The Glory of God in a Joyfully Serving Church

This last Sunday Pastor Dale encouraged us to use the gifts God has graciously given to meet a particular need at BCC. We might view this simply as a request for practical help, or thoughtful planning for our readiness to love family members with special needs, or even as a kindness to the current teachers and buddies who so often miss the preaching of God’s Word. All of these are worthy and good purposes for our greater involvement, but there is still an even better reason to serve.

When it comes to growing in the Christian faith, our tendency is to think individually. We have our personal devotions where we read the Bible and pray, and we can even come to church without joining in with the rest of the body as we passively listen, and then leave. Our culture gravitates to personal freedoms, privacy, and an appreciation for those who simply mind their own business. We have a problem. Though this may be our tendency, and even preference, it is not God’s will for us. We are not only saved as individuals; we are saved into a body with other members, and this salvation does not view our mutual love and unity as an add-on, a bonus, or icing on the cake. No, our actions as a corporate body are really a matter of our sanctification, and God’s glory. We are called to love one another. This is our glory as the body of Christ, even as Jesus prayer for us:

“[Father], as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. [I ask] that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” – John 17:18-22

It is God’s desire to show His glory to the world. The mutual love and unity that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is communicated to the world through the love and unity of Christ’s body, the church. This glory has been given to us! We exist for His glory, and so as God is three-in-one, so we are many who make up one body. We are saved into a body for the purpose of displaying what exists within the Godhead, and so this is the greatest reason for our service within the church. In light of this, shouldn’t we think of Pastor Dale’s appeal last Sunday as a matter of our sanctification, our spiritual growth, and the glory given to us for the sake of God’s glory? His appeal is a lot bigger than any old organization asking for help at the concession stand. This is really a significant part of our Christian growth. This is the glory given to us by God, for the sake of His glory!

So, don’t miss the spiritual significance of last Sunday’s message, or the purpose in my writing. It was not family business lacking spiritual nourishment, and I don’t write to simply gather more volunteers. Pastor Dale’s message was ultimately a call to our sanctification and God’s glory, and I write this to help us think differently about church and service. Why do we serve? If it’s for the display of God’s glory then there’s no room for guilt, arrogance, pride, jealousy, resentment, offense, or a grumbling heart. Service alone is not what glorifies God. What glorifies God is service that displays His love and unity, and He intends for this to be encouraged and practiced and visible within the body of Christ. After all, it is possible for us to give everything we have to the poor and sacrifice our very lives, and still not serve in a way that glorifies God. This is what we read in the love chapter (1 Cor 13). Our acts of service are important, but they are not beneficial or glorifying to God if they do not originate from the fountainhead of His love. We can serve for many good reasons, and some bad, but we ought to always think of our serving within the church as God’s will for His glory and our good.

So if we find ourselves so busy with life that we’re disconnected from Christ’s body, we ought to reconsider our priorities; not as a matter of guilt, but as a matter of our joy in glorifying God. Let’s resist a contemporary Christianity that settles for a life of individual, disconnected peace that only awaits Heaven. And if we find ourselves grumbling and unable to serve with joy, the answer is not to back away, but to repent, pray for God’s work on our hearts, and serve with a renewed expectation for joy. Don’t be discouraged if the joy isn’t there. Instead, thank Him for revealing, and sanctifying, and working His glory in you as you work toward love and unity in His body, the church.

Before it is blotted out forever, a thank you

BCC Family:

Here is something encouraging that I wanted to share with you, shortly before it is blotted out forever.

I am in the middle of planning another conference for pastors in South Africa this coming August 31-September 1. By God’s grace, it will be my giant privilege to travel there once more for the sake of encouraging my brothers in gospel ministry (something I believe God has built me to do). 

This year, I had the idea of hosting the conference through the seminary, the Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (ESSA).  That way the conference will both give me the opportunity to be of some small encouragement to my fellow Pastors, and also shine the light on ESSA and hopefully spur involvement/enrollment/support there. I have invited others to participate in leadership: Nkosi is a South African and an ESSA grad; Sam Machaka is a Zimbabwean and an ESSA grad; and Bud is an American pastor who has moved to South Africa and teaches at ESSA part-time. The Acting Principal, my dear friend Dr. Lubunga W’Ehusha from Congo, will also address the attendees.  And I am working with a fellow from Germany on the details of the conference.  So it is a real multi-national effort.

