Forward in faith

From Derek Miller ~ Back in the early ‘70’s, I fashioned myself to be a pretty good baseball player.  I could hit the ball fairly well and was a pretty good fielder.  I enjoyed going to practice and playing in the games.  Most of my practices were fairly close to home and my parents were reliable to pick me up after practice.  One day, however, our practice was held at a local elementary school that was positioned by one of the malls in the city.  Relatively speaking, it was pretty far away from my house.  My mom dropped me off at 4:00 for practice and the last thing she said as I got out of the car was, “your Dad will be here to pick you up” and she drove away.  At about 5:15, our practice ended and other players started leaving the field.  Many asked if I needed a ride and I would just reply cheerfully, “oh no, my Dad is going to be here to pick me up.”  Finally, the school yard cleared and I was the only kid left there.  The time went by, 5:30, 5:45, 6:00 and my Dad had not arrived.  Remember this was before cell phones or texts, so I had no way of knowing what the hold up was.  As it started moving toward darkness at about 7:25, I hatched the idea that I would walk to the mall and call home—how I was going to do that, I have no idea as I had no money to use in the pay phone.  As I started walking away from the field, an approaching car caught my attention—it was my Dad and brother coming.  So, I ran back to the school to meet them as they passed me by.  It seems that my Dad had forgotten that he needed to pick me up and I was there alone for over 2 hours waiting on him.

I was never so fearful in my life when I was waiting for him and had no idea why he was not there.  Our heavenly Father, on the other hand, is there for us.  The hardest part for us is that we have to completely trust Him and have faith that He is going to be there for us and direct our paths.  Just like the fear that I experienced wondering where my earthly Father was when I was sitting at that practice field, I am sometimes paralyzed by fear—fear of the unknown in my future.  In Proverbs 3:5-6, it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your path straight.”  In the King James Version, the last part of that verse says that, “He shall direct your paths.”  Notice that we are not called upon to trust in the Lord with some of our heart, or most of our heart, but every single bit of our hearts.  In the same way, we are called upon in all of our ways to acknowledge Him.  That can be easy to say and very difficult to put into practice every single time we are faced with a challenge.

With our upcoming transfer to Georgia, we had lots of questions.  While we are familiar with the area and it would seem that it would be easy to re-acclimate back there, we were faced with lots of decisions that had big impacts.  Most all of those were encapsulated in one big decision—where would we live.  While we had our own ideas of where that should be, we turned it over to God to help us make the decisions.   We thought we should look at areas closer to our offices.  We would continue to rule out areas further away.  While we watched, many houses that we looked at, started dropping out as options pretty early on.  One house that we really liked and was the first house on our list, went under contract in early March.  It was located further away from our offices so we dismissed that as being expected when we looked at it and kept moving forward because it was not in our desired location.  That house came back on the market and we continued to pray for God’s guidance as we looked.  I even remarked to our realtor that it might get to the point, where we would need a neon sign outside of a home saying, “This is the One”.  As we continued the process, many homes came on the market and we would pray for discernment as to which house we should choose.  One by one, those houses went under contract.  It became so concerning that we contacted our realtor and asked her if we needed to go ahead and come earlier than planned to find a house.  She indicated that we should.  So, in late March, we went over and started looking at houses again.  We saw one house that we really liked in the same neighborhood as the other one we liked.  Joyce and I discussed which one we would prefer and we prayed for God’s discernment.  During that week, the 2^nd house sold and we were left with the original house in that neighborhood.  As we walked up to the house on our realty tour, we could see a sign in the foyer.  There was a neon green poster board that said, “This is the One!”  While we know the realtors had talked, it became evident that the sign was right.  As we negotiated the price, the counter-offer came back right where we had hoped to be if we were buying the house.  The very next day, another offer came in but we had an agreed price by then.  It was not where we originally thought we would be, but it was evident that it is where God wanted us to be.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Mike told the story in Joshua where the Israelites were crossing over the Jordan River heading into the Promised Land.  In Joshua 3:14-17, it indicated that the Jordan River was at flood stage.  Joshua directed the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to go forward.  As soon as they stepped their feet into the Jordan, the river water started backing up and the people crossed over on dry land.  Notice something here.  God did not tell the Israelites to stand on the sidelines until He was ready for them and then the miracle would happen.  He did not say, wait until I part the water in front of you before you cross.  They actually had to take steps forward in faith to step into the water before the miracle occurred.  Before they did that, they had no idea what was being planned.  They had to “trust in the Lord with all their hearts and lean not on their own understanding.”

