Meet Your New Family
Meet Your New Family
“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9
How big is your family?
When Sarah lost her parents in an accident, she didn’t think she would ever know the love of a mother and father again. While staying in a home for orphaned youth, she met Bill and Jackie Johnson. They visited the home every few days to spend time with the kids. They saw it as a calling to show these hurt children they were still loved.
As Sarah got to know them over the following weeks, she started to feel like there was hope again. She looked forward to when they would come to visit.
It wasn’t long before Bill and Jackie realized they felt a new calling. So, one day, they asked Sarah if she would like to be adopted. Sarah was overjoyed. A few weeks later, Sarah, Bill, and Jakie were standing before a judge making it official.
Bill and Jackie brought Sarah home that day. As she walked into her new home, she was met by a surprise. There, in the living room, were 4 other kids smiling at her with a big “Welcome Home!” banner. She looked at Bill and Jackie and they said to her,
“Sarah, when we adopted you, you didn’t just gain a mother and father, you got 4 new brothers and sisters and they are excited to have you in the family!”
A New Family
When we are saved by Jesus, we don’t just get a ticket to get into Heaven. The new life in Christ begins immediately with many blessings, including a new family.
As you are adopted by God into His family, you gain millions upon millions of new brothers and sisters. They are your new family…your new people. You are loved by them and connected to them through Jesus. This all happens when the mercy of Jesus comes to you through His Word.
Welcome Home
While you have millions of brothers and sisters, there are some with whom you will have especially close relationships. We call this your local church. I hope you get a sense of family when you go to church. I hope you see the church as your home. I hope you spend time getting know and care for your brothers and sisters because this is your family.
Welcome home.
Heavenly Father,
You have shown great mercy on me, forgiving my sins and welcoming me into Your family. Help me to see my church as my family filled with brothers and sisters who love me and want to know me and care for me. Help me to love and care for them as well.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Part of the Team
Part of the Team
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” – Romans 12:4-5
Have you ever been a part of a team?
How important was it that everyone do their part?
Being a part of a team is a pretty neat thing. It means you have the support of the other members and you support them. It means you belong to something greater than yourself. It means you are important and what you do is important just like it means the other members and what they do is important.
God says you are part of His team, part of His Body, the church. You have His support and the support of the church (the people of God). You also are obligated to the other members of the church, too. In other words, the church isn’t all about you. It’s not about what you get out of it.
Being a Pastor is Weird
Being a pastor, I have a somewhat unique insight into this. I rarely am asked what I got out of a service or whether I liked the message. I don’t get to stay at home because I don’t feel like going this week.
Don’t misunderstand, I’m not complaining. I’m saying being a pastor has reoriented me in regards to church. I more fully understand that my participation in church (services, events, etc.) isn’t just about my enjoyment or growth, but receiving God’s blessings and building up others. This isn’t true just for pastors, though. It’s true for everyone.
We’re All Needed
When we don’t attend a service or participate in an activity or Bible study, we aren’t just missing out for ourselves, we are missing out on blessing and encouraging others. In other words, you may not feel like you need to go, but someone else may really need you there.
After all, we’re a team. In baseball, if the shortstop decides not so show up for a game, the whole team suffers. And it’s not just the obvious players. We may focus on the nine players on the field, but a lot of people have an impact on how a game goes. There are coaches, trainers, ballboys or ballgirls, and even the fans. You may be able to have a game without some of these people, but it won’t be as good and the team won’t play as well.
God gave us the church for our benefit. Whether you are the church’s version of shortstop, a pitcher, a coach, or ballboy, the church needs you. The body needs all its parts, visible or hidden, obvious or obscure, to be fully healthy. Being healthy is good for the church as a whole. It’s good for the other people in the church. It’s good for you.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your church. Thank You for making me part of Your church. Help me to see what gifts You have given me and how I can help encourage others and build up the church. Help me to see the blessing in sharing my life with other Christians and serving them.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Should My Child Miss Church to…(Play Sports, Go to a Party, etc.)
