The Pastor’s Pen— Consider the Gift

The Pastor’s Pen— Consider the Gift
Andy Williams is famous for singing the line “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” and in many ways it is. Even though the time of year is set more by tradition than the actual date of Jesus’ birth, we reflect more of our creator at this time of year than any other because of one word: generosity. I’d like to take this time to think about our Lord’s generosity toward us.
Think about the lavishness of that gift the first Christmas morning; the extravagance of love that came in the form of a tiny, helpless newborn baby. Consider the GIFT for a minute or two, what Jesus really did. He traded a spotless castle for a grungy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers.

If you were God, would you sleep on straw, live in poverty and become subject to the authorities that you created? Jesus did। If you knew that only a few would care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those you loved would laugh in your face would you still care? He humbled Himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier.
Why? Because that’s what love does. It puts the object of love (me and you) before itself. Your soul was more important to Him than His blood. Your eternal life was more important than His earthly life. Your place in heaven was more important to Him than His place in heaven. He gave up his so that you could have yours.
That’s what extravagant giving is all about— love, God’s love, a love that knows no bounds, limits, nor ends. The Christmas kind of love. The type of love we are commanded to give others: (John 13:34, NLT)

“34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” (NLT)

There’s one catch. You cannot give something away that you have not first received. Make sure this Christmas that you have received your gift from God of eternal life. It’s not a matter of whether you’ve been naughty or nice—we’ve all been naughty according to Rom. 3:23 and Rom 5:8.

Our objective is to pass the gift along. So many of you are sacrificially committed to sending the Gospel around the world via Operation Christmas Child, and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. So many of you are compassionate to those in our community with our Angel Tree ministry and other ministry opportunities, too. I would just like to thank you for generously sharing the Gift that God has given you.

Until He comes,
Pastor Marty

Kudos to the Kirksville High School Arts Dept. performance of the Wizard of Oz. They nailed it!

Count those blessings—It’s good for you!

I enjoy doing the spiritual exercise of counting my blessings. It honors God and it builds my faith to remember the good things he has done. So let’s reflect on some of the many blessings God has showered on His people here in the Family at First.
· Bina Morgan, Kenny Miller and many others who have been steadfast in their service to the Lord for many years. What an example they set for others! Like them so many of you who have been relentlessly serving your Savior. Like Paul in his letter to the Philippians (Phil. 1:3) “3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,” We can easily point new Christians and new members toward your example.
· I’m also thankful for the new souls God is bringing our way. Do you realize that the 2009 Family Fall Festival was organized & mostly carried out by people who have been part of the Family at First for less than three years? Amen for the rookies! So far in 2009 we’ve baptized 24 people and have at least six more waiting their turn. The six souls represent 3 young couples, some with children and some without, but all with a need to have lives centered on Jesus Christ. The “new activity” that we’re seeing in the Family at First demonstrates a couple of important things: a) God is at work among us (we’ve joined Him in His work), and b) Folks at First don’t have to wait in a long line to start doing something substantial with their faith.
· The blessing of family coming together to enjoy each other and strengthen each other. Isn’t that a great priority of the holiday season???? We reorganize and prioritize for the regular family gathering। We clean up, prepare the most delicious stuff and then anxiously await their arrival. I hope that all of you will (allow Jesus to) clean up (your lives), prepare your sweetest service (to the Savior) , and anticipate meeting with Jesus in your homes and as you gather together with your Spiritual Family here at First.
I’m praying that the most exciting thing you experience this holiday season will be a praise offering for the wonderful things God has done in years past, and the new things the Lord wants to do both in your private walk with Him and in your service through your Church family. Psalm 104:1-4 “1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; 4 He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers। ” Until He comes, Pastor Marty

WHAT WILL BECOME OF ME SOMEDAY?

An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession. Like many young men his age, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it.
One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects:
1. A Bible
2. A silver dollar
3. A bottle of whiskey
4. A Playboy magazine.

