Too Late?

I think a confession is needed, and I must come clean. If I don’t do it now, I might never be able to muster the courage again. As an explanation, this ‘thing’ didn’t happen to me overnight. It took ages for me to be aware of my failing, and even then only slowly. I called it a failing, but is it? Really??

The human body grows quite slowly compared to other species on our planet. As each phase comes and is replaced by the next one, we accept the changes as necessary. We dare not go into our teen years looking and thinking like a toddler. And similarly, our ageing bodies are not as strong and cannot react the way we did in mid life. By the time we are in the ‘end of life’ phase, we do not even remotely resemble our baby self. This is progress. It’s life, and we embrace it.

Why do I not embrace the changing faith years in the same way? The baby and toddler years when proper teaching was made in simple forms, followed by the teen years when the meat of the word was essential, and outreach performed with ease. The mid life years brought a crisis of the questioning heart, not to doubt but to learn because we never want to stop growing. By the time we reach the ‘end of faith’ years, we try to grasp at the younger times when everything was simpler and easier. Salvation was contagious and churches were full with people being reborn into the Kingdom almost without effort. Simply put, I want to go back.

Here’s the problem with my analogy. Everyone born starts at the same place in growth and progress, right through to our end of life phase. Then the cycle always restarts without change and growth is guaranteed. However, the faith years are not treated in the same way. Our ‘progressive’ church leaders seem to want our successive years of growth to be constant and without repeat. Or to put it another way, each generation at their faith birth, should start where the previous generation’s end of faith years left off. Using this as a model of church growth is it any wonder that we fall short? That kind of growth cannot be sustained in either the human being, or the faith model.

My confession about being too late is this: Do I keep running on the treadmill of artificial church growth, or should I let my faith journey be what it is supposed to be at each stage? If I stay on the treadmill, the progressives will applaud, but will it grow my faith or that of my church? On the other hand if I get off the spinning wheel I will be branded as a dinosaur and no one wants that. What do you think? Is it too late to stop the treadmill and get off? At least that would be good for my blood pressure. Perhaps it might not be a bad thing to be a dinosaur after all! Another, and better question is: Can, or should we even try, to reinvent the gospel or is it fine the way it was originally given for all ages and for all time in the Bible?

One of the dictionary definitions of ‘dinosaur’ is “a person or thing that is outdated or has become obsolete because of failure to adapt to changing circumstances.”

Ever New

But if a man who is not a Christian comes to your church meeting while you are all speaking God’s Word, he will understand that he is a sinner by what he hears. He will know he is guilty. The secrets of his heart will be brought into the open. He will get on his knees and worship God. He will say, “For sure, God is here with you!”    1 Corinthians 14:24-25 NLV

We have this new idea. This is something we should try. I think this will work. All of these statements have tripped off my tongue at some time in my church life, and I have heard them, or words like them, from sincere folks who want their church to grow. We desperately want and need to be relevant we say, and that is true.

How many new ideas or programs do we use or try before we realise that church growth is just not happening? There is a saying in business that if something is not working, and there is no return on your investment efforts, you stop doing it! Then you think again and try something else. We are not good at that in church circles, are we? I think there is a fear that we might look bad by admitting that it was our new program that didn’t work.

A business would not think twice about quitting a process or program if it didn’t produce results. In truth you don’t get a different result by doing the same things over again. These thoughts have been weighty on my mind recently, and then I stumbled across this familiar verse, but in a different translation. Paul is writing to a troubled church. One that needed to grow properly, and in the truth of the gospel. The apostle’s advice went right to the heart of the issue then, and I believe it goes straight to the core of the problem today. Our churches are in trouble, and generally declining, so what do we do? We try new things. New programs. Learn new insights. Anything. But they still don’t work, so we blame society, our bad community, the members who are not trying hard enough, or are just not committed the way they should be.

Read our two verses above, and then read them twice more. Did Paul suggest a new approach to the message of the gospel? Far from it. Paul emphasised the same gospel without any frills or changes. Whether society accepts the gospel message or not, it is still the only show in town. So, let’s not keep on trying to reinvent the wheel, but get behind the only message that works consistently. Preach the gospel, and only the gospel. The same gospel your parents and grandparents heard and reacted to. When we do our part, God will do His. Then our community and visitors will make their own decision about the Word of God. They may accept it, or reject it, but that’s free will as God ordained, and nothing can alter that fact!

A Visionary or a Dreamer?

[ The day of the Lord ] ‘And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28 NIV

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. Deuteronomy 7:32 NIV

The true Church of Jesus Christ is broad in the sense that it has room for young and old. Even now, I understand that I can learn from the younger folks who have a full heart for Jesus. Of course in the same way, our youth must recognise that with age comes experience, and that experience has often come with its own scars. They may not be visible, but they are there and are scars nonetheless.

One of the big things any parent does for their family, is to help them avoid some of the hurt and pain they suffered as they travelled their faith journey. There is a fine balance to be used by both the mature, and the newer Christian. We can and must learn from each other.

