When reading the nativity account, it is impossible to overlook the misfits and infamous found in Jesus’ genealogy. The Apostle Paul knew his heritage, and discounted it quickly, depending on Jesus alone. (Philippians 3:1-11) So, why should we be surprised that our clans have a few of the infamous sneak in?
In the nativity story, a sample of the infamous and questionable includes Tamar, one whose biography is “Rated X” for adult content. Her story is rife with grief, deception, and incest. And yet, Tamar, and Judah, are listed as Jesus’ ancestors. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth, a Moabite, was a Gentile. David, a philanderer and murderer, is included. Solomon was what we call a “love child” today. Manasseh and Amon would be the subject of uneasiness for family reunion organizers. “Amon did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them. He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.” (2 Kings 21:20,21) One can almost hear Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Caleb trying to figure out a way to explain Amon and Manasseh with polite language to their elementary school aged children.
Since these things are true, right there in the Bible, what take-away lessons can be applied?
• None of us have chosen our parents, or our family. So, don’t cower in embarrassment or strut with pride! The Pharisees were fastidious about purity rituals, decorum, and piety, but every one of them would be ashamed with who fell out when their family tree was shaken. Just walk humbly and never lose the sense of awe for being included!
• Family connections do not qualify or disqualify us from God’s affections. Our heavenly Father chooses us, not the other way around! The first and continuous wonder of salvation is, “Why did He chose me?”
• Past behavior doesn’t disqualify us from God’s favor or salvation. Rahab and David illustrate the point. If you knew some of the things I have done, and am ashamed of ... and, would you like me to know everything about you?
• Brothers and sisters in the faith are all imperfect and we sometimes embarrass one another. Let us be careful that we do not hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves. Keep inviting the family, even those who may embarrass us, and welcome them, to the family reunions on Lord’s Day and at our Father’s Table.
• Celebrate the reality that God so loved us that He made Christmas! He sent His Son to save us, not condemn us!
Remember, if we would dare look closely enough, we would all find questionable, infamous people hanging on our family tree. Even Jesus would have a few ignoble, unsavory characters trying to crash a family reunion!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Poetry
I’ve never thought of myself as a “poetry guy.” My interests haven’t reached beyond elementary school memorization of “In Flanders Fields,” and a few Psalms, or so I thought. But, recently, doses of self-awareness have caused me to drop from the ranks of “prose only.”
First, in the middle of the night, between Saturday and Sunday, I was awakened by the lyrics of a more than century old poem by Anne S. Murphy, “Constantly Abiding.” I haven’t sung that tune for more than a decade, but it was “There,” in the recesses of my spirit, every word, and wonderful memories of the arenas in which I learned it. Even though more than 100 years old, “Constantly Abiding,” is as contemporary as tomorrow.
There’s a peace in my heart that the world never gave,
A peace it cannot take away;
Though the trials of life may surround like a cloud,
I’ve a peace that has come here to stay!
Refrain:
Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;
Constantly abiding, rapture divine;
He never leaves me lonely, whispers, oh, so kind:
“I will never leave thee”—Jesus is mine.
All the world seemed to sing of a Savior and King,
When peace sweetly came to my heart;
Troubles all fled away and my night turned to day,
Blessed Jesus, how glorious Thou art!
This treasure I have in a temple of clay,
While here on His footstool I roam;
But He’s coming to take me some glorious day,
Over there to my heavenly home!
After rolling over, dozing off again, and reawakening to the lyric, tune and truth, I thought, “This is a great Advent hymn.” The Emmanuel theme is imbedded throughout, the “Savior” and “King” truths are rich. Let’s begin singing the poem again – this week!
Another experience chipped away at my “not-a-poetry-kind-of-guy” posture. My friend Chris Rainey published Touching Other Worlds: A Collection of Poems. Chris was a high school football quarterback and a Marine. He enjoys the outdoors, is a serious Bible teacher, pastor and scholar. Few probably have seen the poet side of Chris.
