The Soothing Sounds of the Assembly

Have you ever just listened? I hear lots of sounds when God's people assemble for worship. Some of these sounds are appropriate while others are distracting. Congregational worship involves both giving (by participation) and receiving (by edification). As you actively worship this Sunday, consider the sounds that you hear (or maybe the sounds you are making). Consider some of the soothing sounds of our assemblies.

1. Joyful Singers. Every congregation has that person who sings really loud, sometimes out of tune, but with a smile on his or her face without a care about what others think. I think it is wonderful when people make a "joyful noise" to the Lord (Psalm 95:1) and "make melody to the Lord" with their heart (Eph. 5:19). It is soothing to hear heartfelt praise to God that is "not to be seen of men" (cf. Matt. 6:1).

2. Hilarious Givers. The Bible tells us that God loves a "cheerful givers" (2 Cor. 9:7). The Greek word translated "cheerful" here is the same word from which we get the English word "hilarious." Literally, this word says God loves "hilarious givers." Jesus told us to give like our right hand doesn't know what our left is doing (Matt. 6:3). Is it ever appropriate to laugh in church? Absolutely! Especially when you give sacrificially not knowing how God is going to pick up the slack but trusting he will!

3. Parents Explaining. Recently I heard a father whispering an explanation about the Lord's Supper to his son during worship. God instructed the Jews to use the Passover feast as a teaching tool to explain "their story" as God's people (Exodus 13:14). Does this principle not apply to "our story" (as a people in Christ) since Christ is our Passover? It is a soothing sound to hear a parent passing on "our story" to the next generation in worship to our God.

4. Crying Babies. I have often been asked if crying babies disturb me during sermons. I always answer, "Absolutely not!" Crying babies in worship are a blessing! Why? I have been in churches where there were no babies and all the heads were gray. Those churches are growing old and are about to fade away. The sound of crying children in our assemblies is the sound of a living church! When some were "distracted" by the noise of children, Jesus rebuked the naysayers and said "Let the children come to me!" (Mark 10:14; cf. Luke 18:16).

There are many soothing sounds that reflect a people who have gladly assembled to praise and worship God! It is a joyful occasion when we assemble together as the house of the Lord to worship God (Psalm 122:1; 1 Peter 2:5)! Let us come and make joyful noises to God with the fruit of our lips (Heb. 13:15) in worship!

A Church Full of Ministers

The church at Antioch was a church full of ministers. There were many prophets and teachers in that congregation according to Acts 13:1-3. In fact, there are five that are specifically named including Barnabas and Paul.
In the first century church, there were traveling evangelists who took their teaching efforts on the road. Although Paul did locate his ministry for a period of three years in Ephesus (Acts 20:31), generally Paul was a traveling evangelist. Yet, there were also located preachers that spent their time preaching for a specific congregation of believers. Philip apparently set up his residence in Caesarea and was the evangelist in that city for many years (cf. Acts 8:40; 21:8). It is God’s will that preachers of the gospel make their living from the gospel (1 Cor. 9:14). Evangelists are supported by churches to go forth doing the “work of the evangelist” by preaching, teaching, and publicly reading Scripture (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Tim. 4:13). Preachers of the gospel are to devote all their time to prayer and “ministry of the word” (1 Tim. 4:13, 15; cf. Acts 6:2-4). Study, preparation, and presentation of the word of God is “the” ministry of the evangelist.
It is unfortunate that many people in the church today refer to the preacher as “the minister.” This is misleading and frankly, unbiblical. It is true that the preacher should be a minister of the word, but he is not THE minister. When we refer to the preacher as the minister, it implies that he is the only one who is ministering to others. The church is not to have only one minister. The church should be full of ministers.
The word translated “minister” in our Bibles is a Greek word that simply means “a servant.” Certainly there is a specific use of this term that refers to the service (ministry) offered by a preacher (cf. Col. 1:23; Eph. 6:21). Also, there is a specific group of men that are to be servants (ministers) of the church—these are the deacons (1 Tim. 3:8). However, the same word is used in a generic way of all Christians (Matt. 20:26; John 12:26; Rom. 16:1).
God designed the church as a living organism. The church is called “the body” in Scripture (Eph. 1:22-23). The church is not compared to organizational structures in the New Testament (like a business, corporation, or bank). Instead, the church is a living organism that depends upon each of the individual parts functioning and working to survive. Paul puts it this way, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14). The church is not an organization with one or two ministers. Instead the church is an organism of many ministers using their talents and abilities together to make the body function properly.
To have the mentality that a single man (or a few men) should be doing "the ministry” of a congregation is contrary to the will of God. God calls all Christians to examine themselves and discover what each one's “ministry” is. What is your ministry? If you can’t answer this question, you need to spend time in reflection, prayer, and study to discover the ministry that God has equipped you to do for his cause.
The Maryville congregation is absolutely full of ministers. We have countless people who are actively involved in various ministries. I have been humbled by the attitude of self-sacrifice and service demonstrated by such large numbers of people in this church. I am thankful to be a part of a church full of ministers!

