Dismembered

I’ve been reading an interesting fiction book Daughter of Time, by Sarah Woodbury, about a twentieth century woman who finds herself in thirteenth century Wales. At one point she is comparing social interactions between the two cultures, and she says of the twentieth century:

“As a rule, you’d never look at or talk to a person you didn’t already know—whether on the street, at a meal, or in a shop. Everybody behaves as if they are completely alone, even when—or especially when—surrounded by a crowd… Because chances are, you’ll never see any of those people again. It isn’t worth the time and effort invested… It’s because we don’t depend on each other anymore” (204).

That seems to me to be an apt description of our culture and, unfortunately, even many of our churches today. I was reminded of what we’ve been discussing in Sunday school about the Israelites preparing to enter the Promised Land. Obviously they had to work together to conquer the land, but there was more to it than that. From the time of the Exodus and the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai, the people had to gather together regularly to hear the word of the Lord and hear the law explained. They didn’t have written copies of the Scriptures in every household. Worship and sacrifices had scheduled times and places. Their religious experience was communal, not individual.

Western culture today has made everything individualized. We all have access to multiple Bibles, commentaries, studies, sermons, podcasts, and other media that make it easy to “do religion” without ever interacting with another person. Yet that was never God’s intent for the Body of Christ. We can tend to resemble a bunch of scattered parts rather than an assembled body.

One of my jobs for the denomination is to compile the statistics submitted on church reports. It has long been the case that out of all the church members reported in our denomination, only about 64% are considered active members, and only about 60% are attending regularly. (However, I will say that we don’t have consistent definitions of member, active member, or attendance.) In some churches, only 20-30% of those listed as members are actually attending. Our denomination is not alone in this. An article on Christianity Today comments “Today, if ten people become church members, average attendance grows by five or six.” That article refers to an article by Thom Rainer that is both compelling and convicting. He offers five reasons church attendance is declining:

1) We are minimizing the importance of the local church.
2) We worship the idols of [personal and family] activities.
3) We take a lot of vacations from church.
4) We do not have high expectations of our members.
5) We make infrequent attendees leaders in our churches.

It can be depressing to see the trends and wonder what we can do to change them. It has become apparent to many leaders in many churches that our first responsibility is to pray. We must pray for God to work in the hearts of those who have walked away from the church (or even from the faith). We must pray about our own priorities and submit them to God’s will. We must pray about who we will put into leadership positions, and then continue to pray for them once they are there. We must pray for our church leadership to put God’s glory above all others things and to seek His will in all decisions. “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed” (John Bunyan).

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 ESV).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Firmly Planted

I find it encouraging and instructive to read through the book of Psalms on a regular basis. The following are a few thoughts from Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (v. 1, ESV).

There is a progression in this verse from walking to standing to sitting. A person can get increasingly comfortable with sin in their life if they aren’t actively pursuing righteousness. Christians need to be cautious when they start looking at the path of sinners. It is all too easy to drift away. “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (v. 2).

How many churchgoers can honestly say that they love God’s Word? How many actually spend time in it during the week? The person who doesn’t know the Word can’t delight in the Word, and can’t truly know if they are walking in the counsel of the wicked or standing in the path of sinners. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (v. 3).

The believer who is watered by the Word of God will prosper by bearing the right kind and amount of fruit in the right season. We are not identical seeds, but parts of a body with specific functions. “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Matthew 13:23).

 “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away” (v. 4).

Rather than being deeply rooted and laden down with fruit, the unrighteous have no spiritual substance. They drift away into pursuits that may entertain them for a while, but one day will cause eternal regrets. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it… How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1, 3a).

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous” (v. 5).

Many of those who will not stand in the judgment are those who have already ceased to assemble with the Body of Christ on a regular basis. Today’s choice to skip the church gathering may become tomorrow’s choice to turn their back on the church entirely. “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

“For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (v. 6).

The one who started out by walking in the counsel of the wicked and standing in the path of sinners goes on to drift away on the wind and perish with the wicked. The consequences of carelessness and inattentiveness can be deadly. I pray that all those who claim to be Christians would pay attention to the path ahead of them and would turn back if they are starting to drift away. I also pray that all who are rooted and grounded in Christ will do everything in their power to warn those who are headed down the wrong path. Only God can change hearts, but He may well use us to stir the consciences of loved ones who need to wake up.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Penny Wise

There is a big push toward churches providing automated giving options via credit card, direct deposit, and similar methods. I understand that people like the convenience it provides, so they don't have to remember to do anything. But as I read Scripture, I don't see any indication that giving tithes and offerings should be easy or convenient. Deuteronomy 12:5-7 (ESV) says,

“But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name and make His habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.”