I was sent a trial version of the promotional brochure to review.  In it, the organizer included a paragraph that I thought would be a blessing to you, the givers of Bear Creek Church and its friends who make this possible:

“The Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa wishes to express its deepest thanks and appreciation to Pastor Dale Meador and the Bear Creek Church who have made this conference possible. Bear Creek Church has been supporting ESSA for years in various ways, without any personal or financial benefits. This commitment is a shining example of Christian brotherhood (and sisterhood) reaching out across oceans and cultural, social and racial divides.”

I thanked the author profusely and told him I was very grateful for his kindness and that you would be blessed by the recognition.  I asked him to remove this paragraph, but I wanted you to hear it so that you would be thanked for giving money and sending me.  I asked him to remove the paragraph since I don’t want the spotlight on me or us, preferring instead to focus attention on ESSA, which is on the ground there and can be a help to these ministers year-round.  Further, I absolutely do not want to even hint at the need for us wealthy whites to get recognition for helping those “poor African people,” which I know is not on our minds or in our hearts but nonetheless a prideful pitfall and stereotype to be avoided at all costs.

Anyway, I think that the way you people of Bear Creek Church and its friends give is indeed a “shining example of Christian brotherhood (and sisterhood)” and am grateful to work with people who want to reach out “across oceans.”

Keep up the godly work!

Do this for me, will you?  Will you begin praying now that this trip, the Pastor’s Conference and all my other teaching opportunities will be productive in encouraging saints there?  All the work in organizing this will be for naught unless the Lord himself ordains the effort with Holy Spirit power.

God bless!

pd

Resurrection Life

Coming back from church I noticed our sidewalk covered with these and so I asked Jennifer if she’d do a little writing (much nicer than mine), add her touches of beauty, and take what turned out to be a very fun picture. Thinking of our regular time in Romans, and our wonderful Easter celebration, I settled on chapter 8, verse 11 – a perfect reminder of life after, and because of, the resurrection. And don’t you just love TULIP?

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

It was actually much harder to write these letters than I originally thought. We left our little sidewalk art, and I wondered if anyone would come across it and actually think that a combination of time, wind, and random chance created this simple message. Actual life is immeasurably more complex and yet men continue to suppress the truth; believing and teaching that the obvious beauty designed by God just happened. We have life, and the hope of resurrection, because the same God who spoke everything into existence indwells us by his Spirit.

Jesus' Triumphal Entry

Leading up to the celebration of Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Christ, we looked at Jesus’ triumphal entry from Mark, chapter 11.

Your conclusions about these events - and who Jesus is and what he was up to – are more important than any other decision you make, or ideology you adopt, or philosophy you embrace. One author wrote:

If there is only one God who is eternal, all-powerful, all-good, all-loving, all-knowing, and fully just; and He created us in His image, we would be completely fulfilled if we related to Him the way He wants us to, in harmony with His will. As the creator from concept to production line, he would know the most about the perfect purpose of his creations…

..No one else could compete with him regarding his creations' functions or destiny. If He were to say one's destiny is determined by how many hot peppers he can consume, no one could bring greater authority or knowledge to dispute him. If He were to say that one's destiny is determined by how he responds to His loving sacrifice of His Son on behalf of all who are separated by sin from God, He could not be disputed.

What was the background to Jesus’ triumphal entry? It was the week before Passover, Jerusalem was swollen with pilgrims, Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees planned to kill the both of them, and the Romans were on edge. So, the atmosphere as Jesus rode into Jerusalem was electric.

Concerning this, Zechariah 9:9 prophesied:

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you: he is legitimate and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey – on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

And II Kings 9:13 (of Jehu)

Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s feet on the steps. The trumpet was blown and they shouted, “Jehu is king!”

The anticipation of this day is expressed in Psalm 118:25, where we read:

“Please Lord, deliver! Please Lord, grant us success!”

In the triumphal entry we see that Jesus is no victim, but is in absolute control, even to the detail of sending his disciples to a place where they would find the donkey he would ride into Jerusalem. As we see from Scripture, this day was long anticipated, Jesus is Messiah and King, he receives their praise, yet nobody understood what was really happening – that Jesus came as a humble servant, ready to die, while the people praise him with wrong expectations.