In the book we just recently started in MOVERS called “Crazy Love” by author and Pastor Francis Chan, he talks about our minds are the size of a soda can and our God is as vast as the ocean.  Do I really want to have faith in and serve a God that I can compact into a space that I can comprehend and understand everything that He is doing?  Having read the entire Bible, I am yet to find where it says that we will always have complete understanding of everything that God is up to.  What it does say in several places is that we are to trust in the Lord.  In Proverbs, I am called upon to trust with my entire heart and acknowledge Him in everything that I do and He will direct my paths.  Just like the people of Israel, we have to move forward and let God direct us where we need to go even if we don’t fully understand what is going on.  Also, in Deuteronomy 31:6, God tells Moses to “be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified. . ., for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”  With promises like that, are you willing to take the first steps of faith and let Him direct your paths?

Companionship

A key leader at Lexington Baptist Church, Jerry Tarlton, died this past week. All of those who knew Jerry have a blessed assurance that he is with Jesus today.

The visitation was this past Friday night, advertised from 6-8 p.m., at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home in Lexington.

I wanted badly to be at the visitation, to speak to Jerry’s wife Pat, and to meet his family. I also wanted to be around my “faith family” that I knew would be assembling there. I wanted to pay my respects to Jerry’s memory, too. But, my Pony League baseball team had a game on Friday night. Knowing how much Jerry loved baseball and our local Dixie program, I knew he would want me to be at the game rather than the visitation.

The game wrapped up about 8:30. Vicki and I met at home about 9, and decided to grab some dinner. Since I can remember, I have celebrated baseball victory with Kentucky Fried Chicken. So, off we went to KFC, passing Caughman-Harman Funeral Home on the way. There were still cars in the parking lot – an hour after the visitation was supposed to have ended. So, we made a last minute decision to step inside the visitation.

At 10:10 p.m., Vicki and I got home from the visitation (with our chicken). The visitation for this good man lasted almost four hours – far beyond the advertised time.

Standing at the end of the receiving line, I overheard someone say, “I knew that Jerry knew lots of people, but I had no idea that he touched so many people's lives.” Do you see the powerful difference in knowing and serving?

Through Lexington Baptist Church involvement, our local Dixie baseball league, his work with Farm Bureau Insurance and living within our community, Jerry Tarlton had plowed his life into a lot of people and allowed a lot of people to plow into his life as well. I was deeply reminded of why we live this life we are given: We live it to link arm-in-arm with other believers to love and serve the Lord, to love and serve others, and to open ourselves to be loved and to be served. (Yep, it’s important for us to allow others to exercise faith in our direction – to fail at that is sinful.)

In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, the great King Solomon writes: “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But, how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

These verses are about companionship, especially among like-minded followers of Jesus. Where are you? Are you linked arm-in-arm with other believers? Have you pulled a seat up to the camp fire? Are you in the game? Or, are you trying to navigate this life all by yourself? Are you on the fringe of fire’s warmth – freezing and in the dark? Are you sitting in the stands, watching the game you should be playing?

And, a warning. Satan is real. He is wanting to destroy you and all that you love.

He wants you and me to be isolated from the fellowship of other believers. He wants us turning to non-believers for good advice on faith, marriage, parenting and relationships. He wants us to be lonely, self-indulged, and looking in the mirror. Because he knows that if we are isolated, well, we will remain in sinful, stale and unfulfilling lives, unchallenged, unchecked, and mediocre at best. No one will come to Jesus because of us.

Companionship.
We were not created to be isolated from one another. We were made to enjoy one another, to lift each other up, and to reflect the Savior who loves us.

Planning: From here to there

Vicki and I have been slowly remodeling a few rooms in our home. Remodeling to us is pretty self-contained: (a) Clean and throw away; (b) Strip old wallpaper and paint; (c) Rethink what’s on the walls; and (d) Update some furniture. (When one corner of the sofa is propped up by three books, it’s time for a new one.)

