You're Invited!

I'm excited to invite you to our annual missions weekend! I look forward to this event as we hear about how God is at work through the people and ministries we support.

As a church, you get to decide how much we give away for missions. I'm thankful that we have such a generous church! Because of your support we will be giving away almost $16,000 towards missions efforts this year! That is more than 14% of our estimated budget. On Sunday, October 29th, we will collect missions pledge cards for 2018. These cards indicate your prayer and financial commitment to our missions efforts for 2018. Please prayerfully consider how you would like to support missions for the upcoming year. 

Our missions speaker is Brian Tsui. He grew up in a Chinese American household where the family religion involved worshiping ancestors and other Buddhist practices. Through the ordinary witness of Christians and the Church, Brian came to know Jesus. He now serves as the Campus Minister at San Jose State University where he shares the gospel with people from many religious backgrounds. Brian is passionate about being a faithful witness in a place where Christianity is not part of the dominate culture. 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

Schedule

• October 28
  • 5:00-6:00PM – Missions Dinner (catered by R&R BBQ)
  • 6:00-7:30 – Missionary updates and missions devotional. (Childcare provided)
• October 29
  • 9:45-11:00 – Missions worship service and collect missions pledge cards.
  • 11:30-1:00PM – Missions potluck (please bring a side or dessert to share)
  • 6:00-7:00 – Joint Reformation Service at JVC with all the other PCA churches in the area. (Childcare provided)

Ministries We Supported in 2017:

• Gospel Presbyterian Church & Lifehouse Ministry
• City Presbyterian Church
• Crosspoint Presbyterian Church
• Reformation Carried Forward by Kenyans Pastor's Conference
• Pastoral Internship for Kenyan Amos Omia (Starting in Jan 2018 at Jordan Valley Church)

The Reformation and Missions

On October 31st, 1517, a monk in his mid thirties named Martin Luther published his ninety-five thesis, accusing the Catholic Church of misconduct. Initially Pope Leo X dismissed Luther as another drunken monk. But the Papal theologian Prierias was not so dismissive. He quickly published a response, Dialogue Against the Arrogant Theses of Martin Luther. Luther’s thesis had struck a nerve and would change the course of western history. 

This October marks the five hundredth year since the Reformation. October is also when we host our missions conference. While the Reformation is not often associated with missions, you could argue that the Reformation was missional. Prior to the Reformation, people lived according the mantra facere quo in se est (do what lies within you). It was the idea that salvation is tied to your personal effort. The medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas taught that grace does not do away with nature, but completes it. In other words, grace works hand-in-hand with your effort to make you acceptable before God. But this only led to anxiety. People wondered, ‘have I done enough for God?” Many priests would answer that question by simply saying, “try harder.” And the priests provided many opportunities for people to give more to the church in order to further their own righteousness. 

The medieval book Hortus Deliciarum (“Garden of Delights”) depicts salvation as a ladder of virtues. God greets those who make it to the top by handing them a crown of life. Each rung of the ladder represents another virtue that one must acquire to earn salvation. There are demons all around, ready to shoot down all who try to climb up. On the side of the ladder is written, “Whoever falls can start climbing again thanks to the remedy of penance.” 

It was under this system that the continent of Europe lived, including the young monk Martin Luther. Luther was determined to do his best. But as Luther reflected on all that effort he realized, “[T]hough I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience... I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners.” 

Luther and the the other reformers lived in a mission field where churches were prevalent, but few knew of God’s gift of salvation. The people lived under a system that understood righteousness as something you needed to earn, and grace worked in conjunction with your own effort. The reformers’ message flipped all of that on its head. Instead they showed a burdened and weary people that righteousness is God’s gift through faith, that grace is given before they do anything on their own. 

The Reformation was about missions. The reformers had to establish gospel-centered churches and leadership where none existed. They had to educate a whole people about the basics of the real gospel message. It’s because of these things that I’m excited that we are commemorating the 500th year of the Reformation alongside our missions conference. In order to better understand the impact of the Reformation and how it applies to us today we will be doing a sermon series looking at the five key teachings of the Reformation: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and God’s glory alone. During Sunday school we will be diving into some of the historical context around each main doctrine that came out of the Reformation. I’m excited for this series, and I hope you will join us for the sermons and Sunday School.

The final sermon in this series, “To God’s Glory Alone”, will be preached by Brian Tsui at our Joint Reformation Service at 6pm October 29th. We’ve invited all the other PCA churches in the area to come, and we are excited to fill our building with other believers, worshiping with the same liturgy those Christians used back then. After learning about the Reformation in our series, we will get to experience it and see how the theological and practical issues of the Reformation influenced how those believers (and we today) worshipped. 

I’m excited about the many things we have going on in October and look forward to seeing you there. 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon
 

Reformation Month Schedule
1 Oct - God’s Word Alone
8 Oct - Faith Alone
15 Oct - Grace Alone
22 Oct - Christ Alone
28 Oct - 5:00-7:30PM Missions dinner with our missionaries. 
29 Oct - 9:45-12pm: Missions worship service with lunch afterwards
29 Oct 6:00-7:00pm God’s Glory Alone: Joint Reformation Service with all the other PCA churches.

Five Reasons we like Kids in Worship

One unfortunate trend in churches is the increasing age segregation of worship. Children are placed in kids’ programs from an early age and can even grow into adulthood having never worshiped with people of different ages. Even if we could have the most exciting kids’ ministry possible during our service, we wouldn’t want to do that. Why? Because we believe letting our children worship with us is one of the best ways for them to learn to love God. 

Here are five reasons why we like our children to worship with us:

We will all worship together in heaven.

Dividing up people by ages for worship stands in direct contrast to the picture of ideal worship we see in Revelation 7:9:

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. 

The picture of heavenly worship is marked by both unity and diversity. While there is no reference to different age groups, the principle is clear: heavenly worship involves all God’s different people worshiping together in unity. We should ensure our worship reflects this ultimate worship service. 
 

It helps children see the world is bigger than them. 

When children worship with others, they learn that life is about more than just them. When a child grows up in an environment that caters to his or her needs, it can subtly teach that the world revolves around them. But Christian worship means taking our eyes off ourselves and focusing them upon God. When we exclude children from our worship, we miss out one one of the few places where our lives are put into perspective as we encounter a living God. 

 
It gives your kids an opportunity to see your love for God. 

Many of us desire to have some type of family devotionals, but it’s hard. Life is busy. Participating as a family in worship on Sunday mornings gives your children an opportunity to see your love for God. Your kids notice you singing and listening to God’s Word. When they see your eagerness and love of worship it rubs off on them. Remember how many bad habits our kids pick up from us! Kids are natural imitators. Why not let them learn some good habits from us? Why would we miss out on the opportunity for our kids to mimic our worship of God? If children never worship with parents, they miss seeing them practice what they preach. 

 
It allows your children to see a community loving God.

When children participate in worship they get to see other members of God’s family express their love for God. A parent's faith isn’t just something that they’ve made up, or do in isolation. In other words, our faith is not just something our family does, but something a community participates in together. 
 

God works through ordinary means

There isn’t a simple five-step plan to ensure children grow up to love God. One of the tenants reformed worship is that God works through ordinary means. Through God’s word, prayer, and the sacraments, God brings extraordinary change. These are simple things, things that will constantly be attacked as outdated or out of touch. Indeed if it were simply about how powerful these things were by themselves they would be outdated! But God promises to use our ordinary acts and combine them with his supernatural power to bring real change in people's life. It’s not about our skill (or lack of it) that brings genuine Christian growth. The public worship service is one of the places where God’s ordinary means of grace all show up. We trust those are good enough to bring real spiritual growth in adults. But they are also good enough to bring real spiritual growth in children. Why would be want to take our children out of a place where God promises to work? 
 

Concluding Thoughts

We don’t want to be a church that is only welcoming to those who are committed to keeping their kids in Church. Many factors can make this difficult for families. For some, the idea of kids in church is new. Others are single parents or come to church without a spouse, and it’s hard to both manage children and participate in worship. Children have different temperaments, and some will struggle more than others. As church we want to be sensitive and welcoming to all families.

We think of children's ministry during the worship service as a series of steps to help our kids make the jump into worship with everyone else. The first step is nursery for children up to three years old. Here, children get used to coming to the church and start building relationships with other children and people here. From ages four to six they can participate in a program called Stepping Stones where they stay through the first half of the worship service. This gets them used to being in the service without having to sit through all of it. The third step is for children over six. They participate through the whole worship service, but we offer snacks and kids’ bulletins with worship related activities to help children stay engaged. These are all optional; in the end each family decides how they want their kids to participate in worship. 