Chris’ poetry reeled me into an appreciation for another kind of communication and art form. I heartily recommend reading, musing and praying through the ideas, truths and insights into human behavior Chris Rainey’s lines will provoke. I found them moving, deeply challenging. His boyhood story, experiences in New York City, and relationships with family are all enriching and sometimes sobering.
I rarely endorse items with commercial connections. However, I make an exception and recommend you purchase Touching Other Worlds. It is available at Touching Other Worlds at Barnes and Nobel or Touching Other Worlds at Amazon. And, no, Chris has not asked me to do this and we will not receive financial remuneration. I just like sharing good things!
First, in the middle of the night, between Saturday and Sunday, I was awakened by the lyrics of a more than century old poem by Anne S. Murphy, “Constantly Abiding.” I haven’t sung that tune for more than a decade, but it was “There,” in the recesses of my spirit, every word, and wonderful memories of the arenas in which I learned it. Even though more than 100 years old, “Constantly Abiding,” is as contemporary as tomorrow.
There’s a peace in my heart that the world never gave,
A peace it cannot take away;
Though the trials of life may surround like a cloud,
I’ve a peace that has come here to stay!
Refrain:
Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;
Constantly abiding, rapture divine;
He never leaves me lonely, whispers, oh, so kind:
“I will never leave thee”—Jesus is mine.
All the world seemed to sing of a Savior and King,
When peace sweetly came to my heart;
Troubles all fled away and my night turned to day,
Blessed Jesus, how glorious Thou art!
This treasure I have in a temple of clay,
While here on His footstool I roam;
But He’s coming to take me some glorious day,
Over there to my heavenly home!
After rolling over, dozing off again, and reawakening to the lyric, tune and truth, I thought, “This is a great Advent hymn.” The Emmanuel theme is imbedded throughout, the “Savior” and “King” truths are rich. Let’s begin singing the poem again – this week!
Another experience chipped away at my “not-a-poetry-kind-of-guy” posture. My friend Chris Rainey published Touching Other Worlds: A Collection of Poems. Chris was a high school football quarterback and a Marine. He enjoys the outdoors, is a serious Bible teacher, pastor and scholar. Few probably have seen the poet side of Chris.
Chris’ poetry reeled me into an appreciation for another kind of communication and art form. I heartily recommend reading, musing and praying through the ideas, truths and insights into human behavior Chris Rainey’s lines will provoke. I found them moving, deeply challenging. His boyhood story, experiences in New York City, and relationships with family are all enriching and sometimes sobering.
I rarely endorse items with commercial connections. However, I make an exception and recommend you purchase Touching Other Worlds. It is available at Touching Other Worlds at Barnes and Nobel or Touching Other Worlds at Amazon. And, no, Chris has not asked me to do this and we will not receive financial remuneration. I just like sharing good things!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Jude warned us that this could happen.
My morning meditations this week focus on Jude, the brother of Jesus, who wrote a letter to Jesus’ followers urging us all to keep focused on what really matters. Jude wrote, “I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,” but had to write about those who were corrupting the Message. Those about whom Jude warned were profaning salvation’s truth, substituting license for freedom, distracting Jesus’ disciples from loving devotion. Jude, who was privileged to observe Jesus at breakfast table and play ground, reminds us that we are called to follow his brother, Jesus. We are to show our love in obedience and deny any suggestion of self-centered, self-gratifying lust.
Like many other of Jesus’s American followers, I have grown used to the distractions of reindeer, sleighs, snow, elves and holly. They are the odds and ends of fantasy, man made things mixed in with living beings formed by the fingers of God. We are accustomed to a sky with a star in the East rating well below twelve tiny reindeer on the interest meter. I listen for the hymns of the incarnation (The truth and theology of Isaac Watt’s Joy to the World still invigorates me!), but hear syrupy ballads about snow, trees and chestnuts. Yesterday I was deeply shaken, rattled-to-the-soul, while in one of Pat’s favorite shopping venues! It took several decades to fully accomplish the dastardly deed, but someone “has secretly slipped in among us” and adulterated the Message beyond recognition.
