Church Membership, really?

I recently sold my road bike. Over the years I've owned a Cannondale and a Specialized road bike. Through the years I've had an on-again-off-again love relationship with cycling. The height of this relationship usually came around the months of May and July every year. In May you have the Giro d'Italia and in July you have Le Tour de France. I've been riding bikes since I was a kid and as an adult I was finally able to afford a couple of very nice road bikes at different times. My favorite part of riding was climbing. My favorite part of climbing was grinding out the gears to make it to the top...mind over matter. I loved it all. The peloton...the strategy...I used to dream about being a domestique on the tour. Anyone remember "the look" Armstrong gave Ullrich? Amazing.

Now for the off again part...while watching these two races every year and reading Lance Armstrong's biography I couldn't help but feel the adrenaline begin to pump...right up until the point I clipped in and realized it was 110 outside. The bottom line was...there was a pretty big gap between the idea and the reality of being a cyclist. So I had a road bike and all of the necessary gear, but compared to Lance Armstrong or anyone else you might actually see on the road...I wasn't really a committed cyclist.

Wait a minute...didn't the title of this post include something about church membership? Yes...so here we go. For me, cycling was a romantic idea that I didn't really have the discipline to follow through on. I think there is a similar situation facing the idea of church membership.

Now don't get me wrong, a lot of churches proudly display their membership numbers...some even hang the number in the sanctuary along with last weeks offering amount. For the most part churches boast of membership numbers that do not reflect the actual number of people sitting on the pew or in the chair. I believe the norm is about 50%. On average if a church has 100 members you'll have around 50 people coming each Sunday. I think the fact that churches don't take their membership numbers seriously tells us they don't take membership seriously.

For the most part, we don't value church membership anymore because we don't value living on mission. It used to be that believers would join together as a body for the purpose of building one another up. Early Christians needed help and support to work toward holiness and to maintain their focus in spite of difficult circumstances brought about by a counter-cultural mission for the Gospel. When living on mission cost you something you need the love and support of those in the battle with you.

Like my relationship with cycling, most of us are on board with the idea of church membership because it's biblical, but we're not on board with the mission that in it necessitates the benefits of being a member of a local body of believers. So what would you say if someone asked you why he or she should be a member of a Bible believing church? We need accountability as we pursue holiness and we need support to remain faithful to the mission God has called us to. Every position on a cycling team is important...every rider has a role in strategy and team goals...there is no waisted position on the team...everyone depends on one another to be able to finish strong. To be on the team you have to be on the bike.

Greater Vision

I've worn glasses nearly all of my life. Over the years I've tried to switch from glasses to contacts multiple times, but just can't handle poking myself in the eye every morning...not the best way to start my day. With that said, every year I usually end up at my doctor's office for a check-up to see if I need a new prescription to maintain clear vision. I wonder if we need to do the same with our personal life from time-to-time? If we don't check-up once in a while we'll find that we're pretty far off course.

Right now I'm slowly reading through David Platt's new book, Radical. I can't help but consider what it means to live in light of the call God has placed on all of those who call Him Lord. Have we really considered the vastness of the call that God has given all of us? Think about this...we were created by God, saved from our sins, and blessed by God to make His glory known in all the world. Simply put, we're called to reach the nations...both the United States and the world. It isn't either/or...it's all nations.

I'm not going to say that all of us should pick up and move, but we shouldn't pass on the call to reach the nations though we might not be called to move to them! So what does this mean? Simply put, we should embrace the call to reach the nations! This has to change the way we live doesn't it? If we live with a mission to reach the nations we'll live with a greater purpose. Living with this purpose will change the way we spend our money and the way we make all kinds of decisions. I think there are a few simple questions we can ask to help us take a step in the right direction...First, we should ask God to break our heart for the things that break His. Second, we should make plans to go to the nations when we get a chance to take a trip. Third, we should send money in partnership with organizations who are reaching the nations with the Gospel. The bottom line question of all questions to consider..."How can I leverage all that I've been given to accomplish the most I can for the call God has given us all for the nations?"

Platt writes, "God has an ulterior motive in blessing us...we are not the end of His grace." So, let's not stand on the edge of the mighty call of God with the vision of bat.

Blessed To Be A Blessing

Have you ever stopped to consider what God has called you to do with your life? Is it all for you or for some greater purpose? It's easy to get caught up in your own life and carried away in your own goals and plans, but what should we be doing? We've all heard that we're supposed to look forward to hearing the Lord say, "Well done" but for what? What are we supposed to do in order to have those words spoke over us as we stand before the Lord? Work hard? Raise a family? Serve the church?

It's easy to get caught up in great plans. So easy that most of the time we get caught up in the plans and never really do anything. I'd venture a guess that the Lord isn't going to say "Well done" for the things that many of us think we are doing to deserve those words. I think, rather than getting caught up in grand plans or epic movements we should consider what God has called us to do.

