Who Wants Seconds?

In my last post ( link here ), we looked at Jesus’ first miracle and how the servants in the miracle saw something that the others at the wedding in John 2 didn’t see. Right away, God shows us that joy of serving Him. 1. Service is provided through a local, N.T. church. 2. Service enables every Christian to be involved in the ministry. You are not “in the ministry” because you get your paycheck from the church. You are in the ministry if you are serving at the capacity that you are able to. Within every individual is a calling to find purpose in life. I’m telling you that God put that desire and hunger in your heart, and the way that you feed that hunger is by serving in the church. This is how you can make a difference every week! 3. Service connects you with others. Peter & John, Paul & Silas, Aquila & Priscilla, Paul & Timothy, Jesus and the disciples – when you think of servants in the church, you see people that are linked to other servants. I have found that some of the most productive times that I’ve had bonding with someone is by serving together on a work day, going soul winning together, or helping with a church event. You don’t just have to connect over coffee staring at each other over a table. Serve together! 4. Service lets you see the miraculous. Only the servants saw behind the curtain in Cana. Even though the others received the blessing of tasting Jesus’ personal, organic, NON-ALCOHOLIC grape juice, only the servants knew how they got that juice in the first place. I can see them looking at each other, grinning from ear to ear as they watched the host of guests sipping on the delicious beverage Jesus provided. When the night ended, everyone probably forgot about the juice, but the servants never forgot this day because they were there to see it happen. I can tell you stories upon stories of what God has done behind the scenes during big days, with the church finances, and on many occasions serving the Lord with good people. When you come to church and get to enjoy the day, sure you may be well rested, but you’re not going to have the joy at the end of the day that the servants will have. Before you wait until it fits your schedule to finally get involved in the church, consider John 2 . Let me also tell you that you don’t need a title to serve. Somebody needs to clean the church. Are you really going to make your church hire a janitorial team or burn out a staff member when you can sweep, mow, prune, or clean a window? I believe the greatest area of service could be soul winning . No church has enough soul winners, and there is no cap on how many can be in this ministry. There can only be so many teachers, ushers, helpers, bus drivers, but you can find an area of service to join in on. Take the plunge and join the team!

Have the workings of Jesus ever perplexed you? I know…the epi demy of a rhetorical question. In our family’s Bible time, we have been going through the miracles of Jesus. I want my children to know that Jesus is God and there’s nothing He can’t do! The beginning of this study, however, is less groundbreaking than you’d expect if you wrote the script yourself. Of all places for Jesus to do His first miracle, He chose a wedding. Not the slums, not the drug house, not the leper colony, but a wedding. And the miracle that He performed was turning a plain liquid into a tastier liquid. By no means am I trying to minimize the miracle at the event in John 2 , or question the doings of Jesus, but this does cause me to wonder why He chose this event and this miracle. My favorite part of the miracle, though, is not what Jesus did, but who He used to do it with Him. As this miracle is unraveling, Jesus’ ministry is welcome with not-so-open arms. In fact, nothing even tells us that many knew that this was a miracle that took place. The governor is noted to complain that they waited to bring out the good stuff at the end instead of the beginning – “…thou hast kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:10) This became standard for Jesus’ ministry moving forward. Some were helped. Some were bystanders. Some praised Him. Some complained, mocked, criticized, or attacked. In the middle of this miracle, I wish to draw your attention to a parenthetical phrase that the God of Heaven gives to us as He unveils this truth. John 2:9 tells us that most of the guests at that wedding were completely oblivious to the miracle that happened that day, but some were fortunate to be the first account witnesses of this supernatural event. John 2:9 tells us “(but the servants which drew the water knew;)” . God wanted you to know that there are some things only servants know . Church is a lot like a sporting event. A few are happy to play and make an impact on the outcome and the masses are happy to watch them do it. Let me challenge you to not miss one of the reasons of the church and the joys of being involved in a church, and that is SERVICE. 1. Service is provided through a local, N.T. church. Ephesians 4:11-16 lays out the purpose of the gifts that God has designed you with. It is for the ministry. Your gifts may help you to land a job or launch your career. You may think that your career isn’t aligned with your gifts and that you’ve missed your opportunity. Friend, the reason for your gifts is not only to provide for your needs, but to make a difference in your church. Mechanically minded people make great servants on the media team. Encouragers make great greeters and ushers. Servants make great custodial workers. You may wonder if you’ll ever use your gifts, and I’m here to tell you that you can, but you may have been looking in the wrong place. The church is a place for you to use the gifts that God has given you to serve Him!

