Category Archives: Theology

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3 Things Our Church MUST Do

I am still in Uganda but I’ll be back with you this Sunday!  We can’t wait!  This week, when I heard the news of the destructive fire that tore through 20 homes of Hamilton residents in the Bromley community, it broke my heart.  These are the people we have been called to serve.  When people are hurting is when the church is at it’s best.  As a church there are a few clear things we MUST do.  There is no doubt, these are the NON-NEGOTIABLES of the Christian walk. If you want to be the church, do these 3 things to hit the bullseye:

 

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“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:37-39

3 Things Our Church Must Do:

#1 Serve The World Relentlessly – This happens both across the street and around the world.  Every time we bring a meal to the hungry, take care of the widow, give someone a grocery card who just lost their job, clean up a neighborhood after a devastating storm, provide clothes, toiletries and blankets after a fire, take in a foster child who is abandoned, adopt a child who has no home, or provide clean water to villages in the Dominican Republic, JESUS IS PLEASED.  We are reflecting His love. The Good News: You are already doing ALL these things.  More Good News: We get to keep doing these things!

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”  James 1:27

 

#2 Care For One Another Deeply – As a church we are to take care of each other as brothers and sisters.  You have forgiven one another.  You have paid each others’ rent, prayed for and taken care of the sick, visited each other in the hospital, fixed cars, rebuilt houses, eaten thousands of meals together, shared in the joys of baptisms, weddings and milestones in each others’ lives, and done simple things like babysitting children so a marriage can be strengthened through a date night.  The best part, you asked for NOTHING in return from your church family.  You desired to LOVE.

 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12

 

#3 Pursue God Passionately – Our Role is to MAKE Disciples. The standards MUST BE raised as Christ followers to be HIS DISCIPLES.  Do you aspire and discipline yourself to pray and know JESUS, HIS GOSPEL, and word daily and follow it?  I’m talking about feeding yourself spiritually daily. Do you submit yourself to someone for accountability and growth regarding how you handle your purity, your possessions and your pride?  Do you love repentance and often admit you are wrong?  Are you ascribing to please God with EVERY area of your life?  Are you pursuing God with your marriage, time, parenting, leisure and habits?  There is no room for mediocrity and following Jesus half-heartedly. Our church must raise the standard.

 “But seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33

Sound like a lot of work? Think it will take a lot of time? Think it might cost a lot of money?  Exactly.  Maybe this is why Jesus went to the cross. His ultimate sacrifice involved death, blood, an act of pure love. He is the example and we do these things by HIS strength and leadership not our plans and power.

When we “love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves,” we become the church at it’s best.  This is the vision unleashed, because this is who we are.  Our preferences will fall away and our focus will be sharp and clear. This is what we MUST do, it’s time.
 

Josh

Join us this Sunday for our VISION WEEKEND followed by baptism and BBQ. Link to our facebook event here

Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here

 

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Tebow-ology

Ok, let’s just deal with one thing.  It is a pretty important thing.  perhaps the most important with Tim Tebow and his expression of faith.

Tim Tebow isn’t preaching this one thing, he doesn’t even subscribe to it himself (as far as I know). He doesn’t believe it.  He just has a habit of being likable, influencing and respectable.  As far as we can tell, he is using these traits to point to Jesus.  He raises money for Children’s charities, He loves Jesus.  He is an all around great guy. For the haters, whatever.  But for those who love Tebow from Christendom, this is what you may be falling into, it is what misinformed naive Christians subscribe to.  It is a perversion of following Jesus.  I now call it Tebow-ology. (maybe its unfair to use his name but it seemed appropriate)

It goes like this, God loves Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow loves God. God made Tim Tebow a celebrity. God helps Tim Tebow find a way to win football games. God is obviously for Tim Tebow more than the other team.  So therefore, if I could just love God more, like Tebow does, he will bless me more.  A further perversion is, “Jesus has chosen Tim Tebow and needs him to get his message out.”  “Hey, it is working for Tim Tebow, maybe it will work for me?”  It is so ridiculous but it is that simple.  Sure you haven’t said that, I don’t think.  In the back of your mind last night on that amazing, game winning, overtime play, I know you were thinking, “God obviously is for Tebow.  There goes God again, blessing Tim Tebow, making him a winner while he made all those other worldly NFL football Steelers evil.  He must love Tebow & the Broncs more than Roethlisberger.” I saw Big Ben point to the heavens when he completed the pass that tied the game in the 4th.  “Nice try Ben, but it’s Tebow Time” 

The lie is: “The better I am, the more Jesus will love me.”  Garbage.  This is a lie that will lead you to religion and failure.  Rule keeping and legalism.  Try harder and then, well, fail.

If we subscribe to, “The better I am, the more Jesus will love me,” we are saying we think when things are going wrong there must be sin in our lives.  There is something wrong.  God doesn’t approve. Garbage.  Suffering happens, regardless if you are more good or more bad.  Jesus suffered, we will to.  You can’t good works your way out of suffering and you can’t manipulate God to make you rich, famous have a more successful life. One third of the Psalms are of Lament, almost every OT book contains Lament. Read Ephesians 3, Paul wrote Ephesians from prison.

Life isn’t all Overtime Touchdowns and end zone prayers.  I want to see Tebow get sacked on his butt and do his Tebow prayer position. That would do more good for people to see.

That would represent more real life – God is faithful and loving through the SACKS and the Touchdowns. Tebow-ology is garbage Don’t believe it.  It stunts your growth.

This scripture is messing me up, let it rearrange your practices:  1 Thessalonians 5:18 “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Then how about this one… 1 Corinthians 11:30 “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” Ouch

I’m done now, thoughts anyone?