There it was, evidence of the intruder right at the entrance of the store. A sign read, complete with holly boarder and winking Santa, “Thoughtful gift ideas for the discerning gift giver,” or something akin to that. I should have written it down, but one item in the display was even worse, a “motorized grill brush for the serious bar-b-quer!” If anyone gave me a motorized anything for the grill, I would think they had lost their discernment – and their mind! In the same display was a “car lovers gift pack” which had five different waxes, shampoos, lotions and treatments for cars – more than I use on my body! (I apparently don’t love my body as I ought.) And, a few short steps away, Major League Baseball team jerseys were selling for over $40.00 (suggested retail, $85.00). The player whose name was sewn on the back is now playing for a competitor. Discerning gift giver? Duh!
My response to all this is not to rant and rave. I’ll not be calling a radio station or writing an op ed piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Don’t look for me on a roadside with a placard reading, “Honk if you keep Christ in Christmas!” But, I have read the nativity account to four of my grandchildren and prayed with them. Before they went to sleep I reminded them that Christmas is really about God loving them enough to send Jesus to save them, and everyone else too! In every venue possible, on every occasion appropriate I will be faithful to tell the real story. Fools, that’s right, immoral, ungodly, deviously foolish men “have secretly slipped in among us.” And, our Father in heaven wants them to know the truth too! Let’s make sure our light shines brighter than the ones we have hung from the eaves of our homes!
Like many other of Jesus’s American followers, I have grown used to the distractions of reindeer, sleighs, snow, elves and holly. They are the odds and ends of fantasy, man made things mixed in with living beings formed by the fingers of God. We are accustomed to a sky with a star in the East rating well below twelve tiny reindeer on the interest meter. I listen for the hymns of the incarnation (The truth and theology of Isaac Watt’s Joy to the World still invigorates me!), but hear syrupy ballads about snow, trees and chestnuts. Yesterday I was deeply shaken, rattled-to-the-soul, while in one of Pat’s favorite shopping venues! It took several decades to fully accomplish the dastardly deed, but someone “has secretly slipped in among us” and adulterated the Message beyond recognition.
There it was, evidence of the intruder right at the entrance of the store. A sign read, complete with holly boarder and winking Santa, “Thoughtful gift ideas for the discerning gift giver,” or something akin to that. I should have written it down, but one item in the display was even worse, a “motorized grill brush for the serious bar-b-quer!” If anyone gave me a motorized anything for the grill, I would think they had lost their discernment – and their mind! In the same display was a “car lovers gift pack” which had five different waxes, shampoos, lotions and treatments for cars – more than I use on my body! (I apparently don’t love my body as I ought.) And, a few short steps away, Major League Baseball team jerseys were selling for over $40.00 (suggested retail, $85.00). The player whose name was sewn on the back is now playing for a competitor. Discerning gift giver? Duh!
My response to all this is not to rant and rave. I’ll not be calling a radio station or writing an op ed piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Don’t look for me on a roadside with a placard reading, “Honk if you keep Christ in Christmas!” But, I have read the nativity account to four of my grandchildren and prayed with them. Before they went to sleep I reminded them that Christmas is really about God loving them enough to send Jesus to save them, and everyone else too! In every venue possible, on every occasion appropriate I will be faithful to tell the real story. Fools, that’s right, immoral, ungodly, deviously foolish men “have secretly slipped in among us.” And, our Father in heaven wants them to know the truth too! Let’s make sure our light shines brighter than the ones we have hung from the eaves of our homes!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Mercy, peace and love be yours
The letter Jude wrote to the church is a study in efficiency. Jude uses only 614 English words to communicate truths which, when properly applied, equip Jesus’ learners to withstand all distractions from the course to follow.