I'll just hide behind the door," the old preacher said to himself. "When he comes home from school today, I'll see which object he picks up. If it's the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, & what a blessing that would be! If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a business man, & that would be okay, too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord, what a shame that would be. And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a skirt-chasing womanizer."
The preacher waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's foot-steps as he entered the house whistling and heading for his room। The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.
Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink, while he admired the magazine's centerfold. "Lord have mercy," the old preacher disgustedly whispered, "He's gonna run for Congress."
While we laugh at that, it illustrates the point that we’ve reached a very sad place in our society; a place where politics is synonymous with corruption and hypocrisy. I was reading in my daily devotional time today from 2 Chron. 16. Verse 9 really jumped off of the page and hit me. One of the reasons our society is so divided and possibly even why our country is at war is because we don’t have leaders who “heart(s) are completely His.” And in America the reason we don’t have those kinds of leaders is because we, the voters, do not insist on it.
Philipp Spener। (1635-1705), was someone who was ready to let God reorganize his way of thinking and God used him to shake up the Lutheran church and help fan the flames of pietism that burned in hearts of Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists. During a stay in Tübingen, Spener read Grossgebauer's Alarm Cry, and in 1666 he entered upon his first pastorate at Frankfurt with the opinion that the Christian life within Evangelical Lutheranism was being exchanged for rigid Lutheran orthodoxy. Pietism, as a distinct movement in the German Church, was then originated by Spener by religious meetings at his house (collegia pietatis) at which he repeated his sermons, expounded passages of the New Testament, and induced those present to join in conversation on religious questions that arose। In 1675 Spener published his Pia desideria or Earnest Desire for a Reform of the True Evangelical Church, the title giving rise to the term "Pietists". In this publication he made 6 proposals as the best means of restoring the life of the Church:

• The earnest and thorough study of the Bible in private meetings (Sunday School / Small groups??)
• The Christian priesthood being universal, the laity should share in the spiritual government of the Church, (Using Spiritual Giftedness??)
• A knowledge of Christianity must be attended by the practice of it as its indispensable sign and supplement (Bear fruit of the Spirit – Go on Mission as a Christian)
• Instead of merely didactic, and often bitter, attacks on the heterodox and unbelievers, a sympathetic and kindly treatment of them (Preach the Power of God to Transform instead of denominational or methodological arguments)
• A reorganization of the theological training of the universities, giving more prominence to the devotional life (I’d rather have a minister with a high school diploma who walks with God daily and knows how to share the Word rather than someone with degrees who speaks of God like He is a stranger)
• A different style of preaching, namely, in the place of pleasing rhetoric, the implanting of Christianity in the inner or new man – (Again – the impact of God’s Word not returning void, but helping the sinner find Christ and helping the redeemed become conformed to the image of Christ)

I wonder of there are anymore Philipp Speners out there maybe just now starting to emerge? Not the cheap “junk-food” worship stylists who get really passionate about worshipping a God whom they obviously barely know, and not just those who like to bring the rebellion against the status quo (traditional church) for the joy of being a rebel, but those who will be led by God to go His way even when they must do it alone?!?

Just things I pondered today in my quiet time with God.

THE FOUR GREATEST TESTS: Part four of four

Test of Stewardship – The quest for great treasure.

The greatest tests: 1) Self, 2) Priorities, and 3) Time। Now the final test. The perfect treasure--where can it be found? All your life you’ve been on a treasure hunt. You’ve been searching for a perfect person and a perfect place. Jesus is that person, and heaven is that place. If you are a Christian you have already met that person, and you are already headed to that place.

But the primary problem is that you are not living with that person nor are you living in that place। Even your church involvement might seem more duty-bound than glory-energized। You might be one of those people who find the subjects of stewardship and generous giving to bring more feelings of guilt than anything else। God’s plan is for you to get such joy from your giving that you become giddy। Paul gave us God’s standard on our attitudes in giving (2 Cor. 9:7) “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” A survey of the Bible shows that the Bible has more to say about stewardship, property/wealth management and giving than it has to say about heaven or hell. The Bible gives us 500 verses on prayer, and even less on faith, but more than 2,350 verses on money and possessions. The Lord knew (Matt. 6:21) “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and He knew that the battle is not for our stuff but for our hearts।
Unfortunately many preachers try to challenge us to live up to this great test by asking us to give। But perhaps their motivation is to have greater offerings so that bills can be paid and church business can be done। The truth is God doesn’t need our money। Our stuff already is His; he’s just allowing us to manage it. So how are you doing? He doesn’t invite you to give for His benefit-- it is for yours!

