Living a 220 life

So many churches, which one do I choose?

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:1-5)

My friends, when you go to a new town and begin looking for a church the options can be overwhelming. It’s hard to even know where to start. Do you look based on theology? Do you look based on geogrophy? Do you look based on….you name whatever criteria you want. I believe all the different worship styles is wonderful, however, our human nature has some what taken us down the wrong path. All the different denominations seem to be competing against one another to some degree or another. An extream example is the Catholic/Protestant issue of Northern Ireland in the mid ’80s. My friends, this dissentian amongst the Brethren is not what the Lord intends for us.

Obviously we are going to have differences of opinion and differing worship styles that will lead to denominational divides. However, in Philippians 2 we are told to be “like minded” and to “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”. If all believers took on the mind of Christ could we still have Protestants and Catholics killing each other?

When using a compass you start at a spot on the ground and attempt to walk on a straight azmith to another spot on the ground. If you get off this azmith just a little bit you will miss the mark on the other end. Now, if you have two people start from the same point, heading to the same end spot, and both of them get off the original azmith but in different directions they can end up very far from each other. It will almost look like they are heading to different spots and perhaps that they even came from different start points. I believe this is the current state of many denominations today. So how do we bring them back together?

When a person has gone off the azmith, the best way to get back on track is to go back to the start point. For our denominations today the best place to go is back to Jesus. The closer we get to the mind of Christ, the closer we get to all the others seeking Him. The only way I have been able to successfully lead Bible studies mixed with Catholics, Orthodox, liturgical Protestants, and Evengelicals (all at the same time) was to take the study as close to Jesus as possible. When we get to the foundation (Jesus) we all agree. Many of the dissagreements come based on “non-essential” issues. (non-essential meaning the issues not dealing with salvation. Though these are important they’re not worth destroying the love of my Christian Brothers and Sisters.)

If you’re in ministry I encourage you to seek out your foundation, Jesus. Understand your theology but also understand what is essential and what is non-essential. Don’t destroy relationships over the non-essential items of faith. If you’re looking for a church in the sea of denominations, begin to seek out Jesus in the Scriptures on your own while seeking out a church. If you’re walking closer to the start point you’ll be able to identify the church that is also walking back to the start point. The church that is seeking to be as close to the mind of Christ is the church you want to be a part of. I pray that we all meet up at the start point one day soon. AMEN!

What does God want me to do?

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-15)

As you may have recognized it’s been a few weeks since I last posted a devotional. Several things have been going on in my life that have taught me a great lesson that I thought I had already learned. I guess I just needed to re-learn the lesson through experience.

I’ve had a tremendous work load the past few weeks in preparation for our departure to Iraq. Needless to say, a pending one year deployment to a war zone has caused some anxiety and questioning. The most pressing question Beth and I have been asking recently is whether I should remain in the military or pursue a civilian career. We put a lot of thought into this question; building a pro’s and con’s chart, comparing retirement numbers, considering potential new communities, etc. Then it hit me…why not find out what God wants? Not in a rhetorical way, but in a practical way. What does God want me to do with my life? Here’s what I got:

1st- “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) He let me know that He wanted me to passionately love Him no matter what. That is the important thing. As long as I pursued Him I couldn’t mess things up. However, I also discovered that though I couldn’t mess it up, I could certainly make things harder for myself. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) Therefore, I concluded that my decision wasn’t about right or wrong but about what exactly God wants for me.

I couldn’t understand how being deployed away from my family for a year at a time would possibly be what God wants for my life. Then I discovered Paul’s message to the Church in Philipi. Paul says in Philipians 1:12-13, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ”. Certainly Paul being thrown in prison in chains would appear to be a bigger hindrance to ministry than me being sent to Iraq. Therefore, if Paul could boast of such a thing then I could certainly be used of God while deployed away from my family as well. I must only hold fast to Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

As I began truly seeking the Lord’s will for my future I was brought back to the calling He had already given me. He made this calling abundantly clear to me and I suppose time and hardship were the only factors that blurred it for me. God loves us so much and is increadibly passient with us. He didn’t get upset that I forgot my calling, He simply set it back in front of me. Ephesians 4:11-15 is the calling for my life. The Lord has gifted me as a teacher and charged me to lead others into spiritual maturity. This is what God wants me to do! I need not question that any longer. I need only to love Him and love others with the love He gives me.

Leading others closer to Christ is what God has called us to do. Doing this in the military is our specific mission field the Lord laid upon our hearts. When times get tough the Lord will carry us through. He has given us specific promises that we can rest upon and will continue to walk hand in hand with us through life.

My friends, I offer this testimony as encouragement for you to dialogue with the Lord. Seek His will in your life. He will reveal what He wants for you. He loves you and will speak to your heart. When the Lord gives you specific promises you can stand firm on those promises, knowing that the Creator of the universe will complete that promise for you! AMEN