With only 26 words Jude addresses all readers, assuring them of God’s calling and affection, “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” I am among the most verbose, too wordy, long-winded, complicated in thoughts. Jude is direct, simple, and most positive!
I suggest that during Advent we renew ourselves and relay to others the simple truth of salvation through Jesus.
• “To those who have been called,” Jesus calls us! O wondrous truth, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16)
• “Who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” Remembering how erratic I can be, how unpredictable our responses to the events of life, Jesus keeps us when we deserve to be discarded. The letter ending doxology is worthy of hiding in our memory for the Spirit to use in refreshing and renewing us.
• ‘Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” What do you think would happen if every Jesus Follower would only desire for others what Jude writes as his desire for us?
This Advent Season I am remembering that Jesus as Truth wearing clothes, walking among us, demonstrating His Father’s desire for us. And, I welcome you to join me in praying Jude’s desires for all!
With only 26 words Jude addresses all readers, assuring them of God’s calling and affection, “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” I am among the most verbose, too wordy, long-winded, complicated in thoughts. Jude is direct, simple, and most positive!
I suggest that during Advent we renew ourselves and relay to others the simple truth of salvation through Jesus.
• “To those who have been called,” Jesus calls us! O wondrous truth, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16)
• “Who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” Remembering how erratic I can be, how unpredictable our responses to the events of life, Jesus keeps us when we deserve to be discarded. The letter ending doxology is worthy of hiding in our memory for the Spirit to use in refreshing and renewing us.
• ‘Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” What do you think would happen if every Jesus Follower would only desire for others what Jude writes as his desire for us?
This Advent Season I am remembering that Jesus as Truth wearing clothes, walking among us, demonstrating His Father’s desire for us. And, I welcome you to join me in praying Jude’s desires for all!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Pursue Holy
By now, you are familiar with my appreciation for a thoroughly Pentecostal heritage. Being a Christian was not a statement of faith, but a seeping of Word and Spirit into every facet of life. Conversations and values were constantly weighed as worthy or unworthy in the context of Word and Spirit. In my experience, some things and many activities were either qualified or disqualified in a surroundings best described as being “heavy” in spiritual awareness. An acute sense of needing to be, wanting to be, holy was cultivated.
To illustrate, I can distinctly remember my pastor preaching about Christian vocabulary. He said, “‘Darn’ is a thin disguise for a much worse curse. ‘Gosh’ should be avoided as it encroaches on ‘God,’ and His Name is Holy, not to be taken in vain.” Pastor also taught that “true Christians” were teetotalers who abstained from alcohol, and similarly, would not use tobacco in any form. The list of acceptable amusements was shorter than unacceptable. The Word and Spirit called us to live unpolluted by the world. (James 1:27) Pastor taught that a test of our witness included what kind of stories we were willing to listen to in school, neighborhood or workplace. Witness was a lifestyle that set a moral tone.
The “good old days” were not always that “good,” and they certainly were imperfect, but they leaned toward the Holy! I believe that was the right way to lean, and that we ought never abandon that direction. In short –
• I do not believe our language needs to be quaint, laced through with “thee” and “thy,” but ought to be “seasoned with salt,” (Colossians 4:6) reflecting the way our deepest desires are leaning – toward Word and Spirit. If “darn” and “gosh” were substitutes for inappropriate language a few decades ago, for what is “freaking” a replacement? Are we as sensitive as we ought to be about becoming course or crude in a world which tramples on every moral boundary?
• In a few years our culture has turned from embracing modesty to parading lewdly – everywhere. Without losing our balance, can we create a forum for learning how to communicate the need for modest decorum for the people whose hearts are tipping toward Jesus?
• If “Ozzie and Harriet” were suspect fifty years ago for those who were in the pursuit of holy, to what cautions should our spirits respond today. If my spirit is damaged with the crass, morally corrupt values and images in my world’s marketplace, how will my spirit respond when Holy Spirit communicates? Will I hear Him?