Every one of us makes a big difference too. Parents notice when we have a welcoming attitude toward kids in worship.. A loving smile or word of encouragement helps a parent who worries about the noise their child is making. In the end we want to be a church that reflects God’s kingdom when we worship. And that means people of all different backgrounds and ages coming together to show our love for the God who is making us new. 

In Christ,
Pastor Jon

Christianity Is a Team Sport

This past Sunday we started a series through Nehemiah called “Forward.” In the opening chapter Nehemiah hears of the struggles in Jerusalem. It is striking how much Nehemiah identifies with these distant people. Their problems are his problems. Their sins are his sins. This thinking is the opposite of the individualistic way we approach spiritual growth: “If I’m spending some time reading my Bible and praying, I’m good.” But Nehemiah’s spiritual health is tied to the spiritual health of all God’s people. The theologian Don Carson says, “Lone ranger Christianity won’t make much sense of the book of Nehemiah.” 

In our sermon on Sunday I challenged each person to ask if they are living as if Christianity is an individual or a team sport. The book of Nehemiah and the rest of Scripture show that Christianity is much more of a team sport than an individual one. 

David and Goliath – 1 Samuel 17

Growing up in the church, I remember being taught the story of David and Goliath. Afterwards, my friends and I tried to create slings.  We all dreamed of being like David, defeating giants with only a stone and sling. (I never did face a giant, but it there was one window that didn’t survive!)

Fun as that was, the story of David and Goliath makes more sense through the lens of a team sport. It’s like a sudden death shootout at the end of an overtime soccer game. The star player kicks the ball, bottom left corner of the net, score! The whole team wins! David’s success (or failure) against Goliath was the success (or failure) of all the Israelites. If David won, Israel won. 

When we read it this way, we see the story is less about us being like David and more about how a true hero brings victory for all the people. That takes us right to Christ, whose victory over a power even greater than Goliath--evil itself--brings victory for us all. In fact, our salvation is only possible if we see this is a team sport. 

The Body of Christ – 1 Corinthians 12

In this passage, Paul describes the church as a body made up of people with different gifts. Often people interpret this as Paul speaking about a single church, made up of various people with various gifts. But we know Paul is speaking of all Christians because in verse 13, he addresses those who were baptized “into one body by one Spirit.” Paul is talking about all who have been baptized with Christian baptism. He goes on, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (12:26) Think about this literally. If you break your big toe you can’t just go on functioning like everything is fine. It affects all of your life. Paul's point is that all believers have this organic connection. We cannot ignore the pain of other Christians any more than we can ignore the pain from a broken toe. 

Growing In Christ  – Ephesians 4:15-16

Here Paul tells us how to talk to Christians who are carried away by every new teaching or belief: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  Every Christian has a responsibility to grow in Christ, and we grow in Christ by speaking the truth in love. In other words, while officers of the church ought to equip people for ministry (Eph 4:11-12), all Christians ought to speak truth in love to each other. Every one of us has this responsibility. God’s model for the church is not to have a few people who provide spiritual care; no, every person is called to ministry. In other words, the Christian life is a team sport. 

Implications

There are many implications from these passages, but I want to focus on the question I started with: are you living as if Christianity is an individual or team sport? A simple diagnostic is to look at how are you invested in the spiritual growth of those around you? Husbands, we cannot say we are doing well spiritually if we are not investing in the spiritual growth of our wives. Parents, likewise, we cannot say we are doing fine if we are not invested in the spiritual growth of our children. And for every member of the church, our spiritual health is tied to the spiritual health of those around us. So what impact are you having on the spiritual growth of those people around you? Are you praying for their growth in Christ? Are you speaking the truth in love to them? Small groups are a great way to be invested in the spiritual growth of others. Each person in our church, from the youngest to the oldest, has the ability to make an eternal impact in someone's spiritual life. 

All this ties into our vision; we are on a journey to know Christ. My dream is that we would be a church where, when we make it to the end, we will look back and see that we made it not so much because of any one person, but because of our community and the thousands of often small things we did to encourage one another in Christ. 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

Kids in Church Part 2

This month, we continue our series on passing our faith on to the next generation. One thing that is often overlooked is that, if we want our children to have an authentic faith, we must have an authentic faith. In the Old Testament God desired authentic love. (Psalm 51:16-17, Hosea 6:6) Outward acts of sacrifice, when divorced from a heart of repentance and love, were actually offensive to God. We may not offer physical sacrifices or burnt offering like the Israelites did, but we do offer other types of sacrifices and offerings to God. We sacrifice our time by volunteering in the church, and we give offerings of money. But there is a danger in these becoming empty forms of worship if they aren’t accompanied by a heart that loves God. God wants authentic worship. God wants us to love him, and when we love him, we will give him all of our lives. 
 
So how does this apply to our children? Sometimes children's programs in the church can become like empty sacrifices and offerings. It’s easier to put our kids in Sunday school or youth group than it is to cultivate a genuine love for God in our own hearts and then share that with our children. But in Deuteronomy 6, God calls for parents to display a love for God in every corner of their lives. This is much harder than dropping your child off at the child check-in, but it also offers something much more lasting. 
 
When a genuine love for God emanates from parents’ lives, their children notice. We can sometimes wonder why our kids pick up certain habits or mannerisms. But most likely they picked up these things by observing us! Children are observers of all our actions–even our unpleasant ones. Angela Duckworth, in her book Grit, talks about how much influence our actions have. She describes a psychology experiment at Stanford University in which the children observed the adults playing with toys. Half of the children watched them play with tinker toys the entire time. The other half of the children watched them play with the tinker toys for a few minutes, but then the adult turned and started hitting a life-size inflatable doll. The adult yelled and screamed at the doll and eventually kicked it out of the room. 
 
Next, the children were given opportunities to play with the same toys. Those who watched the adults play peacefully with the toys did the same. But those who watched the violent outburst were aggressive towards the doll, sometimes even copying exactly what they saw the adult do. Much of a child’s learning takes place through informal observation. So parents must ask themselves what their children are observing. Do their children see parents who love God in their thoughts, words, and deeds? 
 
When we understand this organic way our children grow it both simplifies our task as parents and makes it much harder. It simplifies our task because faith is often best passed on to your children through simple, ordinary means, such as conversations around the dinner table, prayers together, and making church a priority. Little things like this over the course of years add up to something substantial. 
 
But this organic way of raising our kids is also harder. It means we must actually love God. We must live a life that reflects what it means to be a follower of Christ. Is it any surprise when a grown child walks away from the faith after observing his parents make hundreds of little decisions that show a priority of sports, vacations, and other things over the regular worship of God? Unfortunately, I sometimes get the impression that parents who seek the most exciting church experiences for their children do it because they are trying to give their children something that they have not actually experienced themselves. The decision a child makes regarding his faith doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It is often the fruit (whether good or not) of the spiritual environment they grew up in. 
 
In the next months we will get into some of the practical ways we help our children grow in Christ, but it must start with us and our authentic love for God. This is the foundation for everything that follows. 

In Christ,
Pastor Jon

This is adapted from the booklet “Helping our Kids Grow in Christ.”  It is freely available on the JVC website.  

Helping Our Kids Grow in Christ (ebook)

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Kids in Church

Over the next couple months we will look at what Scripture has to say about raising children in the faith. People outside the church often ask me about our kids’ ministry. I get the impression they assume that the best way for a child to grow up to know Jesus is through a vibrant children's ministry and fun youth group. But when we look at Scripture, God doesn’t tell  us to have these things. This doesn’t mean they can’t play a role, but they aren’t foundational. Instead God gives some of his clearest instructions in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT):

Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Moses is telling the people what they need to do in order to ensure the generations after them continue to experience the blessings God has promised. He calls for wholehearted commitment to God and tells them how to pass that on to the next generation. Notice that Moses doesn’t say the children need to be enrolled in Sampson's Hunting Club or David’s Music School; on the contrary, the things we typically associate with kids’ ministry are absent. These things are not wrong, but God’s design for passing on our faith to the next generation is less about programs and more about authentic displays of God’s word in all of life. Notice the commands: “repeat them,” “talk about them,” “tie them,” “wear them,” “write them.” Now notice the locations and situations: home and on the road, going to bed and getting up, on your hands and foreheads, doorposts of house and gates. Moses is talking about creating an environment, an environment that encompasses the child’s whole life. The idea of sectioning off part of your life for God--this day or this hour--is foreign to God’s design. Moses is calling on people to live spiritual lives where every action is done for God’s glory. 

Christian faith is best passed on to the next generation through authentic Christian environments. Certain programs fit into that, but a program is not an environment. Programs end; they have boundaries. God calls Christian parents to something without boundaries. We are to raise our children in a climate where God is loved.

