book Reviews | 7 Comments »
Earl Palmer on Regarding Others as Better Than Ourselves
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, October 30, 2008
Part 14 of series: Sharing Laity Lodge
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This past weekend we had our annual Leaders’ Retreat at Laity Lodge. Earl Palmer was our main speaker, teaching four Bible studies on Philippians. Our musicians were Kurt Kaiser (composer, pianist) and Michael Davis (violinist and concertmaster for the Louisville Orchestra). Poet and writer, Olga Samples Davis, was our resource leader in the arts.
Earl Palmer, by the way, just last week retired as Senior Pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, after 52 years of ordained ministry. But don’t expect Earl to settle down into easy retirement living. He and some Christian partners have just launched Earl Palmer Ministries, a platform from which Earl will continue to teach Scripture with excellence and contemporary bite. Earl’s first “gig” will be at National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., where he will be Preaching Pastor-in-Residence for several months. (Photo: Earl teaching at Laity Lodge.)
As always, Earl’s teaching of Scripture paid close attention to the original meanings of the words, in this case, the Greek words of Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians. As he made his way through the text, he came upon an imperative that is often misunderstood: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves” (Phil 2:3, NRSV). “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit” isn’t too tricky. But what does it mean to regard others as better than ourselves?
Earl pointed out that sometimes Christians have taken this as reason to think of other people as more valuable than themselves. But this is a mistake, he explained. Paul is not talking about personal worth here. After all, we are all equally valuable in the sight of God. We all bear God’s image and, if we belong to Christ, are God’s own creation.
Earl went on to show that Philippians 2:3 does not mean that we should consider ourselves as less valuable than others. Rather, Paul uses a turn of phrase that means to put others first, to give them the advantage, to regard them highly. Earl’s take on this verse is perfectly captured in Eugene Peterson’s rendering in The Message: “Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.”
To underscore this point, Earl supplied an humorous illustration I won’t forget. Suppose, he said, you’re on your way to a picnic and realize that you’ve forgotten the sunscreen. So you stop at a market and hurry to find some SPF-45. Grabbing a tube of sunscreen and hurrying by all of the tempting teasers in the store, you come to the checkout lines with only one item. In front of you is a woman with a cart filled to the brim with groceries.
“Don’t ever ask to go ahead of her,” Earl counseled wisely. “Instead, stand there, looking slightly rushed and sad,” he said in a joking manner. “You might even choose to yell, ‘Honey, I’ll be there in just a minute.’ If you’re lucky, the woman in front of you in line will take pity, saying, ‘Oh, you can go ahead.’ And so you do, happily.” (FYI: If you don’t know Earl, he’s not manipulative. This was all a bunch of silly hyperbole.)
This woman’s actions, Earl said, demonstrate what it means to regard others as better than ourselves. It’s not a matter of valuing people more than yourself, but rather of giving them a place ahead of yourself.
This kind of preferring of people does not mean that we think poorly of ourselves. In fact, Earl pointed out that the woman who let you go ahead of her in line will feel good about herself. She did something kind from a place of personal strength and generosity. Similarly, Paul does not want us to go around thinking poorly of ourselves. Rather, when we know who we are in Christ, we’ll have the freedom to “help others get ahead,” and we’ll feel good in doing it.
I won’t soon forget the waiting in line illustration. It does indeed capture Paul’s meaning in Philippians 2. And it reminds us of how we are to live as disciples of Christ, choosing in freedom and joy to imitate his servanthood.
Topics: Sharing Laity Lodge | 11 Comments »
Hit By a Wave of Nostalgia
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I expect you’ve probably had an experience like the one that engulfed me last week. It can come from visual cues, though it’s often stimulated by the sound of an old song or a distinctive smell. As I was driving along, minding my own business, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia, a tsunami of multi-sensory memories.
I happened to be driving in Southern California, where I spent most of my life until a recent move to Texas. As I was cruising along Manchester Blvd., getting ready to return my rental car, all of a sudden I saw it . . . a big, giant donut. Immediately, my mind flooded with memories: riding in our family car on a Saturday morning with my dad, ordering donuts from the window, waiting expectantly for our order, the intoxicating smell of fresh donuts, the scrumptious taste of a perfect, hot donut.
In the early 1960s, my family and I lived in Inglewood, California, just a few miles from what is now called Randy’s Donuts. At the time, this establishment was part of the Big Donut chain. There were several Big Donuts near where we lived. In fact, I think we frequented a store that was closer to our home. Today’s it’s called Kindle’s Do-nuts (no relation to the Amazon reading device).
