Category: Bruce’s Newsletter Articles

In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul lays out a plan that would help the church in Crete get their act together. In a nutshell, Paul tells Titus to lead by example and encourage all Christians to do the same.

In chapter two Paul tells Titus how various groups within the church ought to act as examples to others. Paul tells Titus to encourage everyone to live their lives in such a way that ?no one will malign the word of God ? (2:5), so that people outside the church ?have nothing bad to say about us ? (2:8), and so that ?they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive ? (2:10).

This kind of encouragement has several major benefits. First, it helps everyone in the church grow in unity in faith and knowledge of Jesus through sound doctrine (Titus 2:1; Ephesians 4:13). Second, it bridges the gap among generations and among different groups within the church, as each of Paul ?s instructions was for the older, more mature Christians to teach younger Christians and lead by example. Third, it helps us deal with the temptations of this world and strengthens our faith as we wait for heaven (2:12, 13). Last, it encourages us to do good works (2:14).

This letter to Titus should encourage us today to continue focusing on the core values of our faith. We need study the Bible and learn and accept its sound doctrine. We need to apply that doctrine in our lives, not only as we wait for Jesus ? return but also as we hold out to all people our hope of life in heaven with him. We need to continue to bridge the gaps between people within the church so that we can be unified in faith and knowledge and so that we can encourage each other to do good works. As Paul wrote in verse 7, ?In everything set them an example by doing what is good. ?

If you didn ?t get a pack of M&Ms on September 16, don ?t worry; there will be more. We ?re trying to develop a habit of thinking of evangelism and discipleship as if we are missionaries in our own families, schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. So when we find opportunities to do that as a body, we get a snack as a reminder. Missional moments are opportunities to share God ?s love in face-to-face, side-by-side, and heart-to-heart ways.

We support foreign missions as a body. We understand that in order to share the Gospel message with people who live in another culture and who speak another language, we need to alter our methods without compromising the truth of the Bible. However, when it comes to sharing the Gospel within our own communities, we ?re far less likely to change our methods.

If we ?re honest with ourselves, our culture is changing around us, in our country, in our schools, in our communities, and even in our homes. Unfortunately, as we spend more time in our church environment, worshipping the God who never changes, studying his Word that never changes, holding on to his promise that never changes, we begin to think that the methods we use to share the unchanging Gospel should never change either. That doesn ?t mean that we have to change our methods with every wind of innovation. We might be on the right track where we are, and then we ought to make our efforts stronger. But we ought to be purposeful in examining what we do and be prepared to make changes if we find ourselves falling short.

Do we have the right to choose to study, worship, pray, serve, fellowship, and witness according to our preferences? Sure we do. But when questioned about his own freedom, Paul said, ?I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings ? (1 Corinthians 9:22, 23). Let ?s set aside our preferences and choose to be missionaries in our own communities for the sake of the Gospel, and then we will share in its blessings.

The idea of ?bridging the gap ? is appealing because it ?s so easy for us to see the gaps between people. We recognize the gaps between individuals quickly: our appearance, our words, our actions, our beliefs. But sometimes it ?s tough for people in the church to know how to bridge those gaps, especially the ones that we know from our study of the Bible that are based in sin: bad language, bad habits, bad relationships, etc.

Hebrews gives us insight into how to bridge the gaps through encouragement. Hebrews 3:12, 13 says: ?See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin ?s deceitfulness. ? The writer recognizes that sin is a problem within the church. He also recognizes that the body of believers has a responsibility to help each other to deal with the problem of sin so that none will turn from God. How does he recommend dealing with that problem? He tells them to ?encourage one another daily. ?

So, here ?s what I see. There ?s a lot of sin in our lives (duh). There ?s also quite a bit of ?hardening ? going on. The sin that we ?re all wrestling with seems to be hardening our hearts against each other. And some of that hardening has led to strained and broken relationships within families, among friends, and across the church. We need to stop it.

We know what to do to deal with the sin (read the Bible, pray, worship, serve, etc.), so let ?s focus on dealing with the hardening. We need to encourage one another daily and develop an atmosphere of mutual encouragement. Forget about what divides us and focus on what ?s bringing us together. Be purposeful in thanking your kids teachers and choir directors. Let the elders, deacons, and staff know you appreciate their service. Pitch in and help whenever you see someone working. How long should we do this? ?As long as it is called Today. ? Don ?t stop!

It ?s back-to-school time! My kids don ?t share my enthusiasm, but I have always loved getting ready to go back to school. I could live in an office supply store, looking at pens and pads of paper, checking out the latest binders and backpacks. As I grew up, I loved choosing classes and planning for the year.

