One Body, Many Members

1 Corinthians 12:12 says, "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ."  (NASB)

I am so grateful for this truth and the realization that the work of the gospel does not belong solely to the Pastor!  I am so thankful for my church body who gathers together weekly, but who worships together through service in many different ways during the course of the weeks and months and years. 

It is interesting that many people consider their relationship with Jesus to be something private and something that they exercise only as an individual or as they come to church.  I think this is a fateful view of the Christian life.  We were reborn into the family of God.  We are a member of a larger body.  Nearly every metaphor that describes the church or the Christian is a plural metaphor.  We come together to form something larger than ourselves.  And interestingly, I believe that we are called to function in the same way.  We are to do together what we cannot do ourselves.  And this is where the body of Christ comes together - not at church - but outside the church.  Here is what I mean.

I can only be neighbors to a few people - but our church is neighbors to many.  I can only be a co-worker to a few people, but as a church we can be co-workers to many.  I as a person - even a pastor - can only do so much, but as a church we can do so much more.  As a church we can run a VBS that ministers to many because people invited friends and neighbors in a way that I could not.  As a church we can pass out 3000 water bottles during a single parade (I could not).  As a church we can organize and connect with a sister church in China in a way that I could not on my own.  The church combines all of our individual opportunity into a communal opportunity in the same way it combines our individual joy into community joy, or our individual sorrow into communal sorrow.  We are the body of Christ.  And I am so pleased to see White Lake Baptist Church function as the body of Christ.  It is my prayer that we will continue to do so!

From Babel to Blessing

I had a unique experience this past weekend to speak at our own church with a translator who translated all that was said into Chinese.  We had this opportunity because of a missionary whom I have gotten to know over the last year who had served in China and built a great relationship with the church he served.  (Thanks Mike!)  Their church sent over five young people and two adult translators to send them to camp and to experience life and church in America.  On Saturday, we had a pool party together.  After the party, I was talking with my children about the difficulty of understanding each other when language was a barrier and I drew their attention back to Genesis 11 and the tower where all of the languages were confused.  I reminded them that this was a result of people refusing to do what God had commanded. 

Then Sunday came.  It first struck me as we were singing "This is the Day" with the words in English and Chinese.  It struck me as our guests kindly shared with us gifts from their church and their homeland.  But it hit me like a brick while I was standing and preaching with a man beside me who was reading the same verses that I was, but in Chinese.  He was preaching the same sermon that I was, but in another language.  And I was broadsided by the ongoing realization that our God is a global God and our gospel is a global gospel.

How foolish of me to be surprised by this.

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;  and they cry out with a Loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."  (Rev. 7:9-10, NASB)

One day, people from all tongues will praise the Lord for His salvation.  All tongues that we see now as a result of sin will praise God for His redemption.  We are so myopic when we worship that we see only ourselves.  And this week, I got the chance to expand my vision of God and be reminded that I was worshiping with brothers and sisters around the world.  And while we may not share the same language - worship is universal.  The gospel transcends culture, language, or any other barrier we might invent.  Glory be to our glorious, global God.

Insight from our Singing - part 10

Sometimes when we think of church songs, we think of songs that are quite wordy and verbose.  Sometimes we think of songs with words in them that we do not understand and deep theological truth.  There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the simplicity of our relationship with God. 

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise,
In the morning when I rise, Give me Jesus.

The glorious simplicity of this song is wonderful!  When we boil everything down and strip all of the extras away, every single morning - I need Jesus.  Not simply a want for Jesus, but a deep seeded need to allow Jesus to control my life for the day.

Oh when I am alone,

Oh when I am alone,

Oh when I am alone, Give me Jesus.

I love how beautiful this song is.  In those moments that we find ourselves awake and feeling as though no one cares, there is no one or no thing that we need more than Jesus.  I imagine that sometimes Jesus would like to be treated like my cell phone.  Sounds strange I know, but let me explain.  When I can't find my cell phone my life upends until I have it in my possession again.  It has my calendar, my notes, my access to all of my documents, it is an indispensable tool (at least in my mind).  When I have misplaced it (thankfully not very often), life stops until I find it again.  Imagine if that was how I treated my Lord and Savior.  If I ceased to feel His glorious presence I stopped everything until I was found in Him!

Oh when I come to die,

Oh when I come to die,

Oh when I come to die, Give me Jesus.

What a challenge.  Jesus is not something that I need only when I am alone, but every moment I am awake from now until the moment that I leave this earth.  It is no small thing to long for Jesus in this way.  And yet we find ourselves so easily distracted by the temporary struggles we face this side of glory.  My prayer is that we would long for Jesus each morning, every moment, until the day that we die. 

Soli Deo Gloria

Insight from our Singing - part 9

This week we return to my journey through a hymnal and the discussion of how and what we should learn from what we are singing.  I am often struck by how we sing something that seems to contradict what we are doing or feeling without even thinking about it.  Have you ever sang, "Lord I lift up my hands. . . " with your hands in your pocket?  I know that I have.  Or sang the words to a song and never really fully realized what you have been saying.  There is a song that I have sung quite a few times in my life and can honestly say that I have never really followed the lyrics!

Jesus I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and thy beauty fill my soul
For by thy transforming power thou has made me whole.

I am sad to say that I have never sung this song and realized fully that I am made whole in Christ!  I always tend to focus on the things that are lacking in my life.  I never have enough time, I never have enough energy, I tend to focus much more on my failures than what is true - I am complete in Christ. 

Think of it.  In the most important area of who we are - our relationship with God - Christ has made us complete!  God cannot love us any more than He does in this moment because He loves us like He loves His Son because when He sees us, we have the righteousness of Christ. 

Think of it.  Christ has made us complete.  Complete in righteousness, complete in His holiness, complete in our standing before God.  We are assured of our eternal home because our debt has been paid for us.  We have forgiveness, we have peace, we have joy, we have Christ living in us and the Power of the Holy Spirit working out our sanctification.  We are complete. 

While we focus on our inadequacies, Christ reminds us that we can do ALL things through Him.  While we focus on our failures, Christ reminds us that we are forgiven and whole. 

May I live this day and the next and every day from this moment forward as though I understand the truth that I am complete in Christ!