Throughout the Old Testament the Israelites were reminded that there were very specific ways and specific places where sacrifices and offerings could be made. Granted, we no longer live under the Old Covenant and we don’t have to comply with all those regulations; however, the general principle remains that as we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength that should be evident in our priorities, including how we use our money for God’s glory. “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God” (Exodus 23:19a).

I don’t want to create unnecessary rules, or condemn anyone for their method of giving. I simply raise the following questions that have helped to shape my own thinking in this area. If I don’t have to think about the act of giving because I’m not taking time to write a check or get cash from the ATM—

• Am I less likely to be reminded to thank Him for His provisions for me?
• Will I be less conscious of giving Him of my “firstfruits”?
• Will I be a better or worse steward of the funds I have?
• Am I likely to start thinking of my tithe the same way I think about the taxes that are deducted from my paycheck?
• What do my actions tell my children (or spiritual children) about giving?
• Will an automatic deduction cost my church more in fees?

Speaking from my own experience, I need the act of writing a check every week to be part of my routine. It is a reminder to me that what I have is not my own. It is a gift of God and out of gratitude and obedience I give a portion to the church for His work through our body. During one period of my life I decided to write checks less frequently because I was not paid every week, but I found I was more likely to forget to do so, and also less likely to make sure I had the funds in the right account to cover it. Giving more frequently is a spiritual discipline I practice for my own good.

Obviously every person is different, and what works for some doesn’t work for others. It’s better to give whatever way you can than to quit because it’s too much trouble. God alone knows our hearts and our priorities.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Walk with Me

Lately it seems like quotes from Fred Rogers pop up on Facebook every week. Perhaps that’s because there have been some new biographies released in the past couple years. In the past few months I’ve read The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King, as well as an older biography, The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth. One comment he made often in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was “I like you just the way you are.” I have a lot of respect for Fred Rogers and his legacy, and I remember watching him when I was little (and not-so-little).

However, I have to wonder about what I call the “Mister Rogers’ mentality” that seems prevalent among many Christians. By that I mean the idea that God loves us just the way we are and does not ask us to change. Some sectors of the church have drifted into a kind of universalism that accepts any kind of lifestyle and refuses to call anything sinful. There are those who cling to John 3:16, “God so loved the world…” and yet ignore the context:

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God… Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (19-21, 36 ESV).

God sent Jesus to proclaim His love and redeem us out of sin, not to leave us in our sinful ways. As someone said (and has been attributed to various people), “God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way.” The Apostle Paul wrote:

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5).

“Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

God loves us unconditionally, but He also expects us to change. By His grace and mercy we can turn from sin and learn to overcome temptation. This sanctifying process will not be finished in this lifetime, but if we are not seeing any progress over time we should be concerned. That’s one of the main reasons we are to be active members of a church that recognizes its responsibility to the Body of Christ. We need those in our lives who will “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).

We all need people who will remind us that they love us no matter what stupid thing we’ve said or what sinful thing we’ve done. But if they truly love us, they should also be willing to admonish us for the patterns of sin they see in our lives. Some have said that love which is not expressed is not love. I would expand that to say that love which does not confront is not love. You may tell me, “I like you just the way you are,” but I hope there are some who will also say, “I love you too much to not point out this sin.” And ideally those same people will say, “Let me point you to the Savior and walk beside you as we both grow in faith and obedience to Him.” I know a few people like that, do you?

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

God Stoops Down

As I’m nearing the end of Ed Welch’s book Running Scared, I came across this comment about 1 Peter 5:6-7:

“Our natural tendency is to go it alone, or, if the load is too heavy, to call a friend to help. But Peter paints a different picture. In an act that could never have been conceived by a human being, the King comes and beseeches us to lay our burden on him… Peter is doing his best to persuade us to be a new people who call out to the Lord. Let Peter persuade you. He begins by exhorting us to know that our God is the Creator God. He holds history in his hand. He delivers with a mighty hand, the grandest display being the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ… In keeping with his character, he continues to serve; he invites us to cast our burdens on him as we would cast burdens on an ox… In one of the amazing paradoxes of the kingdom, when God takes our burdens and takes the position of a servant, he reveals our inability and his sufficiency” (266).

Throughout Scripture God pursues relationship with people. He made covenant after covenant (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David), not requiring people to serve Him, but telling them what He wanted to do for them. God delivered the people from Egypt before He gave them the law. His grace preceded His standards. The people were to obey because they had been delivered from slavery, not in order to be delivered. He sent Jesus as the mediator of the New Covenant so that we who are sinful and insufficient might become part of His eternal family. And He continues to pursue us when we are wandering sheep. We can’t make ourselves worthy of His attention or mercy.