Sports is a way of American life. There is no doubt that sports has become a god to many in our land, but we know that there are certain traits learned in sports that can be good for life like submission to authority, teamwork, working towards a future goal, physical discipline, and more. I fondly remember attending many sports games growing up. My brothers played for the local high school team, so Friday nights were under the stadium lights in the fall months. Sports games can be electrifying! Fans paint their faces, make their own signage, wear the team colors, and hoot and holler until they’re blue in the face. How is it that church is the event that it seems that people are the least excited to attend? Can you imagine if we brought just half of the heart and excitement to church as we do to a ball game that has no bearing on our lives. Someone said, “The next time pastor asks you to get as excited at church as you do at a sports game, don’t be surprised when Joe shows up shirtless with his chest and face painted.” I’ll admit that they are not the same thing, but let’s agree on this – we can do better with our spirit at church. Sports is all about atmosphere. The moment that you pull into the parking lot, you see the jerseys, the flags on the trucks, the burgers grilling at the tailgate parties. When you walk into the stadium, the workers are there to greet you, direct you, and sell you with their paraphernalia. The music is playing, the intro is planned, the smoke cannons are stocked, and they are ready to make you feel out of place if you are anything but jumping out of your chair with excitement. How can we bring this kind of atmosphere into the church? I’m not promoting fireworks, smoke machines, and foam fingers to raise when the pastor says something that you like. But the church shouldn’t feel like a funeral. It should feel like heaven on earth! 1. Walk in with a smile. Don’t make it somebody’s mission to get you out of the dumps. Put a smile on your face and realize the joy and privilege of being a part of the body of Christ. 2. Greet as many people as you can. I can’t spend all of my time with just one person on Sunday. There are too many that I want to greet. It may be one minute, or it may be five minutes, but I want to spend time with as many people as I can. 3. Find the newbies. Newcomers feel out of place. Make it your mission that they don’t feel this way. Bring the spirit to them that this place is “the place to be”. If you see someone sitting alone staring at the wall, there is your opportunity. 4. Sing out. What I dislike about modern worship songs is that they are hard to follow. I have many more issues with modern Christian music, but the beauty of the hymns is that they are easy to sing along with for the most part (insert – Wonderful Grace of Jesus). Be the one to set the tone that at this church, we sing out! 5. Give cheerfully. This is a Bible command. Offerings shouldn’t be awkward or disingenuous. This should be a time of worship as we give God things that are close to our hearts. 6. Preach the preacher. Laugh at the corny jokes. Nod in agreement. Say “amen” if you like it, or maybe if you’re just trying to keep your neighbor awake that’s nodding off. Don’t be a statue in your seat. People can’t see your heart. Wear your heart on your sleeve in the service. 7. Use the altar. If you’re never using the altar, then I guess you’ve made all the decisions you need to in church. I’m not offended at those who don’t use the altar, but can you imagine the impact that it would make in the service if 75% of the people genuinely went forward every service? What an impact that would make! 8. Stay and fellowship. One of the earmarks of a healthy church is what they do after church is dismissed. There are many, many times that I’m not the last one at church. Our church family stays late and spends time together longer than I’d expect most churches to. But I love it! You don’t have to be a night owl, but don’t be racing for the door so you can be the “rush” out of the parking lot. Stand around, talk to a handful of people, find someone that you’ll make it a point to engage with. Let’s make church a place that people feel the excitement as soon as they pull into the parking lot!

