Today we finish the series I’ve entitled “Church Mega-themes from 2010,” which looked at observations based on Barna Group research throughout last year involving those in our country who professed some form of Christian faith. Here are the Barna Group’s observations.

     1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.
     2. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
     3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning
          pragmatic solutions for life.
     4. Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.
     5. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.
     6. The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.

One of their comments on these conclusions involved accountability, or rather the lack thereof. They said, “Although there were a few subgroups that were more likely than average to experience church-based accountability, there was not a single segment for which even one out of every five people said their church does anything to hold them accountable.” Whereas living without being accountable seems to be very much the American way, it is not the way of God’s people, and it certainly is not the way of the church taught about in the Bible.

Perhaps an even more poignant message from the research is this important statement regarding the absolute crucial aspect of the life of the believer. “The primary obstacle is not the substance of the principles on which Christianity is based, and therefore the solution is not solely providing an increase in preaching or public relations. The most influential aspect of Christianity in America is how believers do–or do not–implement their faith in public and private…It is people’s observations of the integration of a believer’s faith into how he/she responds to life’s opportunities and challenges that most substantially shape people’s impressions of and interest in Christianity.”

What they’re saying is, it’s not that people just need to learn more about the Bible or the church. The solution is not just more teaching, more preaching, better marketing. It’s that people today need to see those values lived out in our lives, each of us individually and in our homes, as well as in the way we interact with our culture, our community, our world. So how are you doing influencing people in your life for Christ?

What a GREAT Sunday we shared together this past Lord’s Day! With our friends from Brewer Road joining us, as well as several members of the Ballard family and other guests, we had a good crowd for Bible Classes and our worship assembly. Thanks to all for your flexibility on Sunday. What a blessing!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering, “Now where have I heard that Scripture before?” And the answer is possibly in a Bible class lesson, or sermon, or your own Bible reading and study. But it’s probably even more likely that you saw that Scripture on our Encouragement Cards.

“What is an Encouragement Card?” you ask? They are those green and white cards in the song book rack on the back of the pew in front of you. You know, the ones that say “Encouragement Card” in really big print. You write one out and put it in the collection tray or leave it in the office.

I was reminded once again this week of how powerful these little cards are when on Tuesday Joyce and I received a few with our mail at home. Just a little “I’m thinking of you” message can go a long way toward helping someone fight through a crisis, survive a difficult week, or make a joyful time even better by realizing that others share it with you.

Not sure who to send one to? Here are some suggestions. And perusing the Family Page or just thinking about it for a minute will offer up even more.

You get the idea. So what are you waiting for? Pick one or two up and share the love of Christ.

It seems there are special times of crisis and care, burden and blessing, when the presence and actions of a church family are especially needed and appreciated.  This seems to be one of those times.

We were saddened this week to hear of the passing of our sister Polly Ballard.  The Ballards have been such a special part of the South Fork church for such a long time, and have roots that go back to some of the very beginnings of the Churches of Christ in North Carolina.  Our hearts and prayers this week are with Ed and Elizabeth, Rhiannon and Brandon, and all of Polly’s family and friends.

Our Janet Stewart has had an especially difficult time this week.  Over these past several years she has struggled so gallantly and faithfully as her lungs have become less and less able to function, with Ted, their children, and their family and friends right there with her the whole way.  Janet has been in ICU at Forsyth Medical Center this past week and we want to remember all of them in our constant prayers.

Our Ruth Howell has been in Baptist Hospital for several days as well, first in ICU and the last few days in a room but still in serious condition.  Keep Ruth in your prayers this week.

Joyce and I appreciate your prayers and encouragement as her father Virgil Long has been in the hospital in San Antonio after being rushed there by EMS this past Saturday due to breathing complications.  He had a very difficult and scary weekend last week, but has shown some improvement this week.  We appreciate your continued prayers and concern for Joyce and her dad and all their family.

And today we have several brothers and sisters from the Brewer Road church visiting with us.  What a blessing it is to be together with you today worshiping our great God in whose image we all have been created! 