A few years ago while driving in Bellflower, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, I stumbled upon an unexpected sight. There was what looked like a Big Donut store. But on what was once a big donut sign I read: “Bellflower Bagels.” Somebody had even tried to paint some raisins on the giant former donut, now bagel. Nice try! But, in our hearts, we still know that the giant “bagel” is really a big donut.
I did a little online research about the remaining Big Donut stores, which all go by different names today. It turns out that Kindle’s Do-nuts features a treat that honors my new state. Yes, at Kindle’s you can buy a Texas Donut. What makes it a Texas Donut? you ask. The giant size! Why, that’s almost a meal in itself!
In my nostalgic reverie last week, I made a vow. I promise to take my son to one of the former Big Donut shops. I just have to pass on the tradition. I only wish my father could be with us. I wonder if they have Big Donuts in heaven.
Topics: Musings | 4 Comments »
Practical Questions and Answers About Life in the Body of Christ
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Part 12 of series: The Church as the Body of Christ
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1. I’m not currently connected to a church. How can I find a good church?
There is no simple answer to this question. First of all, let me urge to pray about it. If you faithfully seek the Lord’s guidance, he will lead you to a church that is right for you. Second, talk with Christians who live near you. Ask about their churches and consider their recommendations. Most people find a church through friends and family members. Third, check church websites. You can find out lots of information, especially if a church has a sophisticated website. You’ll be able to find out about church ministries, core beliefs, staffing, etc.
What should you look for in a church? First and foremost, look for evidence that a church honors Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Unfortunately, not every Christian church exalts Christ in this way. When you visit the church, see if the worship facilitates genuine fellowship with God, if the preaching is biblically-based, and if the people are friendly. Look for programs that might be of particular interest to you. If you have children, be sure to check out the ministries for children and youth.
Before you decide to join a church, I’d encourage you to have a meeting with the senior pastor. (In a very large church, you may meet with one of the pastors, not the senior pastor.) Bring a list of the questions that matter most to you. Remember: no church is perfect. Every church has flaws — just like you.
2. I’m a member of a church, but it’s pretty dead. What should I do?
There’s no quick or simple answer to this question. I believe that God wants to bring new life to dying churches. Renewal comes through the Holy Spirit, usually as church members share their excitement about the Lord with others. But this process of church renewal can be slow and frustrating.
If you’re in a church that seems to be dead, the first thing to do is to pray for God’s help and guidance. Pray for your church, its leadership, its members. Pray for the Spirit to blow freely and freshly through the congregation. Pray for God’s direction for you and your involvement. Ask the Lord if there a ways he wants to use you to bring new life to your church. (Photo: Abandoned church in Dorothy, Alberta, Canada)
Second, look for others in the church who are passionate about the Lord. Even struggling churches usually have a small cadre of saints who have walked with Christ for years and are faithful to the church. Often these folks are senior citizens with mature faith and tender hearts. If possible, meet regularly with these people to pray for each other and for the church.
Third, try to understand why your church is dying. Sometimes churches have a terminal theological disease. Is the gospel of Christ preached in the sermons? Does the Bible provide authoritative direction for church leadership? Do those who plan and lead worship attempt to honor God, even if their attempts aren’t very successful? If your church appears to have severe theological problems, I’d encourage you to speak with the pastor. Find out what’s really going on. If church leaders have given up on orthodox Christian faith, renewal of that church will be extraordinarily difficult.
Fourth, if you believe that God is calling you to find another church, leave your former church with gratitude and grace. Don’t get caught up in a spirit of judgmentalism and criticism.
3. My church is a good one, but I’m having a hard time getting connected. What can I do?
Have you made a serious attempt to be connected, or are you circling around the outside with jumping in? If you stay on the fringes of any church, you will feel like an outsider. In fact, chances are good that you will end up leaving that church. If you want to be connected — and you ought to be! — then you need to commit yourself to some context for genuine relationship. In most churches, even regular attendance at worship services won’t facilitate fellowship with other Christians.
I remember speaking with one man who was leaving Irvine Presbyterian Church because he “just didn’t connect with the people.” I asked him where he had tried. “Men’s Ministry?” “No.” “Sunday morning adult class?” “No.” “Midweek Bible study?” “No, not enough time.” “Men’s small group?” “No.” The truth was he simply hadn’t made an effort to get involved with people. He was simply too busy, which is another way of saying he just didn’t value relationship with other Christians highly enough to make it happen.
