Tag: faith

Hebrews 10:32-39

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The Bible gives us the straight scoop on life.  Throughout Holy Scripture we get the highs and lows, the sufferings and the glories, the grace and the judgment.  The Christian life is not some nice neat upward trajectory that we enjoy until we reach heaven.  Rather, it is more like a zig-zag, herky-jerky, up and down experience of times of strength and encouragement, and seasons of weakness and despondency.
 
            In this life we will have trouble.  Since we follow a Lord who himself was ridiculed, suffered, and killed, we cannot expect a peachy existence filled with lovely unicorns and puppies that don’t poop.  It is one thing to face hardship; it is quite another thing to face it day after day, month after month, maybe even year after year without any reprieve.  What then?  Few people sign up for constant adversity.
 
            The Hebrew Christians had started their Christian lives well, coming at it with gusto and strength, and a willingness to experience solidarity with their Lord Jesus.  But, as time wore on, they became tired and defeated.  So, the author of the book of Hebrews lets them know that the two indispensable elements of the Christian life are faith and perseverance.  Without trust and endurance the Christian life cannot be sustained.  Don’t throw in the towel because there will eventually be a great reward.
 
            Sometimes when facing trouble Christians shrink back and withdraw from others, not letting fellow brothers and sisters into what is really going on.  The ministry that used to happen fades away.  But being vulnerable and allowing others to help; focusing on service to those who need it; and, letting go of the stuff we think is so important; these are all ways that keep us on a steadfast path of love and good deeds without losing our confidence in Christ.
 

 

            Ever-present God, you are Lord of both the bad days and the good.  Build in me the spiritual stamina I need to keep going so that faith in Christ might be expressed through love at all times and in every way through the power of the Spirit.  Amen.

1 Timothy 6:11-21

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Today’s New Testament lesson could not more pertinent for contemporary Christians.  These verses come as the conclusion to the Apostle Paul’s letter to a young pastor in Ephesus, Timothy.  The epistle is filled with encouragements, exhortations, and warnings of how to go about conducting ministry.  Paul left Timothy with some pointed instruction to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.  These are the qualities that ought to inform every practice in the church and the Christian life.  Paul also goes on to say that he entrusted Timothy with a sacred trust, to guard the message of faith in Christ given to him.  This good news of forgiveness and grace through Jesus must be continually upheld because there will always be others distorting and diluting this wondrous salvation.
 
            These two exhortations, to both pursue and to guard need to be held together at all times.  To only pursue virtuous practices apart from guarding the message will cause slow erosion and compromise of the faith entrusted to us – to only guard the gospel without any attention to the pursuit of godly virtues will lead to ornery and combative attitudes and behavior that completely undermines the very gospel we seek to uphold.
 
            So, then, we must fight the good fight of the faith keeping in mind what and why we are fighting.  We are battling for the hearts, minds, and souls of people who need the life-giving message of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.  We are to carefully apply the poultice of grace to the incredible need of the world’s people, using all the virtues of righteousness and godliness at our disposal.  Badgering, bullying, and bludgeoning people with the truth are unbiblical because it ignores the virtuous practices that are integral to faith.  On the other hand, love without careful gospel proclamation misses a central thrust of Paul’s letter to Timothy.
 
            We are to make sure we are fighting for the right things, through always upholding the faith delivered to us through sacred Scripture, and through always using love and gentleness in everything we say and do.  Pursue and guard; think about both words today as you interact with a variety of people, and see what God does in and through you.
 

 

            King Jesus, Lord of all, help me to keep your commandments in ways that are consistent with the gospel of grace so that your church is encouraged and your world is blessed with both the message and the medium.  Amen.

Young Adults and Faith

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            It is no secret for many churches that the millennial generation, particularly ages 18-24, are leaving organized religion.  A lot has been written in the past several years about why they have left.  But let’s turn this around and think about what makes those who do not stray stay in the institutional church.  My own anecdotal evidence of why this age group either stays or leaves leads to three reasons:  the involvement, or lack thereof, in church ministry beyond the youth group; the impact of the family; and, whether there are basic spiritual disciplines practiced, or not.
 
            I have noticed over the years of serving in the church that when teenagers have a significant involvement in a ministry that reaches across the span of the church community (i.e. worship services, small groups), then they are much more likely to understand that they are needed in the Body of Christ.  I have also observed that when kids are raised in a spiritual environment that places emphasis and importance on church ministry engagement, they are exposed to it being modeled and are likely to follow the example.  Finally, there is simply no substitute for basic practices in the Christian life getting started as early as possible.  Teens which learn to read their Bibles and pray tend to keep up those disciplines into adulthood.
 