Let me illustrate this. For several months I lived with a family in Hawaii. About the time I showed up the family planted a banana tree in their front yard. A few months later the banana tree was producing bananas. For a guy who grew up in the high elevations of Colorado this was shocking. It took over ten years for my family to get our new apple tree to produce fruit. Hawaii, though, was an excellent environment for bananas. A good habitat fosters growth. A really good youth group can act like fertilizer, but a plant cannot survive on fertilizer alone! For lasting growth, it needs an entire environment with water, good soil, sun, the right temperature, and so much more. Likewise, the key for a good spiritual environment is authentic love for God; it’s like sunlight, water, rich soil, and a good climate all at once. 

Authentic love for God must undergird everything we do if we want to see the next generation grow up to love Christ. Everyone in the church has a role to play in this. Over the next several newsletters we will look at some of the ways in which we all can show our children this love for God through family activities, worship, children's programs and more. 

In Christ,
Pastor Jon

This is adapted from the booklet “Helping our Kids Grow in Christ.”  It will be freely available in the coming weeks on the JVC website and resource wall. 

Christians and Immigration: Part 2

Back in March, we talked about sphere sovereignty and how it can help us think and talk about immigration. Then, we considered this issue within the sphere of the government. In this newsletter we are going to look at how we should think of immigration within the sphere of the church. 

To review, sphere sovereignty is the idea that God has created distinct spheres of authority within the world. Governments have a certain sphere of authority, while the church has another sphere of authority. When applying passages of Scripture we need to ensure we are not taking a passage that is written for one sphere--say, the church--, and applying it to another sphere, such as the government. A simple example is a Christian police officer who is both to use the “power of the sword” (Rom 13:4) to protect the citizens and to follow Jesus’ teachings to “turn the other cheek.” (Matt 5:39) The sphere the police officer is currently operating in (as an on-duty officer, or as a private citizen) would tell him which scriptural principle to apply to his situation. As I mentioned in the March newsletter, many misunderstandings about the response to immigration result from taking a single Bible passage and applying it to all spheres. This wouldn’t work for Jesus’ teaching to turn the other cheek, and it doesn’t work for passages related to immigration.  

Churches, while they reside in particular nations, do not belong to those nations, but are embassies of God’s eternal kingdom. (John 18:36, Phil 3:12) God’s kingdom is made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. (Rev 7:9) In one sense, God’s kingdom is wholly made up of immigrants. In Romans 4, Paul tells us that we are not born into God’s household, but become part of God’s family through faith. In other words, we all had to go through an immigration process when we became Christians. And we now live as spiritual foreigners--refugees--, awaiting the day we make it to our new home. This should give all Christians compassion for refugees and immigrants.

The purpose of the Church is to make disciples from all nations. (Matt 28:19) Traditionally, this meant missionaries would go overseas, but now, with the ongoing refugee crises, the nations are coming to us. We now have opportunities to bring the gospel to all nations without even leaving our city.  In Acts 17:26-7, Paul tells us that God has ordained the boundaries and movements of all people throughout history. Thus the millions of refugees seeking a home is not a mishap, but part of God’s sovereign purpose. 

Many refugees come from places where it is difficult to send Christian missionaries, and now God is bringing these formerly isolated people to us. As a church we should welcome people from around the globe because of the opportunity to share the gospel with them. Are there risks in welcoming refugees? Yes, of course. It’s the government's job to figure out how to minimize these risks. But as Christians, when did we start thinking it wasn’t risky to be a Christian? When did we start thinking there wouldn’t be  a cost to following Christ? Can we claim to follow Jesus, who willingly suffered and died on a cross for his enemies, if we first seek safety and isolation from the very type of people that Jesus died for–those who wanted to kill him? 

The influx of refugees and immigrants should be exciting for God’s Church. Now the nations are coming to us! And what a message of hope the Gospel has to those who have no home. For at the heart of the Gospel is the story of a man named Jesus, who, not long after he was born, was taken by his parents as a refugee to Egypt. The Gospel offers the hope of a new beginning. Whether we live in the suburbs or the slums, the Gospel shows the best is yet to come. Because of Christ, we are all immigrants, walking by faith towards the true home Jesus has prepared for us in heaven.

In Christ,
Pastor Jon

We Are Just Getting Started

Last year, on Sunday, October 16th, we outlined a new vision for our church. This Easter Sunday, April 16th, marks exactly six months from that congregational meeting. It’s hard to believe it’s been six months! And yet these past few months have been so encouraging. So many people have helped out–I’ve counted at least thirty different people! They are excited about how good it all looks. After six years of flat or declining attendance our church has started to grow again. This is an exciting time for our church. 

Most of our renovations are done now. The building looks amazing. But the thing is, it won’t last. The beautiful new floor will get scratched and worn. The fresh paint will eventually look dated, and the carpet will fray. So why all the renovations? Because they are temporary things that help us share what is eternal–the Gospel. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul’s words are striking. He’s saying the central focus of his ministry is Jesus Christ and his death--more specifically, his crucifixion. We hear of Jesus’s death so often that we can almost become immune its power. But Paul says that the crucifixion is central to all of Scripture. Fleming Rutledge’s book, The Crucifixion, helps us understand the power of the cross in a fresh way:  “Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central focus the suffering and degradation of its God.” She goes on to say, “Men and women did not forsake their former ways of life because they were offered spiritual direction or instructed in righteous living; they became converts because of the explosive news that they heard.” 

It’s been a busy few months at our church. The renovations might be nearly done, but our work is just getting started. Why? Because all that work serves something greater, the proclamation of Jesus Christ and him crucified. That is the explosive news that transformed people in the first century. The message that the God who made everything was shamed, suffered, and died in one of the most humiliating ways known to man. And he did this because of his great love for us. Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus! We want all people to know this love. 

God is at work, using us to share his love. I’ve had many gospel conversations with visitors since we’ve become Jordan Valley Church. I spoke with a college student who visited our church and was overwhelmed by the welcome she received; now she wants to learn more about our church. I’ve been able to read the Bible with someone who responded, “I’ve never heard this before. This grace sounds too good to be true.” I’ve had a conversation with someone who said he’s not a Christian, but he’s interested in what’s happening here, and he keeps coming back. God is working in our church! We are just getting started, and by God’s grace the best is yet to come. 
 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

Christians and Immigration: Part 1

How should we as Americans and Christians think about immigration? I realize I’m a little late to the party. Immigration was a hot topic a few weeks ago; it seems to have died down a bit now. But Presbyterians are always late to the party on things like this; at least I am. Or perhaps that’s why I’m Presbyterian?  

I wanted to write about this because so much of what Christians are saying about it seems to be marked more by political ideology than by biblical thinking. This concerns me. I’m not an expert on immigration, but, having lived in Iraq (one of seven countries named in the recent temporary immigration ban) for over a year, I do have a unique perspective on some of the issues. But I’m also a pastor; part of my role is that of “public theologian;” I ought to be helping people see how the Bible speaks to the issues of our day.

Sphere Sovereignty

When we read scripture we should ask what spheres of life (or authority) these passages fit into. Consider a police officer; his job is to serve and protect the people. This authority comes from God himself. (Rom 13:1-7) But say this police officer is also a Christian, and thus should follow Jesus’s command to not resist an evildoer, but turn the other cheek. (Matt 5:39) How does the police officer reconcile these two seemingly conflicting commands? Should he return fire at the bank robber who is shooting at him? This would make him a good police officer, but not a good Christian. Or should he stand down and offer his other cheek as a target to the robber? This would make him a good Christian, but not a good police officer.

The idea of sphere sovereignty is helpful here. In his role (sphere) as a police officer, he has a duty to protect others, using force if necessary. However, in his personal life, it would be wrong for him to use that authority by pulling out his service pistol to confront a neighbor whose dog poops on his lawn. Here, in the personal sphere, Jesus’s command to turn the other cheek would take precedence.

This same principle applies in our talk about immigration. A government that fails to protect its people is failing in one of its basic mandates. But there is also the sphere of a Christian's personal life where we all should be willing to lay down our own lives for the sake of the Gospel. Much of the disagreement I’ve seen among Christians happens because people take scriptures meant for one sphere of authority and try to apply them to another sphere. But that’s the same mistake as the police officer saying he won’t return fire on duty because he needs to turn the other cheek. In the immigration debate, someone might cite a scripture passage regarding the care of immigrants, yet ignore passages regarding the government's priority to protect its people. Understanding the different spheres of sovereignty helps us to both welcome immigrants and be committed to keeping our country safe.

Total Depravity

One of the most ignored (and helpful) teachings of Scripture when it comes to immigration is the doctrine of total depravity. This doctrine teaches that, while humans are not as bad as they could be, every part of humanity is affected by sin. (Jer 17:9; Titus 1:15; Rom 3:10-19)

Some who would advocate for more open borders forget that people are totally depraved. I get the sense that some politicians believe that, if they could just sit in a room and talk with certain extremists, they would win them to their side and the American way. Unfortunately, this belief ignores that people are totally depraved. Some have been so twisted by sin that they take pleasure in the brutal killing of others.

