How to be a Fruitful Christian (Part 2)

In my last post I wrote about the cares and worries of life.  This week I’ll take a look at the pleasures of life.

What about the pleasures of life?  There is so much fun stuff to do in the world that there is no time to do it all.  There are trips to plan and adventures to be had, hobbies to learn and gear to buy.  These things may all be good in themselves but they are yet another distraction to our busy lives.  I play the drums and the other day I read an advertisement for a company selling drumsticks.  They bragged that they had over 200 models of drumsticks to offer consumers.  Drumsticks are a piece of wood used to hit drums.  How complicated can it be that we need over 200 models from one company to fulfill all our needs? 

I think this is a principle that is applied to society as a whole.  We are simply overwhelmed with choices and hobbies and specialized gear.  We think we cannot do anything without analyzing the infinite choices and specialities out there and then buying the best we can afford before we even try to do something healthy and fun.  The internet has ushered in the information age and we’re so overwhelmed with information that we hardly know what to do with ourselves. We spend more time thinking about the pleasures of life and what we might do, than actually doing it.

After we get through the cares, worries, riches and pleasures of life we find little time left for God.  That right there is the problem.  We go through all the worries, riches and pleasures and then try to find a little time left over for God.  Instead we should put God first and allow him to lead us through the worries, cares, riches and pleasures of life.  I’m almost certain that if we did that, a lot of the busy things we do right now would cease to be important and we could let them go out of our lives.  Without God all of these things are distractions that draw us away from God and choke the fruit out of our lives.

With God, we can do all that we need to do, yet have our priorities in the right place and accomplish what God wants us to accomplish and what is meaningful.  If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time.  We need goals and dreams and vision to serve God!  That is where lasting fruit will come.  Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”

How to be a Fruitful Christian (Part 1)

The third kind of soil explained in the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-23) is a patch of ground full of thorns. (see the previous two week's posts for the rest of the series)  The seed falls on soil and begins to put down roots and grow, but after a time a patch of thorns rapidly grows up and chokes out the small plants.  Jesus explains that spiritually this represents people who hear the word but are choked by cares of the world and do not become fruitful plants.  I would hazard a guess that this spiritual condition describes a large portion of the North American church.  We hear the word of God, begin to grow but are then choked out by all the busyness and cares of life.  We still believe in Jesus, go to church and even read our Bibles occasionally but fail to produce fruit because we are so distracted. 

Think about the cares and worries of life.  Who wouldn’t be distracted?  There are bills to pay, savings to set aside, future plans to consider, government forms to fill out, insurances to be bought, vehicles to buy, houses to renovate, children to take care of, activities to be completed, sports to play, new hobbies to find, collections to complete, bathrooms to be cleaned and the list goes on and on.

What about money?  We’re constantly thinking about money.  How can we get more money?  How can I pay my bills?  How much do I need to save to retire?  How can I pay for college?  How much insurance do I need to buy in case something goes wrong?  I saw an ad the other day for credit card insurance that will pay off your credit card balance in case you die or are disabled.  So, you could pay more money to feel safer about that credit card balance you shouldn’t have anyhow.  If that is not distraction, I’m not sure what is.

In short we are highly distracted.  On the other hand Jesus says that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  Following Jesus is hard, yet simple.  Just picking a loaf of bread can be complicated.  There are 47 choices.  Following Jesus is just one simple choice and if we can tone down the distractions and tune into Jesus our lives will be a lot more meaningful and much less scattered.  We have to distill things down to a purpose.  Busyness without purpose leads to fruitless lives.  With Jesus we can live lives full of purpose and fruit.  The choice is up to each person.  Jesus, or everything else.  It can’t be both.

How to Put Down Roots

This week I’ll look at the second location where seed was sown in the parable of the sower.  This seed was sown and fell on rocks.  Jesus explained that spiritually this represents people who hear the word of God, receive it with joy, but do not grow roots and at the first sign of trouble resulting from the seeds of the gospel in their lives, they quickly fall away.

We are too self-sufficient when everything is easy.  Pain, trouble and persecution are a test of character.  This kind of person likes the gospel when life is going well, but doesn't have the roots to stick out the hard times.  This results from a lack of Christian growth.  Times of pain and trouble show very clearly a person’s true character and true nature.  As humans we often seek the path of least resistance but we generally learn that many things worth achieving are found only through discipline, sacrifice and hard times.  If we can’t stick out the hard times to let the seeds of the gospel grow in us we’ll never be able to grow to fruitfulness.