The older generation must never look down their long noses in dismay at the behaviour of the youth of our church. Do you remember what you were like at their age? We need to be honest as we think about that. Similarly, to avoid Spiritual danger, our young folks must not dismiss the old ‘wrinklies’ as though they have nothing to add to their lives. They do, and it is significant!

So while our young sons and daughters will prophesy and see visions, the older folks will recall their younger days of long past generations, and pass on the glories of those days. Both are important, but both age groups must be open to each other and willing to learn from the other. If we don’t, we are in great danger of missing out on so much Spiritual growth!

Benefits of Old Age

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 NIV

Some of us are blessed to grow into old age with a reasonable amount of good health, while others pass away into their own eternal destiny, and sometimes we who are still here will ask, “why was I left behind”? We are all different, but each of us bears the scars of our individual history of life. Some experiences have been better than others, and some we would rather forget.

I am happy, and yes even relieved, that every child of God has the sure and certain promise of eternal life in heaven. We might not know exactly what that looks like, but we do have the cast iron assurance that we will enter heaven’s gates to live with Jesus forever and as a BIG bonus we will get to see our family who also placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

Until that great and glorious day, we live out our lives on earth as best we can. Our human body is frail and subject to all the ailments and temptations that the devil can throw at us. But, and it’s a BIG BUT, we are told what our gracious God will do for the believers as they ‘do life’ this side of heaven. He says, “I am he who will sustain you” and “I will carry you” and “I will sustain you”, (this is said twice so it must be important) and “I will rescue you”.

The best part of this promise for me, is that it doesn’t just apply to the older, gray haired believers, it says “even to your old age and gray hairs” and that means all the way through your life until you see those gray hairs appearing and beyond! What a promise from our gracious and understanding God.

Remember, Be An Example

Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Isaiah 46:9 NLT

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT

They’re too young to understand. They have no experiences of life in the raw. They are not as mature as we were at that age. Have you uttered these words about the youth of today? You are not alone, but when you look under the brash and sometimes loud exterior, you will be surprised to find a sensitive and wise young man or woman.

Unfortunately, society has given our youth a bad name, and we have gone along with the flow of general opinion, but based on what? The word of a jaundiced commentator who is afraid of competition? The very few examples we see in the media of the bad eggs who do everything bad and nothing right? But look closer and you will find a generation of teens who are no different than the teens of your day and mine. Yes, some were bad, but the vast majority were good, with kind hearts who would only ever want to do good, whether or not they called themselves a Christian.

Timothy was a ‘wet behind the ears’ young Christian, but Paul saw the good in his heart, and stood up for him. It was a lot like he was given a good character reference for an important job. That still happens today, right? And it was no different with the respect Paul had for young Timothy. One of the translations puts it this way, “Let no one look down on you because you are young…” I think we can take a lesson here, and not be so hasty to write off our young generation just because they are doing something different than we did in our day.

There is plenty of room in the Kingdom of God, both for the older ones who remember how God moved in the past, and the younger ones who need to be encouraged to set the Godly example the following generation after them need to see and experience!

Extra Ten?

Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often empty and filled with pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone. Psalms 90:10 TLB

Take my word for it, the years pass quickly. It seems one minute you are meeting and marrying the girl of your dreams, and the next minute you are watching and babysitting your grandchildren. When that phase of life is over, the house is quiet, and there comes a time when one of you is left alone due to sickness, illness, or accident. This part of your life is not the way you had imagined or planned.

During later years you may be alone, but sadly you may also become lonely. There is nothing you can do about this except bear it with grace and patience. We are reminded by God that we have an allotted span of seventy years, or maybe a bonus of another ten, making it eighty. In any case, there is a time when your mortality becomes evident. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t often think of death or dying (each of which is very different) but there is an awareness which grows as time passes.

If you are able, give some thought to the way you would like to live out these extra ten years. Obviously, you want to make them count. But how? Can I impose on you and make some suggestions as one who is approaching my God ordained limit?

> if you are blessed to have family, treasure them all. They are your gift.

> read, take up a hobby and find an interest. The devil finds work for idle hands.

> don’t drift from old friends, and make new ones. This reduces loneliness.

> attend or join a church. There is nothing better than the company of Christian friends.

That’s not a lot to take in during the last years of your life, and if you don’t try, those years will drag and you will become a grumpy old misery-guts. You probably know one already, so don’t be like them. The verse ends with the words “soon we are gone” which is worded in other translations as “soon we fly away”. Keep that promise in your head, heart and mind. When you have the full assurance of heaven, living out the remainder of your allotted life span isn’t so bad after all, is it? I like the way Paul puts it in Romans 14:8 TLB: “Living or dying we follow the Lord. Either way we are His.”

Pecking Order

You are young, but don’t let anyone treat you as if you are not important. Be an example to show the believers how they should live. Show them by what you say, by the way you live, by your love, by your faith, and by your pure life. 1 Timothy 4:12

Life has a pecking order in many things, and we have to submit to it. Or do we? Society is making us think twice about the natural order of things, especially in the subject of equality. Apparently we are all equal, and the Bible supports this in the words of Galatians 3:28: “Now, in Christ, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.”

