West Main

It is time I confess something to you: I like to watch THE VOICE. All artistic integrity aside, it is fun to see talent bloom. It is fun to root for the underdogs. It is great to watch the “All-American” dream story unfold before our eyes. And judging by the ratings, I am not the only one who thinks this way.

This year there seems to be a trend of folks with young children trying out with big dreams. And it never fails; each one gets emotional in their post song interview. Their comment is ALWAYS the same: “This will change everything. I am doing this for my family. This is to make a better life for my family.” Or, something to that effect.

I find this kinda’ sad. We have somehow convinced ourselves today that MONEY and RICHES are all we need for good families. I find it hard to swallow that winning this show would be good for any family. How could becoming a rock star, and traveling ten months a year, being away from home EVER be good for a family? But, we look over that, and think, “yeah, but I could buy them and provide them with anything they’d ever want.” Isn’t this a flawed way of thinking?

When I look at the alarming number of families in our country that are falling apart and splitting up, I ask myself, “what do they need?” The answer is NEVER “more money!” What the families need is time together, love, structure, family time, and the grace of God!

I pray that we NEVER listen to the world’s lie that riches will make our families better. I pray we’d value a game night playing Scrabble with our family MUCH more than landing a record deal! I pray we’d rather take a walk on an autumn afternoon with our loved ones than tour the world on a fancy jet plane! I would take a family that loves the Lord and follows him, and loves one another without fail, over one full of fat trust funds and bank accounts any day!

As the church, WE should be the ones modeling this. We could ALL learn to intentionally build more sabbath into our lives, slow down, and enjoy our loved ones. I believe that God values families. And I believe that He wants the best for them. May we commit to them more than ever! In an age when the world is doing everything it can to tear us apart, may we gird ourselves with the strength of God! May we teach our children what is important. May our families be grounded in the truth of God! And may we never look to earthly riches to solve our worldly problems. May God bless our families, as we in turn bless God! 

-- Pannell

FIVE REASONS TO STOP TRYING TO RESTORE

THE CHURCH OF THE 50s AND 60s

1. We need to focus on restoring New Testament Christianity – We grow when we remember that we are - at our very core - a movement. Our movement is not about restoring the church of the 50s and 60s, but about restoring New Testament Christianity. I don’t care how they did it in Tennessee or Texas in 1963, I care about how they did it in Jerusalem in AD33 (or thereabouts).

2. They weren’t trying to restore the church of the 50s and 60s in the 50s and 60s – The church was growing rapidly at that time because they were willing to innovate. They were willing to use new expedient ways of reaching the lost for Christ. They weren’t stuck in decades past, saying, “Well, we’ve never done it that way before.” Or, “We tried something like that and it didn’t work.” If we want to grow, we must innovate again and use every means possible to share the gospel with the world.

3. They weren’t perfect in the 50s and 60s – We have a tendency to laud the preachers of the past and say, “Brother so-and-so believed this and preached this, and if it was good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.” With all due respect to “brother so-and-so,” he is not our perfect example. Jesus is our perfect example and we have to keep going back to, “What did Jesus say?” not, “What did brother so-and-so say?” Don’t limit your knowledge to what others knew. Learn from them and, if possible, grow beyond their understanding.

4. We don’t live in the 50s and 60s anymore – Our culture has changed drastically since the 50s and 60s and our evangelism methods must change, too. Of course the gospel message doesn’t change, but the way we share it does. For instance, most people of my generation despise an uninvited stranger coming to their door to try to teach them something. And there may have been a time when putting, “Gospel Meeting This Week,” on your sign brought dozens of non-Christians to your building, but that time is gone. You can keep trying these same methods and be frustrated that they don’t work, or you can find new ways of sharing the gospel with your friends and neighbors.

5. We are giving the Lord’s church a black eye– When we use out-dated methods and materials to try to reach people, we send the message that we are out of touch with reality and culture. We must remember that we represent Jesus Christ and everything we do is a reflection on Him and on His church. I don’t think the Lord is pleased when we send the message that His church is “out of touch.” Let’s stop giving the impression that Jesus and His church are no longer relevant, simply because we don’t care enough to develop new methods and new materials to reach the lost.

The Bottom Line – The bottom line is this, we need to have the discernment to distinguish between the things of the 1^st Century and the things of the 20^th Century. We need to ask ourselves some hard questions, like, “Are we doing this because it is what Scripture says to do, or are we doing this because they did it this way in the 50s?” Some of the ways they did things in the 50s and 60s are still the best way to do things, but some of those ways are no longer relevant or expedient.

Do we have the wisdom to tell the difference between doctrine and tradition? I believe we do. I believe we can start to separate these things and begin focusing on restoring the church of the New Testament and not the church of the 50s and 60s.

I love you and God loves you,

Our Sunday Evening Ladies Class will begin a new study on October 19. This is a NO HOMEWORK CLASS as we will be using the Beth Moore video series, “Anointed, Transformed, and Redeemed.” This class begins at 6:00 p.m. in the East Room and all ladies are invited to attend. If you need more information, please contact Toni Parker.