But I have also spoken with folks who have made a valiant effort and still feel disconnected. Usually I am able to steer them in a helpful direction, or to introduce them to people who can assist in getting them involved in committed fellowship. If you are struggling, talk with a pastor or another church leader.
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Communion in the Body of Christ
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, October 27, 2008
Part 11 of series: The Church as the Body of Christ
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With this post I wrap up my series on the church as the body of Christ. So far I have shown how Christians are united in Christ. Like a body, we are unified even though we are different in many ways. As members of the same body, we are to care for each other and help each other to grow in faith. Though genuine fellowship with other believers can be costly, it repays rich rewards.
Recognizing the benefits of fellowship among Christians for the church and even for the world, we might still wonder how this sort of fellowship impacts our own relationship with God. Does intimate fellowship with God’s people help me to develop deeper fellowship with God?
In this blog series we have seen how fellowship with other Christians supports us in difficult times, keeping us in touch with God when he seems far away. But this is just the bare beginning. Participation in the body of Christ enriches virtually every aspect of your own relationship with God.
For example, I began this series with a description of early church activity in Acts 2. There, as you’ll recall, the new believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer” (Acts 2:42). A few verses later we read, “They worshiped together in the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity” (Acts 2:46). Both of these verses mention the Lord’s Supper, translating the Greek phrase “the breaking of the bread” in a way suggested by the text and by early Christian tradition. Though we experience the Lord’s Supper in worship services, the first believers remembered Jesus’ death each time they “broke bread,” which is to say, each time they shared a meal together. Breaking bread in memory of Jesus strengthened the early church and helped individual believers to grow in relationship with God.
Even though they were believers in Jesus, some of the Corinthian Christians were eating in pagan temples, consuming meat that had been offered to idols. They apparently claimed to be protected from evil because they had eaten the Lord’s Supper, as if it provided some sort of magic shield against demonic activity. They also ignored the detrimental effect their behavior had on other members of the church, caring only about their freedom and personal privilege.
Paul confronts this behavior in 1 Corinthians 10. He shows, on the one hand, that eating the Lord’s Supper does not give one the freedom to participate in idolatry. In fact just the opposite is true. When we eat spiritually dedicated food, whether in the Lord’s Supper or in a pagan ritual, we actually have fellowship with the spiritual beings who are honored in the meal. “I don’t want any of you to be partners with demons,” Paul advises (1 Cor 10:20). The word “partners” translates the Greek noun koinonos. A koinonos is one who shares intimate fellowship (koinonia) with something. Because we have fellowship with Jesus in the Lord’s Supper, therefore, we should not also have fellowship with pagan idols and the demons they represent. Apparently, Jesus doesn’t gladly share fellowship with competing spiritual beings.
Consequently, we can conclude that our participation in human fellowship provides us with a context for receiving the Lord’s Supper, that which helps us to have deeper fellowship with Jesus. However true and encouraging this may be, Paul adds something even more delectable to this theological meal:
The cup of blessing that we bless [in the Lord’s Supper], is it not intimate fellowship [koinonia] with the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not intimate fellowship [koinonia] with the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we, though we are many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread (1 Cor 10:16-17, my translation).
The word koinonia is often translated as “communion” in this passage, referring to the deep relationship we have with Jesus when we receive his Supper. This verse also has encouraged many Christian to call the Supper “communion.” When we receive communion, we have intimate fellowship with Christ’s blood and body. We remember his death for us and share once again in its benefits by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But that’s not the sum total of our communion in the Lord’s Supper. Our koinonia with the body of Christ is not only remembrance of Jesus’ death, but also fellowship with the present body of Christ, with the church gathered together for the Supper. In sharing the bread together, “we, though we are many, are one.” When we receive the Lord’s Supper, therefore, we have communion both with Jesus and with each other. We share in the fullness of intimate fellowship. (Photo: Communion in my home church, St. Mark Presbyterian in Boerne, Texas)
When I receive take communion in church, therefore, my personal relationship with God is strengthened. Yet that relationship is also nourished and expanded as I share God’s presence with my brothers and sisters. I am delivered from an individualism that limits my relationship with God. I am stretched so that I might know the fullness of intimate fellowship, both with God and with God’s people.