At one point in this multi-phase, multi-year remodeling plan, Vicki came across a box of old stuff. From this box, she placed three items on my desk. One was an old program from a black-tie event we attended during our engagement. One was the program for the 1983 Sugar Bowl, which we attended in New Orleans. The third was a multi-page love letter that I wrote her in 1983 – a little over a year after we had started dating. For our 20^th wedding Anniversary, we put together a scrapbook that includes letters I wrote her during our five years of long-distance dating. The scrapbook also includes cards we exchanged, and some black and white pictures from our first Valentine’s Day together. The letter before me was one that needed to be in the scrapbook, and that’s why she put it on my desk. As I read it, thinking back to the 24-year-old boy who wrote it, I had to pause, laugh and even flinch at some of the words before me.

It was encouraging to read, in my own words, a reminder to Vicki that I had prayed for her before I even knew her. It was encouraging to read my reminder that she was an answered prayer. I had been through a lot, even at 24, and knew that God was in control of my life. There had already been too many answered prayers and too many moments when God reminded me of his presence. I can take you to the exact location – the exact spot – where I got on my knees in that bathroom apartment, acknowledged that God knew who she was while I didn’t, and asked him to go ahead and send her to me. It was only a few weeks later that we met. Reading those words from the past, I was reminded at how faithful God is to each of us. In Jeremiah 29:11, God reminds his people: “For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you.”

God knows. God knows what? God knows everything.

What confidence we can take in those words from Jeremiah. As followers of Jesus, we are minded that God is with us and He is already in our future. He knows our future and we can have hope in it. God says His plans are good and not for disaster. That doesn’t mean we will be spared pain, suffering and hardship, but it does mean that our lives will be with Him, and He will see us through this life to a glorious conclusion with Him.

And, God reminds us that when we pray wholeheartedly (earnestly), He will listen and we will find him. This is not a casual, reckless, ADHD approach to prayer. Praying earnestly means a focused, intense, purging of self and crying out to the Lord. My prayer for Vicki was like that. In fact, I’ve had times when my prayer posture was simply flat on the floor heaving my life out to the Lord. When you do that – when you get to that place, friends – you will literally feel the power and peace of Almighty God. You will never question or doubt again His love for you and the peace that comes from a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

But, also within that letter were words that made me flinch. While acknowledging God’s sending of Vicki to me, I quickly defaulted to my plans for us. In several paragraphs, I spelled out my plans for us related to all things of the Earth. I spelled out that we would do this and do that, have this and have that, and go here and go there. And, not one time did I place those plans at the feet of my Lord and say, “but, all things according to your will for us.” And, that’s the problem with planning. We go to God with the big stuff, and then we default to our plans for the day-to-day stuff. James 4:13 reminds us, “Look here, you people who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business and make a profit – How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘if the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise, you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.”

Is it wrong to plan? No. But, we must square our plans with God’s plans for us. That means we should be praying for our tomorrow in keeping with God’s place in tomorrow. We should surrender our tomorrow to the God who is already there on our behalf. And, we can’t boast about our plans because that’s equivalent of saying, “I am in charge of my life, not the Lord.” And, Scripture says we can’t follow two masters – we will either follow self or we will follow God. (Matthew 6:24)

Here’s some other Scripture for you:

Proverbs 19:21 – Many are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 27:1 – Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Job 17:11 – My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart.

In Luke 12:13-21 – Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool – “a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

So, what are we to do?

1. When God says in Jeremiah 1:5 that he knew you and me before we were born, and He says He has plans for you – what are those plans? Go to the Lord and earnestly ask Him. Just cry out to the Lord, ‘Help me, I’m tired. I need a new direction. I need to be a better spouse, parent, child, sibling, friend. I can no longer do this or that on my own. I must have you.” Lay it out there.

2. How do I know I am doing what God wants me to do? First, get past the notion that God’s plan for you is tied to your career in some way. Certainly, God’s plans for you may involve your gifts and strengths and passions related to work, but ultimately God’s plans for you will involve the sacrificial love and service toward others in the name of Jesus. You may need to change careers. You may even need to move to another place. But, God’s calling will not involve chaos and confusion – ultimately, you will be at peace with it.