But others who advocate for much stricter policies seem to forget that we are all totally depraved. The threat of violence is not just “outside the gates” but also within. The sin that leads terrorists to commit horrible acts of violence is the same sin that is within us. This should give us a healthy dose of humility. When we forget total depravity, it can lead to pride, to thinking we are somehow better than others. But we forget that we only have what we have by the grace of God. Because of this we should have compassion for all people.

Christ Is the True King

As Christians who are citizens of the United States we cannot forget that God is our true protector. This keeps us from unhealthy paranoia regarding acts of terrorism. It even allows us to accept some risk in accepting refugees, if there are good reasons to accept them. Trusting in an earthly king more than in God is what often got Israel into trouble. Israel often wanted a king who would build a strong army, economy and alliances; yet, ironically, the more Israel sought those things, the more they tended to lose them. Had God’s people worried less about military and political might and had instead sought God first, they would have been safer.

Forgetting All People Are Made in the Image of God

In Genesis 1:26-27, we learn that God created all people in his image. No higher honor can be given than to be made in the image of the God who made all things! This means we must reject “us versus them” thinking. We must reject ostracising certain groups of people because of a few bad apples. Even in the worst people, God’s image remains. We must show a respect for every human life, never stooping to the same lows that those who wish us harm would use.

One of the things that struck me while deployed in Iraq was how much I had in common with most of the Iraqi citizens. They were all Muslim, and yet they were a lot like me. They had the same desires, worries and struggles that I did. The vast majority of Iraqis I met didn’t hate us; many were incredibly hospitable. Even those who would aid Al Qaeda by planting a roadside bomb were not usually religious extremists. The economy was bad in Iraq, and no one had money; so Al Qaeda started to pay good money to people to plant roadside bombs. This was the only work available. To “sweeten” the deal Al Qaeda operatives would often threaten to kill his wife and kids if a citizen refused. If you were in that same situation can you be sure you wouldn’t have made the same choice many of the Iraqis did? Plant the bomb, and your family gets to live. The Americans at least had body armor, which is much more protection than your children have if Al Qaeda comes for them. The greatest casualties of Islamic Extremism in Iraq were Muslims themselves.

When I get to know people who are different than me I soon learn we actually aren't that different. Because we are all made in the image of God, we have many similarities. And because we are made in the image of God, we all have dignity.

We Need to Respect Our Leaders

Romans 13:1 gives us some of the clearest guidance for our posture towards those in governmental authority. It says,
 

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Who should submit to the governmental authorities? Everyone. But what if they support things you are against? Doesn’t matter. They are in that place because God placed them there. Now, if a ruler asks us to do something that violates God’s law, we must obey God. (Acts 5:29) Ultimately God will hold leaders accountable for their actions and whether they submit to God or not. (Psalm 2) One of our first duties is to pray for them. (1 Tim 2:1-2) How many of us can say our prayers for our leaders outnumber our complaints about them? Scripture says that our attitudes towards our leaders should not change whether or not their politics  mesh with our own. Paul plainly states that we should “honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:17) He makes no exception for Roman emperors who are unfriendly to Christians.

Concluding Thoughts

We’ve looked at some principles for how we should think about refugees within the sphere of our national citizenship. Next month we will look at this topic as it relates to the sphere of the church. I cannot tell you what you should believe regarding our national policy for immigration and refugees. But it is my hope that we will seek to turn our thinking on the matter in a scriptural direction. How can we truly call ourselves Christian if we do not seek to conform all our thinking to Christ?

The Government has an obligation to protect its people. There are evil people who take pleasure in destroying anything good, and so the government must protect its citizens from them. But most people don’t fit into that category. Most refugees, I suspect, are like many of the people we met in Iraq. People caught in the middle, simply wanting to take care of their families. Recognizing this was one of the things that turned the tide of the Iraq war. Instead of seeing the local populace as our enemies or a nuisance, we started seeing them as partners and allies. They were then less likely to help Al Qaeda operatives; in fact,  they would give us tips on where the roadside bombs were. Sometimes I even suspect they knew where a roadside bomb was because they planted it! But they didn’t want to harm us; they were just trying to keep their children alive by doing what Al Qaeda forced them to do.

Let’s realize the issues are complicated and that good people can disagree. And just because someone disagrees doesn't mean they hate America--no, they probably want the same thing you do, to keep our nation safe. They just have different ideas for how to do it. Remember, every one of us if deeply affected by sin, so let’s show some more humility. Most of all, let us ensure that we are honoring God and esteeming the name of Christ in all we do.

In Christ,
Pastor Jon

Why Choose a Church?

Why Choose a Church?

Why should you choose a church to regularly attend?  Many people question the value of the institutional church today. I regularly hear people say, “I believe in God and pray, but I don’t feel the need to go to church.” Why should you bother to commit to a church? Let me list a few reasons.

Without Commitment It’s Hard to Grow. If you want to become really good at a sport you need a coach: someone on the outside to hold you accountable to your goals, to see things you cannot see, and to give corrective feedback. When you don’t feel like getting up early to practice, knowing you have a coach waiting for you motivates you. When you are shifting your weight in a way that you can’t notice, a coach can quickly notice the problem. Our spiritual growth is similar. Paul tells us that the way we grow in Christ is by “speaking the truth in love” to one another (Eph 4:15-16). For someone to speak the truth in love to you they need to know you. Committing to one church means you can be known by others who can help you grow. 

You Have Something to Offer. Ultimately, it is selfish to withhold your God-given spiritual gifts from fellow believers. Each person has something to offer for the blessing of others. While you can volunteer here or there outside of church, there is no other place where you can regularly use those gifts to bless others. The church is a community, and a community is healthy when everyone is helping one another.

God Loves the Church. If we love Jesus, we will love what Jesus loves, and Jesus loves the Church. He loves the Church so much he died for it (Eph 4:25). Sometimes we are hurt by churches, or they disappoint us. The Church has also hurt Jesus, yet he lay down his life for it. For someone to say, “I’m a Christian, but not part of a church,” is to ultimately say, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t follow Christ.” How so? Because Christ is the head of his Church. Christ is found in his Church. 

The Church Is a Picture of Heaven. In Revelation 7 we see a picture of heaven. A great multitude of people from all over the world join together in worship. When we gather with others for worship, we are actually gathering with all the angels before God’s heavenly throne (Heb 12:18-24). This means that when we are gathered together for worship we are the closest to heaven we will be on this earth. 

No church is perfect. No church lives up to these ideals. There are an unfortunate number of people who have been deeply hurt by the church. But we cannot let these things keep us from understanding God’s design for the Church. When the Church is being faithful to God, it is an awesome place to be! 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

This is an excerpt from Jon Stoddard’s new book, Choosing a Church: a Biblical and Practical Guide. Get a copy of the book on our church book table or at amazon.com

New Year, New Beginnings, Same God

This Sunday marks the first Sunday of Jordan Valley Church. Overall, I've been encouraged by the number of people who are excited about this new phase in the life of our church. People have talked much more about the various changes we are making than anything else. In one sense this is unsurprising; change is hard. But on the other hand, the changes we are making seem rather periphery. Why? Because much more important is our love for God. Love for God is reflected in the first part of our vision (the destination, route and landmarks). Interestingly this is the part of the vision I rarely hear people talk about. And yet, it’s the area where we (I) need the most work. This year, with all the changes we are making, the one I long for most is to see us love God more. 

This reflects what Jesus said was the greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the greatest commandment, and yet in the prayers we offer, the things we talk about, so little of it reflects a desire to love God with all our heart, soul and mind.

I’m slowly reading through John Owen’s Communion with the Triune God. One of his main points is that, while our union with Christ does not change, our communion with him does. Our consistency in corporate worship, prayer, and biblical study do not make God love us more or less, but they do affect the wonderful experience of communion with him. 

One of my goals this next year is to love God more than I do now. As my love for God grows, I hope that it will show in my preaching and conversations and prayers. Will you help keep me accountable? I hope that you will make a goal to love God more this year too. Here are some evidences that we are growing in our love for God. 

We will care less about how others have sinned against us than how we have sinned against God. It’s easy to hold on to past offenses. We have all been sinned against. But when we love God more, we start to be more affected by how we have sinned against him. 

We will fight to kill sin in our lives. When we become comfortable with sin in our lives, it affects our intimacy with God. His love doesn’t change because we sin, but it does make us feel distant from God and less eager to seek him. 

We will find more joy in spending time with God. Reading Scripture, praying, and worshiping will seem less a chore or burden and instead become a delight. 