God calls us all to make much of him, much of others and to make disciples. God calls each one of us to a personal relationship with Him through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has gone to extraordinary measures to reconcile us to Himself through the blood of Christ. Our foremost call is to be centered and content in our relationship with God. Secondly, God has called us to make much of others. Specifically God calls us to love others as much as we love ourselves. We're to serve others and expect nothing in return. We're to live in such a way as to recognize that there are other people living on this planet other than ourselves. We're blessed to be a blessing! Finally, we are called to make disciples. We're called to share the Gospel with others and walk with them as they grow in their relationship with Christ.

It's important to understand how these three general calls go hand-in-hand. Our relationship with God is of first importance and through this relationship God-The Holy Spirit empowers us to do everything else we're called to do. First, we're called to be still and know that He is God. Then the Holy Spirit transforms us to know and love God, compels us to love others, and empowers us to share the Gospel and make disciples.

I think the answers to the following questions serve as the foundation for which we can expect to hear the words, "Well done:"

How is you're personal relationship with Jesus?

How are you serving others? You're blessed to be a blessing!

With whom are you sharing the gospel and teaching God's Word?

Eli loves YouTube!

Thought I would share Eli's favorite YouTube video with you. This afternoon Cary has been having lunch with a group of girls from her table group from Freedom. Needless to say, Eli and I have a lot fun when mom's away...

Is there a middle road?

Friday is Fun Day!

Friday is my favorite day! I know what you're thinking...TGIF, right? I love Friday because it's my day with Eli! During the rest of the week I only get to spend a couple hours a day with him. I usually get to feed him breakfast in the mornings and get to see him for dinner in the evenings just before bed. Although lately we've started seeing each other a couple mornings a week around 4:30. Eli doesn't like to be on his back and he's finally mobile enough to roll over...once. So, I usually hear him crying at about 4:30 because he's on his back. It's like he wakes up and doesn't know why he's look up at the ceiling.

So you can see why I love the opportunity to have Friday off every week. I'm also thankful to know that Cary is at home with him throughout the day. I know we're lucky to be able to have her with him. I'm grateful that both of us aren't out all week working outside the home only seeing him before daycare and a couple hours before bed time in the evenings. I know it's hard for those of you who might not be able to have it setup this way.

Gotta go...Eli's trying to get my attention with his "hurry up, dad let's play" scream!

Pastor?

So over the past year I've been thinking a lot about pastoral ministry. I'm beginning to feel more certain that God is calling me to serve in this capacity. It's funny how God works. After being certain that I would be in youth ministry, he called me to college ministry.

When Cary and I moved to Fort Worth for seminary I was sure that college ministry would be my life long vocation. Actually, I used to get frustrated when people would ask me what I was going to do after college ministry. I guess their initial thoughts were that you could only be in college ministry as long as you could pull of a faux-hawk, soul-patch, and skinny jeans. (I've never warn skinny jeans.) I didn't know that I couldn't be a college minister forever so I hadn't ever thought about it. After all, Louie Giglio is 50+ and he's still involved in college ministry!

So through the past year I've been talking to folks who are currently in pastoral ministry. I've had the opportunity to serve with some great guys through the years. Recently, I met with my pastor to discuss this call and to pick his brain a little. It was a great, affirming lunch meeting. This is the second time that we've met to talk about ministry and there are two things that he said that I want to pass along to whoever reads this...

1. We need to know the difference between trepidation and the influence of the Holy Spirit. Never allow trepidation to prevent you from making a decision. We've got to learn to trust the Holy Spirit's call whether he's opening or closing a door.

2. If we believe in the sovereignty of God like we say we do then we have to believe that there isn't anyone in your life that God hasn't placed there for a reason. Like I've already mentioned above God has placed some really solid men in my life that have helped me and are still helping me along the way.

Finally, I want to let you in on a very good blog I just discovered courtesy of Nine Marks. The blog, Practical Shepherding, looks like a great resource for young pastors and those considering the call to pastoral ministry. Here is an entry that I found beneficial:

How do I know if I am called into pastoral ministry?

April 22, 2010 by Brian Croft

I met with a friend of mine this week who is trying to evaluate whether he is called into pastoral ministry. What I shared with him is what I would share with any brother seeking to evaluate this question. The first question he must answer is, “Do you have a strong desire for the work of a pastor?” The Apostle Paul instructs his young protégé in the faith and writes, “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer (pastor); it is a fine work he desires to do (1 Tim. 3:1). The great nineteenth century Baptist, Charles Spurgeon lectured young men preparing for the ministry in this way, “The first sign of the heavenly calling is an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work.” There must be a strong, unquenchable desire to do the work of a pastor—a desire to preach God’s word, shepherd God’s people, evangelize the lost, disciple the spiritually immature, and serve the local church.

Paul writes that the man who desires to do this divine work is pursuing a fine work. Nevertheless, an unquenchable longing for this work is required, for it is a work fraught with struggles, challenges, discouragements, pressures, and spiritual battles that can cripple the strongest of men whose desire for this divine labor is ordinary. It must be a desire that cannot be stolen when your brother betrays you; a desire that cannot be weakened when your job is threatened; a desire that cannot be quenched when physical, mental, and emotional fatigue firmly take root. This desire must so define the individual that the reality of an internal calling is unmistakable.

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