Topics: Church as Body of Christ | 2 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, October 26, 2008
God’s Comfort
“Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the LORD has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
With occasional oases of hope, the first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah are a desert of divine judgment. But then, beginning with Isaiah 40, the tone changes. Though the Lord is still a God of justice and judgment, emphasis is placed on renewal. Thus God calls Isaiah to bring a word of comfort for his people: the days of punishment are over; the time of pardon has begun.
The Hebrew verb translated as “comfort” (nacham) means to console or calm down someone. This same verb appears later in Isaiah as the Lord says: “I will comfort you there in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child” (66:13). For Judah, God’s comfort came especially in the good news of his new work of restoration.
God continues to comfort us today in a variety of ways. When we take our worries to him in prayer, God gives us the gift of his peace. When we remember his faithfulness in the past, we are calmed in the present. Often God’s comfort comes through his people, who care for us, suffer with us, pray for us, and share God’s love with us in tangible ways. Thus we have the chance, not only to receive divine comfort, but also to be instruments of this comfort to others.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When have you experienced God’s comfort in the past? Do you need his comfort today? Who in your life needs to experience God’s comfort? Are you willing to be a channel of his comfort?
PRAYER: Gracious Lord, how I thank you for your comfort. I think of times in my life when I was consumed by worry. When I opened my heart to you, holding nothing back, you granted me your peace. I realized once again that my life was in your hands, and therefore had no cause for worry.
Even as you have comforted me, may I share your comfort with others. Help me to be sensitive to those around me, to feel their worry and distress. Keep me from superficial platitudes that often make things worse rather than better. By your Spirit, may I feel along with others, and, at the same time, be a channel of your loving truth. Amen.
Daily Reflections from The High Calling.org
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
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A Texas Bike Ride
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, October 25, 2008
Recently my son and I went on a bike ride not far from our house in Boerne, Texas. It was a cool autumn afternoon. The skies were filled with marshmallow clouds as we road past small ranches in the Hill Country.
On the way home, I noticed some “friends” by the side of the road. Funny thing was they seemed as interested in me as I was in them. Maybe they hadn’t seen a “cowboy” on such a strange “horse” before. In all of my bike riding days, I had never seen such “friends” before. Not in California . . . only in Texas.
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Christian Unity: A Top Priority
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, October 24, 2008
Part 10 of series: The Church as the Body of Christ
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Paul emphasizes the unity of the body of Christ in his letter to the Corinthians because that unity was threatened by self-centered divisiveness. Paul knew that God intends the church of Jesus Christ is called to be united, so he used the image of the body to help the Corinthians understand how they could be united even in their diversity.
Another of Paul’s letters also underscores the priority of church unity for Christian living. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul begins by laying out God’s grand plan for all of creation. Even before anything existed, God was aware that sin would one day mar his good creation, shattering the perfect unity and harmony God had intended. But, in time, God would mend that which had been shattered, “bringing everything together under the authority of Christ — everything in heaven and on earth” (Eph 1:10-11). Christ’s death on the cross leads, not only to our personal salvation, but also to the restoring of cosmic unity. This restoration begins as human beings, formerly divided, come together through the cross of Christ (Eph 2:1-22).
Applying this impressive theological vision to daily life, Paul urges:
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all (Eph 4:1-6).
Actual unity among Christians is a top priority because it reflects basic theological realities. When the church is united, then God’s plan for the ages shines forth with brilliance. When we live separate and disconnected lives, the good news of God’s work in Christ hides in the shadow of our disunity.
Paul’s prioritization of unity among Christians reiterates the values of Jesus himself. In the hours before his death, Jesus prays,
Now I am departing the world; I am leaving [my people] behind and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are. . . . I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are— I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me (John 17:11, 20-23).
Jesus prays for unity among his disciples, including specifically those of us who will believe in him without having met him in the flesh. Our oneness is to be so deep and lasting that it can even be compared to the oneness Jesus shares with his Heavenly Father. When we experience this dimension of unity, then the world will recognize who Jesus is and what he accomplished through his life and death.
Each of us ought to make Christian community a priority for our lives, not only out of obedience to the clear teaching of scripture, but also so that the world around us will acknowledge the truth of what God has done in Christ. We should seek genuine fellowship with other Christians even when they disappoint us. We should strive for unity among God’s people even when division seems so much easier to manage. Intimate fellowship among Christians contributes, not only to the health of the body of Christ, but also to the persuasiveness of our witness to Christ in the world. As Jesus himself says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35).
