It’s that time of year again! Summer is over, and it’s back to school! Stores are decked out with back-to-school supplies and the buses are on the road again. You may not be directly impacted by the school year calendar, but nonetheless it still serves as an important marker in the passage of time (and we can’t escape it; like it or not, we all notice the increased traffic and longer commute times). I kind of enjoy the back-to-school season. It means Fall is coming soon, and with it, cooler temperatures. For many people, the start of the school year is also a season of new beginnings. It’s a new semester, a new set of classes, and a chance at a fresh start. Even if the school year calendar is no longer a part of your family’s routine and calendar, you can still make it a time of new beginnings and a fresh start.

And what better time to renew our commitment to being students of the Word of God than the back-to-school season? While the world around us is returning to the classroom, let’s resolve to return to the Scriptures and reaffirm our devotion to God and to his word. As you’ve probably heard me say before, Christianity is about much more than just information, but information is nevertheless crucial to our faith. The Christian faith makes truth claims about historical events and people and most importantly, about the coming of one certain person–Jesus Christ–in the first century AD. And it’s in the pages of the Bible that we read about God’s plan finding its fulfillment in the coming of Jesus the Messiah. So while faith entails more than information, it will starve unless it is fed with the facts and teachings of the Scriptures.

So my encouragement to you this week is simply to always be a student of the Word. Be like the Christians in the ancient city of Berea, who, when they heard the teaching of Paul and Silas, “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Read your Bible, take notes in the margin, underline, highlight, listen to it on the way to work, and pray about what you read in its pages. Do whatever it takes to get in frequent contact with the words of God. And when you read a passage that stumps you, call up a friend (unlike in the game show “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?’ you get unlimited opportunities to phone a friend in your walk of faith). Studying the Bible with a study buddy often helps you see things you could have missed on your own and makes your study all the richer. So this back-to-school season, let’s all go “back to school” in the Bible and study God’s words that he has given to us.

I remember a time in my childhood when I was a very bad gift giver. It was my oldest brother’s birthday, and I wanted to be noticed for giving him a gift, but I didn’t have much that I was willing to part with. So I hatched a simple solution. I gave him some little toy or something of mine (I don’t remember exactly what it was) and within a few days, promptly took it back! I wanted to be seen as a giver, but I didn’t want my giving to cost me anything. Perhaps you had a similar experience when you were young. Eventually we grow up, have a little more, and usually find it easier to share our things with others. But we never entirely outgrow the temptation to give that which costs us nothing or next to nothing and still congratulate ourselves for our generosity, like I did when I was a child. 

There was an event in the life of David that reminds us of the importance of resisting the temptation to give God gifts that cost us nothing. In 1 Chronicles 21, David did something that displeased the Lord. Evidently his desire to take a census of the people was somehow a reflection of something in his heart, perhaps a misplaced trust in human strength instead of God’s strength. Consequently, Israel was suffering under a plague because of David’s actions. Burdened with the knowledge that the people were suffering for his own wrongdoing, David begged the Lord to let the punishment rest fully on his own shoulders, and not the peoples’ (1 Chron. 21:17). Then the Lord instructed David to go and offer a sacrifice at the threshing floor that belonged to a man named Ornan. David immediately went there and found Ornan threshing wheat. When David requested to buy the land from Ornan, Ornan offered to give David not only the piece of property, but also all the wood and animals he needed for the sacrifice. David’s response is striking: “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (1 Chron. 21:24). 

David refused to offer a sacrifice to the Lord that cost him nothing. He was fully vested in what he was doing and was more than willing to incur significant expense if that was what it took to make things right. I wonder, how often do I give the Lord that which costs me nothing? Do I ever give to the Lord the way I gave to my older brother so long ago, wanting to be noticed as a giver but not wanting it to cost me anything?  Do I just give enough to convince myself that I’m a giving person, or do I give even when it costs me? May God strengthen us to give ourselves–and all that we have, and all that we are–to him and to his cause.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since we moved to Kentucky and I began working with the Worthington congregation. The year has flown by. I just wanted to stop and take a moment to thank you all for giving me this opportunity to minister and preach here. Thank you for welcoming us and taking good care of us. Thanks for the way you have been patient with me as I got settled in and got my feet under me in my first full-time ministry. It’s obvious to me that you are personally invested in the church here and that you all don’t expect me to do everything. Everyone pitches in and plays their part. And this is how it should be, because no person can do it all on their own. That’s why God has given us the church, which is made up of many members (1 Cor. 12:12). The church is not made up of “professional” or “expert” Christians and then “regular” Christians; rather, there is a job for everyone to do. And those jobs are not all the same. The members of the body have different functions, but one goal and one purpose.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; there are varieties of activities, but the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (…) All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Cor. 12:4-7, 11). It’s not that my role is more important than your role or that your role is more important than someone else’s role. Every role and every job is important. God has gifted us each in unique ways. And we are stronger when we each use those gifts to the fullest possible extent. When we each use our God given gifts “for the common good” the result is that we are all strengthened and built up. 

