Tag: church ministry

The Time Is Near (Luke 21:5-19)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem, by David Roberts, 1850

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. (New Revised Standard Version)

The Arch of Titus in Rome, depicting the Roman triumphal march after victory against the Jewish revolt

The temple, central in today’s Gospel lesson, had undergone an impressive and beautiful refurbishment by Herod the Great (appointed as King of Judea by the Roman Emperor).

It took eighty years for the rebuilding project to be completed. It was significantly enlarged; and generous amounts of gold and silver were used to refurbish it, along with ample use of white marble.

So, it was no wonder that people coming to Jerusalem and approaching the temple admired the massive and impressive edifice. In their awe, they commented so to Jesus.

But Jesus was less impressed with all the architectural rebuilding and expansion of grounds, and more concerned about what would be coming soon concerning the temple and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jesus became the wet washrag to the awe of viewing the Jerusalem temple. He stated that the temple would be destroyed; and it would happen soon.

Imagine if you were one of the persons in the crowd listening to Jesus. “What are you talking about? Why in the world would you even bring that up? It’s obvious that God won’t let this temple be destroyed. It’s his house!”

To their credit, Christ’s disciples did not question the words of Jesus. They only asked a follow up question of when this imminent destruction was going to take place. Unlike the crowd, their query was: “When can we expect this to happen?”

Christ responded by warning his disciples not to believe every apocalyptic preacher who comes along trying to tell everyone when the event will happen. Because some of those preachers will be false prophets who only lead people astray.

False prophets tend to prophesy peace and abundance when God has already proclaimed doom. I find it curious and interesting that the current U.S. President keeps up a steady stream of telling the American people that the economy is booming and that everyone can trust him to keep them safe and secure – even though there is zero evidence for such bluster.

(In in fact, there is contrary evidence to his words; which begs the question why anyone would listen to him…). Prophets who ignore truth and proclaim error tend to downplay any sort of doom on the horizon, especially when they are in power.

Yet, with all the doom and gloom proclaimed by Christ, let’s keep in mind that although the temple was indeed destroyed as Jesus said it would in the year 70 C.E., neither Christianity nor Judaism was destroyed along with it.

God transcends any physical sacred religious space in the form of temples and church buildings.

After the temple’s destruction, both religions kept on, with Christianity growing and becoming the world’s most populous religion. Today, Judaism and Christianity have adherents across the entire earth in every nation, and among all sorts of races and ethnicities.

Sometimes the modern church forgets these things. There are many congregations today who identify themselves chiefly by their church building. For them, everything revolves around maintaining the physical plant, keeping the lights on, and having enough people in the pew to pay for it all.

All of this focus on the building means that congregants too often get excited about new people because they see them as potential givers who can help shoulder the load of paying bills and keeping up the building’s maintenance.

It’s no wonder that these same churches are continuing to decline. They are closing their doors at the rate of about 10 churches every day in the United States (nearly 4,000 churches per year).

When a church is struggling, it’s easy to believe that some gifted pastor will come along to renew and refurbish them; or that God will magically intervene and bring dozens if not hundreds of people to fill their empty pews.

They don’t want to hear any message that their building will be demolished by a wrecking crane. Yet, in many circumstances, Jesus has communicated to them what will happen. But the people continue believing the false prophesies of renewed glory days and the building busting at the seams with fresh converts.

If I’m coming across as a wet washrag, I’ll gently point us back to the Gospel story of Jesus for today.

Sometimes grief and lament are more biblical than overt positive thinking which is guised in the language of faith.

However, no matter what, the worldwide church will continue to go on, and the gates of hell shall not prevail upon it. The church will keep going, albeit in new places and in all sorts of new forms. Our task is to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading, and have discerning men and women of faith who are true prophets with helpful information.

Back to the story, Jesus was even more gloomy about what would happen after the temple was destroyed. Believers would be arrested and persecuted. Circumstances would be dire. Christians would continually be at risk. And yet, a look back at history tells us that the church did not die; rather, it grew and flourished.

I am reminded today that hard circumstances and difficult situations – even including death and destruction – are not the end. In God’s kingdom, up is down and down is up; first is last and last is first. All is not lost, even though it may look that way today.

I am reminded of the words of the medieval priest, Thomas à Kempis, who wisely had his mind and heart in the right place when it came to hardship and persecution:

“Sometimes it is to our advantage to endure misfortunes and adversities, for they make us enter into our inner selves and acknowledge that we are in a place of exile and that we ought not to rely on anything in this world.