One of the pecking orders we don’t get right sometimes, especially in the Church, is the value of our youth. Paul reminds us that we should not treat them as unimportant. In fact, they are to be an example! Hold it Paul, what about us grey haired, mature folks who have seen a bit of life?  We know better, and we should be respected and honoured, after all, if it were not for us, those youngsters would not have a church to go to. We sacrificed to get it here for them. We paid the pastor’s salary when they were in nappies. We should be recognised as the important ones! I ask you, how does that sound? Sounds proud and even arrogant to me, and Paul, inspired by God, must have known this. And yet he tells us that these same young people are to be our examples.

The reason may be that they have not had time to be tainted by the sins of jealousy, envy, pride, or arrogance. They may just be in a better place to be examples than those older, mature Christians who think they know it all. Jesus tells us to be like little children, and Paul says that our youth are important enough to be our examples, yes even to the older, wrinklies in the fellowship. (Note to self: Respect the example of the Godly youth in the church!)

In My Day

In my day, the summers were warmer, the snow was whiter in winter, people were kinder and didn’t need to lock their doors, neighbours were friendlier, school produced better citizens who could spell and read, times were tough but we were survivors, friends stuck together, and the list could go on. It often does.

Then there’s Church. Church was better, more active, more members, with better hymns and not these too loud modern songs, lots out midweek, piano and organ, no guitars and certainly no drums, lives changed at an altar of prayer, great saintly examples, a church board of stalwarts, pastors called, who preached and visited on a very low wage, tithes and offerings given freely for growth of the Kingdom, and again the list could go on. It often does.

It is important that I don’t fall into the ‘grumpy old man’ trap, where everything old was good, and everything new is bad. One sure way to turn folks off at any age, is to be a know-it-all, and try to make things look better if seen through my eyes. It doesn’t work. In fact, Jesus was, is, and always will be truth, so what was done in the past will remain if it is of God, and this is also true of today. The good will persist, and the bad will fall away like ‘snow aff a dyke’ as we say in Scotland. You and I need to be sure we are on the right side of truth. That’s all. It’s that simple, so let’s not get hung up on what the youth are doing in church today, and take more care over our own example and up to date testimony. God will be our judge, and theirs, in all things old or new!

Leave them alone. If their plan is something they thought up, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself! Acts 5:38,39

Out With The Old!

Well that’s part of our journey over for another year. What will you remember most from the past 12 months? For many there have been relationship troubles, illnesses, bereavement, hardship, and money worries. For some, maybe all of these have affected their year, and that is not easy to bear. Even though there may have been some highs, most look forward to starting the next year afresh. We want to make a better job of our life, and a new year is a good place to begin.

There are many things we have no control over, and if you look over the list in the last paragraph, you will see what I mean. So I think if we are going to be serious about making a fresh start, it must be in something we do have control over. We tend to look for the big things that need to be changed, but sometimes it’s the little things which mean a lot as the old song says.

If we are really fortunate we might stumble across a small thing which will make big differences, and those new and better big changes will start to fall like dominoes. We have to look no further than the words of Jesus, and where better to start at the new year. His words have eternal value, and it does us good when we heed them, so how about this little change for starters? While you are at it, take good note of the words “new” and “must”. Obviously Jesus thought this new command was important, and we should treat it as important too.

I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. John 13:34

Are you up for it? Let’s give it a try. Better still, let’s give Jesus a try in our lives and see the difference a little love in the right attitude makes. Have a Happy New Year 2017!

Out With The Old

So don’t remember (dwell on) what happened in earlier times. Don’t think about what happened a long time ago, because I am doing something new! Isaiah 43:18,19

We all go through periods of change, and we always know it will be for the better. Change is needed because we have built up habits over a period of time, and they are not good for our body, emotions, or spirit. In the quiet times we sometimes get in this busy world, the truth crashes in on us. We have been living in the past, and have not moved on.

Have you ever heard yourself saying, “It wasn’t like that when I was a child”, or “Those were the good old days and I wish they were back”, or maybe even, “I remember when the church was full, and there were great times of blessing.” I have, have you? But it never helps, does it? No never! The verse says it clearly. The prophet knew how we thought, even way back then, and it remains the same today. We long for the safety of the past.

If we are told not to dwell on the past, how do we help to shape the present, and therefore the future for our children and grandchildren?

I like the way the following verse catches the theme. The good times in the past were not related to the money we had, or the house we lived in, or the church we attended. It had everything to do with the heart of the people, and of the condition of our own heart. I suggest when we are tempted to think and dwell on the olden days, ask yourself about the state of your heart, and my heart too. Is our heart unfeeling, like a stone, or soft and responsive, like a living heart of flesh? May we all pray for the loss of our stony heart, to be replaced by a tender, human heart that Ezekiel talks about.

I will also put a new spirit in you to change your way of thinking. I will take out the heart of stone from your body and give you a tender, human heart. Ezekiel 36:26