So thank you for what you each do for our church. I know that there is work and planning that goes largely unnoticed, and I’m sure there is more that goes on behind the scenes than even I know about. Whatever your contribution is to the work here at our church, thank you! Whether it’s seen or unseen, thank you. Keep up the good work, and keep on keeping on. Thank you for welcoming me to the work here at Worthington, to work alongside all of you for the good of this church and our area. Working together as a team with one goal and one mission, we will continue to believe God’s promises and trust in his provision and work for his glory.

PepsiCo’s mission is to “create more smiles with every sip and every bite.” Microsoft’s mission is “to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” And McDonald’s mission is “to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.” These are three of the largest and most iconic companies ever. We’ve all consumed Pepsi products, used Microsoft Operating Systems, and eaten at McDonalds. But in the grand scheme of things, the missions of these companies just deal with temporary things: sugary drinks, computer software, and sometimes controversial burgers. The church has a mission too, but it’s on an entirely different level. Unlike those companies that were born from an initial idea and grew and adapted into what they are today, we were given a mission by our Lord–a mission that we are not free to adapt or change. The way we carry out the mission may change, but the mission itself stays the same. 

Simply put, the mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations. Jesus gave this mission to his followers shortly before his ascension in Matthew 28:28-20. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

The mission essentially boils down to making disciples of Jesus and then teaching and equipping those disciples. A disciple is one who follows Jesus, and the process begins when someone shows interest in the gospel. It continues when they put their trust in Jesus, turn from their sins, and are baptized into Christ. But baptism is not the end, it’s just the beginning. After their baptism, disciples must then be taught all the rest of the things that Jesus taught us so that they can continue to grow and mature in their discipleship to Christ. These disciples then go and make more disciples, and the cycle of disciples making disciples who make disciples continues endlessly until Jesus returns.

Where can you go this week, and who can you tell about Jesus? Our Lord’s mandate for us is to go and make disciples and we must be striving to do that, otherwise we are unfaithful to our mission. And remember, we must never say no for someone else. We may think that they will reject the gospel, but we dare not neglect to share the message with them because we think they will reject it. God may surprise us with the way some people respond. It’s not our job to decide if we think they will accept Jesus or not, it is our job to share the message of Jesus with accuracy and clarity to anyone and everyone, trusting the power of the word of God to do the rest.

The story of Jonah is one of our most beloved narratives from all of the Old Testament. It is such a memorable story, so unique among all the others we read in the Bible, and so full of easy-to-grasp lessons. All of which, of course, makes it the perfect Vacation Bible School story and lesson for kids. But it’s not just for kids—it’s for all of us. There is so much from the story of Jonah for us to learn and benefit from. Throughout the short book, we watch as the prophet goes from being reluctant to repentant to renewed to resentful* and the message for us is clear: don’t resent God’s grace that he shows to others, no matter how undeserving we think they are.

At first, Jonah was reluctant to obey the Lord. God told him to go to Nineveh but he ignored God. (Jonah 1:2). He tried to flee from the presence of the Lord (1:3), something that he would learn is impossible to do. While Jonah was fleeing he ironically said, “I fear the LORD, the God of heaven…” (1:9) when he was in fact actively running away from God. Then in chapter 2, Jonah was repentant. Apparently a few days in the stomach of a huge fish has a way of getting your attention and changing your perspective on life. In that gross environment, Jonah repented and prayed to God: “But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD” (2:9). After his repentance, Jonah was renewed in chapter 3 and given a second chance to obey. This time, he did as he was instructed. He went to Nineveh, preached the message that God gave him to preach, and witnessed an incredible change of heart among the wicked Ninevites who repented and humbled themselves before God.

Jonah got off to a rocky start but he repented of his reluctance and God used him to save many many people from destruction. But his story ends with a twist. In chapter 4 we see that Jonah, far from pleased with the repentance of the Ninevites, was actually resentful that they were spared the destruction he felt they deserved. Jonah was resentful that God was so gracious towards these wicked (but now repentant) people. The book closes with this rhetorical question from the Lord: “Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons…? (4:11).  If we resent God’s grace shown to other people, we have lost sight of souls. And when we lose sight of souls, we lose sight of God. This week, ask God to open your eyes to the souls around us who need the Lord. And may God help us, when they repent and find his grace, to remember that we need his grace just as much as they do.