“And sometimes it is good for us to suffer contradictions and know that there are those who think ill and badly of us, even though we do our best and act with every good intention. Such occasions are aids in keeping us humble and shield us from pride.

“When men ridicule and belittle us, we should turn to God, who sees our innermost thoughts, and seek His judgment…

“It is when a man of good will is distressed, or tempted, or afflicted with evil thoughts, that he best understands the overwhelming need he has for God, without whom he can do nothing.

“While enduring these afflictions he takes himself to prayer with sighs and groans; he grows tired of this life and wishes to die so that he could be undone in order to live with Christ. It is in such times of trial that he realizes that perfect security and full peace are not to be found in this world.”

May we put our eggs not in the earthly basket of architectures, buildings, and physical plants, but in the heavenly basket of compassionate ministry, uplift for the poor and needy, and proclamation of the gospel of grace to all.

O God, in Christ you give us hope for a new heaven and a new earth. Grant us wisdom to interpret the signs of our times; encourage us to stand in the time of trial; and have faith to witness to your truth and love. Amen.

Caring For the Aged (1 Timothy 5:1-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 

The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (New International Version)

Timothy was the young Pastor of the Church in Ephesus, having been appointed by his mentor, the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote to his protégé in order to clarify and remind Timothy of how to go about his ministerial duties amongst the congregation.

In dealing with older persons, Paul instructed that they must not be dealt with harshly. There needs to be gentleness and moderation in correcting any faults with elders. Old folks already take quite enough medicine they don’t like. No one, especially some whipper-snapper, ought to come along and add some bitter medicine to their regimen.

Instead, provide exhortation which is tolerable, and evidences genuine concern and humility. Make it good medicine.

Timothy was not to allow the older folks to get away with being stinkers. And the way to handle this is by being respectful, considerate, and gentle.

Since the Body of Christ is a family, older men need to be treated as fathers, and older women as mothers. The younger women, too, must be corrected, when necessary. Although it is a delicate task, it needs to be engaged with the same care as the older men.

If Timothy thought about his ministry with people as dealing with his own mother, then he would do it with a great deal of love, humility, grace, and wisdom. Not only is the message to be conveyed; the spirit behind the message is just as important.

Younger women are to be treated as sisters; and young men as brothers. The way everyone is handled is significant. All persons, without exception, need love and attention.

The Apostle pointed out that there are certain groups of people which require special attention. Therefore, distressed widows need to be honored and treated with high regard.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling. (Psalm 68:5, NIV)

Widows are identified in Scripture as those who are under the special care of God. So, how we treat them, is how we are treating God.

Any widow in the church who had no little to no support were to be provided for by the church. In the earliest church, this was important enough to warrant the creating of a new church ministry of deacons. (Acts 6:1-6)

Those widows who have children and/or grandchildren are to be first and foremost cared for by their family. Paul was unequivocable on this point. He insisted that a family with needy members, such as widows, are to put their religion into practice by ensuring that their mother or grandmother or aunt or any widow in the family is given what they need to live.

The Apostle’s directive to Timothy is that the church must not be unnecessarily burdened. Paul’s larger concern, however, was that adult children should honor their parents. That is their first religious duty as Christians. They ought to make a real and substantial effort toward mom and dad by providing for them in their old age, when they need it.

“It is easier for one poor father to bring up ten children, than it is for ten rich children to provide for one poor father.”

Dutch proverb

The provision for needy parents is to be done with a spirit of gratitude, love, and appreciation. I understand that this admonition gets rather dicey when it comes to adult children who were raised by a mother or father who was, at best, a stinker, and at worst, downright mean or abusive.

Yet, the wise Christian will learn to find ways toward returning a curse with a blessing, and so, honors both the parent and God. This in no way requires ignoring one’s own needs; it just means that we will strive to discover how to honor and provide for an aged mom or dad.

Having said that, there is a wide difference between the widow who puts her trust in God, and the widow who lives frivolously with no concern for God or others. The pious widow with no family must be cared for by the church. And the dissolute widow is not to be treated the same. The church, as well as the family, will need to be creative in how to approach such widows.

Each case within both the church and the family needs to be considered on its own merits. There is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach in every situation with a needy person. The following verses are helpful for us, as we consider how to assist:

Jesus said to his disciples,

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34, NIV)

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12, NIV)

And the Apostle Paul said to the Church in Galatia,

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, NIV)

Whatever we do, or not do, we are not to neglect needy persons in our family or faith community. To reject or deny such persons is tantamount to rejecting one’s Christian faith.

Let us strive for both duty and delight in caring for the needy amongst us. Both are important. Sheer duty without delight is mere drudgery; it cannot be sustained. And only delight without any duty is irresponsible; it is also unsustainable.

