Tomorrow’s message is Living in the Light of God’s Revealed Will. This is part 8 and the last message in the series through the book of Malachi. Now that we have learned what God expects, the challenge before us is to live accordingly. Will I be a doer of the Word or a hearer only? Am I going to live a God-honoring life or will I continue in casual Christianity? This series has changed PCC.
My current blog series Confessions of a Church Planter will resume on Monday. This material will be used in a book I am writing about being a church planter. I am telling the story of the birth of PCC and the nuts-and-bolts aspects of organizing a new church. It is also the story of my growth as a pastor, the mistakes I made along the way, and how God’s grace was able to make up the gap in spite of those mistakes. There is a possibility that Creation House of Strang Publications, will publish the book. I’ve been contacted by them and it’s got me pretty motivated.
Listening to godly counsel. Sometimes it is easier to follow the herd and replace godly friends with those who will give you the counsel you want to hear. That’s what Rehoboam did by listening to his buddies instead of his father’s wise counselors (I Kings 12). When a person makes a bad choice and a godly pastor or friends calls them out, it’s easier to write them off and find a new set of friends who will give validation to your actions. The problem with that strategy is that it is self-centered. If you just surround yourself with yes-men, it can lead to your ruin. Better to follow the strategy of Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…”
Easter is just six weeks away. It comes a little early this year. We have a lot of planning to do. Hope the weather cooperates.
Time change occurs in about three weeks. I’m looking forward to the longer days.
Lobby lizards. It’s not a good thing when people are hanging out in the hallways or foyer during the church service for no good reason. I’ve seen plenty of church’s where this happens; the pastor stays in his office until sermon time and then he makes his entrance; musicians perform and then go hang out in a stage room skipping the sermon; or church workers never step foot inside because they are loitering in the lobby. In fact, a couple of year ago we had a significant problem with this very thing at PCC. Fortunately, we got it cleaned up.
We gather on Sunday’s to participate in congregational worship. That’s what it means to “congregate.” Pastors should be in the service when the music is taking place, and band members should be in the service when the sermon is being delivered. Teachers in our age-level ministries should not teach our kids in one service and then slip out the back door without attending the adult worship service. When anyone does this they are giving off the impression that they are better and don’t need to participate in collective worship like everyone else. Everyone needs worship and everyone needs to hear the sermon from God’s Word that is directed to our church family. At PCC we have two services, so attend one and serve one. Don’t exempt yourself by acting like a rock star.
My current blog series Confessions of a Church Planter will resume on Monday. This material will be used in a book I am writing about being a church planter. I am telling the story of the birth of PCC and the nuts-and-bolts aspects of organizing a new church. It is also the story of my growth as a pastor, the mistakes I made along the way, and how God’s grace was able to make up the gap in spite of those mistakes. There is a possibility that Creation House of Strang Publications, will publish the book. I’ve been contacted by them and it’s got me pretty motivated.
Listening to godly counsel. Sometimes it is easier to follow the herd and replace godly friends with those who will give you the counsel you want to hear. That’s what Rehoboam did by listening to his buddies instead of his father’s wise counselors (I Kings 12). When a person makes a bad choice and a godly pastor or friends calls them out, it’s easier to write them off and find a new set of friends who will give validation to your actions. The problem with that strategy is that it is self-centered. If you just surround yourself with yes-men, it can lead to your ruin. Better to follow the strategy of Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…”
Easter is just six weeks away. It comes a little early this year. We have a lot of planning to do. Hope the weather cooperates.
Time change occurs in about three weeks. I’m looking forward to the longer days.
Lobby lizards. It’s not a good thing when people are hanging out in the hallways or foyer during the church service for no good reason. I’ve seen plenty of church’s where this happens; the pastor stays in his office until sermon time and then he makes his entrance; musicians perform and then go hang out in a stage room skipping the sermon; or church workers never step foot inside because they are loitering in the lobby. In fact, a couple of year ago we had a significant problem with this very thing at PCC. Fortunately, we got it cleaned up.
We gather on Sunday’s to participate in congregational worship. That’s what it means to “congregate.” Pastors should be in the service when the music is taking place, and band members should be in the service when the sermon is being delivered. Teachers in our age-level ministries should not teach our kids in one service and then slip out the back door without attending the adult worship service. When anyone does this they are giving off the impression that they are better and don’t need to participate in collective worship like everyone else. Everyone needs worship and everyone needs to hear the sermon from God’s Word that is directed to our church family. At PCC we have two services, so attend one and serve one. Don’t exempt yourself by acting like a rock star.
3 comments:
That's awesome you are writing a book. I've been reading your Confessions blogs, and they definitely sound like they should be in a book. I will be buying your book once it is finished and published!
Chris
Lobby lizards :) never heard that term before- gave me a grin. (not the actions, obviously!) :)
Lobby Lizards... I was reluctant to use the term, but hey, I thought it was pretty cute. Besides it's a phrase that is easy to recall and conjures up a perfect image of what NOT to be.
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