As a hammer is to a carpenter, as a paint brush is to a painter, as a pen is to a writer, and as an instrument is to a musician, so is the Bible to the Christian. In every service, I will say, “Please take your Bibles and turn to…” During this simple instruction, I find that many are read to be engaged, some are embarrassed that they’ve forgotten their roadmap, and some are lost at the order of what we do in church. May I encourage you to bring your Bible, use your Bible, and grow in the Bible as you come to church. Yes, this may seem rather elementary, but I would argue that if less and less are even bringing their Bible to church, then surely less and less are using their Bible at home. Here are some basic thoughts on why it can be important and how you can make church more meaningful to you by simply bringing your Bible with you: Buy a nice Bible that you can be proud of – This could make you excited to use something you’ve invested into. Carry your Bible with you – Feel the physical presence of the Bible in your hands. You should feel lost without it, just like if you did not have your phone on you. Treat your Bible with care – This is one of the most important things in your life. Treat it like the prized possession it is. Turn in your Bible every time the preacher instructs – Be active in church and ready to learn. Mark in your Bible as you learn and grow – Mark it in church with outlines, notes, definitions, sayings. Underline, circle, highlight, and emphasize with whatever system you choose. Talk about the Bible at church – Conversations are more often about carnal things than spiritual things. You just heard the same message, so why not talk about it with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They may have gleaned something that you didn’t, and you may have some insight that could help them. Study your Bible at home with what you learned in church – Don’t let the study end at church. If you want to learn more, or if you’re maybe confused about a topic, then take it upon yourself to learn more. You won’t be deceived by false teaching this way and you’ll grow more this way. Let us not underestimate the power of having the Bible with us in the house of God. After all, the hymn book, the potluck spread, the bulletins, and the offering envelopes are not the primary reason for our worship. The Bible is!

Last week, I pointed out that the various service times have a distinct purpose in a church. One is not necessarily more important than the others, but each have their distinction. Rather than view the service times as slots that we can choose that best fit our schedule, I encourage you to adopt the “ Four to Flourish ” mentality and commit yourself to being faithful to God’s house at every opportunity available. Here are the purposes for our four regular services at our church: Sunday School – educating (discussed in last post ) Sunday Morning – evangelizing (discussed in last post ) Sunday Evening – edifying  My pastor taught me early on to love and to be very purposeful with Sunday evening services. Though I am big on having classes for different age groups (especially children), I am also big on having everyone in the main auditorium once a week. Aside from our nursery workers, this is the one time a week that I have with our teachers, volunteers, and young people. If I could describe it this way, I would call this service our Church Family Time. If we have business to discuss, this is the time to do it. If we have new members joining the family, this is the time we recognize them. If there are problems to address, whether by preaching or by a separate discussion, this is the time I’ll do it. I am the least concerned with the clock in this service because there are no other classes to coordinate our exit with. The focus is the building up of God’s people. This is where preaching hits more of the “rubber meets the road” kind of mark. If I could describe if more from my perspective, this is the time that I look to be a shepherd and to sense the need and to address the needs of the flock that God has placed me over. I’m here to tell you this – if you’re missing Sunday nights, then you’re missing out. While we have seen our biggest days on Sunday mornings, we have had our most special, soul-stirring services on Sunday nights. Midweek – educating, edifying & exhorting Too much can happen in a week’s time. Monday comes and the Monday blues drown out quickly what God did in your heart the day before. This may be a negative approach, but I know that the vast majority of our people work with lost, carnal, and wicked people. There is a great need for us to reconnect during the week. We moved our service times to Thursday a few years ago, but many hold to the Wednesday service time. Whatever day it is, there is a day to reconnect. I put three traits here, because all three can apply. A seasoned preacher that I respect greatly, Pastor Jerry Ross, encouraged me before my first year of pastoring to preach through Bible books. While I was hesitant, I have spent the greater part of my time during our midweek service to preach through Bible books. Sometimes, it’s more teachy. Other times, it’s very practical. Whatever I’m going through, he encouraged me to always