The First Work

The first work of the Holy Spirit after breathing the church into being with rushing wind and holy fire was to draw the unbelieving world into a relationship with Jesus. It was not to organize committees to establish mission teams, feeding ministries, safe places for widows and orphans, institutes for theological study, or even churches.  These things came later, but they were not the first priority of the Holy Spirit.  The first priority of the Holy Spirit was to bring people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  By the time the sun set on the Day of Pentecost, three thousand people had heard the message of Jesus and were baptized.  

It is certainly not the case that the people who heard Peter preach that day were inclined to listen to a message about the crucified and risen Jesus.  When those men, still bewildered and overcome by what had happened in the Upper Room spilled out into the streets, they immediately found themselves midst a culture filled with skeptics and naysayers.  It was not an arena for success, but the message about Jesus overcame, drew people toward Jesus, and changed their hearts.  Is not this an example of "the power of the gospel?"  (Romans 1:16).   

Ah, that the church of our day would remember the first work of the Holy Spirit!  The things the church does to serve and love the world around it are important acts, but not at the expense of the first work of the Spirit.  What is needed in the church are not better preachers, softer pews, enlightening and entertaining programs, but Jesus.  The church of our day needs to see the first work of the Holy Spirit, embrace it, and have its people move over in the pews so there is room for those who are out there ready to come.

Raise Us Up

What can a church do when it comes to terms with the reality that it is slowly dying due to a lack of baptisms?  Getting rid of the preacher may be an option for some churches, but it makes about as much sense as firing the manager of a baseball team for losing even though every player is making a ton of errors and striking out each time at the plate.  Having a consultant come and lead a church growth conference might be considered, but it can be expensive especially for smaller congregations.  Of course, there are books and articles to read, sermons to hear, and podcasts to watch.  

The real key to renewal of the ministry at the baptismal font, or pool is prayer.  Has anyone  ever wondered what happens when a church begins to take prayer seriously by making it not a peripheral ministry, but a central one? Has anyone ever wondered what would happen if two people, or five people, or ten people in a church gathered to pray that God would bless the church with baptisms again?  It is not strange that we ask the people of God to pray for pastors, for the sick, for mission programs, for the bereaved, for financial campaigns, for our youth and children's ministries, but no one is intentionally praying for the church to be blessed with new believers in Christ Jesus?  

God is the Source of all spiritual blessings we seek for the church.  Surely, there is no blessing which would bring more joy to the heart of the Holy Spirit than to see people who have never openly professed faith in Christ to do so in His Church.  The first step toward seeing the baptismal waters stirred again is for a few to know themselves as the ones the Spirit is raising up to pray that seeing people professing faith in Christ would be the norm instead of the occasional occurrence.  "Lord, use us to raise up such a people."

A Spiritual Disease

One of the symptoms of a spiritual disease which is slowly destroying the church is not hard to diagnose.  Generally speaking more and more churches are reporting fewer and fewer baptisms each year.  When there does happen to be a need for a baptism, the worship committee (if it is a sprinkling congregation such as my own) has to find the baptismal font, dust it, sweep off the spider webs, move it to a visible place in the sanctuary, and fill it with fresh water. No one should be surprised to hear some of the younger generation asking, "What is it?  What do you do with it?"  

Every time the baptismal waters are stirred, it is a sign that some new soul has signed up to follow Christ. It is no small decision that brings a new believer to the holy waters.  My tradition says, "it is an outward sign of an inward change."  When the church gathers around the baptismal waters, it is to celebrate the birth of new creation in Christ Jesus.  It is also the moment when new blood is infused into the church and new breath is breathed into it through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

When the church becomes dependent on generational growth, or receiving new members because they are moving their membership from another congregation, it is drinking what might seem to be life giving water, but it is from a poisoned well.  A next generation church that is seriously concerned about its spiritual and theological integrity will either be filled and empowered by new believers from this generation, or it will simply know itself as a shadow of what God intended for it to be.  

The Prayer of a Righteous Man

Before leaving the house today, a friend said, "I would like to pray for you."  I never have any problem with someone praying for me.  Before he prayed, he said, "The Word says  that if anyone is sick, the elders of the church should pray for them and I reckon I am old enough to be an elder."  As one six years younger than me, he qualifies as an elder.  While I think the passage in James (5:13-15) is about the spiritual leaders of the church praying, I did not interrupt.  He was elder enough for me.  God didn't care. Neither did I.   

Sometimes it seems the church gets too caught up doing things by the book.  My own denomination has declared that only the ordained can administer the Sacrament.  Yet, there have been many a small group of believers studying and praying together who shared the Holy Meal without the beneifit of my presence.  Was it any less a remembrance and celebration of something sacred?  I think not.  Some denominations only allow those confirmed as members to receive the Sacrament which, of course, excludes the children whom Jesus was always inviting to come to Him.  Is the Table really open to all, or just those who jump through the hoops?  Again, my own denomination could never have achieved the impact it did in the formational days of our country without the unordained lay pastors who rode the circuits.   

