How to build a healthy church

 I am preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians this year and doing a lot of thinking and study on a healthy church.  As part of that study I came across Mark Dever and Paul Alexander's book, How to Build a Healthy Church, and am thoroughly enjoying my read.  In the note to the reader, I came across this quote, "Our goal isn't to see how innovative we can be.  Our goal is to see how faithful we can be." (How to Build a Healthy Church, Mark Dever and Paul Alexander.  Crossway, Wheaton IL.  2021.  page 25)  As I thought about that I wondered how often we do this the exact opposite.  I have read many books that have told me how to make the church better and very few of them contain Scripture that teaches.  We somewhere along the line made church and perhaps even our relationship with God a product that we sell.  And because it is a product, we can analyze it and change it and market it in any way we choose while thinking we are doing God a favor by updating His work.  We talk about being relevant and forget that the Word does not return void.  We talk about testimony and sharing but we forget the content we are supposed to testify to and share.  So this is my plea to myself - Be Faithful!

Time

 Just this past Sunday, we set our clocks forward one hour.  All of this to accommodate for Daylight Savings Time.  I think we can all agree that the fall change is far better - gaining an hour of sleep instead of losing one.  To be perfectly honest, my wife did all of the remembering this year and set our clocks accordingly.  As I reflected in the days after the time change, I wondered when we move the clocks forward and backward if we do not somehow contribute to an illusion that time is within our control?  After all, we really like control, and we like to think that we have control.  But time is one of those things that remind us of our dependent, created reality.  

I cannot stop time.  

I cannot slow time.

I cannot speed time.

I cannot change time.

I cannot move time.

And I cannot do these things for something that like me is a created reality.  Time did not exist before God created it.  And time will not exist when God is finished doing His perfect work.  Time, and the changing of the times, should remind me that I am totally dependent on the God who made me.  Praise be to God.