3. How do I discover God’s plan for me? Pray earnestly, and listen to the encouragement of other believers. I believe that one of the ways God speaks to us is through other believers. Are you surrounding yourself with them? Are you allowing Satan to weed you out from the fellowship of believers, living alone and without that encouragement?

Excuses - "They are a bunch of hypocrites."

Should you find yourself on Family Feud, and you are asked to name the excuses people give for not attending church (engaging faith with other believers), the No. 1 answer will be this one: “They (Christians / church attenders) are a bunch of hypocrites.” I found LifeWay research information, from 2008, that indicates 72 percent of those who are unchurched believe church-attenders are hypocrites. In more direct terms, many people believe you and I are liars when it comes to living out our faith. Many of the unchurched believe you and I don’t practice what we preach, and that we are less than authentic when it comes to our public and private personalities.

Hypocrisy is such a complicated topic because each and every person struggles with it. The sickly world we occupy calls us to be this way, and the Holy Spirit within us calls us to be another way. It doesn’t take long for us to get twisted up and turned around. Fighting hypocrisy – and it comes in lots of different forms and fashions – can only be conquered when we completely focus on Jesus, and trust Him to make our paths straight, our decisions right, and our focus on God’s plan for us.

Without diving deeply into the etymology of the word, hypocrite comes from the ancient Greek playhouses, when actors would perform a role on stage and the role was contradictory to who they were in life. That has fed our culture today – “publicly play acting” a different person from who we are privately.

When I was ordained, in October 2011, pastor Mike’s charge to me was very simple, “Protect the calling.” That really resonated with me. If I’m going to be “set apart” for gospel ministry by the church, my life must conform to that calling. I have a responsibility to live up to the Lord’s calling on my life. But, it goes much deeper than that for me. Shouldn’t Mike’s charge apply to every single one of us? When we are “converted” by the Holy Spirit, we are changed. Each of us is called out to follow the Lord, and that means we must protect our individual calling. If the Lord called you to lay down your life’s ambition and desire, and follow Him, and you genuinely received that call, it stands to reason the Holy Spirit changed you from that person to a new person. I’m not suggesting that you and I go about forced changing, but that we let the Lord convict and massage and change what He needs to change within each of us. Some of our personality quirks need to stick around, some of the good and fun things we enjoy may need to stay in place because they become valuable in building relationship with others and helping us introduce people to Jesus.

It comes down to this really: As believers, we can’t act or claim to be one way in public, but let selfish attitudes rule our private thinking. Ultimately, those private weaknesses will become public ones, and in that conflict – we express our hypocrisy. And, people see it. And, as we trumpet faith publicly, but live as unbelievers privately, we pollute the entire pond for the entire faith community. Consider:

1. The believer who says church participation is important for my family . . . as long as it makes my family happy and is convenient to our schedule.
2. The believer who advises prayer by those who are hurting, but then comes unglued when their own life turns into a deep valley. Or worse, uses prayer as an indictment, as in, “You need to fall on your knees and pray about your attitude toward me!”
3. The believer who whispers about the shortcomings and personality flaws of others, but fails to see the sinfulness in that shadowy form of gossip and character assassination.
4. The believer who carries a Bible, but never uses it. Or worse, uses the Bible as a weapon to beat people up, and then put it back on the dusty bookshelf.
5.  The believer who gives generously, but then circles back around to ensure most everyone knows it.
6. The believer who claims to follow Jesus, but then denies Jesus by their actions and words under just the right amount of peer pressure. (I believe we may need to wade into the murkier areas of life, at times, in order to shine for Jesus. If I’m never around unbelievers and within their environment, how can stand as a testimony for Jesus? I just have to be careful not to compromise my faith, and create questions of hypocrisy in the minds of others).

It’s these inconsistencies by the team’s players that cause the spectators – the unchurched – to say, “That team is in complete disarray. They don’t believe what they say they believe. Why in the world would I want to be involved in that mess.”