• If the desire of God is for His house to be a place of prayer, a venue for meeting face-to-face, mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart, spirit-to-Spirit, and will-to-will, how may we cultivate an attitude and posture which accomplishes His purpose for our gatherings? Is it as important to be relevant as it is to be aware of the Holy and committed to meeting Him?
I have already admitted that the “good old days” were flawed. On occasion we were legalistic. Do I want to go back? No, and we couldn’t if we wanted. Life has no rewind button. But the pursuit of a life “worthy of our calling” remains. (Ephesians 4:1) Don’t scream, “Legalist!” at me. The pursuit of God ought to be life! How we pursue Him and represent Him matters, in every nook and cranny of our soul, home, church and marketplace.
To illustrate, I can distinctly remember my pastor preaching about Christian vocabulary. He said, “‘Darn’ is a thin disguise for a much worse curse. ‘Gosh’ should be avoided as it encroaches on ‘God,’ and His Name is Holy, not to be taken in vain.” Pastor also taught that “true Christians” were teetotalers who abstained from alcohol, and similarly, would not use tobacco in any form. The list of acceptable amusements was shorter than unacceptable. The Word and Spirit called us to live unpolluted by the world. (James 1:27) Pastor taught that a test of our witness included what kind of stories we were willing to listen to in school, neighborhood or workplace. Witness was a lifestyle that set a moral tone.
The “good old days” were not always that “good,” and they certainly were imperfect, but they leaned toward the Holy! I believe that was the right way to lean, and that we ought never abandon that direction. In short –
• I do not believe our language needs to be quaint, laced through with “thee” and “thy,” but ought to be “seasoned with salt,” (Colossians 4:6) reflecting the way our deepest desires are leaning – toward Word and Spirit. If “darn” and “gosh” were substitutes for inappropriate language a few decades ago, for what is “freaking” a replacement? Are we as sensitive as we ought to be about becoming course or crude in a world which tramples on every moral boundary?
• In a few years our culture has turned from embracing modesty to parading lewdly – everywhere. Without losing our balance, can we create a forum for learning how to communicate the need for modest decorum for the people whose hearts are tipping toward Jesus?
• If “Ozzie and Harriet” were suspect fifty years ago for those who were in the pursuit of holy, to what cautions should our spirits respond today. If my spirit is damaged with the crass, morally corrupt values and images in my world’s marketplace, how will my spirit respond when Holy Spirit communicates? Will I hear Him?
• If the desire of God is for His house to be a place of prayer, a venue for meeting face-to-face, mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart, spirit-to-Spirit, and will-to-will, how may we cultivate an attitude and posture which accomplishes His purpose for our gatherings? Is it as important to be relevant as it is to be aware of the Holy and committed to meeting Him?
I have already admitted that the “good old days” were flawed. On occasion we were legalistic. Do I want to go back? No, and we couldn’t if we wanted. Life has no rewind button. But the pursuit of a life “worthy of our calling” remains. (Ephesians 4:1) Don’t scream, “Legalist!” at me. The pursuit of God ought to be life! How we pursue Him and represent Him matters, in every nook and cranny of our soul, home, church and marketplace.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Bonus rooms
Occasionally Pat and I will stop to watch “House Hunters” on cable television’s HGTV Channel. Pat will sometimes mock a spoiled bride-to-be who coos, “Oh, I just love this granite!” or, “Honey, just look as these switch plates, aren’t they adorable?” To us, the show is a sobering reminder of skewed American values. Newlyweds searching for a house, pre-approved for a $850,000 mortgage is mind-bending enough, but a “must have” one acre lot for three dogs is way over the top. On a recent episode, a newly married couple listed several ways a “bonus room” could be used. The room appeared to be over the three car garage and large enough to play full-court basketball or indoor soccer.