We will love others more. So often our relationships with others are based on wanting something in return from that other person, like love, or acceptance, or assistance. But when we love God more, we also see how much he loves us. This allows us to love others with no strings attached, because we are secure in the love we have from God. 

How do you grow in love for God? It really centers around spending time with him. I once read about a study where they tried to make two people fall in love. Two strangers sat together and  answered a series of personal questions and then stared into each other's eyes for four minutes. Six months later the couple was married. 

In one sense falling in love is not rocket science; time, trust, and intimacy are pretty good ingredients for love. It’s the same with God. If we are not spending time in worship, prayer and Scripture, how can we expect our love for God to grow? 

We have the privilege of living in a world where there is so much to love. God has created a world of beauty. What saddens me is how few of us think, how much more beautiful must the God who created all this be! If this world is just a dim reflection of his beauty, I cannot even fathom of how great God must be. Some people understood this. The Sons of Korah did in Psalm 84, “I long, yes, I faint with longing, to enter the courts of the Lord.” Asaph understood in Psalm 73, “ I desire you [God] more than anything on earth.” Can you say that? I can’t, but I hope to be able to. This year will you join me in seeking to love God more? 

In Christ,
Pastor Jon

The Church as the Future

Over the last few months we’ve looked at different metaphors for the church. Today, let’s look at the church as the future. In his book The Kingdom of God and the Church, Geerhardus Vos wrote, “The church actually has within herself the powers of the world to come... She forms an intermediate link between the present life and the life of eternity.” This is exciting! The powers of the world to come! An intermediate link between the present life and the life of eternity! This sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but it’s not; it’s God’s plan to unite all things in Christ.

For all those whom I have already lost, let me rephrase: the heaven we long for has broken into this present age and it has happened through the church. This means those who are part of the church have front row seats to God’s grand plan to unite all things in Christ! 

One of God’s promises in the Old Testament was that this current world, broken by sin, would be replaced by the New Creation. God would do a second work of creation (or recreation), making a world that is better than his first creation. It would be better because it would be a world where there is no mark of sin or even the possibility of sin entering again (Isa 34:4, 51:6, 56:5, 65:17).

When Jesus begins his ministry in Luke 4 he reads from the scroll of Isaiah. He reads a passage (Isa 61) that describes the New Creation, ushered in by the Messiah. It’s a place where the poor are encouraged, the blind see, the captives are set free. There will be no more tears or pain in this new world (Rev 21:4). Jesus then tells his listeners something unbelievable: this promise of the New Creation was fulfilled when Jesus read those words from Isaiah! 

How do we make sense of Jesus’s words regarding the fulfillment of the promised New Creation? Jesus’s words make sense when we consider them in light of his whole life. Jesus, though fully God, was fully human. His life mirrored ours in every way, even in dying. In one sense Jesus’s life looked very ordinary. But three days after his death something remarkable happened; Jesus was raised from the dead. If we are thinking of the church as the future, we cannot miss the significance of this.

Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 15. He states that Jesus’s resurrection was the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:20); when he returns, all those who belong to Christ will be raised from the dead. This means that the end-times resurrection started with Christ. If Christ still lay in the grave we would still be waiting for God to begin making all things new. But we aren’t still waiting; three days later God resurrected Christ. And that moment was the turning point; a new work was afoot, a work of recreation, the work of making all things new. It was the beginning of the end. The resurrection of Christ was the spark that started the fire that will one day fill all the world with its light. 

Christ is living the resurrection life that we also will live. To put it another way, Christ, in his resurrection body, is the first person to experience New Creation. This New Creation, that place described in Revelation 21 & 22, is not something fully in the future. The heavenly New Creation broke into our Old Creation world when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. 

Now, here is where it gets exciting. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Paul teaches that those who have faith in Christ are united to Christ. A function of that union with Christ is that, just as Christ was made new in the resurrection, so also are Christians made new in Christ’s image. Paul teaches us that when you become a Christian, you are spiritually resurrected. You take on a New Creation spirit, a spirit that is part of the new heavens and new earth that God is creating. Think of it as a spark. The New Creation spirit in your life may be just a spark, but Jesus will not “crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Isa 42:3). The source of this flicker is a fire that originates not in this world, but has come (time traveled!?) from the future New Creation into your present life. The future has broken into the present. 

The church is the future because it is the gathering of people who have within them the light of the New Creation.

Congratulations if you’ve stuck with me this far! We needed to understand this teaching before we understand the radical implications for what this means for you right now. One of the things I love most about Scripture is that is that some of the deepest theology–and we’ve looked at deep theology–is the most practical!

You will make it home

It’s easy to be discouraged; it’s easy to doubt that God really loves us; it’s easy to wonder if we will make it home to be with God. But you can be confident because God has already begun the work of New Creation in you! God’s shown his love for you with his actions. He has put within you a spark of the world to come. It’s his down payment guaranteeing he will finish the work of transforming you. 

You are beautiful

One of our deepest desires is to be seen as beautiful, to be desired. We spend lots of money with all kinds of things to get the look and body we want. We pursue a certain career because it comes with money or prestige. We want to be worthy of desire. God sees you as beautiful because he is making you truly beautiful in his sight. You may hate certain things about you, but God looks on the inside, and on the inside he has put the beautiful light of New Creation within you. You may think the baggage of your past keeps you from being desirable, but God doesn’t need to change your past because there is resurrection. He is transforming you into something better, and that work has started now. You may not see it, but God does, and he is pleased with what he sees. 

You have power to fight sin

The power of sin in our life sometimes feels overwhelming. It causes us to doubt if we'll ever change. Sin has influence over us, but it doesn’t have control over us. Because we have been created new in Christ, we have everything we need for godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The next time you are tempted, remember that you have been made new. It may just be a spark of new life but God will not let it go out. He will fan that spark until it’s a fire of holiness in your life. Part of faith is believing what God has said about us is true , despite our feelings at the present. 

You are part of the main effort

Before a military operation, one unit is designated as the “main effort.” This usually goes to the unit with the strongest commander. This unit is tasked with the crucial part of the mission, and they have the support of the surrounding units. The church (God’s people) is the “unit” God has designated as the main effort. Christ has bought the church with his blood, and God has equipped the church with his Spirit. We have been given spiritual gifts in order to accomplish our mission of making disciples. The church is where the action is. Your service to God, no matter how big or small, is of infinite value, because you are helping to build something that will last forever.

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

Beautifully Ordinary

I was in Starbucks the other day and noticed how hard it is to find plain coffee on the menu. There was a sign for the return of the “Frappula Frappuccino” and another sign inviting people to try a “Caramelized Honey Latte.” Starbucks popularized coffee, yet it’s remarkably hard to find just coffee in their stores. The coffee they were promoting was not “ordinary” coffee but the Starbucks Reserve Coffees, which are “our rarest coffees, small-batch roasted in Seattle.” No one wants to be ordinary. Ordinary coffee doesn’t even sell very well these days. 

This desire to be anything but ordinary also influences churches. Church gurus tell us that ordinary churches won’t reach people. Some of the fastest growing churches are always doing something bigger and better in order to keep people coming back. Churches feel this pressure because the statistics are not encouraging: For every new church planted, four existing churches close. People attend church less frequently. These statistics put pressure on churches to be anything but ordinary. 

We are excited about the new vision at our church. You can read more about it here. Part of our vision is a commitment to the ordinary. We’ve described four landmarks that every Christian should be committed to. These landmarks keep us on the right track in our journey to know Christ. They are:

1. Am I worshipping?

2. Am I praying?

3. Am I sharing?

4. Am I discipling?

We’ve described these landmarks in greater detail here. Our commitment to these landmarks is a commitment to being an ordinary church. In Reformed Theology we call these the ordinary means of grace. Historically, the ordinary means include the Word of God preached and read, the sacraments (baptism & the Lord’s Supper), and prayer. The pastor Ligon Duncan explained, “So, when we say ordinary means of grace-based ministry, we mean a radical commitment to following the direction of God’s Word as to both the message and the means of gathering and perfecting the saints. Ordinary means ministry has a high view of the Bible, preaching, the church, the ordinances or sacraments, and prayer.” 

Ordinary doesn't mean boring. Ordinary means accessible. It means that anyone is able to participate in life of the church. You don’t need special knowledge or abilities to have abundant life in Christ. No,we all have  access to life in Christ through ordinary means. We believe being an ordinary church is the best thing we can do in a world that is continually fascinated with the extraordinary. Why? Because God uses the ordinary things to bring about extraordinary change (1 Cor 1:18-31). The Gospel is a radical message that calls people from spiritual death to life. No amount of extraordinary can bring a dead person back to life. Only the miraculous Word of God can do such a thing. (Rom 10:17) The key to a strong church in these changing times is by committing to the ordinary because we believe that is how God works extraordinary change. 