Financial disagreement is the primary subject of all household arguments. Yet the Word of God has powerful solutions. I would recommend writings by authors such as Howard Dayton, Andy Stanley, Dave Ramsey, and Randy Alcorn. Our local Bott radio station (KLTE-FM 107.9) carries a nationally syndicated call-in radio show called “Money Matters” weekdays at 2:30 p.m. which is a great source of help. Their website is ।">http://www.crown.org/।

Several churches in this area have groups that are associates with Crown Ministries or Financial Peace University। The truths that they teach can turn your guilt into joy, and turn your family arguments into victorious testimonies of blessings and deliverance। The average giver in most churches today doesn’t tithe (give 10% of their gross income)। In fact it’s more like about 1।5%। Our parents and grandparents’ generation was giving 3।6%। We are failing this test. Yet this is the one area in all of life where we actually get to put God to the test. Imagine what could happen in our community if we began to improve our grades on this fourth test!

What?!?! You thought we were to never (Luke 4:12) “…PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST”?? That is true except in this one subject. And we are part of the test. When God challenged us to bring (Mal. 3:10 ) “…the whole tithe into the storehouse” He continued by challenging us to “test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows” Does God actually make you wealthy and trouble-free because of your “faith” gifts like many of the television preachers like to say?? No, and it angers me when they spin lies like that which make promises God never intended to honor.
What God does say about this kind of faithful giving is 1) there will be blessings that you cannot seem to contain, and 2) you are likely to be entrusted with greater responsibilities (see Matt. 25:20-23; and Luke 16:10-12)। What we have seen in the Crown Ministries ten week course is that after following the principles learned there for three years, families had 1) erased more than $25,000 in consumer debt, 2) managed to add $10,000 to their savings, and 3) experienced dramatically changed stress levels in discussions about money. Why? The Bible really is the perfect blueprint for daily living. So why not put the Lord your God to the one solitary test that you are allowed to administer to Him? He laid down the challenge। As Jeremiah describes faithful living under the Lord’s great plans, (Jer. 31:12-14) “He will turn your sorrows into joy!”
May the generosity of God overwhelm your hearts until you all become generous givers. Not because your church or God needs your money, but because you need to know God’s power and blessings unleashed in this way. I hope that you are greatly relieved as you now have the solutions to the four greatest tests of your life.

THE FOUR GREATEST TESTS: Part three of four
Test of Time
Peter F. Drucker wrote “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else।” The first test was the test of self and the second test was priorities. This week we examine the test of time. Time is a great analysis for the value of your efforts. Everyone would like to believe that he or she will leave a legacy. But the truth is that few really achieve the greatness that people remember for generations. So how can we be sure that we make a difference that stands the test of time

Remember that time is the one commodity that cannot be replaced। Money can be replaced। Fortune magazine noted that a retirement account invested in the top 500 companies' shares would have dropped 37 percent during the last 12 months। However, many people are already beginning to slowly recover those losses। Your days, on the other hand, were numbered from the moment the Lord decided to create you. Psalm 139:16 says “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” So you were time-date stamped from the first day you took a breath.

Avoid the mistake of thinking that you have plenty of time. Remember the slogan, “I don’t want to grow up; I’m a Toys-R-Us kid?” There is the fallacy of wasting time on selfish-oriented goals as if that will bring a satisfying return. As we mature, those goals are often replaced with the drive to succeed. Some think the one who dies with the most toys wins. The truth is the one who dies with the most toys simply dies.
Jesus warned about leading a greed-driven life with a parable in Luke 12:16-23. A rich man was having such a good year that he decided to launch in an enormous warehousing project. His project was interrupted by an announcement that his earthly life was about to abruptly end. Then Jesus posed a question, “. . . and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Stephen R. Covey said “The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of using it.
Ephesians 5:15-17 commands us to “Be very careful, then, how you live—, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Redeeming the time implies that you will be giving away your time in a nonrefundable fashion. So make it a wise investment by “understand(ing) what the will of the Lord is.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” To give you a good perspective on this subject I can tell you some things that I have never heard anyone who is on their deathbed or confined to a nursing home ever say, “I wish I had spent more time at work.” I have often heard them say, “I wish I had spent more time with my family.” Way too many times I hear them say, “I wish I’d prepared my children to live for the Lord.” The advice they would universally give you is: 1) Get to know God well enough that you really understand “His will” for your life and begin to live it; 2) invest in the spiritual lives of your spouse and children; 3) Make your local church a priority. An investment in God’s Kingdom is an investment with eternal rewards. Lee Iacocca said “If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.”
Next week: You thought we were commanded to NOT put the Lord to a test? Here is the one test that you are allowed to administer to the Lord.