Last Sunday, Pat and I experienced our vocation’s equivalent to a real estate “bonus room.” For two successive weeks we have been invited to minister in one of the churches we planted in the 1980's. Sunday’s “bonus room” experience was unexpectedly spacious. The lighting was brilliant. Every surface was pleasing to the touch. Every appointment was brilliantly electric, evoking deep emotion, fully expressing the goodness of our God.
The “bonus room” we experienced is not made of brick and mortar, sheet rock and spackle, but people! Redeemed people! Joyous, loving, celebrating people who once were lost, now are found. Those who were not a people, now share an identity completed by the wonder-working power of the blood of Christ. The tapestry of faces, experiences, and hopes reflect redemption, hold hope, and enjoy eternity while still bound to time.
Teaneck Assembly of God (TAG) was born in travail in 1989. Two short-term pastors ministered and moved on. Neighbors were resistant to the church’s message and ministry. A unique urban church within walking distance to New York City, TAG ministers in one of the most Jewish communities outside of Israel. Pastor Dan Meys arrived in Teaneck in 1991, 27 years-old, with his wife, Sally, two young boys and a new degree from Central Bible College. And, now, twenty years later, a congregation thrives.
Allow me to list a few of the unexpected “bonus room,” features we experienced, the fruit of twenty plus years of faithful, life-giving ministry.
• An office-light manufacturing style building in the heart of the city has been adapted for use as a church. The property is well maintained and a worthy symbol of the congregation’s excellence in ministry. People share a municipal parking lot with a pharmacy, grocery store and other retail customers.
• Most of the congregation live near the church and could walk to worship if they wanted. The people really are fulfilling the Scripture as light in the world, shining into darkness.
• An hour before worship began, several rooms were buzzing with students eagerly studying God’s Word. Teachers were obviously well-prepared and loving their assignments. Students were fully engaged.
• As a result of Pastor Dan’s networking with local synagogue leaders, TAG staffs the city food bank in the church building. The Jewish congregation supplies food and other useful items, the church staffs the outreach building friendship bridges and sharing Jesus’ love. One family whose first contact with the church was through the food bank, was sitting in the second row Sunday morning!
• TAG is diverse ethnically, racially, generationally and economically. She really looks like the community, and heaven!
• The worship was clearly Pentecostal and full of energy! The worship leaders were as diverse as the congregation, men and women, youth and seniors, black and white, US born and immigrants. The sanctuary is full!
• In the worship service, I sat with Pastor Chris Rainey, Pat with his wife, Marcia. They and their daughters have joined the ministry team at TAG. Like the Meys, we have watched them grow in family life and ministry for more than 20 years. Both couples make life sweeter and delightful.
• We shared Communion at the end of the service. Pastor Dan and a deacon brought a brief, Scriptural teaching, appropriately urging everyone to approach the remembrance of the Lord’s death with heart searching and thanksgiving. It was wonderful!
• Fellowship following the benediction was animated and pure joy! The people are sharing Truth and Life! Several shared with me how the ministries of the church have helped them follow Jesus. Tears are filling my eyes and I tingle with emotion as I write.
• Our fellowship over dinner with Dan and Sally Meys was as crown molding, wainscoting and plush carpet which makes rooms richer, more attractive, more distinctive and pleasing. Pat and I were enriched, our spirits were warmed. Their two young adult sons are preparing for ministry. How good is this?
If you are ever in Bergen County on a Sunday, I recommend Teaneck Assembly of God!
In 1987, Teaneck Assembly of God was an idea, a dream, a possibility. No one could yet speak of her with affection. Today she is a part of the Bride of Christ, the object of Jesus’ affection, the visible expression of the redemption of our God and His Son, Jesus.
Last Sunday, Pat and I experienced our vocation’s equivalent to a real estate “bonus room.” For two successive weeks we have been invited to minister in one of the churches we planted in the 1980's. Sunday’s “bonus room” experience was unexpectedly spacious. The lighting was brilliant. Every surface was pleasing to the touch. Every appointment was brilliantly electric, evoking deep emotion, fully expressing the goodness of our God.