One of the most beautiful pictures of this is Jesus in a manger. The angels announce to the shepherds, “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). We’ve become so familiar with this story that we miss how radical this statement is. When a politician announces that he is going to run for president of the United States, this announcement is always accompanied by pomp and circumstance. He wants the announcement to be anything but ordinary. Jesus’ entrance into the world was the exact opposite. In an ordinary town, with an ordinary family, and in an ordinary manger. Some would look at such an ordinary scene, and dismiss it saying, “There is no way this child will save us. There’s nothing special about him.” And yet those shepherds, after seeing Jesus, return home praising God (Luke 2:20). They saw a savior who looked like them. This beautifully ordinary child would change the course of human history. 

Part of Christian faith is faith in the ordinary, seeing the ordinary as beautiful. God works through the ordinary. We want to be the very best at being ordinary. We might not have all the fancy programs or latest worship styles. But that’s okay, because we believe there is far more power in being ordinary. What God has called us to do is impossible for us. How can we bring spiritually dead people back to life? How can we bring lasting change in people's life? We can’t. No human can. But God can. And God works extraordinary through our beautifully ordinary actions!

In Christ, 
Pastor Jon

The Church as ONE Body

We are looking at different metaphors to help us understand what the Church is. Last month we looked at the Church as an embassy. Why are we talking so much about the Church? It’s because Christ loves the Church. In Acts 9:1 Peter writes that Paul is “breathing out murderous threats” against the Lord’s disciples. A few verses later, when Jesus appears before Paul, he says, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Jesus so identifies with his Church that when his people are hurt, he is hurt. Jesus loves the Church; if we love Jesus, we must also love the Church.

This month let’s look at the Church as one body. Paul uses this language in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Part of the difficulty in talking about the Church is the different ways the word “church” is used. Jesus says he will build his Church (singular) in Matt 16:18. Here, he seems to have in mind what we call the universal Church, which is all those across time and space who believe in him. But elsewhere, the Bible mentions  the churches (plural) in particular regions (Rom 16:4, 1 Cor 16:1; Gal 1:2, etc.). The same Greek word for “church” is used both ways.

So when Paul describes the Church as a body in 1 Corinthians 12, in what way is he using that word? Is a particular church in one location a body? Or is the universal Church one body? If we look at the context it becomes clear. In verse twelve, Paul says the body of Christ is one, but made of up various parts. In verse thirteen, he says all kinds of different people--Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free--are baptized into one Spirit to form one body. This means that there isn’t a Presbyterian baptism, or a Baptist baptism, or a Lutheran baptism. No, there is simply Christian baptism. When we baptize here we don’t say, “I baptize you in the name of the Presbyterian Church.” No. We say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Every Christian is baptized into the one body of Christ. This means there is one true Church; however, the lines of that true Church include all those churches and denominations that adhere to the basics of the faith. Jesus doesn't split his

time acting as head of the Catholic Church on Mondays and the Methodist Church on Tuesdays. No, Jesus is head of his one Church, and all Christian churches from around the globe are part of that. 

What then is the purpose of various denominations or associations? Ideally they act like good fences to make good neighbors. In less important things Christians differ, yet we are all still Christian; denominations allow us to participate in a particular church that matches our convictions about these lesser matters. 

The problem is that sometimes our fences turn into walls. We disconnect from other churches around us. Go back to the body image. If you wrap a rubber band tightly around your finger it starts to turn purple, and if you leave it there for too long it will cause damage. When we cut ourselves off from other churches it hurts us; we must be connected to the one body of Christ. A connected church is a healthy church. 
 

What this means for us

Different churches have different roles to play
It’s easy to get into the business of comparing churches, or being jealous of what another church has or is doing. But remember, all these local churches are part of the same body. A body has different parts. Some parts of the body are prominent, and they get lots of use. Other parts of a body are less known, are hidden, or are rarely thought of. Jesus doesn’t want every local church to try to act like a strong hand or keen eye. No, Paul says each part plays its role and should do the best it can in line with how God made it. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:15-20,

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop beng part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

This means we need to be faithful to what God is calling us to be, not what he is calling another church to be. How do we know what God is calling us to be? Well, we should find out where the needs of our location overlap with our particular gifts and resources. We serve the body of Christ best when we pay attention to where God has placed us and what he has given us. In fact, if we try to be something we are not, we will hurt the body by neglecting the role that contributes to the whole. 

Often people think that the size of a particular church indicates its level of success. Certainly, if we looked at things from the world’s perspective, this would be true. But we should look at things from the viewpoint of the one body of Christ. From that perspective, size has little to do with success. Is a hand more successful than a toe because it gets more attention? No, a small church can be just as pleasing to God as a large church. What matters is whether or not they are using all the resources God has given them for his glory. But conversely, both a small and big church could be squandering what God has given them by trying to be something they are not supposed to be. We need to be the best at what God has called us to be. 

We celebrate success and mourn loss
When your big toe hurts, it affects everything. No part of the body is isolated from another. It’s the same with the church. Remember when Paul was persecuting the disciples, but Jesus said he was persecuting Jesus himself? When churches are hurting, it should affect us. We need to pray for those who face much greater persecution than we do. We need to care about the churches in our community. It also works the other way. When another church sees great success, we should rejoice. That can be hard, but if a revival happens at the church down the street we should celebrate as much as if it were happening in our church. We are all part of the same body. 

We need to speak and learn from one another.
In marriage, God says the man and woman become one flesh. Notice the similarity to the church as a body? Consider being married, but never talking to your spouse, having separate bank accounts, and sleeping in separate bedrooms. You would essentially have separate lives even though you were legally married. It may technically be a marriage, but it wouldn't be a good one. It certainly wouldn’t be a biblical one. 

It’s the same in the church. If the various parts of the church never talk to one another, if they set up walls to keep each other at a distance, if there is never any fellowship, how can individual churches help each other grow like we are supposed to? We are one body. This means we need to be learning from other Christians; we need to fellowship with them and study Scripture with them. It’s through speaking the truth in love to one another that we grow into the fullness of Christ. 

I’m particularly excited for our missions conference this year. We have in invited Pastor Samuel Oluoch as our guest. He is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Kisumu, Kenya. We invited him because the leadership of the church was talking about how we show our unity with other believers. How do we show that the Church is one? We thought inviting a Pastor from another culture and denomination would be a great way to show that we are all part of one body.  He will be with us for ten days, and during that time he will be learning about our church and the culture here. But we will also be learning from him. He will speak for Sunday school on November 6th and be our missions speaker over missions weekend on November 12th & 13th. I believe we will all be blessed as he opens God’s word for us. 

In Christ,

Jon

The Church as an Embassy

When it comes to the future of Christianity in America, are you optimistic? You may read this is as a political question, so your answer depends on who is elected next. You may read this is a social question, and you feel dismayed at the rapid morality shift in our culture. I would argue that how you answer this question reveals your beliefs about the church. Over the next several newsletters we are going to look at the church: what it is, why it matters, and how it relates to the culture and government. Each month I will pick a dominant metaphor for the church to give us a better understanding. In the end I hope you will see that we have every reason to be optimistic about the future of Christianity.

This month let’s consider the church as an embassy. Part of the difficulty in talking about the church is simply that it’s hard to define the word. The word “church” is used in many different ways, both in our Bibles and in everyday speech. For the sake of simplicity I’m going to use one part of the definition that we find in the Westminster Confession of Faith. It says, “[The church] is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God” (WCF 25.2). While there are other parts of the definition, this one is helpful as we look at the church as an embassy. 

An embassy serves as an outpost in a foreign nation. The embassy itself is not considered territory of the nation it resides in, but territory of the nation the embassy represents. If a fire broke out in the U.S. Embassy in Brazil, the Brazilian fire department would not be allowed to enter the embassy to put out the fire without permission of the U.S. Ambassador. When an embassy is attacked, it is considered an attack on the nation itself. 

Within an embassy is an ambassador. He resides in the foreign land and often depends upon its services for food, utilities and so forth. But as much as he might like that land, his citizenship and allegiance are to his home country. 

With this in mind, consider some of the ways the church is described in Scripture: 

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Matt. 16:18-19

From this passage we could say church serves as the embassy, and its leaders issue the travel visas to the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36

The church, which is located in this world, is not of this world. The church could be compared to the gateway or portal to the kingdom of God. It not only provides the travel documents, but also has the pathway to a kingdom of God within its gates.
 
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil 3:20

Here Christians are reminded that the land we live in is not our true home; it does not merit our highest allegiances. We are like embassy workers waiting for our tour of duty to be over so we can go home. 
 
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Cor 5:20

What is our role as part of the embassy of God’s kingdom on this earth? To be ambassadors. Paul’s language couldn’t be any clearer: God makes his appeal through us. We are God’s spokespeople on this earth. What is God’s message? Be reconciled to God. The message God is speaking through us is the message of the gospel. 

