Real Church

.

May 9, 2020 is the first day of Phase I North Carolina - Day 1 on the path to recovery, a new beginning. 

Many of my church friends are ready to resume "real church," but I do not believe that Sunday morning at 11:00 am is "real church." In fact, I think I have enjoyed more of what Jesus intended the church to be during the past 8 weeks than during the past 40-50 years.

Since 1960, many of us have worshipped worship more than we have worshipped God. (Yes, I wrote that last sentence correctly.) Instead of worshipping God as our creator and sustainer, we turned the Sunday service into a consumer experience where we expected to be entertained. Instead of giving to God, we expected to receive, and if we did not get what we wanted, we complained. I have been part of the consumer-oriented thinking so I am being critical of myself.

During the past 8 weeks, I have thought about "why" and "what" a lot. Why are we on this earth? What does God want from me? From His church? What must change about the way we do church? 

My 16-page Personal Life Plan has become God's Plan for David and is now summarized in three words:

1. Submission. If I am to follow the Great Commandment (love God with all my being) then I must submit my entire life to God. His will in place of my will in all areas of my life.

2. Service. The 2nd commandment says  I must love my neighbor. If I love my neighbor I will put my neighbor's needs ahead of my wants. I will gladly serve others.

3. Intentionality. Jesus said that I should be in the world, making disciples. God shaped me to carry out His plan and placed me in a specific piece of the world. I must live each day, intentionally focused on this mission.

The Covid19 disruption stopped the world. In my case, the slowdown allowed me to rethink the priorities in my life. I do not know what the new normal will look like in the next few months. My prayer and hope are that we believers will evaluate our relationship with God and intentionally live lives of service to others, in complete submission to God. 

Focus on the Future

Paul has good advice for all of us - focus on the future, and don't let the past keep you from your mission. 

Yet, my brothers, I do not consider myself to have “arrived”, spiritually, nor do I consider myself already perfect. But I keep going on, grasping ever more firmly that purpose for which Christ grasped me. My brothers, I do not consider myself to have fully grasped it even now. But I do concentrate on this: I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal—my reward, the honor of being called by God in Christ.

Philippians 3:12-14

Too often we worry about the things we should not have done in the past or about our failure to take action when we know we should have. Our guilt about past actions or inactions keeps us from seeing God's plan for our lives going forward. Today and tomorrow are ahead of us. Let's follow Paul's advice: leave the past behind and go for our calling in Christ. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do the work He planned for us long ago." 

Four Lessons in 45 Days

"Stay-at-home." The words even sound harsh. 

For the past 45 days, those of us who live in North Carolina have been inside. Conversations with friends are filled with, "Could you ever have imagined a time like this?" "I can't understand the homework assignment for my middle school son." "I hope I don't run out of toilet paper." 

For an introvert who pretends to be an extrovert, these days at home have been useful with increased time to think and read and pray and complete projects that have been on my To-Do list too many months.

What have I learned during these 45 days?

1. God is sovereign, wise, Holy, and He loves me. I have always believed this, but now God is more real than ever. 
2. His purpose, the "why?"  for my life has not changed: Love God with my total being - totally submissive to His purpose for my life; Love my neighbor - serve others selflessly; Make disciples as I go - live intentionally.
3. God has disrupted the world - stopped us in our tracks; He has given us a clean slate. The old normal for the most part is gone - never to return. I must become more flexible as I create a simple new normal for my life, centered on three character traits - submissive, selfless, and intentional. 
4. Church is much more than Sunday morning. Church is living in the community, (virtually for the time being,) Monday thru Sunday. Church is looking for hurting, needy people and getting as messy as required to show them that Jesus really is the better way. Church is being the hands and feet of Jesus every day, all day. 

45 Days ane Counting

Passion Week

The final days before Jesus’ death are filled with action, intrigue, drama, teaching, compassion, and passion. We know from the Gospels much of what Jesus did and said during the week preceding his crucifixion.

Jesus Final Six Days before His Crucifixion[1]

Saturday marked the end of a grueling ministry for Jesus as he journeyed from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Passover. His encounters with people, miracles, and prediction of his crucifixion during this are detailed in the four gospels, beginning in Matthew 19:1, “When Jesus had finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea ….. The corresponding passages from the other three gospels begin in Mark 10:1, Luke 18:15 and John 10:22.

Saturday. March 28, AD 33.

As he neared the end of his journey to Jerusalem, on Saturday evening, March 28 AD 33, Jesus was honored at a dinner given by a Pharisee. [Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50 and John 12:1-8]

·       Hosted by a Pharisee

·       In the home of Simon, the Leper.