For me, the priority of Christian unity gets worked out in very practical ways in my relationship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Since became ordained as a pastor twenty years ago, my denomination has done many things that have offended me. They always have to do with actions or decisions that diminish or even deny basic biblical truth. Most recently, the General Assembly of the PC(USA) voted to change our church Book of Order so as to allow for the ordination of people who are sexually active outside of marriage. This change may very well be rejected by presbyteries (regional governing bodies) so that it will not be official. Nevertheless, I must admit that I’m tired of fighting the same battles again and again and again. Sometimes the grass seems much greener outside of the PC(USA) pasture. But I take seriously the command of Ephesians 3 to eagerly preserve the unity of the body of Christ. Though there may be a time when my conscience will leave me no option but to break fellowship with the PC(USA), until that day I will seek the unity of the part of the body of Christ to which I have been connected.
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Sharing Our Struggles and Successes Together
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, October 23, 2008
Part 9 of series: The Church as the Body of Christ
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Yesterday I began to explore the implications of the fact that the church is the body of Christ: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Cor 12:26). If this is true, then we will share each other’s pain, hurting along with our brothers and sisters. If you don’t like to feel bad (and who does?), this isn’t exactly good news. Yet through our mutual empathy we are able to care for each other.
For me, there is an even more unsettling implication in Paul’s picture of the sympathetic body. If, when one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, then when I suffer, others will suffer along with me. Now I suppose some people might find this appealing. But I don’t. I’m the sort of person who likes to suffer alone. If I’m sick, I don’t want my wife and family to take care of me. I want them to leave me alone. That’s how I’m wired. So the idea of sharing my suffering with others isn’t something I warm up to easily.
Moreover, Paul’s description of the body implies that I must let the other parts know when I am suffering. If there’s one thing I like less than feeling pain, it’s admitting that pain to other people. I want to pretend that I am above it all, a man of strength and unwavering faith. I don’t want to be weak, or needy, or doubting, or vulnerable. And when I am any of these things, I don’t want to admit it. Yet God expects this sort of intimacy among members of Christ’s body. And he expects it, I fear, because he knows that we cannot bear our pain alone. We have been created and saved to share such things with others.
Perhaps you are not cursed with the need to pretend you’re invincible. If you can easily share your struggles with others, you are blessed. As a pastor, however, I know that my reticence to share my pain is not unique. Time and again members of my church in Irvine would go into the hospital without telling anyone because they were embarrassed. Or they would struggle silently as their family crumbled, but kept quiet because they felt so ashamed. When folks in my church hid their pain, I felt bugged me because they make it impossibly hard for the body to care for them as we should have done. But I certainly understood the fears that kept folks from admitting their struggles.
There have been times in my life, however, when my suffering was so acute that I couldn’t hide it. Twenty two years ago my dad was dying of cancer, slowly and excruciatingly. In the last stages of his life, my family and I would nurse my dad, caring for him in ways that sapped every ounce of strength. The combination of sadness and stress was almost too much to bear. Thank God we did not have to bear it alone!
I was working at Hollywood Presbyterian Church during those years, the church where my parents had been active for two decades. During the last year of my father’s life, friends from church would check in with me and the rest of my family each day. They prayed without ceasing. The loved without expecting anything in return. In the last three months of my dad’s life they brought dinners to my parents’ home, every night a new meal. The food ranged from perfectly cooked prime rib to take out fried chicken. But whatever the quality of the food, every meal conveyed love that fed our souls as well as our bodies.
Experiences like this one have made it a bit easier for me to share my sufferings with others, but only a bit!
Let me add that such intimacy will not happen, and is not meant to happen, in large groups. It’s impossible for groups larger than forty or fifty to suffer and rejoice together in the manner Paul envisions. If we are to be active members of the body of Christ, therefore, we must be in groups that are small enough to facilitate mutual sharing. Most churches have groups like this. They go by different names, such as: small groups, cell groups, growth groups, adult classes, home Bible studies, kinship groups, prayer groups, etc. Specific group functions differ from church to church. But most of these gatherings facilitate personal openness, providing a place for you to share your pains and your victories.
There is a more appealing upside to Paul’s vision of body sympathy: if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. The Corinthians were mired in self-centered accomplishment, seeking to magnify their own honor, even at the expense of others. But God’s plan for the body of Christ eliminates all of this selfish striving. If we share all of life together, the honoring of a fellow body-part will feel like the honoring of ourselves. We will rejoice unselfconsciously with the one who has been honored.