It’s true, we Christians are a confused, muddled, and hypocritical bunch. The road of spiritual growth is not easy because of the sickly world that we live in. It’s true that sometimes even the best of us look and act more like unbelievers than we do believers. None of us are immune to it because of the internal struggle between human nature and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, in Matthew 23:1-39, confronts spiritual leaders who were indeed hypocrites. In some Bibles, this extended passage is titled “Seven Woes” because Jesus essentially comes out heavy with a warning and a threat. For all of us – as believers - , I feel, Jesus is warning us to avoid:

•  Creating man-made rules forced into Scripture and presented as God’s laws.
• Telling people to obey Scripture, but not obeying Scripture ourselves.
•  Obeying Scripture, not to honor God, but to make ourselves look good. Caring about looking holy, rather than being holy.
• Using the church for personal gain – love of positions outweighing love of the Lord.
• Allowing love of the church to get in front of our love of Jesus.
• Focusing our giving on the money, but never giving time or never giving abilities in service.
•  Washing the outside of the cup, but never washing the inside of it. Taking care of your heart and mind will lead to a beautiful person on the outside.

But, I also have a word to the unchurched, who wag their fingers and use hypocrisy as an excuse to avoid church and faith.

Faith and by extension – church – is not for the perfect, or the pretty, or the ducks-in-a-row, or the healthy – church is for the sick, the hurting, the lonely, the tired, the hungry, the thirsty, the poor in spirit, the angry, the frustrated, the worried, and the weary. Church is sanctuary from the world – sanctuary for broken and busted people, who know the only way to put things back together is through Jesus. You will never find a perfect person in church. You will find spiritually sick, relationally sick, physically sick and emotionally sick people – just like you and just like me! – but who know Jesus as Savior and are walking in a “love and serve” relationship with others. I would rather be forgiven of my contradictions and in faith, than lost in my contradictions – separated from fellowship with God and the love of other believers.

And, we believers must understand that we are each ailing – we must be here with arms wide open – working out our own hypocrisies and inconsistencies – laying down our attitudes so we love and serve anyone and everyone the Lord chooses to send our way. It’s not what we say that matters, it’s how we live out what we say that matters, and how we live it out for everyone around us – not just those that make us comfortable.

Excuses - "They (the church) just want my money."

If you and I talk to enough people about church, we will soon hear the excuse, “They are just after my money.” The best way for me to combat this excuse is (a) live with my own Biblical approach to money, (b) talk about changed lives through the church, which requires money for mission and ministry, and (c) help people have a Biblical understanding of money. When people criticize giving to the church they often focus on the bureaucracy of organization, but we must focus them on the lives changed. Property requires money, but consider the lives changed through the rooms and corridors of our church. Missions and ministry require money, but consider the lives changed through Vacation Bible School, mission trips, and small groups. Gatherings require money, but consider the lives changed through worship and fellowship and Bible teaching. Yes, money is necessary for the work of the church, but the work of the church is to love and serve people toward being followers of Jesus.

For the first 30 years of my life, I loved money. I hit my young-adult stride in the spend-spend-spend 1980s. I loved the Lord, but I loved money more. I would not have admitted that fact, then, but my actions and words and emotions told the true story. I thought more about money than I thought about the Lord. Each week, I spent 2-3 hours at my church, but I spent 10x that energy thinking about and worrying over money. I was always looking for ways to make money. Most of my pursuit of money fell to two categories: (1) To fuel what I wanted (not needed) for myself and family; and (2) To keep up with other people (who didn’t really care anything about me). Satan used that worldly intoxication to put me on a roller coaster of highs and lows, always wanting, always reaching, and always wasting. It almost destroyed me and my family. In fact, were it not for the saving grace of Jesus and a complete surrender of my life to Him – it would have destroyed me. The past 22 years have been much simpler, and much more peaceful.

The then and now is why I can write so assuredly about faith and money.

Here are five things you should know:
1. Followers of Jesus don’t see money the way the world sees money.
The world – with Satan’s direct influence – sees money as a means to gather up and influence for the good of self. I watch people. Someone will go on a trip – it’s not long before their friends are going on the same trip only a little better. Someone will improve their yard – it’s not long before their friends are improving the yard. Someone buys a car – it’s not long before their friends are trading cars. Someone pays for their child to do this – it’s not long before friends are paying for their children to do the same. And, back and forth they go like rats in Satan’s wheel. Followers of Jesus see money as a tool to improve the lives of others, building relationships with others through which they (we) can talk about Jesus. The side of the ledger on which you and I fall - spending on self or spending on others -  is a barometer of our faith life. Look in the mirror. Talk to your spouse or close friends. Where are you with money – self or others? Do your actions reflect a believer or an unbeliever? There’s not a lot of gray. Because . . .