·       Lazarus was present.

·       Martha served.

·       Mary (probably the Mary from whom Jesus removed the evil spirits earlier) anointed His feet with expensive perfume.

Some of the attendees at the banquet complained about Mary “wasting the expensive perfume” on Jesus' feet – “She should have sold the perfume and given the money to feed the poor.” Judas, who was the treasurer of the Apostles voiced these sentiments. The Bible reveals that Judas was skimming money from the treasury for his benefit. Jesus rebuked the disciples and Judas, telling them, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial.  For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:7-8'

This incident convinced Judas that Jesus was not the Messiah, and he went to the chief priest to make a deal to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas, who had no conscience, returned to the disciples and remained a part of the group through the early evening the following Thursday.

Also, on Saturday, the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus, whom Jesus had earlier raised from the dead.

Prayer

Father, thank you for including the story of Mary anointing Jesus' feet in the Bible. I pray that each of us is reminded of the glory of Jesus when we read this story because he is worthy of everything we claim as our own. Keep us from becoming greedy and inward-focused like Judas. Do not let us deny your Son who is our Savior and Lord.

---

The Disruption is Huge

The coronavirus disruption will be as impactful throughout the world as the parting of the Red Sea was to the Israelites when they exited Egypt in 1486 BC. Devout Jews, 3500 years later, still consider the exodus as the pivotal event in their history.

The possibility that I am right demands we ask, “What is God saying to the entire world?”

His message is clear: Wake up. Follow me.

God is calling believers – those who have trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord to wake up from their apathy and indifference and greed and selfishness and pride return to Him. We (believers) have given lip service to worshipping God; less than 20% of the population of the USA is in church on Sunday, less than 10% read their Bible daily and even fewer live a lifestyle that pleases God.

God uses all things to advance His kingdom, and He will use the coronavirus to grow the kingdom; He is pleading with believers to wake up and follow the commands of Jesus:

• Love God with our entire being by sharing the good news that Jesus satisfied each person’s sin debt by his death on a cross and subsequent resurrection, and 
• Love your neighbors by meeting their needs.

If believers respond to this message from God, the world will witness the greatest revival ever.

God is calling unbelievers to wake up to the good news that Jesus is the way to God. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” God created a perfect world – until Satan tempted Adam and Eve, and they sinned. Their sin separated them from God, led to their physical death and introduced sin in their children and all future generations. Man cannot solve the sin problem, but God sent Jesus to die for sinners and by believing in Jesus anyone can be saved. The wake-up call from God is worldwide and intended for everybody. Some people will heed the message from God while others ignore the call. Each of us can either follow Jesus or remain asleep in our broken relationship, trying vainly to find the peace that only comes from God.

Looking Forward to a New Normal

I find myself trying to go back to the way life was a month ago.

What if God is saying to believers –

“I don't want your life to be like it was. I am preparing a new normal for you. Stop looking back and look forward to the new normal I have planned for you.”

Until this morning, my daily prayer time has followed the same outline as the past 10 years. Should it be different during this time of social distancing?

Yesterday I wrote that God is saying to us “Stop; wake up; follow me.” If God is talking to us, then the question today is, “What do these commands mean in our current world?

Stop. Usually, God confronts an individual, or a church or a nation. This time,  the entire world has stopped. Quit doing what you're doing. Listen to the still small voice of God. Where are you going? What road are you on? Is it the wrong road?

Wake up. A good analogy would be a coach calling a timeout when his team is behind 20 to 2 in the 1st quarter of a basketball game. He might say to the team, “You are running hard but you aren't following the game plan. You are playing hard but not on the plan.”

Follow me. Continuing our analogy the coach would tell the team, “Follow my coaching. I designed a game plan for you to win. Just follow the plan.

For the believer, our coach is the true, triune God. He planned our life, created us, redeemed us, and adopted us so he has the right to say, Follow me”. 

Follow me means to love God with all your heart soul and mind. It means to share the gospel with believers and unbelievers. It means teach The Bible. It means meeting the needs of the helpless. It means fellowship with one another. It means practice spiritual disciplines.

God's message hasn't changed. Our purpose for being alive has not changed. So, let's get back in the game of life, adapt to the world around and submit to God’s command, “Follow Me.”

Living in a post-Christian, post Covid-19 World

The disruption caused by the coronavirus has changed life for every person on this earth. Unfortunately, we won't know the new normal until 2022.