This kind of shared honor can be quite counter-cultural. I lived for sixteen plus years in Irvine, California, one of the most competitive environments you can find. Most Irvine parents are driven to make sure their kids are successful in every way: athletically, academically, socially, etc. (Sadly, they don’t as often care about emotional or spiritual “success.”) As a result, parents can often feel competitive with others parents. They find ways to boast about their children’s accomplishments as if achievement is a zero sum game. If my child wins, your’s loses, and vice versa. (Photo: Moon rise over North Lake in Irvine, California)
But at Irvine Presbyterian Church things were often quite different. As parents shared their struggles, as they prayed for each other and their children, competitiveness lessened. Sunday school teachers followed the “careers” of their students, rejoicing when they grew up and got scholarships to college. When one child was honored, many parents rejoiced.
So, though it can be scary to share your life with others, or to share deeply in their lives, the results of such vulnerability and connectedness are rich indeed. They can stretch those of us who prize independence and self-reliance. But when we truly share our lives together as members of the body of Christ, the rewards are plentiful.
In my next post in this series I want to examine another implication of being the body of Christ together.
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Hurting with the Hurting
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Part 8 of series: The Church as the Body of Christ
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Yesterday I explored one implication of the church as the body of Christ. According to 1 Corinthians 12, God has made us so that we care mutually for each other. This means that each of us has responsibility within the church. We’re not just care receivers, but care givers as well. Moreover, God has designed the body of Christ in such a way that we are not meant to be independent. Rather, we depend on each other for the care and love they provide. If you prefer to take care of yourself and not need others, this can be a disconcerting bit of biblical truth.
Yet there is more in 1 Corinthians 12 that might stir up a bit of internal discomfort.
As Paul wraps up his discussion of the body of Christ, he states: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Cor 12:26). For those of us who want to be empathetic, this sounds like good news. According to God’s design, we will feel the pain of those who hurt and the joy of those who are honored.
But there is a double downside to this kind of empathy. First of all, we should note our calling to suffer along with those who suffer. The text doesn’t say anything about making them feel better. Surely other biblical passages call for encouraging and helping people in need (1 Thess 5:11-14). But in 1 Corinthians 12 we are told to feel genuine empathy, to hurt with those who hurt. This can be much harder than merely giving aid and comfort. It requires really knowing people. It demands the opening my whole heart. It means that I will feel pain when those around me feel pain. Sometimes I’d rather just cheer people up and be on my merry way. But that’s not how God has designed the church as the body of Christ.
When I was on the staff of Hollywood Presbyterian Church, one of the elders rubbed me the wrong way. Fritz always seemed to have a scowl on his face. His comments in meetings were often terse and negative. It didn’t really surprise me when I learned that he had been a career Marine. He seemed just about as happy as the stereotypical drill sergeant in movies. I must admit that I pretty much wrote Fritz off as a cranky old man whom I’d try to ignore. (Photo: The sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.)
Wouldn’t you know that on a retreat of the elders, while we were having communion together, Fritz came to me asking for prayer. Apparently I had hidden my negative feelings towards him too well. I figured that I could pray a quick prayer and finish our interaction without much emotional investment. As Fritz began to share what he wanted me to pray about, he began to weep. He was well into his 70s by that time, and felt like he had completely missed the joy of serving the Lord. “I’m just a cranky old man,” he sobbed, “and I don’t think God can do anything with me. It’s too late.” As I sat there with Fritz, my initial desire to pray a quick “get better” prayer faded away. I began to feel his sadness, his desperation, his discouragement with himself. It hurt me to share his pain. When it was time for me to pray, I couldn’t help but weeping along with my brother. I also wept for myself, feeling so ashamed before God for my hard-heartedness against this dear man, and feeling so grateful for the chance to share in his suffering. When I finished praying, we embraced, a formerly cranky old man and a formerly cranky young pastor, sharing together in God’s healing love.
If I told you that there was a dramatic change in Fritz’s life, you’d probably think: “Oh, there goes another pastor with his exaggerated happy endings.” I wouldn’t blame you for thinking this way. But the Spirit of God did a miracle within Fritz. He became truly tenderhearted. In fact, he soon became known around the church for his profound sympathy for others. He also began to manifest a magnetic joy in the Lord. Fritz also became a dear friend of mine, a beloved encourager of me and my ministry. Oh, what I would have missed if I hadn’t bothered to feel the pain of this brother! God would probably have found someone else to minister to him, but I would have been forever deprived of a watershed experience in my own life.
There is even a potentially more unsettling implication of Paul’s picture of the sympathetic body of Christ. I’ll get to that tomorrow.
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