THE FOUR GREATEST TESTS: Part two of four.

Test of Priorities
During the first year of our marriage, my wonderful wife delivered a one sentence sermon to me that has caused me to re-evaluate my priorities on a regular basis। After being late or missing several appointments that I had made with her, she said, “Marty, you will always find time to do what is most important to you।” Ouch!
Since then I have taken it one step further। You will always find the time AND MONEY to do what is most important to you। The real test of your priorities is not what you SAY is important, but rather where you spend your time and money। The priorities of the average person should be different from the main concerns of a serious follower of Jesus Christ। The driving forces within the humanist mentality are 1) self-preservation and 2) self-enjoyment। Even much of what they do to help others can be attributed to the sense of worth and esteem it gives them।
For the follower of Jesus Christ we are constantly challenged to demonstrate to God that our priorities are as follows: God first, others second, self last.
God First - In Genesis 22, Abraham is in the midst of treasuring the son God gave him in his old age. The Lord challenges him by commanding him to take his only son up to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him. God did not ant Isaac’s life; He wanted Abraham’s loyalties to be tested. In v. 22 God said “2 Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” Abraham passed the test and God spared his son. As we’re drawn into the emotions of what he must have felt, we see a couple of things that I believe helped him drive his commitment to God past all his emotional anchors.
First, he obeyed right away. The next verse tells us that he left the very next morning, “3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey…” Second, he didn’t know what God as going to do, but He trusted in God’s loving nature and desire to provide. By verse 4, we see that “4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.” What does that tell you? He had walked for three days looking at the ground. This task seemed to be destroying him, but He trusted God and his obedience was rewarded.
In the same way Jesus challenged the rich young ruler in Luke 18 to demonstrate the most important thing. When he asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus put him to the test. First he tested the young man’s honesty by saying, “20 You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.' ” Now you and I know that he had not perfectly kept these commandments, this as a chance for him to confess his sinfulness and his need of a Savior. He failed. Verse 21 says 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” Jesus knew his heart and test his priorities in v. 22 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Jesus didn’t want his poverty, Jesus wanted him to recognize that there was something that didn’t align between his words and his actions – God was not first. So he put him to the test and as of today the rich young ruler is no longer a ruler, he is no longer wealthy, and he is definitely not young.
Others Second – Mother Teresa said “A day lived without doing something good for others is a day not worth living.” Your local church is a great place to start to carry out the giftedness God has given you. That is our Lord’s design. He does not save us to sit on a shelf and wait for heaven. He saves us that we might be a blessing to others.
You have heard people say, “I don’t need to go to church to be a good Christian।” I like to tell them, “Yes, and you don’t need to exhale in order to breathe either, do you?” Of course exhaling is vital to breathing and so is using the giftedness God has given you to be a blessing to others। Is your involvement in the ministries of others a priority? If it is you will commit your time and resources there। If not you are just giving lip service।
Self Last – Some would say that this lesson is encouraging low self-esteem. Let me assure you there is nothing as self-satisfying as a life given to God first and others second. It is the purpose for which God has given our lives direction and clarity.
I pray that you pass the test of priorities, because one day we will all stand before the throne of God and give an account for our lives (Matt. 12:35-37; Matt. 25:18-20) and most importantly I pray that you have found the forgiveness of your sins through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, so that you will stand forgiven before is throne on that day because according to Romans 4:8 8 “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.” Next week: the test of Time!

THE FOUR GREATEST TESTS: Part one of four

Test of Self
With the beginning of the Fall semester, it seems appropriate to talk about testing। Okay, so no one likes the tests. But what if our discussion caused you to be better prepared for the tests that every person will face during the course of his life? Yet probably the most challenging test on which to get accurate results is the test of SELF. Human nature seems to endow us with the ability to size up everybody in the world except ourselves.

