It seems that every group of people with a specific area of interest develop their own sort of language.  They seem to be using words we know but not in a way we understand.  We’ve all been to the doctor and had him toss out a term like “diet”… Explaining we aren’t “on a diet” just muddies the water more.  He’s really just wanting to know what we’ve been eating.  So why doesn’t he say so? 

Churches are a great place for this to occur.  We talk about freewill, saving souls, lifting people up, gifts and calling.  It can be pretty bewildering and a bit scary.  We aren’t putting souls in a jar, we don’t have any weight-lifting contests, we aren’t handing out presents with pretty bows and we frown at people using their phones. 

Here’s what we are trying to say, in plain English (I hope).   When we say “save” or “saved” we are talking about accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior; about recognizing Him as God’s Son; about admitting that we are spiritually broken and need Him to straighten us out.

The simple definition of “freewill” is choice.  God created us so that we can think and choose for ourselves.  We can make good choices and obtain good consequences.  If we make bad choices in our life, we get to live with those consequences too.  Either way, God lets us decide what we want in our lives.

When we say “lifting people up” we mean that we are asking God to help those folks in their situation.  This might mean we are praying for healing, but could also mean that we are asking for endurance and patience.  We may be asking for wisdom and insight, but the bottom line is that we are asking God to focus His attention on that person or family.

God’s “gifts” to us are discussed in 1 Corinthians 12.  We believe that the Holy Spirit gives every person gifts that we can nurture and use to help others.  In the world, people talk about their potential or talent.  There are people who are gifted in every area of life so that humankind can thrive and support one another.  People who are “saved” use these “gifts” to help others in such a way that God receives the glory, credit and praise for every result. Finally, we talk “calling” or “being called.”  In some churches this only applies to the pastor, as in “being called by God to preach.”  We believe that God “calls” each of us to fulfill His will.  We believe that He has given us our “gifts” so that when He calls us we will have all the tools we need to serve in whatever way He asks.  This might mean we do something as humble as emptying the trash and sweeping the floor.  It might mean we cook meals for those who can’t.  Sometimes it means being a taxi.  For others it means teaching.  I hope you’re getting the idea.

In ancient times names held great meaning.  A child would be named to commemorate an event, to encourage a direction for his life or possibly to acknowledge a patriarch.  The old Hebrew families often incorporated God into their names.

Thus, Judah was blessed by his mother, Leah.  She chose his name to praise God.  Later his name became the name of the southern portion of what we now think of as Israel.  Jerusalem lies within the territory of Judah. 

So why does that name stuff matter today?  It matters because God chose the Hebrew people to be His people.  It matters because He chose Judah as the family line that Jesus would descend from.  It matters because one woman chose to praise God through the name of her child.  And God chose to honor that by placing His Kingdom throne in Judah, thus becoming enthroned by His people’s praise.

Why does it matter to us?  It matters because it guides us in how to think about our approach to God.  If we are truly seeking a relationship with Him, praise encompasses a big portion of that time we spend with Him.  We all know that in human relationships praise creates harmony and open communication.  So it is with God. 

Next time you reach for God, praise Him for all that he has done for you; praise Him for all that He is doing for you; praise Him for all that He will do for you.  He designed us for relationship with Him.  He designed and created us in the love and joy that is Him.  Let us celebrate and rejoice in that design every time we think of Him.

Who Do You Know?

 Posted in: COFFEE BREAK

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” —2 Tim. 3:14-15

When I was five, my dad decided that having a family was not for him, which left my mom as a single parent of two boys. I used to look forward to Saturday mornings because I got to spend many Friday nights at my grandpa’s house. These Friday nights and Saturday mornings with grandpa allowed him to step into the role that my dad didn’t fill. Each Saturday in the summer, we would get up just before dawn and go to the golf course. We would tee off right after dawn with the grass still wet from the dew.

Even as a boy, I could hit the ball pretty far—at least a lot farther than my grandpa could hit it. He would take his diminished swing and hit the ball a short distance, only to have to hit it again several times to reach the green. I felt sorry for my grandpa. He could not hit the ball nearly as far as I could, and I was only 10 years old. But somehow, every time we reached the green, I found that my grandpa had beat me by one or two strokes. How could he beat me every time?

One day, the answer became clear. I could see my footsteps across the grass, and I noticed that they crisscrossed all the way to the hole. My grandpa’s steps were different. You could see his steps perfectly follow the straight lines left by the little cart he wheeled behind him. His steps went straight down the middle. My grandpa beat me because he played golf like he lived his life—right down the middle.

My grandpa was a wonderful man. He was a model in life and faith.

Somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to live my life like he did.

I wanted to follow in his steps because I saw how he lived and experienced firsthand how he loved. Paul did not ask the early believers to just believe. He told them to trust in those they had seen and heard. The way we live our lives is important because the only model of faith some people will ever see is what they see in our lives. Christianity is not just Jesus and me; it involves the people I work, live, and worship with as well. Seeing my grandpa’s steps changed me. What do our steps say to others? 

Prayer for the week: Heavenly Father, at the start of this new day, or in the middle of this ordinary week, I thank you for the routine moments of life. Help me not to seek one mountain top after another, but to see Your presence in each moment. You have sanctified each moment because You came and forever joined heaven and Earth, even the routine moments. Amen.

Doug Ward is the senior pastor of Mundelein Church of the Nazarene in Mundelein, Illinois, USA, and teaches at Olivet Nazarene University.