2. Followers of Jesus understand that everything belongs to God, including all of our money. That money you have? It’s not yours. It belongs to the Lord – every nickel and every dime. And, it’s not the IRS to whom you and I will account – it’s our Lord to whom we will account for our management of His money. Many alleged believers will nod their head at understanding this, but when it’s time to open the wallet they go brain dead. What? Suddenly, we cling to the wallet and hear Satan’s whisper, “They don’t deserve it. You need it. If you help them, you can’t do this or that for your own children.” Psalm 24:1 reminds us that “the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Wealth belongs to me and you – just like a child’s bedroom belongs to him. We have it to use, but it doesn’t belong to us.

3. Other than the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus spoke about money more than any other subject, and 11 of 39 parables involve money or commerce. Jesus knows that good and evil turn on the coin. Satan wins through our attitudes, worries and celebrations of how we use our money.
In Mark 12:17, Jesus looks at a coin, sees Caesar’s head on it, and says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Look at your life. Whose image is on your life? If my life bears the image of Jesus, my life belongs to Jesus. Unconditionally. Even today, all the money in my wallet bears the faces of government leaders and government monuments. Whose image is on my life? Have I confessed Jesus as my Savior? If so, have I turned from all the world calls important – including money – to follow Jesus, to trust Him, to trust that all things work to the glory of God, and to trust that He is greater than money – that He will provide for everything that I need according to His plan for me? Jesus says those who cling to and worship money – and over-focus on money – can’t possibly worship Him. That’s why he praises the poor woman in Luke 21-1-4 “For they (those who focus on small percentages of giving, but hoard the rest for self) have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” And, it’s why he condemns the money-worshippers in Luke 8:13 – “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Note: You have to fully engage Nos. 1 and 2, above, and embracing this one comes much easier. If I have a believer’s approach to money, I can cheerfully be ready to give away all that I have.

4. If God owns everything, and I am simply His steward, what does God want me to do with His money? Like many of you, who perhaps grew up in church, my mama would give me a little offering envelope each Sunday. And, she would give me a quarter to put in the envelope. She would say, “This is money for Jesus.” The Bible lays out several uses for money, including investing and providing for family and staying out of debt and more. But, everything is toward a goal of turning our money back into people. Even giving to the church is seeding our money into lives changed for Jesus. And, the more sacrificial the more we model God’s gift to us – His son Jesus. What are you and I doing without this year – giving that away to others in need? And, especially to those we don’t even know. Each of us, I believe, will give an account to the Lord for how we managed His stuff on Earth. (Revelation 20:12 – And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done.) Friends, a person’s deeds and actions, especially with regard to Biblical generosity, are clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with Jesus. Good works don’t get you in that eternal relationship, but they are a sign of the relationship’s existence.

5. As the church is a fellowship of believers, we can often do more with God’s money – together – than we can individually. And, while Scripture is clear that you and I have a personal responsibility to plow our money into others beyond church, it is clear that we have a responsibility to ALSO pool our money for greater impact. In Acts 2:44: “And all the believers met together constantly, and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. . . . And, each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Paul constantly writes about believers, through churches, supporting one another.

To the Kingdom of God, through the church and through your own private conviction by the Holy Spirit, you should be prepared to sell and give away everything that you have. Everything. Be prepared to give everything to the Lord. I came into this world naked, and from the first diaper everything was a gift from the Lord. Nothing is really mine.

Here’s my guide for giving:
“You must each decide in your own heart how much to give. And, don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And, God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, ‘They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.’ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving – the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-12).

What people need to know:
1. All our money belongs to God. Believers separate themselves from “it belongs to me” to “it belongs to God.”
2. As God sacrificed His son, Jesus, for us – we are to sacrifice what we have for others – especially those who have nothing.
3. We are to give generously because it’s not ours in the first place, and we should delight in giving away to those whom the Lord loves.
4. And, we can do more for the Kingdom together than we can do individually. Church giving, in additional to personal giving, is very important.

We will deflate the excuse that “the church is after my money” when we begin talking about lives changed, ministry empowered, love shared, and sanctuary found through being arm-in-arm with one another and having a Godly perspective of money.

Excuses - "Church is too emotional for me."