The “bonus room” we experienced is not made of brick and mortar, sheet rock and spackle, but people! Redeemed people! Joyous, loving, celebrating people who once were lost, now are found. Those who were not a people, now share an identity completed by the wonder-working power of the blood of Christ. The tapestry of faces, experiences, and hopes reflect redemption, hold hope, and enjoy eternity while still bound to time.
Teaneck Assembly of God (TAG) was born in travail in 1989. Two short-term pastors ministered and moved on. Neighbors were resistant to the church’s message and ministry. A unique urban church within walking distance to New York City, TAG ministers in one of the most Jewish communities outside of Israel. Pastor Dan Meys arrived in Teaneck in 1991, 27 years-old, with his wife, Sally, two young boys and a new degree from Central Bible College. And, now, twenty years later, a congregation thrives.
Allow me to list a few of the unexpected “bonus room,” features we experienced, the fruit of twenty plus years of faithful, life-giving ministry.
• An office-light manufacturing style building in the heart of the city has been adapted for use as a church. The property is well maintained and a worthy symbol of the congregation’s excellence in ministry. People share a municipal parking lot with a pharmacy, grocery store and other retail customers.
• Most of the congregation live near the church and could walk to worship if they wanted. The people really are fulfilling the Scripture as light in the world, shining into darkness.
• An hour before worship began, several rooms were buzzing with students eagerly studying God’s Word. Teachers were obviously well-prepared and loving their assignments. Students were fully engaged.
• As a result of Pastor Dan’s networking with local synagogue leaders, TAG staffs the city food bank in the church building. The Jewish congregation supplies food and other useful items, the church staffs the outreach building friendship bridges and sharing Jesus’ love. One family whose first contact with the church was through the food bank, was sitting in the second row Sunday morning!
• TAG is diverse ethnically, racially, generationally and economically. She really looks like the community, and heaven!
• The worship was clearly Pentecostal and full of energy! The worship leaders were as diverse as the congregation, men and women, youth and seniors, black and white, US born and immigrants. The sanctuary is full!
• In the worship service, I sat with Pastor Chris Rainey, Pat with his wife, Marcia. They and their daughters have joined the ministry team at TAG. Like the Meys, we have watched them grow in family life and ministry for more than 20 years. Both couples make life sweeter and delightful.
• We shared Communion at the end of the service. Pastor Dan and a deacon brought a brief, Scriptural teaching, appropriately urging everyone to approach the remembrance of the Lord’s death with heart searching and thanksgiving. It was wonderful!
• Fellowship following the benediction was animated and pure joy! The people are sharing Truth and Life! Several shared with me how the ministries of the church have helped them follow Jesus. Tears are filling my eyes and I tingle with emotion as I write.
• Our fellowship over dinner with Dan and Sally Meys was as crown molding, wainscoting and plush carpet which makes rooms richer, more attractive, more distinctive and pleasing. Pat and I were enriched, our spirits were warmed. Their two young adult sons are preparing for ministry. How good is this?
If you are ever in Bergen County on a Sunday, I recommend Teaneck Assembly of God!
In 1987, Teaneck Assembly of God was an idea, a dream, a possibility. No one could yet speak of her with affection. Today she is a part of the Bride of Christ, the object of Jesus’ affection, the visible expression of the redemption of our God and His Son, Jesus.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
It is all grace!
Every boast diminishes grace!
Eugene Peterson’s introduction to Romans in The Message states, “And when this letter arrived in Rome, hardly anyone read it, certainly no one of influence. There was much to read in Rome — imperial decrees, exquisite poetry, finely crafted moral philosophy — and much of it was world-class. And yet in no time, as such things go, this letter left all those other writings in the dust. Paul’s letter to the Romans has had a far larger impact on its readers than the volumes of all those Roman writers put together.” Grace, unmerited favor and acceptance shared by God, is one of the powerful themes.