Written for Coffee Break. 

“No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer . . . Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”— 2 Tim. 2:4, 7

Growing up, I had a deeply ingrained mental list of all the things I wasn’t supposed to do. I was not allowed to swear or use other “questionable” words. Even though I knew swearing wasn’t allowed, I was seriously reprimanded when my mom heard me utter a bad word after missing a shot in the neighborhood basketball game. I also knew that I was not allowed to smoke. I was told, and really believed, that God would strike me with a lightning bolt if I even tried a cigarette. I had a clear understanding of curfew and knew that good grades were a priority. A strong understanding of right and wrong was a major part of my growing up years.

Most of us have a well-established list of things we would never dream of doing. We know where our moral line is, and there is little chance that we would ever cross that line. If this is true, then we should never have to worry about walking away from our faith, right? If we know the difference between right and wrong, then we should have nothing to worry about.

There is a problem with this theory, and it is one that Paul seems to recognize.

The things in life that tempt Christians the most are typically not on any list of things that are objectively wrong. Rather, problems arise when anything pulls us away from Christ.

Often, the things that distract us from Him are not immoral on their own. We pursue the next promotion with a singular focus. The travel soccer team in which our child participates demands all of our time and attention. Trips to our lake home become a priority. We can rightfully ask, “what is wrong with playing soccer or trying to earn more money?” The answer is “nothing,” unless the love for those things nudges us away from our love of Christ.

When Paul reminds us that no military leader entangles himself in civilian affairs, he seems to bring up a similar point. In this passage, notice that Paul does not speak in terms of good and evil or even right and wrong. There is nothing evil about civilian affairs, but they are not important for the military leader. There is also nothing wrong with a promotion, a vacation, or a travel soccer team. Yet, any of these things has the potential to distract us and slowly pull us away from our love of Christ.

When Christians walk away from their faith, it is rarely because they went from faithfulness to visible failure in a single day. It is almost always the result of a long, imperceptible drift that started long ago. Perhaps the standard for Christians is not a well-developed right vs. wrong list. Instead, the standard should be, first and foremost, faithfulness to our leader. Avoiding wrong things is good, but it is not the primary task of the Christian life. We have a higher standard.

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, thank You for filling our lives with good things. We are so undeserving of all you have blessed us with. Help us to see the value of the things around us in a holy and proper way so that we don’t pursue the less valuable and lose focus on the thing most valuable: our faith in Christ. Amen.

Doug Ward is the senior pastor of Mundelein Church of the Nazarene in Mundelein, Illinois, USA, and teaches at Olivet Nazarene University.

Written for Coffee Break.

You may have heard someone say, “It’s just my cross to bear.”  What does that mean?  For most of the folks in this culture it means they have something difficult in their lives that seems to have no end or cure.  But biblically it has a different meaning altogether.

In Matthew 16 verse 24 Jesus said this: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”  Jesus was telling us that if we truly want to be his follower, we must examine our lives for anything that doesn’t agree with His teachings. This thing (or these things) are to be gotten rid of, to make us acceptable in God’s sight. 

If it is our “cross” then it is probably something we really like or value.  Some of us struggle with addictive types of behaviors.  Some of us struggle with too great a fondness for inappropriate entertainment or maybe its money that we love.  It might be our pride or an anger issue.  If we look into ourselves with honesty, we’ll see that there is something that doesn’t belong.  These are the things that would make us squirm if we were doing them with God standing in front of us.

So what if we don’t want to get rid of those things?  God has given us free will, the ability to choose what we want in our lives and who we want to be.  We are free to be His or to go our own way.  Every choice has a consequence.  As adults, we know if we break the law, we pay a penalty.  This applies to God’s laws also.  The consequences for breaking His laws though, have everlasting consequences.  

Sunday morning Gordon Smith will be bringing us a message about what this means.  Please join us at 10:55 a.m. in the sanctuary or on Facebook’s live-stream.  We look forward to seeing you then!  We encourage you to come as you are if you’re in town!

In Leviticus 23 God called His people to seven appointed times.  Passover is one of these.  God called for four of these times to be celebrated in the spring and three to be celebrated in the fall.  Each time is represents a specific purpose and every appointed time ties into Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and return.

Last Sunday, at sunset, began the time of the Lord’s fall appointments.  It is commonly known as the Feast of Trumpets.  Trumpets are blown to call the people to worship and to praise God with a loud noise.  This day is all about celebrating all the goodness and blessings that God has poured out in the past year.

Following this are 10 days of reflection.  Called the Days of Awe, this is a time to look back and realize where we have fallen short.  Whether it is within ourselves or involves others, this is a time to seek a way to mend what may be broken in our lives.  On the 10^th day, we are called before God to humble our souls (Lev. 23:27) and atone for our sins.

Because Jesus died for us, He became the burden bearer for our sins.  At the moment His soul was released from His body, we believe that He also became our High Priest.  He sits at the right hand of God and intervenes for us now. 

Yet, this is not the end of the story.  If you are curious about the rest of it, please join us this Sunday morning at 10:55 a.m.  Pastor Ann will be bringing the Lord’s message about this appointed time and what we still need to be watching for.  See you then!

Please note that the time listed for this service in yesterday’s post is WRONG. This service begins at 6:00 p.m. sharp tomorrow evening. Pastor Ann is always punctual so please come a few minutes early. We apologize for not getting this right the first time.