Opening Devotion: All Over the World - Colossians 1:6b

Colossians 1:6b          All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.

Every day someone somewhere gets to hear the Gospel for the first time and responds positively to it by opening his or her heart to Christ. It’s amazing to think that after almost two thousand years, Jesus’ words and ways are still relevant to someone in need of Him. In my own lifetime, I have experienced this for myself, as well as seeing hundreds of others discover the same. It’s a beautiful event in anyone’s life and, so long as churches continue on Earth, the Gospel will be preached throughout the world.

Some days I envy the Apostle Paul. He personally saw so many church start-ups that his soul must have been constantly overjoyed with hope. No matter where he visited or wherever he was being held as prisoner, he could both see and hear that the infant Church was growing all over. It must have been a remarkable age, but those kind of start-ups are not limited to the past. Christianity is still the greatest faith on Earth and in places like China and Africa, it is growing faster than ever. By the end of this century, there could be more Christians in China than Communists; I even think that the changes we are beginning to see over there, have their roots in Christian beliefs.

So, wherever you are today and whatever church you serve, know this: you are part of a worldwide movement that is still growing all over this planet because people are still hungry for the Gospel and are still turning to Christ for their answers to life itself!

Questions for personal reflection

How is my church connected to Christians around the world? What can I do to support and strengthen those connections?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for never ever giving up on the world. Thank You for Your amazing words, works, and ways that continue to change lives across this planet. Enable us to do whatever we can to continue Your mission in our communities and throughout the Earth. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Communion drawings called “Blood and Tears.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/11700133064_691aca8bcc_b.jpg

Church Staff devotions: Spirit Led - Zechariah 4:6

Zechariah 4:6             So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

Sometimes I get discouraged by what’s happening with the Church in our society. We seem to have this casual approach to God that is now turning into a disdain for God’s Word. People come and go to their churches as they please to the extent that Christian worship has now become a leisure pursuit instead of a regular spiritual commitment. There’s no longer a thirsting for the scriptures or a hunger for what God is saying to us. We can pick and choose what we like from the Bible and discard what we disapprove. Instead of being kept sacred and regarded as holy, we treat God’s Word as if it has a sell by date and throw it away because it is irrelevant to our personal needs.

And then just when I’m feeling sorry for myself and the Church, I receive an email from a church member whose family is on a teaching mission trip to Christians in Nepal. Here’s what one of them has written:

Monday (1st day of the conference) was busy and wonderful. I don’t think anyone counted actual numbers in attendance, but the room was pretty full. Many who were coming were delayed—one broken-down bus accounted for 15 late-comers. They arrived last night or early this morning. The church is simple and rustic—that is code for primitive and with holes in the floor for toilets. Participants sit on a carpeted floor all day. The worship team is young and loud and enthusiastic. We can tell when they sing an “old timey song” because the older Christians join in and begin to raise their hands. The young women and men each have their own dances they choreograph and perform during breaks. They would be a hit in the US…lots of the same movements.

We have 3 morning sessions and 3 afternoon sessions. Tom and John take turns in the 1st two sessions each half of the day…then the men and women break into separate groups, and I take the women, and John or Tom take the men. People wander in and out all during the sessions. Some have responsibilities with the children or cooking or cleaning up, so they come when they can. The pastors and leaders attending the conference are very quiet while a speaker is talking, and they take notes faithfully on what is being said.

People hungering for the Word of God! We may think that our sophisticated laid-back relationship with God is what He expects of a 21^st century church, but we are sadly deluding ourselves. God expects of us what He obviously receives from the Christians in Nepal: total commitment.

I look forward to a day when the Western Church will rediscover Christ and humbly serve Him completely. I yearn for a time when all churches across our land will gather together, not because they are powerful or mighty, relevant and fashionable, but because they are filled with Spirit-led people and not just spiritual ones.

Question for personal reflection

How committed am I to Christ? Am I truly Spirit-led or just spiritual?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to rediscover a hunger for Your holy teachings and a thirst for Christian theology. Prevent us from being too focused on ourselves and keep us totally committed to worshiping, serving, and following You throughout our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Advent drawings called “Mackintosh Advent.” It’s an art nouveau rendering of Advent candles in a church window. If you would like to view a larger version, click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8118931383_48d8bc70a9_b.jpg

Church Staff devotions: Church - Country Club or Culture Club?

2 Timothy 2:13    If we are faithless, Christ will remain faithful, for He cannot disown himself.

Over the years, I have heard some people criticize churches by calling them “country clubs.” What the critics mean by that is that only those with the right background, faith structure, and set of beliefs are allowed into these congregations. Those churches are criticized for looking after themselves and trying to make everyone else fit their expectations. Much of the current ordination debate that we’re having and the different camps that are emerging seem to fit this type of mentality – on both sides.

Some churches are country clubs, sticking to the established rules, the old money, and traditional values. Other churches are becoming culture clubs, driven by what’s fashionable in society, seeking to be loved by everyone, and yearning to be relevant. Both types are being faithful to themselves. Both are also being faithless to Christ.

At times I worry about the future of the Church. Because of the faithlessness that’s being espoused by both sides, the Western Church is losing its voice in the world. We’re so busy contemplating our theological navels that we’re missing the point: Christ needs followers of His way, not borrowers of His Name. Our acts of self-righteousness and point-scoring agendas do not glorify Christ in any shape or form. We may win battles against each other, but at the same time we belittle Christ’s mission to the world.

Thank goodness then, that when we are at our most faithless, Christ remains faithful and will not disown Himself. He can do without the Western church and our centuries-old denominations getting in His way. Without us, Christ will still get His mission accomplished, but without Him, our country clubs and culture clubs have no future at all.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we are so out of step with You because we are marching to our own tunes. We are fickle and faithless, self-righteous and self-centered. We are allowing our agendas to destroy ourselves. We even foolishly think that without us, Your Work will never be completed.

Forgive us, Lord, for focusing on ourselves instead of Your mission. Pardon us for protecting our own rights and beliefs, instead of spreading Your teaching. Help to recover our senses and realign our hearts and minds, churches and congregations with Your Holy Spirit. In Your Sacred Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is from one of John’s vacation drawings of last year. It depicts the Scots Kirk in Savannah, Georgia. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4817326616_ef7ff6f6bf_b.jpg