Recently I have written how Pat and I are pleased with and enjoy our family. This morning I considered how easily we could boast. But, bragging is a violation of grace. Crowing about accomplishments, acquisitions, and appearances, the American measurements of success, is pagan idolatry. Paul’s Letter to the Romans documents an unworthiness common to all men.
• “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (3:12)
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (3:23)
And, to spare us all from falling into fouling braggadocio. Paul added ...
• You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (5:6-8)
James left this wisdom by the Spirit, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth.” (1:17-18) Or, in the Wegner paraphrase, “If it is good, it didn’t start with us.”
The warrior Psalmist declared –
I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever. (44:6-8)
True humility has never been fashionable in the marketplace. Instinctively, all men are braggarts. The Spirit of God alerts us again, through Paul.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Friends close to us are struggling with cancer, sleep restlessly because of children who resist Jesus’ call to follow, and others are unemployed. If the sounds of pride or boast are heard from our pen, we are sorry. It is all God’s grace, not our merit in any way.
Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass captures a deep truth, “I play not a march for victors only ... I play great marches for conquered and slain persons.” Whitman adds, “Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.” We have all learned that every well-intentioned effort does not end with triumph and pomp. Those we love reject our affections and God’s. Pain does its best to stifle praise. Disappointment and despair work to blind one from hope. We need grace!
Another writer carried along by the wind of the Spirit encourages us to the grace place, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) A Puritan prayer captures the appropriate spirit of Jesus’ followers, “Help me to humble myself before thee by seeing the vanity of honor as a conceit of men’s minds, as standing between me and thee; by seeing that thy will alone must be done, as much as denying as in giving the spiritual enjoyments.”
Boasting always diminishes grace! We simply cannot afford to lessen the very thing of which we need more.
Eugene Peterson’s introduction to Romans in The Message states, “And when this letter arrived in Rome, hardly anyone read it, certainly no one of influence. There was much to read in Rome — imperial decrees, exquisite poetry, finely crafted moral philosophy — and much of it was world-class. And yet in no time, as such things go, this letter left all those other writings in the dust. Paul’s letter to the Romans has had a far larger impact on its readers than the volumes of all those Roman writers put together.” Grace, unmerited favor and acceptance shared by God, is one of the powerful themes.
Recently I have written how Pat and I are pleased with and enjoy our family. This morning I considered how easily we could boast. But, bragging is a violation of grace. Crowing about accomplishments, acquisitions, and appearances, the American measurements of success, is pagan idolatry. Paul’s Letter to the Romans documents an unworthiness common to all men.
• “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (3:12)
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (3:23)
And, to spare us all from falling into fouling braggadocio. Paul added ...
• You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (5:6-8)
James left this wisdom by the Spirit, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth.” (1:17-18) Or, in the Wegner paraphrase, “If it is good, it didn’t start with us.”
The warrior Psalmist declared –
I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever. (44:6-8)
True humility has never been fashionable in the marketplace. Instinctively, all men are braggarts. The Spirit of God alerts us again, through Paul.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Friends close to us are struggling with cancer, sleep restlessly because of children who resist Jesus’ call to follow, and others are unemployed. If the sounds of pride or boast are heard from our pen, we are sorry. It is all God’s grace, not our merit in any way.
Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass captures a deep truth, “I play not a march for victors only ... I play great marches for conquered and slain persons.” Whitman adds, “Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.” We have all learned that every well-intentioned effort does not end with triumph and pomp. Those we love reject our affections and God’s. Pain does its best to stifle praise. Disappointment and despair work to blind one from hope. We need grace!
Another writer carried along by the wind of the Spirit encourages us to the grace place, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) A Puritan prayer captures the appropriate spirit of Jesus’ followers, “Help me to humble myself before thee by seeing the vanity of honor as a conceit of men’s minds, as standing between me and thee; by seeing that thy will alone must be done, as much as denying as in giving the spiritual enjoyments.”
Boasting always diminishes grace! We simply cannot afford to lessen the very thing of which we need more.
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