(*I’m indebted to Bud Woodall for this outline of the book of Jonah)

One cloudy day last week, I was staring out the window, watching it rain. The skies were fairly overcast, but there was a thin spot in the clouds that appeared in front of the sun. I know you’re never supposed to look at the sun, but the clouds were just thick enough to prevent my eyes from being fried and just thin enough to let a bright patch of light through. There was just enough light beaming through to remind me of the powerful sun behind those clouds, and it came through the little tunnel-like hole in the clouds and pierced the dreary sky. I stared at it, captivated by the contrast of light and darkness.

In that moment a thought struck me: Is this what it will look like when Jesus returns? What will that moment be like when the whole world stops what it’s doing to look up at the sky and sees the glory of the Son of God piercing the sky? What will we think? What will we say? What will that trumpet sound like when it’s blown to signal the end of time and the dawn of eternity? What will each heart feel when the realization rushes in and floods each corner and crevice of your soul that the God of the universe has come to make himself unmistakably known? What will it be like to be arrested by the overwhelming sense of awe at the glory of the Son of God?

Then as quickly as it had formed the clouds shifted again, and just like that it was gone. The light vanished, and the skies were the usual grey that they are during rain showers. 

Make no mistake about it, the moment when Jesus returns will not come and go so inconsequentially as a thin spot in the clouds above the earth. That moment will change everything. It will signal that the time of testing and preparation is over. The thousands of years of God’s activity on earth—the calling of Abraham, the choosing of Moses, the formation of a people, the rise of a kingdom, the ministry of the prophets, the birth of a certain Jewish boy in the city of David, his ministry and self-sacrifice, the birth and establishment of a fledgling new faith community, years of worship and struggle and failure and renewal by generations of that community—it will all culminate in that moment when God completes the plan he formed before time began and invites his people into his very presence. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:16-18).

We spend a lot of time thinking about how to use the time we have. We plan out our day for tomorrow, we plan vacations for the future, we look forward to the weekend when we can hopefully slow down a little, and we look forward to retirement when we’ll have more time. Time, time, time. Time is one of the most precious things given to us, and how we use our time says a lot about us. Sometimes time flies, other times it drags, but always it marches on. My grandmother was fond of saying, “Time waits for no man.” So given that we only have so much time in this life, it’s all the more important to use it wisely.

What do you want to do with your time? I love the words from Psalm 84:10–11 that say “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” These verses remind us that where we spend our time is more important than any self-satisfaction we may derive from personal pursuits. In a world where status is coveted, we ought to intentionally step away from the noise occasionally to be still and to consider the fact that a day in the courts of God is better than a thousand—a thousand anywhere else, spent any other way. And to be a doorkeeper—the lowest of the low among His servants—is better than the highest honor among the tents of wickedness. Where would you rather be? How would you rather spend your time? Can you say with the Psalmist you would rather be a servant in His house? 

Hundreds of years after the Psalmist wrote these words, Paul told the Ephesians to be wise and thoughtful about how they conducted their lives, “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). The best use of our time is any time spent in service of the Lord. Whether it’s having a Christlike attitude at work when you’d rather not, or making a meal for someone, or doing something kind for a stranger, any time that we use to serve the Lord by serving others is time well spent. 

How do you spend your time? Where do you spend your time? Let’s not spend our time among the tents of wickedness. Today, let’s commit to spending our time wisely, to live in His presence, and to come into his courts in prayer. As we do that, we can rest in his promise that he will not withhold any good thing.

This summer we started a small garden in our backyard. We have tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, green beans, and carrots. Almost daily there are noticeable changes in the plants: new branches, new flowers, and even some itsy-bitsy zucchinis forming. There is a certain sense of mystery and wonder in the simple act of growing a garden. It is a fairly predictable process—put seeds/seedlings in soil, water regularly, weed, wait for harvest—but at the same time it is anything but ordinary. We actually have zero control over the amazing processes going on in those plants. All we can do is manipulate some of the conditions. We plant and water and tend, but that is only a partial explanation of the results. We provide the right conditions and seemingly magically, the little seeds that looked so lifeless become a living, growing thing. They take carbon from the air, and water and nutrients from the soil and produce delicious and nutritious things for us to eat. The plant life that God has created is nothing short of a miracle.