To counter the consequences of the seed that falls on the rocks we need to recognize that we have to be moving forward in Christian maturity.  This requires engagement in spiritual disciplines, emotional growth, mental growth and more.  In short we can’t stay where we are and hope that shallow roots will get us through hard times.  Shallow roots are easily destroyed.  We have to put down deep roots that will sustain us through hard times following Jesus.  Roots have to be able to stand strong winds, floods and crazy burrowing animals.  Seek God, persevere, put down deep roots.  It’s worth it.

Four Modern Challenges to the Gospel Part 1

Over the next number of weeks I’m going to spend some time digging into the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13:1-23.  This is one of my favourite parables in the Bible and I believe it has a very relevant application for the church today.  As Jesus explains the four different places where the seed falls, I believe we can make application to four modern challenges to the gospel message.  I’ll share some thoughts on each of these.

This week I’ll look at the seed that falls on the path.  If you’re following along with the parable you’ll see Jesus teaching about a farmer who goes out to sow some seeds.  The seeds fall on four different locations.  Some seed falls on a hard path and birds eat the seed.  Other seed falls on rocky ground and fails to grow roots, some seed falls amongst thorns that choke the seeds and finally some seed falls on good soil and bears an excellent crop.  After giving the parable Jesus explains that the seeds represent the gospel message of the Bible and the locations on the path refer to different reactions to the gospel message. Here we’ll find our application.

The first location explored in the parable is the seed that falls on the hard path.  Jesus goes on to explain that this location represents a person who hears the gospel and does not understand it.  The devil comes along and steals away the seed which was sown in that person’s heart.  In our culture this is a major challenge to the gospel.  Many people have heard the gospel but do not understand it and in a flash the seed of the gospel is lost.  It is important to note that seeds must be sown and then watered.  The Apostle Paul explains in I Cor 3:6 that he planted a seed, Apollos watered it and God gave the growth.  

Just like any farming, planting a seed of the gospel is a multi-stage process and many people are involved.  It’s not enough to just plant the seed and walk away. If the person who hears the gospel does not understand the gospel the seed is very likely to be snatched away by the devil.  You may not be the person to water the seed, but if you plant it, you need to consider how the seed will be watered that it might grow.

In our culture there is probably less common knowledge of the Bible than in recent past years so when seeds of the gospel are planted we have to ask: do people understand them? If the gospel is not understood, how can we explain it? Next week I’ll look at the seed sown on the rocks.

The Positives of Pastoring and the Positives of your Job

I’m a pastor and I’ve read a number of blogs and articles talking about pastors and how hard it is to be a pastor and how little pastors get paid and how much people complain about pastors and so on.  Is some of it true?  Sure.  Is a lot of it true?  Probably.  However, what doesn’t get talked about so much are the positive aspects of being a pastor.  I’m going to try about counteract the negativity a little and talk about some of the highlights of being a pastor.  You’ve probably had some negative thoughts about your job too.  Instead of focussing on the negatives, see what positives you can find.  (If you can’t find any positives, it might be time for a new job.)

Pastors get a lot of flexibility in their schedule.  I get to go out for coffee with someone from the church and talk about life.  I meet with volunteers in the evening to talk about youth ministry.  To the average 9-5 worker the pastor’s job schedule probably looks like a joke.  However a lot of work is done outside traditional office hours.  I can change my schedule pretty quickly and easily.  Don’t get me wrong, most pastors work very hard and certainly put in their fair share of hours but pastoring is a lifestyle not a job so that means you can ditch the office sometimes and go be with people or do something fun.  The lifestyle factor means you are always on call (hello crisis on my day off), but you get to be flexible with your schedule and that’s a luxury not everyone gets to enjoy which I am thankful for.

Pastors get paid to serve people.  It might sound kind of funny to say that, yet I believe it’s a privilege to get paid to serve God’s people.  Many articles and blogs complain about how little pastors get paid.  Do most pastors get paid a lot? No.  Is the job all about the money? No.  I believe God can work beyond the paycheque.  If someone is in ministry for the money, something is wrong.  I think the thing that gets pastors upset sometimes is comparing what get paid in ministry to what they would get paid in the secular world for the same skill set they bring to the table in their ministry position.  Pastoring is a high challenge job requiring a wide variety of skills and education.  I think if most pastors took their pastoral skill set to the secular world they would instantly double their salary.  Yet in any job it’s not about comparing to what others do or get (that’s a great way to breed dissatisfaction), it’s doing what God has called you to do and trusting him to provide what you need.  I get paid to do what I am passionate about and serve in ministry that has eternal value.  That’s cool.

