At the beginning of 1 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul asserts that as a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he has the right to demand the church pay him and help meet his needs. He chooses, however, not to exercise that right because he doesn’t want anything to hinder the work he’s doing for the Lord.

In verses 20-23, he continues with the theme of doing whatever’s necessary to bring others to Christ: “¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Christians are called to have this same attitude. We are to do whatever is necessary to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God didn’t create the church to be a country club. He created it to do ministry in his name. This means the church needs to constantly evaluate its ministries to see if they are being effective. If they aren’t, the church needs to make changes. (more…)

The book of Matthew ends with Jesus issuing a dramatic challenge to his followers. Matthew 28:16-20 says “¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus took his disciples up on a mountain to talk with them. In Biblical times, and especially in Matthew’s Gospel, experiences with God happened on mountains. People viewed mountaintops as being closer to the heavens so they were closer to God. There they worshipped Jesus and he gave them what we call the Great Commission. They were already disciples of Jesus and he commanded them to go out into the world and make even more disciples. The book of Acts tells us this is exactly what they did. (more…)

As you think about your relationship with Jesus, prayerfully answer the following question: Why do I follow him? Once this question is answered, please wrestle with this one: Is he doing everything in my life that I’m expecting him to do?

The reason we need to think about these questions is because we human beings are creatures of comfort and convenience. We want things to always work in our favor with as little effort and as few problems as possible. Buying prepackaged meals and take-out replaces cooking. We stop by the car wash so we don’t have to hand-wash our vehicles. Most of the clothes we buy are “wrinkle free” so we can avoid ironing them. Using Facebook means I no longer have to call 428 people and tell them where I’m having lunch, who I’m with and what I’m eating. Shouldn’t our faith be just as comfortable and convenient? After all, Jesus said in John 14:14 – “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (more…)

Many years ago, a relative asked me if I was going to attend the community Communion Service his congregation was hosting during Holy Week. I said, “No, our congregation is having its own service because we also wash one another’s feet.” He laughed and said, “Well, I’ve never heard of that.” Later I told our senior pastor about this conversation. He listened intently and then responded, “I guess he doesn’t read his Bible.”My pastor had a point. John 13 explains why we wash on another’s feet. I began to wonder about something as I reflected on this conversation. Do we Brethren really understand why we wash one another’s feet? Or, thinking about the bigger picture, do we understand why we have Communion in the first place? (more…)

There’s a well-known story about a tightrope walker who came to Niagara Falls and stretched his rope across the thunderous currents from Canada to the United States. Before the breathless crowds, he walked and then ran across the falls. He did the same blindfolded, with drums rolling. Then, still blindfolded, he pushed a wheelbarrow across the falls.

            The crowds went wild, and he shouted to them, “Who believes I can push a man in this wheelbarrow across the falls?”

            A gentleman in the front waved his hands, shouting, “I do! I believe!” (more…)

One of the best things ever created to help Christians study the Bible occurred in the 1550s when the different books were divided into chapters and verses. These divisions make is much easier to quickly find specific verses in the Bible.

I also believe that one of the worst things ever created to help Christians study the Bible occurred when the different books were divided into chapters and verses. The biblical authors intended for the books they wrote to be read in their entirety. If we read a scripture passage without understanding the context in which it was written, we miss much of its meaning. (more…)

Sex is a topic that causes anxiety in most congregations. While sexuality is a natural part of being human, the simple truth is it’s an uncomfortable subject to discuss. While this may be  true, we still need to address the subject because we see physical attraction and sexuality mentioned in the Bible.

Song of Solomon 7:1-9 says, “How beautiful your sandaled feet,

O prince’s daughter!

Your graceful legs are like jewels,

the work of a craftsman’s hands.

²     Your navel is a rounded goblet

that never lacks blended wine.

Your waist is a mound of wheat

encircled by lilies.

³     Your breasts are like two fawns,

twins of a gazelle.

⁴     Your neck is like an ivory tower.

Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon

by the gate of Bath Rabbim.

Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon

looking toward Damascus.

⁵     Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.

Your hair is like royal tapestry;

the king is held captive by its tresses.

⁶     How beautiful you are and how pleasing,

O love, with your delights!

⁷     Your stature is like that of the palm,

and your breasts like clusters of fruit.

⁸     I said, “I will climb the palm tree;

I will take hold of its fruit.”

May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine,

the fragrance of your breath like apples,

⁹     and your mouth like the best wine.”
(more…)

I come from a family of poor gift-givers. When I was first married, the Christmas gifts I gave to my wife, Stephanie, contained too many appliances that we needed for our home. I could have done a much better job of buying her things that were more personal and meaningful to her.

The sad truth is this trait has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. Several years ago, about a week before Christmas, my father placed a large, wrapped box under the Christmas tree for my mom. She was excited when she saw it because dad usually doesn’t buy gifts that are this big. Since mom had told dad she wanted new dishes, she convinced herself this box contained new plates, saucers, bowls and cups. Throughout the days leading up to Christmas, mom’s expectations grew. (more…)

Maintaining a happy and healthy marriage is one of the hardest things we will ever have to do. We’re full of love, forgiveness and optimism when we say “I do” and we think our marriages will always be like this. While marriages can and should always have these qualities, the simple truth is our attitudes and feelings can change as the years go by. The pressures of careers, children, finances and getting older put new stresses on relationships. This can cause love, forgiveness and optimism to erode and be replaced with some selfishness, complacency and perhaps even a little bitterness. One of the reasons this happens is because of the way our relationships develop. When we’re dating, we are typically on our best behavior. Many people even try to hide some of their little flaws and imperfections from the other person. Once we’re married and living together, the truth comes out. We realize the person we married isn’t quite as perfect as we may have originally thought. As a saying from an anonymous author states, “Love is blind, and marriage is the eye-opener.” This brings us to an interesting question. Once the realities of life set in, should I assume taking my spouse for granted and allowing our marriage to plateau or even decline is normal? We see it happen with many of the couples around us. Does it have to happen in our marriages? (more…)

Several years ago I got myself into trouble by letting my thoughts drift to other things instead of paying attention to what I was doing – driving. As a result, I ended up driving 70 MPH in a 55 MPH speed zone. This caught the attention of a Virginia state policeman who pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket. While getting the ticket was bad enough, it got worse. First of all, it just so happened that my mother-in-law was in the vehicle with me when I got pulled over. She was nice about the whole situation and never mentioned it again but let’s be honest. Who really wants to get a ticket while your mother-in-law is riding with you? Second, while the officer was writing me the ticket, he began telling me how he was doing me a favor by stopping me because it might have been devastating if I hit a deer at 70 MPH. I honestly didn’t need to hear that. And third, when I got home I would need to tell my wife, Stephanie,  about the ticket. While I knew she wouldn’t be mad about it, I didn’t know what her reaction would be. (more…)