Sacrifice. It is a word rich in spirituality. It means giving up something precious to someone else. God sacrificed His son, Jesus, for us. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins so that those who believe can be restored in a relationship with God the Father. We also talk about the word sacrifice within the context of our military and law enforcement personnel. These men and women sacrifice their lives to protect the world from tyranny. Parents make sacrifices, too, often giving up what they want or even need for family, especially children.

For the four years that I was in high school, I was a member of our school’s Key Club, which at that time was a young men’s service organization sponsored internationally by Kiwanis International, a community men’s service organization. I had a lot of success in Key Club, serving our local club as president, serving as a Georgia lieutenant governor, and finally serving as Georgia’s state governor during my senior year. As I advanced, the opportunities followed. I was able to attend international conventions at major U.S. cities, attend leadership development seminars in Chicago, and spent a long weekend at a leadership event at Valley Forge. I also had to have clothes to wear on all these trips. And, it all cost a lot of money. I was the oldest of four mouths to feed, and our country was mired in an economic recession not unlike the one we live in today. Times were tough. I had a part-time job at the local newspaper and so I was able to contribute to my own personal expenses. The organizations I served contributed, too. But, there was a gap that our family had to fill, financially. It would have been easy for my parents to sit me down and say, “You can’t pursue these opportunities because we just can’t afford it.” It would have put me in a position to make a sacrifice. But, they did not do that. Instead, they bore the sacrifice. We’ve never talked about it, but I know my mom, personally, visited with civic leaders to help raise money for me to be a leader in Georgia’s Key Club. I have a hunch my mom and dad sought out donations from family, which would not have been easy discussions. My dad got up before dark, drove to Atlanta every day, and got home about 10 p.m. to ensure the four of us children were able to do the things we wanted and needed to do as young people. My mom was almost never without a job during those times. And, while these were tense and stressful times, our family got through the valley okay. My parents sacrificed to see that their children did not; we children sacrificed by “not wanting” beyond what we needed.

It is very difficult for me to write and think about those days without becoming emotional. That doesn’t mean I always cry (though I have a lot). Sometimes the memories stir up compassion for and sacrifice for my own children, and for other people. Sometimes, the memories help me find a peaceful place, knowing that with our Lord all valleys come to an end. Mostly, memories of the sacrifices just weld deeper the love I have for my parents and family. When I think about how much I love them – well, tears of joy almost always follow in varying degrees. You see, sacrifice – a deeper, deeper form of giving – plows our lives together with others. We become so deeply woven that it’s impossible to avoid being emotional – even if it’s private – over the sacrifice.

Do you know why most people cry at the end of the move, “It’s A Wonderful Life”? It’s because George Bailey, at the end of his rope, is confronted by all his family and friends, who one-by-one express a level of compassion and sacrifice to help him out of the valley. Heck, I’m crying about it just writing these words. Understanding and appreciating sacrifice almost always brings about emotion.

Excuses - "I Don't Need The Church."

I enjoy exercise. I enjoy going to the gym at our church, getting on the elliptical and listening to my Zeppelin or ZZ Top for 30-40 minutes. Sometimes, there are good people there – I encourage them and they encourage me. I always feel better after I exercise, and if I get in a regular schedule . . . I sleep a lot better. But, here’s the deal: I’m hot and cold when it comes to exercise. I get out of the routine, and then I stop going, and then I set deadlines like this: “Okay, after this holiday, I’ll start back.” But, I never do. Because the longer and longer I put off going back, the less likely I am to go back. I don’t go back . . . despite how good I know it makes me feel. I develop a casual attitude toward exercise and my health suffers.

I believe that all believers are drawn to one another. (1 Corinthians 12:13). There is only one Holy Spirit. He resides in each follower of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit within us that draws us toward other believers. I believe there are a lot of believers who know they should be in the fellowship of other believers. I believe they even want to be in the fellowship of other believers, but, like me and the gym, they have been so long outside the fellowship that it’s awkward and uncomfortable to get back in the rhythm. And, outside the fellowship, I can assure you – there is Satan’s playground and it doesn’t take long for him to surround the believer with unbelievers, and the trap door waits to be sprung. Look at families in despair, and then look at how woven they are with other believers through a local church. More often than not, the further we get from the fellowship with other believers the more we ache inside.