focus on at least “one great truth” (the inspiration for the title for the devotionals that I’ve written). The midweek service is not a marathon for us. We have other classes. We don’t have choir. We have a special and an offering still. Less dress up for this service than any other (that doesn’t bother me, but rather encourages me because many are hurrying in from work). The week is just too long to leave the church on the sidelines from Sunday to the next Sunday. Does church deserve our best? Do we really think that giving God one hour per week only to rush out to lunch and a ball game afterwards is the kind of Christianity that will change lives and change the world? If you’re not used to the “ Four to Flourish ” schedule, let me encourage you to add ONE MORE service per week. Sunday School is easy because you just have to come one hour earlier in most churches. I want to encourage you to attend Sunday evening, or the Midweek service if you already attend all day Sunday . What you get out of church will be determined by what you put in to the church.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Everything we do in life should be on purpose and have a purpose. This is why I feel so strongly about the video game epidemic with the men in our society. Video games are ripping men of their purpose causing them to waste hours upon hours in front of screen that serves a false reality to their sense of accomplishment because they beat a game. While I can’t speak for every church in how they structure and implement their services, I will give you the purposes for our services that we offer. On the back of our church tract that we use to invite people to our church and on our website, you will find four service times each week. Most people are conditioned (because of the one and done mentality with church) to view this as an option of choosing the best time slot to get your “church time” in. Let me be gentle, but clear – your attendance is not a one hour slot to fill out every week that fits your plans and schedule. God’s house should have a greater priority in your life than watching a ball game on the TV or sleeping in. My purpose in these next two blog posts are found in the title, Four to Flourish. You get out of church what you put in to the church. The more you go, the better off you’ll be. I’m here to gently, yet strongly push you to attend all four services and to flourish in your Christian walk. The service times are not menu items to choose what you’ll take and leave, but rather they are opportunities for you to become more edified, more engaged, and more stirred in your heart for the Lord. Here are the purposes for our four regular services at our church: Sunday School – educating Sunday School has been around for a long time. Mature, faithful Christians are chosen in the church to study the Bible each week and teach the Word of God to a specific age group. I love this format for several reasons, but there are 2-3 very important reasons for this. One of those is that you get several people in the church studying the Bible to teach it to others. If you’ve done this, then you know that you learn more by doing this than you probably have just studying for your own benefit. Another great reason is that it provides teaching to people at their stage of life. I led a young adult class in our church. This is a stage of life that we are very weak at in most of our churches. We have classes for children according to their age group so that they can understand God’s Word at their level. Our teachers are instructed to focus heavily on Bible stories for kids. This educates children on God’s Word. They have to learn it before they can believe it, and children are hungry for knowledge. If you’ve ever tried teaching a teenager and a kindergartener at the same time, then you can understand the challenge of combining various age groups. Another great reason for this is that it creates smaller groups of people so that people feel less “lost” and more connected when they come to church. Being a part of a class makes them feel like they’re a part of something. Sunday Morning – evangelizing Without a doubt, this is the largest service in any church in America with few exceptions. The old way told us to count our church attendance by counting the Sunday School crowd. Those days are long gone. The time that people come is for the late morning service. Don’t get me wrong, I love this service! We are prepared for newcomers, young Christians, regulars that are still trying to fit in at our church, and faithful servants that provide music and serve in a variety of capacities to reach others with the gospel. My preaching is always gospel-centered in this service. Not every message is a gospel message, but every message I preach here, I include the gospel. This is also the time that we emphasize a plea for salvation more than any other service. This is the BIG DAY service time, and the time that I am more concerned than ever to shake new hands, be available, make conversations, and win people to Christ. For the sake of keeping this blog to the readable size that I strive for, we will discuss the other two service times in the church and their purposes. See you in Sunday School this Sunday!