All these things and so much more remind us once again of the special blessing of being a part of God’s family:

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor fee, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28)

What a great blessing it was to witness the baptism of Tanner Parrish this past Sunday night! Our hearts overflowed with joy and gratitude to our God as we saw the sincere, genuine response of faith from this fine young man, a faith that has been lived out for him by his family. And special thanks to David and Kiera Keen for the impact they are having on our young people and their families. I hope that you continually keep them and all our children and their families in your prayers, and offer them encouragement at every opportunity.

If you are caught up with your daily Bible reading, and are using The Daily Bible, you know that we are just now getting into the section on God’s Law. We have just completed some of Moses’ final messages to Israel before he blesses the tribes and transfers the leadership of God’s people to his protégé Joshua. Part of that included these words from Deuteronomy 6:1: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

As I was reading some of this section, a question occurred to me that I really hadn’t thought of in exactly this way before. We are all familiar with the scene in Mark 12:28-34, when Jesus is asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” And we know that he quotes from Deuteronomy 6, as well as Leviticus 19:18, and says that the greatest and most important commandment is to love God; and the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.

I wonder why our Lord did not respond to this question with the first of the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:1-3; Deuteronomy 5:5-7) I wonder why He didn’t say that the greatest commandment in the Law is to worship and serve no other god but the Lord.

I understand that if you love God, you will serve Him only. True. And I suppose that you could possibly serve and worship Him only, without really loving Him. Perhaps this is why our Lord chose Deuteronomy 6 instead of Exodus 20. God wants us to love Him. He wants to be in relationship with us. He wants us to serve and worship Him only, to be completely obedient to Him. But He wants us to be close to Him, to have a relationship with Him that is not simply marked by our obedience, but by our love. It is this relationship with your Creator and Savior that I wish and pray for you, Tanner, all your life, and for all of us as well.

We are to be committed to doing good, and not to become so discouraged that we give up honoring our God by helping and serving others. Jeremiah, Elijah, Moses, Paul, all these great heroes of faith suffered through times of discouragement and doubt, times when they were tempted to give up. We have been saddened over the past few weeks because of the passing of J. W. Athan, Peggy Johnston, and Bill Eldridge. Others in our church family have lost loved ones recently, or are facing other great challenges in their lives.  Our feelings were put into words by Tom Vance, Glen Cannon and Mike Lundgren as they led our worship assembly last Sunday. We are challenged and inspired by the quiet servant that J. W. was; the faithful worshiper Peggy Johnston was, even in the midst of physical hardship; and the caring encourager and evangelist that Bill Eldridge was.

During our Sunday morning sermon series over the past few weeks we have been challenged to consider different models or tasks of the church. Each of us must be involved in these different aspects of the church’s mission, but we will each be drawn to one or two of these more so than the others. Some may connect more with the church as a worshiping community. For others it’s being a servant to the needy. For some it’s being an evangelist and sharing the good news. For still others it’s being a prophetic voice in the community and calling for justice in our society. Obviously God seeks for His people to be committed to all of these and other important aspects of what it means to be the church. I hope that you value each of these models and tasks of the church, and are involved to some extent in each of them, even though you find yourself committing more of your time and energy especially to one or two. And I hope that you appreciate and pray for the efforts of others who are just as committed as you to serving the Lord, but are more specifically involved in a different part of our ministry as Christians, as the church of Jesus Christ. We serve our God together, and encourage each other to faithfully serve the Lord. Our Mission Statement acknowledges these different tasks, and calls on us to glorify God in all of these areas.

Our Mission—To glorify God by:

• Obeying His will
• Loving and encouraging one another
• Serving others as if serving Christ
• Proclaiming His Word

offering authentic worship in all we do.

This past Sunday we spoke of the importance of practicing the Spiritual Disciplines, such as Bible study and prayer, meditation and reflection, fasting, etc. In many ways these are aspects of our direct worship, times when we focus directly on God, in contrast with our indirect worship, those times we serve, honor and glorify God by serving others. This week we will focus more on these acts of service toward others. We do these because we are Christians, because we are following the example of our Lord. We know that loving our neighbor is an integral part of our loving and serving and worshiping God.

