I’ve always been fascinated by this thought – Jesus is the Light of the world, and Jesus called US the light of the world. It’s a partnership. He’s the Light of the world in the sense that He brings salvation to the world. We’re the light of the world in the sense that we bring His salvation to the world around us.
Here’s a gigantic thought from Seth Godin in just nine words…
I wonder how true that is of churches. A large (or growing) church was just a little church nobody killed.
I also wonder how true this is for churches to hear. The big, winning ideas about reaching your community were just the little ideas nobody squashed with such words as “we’ve never done it that way before,” or “I’m not sure we should waste money on outreach – doesn’t grow on trees, you know…” and other such nonsense.
How is it that some people can be born again, faithful church members for many decades and act so immaturely under pressure or in conflict while others who have been believers such a short time seem to reflect Christ so well? It’s because spiritual maturity isn’t defined chronologically. It doesn’t matter so much how long you’ve been a Christian. It matters whether you’ve been growing while a Christian.
I had an interesting conversation with a member of our church last night who compared going to church on Sunday to eating a meal out at a restaurant. You get served and fed. Somebody else prepares the meal and puts in all the labor to serve it up fresh and hot. You converse and relax and enjoy the meal, then you leave while someone else cleans up after you. You even leave a tip.
She then went on to observe that eating out is okay, but not for every meal. There’s a lot to be said for the preparation and the work involved in feeding yourself a meal at home.
Going to church is easy. It’s essential to God’s plan for your life. Preaching is something God intends for you to enjoy on a regular basis, and from Chrysostom to Criswell, it’s been the backbone of healthy Christianity in every age. But the real work, and therefore the real blessing, comes from the work you invest in your prayer closet, at home, with the raw ingredients of prayer and God’s Word.
When was the last time you cooked at home?
Ella has finished the first grade. Hmm… strange since she was just born a few days ago! Or at least it seems that way. The past day or two, perhaps with the commencement of summer, I’ve reflected a lot on the amazing process God is allowing me to behold – the growth and development of my daughter. She’s an artist in the making.
No, I don’t mean she’s going to grow up to paint, draw, sculpt, design, or write. I don’t have any idea what direction God will take her, but I do know she’ll be an artist, nonetheless. This picture was one of her final works before getting out of the first grade. It’s part of a larger body of work attributed to the rising star that is Ella. Wherever she goes, whatever she does in the long run, she’s going to do it all artistically and creatively.
Seth Godin commented today on the question, “Is everything okay?” His conclusion is that we spend way too much time focusing on making sure everything is okay and end up losing the opportunity for positive change. This caused me to reflect on one of the great challenges of being a Pastor. We want to keep people happy and harmonious. We want things to be okay because of all of our insecurities, but we end up forfeiting the opportunity to throw off the equilibrium of people to create opportunities for growth and positive change.
Status quo leadership seeks to keep the peace, to appease the disgruntled, and to manage conflict. Rising above status quo leadership requires that we actually challenge the status quo and refuse to allow it to exist at all. How do you rise above status quo leadership?
Everything isn’t okay and it never will be, so why stay put?
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Based on Luke 2:52
ONE GREAT TRUTH: Instead of issuing New Year’s “resolutions,” I prefer to focus on some areas in which I want to grow in the upcoming year, and those areas are modeled by the growth of Jesus Himself.
There are no printable notes for this message, just the audio above.
Brandon is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. He's a husband to Angie and a Dad to Ella Grace and Samuel David. He's a Pastor to Bethel Baptist Church, Editor of Fuel Your Blogging and also a logo and web designer.
Read more...
