Author: EggMonkey

We like a lot of options, don’t we? When building a new house or buying a new car or even a new computer, you find yourself facing all kinds of great options. So you spend some time imagining all the possibilities and put together an idea of what you really want. Then you have to ask the question, “What is this going to cost?” When the salesperson looks at you with dollar signs in their eyes, you know it’s going to be expensive. Then you have to decide. Can I afford it? What do I have to give up?

It’s no different when trying to grow the church. While teaching about becoming a disciple, Jesus made the same comparison in Luke 14:28, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?” Jesus taught that following him has a cost, that some might lose their families and that others might lose their lives (Luke 14:25). When it comes to becoming a follower of Jesus and growing his church and we ask the question, “What is this going to cost?” the answer could be: everything.

We have held a couple of meetings where several people gathered to brainstorm ideas of what we can do to grow as a church. We’ve shared all kinds of ideas, from starting new programs for children and families to changing our worship services to hiring a youth minister. We have been dreaming big, and when we get to the point of making some decisions, we have been asking, “What is this going to cost?” And then there’s a pause. In fact, we’re still paused, because we’re still thinking about the cost.

For some of us, the cost of beginning a 9:00 Sunday school program for children will be giving up our own Sunday school class or coming to the building an hour earlier than when we usually arrive for worship at 10:00. For others, the cost might be giving up the way we like to worship or the time we like to worship. For most of us, the cost will be giving up things with which we are familiar and comfortable.

And as we consider the cost, we’re going to start asking, “Is it worth it?” The stark reality is this: when we ask whether it’s worth it to make changes in the church, we’re really weighing the differences between life and death. Is it worth losing what I like for the sake of someone else’s eternal life? Am I willing to let this church die for the sake of my own personal preferences?

Jesus prompted similar questions about following him when he taught these parables in Matthew 13:44-46:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

I pray that each of us would consider the value of what we have as the body of Christ and agree that we would be willing to give up everything for the sake of sharing what we have through this church.

I should say that there have been no decisions made about where we’re going or how we’re going to get there – we’re still trying to figure out “who we are” – it’s going to take time. However, make no mistake: change is going to happen, whether we make it happen or let it happen to us. As you think about what we can do to reach our community for Jesus, count the cost and consider the words of the missionary Jim Elliott who was killed taking the Gospel to the native people of Ecuador, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

 

I read a lot of magazine articles, web pages, and blog posts about church growth and leadership. Frankly, I often feel overwhelmed when facing the tasks of preaching and teaching and working with our leaders to help this body of believers grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus. I need the help; I need ideas.

What I don’t need are gimmicks. A few years ago, there was a church in Missouri where the preacher gave his sermon while a young woman was given a tattoo on stage. No kidding. Basically he preached about having a faith that can’t be wiped away; so having someone get a tattoo on stage was relevant, but I’m fairly certain it was inappropriate.

For some reason, some people – preachers, churches, or average Christians – think they need gimmicks to make the Gospel more interesting or even more palatable. The argument often goes like this: if you want to reach “this” group of people, then you need to do something like “that.” This argument makes several seriously flawed assumptions.

First, it assumes that anyone can accurately and adequately define any group of people; most definitions like that are hasty generalizations and stereotypes. Second, it assumes that all the people you’ve lumped together into a group are going to respond to any specific event, message, or medium in one specific way. Third, it assumes that individuals will reject your message out of hand because it doesn’t conform to a specific method. Last, it assumes that targeting one group of people will be more successful than communicating your message to a wider audience.

Granted, Paul did write in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” However, it seems that Paul was more concerned about meeting individuals where they were culturally and spiritually rather than trying to draw a crowd of curious spectators, hoping to win a few.

Perhaps a better perspective comes from Jesus’ parable of the sower from Matthew 13. In this parable the man sows seed by casting it broadly. Many different soils received the seed, but only the receptive soil allowed the seed to grow and produce a harvest. If we balance Paul’s approach with Jesus’ parable, maybe what we need to work on is our preparation of the soil instead of our aim; maybe we need to work on building more and better relationships with people to prepare them for receiving the Gospel than trying to target specific people with a specially prepared message.

Regardless of the approach, we must remember that the Gospel message doesn’t need gimmicks to make it more interesting or appealing. Another article I read recently stated, “If Christianity bores you, then you haven’t met Jesus.” If we discover that people are bored with the church or its message, we’ve probably been preaching and teaching the wrong message. Our message is Jesus, and after celebrating the birth of Jesus, there shouldn’t be any question about how exciting Jesus is!

Maybe we’re not living our lives in a way that reveals how exciting Jesus is. Perhaps we’re focused on the wrong message in our own lives; maybe we’re focusing on the “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” instead of Jesus’ message in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

I’m not going to say that we will never change what we do or how we do it, but we will never change our focus on sharing the Good News of God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus. We will never change our mission of making disciples in this community.

As we go into a new year, let me assure you that I won’t be riding a motorcycle down the aisle or getting a tattoo while I preach, and we won’t be installing beer taps in the fellowship hall just to bring in a few enthusiastic new believers. I will, however, continue preaching about our amazing, life-giving Savior, Jesus Christ, and I will do my best to communicate with as much love and enthusiasm as the Holy Spirit leads. I pray you will join me on this wild ride!

I’d be surprised if you haven’t seen the movie “A Christmas Story” at least once in your lifetime, but don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll have at least a few dozen more opportunities to catch it on TV this season. At the climax of the movie, Christmas Morning, the main character, Ralphie, has to try on his gift from Aunt Clara, who, Ralphie says, “Had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl.” And so he had to endure the humiliation of wearing a handmade, pink bunny costume. As Ralphie’s father put it, “He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny…. He looks like a pink nightmare.”

Obviously, this wasn’t an appropriate gift for a nine-year-old boy. Certainly, such a gift required a lot of time and effort to produce, and I’m pretty sure that if I had been in Ralphie’s situation, my parents would have told me, “It’s the thought that counts.” That usually means the receiver ought to be grateful for the thoughtfulness that led to the gift, if not for the gift itself. Gratitude is certainly a trait that parents want to help their children develop, but at some point, it seems we’re promoting the idea, “Just be glad you got a gift.” That seems to be the idea behind the last-minute, impulse-buy gifts at the checkout counters – the deodorant gift boxes and the rack of gift cards to every restaurant and store under the sun – it doesn’t matter that you haven’t put any thought into giving a gift, just give one so I/they can receive one. Clearly, the thought behind the gift needs to be more than, “Oh, I forgot to buy a gift!”

While we don’t want to get caught up in the materialism that seems to define our culture’s view of Christmas, we probably ought to put some thought into giving gifts. The low-level thinking that leads us to give gifts without much effort or consideration feeds the materialistic mindset of thoughtlessly receiving of gifts. Sure, we need to keep God’s perspective as we celebrate Jesus’ birth, remembering that John 3:16 says God “gave.” Let’s not forget, however, that God put a lot of thought into his gift.

God’s gift of Jesus and eternal life through Jesus came out of God’s love for the people he created. God’s gift wasn’t an impulse because God’s just a “nice guy.” There was careful planning and consideration. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:7 and 2 Timothy 1:9 that God’s plan was determined “before time began.” God’s gift was given because of his love for the world, but it wasn’t a random gift, it was something he planned before we were created.

There was a lot of thought that went into God’s gift, but more importantly, perhaps, the gift was given, and it was given at great sacrifice and with love. Now, I’m not saying that each of us has to give extravagant gifts the way God has given us his one and only Son Jesus, certainly not to the point of indebtedness, but perhaps our celebration of Christmas would seem less materialistic if we put some serious thought into why we are giving gifts. If it’s a matter of giving because it’s expected, because you’re hoping nobody feels left out, it’s time for a little more thought.

If giving gifts to others is how you celebrate God’s gift to the world, one that was planned from before the creation of the universe, then you’re probably on the right track. As you purchase, wrap, and give gifts this Christmas season, remember God’s love and share it with every gift. Even if you do send a pink bunny suit to a nine-year-old boy, make sure that he knows it’s because you love him and because God loved the world in such a way that he sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to give us eternal life.

I know this is going to make me one of “them,” but it has to be said: the holidays are coming. As I write this, there are about five weeks until Thanksgiving and about nine until Christmas. (My mother would be appalled that I have called attention to it; please forgive me.)

This is the time of year when church newsletters and Sunday sermons remind us to be thankful because, you know, it’s that time of year. Shouldn’t we be concerned that we have to be reminded to be thankful and at a certain time of year?

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Paul was writing to a church that was facing persecution, and so Paul tried to encourage them to be faithful despite the persecution. While I’m sure the early Christians needed encouragement throughout their persecution, the fact that Paul uses the words always, continually, and all tells me that his hope, if not expectation, was for them to have an on-going positive attitude with on-going positive action. Paul didn’t tell them, “Be joyful when you feel like it; pray when you need to; be thankful when it’s appropriate”; he expects a constant, consistent attitude of joy and gratitude and dependence on God.

What that tells me is that, instead of focusing on an annual celebration of thanksgiving, we ought to be in a daily mode of thanksgiving. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. Even though we might not be in a time of outright persecution because we’re Christians, life itself doesn’t always lead us to be thankful, does it? However, don’t we typically put aside many of our difficulties, even tragedies, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday? Don’t the negative experiences and feelings tend to amplify what we have to be thankful for, at least on that one day? And yet we anticipate the celebration and prepare for it. Perhaps we ought to extend that preparation throughout the year.

Just as we find ourselves preparing to celebrate the holidays weeks in advance, perhaps we ought to develop the habit of preparing to be thankful every day. Maybe the everyday difficulties, maybe the sudden tragedies, maybe even the more frequent persecution of Christians ought to lead us to be thankful every day for what we have and for what God has done. With every tough day on the job, with every painful step of an aching body, with every moment of absence from our loved ones, perhaps we ought to prepare to be thankful.

How might we do that? Paul says, “Be joyful always.” Paul doesn’t tell us to be happy all the time; he tells us to be joyful. Happiness is a response to what happens in our lives; when things don’t go well, when people are unkind, we’re not happy. Joy is a matter of contentment despite what happens; it’s not a matter of ignoring the bad things that happen as much as it’s a matter of remembering the things that don’t change: God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus; the bond we have with others through our mutual faith in Jesus; the hope we share with other Christians for eternal life. These things are constant, despite the continual changes of life around us; so we can be joyful always.

Paul says, “Pray continually.” Because God doesn’t change from day to day, we can build our joy on him and his faithfulness to hear our prayers and to answer them. So even when circumstances don’t go the way we want them to, we can pray, and knowing that God is faithful, we can give thanks in all circumstances.

So, while we’re buying up the cans of pumpkin and the pecans and all the other supplies for our celebrations, let’s also prepare to be thankful. When the lines at the grocery store tries our patience, be joyful in God’s provision for our needs. When the sadness of separation comes with the thought of an empty place at the table, pray for God’s comfort. When the headlines tell of another tragedy, thank God for the hope of heaven. Prepare now to be thankful always.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:13-17, NIV)

Oh, how times have changed. Who would have thought that a woman would be jailed for professing her Christian faith in this country? While there are many opinions floating around about Kim Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples as the county clerk of Rowan County, KY, you can’t dismiss the fact that Davis’s Christian faith is at the center of her refusal and, therefore, her imprisonment, as temporary as it may have been. Many Christians are surprised, confused, and even fearful because of Davis’s imprisonment, and many wonder whether this is an example of things to come.

While I am not prone to fear, uncertainty, or dread when it comes to such “signs of the times,” this situation ought to lead us to consider Peter’s words from 1 Peter 3:13-17. The fact of the matter is that the church has faced such difficulties, if not outright persecution, from the very beginning, and the answer to the problem has always been the same: trust God; be faithful.

Peter’s advice is to “be prepared.” Many people know that “Be Prepared” is the motto of the Boy Scouts. As an Eagle Scout, I remember how we spent our scout meetings and outings practicing all the different skills Boy Scouts are known for – tying knots, building fires, navigating with a map and compass, cooking, etc. – all for the sake of being prepared for future emergencies or other everyday situations. Those who have served in the military probably remember some variation of the phrase, “Prior preparation prevents poor performance.” What Peter, the Boy Scouts, and the military all know is that situations will arise that will require us to be prepared ahead of time for appropriate words or actions.

Peter directs Christians to be prepared to answer questions about our faith, to be ready to tell people why we trust Jesus and why we hope for eternal life in heaven, and he seems to be warning us that the questions will come when we experience persecution because of our faith. If the headlines are any indication, perhaps we ought to have a greater sense of urgency to prepare ourselves to answer the questions when they come.

Peter starts with “set apart Christ as Lord,” which should lead us to focus first on our own faith; we need to make sure that we know Jesus as Lord. It’s not enough to wear the name “Christian” these days, because people are redefining what it means to be a Christian; we must, as Paul writes in Romans 10:9, confess openly that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. Otherwise, our faith is foolish; why should we suffer for something we do not believe?

Peter also qualifies our answers, that they ought to be made with “gentleness and respect,” which ought to give us an additional sense of urgency for being prepared. Have you ever had to give an answer or make a decision under pressure, without any time to prepare or consider your options? Most often we respond quickly and without a lot of thought, and sometimes without the most tact or consideration for others. In Philippians 4:5, Paul writes, “Let your gentleness be evident to all”; the English Standard version translates this as, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” Gentleness and being reasonable go together. As we share our answers, they should be tempered with gentleness, but we should also be reasonable.

Peter gives another reason for being prepared and gentle, to have a clear conscience. It’s no secret that the world might persecute us for our faith – and probably will – but we should be prepared to give reasons for our hope in such a way that we would have no guilt about the way we present ourselves, whether in our words or by our actions. Our goal shouldn’t be to embarrass those who slander us or Christ, but if we are prepared to give the reasons for our hope in a gentle and reasonable way, they will have no basis for their attacks.

I’m certainly not hoping for more persecution of Christians, but I do hope that we prepare ourselves so that we will be gentle and reasonable ambassadors of Jesus Christ. As we wait, let us prepare ourselves. Make sure that you are spending time reading and studying God’s Word, whether on your own or in smaller group studies, such as our Sunday school or Sunday and Wednesday evening studies. Make sure that you are attending and participating in our weekly worship services, not only praising God and getting to know him better but getting to know your brothers and sisters in Christ better. Let us prepare ourselves, following the examples found in Hebrews 10:23-25:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The times are changing; let’s be prepared.

I know that it’s obvious how I spend some of my time. I preach every week and teach several lessons throughout the week. However, a lot of what I do is behind the scenes and involves a lot of study and thought. However, nothing that I do should be hidden, nor should it be done in isolation. So I thought I’d do some thinking “out loud.”

One of the issues for this body of believers is one that faces every church, all the time: how do we grow? Before we start noodling the answer together, let’s put a few things in order. First, spiritual health is more important than numeric growth (Matthew 7:13-23); however, spiritual health can be measured, to a degree, by the number of people attending and serving. Second, our primary focus for adding people to our body must be through making disciples from among non-Christian people, not recruiting people from other churches. Third, making disciples is every Christian’s job, not just the preacher’s (Matthew 28:18-20). Last, the most effective efforts to make disciples happen outside of the church building and not during church services or programs (Acts 4:31-33; 5:12-14, 42).

With these boundaries in mind, I want to head in the following directions. First, I will continue to preach sermons that will always include at least a summary explanation of the Gospel message – that Jesus died to forgive our sins and rose to give us eternal life – and a call to become a Christian – by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, repenting of sin, confessing Jesus as Lord, and being baptized by immersion for the forgiveness of sins. Second, I will direct my sermons and lessons toward what it means to be a Christian outside the four walls of the church, to make sure that not only is theology the foundation of our faith but that it is practical theology that “works” in everyday life. Third, I will focus more of my time and effort on getting to know people in our community so that I will be more active in sharing the Gospel to non-Christians; I must confess that I have focused too little time on this, and I want to lead by example. Last, I will work with our elders, deacons, and volunteer leaders in other areas to make sure that everything we say and do in our worship services and programs is focused on bringing God glory and bringing non-Christians to Christ.

I share these thoughts with you, first of all, to let you know that I am thinking, in general, but also specifically about where we are and where we are headed. Second, I want to remind those who have been within the church for a while – and not just this church – that things change. The world changes. People change. However, God doesn’t change, neither does his Word change nor his Commission for the church. Third, I want to be open about the fact that, because things change around us, we will have to change what we do or how we do it. Rest assured that I don’t believe the church should change because change is trendy. However, I do think we need to change. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15, 16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Opportunities surround us, and we are going to have to change to make the most of those opportunities.

Last, I share my thoughts because we have to be realistic about change. Not only has the world changed around us, but this church body has changed – not just in the last year and half or over the past 3, 5, 10, or even 20 or more years but throughout its life. That’s the nature of a body; it changes as it lives and grows. However, as we live, grow, and change, it’s tempting for us to be nostalgic and long for “the old days.” Unfortunately, the past will always remain the past, and it will never be captured or reproduced, no matter how hard we might want it or how hard we might try. Change happens in the here and now with a hope for a different future while building on and growing out of the past.

So with these thoughts, I tip my hand to reveal what I plan to do in the weeks and months to come, and I hope that you will continue to support me and work with me. It’s my prayer that all of these efforts will help us become healthier as a body. Healthy bodies grow. Of course, we can’t force growth. Paul explains God’s plan for healthy church growth in 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” While I haven’t given out a lot of details (they’re still percolating in my mind), I pledge to plant the seeds of the Gospel, and with the help of our elders, deacons, teachers, and everybody, we will tend what God causes to grow together.

At the end of June, I attended the North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati with my family. The theme for the week was “We Speak,” and many of the speakers focused on or began at Acts 4:19, 20 where Peter and John replied to the Jewish religious leaders who threatened them to keep them from preaching about Jesus, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Ultimately, Peter and John – and I would imagine the rest of the apostles – spoke about Jesus because they just couldn’t help it. They lived with Jesus; they heard Jesus speak; they saw Jesus perform miracles. They saw Jesus raised from the dead. They spoke because they knew the truth; they witnessed the truth.

But what are we supposed to do? We have not witnessed Jesus face to face. We have not lived with him; we have not heard him teach. We call ourselves Christians because we want to be Christlike in our words and actions, but we have not seen nor heard Jesus. All we have to go by is the Bible.

For those of us who grew up in the church learning “The BIBLE – Yes, that’s the Book for me! I stand alone on the Word of God, the BIBLE,” it seems wrong to think that the Bible is “all” we have to go by, as if there ought to be more to it than that. And the world seems to be expecting more from us.

As the world becomes bolder in opposing and defying not just the idea of God’s existence but also any religion, worldview, or lifestyle that would suggest any kind of recognition, allegiance, or service to God, the world also opposes the Bible. The world points to alleged contradictions throughout the Bible’s text. It questions the reliability of the documents and their transmission throughout history. It openly mocks and derides not only the commandments of God but the historical narratives in which God speaks to people and acts among them. In its attempts to undermine theism in general and Christianity in particular, the world has amassed weapons from history, literature, science, and other academic disciplines and social arenas. Their assault seems overwhelming; so much so that even we start to wonder, “Why trust the Bible?”

First of all, we must grasp the reality that this is a matter of faith, that trusting the Bible is founded upon our trust in God, which is a common point between the apostles and ourselves. This is why Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:18-21, “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Even though the apostles were blessed to see Jesus face to face, they trusted the Scriptures and encouraged believers to trust them also. And so our faith in God and trust in the Bible leads us to believe what Paul wrote in in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Second, we must become confident that our trust in the Bible is founded upon truth and not fantasy, just as 2 Peter 1:16 says: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” We must become confident that the Bible is a reliable transmission through history of eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. The world is quick to dismiss the Bible because of its amazing stories – not to mention its expectations for life change among those who will trust it – and in order to do that, many people will attempt to undermine the many thousands of documents and other pieces of evidence of the Bible’s historical foundations and value. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have that kind of confidence; so we need to develop it by reading and studying not only the Bible but also the historical evidence. We need to become better trained in apologetics – you’re going to hear that more and more frequently – which is an area of study to help us defend our faith.

Last, we need to trust the Bible because, as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:15 that the Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Our faith in the Bible is not just a matter of choosing a worldview, a checklist by which we can evaluate our words, actions, and politics; it is a matter of salvation, of eternal life. For this reason, it’s not enough for us to say, “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.” It’s not enough because the world doesn’t believe it, and if they don’t believe what the Bible says, they will not be saved. It’s not enough, if we believe the Bible, because the Bible tells us to make disciples and to teach the world everything Jesus taught until he returns (Matthew 28:18-20).

Why trust the Bible? We can’t help it. It’s our job. It’s the truth. It’s a matter of salvation.

Names are difficult these days. In the not so distant past, it was fairly easy to learn the name of a person, place, or thing, and then immediately know something about that person, place, or thing just because of the name. That’s not necessarily the case anymore.

Unfortunately, this also seems to be the case in the church. As I mentioned in a sermon several weeks ago, the results of a recent study by the Pew Research Center indicate that the number of people who call themselves “Christian” has dropped by about 8 percent and that the number of people who consider themselves unaffiliated with any religion – the “nones” – has grown by nearly the same amount. Essentially, most of those people who no longer consider themselves to be Christian now consider themselves to be nothing, religiously speaking. Across the religious landscape, they have no name. However, with more investigation, it seems that for many of those who no longer wear the name “Christian,” the name had meant little or nothing for quite some time.

Historically speaking, the fact that we call ourselves Christian at all is puzzling. Acts 11:26 says, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Other historical documents from the era of the early church use the name Christian, but it seems pretty consistent that the use of the word was intended to be a negative; perhaps polite people might have been shocked to hear someone called the C-word.

At that time, taking on the name of Christ had significant implications. It meant confessing that you believed the claims of Jesus and the claims about Jesus: that Jesus was the Son of God; that Jesus died on a cross and rose again; that forgiveness of sins and salvation came through faith in Jesus; and so on, each claim offensive to the Jews and ridiculous to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23). To be honest, that seems to be the consensus in the world today.

Even though there are more people abandoning the name “Christian,” it seems that the result is actually a strengthening of the church. As more so-called nominal Christians declare themselves to be unaffiliated, the more clear the meaning of the name becomes, the more clear the expectations become.

Consider the other names the church used to describe itself in the New Testament. Initially, the early church called themselves “believers,” people who heard the claims about Jesus and his teachings and they believed them; it’s a name that points to the factual reality of who Jesus is and what Jesus did. The most common name was “disciples,” which refers to the fact that not only were they were learners, but they were people who heard the teachings of Jesus and committed themselves to living by those teachings. It also follows the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20; not only are we to be learners but teachers also. Throughout the New Testament, the early Christians referred to each others as “brothers,” pointing to the familial nature of our relationship to each other through Jesus the Son to God the Father. The New Testament writers also referred to the church as “saints,” which should help us understand that we have been made holy through the blood of Jesus.

So, what do you call it? What does it mean to you to be a Christian? Each of these names has deep meaning and significance. They describe who we are and who we are called to be through Jesus. As we continue to strive to be Christians, literally “little Christs” or “Christ-like,” let’s hold on to the meaning and the names but in such a way that the world knows what it means to be a Christian.

“We are transformed by the renewing of our minds, not by trying really hard to be good.” Josh Hunt nails the struggle of Christian discipleship for many people. Essentially he restates what Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” For many people, the struggle of becoming and then living as a Christian is the shift from thinking, speaking, and behaving according to the patterns, expectations, and lifestyles of the world to thinking, speaking, and behaving as someone directed by God’s will. While it’s easy to see the difference between the two, making the shift is often difficult, and many find themselves making the shift over and over again.

Changing your mind from the world’s patterns to God’s is life changing, but it doesn’t happen just by changing the things you do. John Piper once said, “Transformation is not switching from the to-do list of the flesh to the to-do list of the law.”¹ It’s not a matter of going to church every Sunday, going to Bible study on Wednesday, or giving your money, time, or effort to the church. It’s not about cursing or drinking less – although there is often a resulting change in lifestyle. Paul says transformation comes from renewing our minds.

But how do we change our minds? Ultimately, it’s a matter of letting God change them for us. Paul also wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Verse 18 tells us that the transformation comes through the Holy Spirit; God actually does the transformation. However, verse 16 tells us that this applies only to those who turn to God.

In order to renew our minds, we have to turn to God, through Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit transform us. And how do we turn to God? Paul asks a similar question in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” We can only turn to God when we hear the Word of God, whether it’s through preaching or teaching or even reading it.

The renewal of our minds begins with the Word of God, and the transformation continues throughout our lives. It’s a process, as 2 Corinthians 3:18 says; we’re being “transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” So even though we’re not necessarily transformed because we’ve read the Bible, we can pursue transformation through reading God’s Word. It’s not that we’ve spent the time reading the Scriptures; it’s that the pursuit of God’s will and the exposure to God’s Word, to the example of God’s people found there, and to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles begins to change the way we think and speak and act.

So, as we focus on God’s Word, God focuses on changing our minds. And then we find ourselves focusing on God’s will and, then, doing God’s will. That’s why we find ourselves reading the Bible more and going more often to Bible studies. That’s why we change our schedules from sleeping in on Sunday morning to going to Sunday school and the worship service. The more we pursue God, the more he changes us, and the more he changes us, the more we pursue him, the more we worship him, the more we serve him. Let God transform you; it’s a change you won’t mind.

1. John Piper, “The Renewed Mind and How to Have It.”

There are a lot of questions these days about how Christians ought to interact with the world, especially when the world has expectations of us that contradict what the Scriptures tell us to believe, say, and do. “How can we live ‘in’ the world without being ‘of’ the world?” “How do we love those who seem to hate us?” “How do we share the truth of the Scriptures in love?” “How can we live holy lives without withdrawing from the world completely?” “Is there a point where ‘common courtesy’ and ‘human decency’ go beyond the boundaries of Christian love and righteousness?” These are tough questions, and the answers aren’t easy, either.

To be honest, while the truth of Scripture will not change, the way we present it might change depending upon the situation and the individuals involved. Even though the way we share the truth of Scripture might change, the motivation should not change, and that motivation must be love. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:14-20:

Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. (15) And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (16) So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (18) All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: (19) that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (20) We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

We must be compelled by the love of God to share the truth of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and the salvation that Jesus offers everybody through that truth. Our ministry is reconciliation, and that is because God loved us enough to send Jesus to die for our sins. God wants a relationship with everybody, and he has entrusted us, the church, to offer his plan of reconciliation to everybody.

Because each of us who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior has been reconciled to God, we, too, must offer the opportunity for reconciliation with God to all. And because that reconciliation was offered in love and secured with love, our ministry must be characterized by love.

That doesn’t mean that we have to hold back on the truth because it might offend some and hurt others. It is far more loving for us to share the truth of God’s love along with the truth of God’s righteousness and justice. Of course, that means that we must know the truth of God’s love and mercy and righteousness and justice; otherwise, we lose the message, and the world loses God.