But for all that planning and preparing, I usually put off my schoolwork until the last possible minute. Early on, I could get away with it. By college, however, my mind had gotten lazy, and the work had gotten harder, and I certainly didn ?t do as well as I could have. Now, I regret not knowing what I had studied just enough to get by.

Are we seeing something similar in churches today? Churches that used to have strong Bible schools now see dwindling numbers and shrinking Bible knowledge. Churches that could count on droves of volunteers now find themselves going to the same scant 20 percent who seem to be involved in everything ?at least until they burn out. But churches still seem to want to be the spiritually vibrant communities they once were.

While we might like the planning and preparation that goes into bridging the gap, we have a hard time of doing it intentionally. Jesus talked about a similar concept in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The man who buried his one talent did not use what he was given intentionally. He knew that his master expected a greater return, but his efforts went only as far as to keep what he had, hoping for the best. The master in the parable took away what the man had and gave it to someone else. Is the church today experiencing the same kind of discipline?

This body has a strong tradition of Bible knowledge and hard work. As we prepare for the Master ?s return, knowing what he expects of us, let ?s not focus on simply keeping what we have but on using what he has given us intentionally.

I spent the week of July 15 serving at Wolverine Christian Service Camp as a family leader and workshop leader during Senior High Week. The theme for the week was ?Audacious Authenticity, ? and the phrase of the week was ?lowering your waterline. ? The waterline refers to an iceberg, which has only a small fraction of its total mass showing above the water. We examined the reality that most of us show only a fraction of who we are, hiding our true selves, our dreams, desires, fears, and sins so that nobody can know them, for good or bad reasons.

We talked about how we often hide our true selves behind masks. Masks cover up what we don ?t want others to know and display what we want others to see, whether it is true or not. The challenge was to be ?real ? with yourself, God, and others; that is, we encouraged the students to examine themselves and identify who they really are, who they want to be, and who God wants them to be.

The problem with masks is they are based on distrust, which doesn ?t allow us to have healthy relationships, with God or other people. If we constantly hide our sins and struggles, we don ?t trust God to deliver us from them, and we don ?t trust others to love us despite them.

James 5:16 encourages us to bridge the gap by being transparent with each other: ?Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. ? If we can be real with ourselves, we know what lurks below the waterline. If we are transparent with God, who knows it all anyhow, and with other Christians, we can eliminate the distrust, fear, anger, and regret that keeps us from growing as individuals and as a church.

[As a side note, I want everyone to know that we have a great group of senior high students. Even though I preach in the 11:00 service, I didn ?t take the time to get to know them prior to camp. I regret that I didn ?t get to know all of our students at camp either. Be encouraged that many are growing as strong spiritual leaders, and we can look forward to their continued growth and work within the church.]

During the North American Christian Convention, I attended a workshop about the missional nature of the church. Basically, to quote author Ed Stetzer, ?Missional means being a missionary without ever leaving your zip code. ? In other words, Christians need to be missionaries within their own culture. While the phrase ?cultural relevance ? has become a buzz word, the fact is that the Good News of God ?s forgiveness and salvation ?which is relevant to all cultures across all times ?needs to be communicated in such a way that our culture can understand its relevance.

Our culture is a know-it-all culture, and it is a ?what ?s in it for me culture. If we can ?t bridge the gap of what people think they know about God, Jesus, the Bible, the church, and Christianity in general, they will tune us out. If we can ?t show them the value of what we believe, they won ?t care enough to listen long enough to accept it.

One way to bridge the gap is to practice hospitality. At one time, evangelism in our neighborhoods was to go from door-to-door ?calling. ? The fact that many new homes and communities don ?t have sidewalks or front porches should tell us that our culture isn ?t big on that kind of connecting. However, the glut of ensemble dramas and sitcoms should show us that our culture is big on relationships. In Romans 12:10-13, Paul gives examples of how we can appeal to this desire for relationships and share the core of what we believe: ?Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…. Practice hospitality. ?

As we continue through the season of picnics and backyard barbecues, let ?s put into practice the missional act of hospitality. Let ?s start sharing God ?s always relevant love and by opening our homes and ?calling ? our neighbors to join us.

As we continue to bridge the gaps between God and people and among people, we find ourselves experiencing various forms of discomfort. While many long for the discomfort of maxing out our seating capacity, the experiences we will have before we get to that point may cause friction among the people who come into our fellowship and those who are already here.

Friction will come from personal differences. Some will come into the church with the baggage of damaged relationships, past church experiences, and unforgiven or unforgotten sin. Some will come into the fellowship with strong personalities and preferences.

Friction will come from different ?measures ? of faith. Some will come with brand-new faith. Others have been Christians for much of their lives ?and the levels of maturity will vary among them as well. With this will come different understandings of the Bible and varied practices of worship and service.