What do we take away from this event? Jesus saves. He is the long-awaited Messiah; He is not what the people expect (even though Scripture was clear), and His purposeful entry was so that he might die and save us from our sins. Jesus is king. There are so many examples of kings in their history, our ours; ones that do not rule justly, ones that are corrupt, but Jesus is truly the king who deserves the applause, admiration, and praise of his people. Jesus loves the Father, and he loves you. As Jesus knowingly went to his death on the cross, he did so because of his love for the Father – “not my will, but Yours be done.” He was about doing the will of the Father, and his sacrificial death was out of love for His Father – to glorify His holiness and justice and mercy – and his death was to lovingly deliver us from the wrath we deserve. This willing sacrifice demands, and is deserving of our worship. This same Jesus who was in absolute control of the events surrounding this triumphal entry, and his eventual death on the cross, is the same Jesus who is in control of the events of your life. He has a plan and purpose for all who belong to him, and knowing that he is in control brings us great comfort and hope.

Jesus came as a humble servant, on his way to die, but his real triumphal entry is yet to come. He is coming again, and this time it will be on a war-horse instead of a donkey, and as a might king, instead of a humble servant.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” - Revelation 19:11-16

Bulletin - April 17, 2011

Click here to see the April 17, 2011 bulletin for BCC

Devote Yourselves to These Things

In the 2^nd chapter of Acts we read that the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

The early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. That is, they devoted themselves to the Word of God. God’s Word that reveals our eternal hope - the hope of salvation – of being made right with God and sanctified by His Spirit. They devoted themselves to God’s revelation that brings us hope in the promise of Christ’s second coming, when all things will be made right. They devoted themselves to the Word of God, which tells us to hope in the resurrection – that one day we will no longer bear the curse of death and decay because Jesus defeated sin at the cross and rose victorious over the grave. We rejoice in this hope because we devote ourselves to the Word of God.

The early church devoted themselves to the fellowship. That is, they devoted themselves to the church; to what Christ began as he challenged Peter to love Him by feeding His sheep. We are to devote ourselves to the church, as the writer of the book of Hebrews says we ought to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25). We are to devote ourselves to the church because Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

The early church also devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42). This breaking of bread likely referred to both communion and their Christian fellowship as they ate a meal together. Devote yourselves to communion: to focusing on the gospel (what Christ has done), uniting, as the body of Christ, to our bread of life, and remembering that He is risen and coming again. And devote yourselves to Christian fellowship in a meal: to eating together, making new friends, and sharing and encouraging each other in the main thing we have in common … each of us joined together as a body, with Christ as our head.

And as the early church was devoted to prayer, so we ought to pray that God’s name be hallowed in the church; pray that He be glorified in our own hearts; that He be seen as holy and wonderful in our families, our community, our nation, and world. Pray for these, as we pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

- Pastor Brian

Win a cool shirt, just for praying

Here’s the dealio: I have a brand-spankin-new Oregon Ducks Tostitos BCS National Championship tee shirt (size: L) that I am just itchin’ to give away, both to have some fun and to give some kind of a reward to those of you diligent or lonely enough to check your email on Friday nights and Saturdays.  Next Tuesday morning, this shirt will be worth some money, or it will be $3.50 at Goodwill.

But like many good things and Social Security, you have to work for it: we’ll award this shirt to the person with the best conclusion to the sentence: “My best time of prayer is when…”    You don’t have to be flowery or eloquent in your answer.  In fact, just like with actual prayer, we’re looking for sincere, real, and concise.  And forget about my joke last Sunday: if your best time of prayer is when you’re doing the dishes, don’t be embarrassed to admit it.  We all have different prayer habits.

You must be present on Sunday morning, when we’ll award the shirt, to win.  Answers will be judged by an expert panel of judges that I will whip up moments before the service begins.  All my relatives are eligible to win.  New rule for this contest only: enter as many times as you like, since your best prayer times may occur during different circumstances.  But don’t start entering lame answers or you will be disqualified, and possibly even asked to attend a different church. 

The runner-up will win a lightly-worn non-BCS Ducks shirt (size: L) that I picked up at Buffalo Exchange in Eugene yesterday. 

To answer, just hit “reply” and give me your answer.  The judges won’t know which answer belongs to which entrant. 

Don’t forget that on Sunday we’ll host an Open House at the Skypark building after the slightly-shortened service at the St. Mary’s gym.  Wear your ear muffs, cause it may be chilly.  Also, you’re invited to come early to church, at 9 am, and pray with us.

Go Ducks.  Please win, or at least don’t please don’t get humiliated in the biggest game of the year.

-Pastor Dale