Should My Child Miss Church to...(Play Sports, Go to a Party, etc.)
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:24-25
It used to be that Sundays were sacred. Sports, work (for most), and other activities were scheduled around Sundays. Even birthday parties at least waited until the afternoon. This isn’t the case anymore.
Today, we have to make an intentional choice to keep Sundays sacred.
But should we? If so, why?
A while back I came across an article by Bob Russell that I thought did a great job addressing this question. The only thing I think was missing from the article relates to what God does for you and your children during worship. So, I would add this…
When we go to church, we worship God and we gather together with other believers. In worship, we hear God’s living and active Word and receive God’s blessings of forgiveness and faith. We (your kids included) need this as we go out into the world as sheep among wolves.
As we gather with other believers, we build relationships, encourage one another, and care for each other. Sometimes we receive the encouragement and care. Sometimes we need to be there to give the encouragement and care to someone else who needs it. When we skip church, we miss out on those things and that affects both our lives and the lives of the other members of the church.
I encourage you to click-through and read Bob’s article. It’s very good.
http://www.bobrussell.org/ask-bob-should-my-child-miss-church-to-play-sports/
Then prayerfully consider the role of church in your life and the lives of your family.
God bless!
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
We Are the Church – We Love Each Other
We are the church - We love each other
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter 4:8-11
Love each other deeply. What a wonderful sentence! As those who are called according to God’s good will, raised to life in Christ, and living with the Spirit of the Triune God within us, we are the church. As the church, we are to love each other…deeply.
We often speak in the church of loving our neighbors and loving the poor and others outside the church and this is good; however, the Bible frequently speaks of brothers and sisters in Christ loving each other. Unfortunately, this is something we struggle with, but why?
Sinners and Saints
Simply put, we are all saints in Christ, but still sinners as well. That sinful nature and the sins it bears churn up trouble. We are tempted to gossip, belittle, hold a grudge, be selfish, etc. by our sinful nature and sometimes we give in.
We are saints, too, though. The Spirit is living and working within us. So, how do we find a way to truly love each other…to love each other deeply?
- Get to know each other – Let’s face it. Sunday is great, but there’s not much opportunity on Sunday morning to develop real, deep relationships. Get together at other times. Meet up for lunch or coffee. Join a small group ministry. Make a point to connect with each other and really share each other’s lives.
- Make time for each other – In the U.S. we tend to pack our lives so full of obligations that we don’t have time for each other’s “inconvenient” struggles. Look for ways to lighten the load and make time both for each other and for yourself. Rest is a wonderful time (note to self, work on this.)
- Be financially wise – If there’s one thing I learned from Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace University program, it’s that there are always ways to cut our expenses. Half the time, we don’t even realize how much we spend. Sometimes that are also ways to increase our earnings relatively quickly and easily. By being financially wise, we can not only put ourselves in a better financial position, but we can have something extra which we can use to provide for our brothers and sisters in need.
- Connect to the source of love – God is love. Spend more time with Him in prayer, Bible reading, and worship and ask Him to open your heart to love others more.
- Share your life – One of the best ways to get someone to open up and share about their life is to open up and share about your own life. Try it.
- Be willing to take a risk – The truth is that loving others is risky. We open ourselves up to pain, betrayal, and more. However, the risk is worth it. Enjoy the good times, forgive the betrayal, and accept that there may be pain, but that person is worth it.
Let’s start, today. How often have we thought about something, but put it off and then never get to it? So, let’s begin, now. Pray about it and then try reaching out to a friend in Christ and invite them to lunch or a coffee. Share a little more during that time than the normal surfacy stuff. You may find that it doesn’t take very long to start to have a deep connection in Christ. Then you are well on your way to loving each other deeply.
Heavenly Father,
You love us deeply, more than we can possibly imagine. Fill us with Your love and help us to love each other deeply.
Amen.
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” – Romans 12:10-13
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt