Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

Great Gifts for Your Children!

I've noticed that over the last few years, birthday parties for children have changed.   Birthday parties used to be four or five kids, cake, a few gifts, and playing outside!  They have evolved into a big cash business for retailers.  Now it seems that 10 - 20 kids are there - anything from cake to a full meal is provided - and then some major entertainment is provided - jumpers - sliders - movies - theme parks!!!!!  And the gift giving looks like Christmas!  I'm not complaining - my kids are grown!!! But I do want to suggest that there are some very important gifts that kids need that many are missing.  Be sure to give your children these gifts:

1. The gift of responsibility!  At a fairly early age, kids need to learn the gift of responsibility. Simple, but important tasks can be assigned to them - make up their bed, clean their room, pick up their dirty clothes and put them in the hamper etc.   They can be assigned duties as they grow older - helping with dishes, doing the laundry etc..

2. The gift of self-sufficiency!  Some of those above mentioned tasks also help a child to learn to do things for themselves.  Many kids grow up these days and basically can't take care of themselves. They need MUCH parental help well into their 20's and beyond.  They need to learn to do things on their own.

3. The gift of work!  You may be "wealthy" enough to provide everything your child needs financially, but it is a mistake to do so.  Children need to learn the value of work and the value of earning their way!  They want an IPAD!  Consider the value of having them save their money to buy one!  Then they realize the cost and value of their purchases.  Of course you will give them gifts! But don't give them everything!  Children need to have a work ethic!

4. The gift of losing!  Children need to learn that they don't always win!  They will not always be the best at everything they do.  Let children compete - and learn to win with joy and lose with grace! Don't go "make it up" to them when they lose! This instills in them that losing is not fair - and that they should be compensated when they lose!

5. The gift of service!  Children should learn to be "others oriented" early on.  Involve them in helping others! Involve them in meaninful service projects. Expose them to real need so they will appreciate the blessings they have been given.  Help them learn to personally sacrifice their own time and resources.

6. The gift of Christ!  From the beginning teach, model, talk about, love Jesus Christ!  Help your child learn of the Lord!  Help your child come to a point of genuine repentance and faith in Christ. Without Christ, all that you teach your child will be useless for the next world - eternity!  Celebrate Jesus! Live authentically for Christ! Your kids can spot a phony!  Give them Jesus!

Multiplying!

I am reading a great missions book right now!  In it, a couple were talking about their frustration at not being able to reach more people for Christ!  The man said that he and his wife had averaged leading to 50 - 60 people to Christ each year!  Then he said they realized that with a different, more biblical approach, they could vastly exceed that by discipling others to lead others to Christ! 

So, when the Holy Spirit convicts people to whom they are sharing the Gospel, and when that person becomes a child of God, they get them to immediately begin sharing their faith, with five people per week!  There is much more to this process of discipleship which I will be sharing and probably using later.

BUT THE POINT that grabbed me was that this couple was so engaged in helping lost people understand salvation that they were leading 50 - 60 people per year to Christ!  In the vast majority of our churches, there would be REJOICING over the REVIVAL if 20 persons came to Christ in a year! This is the fruit of ONE couple being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Oh that we - that I - would be faithful in sharing the Good News of the Gospel and that we would disciple those new believers to share Good News with their friends!

Bucket List or Glory List?

We've all joked some about a bucket list!  You know, that list of things we hope to do before we "kick the bucket!"  For example, before I die, I hope to see Alaska!  I would also like to visit Russia and China!  Nothing wrong with that at all! I may get to do those things and I may not!  

But, I was thinking about the whole "bucket list" deal and I think it may need a little adjusting among the people of God!  You see, I'm not going to die!  Well, I may physically, but my spirit is alive in Christ and will be for eternity!  

So, I really do not need a bucket list! I will never run out of time!  What I really need is a "glory list!"  While I am still living in both body and spirit, there are some things far better than going to Alaska, Russia, or China! 

1. I would love to see the church I serve be overwhelmed with the Spirit of God - to the point that our only concern would be to accomplish the will of God! 

2. I hope to see people in the pew bringing people to Christ daily and filling the baptistry weekly for the glory of God!

3. I would love to see our church give away in and on mission as much as we spend on ourselves! 

4. I would love to see all our marriages either restored or strengthened! No more "bust-ups" and ruined lives!

5. I would love to be a part of a movment of God - a sweeping revival - a turning of people to the glory of God - sweeping across our county, state, and country! 

Give it some thought - your glory list might be different than mine - and mine might change - but I think a "glory list" is better than a "bucket list!"

I Wonder..................

I wonder......

.....When people will sing praise to God at church like they believe Jesus has really saved them!

.....When God's people will be as devoted to Him as their favorite hobby!

..... When God's people will be filled with the Holy Spirit and depend on the Spirit for empowerment!

..... When Gods's people will see their world as their mission field!

..... When God's people will show up on Sunday bringing their weekly harvest with them!

..... When God's people will pray with effective passion!

..... When God's people will act, talk, and live with urgency in taking the Gospel to everyone in their
        world!

..... When God's people will know, believe, and act on the precious and powerful Word of God!

I know some do all the above - but not nearly all who claim Christ as Lord!  I have room for improvement myself!

What if We Really Had Church?

There are several biblical reasons to gather together as the church on the Lord's Day!  We are instructed to do so! We also do so to bring glory to the name of Jesus! We also do so to bear one another's burdens and multiply one anothers blessings!  I get all that!

But gathering together on the Lord's Day assumed realities in the New Testament era that may not really exist today!  Gathering together in the earlier years brought together people who generally loved one another deeply! They were not free from relational problems, but they were much more "in love" than we are today! Shoot -we barely know each other in the modern church!  Those early Christians literally might not have survived the week without the love and support of other believers!  They gathered with deep fellowship and love for one another because of their deep and abiding love for Christ!

When they gathered, many had been seriously persecuted in the previous week for their faith in Christ! Most of us gather on Sunday not having paid any price for our Christian faith! And given the choice, we will choose an easy path instead of engaging in any Christian practice that might produce even so much as a question about our faith!  They gathered together helping their wounded - encouraging their persecuted - standing together!

When they gathered, many brought new believers with them - won to Christ through the week!  When was the last time you shared your faith - much less saw someone come to faith in Christ?  New believers coming into a church is THE sign of a healthy church!  A church is not properly discipled unless it is seeing new believers come to faith in Christ!  If we were really "having church" Monday through Saturday, then "church" on Sunday would be such an awesome celebration of new life!

When they gathered, they gathered reporting God-sized actions that had taken place in their lives during the week!  When we gather, we are happy to hear if someone else has seen something God-sized happen in their lives - but too ofen we have nothing to share! 

As one person pointed out to me - regarding the church today - it is not the number we have or don't have that is surprising - it is that anyone attends lifeless churches at all!

Let's have church! Real church! Monday through Sunday! Live for Jesus - 24 / 7!  Regardless of the cost!

 

The Jesus Revolution!

Jesus stands all religion on it's head!  When He became involved in His public ministry, He did not play by the traditions of man - and so far as those men were concerned,  this refusal to bow to their traditions became a reason to kill Him!  Think about it!

He disregarded practically all their religious traditions!  He healed people on the sabbath - which in their opinion was work!  He ate unclean food to their dismay!  He and His disciples did not fast like everyone else!

He disregarded their legalisms related to relationships.  He actually talked with women publically, some of these women were not of the most moral sort.  He touched lepers, the maimed, the blind, the deaf - all unclean by Judaism's standards!  He loved the poor and basically broke every rule of relationship in the Judaistic society.  They didn't like it!

He did things that mystify us today - even trouble us! He celebrated! He turned water into wine!  He was accused of eating and drinking too much!  But He rebuked His detractors. 

Matthew 11:17-19

17 "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge,  and you did not mourn.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

It is interesting that we continue to this day to squeeze Jesus into our mold - to shape Him into our religious expectations!  What we need to do is let Jesus be Jesus - and let Him be Himself in us!

If we do - the world will see a new revolution of straight talk, grace, forgiveness, love and mercy!

It will experience a Jesus revolution!

 

The Cure for What Ails Us!

We surely do have a mess in this country! No need to rehash the causes of the mess or even describe the mess!  We all look around and see the mess and know we need drastic changes.  All of our problems are not centered in politics either!  The moral decay is overwhelming in the US! 

Watching the primary results tonight and listening to all the pundits talk about which one will emerge as the Presidential candidate is interesting for sure!  And the big contest coming in November will certainly be important.

But, folks, I believe we are living under the judgement of God! We cannot kill our unborn, flaunt sexual perversion,  live in a stupor, and proclaim that right is wrong and wrong is right without encountering the judgement of God!  The solution is not political!  As a matter of fact, I am even doubtful that political change would make a difference.  God doesn't end judgement based on an election!

The remedy is proven - timeless - and effective!  It is simple!  2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

What we need more than an election is a genuine revival of souls! A turning to God! A turning to God based on repentance!  The kind of revival that leads people to abandon their perversions, forsake their laziness, turn from immoral living, reject blaming others for their problems, and experience true life transformation!  If we will survive as a nation we must repent! Otherwise, our captivity, whether it be to economics, corrupt politicians, sexual immorality, or a foreign power will simply be a tragic result of thumbing our noses at God Almighty!  He cannot be mocked!

Why URGENCY is a BIG Deal!

Urgency is not the same as carelessness! Urgency is understanding that the challenge at hand is too great to put off action!

A study of technological advances reveals that although technological progress has been rising since the 1800's, the advance of technology has been nothing short of meteoric since 1965!  All graphs of this progress show a near vertical climb in advancement since 1970!  If you are 50 years old, you have lived through an absolutely incredible birth of new technology! 

A study of decline is like the advance of technology - just in reverse!  The America church has been largely in decline since the mid 1960's!  The line that charted decline was at first a "flat-line"  followed by a slightly downward turn!  Unlike technology or finance, which are what they are in measurment, church decline has not necessarily been charted with honesty!  For example, to this day, Southern Baptist report those who join our fellowships - but not those who leave!  The reality is that the downward trending line is rapidly becoming a cliff!  The longer you are in steady decline - the more the foundational supports erode! As the foundational supports erode, the decline accelerates!   We have reached that point where it is not an unheard of prediction to say that the Southern Baptist Convention, as we know it, faces incredible pressures over the next 10 - 15 years. 

This is why URGENCY is a big deal!  We need to be urgent in our work to reach people - for the Kingdom!  Our goal should not be to "save" the church - but build the Kingdom!  And it is my conclusion that the church, as we know it, is far closer to imploding rather than exploding, more than any of us care to admit.  The church that will be effective going forward is the one that is fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit for power and success!  The church that will be blessed by God in spite of the demographics will be the one that unashamedly moves into the community with the Gospel - in word and deed! 

Churches that have become dependent upon "institutional" strength for success are failing - and should!  Churches that do not desire to get caught up in the "draining of the swamp" must revert to a New Testament dependence upon the Spirit of God and the Word of God!  URGENCY is needed! NOW!

Progress is Being Made!

Interestingly, the longer I am in ministry, the fewer goals I have in leading our church!  This is not because I am lazy or lacking in a desire to shepherd us forward.  The reduced number of goals is because I cannot think of many "human" goals that are worthy of such a great God!  God has set the goal for His church - to glorify Him and make Him known!

So, I am thrilled to report that progess is being made at Agricola Baptist Church!  We have made progess in helping people to move more into that reality where they understand the concept of "being the church" instead of "attending a church!"   Our understanding of missions / ministry  is growing -and more people are being obedient to "being the church" as God helps them intersect with needs and lostness in the community.

If I have a tangible goal - it is to help our body of believers become much more adept at "making disciples!"  Everything I can see about the process of "making disciples" is directly related to our own life as a disciple of Christ!  Obvious truth - I know!  If I am not a very good or faithful disciple, I will not be very effective at making disciples!  But, if I am in love with Christ - in word and deed - and love others - in word and deed - I will be useful and used by God in making disciples! 

Our church is involved around the world and at home! We have given people permission to follow God and launch out in missions and ministry!  It is exciting to see God-sized work take place - using everyday, loving believers in Christ!   Christ is extraordinary - we are to be obedient - then watch a God-size event take place in the midst of people being the church to a hurt, wandering, and lost world!

Progess is being made, I tell you! And I am thrilled to walk in the midst of it!

God on a Leash!

Isn't it amazing what all we believe God SHOULD do versus what we believe we should do under His leadership?  We believe God should provide us with PLENTY of money to spend on ourselves - with wonderful houses in which to live - with closets packed full of clothes and sheds filled with our age appropriate toys! We believe God SHOULD never allow us to have a headache, a cold, a sniffile - and certainly we should never experience cancer or heart trouble!  We believe God SHOULD make us VERY happy and allow us unlimited freedom to be happy doing whatever we want!   Yeah! We pretty much believe this based on our prayers and our actions and our expressions of BITTER disappointment when God doesn't PERFORM according to our desires!

But what if?  I am re-reading a book, "Miracle in the Mountains: Experiencing the Transforming Power of Faith in the Heart of Appalachia!"  It is a book about Lonnie Riley and his wife Belinda! Really, it is a book about the what life is like when we surrender our agenda and begin to live out the Lord's agenda!  Here is a quote from the early part of the book by Lonnie!

    "What I could visualize was what I attained! God was in it as far as I knew to let Him be!
     What would God have done if I had let Him be God and had not limited Him to what
     I could do?"

Good question for us all!  We all tend to look at the Lord this way. We can do what we can see - which is not faith at work!  God is working - and often we are working - but more often than not - we are working good things for God instead of letting God utilize us in His work - His plan - His purposes!  Faith is more than a feeling and more than just a statement of belief! Faith is digging down in the Word, hearing from God through the scripture and prayer and ACTING on what HE is doing! 

Let us all give ourselves a wonderful gift this Christmas and let God off our leashes!  Let His will be carried out in our hearts and bodies!