The church is not in hiding. It is well-known, understood, and seen in public as a way of life in American culture. It is a huge part of the history and the current state of our country. I read these statistics in an article confirming my assumptions – “There are 356,000 religious congregations. That’s about 113 per county. There’s about 1 congregation for every 1000 Americans. For reference, there are 13,400 McDonalds and about 16,000 Starbucks.” That is no insignificant number. We used to live .7 miles away from our church, and we still passed another church on our route to our church. While this may encourage you, we have to follow this reality up with more questions – “Is America better than she was 100 years ago?”, “Are we more Christian?”, “Do Christians even seem more Christian?” . With the influx of congregations in our land, would it not be reasonable to wonder where the disconnect is? If we have so many churches, why is there not a greater influence of biblical values? These are fair questions to ask given the statistics that seem to paint the picture that America is more Christian than ever before. I’ll admit that this is not a singular issue, but I’d like to address one point of error that MOST of the modern American church misses. One of the underlying problems is that church is more of a hobby than a way of life. And this isn’t at the fault of the people, but the leaders of these so-called churches. How can I make this claim? The average church in your area and mine do their 1-2 hour “worship” time with a 15–20-minute motivational TED talk and then break until the following week. Churches are having less church time than ever before, and the enemy is moving in as a result. Sunday School, Sunday evenings, and midweek services may as well be as ancient as the dinosaur age. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us to assemble with God’s people “so much the more” . God wants us to have more church, not less. Here's the reality - the more you dedicate yourself to a task, the better chance you have to be successful in that task. Take dieting for example. You can eat one good meal per week on Monday (because everyone knows that all good diets start on Monday), but what will happen if you eat fast food and junk food the other six days? That diet won’t be very successful. What will happen if you only workout one day per week? Name me anything that you can do for one hour per week and make a central focus in your life. You can’t. We call those hobbies, not lifestyles. You are what you give your time to, and if we’re giving less and less of ourselves to the church, should we really be surprised to see the trend that has made us more churched than ever before, but just as carnal as ever before? Even if churches do meet other days of the week, it’s an activity, rehearsal, or for recreation. These are things that we include in our church as well, but more activities never changed lives. The Word of God changes lives! And when the Word of God is treated like an occasional recreation that we enjoy than it will soon be an old relic that speaks of what use to be, rather than what is. The answer? Leaders have their part to offer opportunities of services to attend, places of service, fellowships for fellow believers, and other avenues to connect us to serve God and others. But you can have a part in this too. Churches are changing because people are changing. If Christians want more of the church, then we’d have more open doors on Sunday evening and in the midweek. Christians are as carnal as ever, so churches have bowed down to the masses and have followed suit. This is not a message of doom and gloom, but certainly one of alarm. I believe that there is hope, and I know we have a part to play in how we care for the wonderful place that we call church.

