DOMA Gone - What does it mean?

Today the Supreme Court of America in a 5-4 decision struck down the Defense of Marriage Act.  And the Supreme Court decided the defense of Prop 8 had NO standing in California.  As the homosexual community celebrates, Christians must wake up and realize that America has indeed changed.

Religious Liberty is officially under attack!

Here are some questions that highlight this new day and the dangers therein:

1.  If churches deny marriage ceremonies to homosexual couples - what will the Government do?

2.  If a Pastor refuses to marry a homosexual couple - what will the Government do?

3.  If a church continues to preach and teach the Bible and what it says about homosexuality - what will the Government do?

And if that is not enough:

4.  If the Government says churches cannot discriminate against homosexuality - what will the churches do?

5.  If the Government says a Pastor must marry heterosexuals and homosexuals - will Pastors still participate in the marriage ceremonies?

6.  If the Government says the Bible cannot be taught where it deals with homosexuality - what will churches, Pastors, and people of faith do?

These questions are no longer hypothetical.  These questions today became real for Christians in America.

And by the way, it is not the fault of the Supreme Court of our President.  It is we Christians who have sat idle in our clubs excusing ourselves from witnessing for way too many years!  And when we did teach, we did so in such a weak manner that few learned much of anything!

We will now see what all of this means.  When will we wake up?

It is time we realize that our only path now in America is the path that Daniel lived within 2 evil forms of Government.  In both, he rose to power and even more importantly, he was respected.  Our conduct, words, actions, and ministry will now be under a microscope.

All is not lost!  God is still on the throne and we have NO excuses in realizing that Christianity must be busy about reaching people.  We must leave our club mentality at the altar and get out in the communities serving and sharing.  We must care and love!

We must be Christians!

This will change the world and us!

I was reading today the latest post from Perry Noble regarding sermon series for churches. I was curious when I saw the title. Someone is always developing the latest and greatest sermon series. it is the culture in many pulpits and just might be one of the most dangerous methods being used today.

I was elated to read the following words from Noble..."get alone with God, open your Bible, read it until he sets your heart on fire…and then go unleash that fire through preaching to the people He has called you to preach to! In other words…get “a word” from “The Word!”

That advise is GREAT advice!

But then I thought for a moment. That is GREAT advice for any Christian! If we would just GET ALONE with GOD and allow Him to set our hearts on fire!

If only! All too often we find ourselves getting caught up in going through studies and doing this and that... the latest and greatest new THING. What ever happened to the simple act of getting alone with God and allowing Him to transform us and ignite us? Why have we abandoned this in our daily lives?

So here is my challenge to you this week - get alone with God, open your Bible, read it until He sets your heart on fire…and then go unleash that fire through your life in all that you do!"

When we do ministry

This week we are in hosting our annual VBS which includes an Adult track. In the past we have brought in people to do studies on special subjects. This year I felt led to do a Vision 20/20 series. So I am breaking down each aspect of the church and leading in discussing the needs both spiritually and physically of each area. I love the discussion and I really love the catching of the vision that is taking place.

Our discussion so far has uncovered a great truth that I have not been able to get out of my head. There are many people in the pew who are tired and frankly sick of all the fussing and fighting that churches can be known for. I was shocked to hear this aspect shared from all generations. We currently have no major issues in our church which makes it a peaceful experience. We get along and when we do struggle with understanding, we work it out. But though I knew this was not the case in many churches, I never realized how adamant people in the pew were getting about this bad behavior.

As we have been sharing the needs of ministries I have once again been filled with the awesome truth that I think we each need to regain and live in. It is a simple truth. It is a powerful truth.

If we would all get busy reaching people with the Gospel, we would discover that we have little time left for fussing and complaining.

May we apply this truth and reap the fruit!

Help Your Pastor!

The following is copied from Thom Rainer - President of Lifeway. It is great encouragement and direction for church members in loving and supporting their Pastors. Thanks Thom!

I know. Pastors aren’t perfect. But they do have one of the toughest jobs in the world. Regardless of the church polity, they do have to answer to every church member. Please allow me to speak to you who are church members. I know most of you love your pastor. I know most of you respect your pastor. But you may not know how you can best help your pastor.

I have served as a pastor of four churches, and I have consulted with hundreds of pastors. In many ways, I think I understand the heart of a pastor. So would you allow me to share with you how to demonstrate love to your pastor? I put them in the form of five things not to do, and five things to do.

What Not to Do

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. I’ve tried to streamline the list some.

1. Don’t criticize or make critical suggestions to the pastor unless you have spent much time in prayer over the matter. Pastors have to deal with criticisms every week. It drains them. Also, don’t criticize the pastor’s family.

2. Don’t ask the pastor to make announcements right before the worship service. He needs to be focused on his sermon. Similarly, don’t say other things to him that may distract him before he preaches.

3. Don’t tell your pastor how he compares to other pastors.

4. Don’t expect the pastor to be at all the church events and functions you think he should attend. Most of the other church members want him at “their” events as well.

5. Don’t expect the pastor to be the primary pastoral care giver to all members, their relatives, their distant relatives, and the rest of the community within a 30-mile radius.

What to Do

As I have talked with pastors around the world, they have shared with me some of the steps church members have taken that have really encouraged them. Let me share five of them.

1. Do pray for your pastor. Send him an email to let him know you are praying for him.

2. Do encourage your pastor. He needs it because he’s human, and he needs it to balance the criticisms he hears.

3. Do work with the leadership of the church to make certain the pastor is getting sufficient rest, time off, and family time. Most pastors are on 24/7 call.

4. Do encourage the rest of the church to take on pastoral care responsibility, particularly through small groups and Sunday school classes. The pastor should be the primary care giver for the most urgent and serious of needs. The rest of the church should do the bulk of the ministry.

5. Do be faithful to the ministry of the church. Few things encourage a pastor as much as committed church members.

Remembering Frances Mason

The very first blog I wrote was about Frances Mason. She was one of those church members that every pastor loves. Upon her death, I noted several reasons why I loved her so dearly.

As I reflected back on Frances for this blog, I realized that she was the type of church member that embodied all the great characteristics that are noted in these ten action items for this article. She prayed for me. She encouraged me. She looked after my welfare. She was a totally committed church member.

Many pastors are hurting. Sometimes I think most pastors are hurting. They are looking for answers to help their lives and leadership.

And the good news is that you can be a part of the solution.