While both of these aspects of our lives are important and necessary, they seem at times on the surface to be in competition with each other, even to the point of tension and conflict between them.

As we spoke from John 12 this past Sunday, we recognize the importance of direct worship. Offering up praise and worship, time and energy and money, directly to God, seems not very practical. It doesn’t directly feed anyone who’s hungry, or help someone who’s in need. It’s just something that is offered up to God and consumed, kind of like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament. It almost seems a waste of time and other resources and assets. Some believe that it is. However, we know the importance and necessity of offering up these sacrifices of worship to our Creator and Savior.

We also see the importance and necessity of good deeds done to help others, of time and energy and money spent helping the poor and homeless and hungry. You can’t read very far in the Old Testament, gospels, or epistles without seeing how God feels about this one. And you can’t read Jesus’ thoughts on the judgment scene in Matthew 25 without getting the firm conviction that this is something we must be doing.

Though both of these are important and essential aspects of our worship and service of God, most of us find ourselves drawn to one or the other. We might find ourselves especially close to God and moved spiritually when we are singing a beautiful hymn or song that praises our Savior. Or we may find a greater sense of honoring God when we are helping feed the poor or building a home for the homeless or ministering to those suffering from poverty or tragedy in another country. These are what have been called “models” or roles, functions, tasks of the church. Next week I’ll speak of some others, and draw some conclusions.

Perhaps you saw or heard about this story in the news this week. The Journal reported, “A dispute over leadership at a Henderson County church has turned from angry words to fist fights.” Around thirty law enforcement officers were called to a church this past Sunday to “break up fights.” Apparently the conflict revolved around the recent firing of the minister.

I realize that we can’t be guilty of judging everyone in that church, or that religious group, or all groups, by the actions of some. I think the term, if I remember it from my high school American History and Sociology lessons, is “Sweeping Generalizations.” We are all tempted to judge everyone of a particular race, or religion, or area, or economic standing, or profession, etc. by the actions of a few. We must not give in to that temptation! First of all it’s not accurate, and it causes us to lose credibility (and rightly so) among others in our circle of friends, in our work place or school, and in the community overall.

And yet this story begs the question, what kind of witness for Jesus does this event bear? An even more important question for us is, what kind of witness for Jesus do I bear?

We can shake our heads at events like this, and condemn those involved. But I wonder if we realize how similar of an effect we have on others at times. When we say things that are critical and judgmental about someone behind their back. When we refuse to give others the benefit of the doubt, and jump to judgment as if we know their hearts, as if we know all the details of the situation and everything that person or group is going through. When our words may be true, but our tone and attitude reveal a feeling of superiority not hidden and, even more importantly, not Christ-like.

When you heard this story, how did you react? As tragic as it is, did you pray for them? Did you ask God to heal the wounds and the hurts and lead them to treat each other better as they work through the conflict, in order that their witness in the world might be one that encourages others to seek the Lord rather than one that brings reproach upon His name and His cause? Did you ask God to forgive you for times when you too have acted in ways that hurt rather than help the cause of Christ? Did you ask the Lord to help you grow to be more like Jesus in the way you treat others, even when you disagree with them? Especially when you disagree with them?

Last week in this space I mentioned a couple of verses from Ephesians 4, including this statement in verse 15: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” The events of this past weekend brought some of the rest of this passage to my mind. As you likely know, I had to “call in sick” on Sunday, and am actually writing this article from home, still feeling the effects of a viral infection that gave me a very bad sore throat, no voice, and now continues to make its presence felt in some lingering cold symptoms. In medical jargon, I still feel yucky! But Sunday went on without a hitch of course. Thanks Phil Stapp for so capably filling in at the last minute.

You see none of us is irreplaceable in the body of Christ. That is not to say, however, that anyone is unimportant. Clearly, that is not the case.

In Ephesians 4 the apostle Paul speaks of unity in the church. He presents, as one person accurately put it, the “atmosphere” of Christian unity in the first three verses, and the “basis” of Christian unity in the next three verses. He then speaks of the gifts Christ gave His church, a similar passage to Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Lots of different people, lots of different gifts, each one a part of the body, each one a part of God’s plan.