Now that we have looked at Scripture, let’s look at some of the applications of thinking of the church as an embassy. 

The success of the Church doesn’t depend upon the friendless of the culture. 

It’s wrong to think that the strength of the church depends upon the friendliness of the surrounding culture or nation. While in the military, I was deployed to Iraq, and I can tell you there were many people not particularly friendly to Americans there. Yet the American Embassy was at one point the largest and best funded embassy in the world. Why? Not because the host nation was so friendly to it, but because the embassy had the resources of the U.S. government behind it. It’s the same with the church. Behind the church are all the resources of the God who made heaven and earth. The strength of the church does not depend upon where it’s located, but upon the God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3).

Our success is in our faithfulness to the message, not in how it’s received. 

Imagine if the U.S. ambassador to Russia had to pass on a message he knew would not go over well. So he decides to change the message to make it less offensive to the Russians. He leaves out several crucial demands of the U.S Government and offers to give the Russians top secret military technologies. The Russians are ecstatic at the ambassador’s offer and accept it immediately. Is the U.S. Ambassador a hero for getting the Russians to agree to his terms? No! He is a traitor. The ambassador is successful only when he is faithful to the true message. It’s the same with us. We are ambassadors for Christ. We are successful when we are faithful in relaying Christ’s message to others. Sometimes the message is well received, and other times it’s not. 

Another important point in this analogy is that successful ambassadors know both their home country and the country where they serve. The ambassador to Russia would never consider himself a Russian citizen, but he probably knows a lot about Russian culture. He may speak Russian fluently, and he may enjoy Russian food and music. This allows him to better deliver the message from the U.S Government in a way that appeals to the Russians. As ambassadors for Christ we must understand the culture we find ourselves in. We must work to know how best to take God’s unchanging message and present it to an ever changing world. Unfortunately, we as Christians often veer too far to one extreme or the other: Either we are so cut off from the world that we don’t know how to even speak with others, or we are so fully part of the world that we have forgotten our true home. 

The Church is a home away from home.

When you step into a U.S. Embassy you will feel closer to home. You will hear English, and you will see the U.S. Flag. There are little reminders of home all around. It’s the same with the church. The church is our home away from our true home with God. It’s a place where we find refuge and rest, yet it reminds us that we are not home yet, and there is still work to be done. 

Conclusion

In a couple of weeks, we are kicking off our adult Sunday School with a study called “Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel.” I’m excited for this study because it develops some of these themes we’ve talked about here. We are purposely doing this study before the presidential election in order to help all of us think more biblically about how we approach politics and our surrounding culture. I hope you’ll join us as we seek to grow together!

In Christ,

Jon

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

What is the central problem with humanity? Many people agree that there is a problem with our world. Many people also agree that there is a problem with people in general. But when it comes to what that problem is, opinions vary across the board. In my experience, though, most people are quick to point the finger at others: “They are the problem.” Rarely have I seen someone say, “I am part of the problem.”

The Bible answers this question about the central problem of humanity, and it is much more pessimistic than we tend to be. The Bible says that the central problem is us. We all are naturally dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-4). Some people believe the central message of Christianity is a set of rules. Christians sometimes look at the world and say the problem is that people aren’t following the commands of the Bible anymore. If people would just get back to following the Ten Commandments, then our society would be much better. But is this really what the Bible says? 

I’ve been reading through the book of Ephesians, and one section in chapter four jumped out at me because of what it teaches about this very topic. Eph 4:17-24 (ESV) reads,

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Paul calls the Ephesian believers to not walk as the Gentiles do. Back in Eph 2:10, Paul says that believers should walk in the good works God has prepared for us to do. So our actions do matter. If we are to call ourselves believers, we must walk in a way that reflects the commands of Scripture. 

But Paul doesn’t stop at the surface level of actions. He drills deeper to show us why we do the things we do. Verse 18 says those who don’t know Christ are “darkened in their understanding.” Paul is saying that if you don’t have faith in Christ, you don’t--you can’t!--think correctly. And why is that? Because of the “hardness of [your] heart.” That is the core problem with humanity: hard hearts. And what comes out of a hard heart? All the stuff listed in verse 19: callousness, sensuality, greed, every kind of impurity. 

But notice that Paul doesn’t say the root of the problem is those sins. That’s not the main problem. Those actions are the fruit of a deeper root problem. And the root of the problem is hardness of heart. That means that simply trying to make the world a better place by changing our behaviors will never work. Because we are cutting off the rotten fruit, but never getting to the root. And so more rotten fruit will grow back. 

What is the solution? We need new hearts. Only life-transformation from the inside out will do. And while the Bible is far more pessimistic about the problem (we were all dead in sin) it’s also far more optimistic about the outcome. We will be created new after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. What an amazing vision! All those who put their faith in Christ will be created anew, after God’s likeness, in true righteousness and holiness. 

Christianity is about the total transformation of people from darkness in to light. From brokenness to beauty. From death to life. This is an amazing process that we are taking part in! 

When we understand this basic message of Christianity it should impact every corner of our lives:
 

• We should not settle for seeing Christianity as good advice. At its core Christianity is not about how to make your life better on this earth. When we see Christianity as primarily about this we are short-changing ourselves of the vision that God himself has for us. God doesn’t want us to simply have a better life now; he wants us to have a perfect life for all of eternity. 
• We need to pray more because what the church is called it do is miraculous. We are calling people from death to life. God has asked us to do the impossible–bring dead things back to life. What would a doctor give to have the power to bring his dead patients back to life? The church is called to do just this! We are to call spiritually dead people into resurrection life. This is impossible for us to do; that is one reason prayer is so important. Without God we cannot accomplish what we are called to do. We as a church need to be dedicated to prayer. Prayer for ourselves, that the resurrection power within us right now would take hold of more and more of our lives. And prayer for those in our communities and those who visit our church, that God would work through us to bring life where there is death. 
• We must trust in the miraculous power of God’s word. How does God bring life out of death? One of the most vivid examples is in Ezekiel 37. The prophet Ezekiel was placed in a valley where he was surrounded by dry bones. The vultures had gotten their fill. Maggots and worms finished the job. And now the desert sun had bleached the remaining bones until they started to crack. God then asked Ezekiel if these bones could live. Ezekiel responds by saying, “O Lord God, you know.” God tells Ezekiel to speak to the bones, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” And in that moment the bones started coming together, flesh appeared, oxygen filled their lungs, and suddenly from the dry bones sprang up an army of living people! That is a picture of the power of God’s word. It brings life. And so, we as a church must be focused on the life-giving power of God’s word in our lives as we read and meditate on it. We must also trust in its power to bring others life. God’s word is living and active. I pray we would believe that more and more. 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

It's Still Spring at JPC

You know summer has arrived when the cold splash of a water balloon feels refreshing. This year I knew summer had started when my daughter thought it would be good to continually throw water balloons at me. Most bounced right off, but she threw one hard enough to break it. And that cold water felt amazing against the scorching sun. I love summer for so many reasons, but at Jordan Presbyterian it’s still spring. Yes, we’ve had to turn on the A/C in the sanctuary on Sunday Mornings. More people are out camping on weekends. Vacation Bible School is fast approaching. But the feel at JPC reminds me of spring. Spring is a time of new life. It’s when we eagerly anticipate the earth turning from brown to green. A few months ago I wrote a newsletter called “Spring at JPC.” I outlined some of the reasons why I believe our best days are ahead of us. And as I write this newsletter I believe even more that our best days are ahead of us. In fact, the past couple months have been some of the most exciting for me in terms of seeing God at work in our church. 

Let me share with you some of what has happened since that earlier newsletter came out:

•    The decorating committee has put together a proposal for updating the look of our church building and worship space. What has encouraged me is to hear the excitement of the people on this committee as they share their ideas. They have many recommendations that will help make our building a more warm and welcoming space. 
•    We are working on a series of videos in which people shared stories of why they love this church. Young and old, longtime members and newcomers all shared their stories. As I listened to them I was reminded of the incredible ways in which God has used our church. People have come to know Christ here. People have developed a personal relationship with Christ here. People have found a home away from home. People have seen their lives transformed by the work of God’s grace. I can’t wait for you to hear these stories! 
•    We held a three-week Sunday school class to discuss the vision of the church. Specifically, we asked, “What is our church uniquely equipped to do as one part of the body of Christ?” We then looked where our strengths as a church overlapped with needs we observed in our community. It was encouraging to see people's eyes light up as we envisioned how our church could really use our strengths to bless others. 
•    God is using our church as a safe place for people to find hope in the Gospel. We’ve got a number of new faces in our church. (Make sure you introduce yourself to some of them during our greeting time!) What encourages me is how hungry so many of these people are to know Christ. Some days my schedule is filled meeting with people just to read Scripture or some other Christian book and then pray together. It’s been such an honor to be able to see people’s eyes open up to the message of grace through Christ Jesus. One new person recently told me that at our church he has found hope and strength in God. Please continue to pray for God to use us for his purposes! 