            Ministry experience is one thing, but there is evidence to back up some of these observations.  Sociologist Christian Smith in his book, Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults, says that his extensive research demonstrates that highly religious teenagers are not very likely to become very un-religious five years later.  Smith points to six factors that lead to the strength of religious practice among emerging adults:  strong parental religion; frequent personal prayer; high importance of religious faith; frequent reading of Scripture; many supportive religious adults; and, doubts about religious beliefs.
 
            Each one of these factors can be unpacked and examined in much more detail.  But for our purposes here in simply broaching the subject, it should become increasingly clear that we can exude a good deal of influence toward the younger generations within the church.  Whether a young adult is devoted, regular, sporadic, or disengaged in church might be their personal decision, but it is within our corporate sphere of control as to whether we will leave an impactful impression upon him/her for positive good.
 
            Indeed, from the ancient Hebrew Scriptures we get the admonition to leave such a persuasive influence upon our kids.  “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).
 
            If Christianity is a commitment that centers round all of life, then we can reasonably expect that this will leave an enduring and endearing legacy.  But if Christianity is something that exists to be present only when needed, then we ought not to be surprised when Christian faith is jettisoned by young adults who find something else that addresses their wants. 
 

 

            Inter-generational ministry, then, is not really something that is a nice notion, but is vital to the ongoing faith development of teens into adulthood and beyond.  It is the sage leadership team that thinks through these realities in their own context and develops some concrete ministry.  After all, the Christian life is not just for a season; it is to move and mature over a lifetime.

Judgment and Grace

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
Judgment and grace are two prominent themes within Holy Scripture.  You will not find one without the other so that we cannot ignore one over another.  We all need to struggle with the tension between God’s Word to us, and our words to God; between God’s judgment, which opens our souls on a spiritual operating table; and, God’s grace which jumpstarts our broken hearts.  Our most fundamental need above anything else in this life is the need for God’s mercy in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:12-16).
 
            God intends that our outer lives and our inner lives match each other.  It is when the two are out of sync that we come under the judgment of God’s Word.  The early Hebrew Christians had slowly drifted from the truth so that their inner and outer lives did not line up well.  Some of them were still performing the outward duties of being a Christian, but were inwardly despising their hard situation.  A growing vacuum was occurring on their insides as they slowly started letting go of Jesus as their object of devotion.  Their hearts began to harden because of their troubles.  On the other hand, there were other Hebrew Christians who began drifting in a different way.  Inwardly, they tried to maintain their devotion and commitment to Christ, but began compromising their outward life to match the culture around them.  In both cases of hardening inwardly, and of compromising outwardly, they each shared the situation of drifting away from their original commitment to Christ.
 
            Even today, it is a very real temptation to try and avoid suffering, to grow weary of our present circumstances and look for a way to get out from under the pain and find a quick fix.  Whenever we find ourselves in such a situation, the remedy is to be reminded that we must continue to hold firmly to the faith we profess because of who Jesus is.
 
            Jesus is our great and ultimate high priest.  He did not enter the temporary sacrificial system of the Old Testament to deal with sins for only a year.  Jesus not only took on the role of high priest, but became the sacrifice, as well.  As a result, we now have a permanent forgiveness of sins through Christ.  So, any Christian who considers going back to an old outdated system needs to be brought back to his senses and embrace the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. 
 
            Let us then approach Jesus with confidence, with boldness, knowing that with him there is mercy and grace.  Jesus did not just suffer for us; he also suffers with us right now.  Jesus is not detached from us, but is our great high priest, the One whom is intimately involved in every nook and cranny of our lives.  He knows what you are going through, and he is ready to give you grace to help you through whatever it is you are going through right now. 
 
            What is so wonderful about this is that coming to Jesus has nothing to do with being good enough to do so.  Coming to Jesus is all about grace.  Whenever we find that we have drifted from God and are confronted with his Word cutting us to the heart in judgment, the end result is not wrath; the result is mercy.
 

 

            Like the early Hebrew Christians, we all face situations out of our control that wear us down and cause us to become weary.  It is in such times that we can be tempted to let our commitment to Christ slide in some small way.  Over time, the small compromises of faith can snowball into a big slide away from God.  But Jesus is not sitting in heaven frustrated or confounded.  God is not looking for a reason to punish people.  It is just the opposite.  Jesus, the Son of God, our great high priest, is looking for a reason to show grace and help us in our time of need.  He is waiting for us to approach the throne of grace with confidence.  Right now, Jesus is alive.  He is scanning this world, and his church, looking to extend mercy to those who need it.  Thank you, Jesus.