Paul used plant growth as an analogy for understanding spiritual growth of Christians. When he wrote to the Corinthians, he rebuked them for the way they were dividing into groups based on a preference for certain Christian leaders. They were saying things like, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas” (1 Cor. 1:12). He told them that their behavior in this regard indicated that they were immature in their faith (1 Cor. 3:1). What they needed was to realize that it doesn’t make you more special than other people if a great Christian evangelist or teacher was the one who taught you the gospel. “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:5-7).

While we can and should honor Christian leaders for their work and faithfulness (1 Thess. 5:12), we must remember that it is God who ultimately gives the growth. The power is not in humans, it is in God and in his word. When you help others grow spiritually, remember that we just plant and water. God gives the increase. As a church, let us plant the seed of the word—deep in our own hearts and in the hearts of children and grandchildren, coworkers and neighbors, the mailman, the cashier, the barber, the hair stylist, and everyone else we know. Let us water it with prayer, meditation on the word, fasting, and worship. And let us trust that God will give the growth.

Each day is like a miniature lifetime. The sunrise each morning is a symbol of birth and new life. Birds begin singing to welcome the new day and some flowers, like the morning glory, open in the morning when the sun comes up. The morning is when we (hopefully!) feel rested and strong and ready for the day’s tasks. And the light that comes with the dawn of each new day is a reminder of God’s light that he has shone into our hearts. “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). Without God’s grace revealed through Jesus Christ we would be stuck in the dark night of sin’s power. But through the grace of Jesus Christ, God gave his light to us and we are born again. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3). Let each sunrise be a powerful reminder that God has given you new life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

The sunset each evening is a symbol of the end of life. Morning glories close their petals, birds find their roost, and we feel tired from the day’s demands and activities. After dark we lie down and drift into unconscious rest. Nightfall is a daily reminder of the reality that we will all one day face death. With the advent of electricity, technology has mostly conquered the night, but remember that for most humans throughout history, there was very little they could do to change the thick darkness that nightfall brought—they had at most perhaps a small lamp that gave a little light. Even with our technology, the night still represents the unknown, something that we cannot see past. And night is all the more frightening if you must face it alone. It’s much better to have a friend with you. Let each nightfall then be a reminder that you dare not face death and eternity without Christ. And let it be a sweet reminder of Jesus’ promises and presence in your life, Christian. You know your Lord; you know your destiny.

One day, when we are with the Lord, there will be no more night. We will live with the Lord forever, in one eternal day. John tells us “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5). But until then, each sunrise and each sunset is a lesson: a reminder of the new birth we have in Christ, and a reminder of the coming night that we no longer fear because we have Jesus with us.

In the market for some real estate? Looking for somewhere to call your new home? Let’s take a spin around town and see some of the best properties for sale. After a quick tour of the properties you can decide which one you’d like to call your new spiritual home. Let’s start our tour at the center of town where two roads meet. We’ll take the one on the right first—Love Street. The houses on this road are nice, spacious homes. They have very beautiful yards and the wide front porches look inviting. The homes are very attractive, but when you get out of the car and inspect the houses for yourself you begin to notice that something is not right with these homes. The walls are not straight, and the corners are not square. Light switches turn on lights in other rooms, and water faucets are not connected to the water. The oven and dishwasher are stacked where the washer and dryer should be, which are in the kitchen where the oven and dishwasher should be. You quickly realize these homes are beautiful, but not functional. 

We return to the town center and take the other road—Truth Avenue. You eagerly begin inspecting some of these homes to see if they are functional. To your delight, everything works properly and they are all built exactly to code. Everything is square, light switches and faucets work, and appliances are in the right place. But these homes have a different flaw. Clearly, no effort was made to make these houses beautiful. They look grey, cold, and lifeless. The yard is full of gravel, and the house is boxy and drab on the exterior.

You hurry back to the center of town, disappointed in the houses that are beautiful but not functional and functional but not beautiful. And there on the corner of Love Street and Truth Avenue, you see the perfect house. It is both functional and beautiful. It has the best qualities of each of the other houses without the flaws they suffered from. Clearly, this is a beautiful home that was built with much care and hard work.

As Christians, we must build our spiritual house on the corner of Love and Truth. It is possible to prioritize one to the exclusion of the other. If we accept a watered-down definition of love and de-emphasize truth, we are like the houses that are outwardly attractive but not built according to the proper standards. On the other hand, if we staunchly emphasize truth but forget to be loving, we’re like the other houses. Yes, they’re “built the right way”, but who’d want to live there? It’s not right to emphasize love to the exclusion of truth, but neither is it right to emphasize truth to the exclusion of love. Paul told the Ephesians that growing into Christian maturity involves “speaking the truth in love…” (Eph. 4:15). Never let go of truth and never let go of love. We need both.