May God’s provision and blessing be with you, as you strive to honor both your biological family, and your spiritual family. Amen.

Accept One Another (Romans 15:7-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Christian Unity, by Gisele Bauche

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.”

Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
    let all the peoples extol him.”

And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
    one who will arise to rule over the nations;
    in him the Gentiles will hope.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (New International Version)

Anyone who desires to follow the pattern of Christ, actively seeks and promotes the acceptance of one another.

Jesus is the Christian’s model: Christ did not seek to be served, but to serve, and give himself for the benefit of others. The ministry of Christ was meant for the whole world, and not just for some persons. Christ’s mission and ministry included non-Jews, and not only his own Jewish people.

The person and work of Jesus Christ confirmed the promises made to the original Jewish patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus did nothing brand new; he was simply upholding and actively seeking to accept Gentiles and bring them to God. This has always been true of God’s plan and purpose – which is why the Apostle Paul cited four different Old Testament passages.

All four references are to the Gentiles, to non-Jewish persons. And this is why Paul himself had a ministry to Gentiles. The biblical verses mentioned by the Apostle include Gentiles who offer praise to God; Gentiles engrafted alongside Jews as God’s people; and Gentiles who put their hope in the root of Jesse, the Messiah.

The good news of Jesus Christ is an inclusive – not exclusive – message. Thus, Christian ministry is designed to include others, to bring them into the fold of those who are redeemed by God.

Christian community is made up of all kinds of people from every race and ethnicity – without exception, and without favoritism.

The Apostle Paul made it clear to the Roman Church of both Jew and Gentile that his bedrock Christian ethic was one of inclusion and care for others. He supported his ethical understanding from Holy Scripture.

Paul was concerned that the Church include all sorts of Christ followers who may have some differing understandings and practices in living out their own Christian faith.

The Body of Christ is designed and meant to be big enough, strong enough, and resilient enough to handle all sorts of people who together want to follow Christ and serve others, like Jesus did.

The Apostle’s prayer is one of hope, having everyone in the church be accepting of one another. Paul wanted all Christians to work and worship together as the one people of God who live according to the pattern of Christ.

The Christian model of living is based not upon dietary laws or special days; it instead has it’s foundation in the example of Christ’s earthly ministry. All Christians are to:

  • glorify God together for the divine mercy shown to them
  • rejoice together as a unified voice expressing faith, hope, and love
  • share together in the hope that God’s promises are and will be fulfilled completely in Christ

God fills us with joy and peace, and causes us to overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit – made possible because of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Since God grants faith to whomever God wants to grant faith; and since the Holy Spirit fills whomever the Spirit wants to fill, we are, therefore, to accept those whom God has already accepted – without exception, and without prejudice.

For the Apostle Paul, the church’s identity was at stake. Paul was concerned for two questions:

  1. Will the church be, at its core, a community of redeemed persons by the grace of God who center all their lives around the person and work of Jesus?
  2. Or will the church be a community of opinionated individuals and groups all jockeying for position to have their way on how they believe things should go?

You can tell what a person’s identity is by their “identity markers.”

For the Jewish Christians, Sabbath-keeping, circumcision, food laws, and holding to certain days on the calendar marked their identity as God’s people. Those issues were so important that if you took them away, there would be an identity crisis; the people felt totally lost without their traditions.

For Gentile Christians, their identity was built around being more free-thinking. So, if you take away their freedom and ability to choose, the Gentiles will go nuts and have an identity meltdown. 

Paul’s answer was for both Jew and Gentile to accept one another and build their unity around Jesus, period. They needed to be sensitive to each other and focus on their shared identity of Jesus as the center of the Christian life.

It is very difficult to have hope, peace, and spiritual power, whenever there is disunity. The lack of acceptance is typically like a cancer which invades the Body and destroys it, unless there is a spiritual intervention.

Acceptance of others is more than a nice idea; and it doesn’t mean that we overlook differences of convictions or dogma. It just means that we choose to focus on what is most important. And for the Apostle Paul, that meant having a unity around the pattern of Christ.

Loving Lord, you came not to be served but to serve. Empower us to bless one another and our neighbors, so that your spirit of generosity, compassion, and selfless action transform us and the people in our midst. We pray together, as the one people of God, that you will guide us in your way; through Jesus Christ our Savior, in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Resolving a Problem (Acts 6:1-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year BLeave a comment

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (New International Version)

Growing Pains

The burgeoning new church grew both spiritually and numerically. The apostolic ministry proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ every day in the Jerusalem temple, and from house to house.