My friend who stopped to pray today had no church officials lay hands on him to declare him an elder, but he was elder enough for me.  He is a man of faith whose prayers are constantly springing forth from his heart and falling from his lips.  His faith is strong and his intercessions are the words of a righteous man.  I did not need to see his credentials or his robes.  I saw his heart.  It was more than enough.

The Great Pretender

There are times when it seems that the church has hijacked Jesus.  But, then it is not the spiritual community centered on Jesus Christ which has done the deed, but the institutional church which poses as the Great Pretender. The institutional church is concerned about its survival.  It feeds on more.  It has its roots dug deeply into deeper treasuries, bigger buildings, and a success that is measured in much the same way as any thriving business.  The bottom line is not the number of souls saved, or lives radically transformed by the person of the resurrected Christ, but how smoothly the programs operate and the financial report at the end of the year.  The primary business of the institutional church is maintenance and survival.   

The church centered on Jesus seeks to lose itself in the world.  Appearance is not the important issue for a community of faith which seeks to live in the world as seed being dropped in the ground.  It is filled with disciples of Jesus who dream and pray about doing for Jesus what seems humanly impossible.  Its mission is not about maintenance but a mission defined by words such as the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-29 and the Great Missional Mandate found in Matthew 25:31-46 which gives the broken a place alongside of the affluent at the Table of God's Kingdom.   

It is hard for those of us within the church to see the importance of the distinction because we start out with nothing more than our love for Jesus only to be seduced by an institutional church which whispers that what we want to do for Jesus can be done even better and with greater effect if we will buy into the agenda of the Great Pretender.  There is never any big announcement that we have switched horses.  It is all so very subtle.  One day we are all for the community centered on Jesus and the next day, it is all about maintenance of the institution instead of mission.  All the talk about Jesus becomes window dressing.

 

Glory in a Box

Even before the church came into being through the rush of that mighty wind at Pentecost, there was a spirit which sought to control the ministry of Jesus.  There are two stories in the 9th chapter of Mark which enable us to see the birth of the controlling influence which flourished as the church became institutionalized.  The first is the most well know.  When Peter, James, and John experienced the Mt. of Transfiguration, the first thing they wanted to do was to build three shrines on the mountain, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  It was a moment of experiencing a great sunburst of heavenly glory and Peter's response was to build a small house for it. (Mark 9:2-8).  

The second incident is reported a little later in the same chapter as John tells about trying to stop someone from casting our demons in the name of Jesus because as the disciple put it, "...he was not following us." (Mark 9:38). Jesus had a different idea.  "But Jesus said, 'Do not stop him...' " (Mark 9:39).  As the church became more organized and more institutionalized, it succumbed to the temptation to put glory in a box.  No longer would following Jesus be a thing as simple as "Come and see," (John 1:39) for the church began to set in place how would be followers should come to Jesus, what prayers they should pray, and what spiritual practices to which they should submit.  

In the early days of my ministry, a leaflet about four spiritual laws was required reading for any seeker.  In many places of our church culture, being baptized is not nearly as important as how the baptized are baptized.  Not even the Table where Jesus first offered a meal of grace is open to all.  Unfortunately, the church in many places has special requirements for those who would come and partake.  More than anyone or anything, the church seems most afraid of losing its control and letting the glory out of the box.

Rekindling Faith

Memory has the power to bring to our consciousness things thought to be forgotten.  The other night out the blue came a memory of a song I had not heard in such a long time, one I learned growing up in Sunday night worship, and one I would have thought forgotten forever until I remembered it.  "In Times Like These" was the gospel song.  Maybe you remember George Beverly Shea singing it in one of the Billy Graham Crusades, or maybe you remember it from those informal Sunday night worship services when you sang until you were breathless.   

"In times like these, you need a Savior.  In times like these, you need an anchor.  Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock."  I love those old songs of the faith.  I miss those Sunday night services.  As a preacher I always was trying to recapture that faith building experience for those entrusted to me.  While I confess to not being a big fan of contemporary music in worship, the reason has to do with what is being remembered and stored in our spiritual storehouse.  We sang those old songs from "The Cokesbury Hymnal" over and over and over.  They were a part of the building blocks of our faith.   

I wonder what kind of memories are being stored through the music experience of today's church.  Will people thirty or forty years from now remember the lyrics of songs of faith, or will they simply remember the worship team and the excitement generated by the rhythm of the music and stage atmosphere?  I know this is the old fashioned worn out preacher longing for the good old days, but I still wish I could be sure there will be memories being created which have the power to rekindle faith.