A Special Place Church. I love that word. I love what it represents. I love what my mind thinks of when I hear the word. I believe the church is a special place. I grew up in church, so I’m a “church kid” if you’re in to labeling it. I’m not bitter about it. I’m don’t need therapy because of it. I’m not in need of deconstruction as a result of it. I’m blessed to have had the privilege to be raised in church. The church is a beautiful, exciting, and edifying place to us as believers! We’re Not All the Same If you invited me to your family’s Christmas party with all of your relatives, I would feel a little out of place. You may go to grandma and grandpa’s house every year with the whole clan, but as a newcomer, I would be uneasy. I wouldn’t know if I should keep my shoes on or take them off. I’d ask before opening the fridge to get a drink. If I had a ball cap, I’d take it off just in case. I think this is a similar feeling that newcomers have when they come to church. People are comfortable in what we are familiar with. Regulars may know when to sit, when to stand, where the classes are, and when to say “amen”. Newcomers will often just sit back and watch. Where there is unfamiliarity, there is an uneasiness that we all feel. A Clear Challenge I believe that the church is clearly described and modeled in the New Testament as a physical, local place, not just an idea or symbolic term. Paul admonishes Timothy this way, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long , that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God , which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (I Timothy 3:14-15) We need to know how to behave ourselves when we come to church. If you are familiar with golf, there are all kinds of rules, but many of them are what we would call unwritten rules. You don’t walk in the line of someone else that is putting. You take your glove off when you putt. You stop moving and stay quiet when one is hitting. You use a tool to repair divots on the green. Generally, you fix one or two extra as a courtesy on the green. You are expected to keep a steady pace of play or you should let the groups behind you move forward. These may seem odd to you if you’ve never golfed before, but if you’re a golfer, you know that these are very standard. I want to use these next few blogs to familiarize all of us with some thoughts, tips, and even some personal opinions on how we are to behave and how our behavior can make church more beneficial to every person. Church is a special and sacred place. America has lost her way with how we represent God in the church. I pray that this will stir some thoughts and challenge your approach with your church.

Before the great celebration on Sunday (Easter) comes the great debate throughout the week. This is the debate on the day of Jesus’ death. Maybe you believe it was Wednesday because there were two Sabbaths, and it best explains the account of the women purchasing and preparing the spices. Maybe you believe it was Thursday because the men on the road to Emmaus said that they spoke with Jesus on the third day, and this was after He arose. Maybe you believe it was on Friday because you can’t count. While I am not completely opposed to edifying debate and study, there is a greater question this week that must be asked – “What does Calvary mean for me?” 1. Calvary is a day to remember. The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is for remembrance. We do not believe the Bible supports the false doctrine of transubstantiation (where Jesus’ body becomes a part of your body). 1 Corinthians 11:24-27 clearly states the purpose of this ordinance. It is a time of remembrance. People are forgetful creatures. Remembering takes effort. You set reminders, alarms, and put things in place so that you will not forget. We can easily get so consumed with life that we do not go back to Calvary in our minds on a regular basis. How can you remember Calvary more? -Thank God every day for saving you. -Be a faithful witness. -Sing gospel songs. 2. Calvary is a day to receive. Romans 5:6-8 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Are you a sinner? Are you ungodly? Do you fall short of righteousness? Then you have great news coming your way! You qualify as being one of those that Jesus died for. What a precious thought! Sin demands a payment, and the payment is a spiritual death in the lake of fire ( Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14-15 ). You cannot get away from the consequence, unless you receive the gift that Jesus gave you when He died for you. How can you receive the gift given from Calvary? It’s as simple as A – B – C! -Admit that you are a sinner. ( Romans 3:10, 23 ) -Believe that Jesus died and rose again for you. ( Romans 5:8; John 3:16 ) -Call on Jesus to save you. ( Romans 10:9-13 ) 3. Calvary is a day to reciprocate. May I remind you that the scenes of Calvary really happened? I tend to read slowly through those verses when I come to those ones that speak about Jesus’ death and the agony that He suffered on my behalf. If you realize it for what it is, it should bring you to tears. It is a bitter-sweet story. It is bitter because of what He endured, but it is sweet because of why He did it. Here's the question then – “ After all that Jesus did for you, what have you done for Him? ” Calvary isn’t just a feel good story that we think of to shed a tear or sing a song. It is an event that changes lives! It is the reason that I attend church, read Scripture, pray, tithe, seek to live a holy life, go soul winning, and much more. What we do as Christians is not a means to earn salvation, it is a response of salvation. How can you reciprocate Calvary? -give Jesus your all because He gave you His all. Charles Spurgeon said it well when he said: “My entire theology can be condensed into 4 words: JESUS DIED FOR ME.”