The first step is to understand the directive to do a thorough self-examination। God’s Word tells us to test ourselves to be prepared for the final test of standing before the Throne of God. Think of these as random pop-quizzes. The Bible tells us to be involved in this kind of exams for many reasons. Psalm 11:5 assures us “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,” The Ancient Greek aphorism “Know yourself”, Greek: γνῶθι σεαυτόν, was inscribed in the pronaos of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi। When Socrates was on trial for heresy he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” We should take that into the Christian life and state that “The unexamined Spiritual life is not worth living” either. May I further suggest that our own self examination should be up to the standard of God’s powerful and Holy Word – the Bible? According to the Lord, the Scriptures hold the standards for His test. When He spoke to Moses regarding the choice of following His Word he said “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” (Exodus 3:4). Notice that they would only enjoy provision for their needs as long as they were faithful to God’s Word? They only received the manna in the wilderness as long as they obeyed God. His Word is tried and tested. 2 Samuel 22:31 says “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him।”

Of course knowledge is useless unless it results in action। The ultimate test of your faithfulness will be the way you live out your faith side-by-side with your brothers and sisters in Christ। Too many people walk into a weekly religious service and leave the service with no determination to put their faith into action. James 1:22-24 warns against being believers who are all talk and no action. “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.”
You will be tested in many ways. If you are a believer and you are ready to stand firm in your faith, eventually the rulers of this world will put you to a test। It may be something as simple as Daniel & Sharon Dixon of Jacksonville, FL. They had worked for years at the Thornwood Apartments where they lived. For at least eight years they had the same floral artwork (which they owned) hanging on the wall in the office. It was beautiful picture of some stained glass that looked like roses and the words, “Consider the Lilies… Matt. 6:28” The management company decided this couple was too religious and fired them and evicted them from their home. Their faith is being tested. Will they stand firm?

It was self-examination that led Luther to write is 95 theses and caused Billy Sunday to go from filling baseball stadiums to packing out huge tents of revival meetings। What will a reflective assessment do for you?

You will also face times of trials from this world, but these trials are not the big test which should concern you. The final exam comes as each one of us stands before God’s throne. Are you adequately prepared for that test? The best way to prepare for this test is to use God’s powerful and perfect word and perform your own self-examination. Hopefully this helps you prepare for the biggest test of your entire life…one that will impact your eternity. Next week: the test of priorities.

What the World is starving to see in the Church

It’s a funny thing how God can use Vacation Bible School and personal visits to bring people to Salvation . . . even in the 21st century. Maybe we’re spending so much time studying what “what we’re currently not doing” and “what is not working” that we’re forgetting to simply go out there and do the work of an evangelist.

What the World is hungry to see in the Church and what the Church was designed to possess in the way of displaying a decisive and persuasive presentation of God’s divine love and truth is being lost in the pursuit of being relevant to and imitating a world. The world isn’t looking for an imitation of itself – it is looking for something that is firmly different. Firmly working out the pattern God has given his Church:

*There should be plenty of power in the Church (Eph. 1:16-23; 2:6; 3:20-21). There is a huge, untapped reservoir of power in the church. Christ himself is orchestrating all things for the benefit of his church. Most of the time that power is diffused in unprofitable ways. We need to covenant to be good stewards of the sufficient power of our Savior.

* They should experience God's presence in the Church (Eph. 2:11-22). If you think that the church is just a human institution, you are wrong. Yes, it involves humans, but it is much more than that. Too often worship today looks like an episode of American Idol. The church should be a place where every talent is laid at the altar to worship the King of Kings making Him the centerpiece. This powerful presence doesn’t have to be manufactured with darkened rooms, bright lights and smoke. More important than the quality of the sound system or the caliber of musicians is the heart fully surrendered to be transparent in Worship.

* There has to be unity in the Church (Eph. 4:1-6). The hypocrisy of bickering and strife have been the reasons many churches have surrendered their ability to have a substantial witness in their communities. It is the excuse that many lost people use to exchange the truth of God for a lie.

* There must be well-equipped ministry of the entire Church (Eph. 4:7-16). They should be love in action to each other and toward the unchurched. Somehow we have turned our pastors into be hired guns to do the ministry of the church or into chaplains to comfort the members. Christ's plan for his church is to mobilize a great army of trained and gifted ministers who will push back the spiritual barriers of mediocrity, ignorance, pain, and ingnorance.

* We need a return to holiness by the Church (Eph. 5:21-32). Many churches today look more like the hooker form downtown rather than the Bride of Christ. I’m not referring to worship style or whether the members are dressed casual or in suits. This is about the heart. You get the heart right, and everything else will follow. Christ's desire is for a church that is like a dear wife to him -- cleansed, comforted, cherished, and brilliant in her reflection of the glory of God. My prayer is that my church and your church will begin to reflect the power and glory intended by our Lord।

In Him (Eph. 1),
Pastor Marty

Sunday's on it's way.....