Here in the West, the new normal culture will be post-Christian and post Covid-19. It is too early to know the context of the new normal, but we do know that the principles for living in a post-Christian, post-Covid-19 culture do not differ from the principles for living in today's culture: 

1. Love, serve and obey God.
2. Love and serve your neighbor. Meet the needs of the helpless.
3. Be a disciple who makes disciples.
4. Love and live in community with fellow believers.
5. Work. Create. Manage the earth.
6. Rest. Refresh. Replenish. Renew.

We are to live a balanced lifestyle that includes each of these imperatives. 

The "how" to live this lifestyle can overwhelm us if we aren't intentional.

We can live intentionally by remembering seven facts: 

1. God is sovereign and always in control.
2. 90% of what God does is through people.
3. 90% of God's will for my life is in the Bible.
4. God has a plan for each person and has placed each of us where he wants us with a specific plan that fits his PLAN of restoring a lost world to Himself..
5. I can't save the world. But I can have an impact where God placed me, in my piece of the world.
6. If every believer works the specific plan designed for him/her, God's PLAN will be accomplished quickly.
7. I must trust God.  

Practical Advice During the Coronavirus Disruption

Life, as we knew it two weeks ago, disappeared. Here are six practical steps we can take to increase our daily effectiveness as we search for a new normal.

1. Extra sleep. Each of us handles stress differently. We all, however, can benefit from extra sleep during periods of crisis. But don't spend all your time sleeping.
2. Establish a regular schedule. We are creatures of habit. As quickly as possible, follow a regular schedule.
3. Schedule time each day for prayer, bible study, and meditation. Quiet time is more important than ever during the coronavirus disruption.
4. Send some time on a meaningful project each day. Most of us have projects we have postponed for a "rainy day." This is a rainy day!
5. Avoid extremes on the Internet. There are always extreme opinions on the Internet. Decide who you want to believe and tune out most of the other noise. Follow the advice of government and health officials. 
6. Listen for God’s voice.

I Believe in Jesus, the Messiah

The coronavirus is a major disruption; the world as we knew it one month ago has forever changed. And we will not know the new normal for several months. We do know that life will never be the same.

A sudden change in life always results from a Significant Emotional Event; we must consider all of life, both the invisible and spiritual and the physical and visible, to understand the meaning of a SEE.

The most important question for each person to ask during this SEE - in the middle of the coronavirus disruption, “What is God saying to me?” Because God is good, perfect, all-knowing, and sovereign, He uses everything visible and invisible to advance His mission–restoring a lost world to Himself. And, he works through people to accomplish His mission.

Foundational Truths have not changed:

1.       The spiritual and physical aspects of life are equally important.

2.       God is triune, transcendent, and immanent.

3.       The Bible is true.

4.       God’s timing is not my timing.

5.       Eternal life has already begun.

6.       God is always at work.

7.       Each person has a story.

8.       Jesus established His church.

9.       The devil is real.

10.   Confession and repentance are necessary disciplines in my life.

But the context in which the Foundational Truths apply has changed. God has convicted me …..

God has not been the only thing I worship in life. Although I say that God is number 1 in my life, I have not worshipped Him as I should. I Ignored his command to share the Gospel proactively and courageously with people, unbelievers, and believers, in my everyday world. I have not responded to the needs of the people around me. My ego and arrogance and pride have been stumbling blocks for others.

This post is public, so to anyone who reads this: I believe in Jesus, the Messiah. He died in my place to take the punishment that I deserved for my sins. I serve Jesus.

God created everything – earth and everything on it, including people. He gave humanity the assignment of managing the earth, which includes innovation and conservation and populating the earth with children. But man sinned, breaking the relationship with God the Father.

Through the years, man has tried to restore the broken relationship with religion, or science, or education or power, sex, and drugs. None of man's substitutes for God restored the relationship with God. So, the world we live in today is a broken mess.

Fortunately for mankind, God sent his Son, Jesus, to the world to live a perfect life, suffer a humiliating death as payment for each of our sins and resurrected Jesus from the grave as an assurance to us that He will also restore us to a relationship with Himself if we accept Jesus’ death as payment for our sins, making Jesus our Savior and Lord.

With a restored relationship to God, we have the assurance of eternal life and the daily presence of God.

What is God saying to you during the coronavirus disruption? Listen to Him. 

For some of you, the last few paragraphs may not make sense. Call me, text me, or email me if you want to talk.

(919) 345-1000

dandmashcraft@gmail.com

davidashcaft.blogspot.com