Anytime a group gets larger, there are growing pains. Problems arise which need to be addressed. In the earliest church, a conflict developed because the Greek-speaking widows were being neglected and overlooked in the distribution of food, whereas the Hebrew-speaking widows were not.

You can easily see how all sorts of feelings and judgments could pop up from that situation. Just because the church ministry was growing and thriving, did not mean that there would never be problems. Quite the contrary.

A Bad Approach

We can observe what the apostles did, and did not, do when the conflict came to their attention. The apostles did not:

Work harder

They didn’t simply add more work to what they were already doing with the old philosophy that “if you want something done right, do it yourself.” The apostles were clearly not control freaks. They appear to understand that God has ultimate control of all things, and that they themselves were practice self-control.

Operate in their weakness

The apostles weren’t experts on food distribution. Some of them, like Peter and John, knew how to get food to a market; but they likely knew nothing of keeping hundreds of widows daily fed. After all, there were no government food programs for needy people to rely upon. Everyone relied on family. And if there was no family to help, then the church stepped in to fill the gap.

Do everything themselves

Not every problem or situation has to be handled by an apostle (or a church clergyperson). God has gifted every believer with spiritual gifts of various kinds. Having skills, abilities, and talents wasted because the top leadership does everything, not only makes no sense, but it is also bad spiritual theology.

Attack the complainers

It’s one thing to grumble out of a sense of selfishness and ingratitude; it’s another thing altogether to complain because of grief, of being neglected and overlooked as a legitimate person to receive something you need. This is what we call “justice,” that everyone has what they need to thrive and flourish in this life. The apostles listened; they didn’t belittle the complaints or simply tell the people to stop complaining.

Take a vote

Leaders lead. Apostles engage in apostolic ministry. They don’t vote. Oftentimes, voting is a cop out for leaders to not make a decision that they ought to be making. In their insecurity, they’ll do anything but be decisive. They’ll ask for more information, and promise to take care of it sooner than later. But they won’t make a decision. Putting that on the congregation or the group as a whole is unnecessary.

Form committees and subcommittees

The apostles did not research the problem to death. They didn’t commission a group of people to study the issue and come up with at least three options to choose from. The issue of widows not getting food was serious. A matter of health, and life, and death. The problem needed to be handled quickly and efficiently. Leaders are given authority to make decisions and get things done – not to keep vital issues in a committee for months on end.

Start a new church

It was never a thought in any of the apostle’s heads to have two churches: one Greek, and the other Hebrew. No, they were determined to maintain the unity of the church through the bond of peace. The apostles didn’t ask anyone to leave and start a new ministry on the other side of Jerusalem.

A Good Approach

Instead of doing any of that goofy stuff, here is what the original apostles of Christ did do:

Came up with a practical solution

Instead of commissioning committees, the apostles commissioned faithful people to ensure that the work of distributing food would be carried out with integrity and competence.

Had people with skin in the game do the work

The men the apostles commissioned for the work were Greek Christians. These guys were likely familiar with the widows and knew their situations. And they were the best people for the job of making sure the ladies got needed food. Ministry is always personal, not impersonal.

Kept doing their important work

The apostles decided that their ministry of the word and prayer was too important to neglect for even a moment. They kept up the teaching, praying, mentoring, and encouraging ministry to which they were called. It is possible to affirm the good work of others and let them do it, while also affirming one’s own good work and sticking to it.

Focused on people and relationships

The presenting problem was food distribution. Yet, the real issue was widows in need. They were hungry. The apostles implemented a system based upon people and relationships, and not just on solving a problem.

Impacted the community

The way in which the conflict of food distribution was handled made a big difference – both in the church community, and also in the city of Jerusalem. As a result of the apostles and their decision in this matter, their ministry became even more effective, and people were added to the church – including a number of priests, who likely understood better than anyone how an internal issue can get out of control. They wanted in, as they heard the good news, and saw it demonstrated in the life of the church.

Conclusion

Dealing with church problems and internal issues within a group of people is not about being right and winning arguments. It’s about meeting the needs of people, and glorifying God. It matters how we treat one another within the church. Christians are meant to be the light of the world, and not the dark underbelly of detached systems, policies, and doctrinal statements.

The choices we make, how we go about making those decisions, and the way in which we implement them, reflects whether the life of Christ is within us, or not.

Blessed God, may the humility, wisdom, and compassion of Jesus Christ flow powerfully within me, so that what comes out of me is thoroughly loving, in my words, affect, tone of voice, gestures, and actions. Amen.