It’s spring at JPC because I see signs of new life all around us. I believe we are just getting started. I’m eager to see how God uses this church in the next two, five and ten years. 

Summer is busy, and our normal routines are often disturbed, but I encourage you to make an effort to pray for our church this summer. Before coming out to Utah (exactly three years ago), I read these verses in Colossians. It became something of a theme passage for me. Paul writes,
    
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. -Colossians 4:2-6

Would you join me in devoting yourself to prayer for our church? Will you pray for us all to to know Christ more? Will you pray for God to open doors for our message of Christ? I’m excited for the future, and I hope you are too! 

In Christ,

Pastor Jon

Heaven is for Real?

The Heaven tourism industry is booming. Books chronicling near-death experiences and subsequent visions of heaven top the bestseller lists. Big hollywood studios buy film rights and made tens of millions of dollars on movies adaptations. People want to know what Heaven is like. Anyone who has lost a loved one understands this desire. We take comfort in saying, “they are in a better place now.” We want flesh and blood people whom we can see on T.V., sharing their experiences of heaven.

As Christians who hold the Bible as our authority, what should we make of these accounts? What is their value? What does our fascination with these stories tell us about our culture and ourselves? 

One thing that has struck me on our study through the book of Acts is how word-centered it is. The book of Acts is basically the Apostles sharing God’s word in a bunch of different places. Last week we looked at the first part of Acts 17. Verses 2 and 3 read, “[Paul] reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead.” In verse 11 it says of the Bereans, “they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” What we see over and over again in Acts is that Scripture is sufficient in itself. It contains everything we need for our life. Paul doesn’t need to go outside of Scripture for his message.  And when the Bereans  challenge and test Scripture it doesn’t break. Jesus himself said in John 10 that Scripture cannot be broken. 

And this leads to where we need to be careful with these accounts of Heaven. While Scripture cannot be broken, these accounts can. It’s certainly embarrassing when we learned that “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven” actually didn’t. Alex Malarkey recanted his testimony about the afterlife saying, “I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.” Now this doesn’t mean others books about heavenly experiences are based on lies. It’s hard to argue with someone's experience. But there is a danger in pinning our hopes or trust on someone else's experience of heaven. What if it also turns out to be a lie? What is your faith resting on then? In his letter where he recants his story, Alex says, 
 
I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.

A danger with these accounts of Heaven is that they can undermine the sufficiency of Scripture. They can take the place of Scripture in our understanding of Heaven. It’s as if we are saying, “God didn’t finish giving us everything we needed, so here’s a little extra for you.” But when we do that we are ultimately saying that we know better than God regarding Heaven. But shouldn’t we trust that the one who made us and loves us enough to die for us would give us exactly what we need to know? While these accounts may help confirm what we already know through Scripture, it’s dangerous when they add to it or when we trust in them. 

Our fascination with heaven is partly borne out of a dissatisfaction with earth. We lose our loved ones, and we wonder if we will see or even recognize them again. Our bodies are falling apart, and we long for something better. We long to be free from the pain. And thus we should talk about heaven. We should long for heaven! 

But we want to know specifics, and this is where we can feel the Bible is lacking. And where we do have details, they seem odd or unhelpful. Streets of gold are certainly cool, but don’t seem practical! But Scripture is sufficient, and perhaps we need to do a better job of understanding what Scripture says about heaven. Because when we do that, we get something that is far better than anything we can read elsewhere. It is helpful to remember that our emotions are a gift from God. We might abuse our emotions, so that we seek pleasure and joy from things that are contrary to God’s purposes, but pleasure and joy themselves are not contrary to God’s purposes. They are in fact gifts from God, and he wants us to enjoy them; when we are seeking those things in Christ, we will experience the greatest pleasure and joy and so much more. 

We might not know the details of Heaven, but we do know it holds the greatest joy we’ve ever known. Remember the greatest happiness of your life. Recall the greatest sense of pleasure you’ve ever had. Now realize those experiences will seem small and fleeting compared to the joy and pleasure of Heaven. Tears are wiped away. Pain is gone. Mourning ceases. Heaven is for real, and it’s greater than we can ever imagine. 

If you are interested in learning more about what the Bible has to say about Heaven, you can listen to this sermon from Isaiah 60:18-22. Scot McKnight also has a helpful book, 
called The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible's Truth About Life to Come.

Five Thoughts on Worship

Last week your elders and deacons traveled up to Park City for our officer’s retreat. We had a great time of fellowship with each other. Our theme on the retreat was worship. We looked at various aspects of worship and why it matters. The time together reminded me of why worship is so important for the church! I want to share with you five insights from our time together.

1. Everyone worships

When we think of worship we tend to think of something religious people do. Christians worship on Sundays. Jews observe the Sabbath on Saturday. Muslims gather for worship on Friday. But does that mean worship is restricted to only religious people? Not at all. In fact, everyone worships. Webster’s Dictionary says that worship is “extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem.” Using that definition we can certainly see how worship takes place at a sports event, but even at concerts, movies, and more. Scripture teaches this same thing in Roman 1:25. It says that  instead of worshiping God, “we worship and serve created things rather than the Creator.” The question for us as Christians is: “Why do I find it so easy to get excited about _______ (a movie, sports game, video game, etc.), yet find it so hard to worship God?

2. We worship what captures our attention

Though we may find ourselves discouraged with our imperfect worship on this earth, one day we will see Jesus, and then we will worship in perfection. In Revelation 7 we see worship in heaven. We all agreed this was ideal worship. In verse 11 it says, “They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.” This is where the citizens of heaven behold God and almost reflexively fall on their faces and worship. Pastor Bryan asked, “If this is ideal worship, why don’t we do this now?” My initial reaction was, “Because we're Presbyterian and we do everything decently and in order!” More seriously though, there are reasons why our worship doesn’t look like this. We might be hindered because we are self-conscious about what others might think of us. We might feel like it’s forced and not truly heartfelt. We might be at a worship service, but we don’t feel worshipful. The common denominator in all these is that our eyes are not fixed upon Christ. We have not beheld our God in his glory. When the elders and saints see Christ in Revelation, falling down and worshiping is an impulse. If we are reluctant to worship now, it is often because we don’t see God as that glorious. Our eyes aren’t fixed upon him; we are looking at other things that have captured our attention. Worship is a reflex. When we encounter God, we worship. Have you encountered God?

3. God cares how we worship

If we need to behold our God in order to worship, how can we do this? How do we encounter God in a way that leads to genuine worship? If God has created us, and created us as people who naturally worship, wouldn’t God know best how to do this? Scripture is full of people trying to worship God in various ways, but God makes clear he wants to be worshiped in accordance with how he states. Why? Because if God is like the master engineer, his instructions for how we worship are the wiring schematics for how to plug in and encounter God. The theological term for this is the regulative principle of worship. It simply means that we should worship by only doing what God has told us to do. A helpful summary based on the book Gather God’s People is that we should read the word, preach the word, sing the word, pray the word, and see the word (sacraments). These are God’s schematics for how we can encounter God now. We don’t need new ideas or ways to worship; we simply need to trust and seek what God has already given us.
 
4. True worship is both horizontal and vertical

Worship is directional. God should be the object of our worship, but Scripture also teaches that gathering for worship serves another purpose: we encourage one another. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” God wants to hear all our voices! While you might not think you are good at singing, our voices blend into a beautiful harmony before God. But also, when we sing, we sing not only to God, but as Colossians 3:16 says, we are admonishing one another. Hebrews 10:25 says we should encourage each other in love and good works, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” This means when we miss public worship we actually hurt those who are present because we cannot be there to encourage them. We all need each other in worship.

5. Worship gives us a taste of heaven

Read the incredible description of worship in Hebrews 12:18-29. Hebrews is like a written sermon to a Christian congregation. It says that when we gather for worship, we might physically be in a particular location, but spiritually we are present with God. The passage says that when we worship we are joined with the angels, all the perfected saints, God, and Jesus as our redeemer. As simple or small as a worship service may seem, this passage says that in our worship, a portal is formed between us and heaven. In our worship we are specially united with all God’s people before God’s throne. We are in the heavenly realms, right now, in our worship! Perhaps we don’t feel this; perhaps we come to worship distracted. But that does not change the reality of what happens. When God sees us worship he sees us with all his heavenly hosts. Why wouldn’t we want to participate in such a glorious scene?  

In Christ,
Pastor Jon