In no other religion does a supreme being stoop down in love in order to bring people up. What god is there that doesn’t first demand obeisance and obedience before consenting to fulfill a request? What other god says you can “cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you”?

I’ve slowly been reading Mark Twain’s Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World. He spent a fair amount of time describing the religious practices in India and all the things people go through to try to appease the many gods. It’s humorous but also sad that people can expend so much time, effort, and money to curry favor with gods that are no gods. The One true God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 ESV). And He makes it possible for us to come to Him, not because of our obedience but because His grace and the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

He not only saves us, but invites us to come to Him with all our cares and concerns. It’s really dumbfounding if you think about it. We can quickly start to take it for granted if we’ve been around church for very long. The God who created the universe and sustains it by His power desires a relationship with us. His ears are attentive to our prayers. He knows our very thoughts, because He is not a disinterested omnipotent being, but a loving Heavenly Father.

As we enter this season of Lent and approach our Easter celebrations, may we not forget the wonder of what we have because of Jesus Christ. May the truth astound us and bring us to new heights of gratitude and thanksgiving.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Running Scared

I’ve been reading Ed Welch’s book Running Scared, which seems pretty relevant to where I find myself these days. The following are several quotes that caught my attention, along with a few of my own thoughts.

“There was a time when the biblical commands ‘Do not worry’ and ‘Do not be afraid’ put a quick end to hopes that there was anything attractive to say to fearful people. It seemed as if the biblical counsel was ‘The law says don’t fear, so don’t. End of story.’ But there are at least two different ways to say ‘Don’t worry.’ One is a judicial warning, which has a threatening overtone; the other is a parental encouragement, which aims to comfort. Scripture has both, but Luke placed the accent on parental encouragement [in Luke 12:22-34]” (9-10).

I don’t think this is a thing of the past. It seems very much alive today. I agree that the overall tone of the biblical narrative regarding fear is encouragement, not condemnation.

 “There are, of course, treatments for fears and anxieties. Medication dulls the physical symptoms, psychological treatments address the thoughts. If you are afraid to fly because you keep thinking the place will crash, you can replace that thought with another. I’ve flown many times before and nothing has happened. It’s the safest way to travel. This might help, but it rests on the premise that fear submits to logic, which is a dubious assumption. In reality, fears are rarely logical. Or, as fearful people might protest, they are very logical. If the statistics on plane crashes indicate that they are extremely rare, the statistics also say that planes do crash and people actually die in plane crashes. Someone is going to be that 1 in 100,000” (23-24).

“As worry veers out of control, cool heads try to help. First, they state the obvious: Worry doesn’t help. Second, they add that worry has more in common with astrology than it does careful weather forecasts. Then, if nothing else works, helpers try to assuage the worrier by making the environment more secure, if possible… It takes something more powerful than logic and statistical probabilities to assuage our fears and anxieties” (52-53).

The supra-rationality of fear is one of the most aggravating things about it. There is no logic that will automatically calm fears. Thus we try to control the uncontrollable.

“Behind this desire for control is the gnawing awareness that we are merely human… by design we are limited and we know it. No matter how much we rail against our dependency on other people, we really are dependent people with limited control… Since independence only works during the really good times, the obvious answer would be to seek God. The problem is that God, the One in control, does not seem to exert much control. Trust him or not, bad things will happen” (40-41).

If faith in God guaranteed immunity from difficulty, we’d have no problem sharing the gospel and convincing people to follow Him.

 “[Is it] wrong to be afraid? Is it sinful? Maybe, but put those questions on hold. The emphasis in Scripture is, ‘When I am afraid, I will trust in you’ (Ps. 56:3). The issue isn’t so much whether or not we are afraid and worry. Scripture assumes that we will be afraid and anxious at times. What is important is where we turn, or to whom we turn when we are afraid. The God who calls you to trust in him when you are afraid will spend a great deal of time showing you that you can trust him” (69).

So we return to the basics: God is faithful, He loves us dearly, He knows what we’re going through, He is with us in every situation, and He will help us endure whatever He allows to come our way.

“Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:1b-2).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

God's Treasure

I wrote the following during our Sunday school lesson today on the building of the tabernacle in Exodus 36-40:

From guilt to grace the people turned
To worship God, the One they’d spurned.
They gave their treasure to provide a place,
A reminder of God’s saving grace.

Will we likewise give our best
Or will we put Him to the test?
Our lives are His, and all we own
Belongs to God and God alone.

Forgive us when we hold too tight
To things we own and think we’re right.
Lord, open our hearts and hands to You
To give the worship You are due.

Use our lives to give You glory.
Use our mouths to tell Your story.
May we always worship You
With all we have and all we do.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV).

© 2019 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.