I’m reading through The Daily Bible again this year. There, I said it out loud. I’m committed. Recently I read through the Exodus account of Moses’ battle with Pharaoh. (By the way, does anybody else always spell Pharaoh, “Pharoah” before Word puts a red line under it?) Both Moses and Pharaoh were used by God. Pharaoh made his choice to stand against God; Moses chose to stand with God. The LORD used them both in an effort to let everyone—Israelites, Egyptians, Canaanites, everyone—come to know that He alone is God and worthy of worship.

I hope that you understand that you have a place in God’s plan. No, none of us is irreplaceable. But God will use each of us to accomplish His will, whether we choose to stand with Him or to oppose Him. What a beautiful thing it is, though, when we unselfishly use the gifts given us by the Head of the body, Jesus Christ. “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” [Ephesians 4:16]

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. [Ephesians 4:14-15]

This Scripture is one of those that is referenced in today’s lesson. We are continuing the series built from research of the Barna Group, which developed six mega-themes that characterize those in this country who profess faith in Christ. Today’s focus is on the conclusion that we have become much more inward focused and much less interested and active in outreach. They share these three statements regarding this subject, and this should give us all pause for reflection and recommitment.

             [1] Atheists are becoming more strategic in championing their godless worldview;

            [2] There is increased religious plurality;

            [3] There is an increasing reticence of Christians to engage in faith-oriented conversations.

We can’t control the first two. But we can certainly affect the last one. And we must. The above Scripture tells us we must speak, and it must be the truth that we speak, and we must speak the truth in love. Anything else is unbiblical and unfaithful.

We must speak the truth in loving ways that communicate to people today. Those of us in our late 40’s and older remember different times when we could argue with someone over Scripture teaching, win the argument, and see that person become members at our church. Those days are gone, likely forever, and we better get used to that. If not, our church will die. The apostle Paul realized this in the first century, speaking to Athens in a far different way than he spoke to Jerusalem, but sharing the gospel with both. Jesus realized this as well, speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well differently than he did to the rich young ruler or to the Jewish leaders, but sharing God’s truth with all. Will we trust God enough to do the same? Maybe, as Paul says above, it’s time to grow up.

We certainly live in a fallen world. Occasionally we are reminded of this fact in very explicit and tragic ways. The shooting this past week in Arizona is one of those unwelcome reminders.

There are extremists in all camps. Whether you are talking politics or religion, business or sports, or most any other subject, it is tempting (and wrong) to judge all of a certain persuasion by a few fanatics. So I don’t want to chat about republicans or democrats, conservatives or liberals. I’d like to talk about us, who we are, first and foremost.

I’d like to talk about Christians.

We as Christians are to be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16). I understand this to mean that when we engage with our culture we show values that are consistent with the life and teaching of Jesus Christ rather than the current standards of our own society.

Some say, “We should fight fire with fire!” Well, there’s a problem with that. Seems like I remember Jesus dying on a cross, rather than fighting fire with fire. And He definitely had the firepower! He also had truth and justice on His side. Yet He refused to cave to His culture, and decided instead to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21). And now He calls on all who wish to be His disciple to deny yourself, take up your own cross every day, and follow Him (Luke 9:21-24).

So we pray for our communities, our nation, and our world. And we engage whenever possible. We do so, however, not with a “win at all cost” mentality, where “win” is understood as achieving my purpose in this world at this time. Jesus understood “win” to have a bigger, broader meaning, one which did not depend on Him saving His life, much less getting His way. And so you don’t blow up offices of abortion doctors or shoot representatives of Congress. But neither do you speak disrespectfully and un-Christlike about others, including governing officials. As a Christian you recognize that passages like Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 apply today just as much as in the first century, even when you oppose what those officials stand for. Especially when you oppose what those officials stand for. In this way, even those who disagree with us will see a different spirit in us than what they see in others. And whether our view wins the day or not, we will be faithful in being the light of the world. And it just might be that, as He did with His own Son, God uses us to overcome evil with good.