Perhaps you’ve had similar thoughts about your job or your life situation.  Instead of thinking about all the negatives, think about what you are blessed with and the benefits of your current job or life situation.  You just might find yourself enjoying life a little more!

How to Help Young People Belong to the Church

I believe there are two crucial transitions in a young person’s life where adults can come alongside teenagers and make a huge impact. The first is around age 12-13 when a child becomes a teenager and the second is when a teenager becomes a young adult around age 18-22. 

Children see the world, for better or worse, largely through their parent’s eyes when they are young.  This begins to change as children hit puberty and become teenagers.  They begin to form more of their own opinions and begin searching for their own identity and place in the world.  This is a major transition as they are no longer all kid, and not yet fully teenager.  Sometimes if you observe closely you can literally see them switching modes from child to teenager within minutes.  Because this is a major transition children of this age are asking a ton of questions and are constantly looking for answers as they seek to relate to the world.  Adults can come alongside kids at this age and build relationships with them and help them through this transition.  In the church kids at this age are making the transition from children’s programs to youth programs.  Now is the time to help kids feel like they belong in 'big church' as they move away from the structured and sheltered confines of the children’s ministry.

The second major transition is the shift from teenager to young adult.  This is another crucial moment where adults and churches can make or break a teenager’s relationship with the church.  Teenagers are graduating highschool and choosing careers or post-secondary education.  Major life shaping decisions are made in this phase.  Making this age even more crucial is the transition that teenagers face in the church.  By graduation and age 18 or so teenagers are too old for the church youth ministry program and begin to transition out.  What is important to realize here is that if a person has grown up in the church they have been part of a program tailor made for their age category for their whole lives.  After graduating from youth ministry teens are suddenly part of 'big church' with all the variety and age ranges that entails.  Some churches, especially smaller ones, do not have a specific young adults program, so these graduates are thrown into the mixer.  If they have not been welcomed at church and built a few significant relationships with adults during their childhood and youth ministry years, they will probably simply leave church. 

There is abundant material written on how many young adults are leaving the church these days and I would contend that part of the reason is that teenagers have not found their place in the church outside of the youth ministry program. (To be fair, a number of these young adults who leave church return to church later in life.)  Youth ministries need to do a better job on integrating youth ministry into the ministry of the whole body so that teens are exposed to ‘big church’ often and become comfortable in church outside of the youth ministry program.  We can all play our part by building a few relationships with teenagers in our churches so that when they graduate highschool and the youth ministry program, they don’t graduate from church.

Two major transitions.  Two incredible opportunities to shape upcoming generations.  What is your role?

How to Cultivate Receptivity to the Holy Spirit (Part 2 of 2)

This week is the conclusion of this series.  I hope you have enjoyed it and that it has provided some practical help as you seek the manifest presence of God.  Today I will share a few practical steps to help you cultivate receptivity to the Holy Spirit in your life.

1.  James 4:8 “draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”  We have to actively seek God and desire for him to work in our lives.  If we do not provide an opening for God’s action in our lives, he will not force himself on us.

2. Practice spiritual disciplines.  Read the Bible, pray, worship, serve etc. (there are many more spiritual disciplines).  As we spend time in spiritual disciplines a little bit of worldliness falls away and the hidden spiritual realm is opened up a little bit more.

3. Offer ourselves as living sacrifices.  There is no limit to what God can do with a willing sacrifice.  See Romans 12:1-2.

4. Strive to live a holy life.  God is a God of love, but he is first and foremost a holy God.  To follow Jesus in earnest we must strive for holiness and love.

5. Submit to God’s will.  We reach a landmark moment when we realize that God’s will is what is good for us and that it is what is pleasing to God.

A person submitted to God and striving to live a holy life will be far more aware of the presence of God because that person realizes that she is an active agent of God’s kingdom breaking into this world.  If I sacrifice and actively work to improve my marriage there will a payoff in development of depth, trust and communication in the relationship.  It is no different with God.  If you sacrifice and put effort into the relationship, the relationship will grow and improve.

If we passively sit back and wait for God to do something, he very well may do something, but it likely won’t be through those who are sitting back waiting for something to happen.  It will be through those who have submitted themselves to God and have said “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).

One final Tozer quote to wrap things up: “Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days” (Tozer The Pursuit of God pg 64).

A.W. Tozer’s book The Pursuit of God inspired me to write this series and if you've enjoyed this series of blogs I’d strongly encourage you to read it.  I’ll be back next week with a new topic so stay tuned!