When this friction occurs, or better still, before then, we must remember Paul ?s words in Ephesians 4:2-7: ?Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit ?just as you were called to one hope when you were called ?one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ?

Here are a few ideas of how to bridge the gap patiently. Be direct; if you ?re upset with someone, talk to them directly. Be flexible; Christ ?s death has given us a lot more freedom than we sometimes give others credit. Be quiet; listen to others, even if they obviously don ?t have the right answers. Be encouraging; help other Christians grow in their faith. Be transparent; your faith story, your ups and downs, may be the directions someone else needs to cross the bridge.

As we get closer to July 4 and start thinking about our Independence Day celebrations, I start thinking about what it means to be free. I ?m thankful to live in a country that offers us so many freedoms in how we live our lives. But I ?m more thankful for the ultimate freedom we have in Christ to worship and serve God in what seems to be an endless number of ways. The strange thing about our Christian freedom is that we ?re actually making ourselves slaves to God. Paul had a good grasp of this: ?Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible ? (1 Corinthians 9:19).

Paul continues through the chapter listing the different ways he makes himself a slave to different people. In verse 22 he sums it up this way: ?I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ? Obviously we ?re not supposed to practice sinful behaviors in order to win people who do the same. What Paul is saying is that he uses every means that he can to win people to Jesus. And in this age, the means that we use are more diverse than ever. As we bridge the gap between people in this diverse culture and God, we must use our creativity.

An example of this creativity is how we can use the Internet. We have just added the domain name 5milechurch.org to our web presence. So, now you can send people to www.memorialchurchofchrist.org or www.5milechurch.org to see our new website. We ?re in the process of upgrading and updating the site, but it will include a new level of interaction between us and the people checking us out on the web. Soon we will be using the web to publish our events calendar, podcast our sermons, and provide online registration for events. Watch for changes in email addresses by the end of summer.

I ?ve always been intrigued by the mechanics of the human body. In fact, I was pre-med until the fifth grade. The most fascinating thing about the human body is how the many different parts and systems work together in a complex series of chemical, electrical, mechanical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual activities orchestrated to accomplish specific tasks. And if any of those systems or parts within those systems were to fail, down to the cellular and even molecular levels, then the task will not be accomplished, at least not effectively.

It ?s the same with the church. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:24, 25: “God has combined the members of the body ? so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” We usually consider the earlier parts of this passage, trying to remember that all of the parts are important, and that ?s good. However, the point is really summed up in these verses. It is more important that the parts work together, undivided, with concern for each other.

With that understanding, then, nobody in the church should be able to say, “It ?s not my job.” And nobody should ask, “Why doesn ?t somebody do something about ” Because we are a body, there is a shared responsibility for everything we do. Granted, some parts are responsible for specific tasks, but none of us are working on our own, nor should we try, nor should we expect others to do so. In order for us to get the job done effectively, we must bridge the gap and share the responsibility of getting the work done. That means that we all need to pitch in to do the work when we can and also hold each other accountable, in love, for our individual responsibilities. While you ?re at it, watch for the people who are doing the “thankless” tasks and try to encourage them with a word of “thanks” ?or just take your coffee cup with you and turn the lights out if you ?re the last person in the room. Either way, we ?re in this together!

Many people look to Romans as a summary of Christian theology, but there ?s just too much there for it to be a summary. Read Ephesians 2. Now that ?s a nice summary.

?Let me sum up. ? Paul says that we were once dead in our sins, all of us, because we live in the world that is ruled by Satan. But God made us alive, by his grace, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We have been saved because of our faith in Christ, and not by anything that we can do or have done. However, because we have been saved, we must do good works. And not only that, but because Jesus has made peace between us and God, we are all members of God ?s family, and we are being built up into the temple where God lives.

Basically, Jesus has bridged the gap between dead sinners and the living God. He has bridged the gap, bringing foreigners and aliens into the family. As a family, then, we need to work together to do the things that God has prepared for us to do. And there is a lot to be done.

You ?ll be hearing more about this soon, but the leadership has been working on the foundations of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it. The short answer to the question ?how is ministry teams. We ?ve looked at the committees and teams that have already been working, many of them informally and on their own without a lot of support or recognition, and we have identified more than 150 teams. And the list keeps growing.

We have teams that support the Sunday morning worship gatherings and programs. We have teams that help take care of our building and property and other administrative areas. We have teams that encourage fellowship and relationships through fun activities like sports and quilting. Whatever it is you are gifted to do, have experiencing doing, or just like to do, there ?s a team for you. Help us become what Christ has saved us to be and find a team where you can bridge the gap serving God and others.