(Revised version, originally published 7/16/09)

Conviction and Certainty

We live in an age of skepticism and doubt. Nothing is "off limits" to scrutiny, examination and reevaluation. Long established traditions and beliefs are now all being questioned, even in the realm of religion.

A spirit of honest inquiry is a good thing. The philosopher Socrates said, "An unexamined life in not worth living." In matters of our faith it may also well be said, "An unexamined faith is not worth having." The Bible instructs us to "examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5). We are to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1ff). Examining our beliefs to determine if they are substantiated in Scripture is a good and wholesome practice.

However, the skeptical spirit of our age declares that it is impossible to ever arrive at absolute truth. It is popularly believed in our postmodern context that absolute truth is a myth. Therefore someone who displays certainty in their beliefs is viewed as arrogant and narrow-minded. Such could not be farther from reality.

It is true that some people have had arrogant, "know-it-all" attitudes in regard to their religious beliefs. Such is unfortunate and has done considerable damage to the very truth that such individuals claim to stand for. Pridefulness is not the same as being confident and certain in your beliefs. Scripture teaches us to "contend for the faith" (Jude 3) but to do so in a spirit of love and compassion for our fellow man (Eph. 4:15). The servant of Christ must always be "gentle" and "kind" when standing for the truth and must never be "quarrelsome" even with those who oppose the truth (2 Timothy 2:24-26). There is a delicate balance between being gentle and respectful of others while being firm and unwavering in your convictions (1 Peter 3:15).

Jesus teaches us that we can "know the truth" but only when we "abide in the word" (John 8:31-32). Our convictions must be firmly grounded in clear statements of Scripture. I can feel strongly about something, but if it is not clearly taught in Scripture it is a matter of my personal opinion and should not be forced upon others. I can know what is true when I "abide in the word" and discover God's clearly stated truths. Once these truths have been verified by Scripture, I can "know" them with certainty and with conviction stand by them. Once these truths have been verified there is no need to doubt them. Yet, I must always humbly admit that there may be additional information in Scripture that I may have missed that completes the picture. I must be open-minded enough to "tweak" my personal convictions based upon the total evidence discovered from Scripture. I must allow the truth of Scripture to challenge my preconceived ideas, biases, and traditions.

But when I come to "know" truth, I should never be hesitant to firmly, but lovingly, proclaim it without timidity. The young preacher Timothy was tempted (likely because of his youthfulness) to be timid in proclaiming the truth of God. Paul told him, "…I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:6-7). As Christians we should have "certitude" when it comes to the known truth of God. Certitude is a confident attitude of sureness. But we must always remember that certitude in your faith must not be confused with religious pridefulness.

The Importance of Reputation

A recent Wall Street Journal interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt revealed some disturbing realities about privacy and reputations in the digital age (see article). Google CEO says you may have to change your name to escape your past (see article).

The Internet search engine giant's CEO stated, "I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable, and recorded by everyone all the time." Because records are kept of all of your internet activity including internet searches, websites visited, and social networking posts, the indiscretions within the cyber world will scar your reputation and follow you throughout life. It is well known that many employers today will check social networking sites (such as twitter, Facebook, and MySpace) to evaluate the character of a prospect before serious consideration for hire. Google's CEO stated that the only way to "escape" such a wounded reputation in the future will be to legally change your name!

Scripture teaches us the importance of having a good reputation. The writer of Proverbs gives the true life-principle, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold" (Proverbs 22:1). The Preacher of the book of Ecclesiastes seconds this advice, "A good name is better than precious ointment" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). As Christians we must care about our reputations. We should put a high priority upon the value of our reputations.

We all make mistakes in the days of our youthfulness that we regret. David prayed to God, "Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions…" (Psalm 25:7). However, there is no excuse for "sowing wild oats" because we are young. God does not excuse the indiscretions of youth. Accountable young people must realize there are consequences to their choice--even choices made on-line. The young man Joseph is elevated in Scripture as a young man who continued to seek God when in a foreign land (Genesis 39:9). Likewise the young men Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego realized that they were accountable to God even when not around their parents (Daniel 1:8).

Actions have consequences. We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). We are to "sow for yourselves righteousness" (Hosea 10:12). If you sow to the wind, you can expect to reap a whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). May we all, both young and old, realize the importance of our reputations.