This is an interesting article that Ed Stetzer, VP of Research with LifeWay & much more, recommended today from the Wall Street Journal – quotes Bruce Morrison our former MoBaptist Sunday School guru.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124598071177158161.html
I think the ultimate question isn’t going to be about competing to entertain the kids with more elaborate Sunday School programs, but rather to find disciplers among the laity who are willing to invest themselves in relationships with the kids outside of the Sunday School hour. We cannot compete on an entertainment level and most soccer (or name your sport) parents don’t have the fortitude to tell the leagues – “we’ll forfeit our Sunday games and practices.” So instead of competing against the rush of adrenaline based attention-getters in this ADD catering society, why not try a different approach??
* Be there for the kids at times other than the Sunday School hour – A man who invested his life in me and many other kids in our community was a Sunday School teacher and Royal Ambassadors leader, but he also got us jobs mowing lawns with him and worked with our baseball skills – His name was Von Stockler. Because of his investment, there was standing room only at his funeral and many of those young men are now in ministry or serving s deacons and Sunday School teachers in their churches.
* Show the children how powerful the Word of God is by falling in love with it and then sharing our passion rather than reading out of the teacher’s book. Care enough to prepare enough to leave the book on a table. I’ve seen leaders trying to do skits in front of children by reading the script with no props. We need to do better than that. The message is too important. I love the teacher’s guides that we use, but they are for preparation – not presentation.
* Get a broken heart over the kids who aren’t in you’re class…yet. Pray over their names. Go see them and invite them. Offer to bring them in your car. Kids get plenty of applause for the things they can do at a recital or in a batting cage, but someone who just honestly loves them enough to stay in touch with them and visit them outside the church walls is refreshingly different.
There is a fun music video called Sunday School rock by one of my favorites in Christian music, Carmen Dominic Licciardello, A.K.A. Carmen. You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os710YxSJ4k. But remember, we don’t have to make the Word of God more appealing than it already is – we just need to present it as if it is “Sweeter than honey” (Psalm 119:10, 102-104)
I’m looking forward to the Bible Study Leadership Workshop at First Baptist, Macon on Sat. Aug. 22nd (8:30a-12:30) with Dr. John Ewart. I hope you are all serious enough about your ministry to set aside this time. Folks from First Baptist Kirksville will meet in the North Parking Lot no later than 8 a.m. and we’ll drive together. The event is free, but we have to RSVP by Fri. Aug. 14th. Contact our church office if you plan to go at (660) 665-6477 or info@fbckvmo.org. We have some fresh faces planning to attend and I think it is people who are committed enough to upgrade their skills and hone their vision for the Kingdom at events like this that will rise up to the key leadership positions within our fellowship.
What do you guys think?

Reflections on a Powerful Weekend

This weekend a number of people will circulate through the First Family (Baptist) Church @ Kirksville, MO. On Saturday more than a dozen will sacrifice their morning and serve the Lord by helping with Angel Food Ministries.

Others will be coming by and preparing their classrooms for a week of "Vacation Bible School a la Boomerang Express." This is a vital time in the life of our Kingdom work each year where were reach children with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On Sunday morning we will fill up the worship center and praise the Lord who is so very faithful. Our sermon subject in the 10:45 service will be Extreme Makeover: A Strong Family - A Godly Heritage based on Acts 18:1-3.

Sunday Evening our youth group will gather for some deep discipleship and fellowship at 6 p.m. while the adults & children will grow deeper and wiser looking at another important segment in the life of Job - The Perfect Storm. This Bible study will help people of all ages be prepared for the "storms of life" that come to each of us and will enable to them to be porepared to be found faithful.

Our youth should be recovered from all the exciting activities of Youth Camp @ Grand Oaks in Chillicothe. Only 2.5 days and yet many were stirred by the Holy Spirit to walk morepassionately with their Savior. In many ways this camp does more to bond our youth group together than the other types of camps that last an entire week.

So as we finish July with Vacation Bible School each evening I get very excited about the potential of the Family at First Baptist reaching out with the Love of Christ Jesus to our community and around our world. And as we peek into August with the return of Truman students and I anticipate a mission field that changes faces every semester, it think of Gospel seeds being scattered to the wind. Seeds that will cause students to return to Kirksville for reuniones and much more and remember the work that God did in their lives through us. All of this activity makes for a very tired fellowship - but its a good kind of tired. And so we gather to become re-energized by His diving presence in our fellowship and worship. How could anyone stand to miss that??