My excuses for not going to the gym? I’m too busy, it’s been too long and people there will give me grief, and I can exercise at home. All excuses. (I’ve never worked out at home. I once got all ready, but then poured a glass of grape soda and watched Bonanza instead.) Believers who are not engaged with a fellowship of believers - a church – have all kinds of excuses. All of them are just excuses. Most believers get comfortable using them because Satan convinces believers that the excuses are legitimate and justified. They are not and never will be.

So, I’m going to take four weeks and look at the Top 4 excuses for not being with church. And, I’ll work in reverse order.

No. 4 : “God is everywhere. So, I can be anywhere and worship God. I don’t have to be in church.” I’m not taking away from the power of corporate worship, but how sad it is to have narrowed the church to a one-hour service on Sunday morning.

While corporate worship is absolutely essential to the believer’s faith journey, Acts 2:42-47 gives us the characteristics of the church: Teaching ministry; fellowship ministry; communion (the Lord’s Supper, but also the integrating of lives with one another); and, prayer. They met together all the time. They shared everything they had. They worshipped together, and they practiced hospitality. You see, the fellowship of believers is being arm-in-arm with one another all the time – not just Sunday morning. The believer’s walk with other believers has never been about a one-hour service on Sunday morning. We are the church even when we are not at our church’s property.

A few years ago, I met a friend for breakfast. Once, he and his family were very active in our church. He was involved in several ministries. Then, they got out of the rhythm and ultimately stopped going, and the spread of absences increased until it just became hard to come back. Our breakfast gave me opportunity tell him how much we missed them in Sunday School. He said, “Scott, I’m a believer. We’re just busy on the weekends with our children, and I feel we can worship God wherever we are.”

He was right. God is everywhere, and as worship is a complete focus on honoring and glorifying God, he could worship God anywhere and everywhere.

But, just as I never work out at my home, would he worship God all by himself? Not regularly. Very doubtful. Ultimately, his life has proven out that he can’t do it.
But, he and his family also missed all the other benefits of being with a fellowship of believers.

I certainly can’t encourage others who exercise by working out all alone in my home. And, no one can encourage me, either. My physical and emotional health improves when I am with other people, in public, while exercising.

It’s the same with our faith journey. To experience the fullness of God’s love, through Jesus, we must be involved with other believers. And, that extends from the individual to the family.

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, (10:24-25) it’s written, “And, let us (believers) consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” These verses implore us to spur (incite – stir up) one another for love and service. God did not design believers to be completely independent of one another – He designed us to need one another for love and encouragement, and He caused us to love and encourage one another. To withdraw from corporate strength is like the soldier who lags behind in battle – he is at risk of danger, and he is outside the platoon’s reach of encouragement. But, even worse, he’s not there when needed to encourage and support the other soldiers. You see, we can’t be Christian consumers, only, because at some level that becomes sinful. If faith is all about what I receive then the focus becomes on self, and that’s the root of all sin. I can’t lag behind and be a consumer; I’ve got to be in the mix exercising my faith and allowing others to exercise their faith toward me.

I have started texting my college boys with this, “Who did you encourage today at church?” I am constantly telling them – “find a church where you can see God at work and where you can encourage others. There are lots of faith-based churches – find the one that fits your feet and begin the journey.”

The Hebrews 10:24-25 verses tell us something else: “let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

If the Lord came back to Earth today, and He absolutely could, do you want Him to find you separated from the church that He established, that He loves and cherishes like a husband loves his bride? (Ephesians 5:22-23)

Paul writes in Romans 12:5 . . . “So, in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

When people say they “don’t need church,” here’s what you and I need to understand:

1. They may not know Jesus. They know about Jesus, they may call themselves Christian, but they may have never confessed Jesus as Savior. Scripture is clear – believers need one another. Believers, through the Holy Spirit in each of us, are drawn to one another. Move beyond the church discussion to the faith discussion.
2. They may know Jesus, but they are not following Jesus. They have slipped into a consumer mentality, and don’t understand how much the church needs them.
3.  If they are discussing church (even negatively), let that be your cue that church is on their mind, that the Holy Spirit may be calling them to be with other believers. Don’t’ shrug it off – build a relationship, let them see the value of church to you and your family, and welcome them in to the fellowship.