-Pastor Jason
Click here to read the article on churchleaders.com>>
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If you're married, you know that a great, God-honouring marriage doesn't just happen. It takes a lot of listening, loving, confessing, forgiving and grace...to name a few. Would you consider praying these "10 Great Prayers for Every Marriage" by Ron Edmondson (They're only a sentence each). And let me add my prayer that God would strengthen your marriage!
-Pastor Jason Click here to read the article on churchleaders.com>> It's finally over. After weeks of promises, pandering and politicking, the federal election has concluded with a surprisingly definitive conclusion. And the Blue Jays Won! Now you're all caught up. Ha.
As they asked on the radio this afternoon, "did you get what you want?" Of course, for some yes, for some no. So as followers of Christ, what's our next step, regardless of how you voted? I think it's found in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." We are blessed to live in Canada. But we serve the God who is sovereign over all. We pray from the heart, "God Keep Our Land". We read the troubling statistics and more than that, we see churches with no young people. Why do teens leave the church? The article below endeavours to answer that question. The main reason this article suggests? "Of all the youth group participation variables we’ve seen, being involved in intergenerational worship and relationship was one of the variables most highly correlated to young people’s faith. So in other words, while it’s great that there are better trained, more called, more specialized paid and volunteer youth leaders—the downside is that the gap between the overall congregation and the youth ministry is growing, which ends up being toxic to young people’s faith."
I believe our church has something to offer as we endeavour to reach teens (and engage the ones we already have). And it really comes down to you and I taking an interest in their lives. There is a place for having events that are focused for just teens, but to really help teens have a strong vibrant faith, it needs to be connected with older believers who are encouraging and intentional about investing in their lives. This is a reminder to "keep going Laurentian" as many are already doing this. But it's also a reminder to be intentional and keep growing in our words and deeds. If God is going to allow us to be a healthy, multi-generational church for the coming decades, we need to pray, look for ways to invest in young people and invite others to connect with our church, but more importantly, begin a relationship with Jesus. Click here to read the article on churchleaders.com: "Why Do Students Leave Their Faith After Graduation? According to Research, This Is the Biggest Factor". In Christ, Pastor Jason Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.” Proverbs 16:20, ESV. This was the verse on the front of the bulletin this past weekend as we celebrated “Discovery Sunday”. It is exciting to discover the new things that God has for us as we follow Christ. As we enter into the Fall, I believe we are moving forward as a church. We are growing warmer through fellowship. Many Sundays after service there are pockets of people talking around the sanctuary and foyer, going into deeper relationship with one another. May we continue to be a safe place for people to let their guard down and to know what it’s like to live in Christian community. As we have begun our small groups we are hungry to grow deeper through discipleship. Jesus said to “go and make disciples”. That takes time, study, discussion…may we grow deep in the riches of God’s Word. We are growing stronger through worship. We are building a team to lead us in blended (both old and new) worship to meet people where they are but also challenge us to be more passionate in our worship. As one person very wrongly put it, “God bless the preamble before the sermon”. I believe we are capturing what it means to use our voices to connect with an Almighty God. God is seeking worshippers. I pray He finds us! We are growing broader through ministry. Each person serving in a ministry of the church is the goal. There’s lots to be done for God’s glory. And we work and pray that our church would grow larger through evangelism. This past Sunday was a learning experience in many ways, but I am encouraged by how many people talk about who they invited to church. That’s awesome! Sharing the Gospel is not someone else’s job, it involves each of us. Onward.
In Christ, Jason
As we approach our "Discovery Sunday" this Sunday, September 27th, each of us is asked to invite someone to church. I'm encouraged by several stories of our church stepping out and doing just that. It's ok if they say "no". Of course, we hope and pray they'll say "yes". When you invite others, just be yourself, otherwise it will come across like this guy on the video below...very unnatural. Let a natural invitation flow. See you Sunday!
Have you ever found yourself unprepared? I've shared before the story of Chrissy and I deciding to go for a little hike in Vermont (in our shorts and flip-flops) that turned into a climb to the top of the mountain. We did not have the proper attire. We we unprepared.
Sometimes, people ask us the same questions, and we aren't prepared to answer them. As we approach "Discovery Sunday" at our church, I've been asking you to pray about who you can invite to church. I was reminded in a recent conversation that one thing that can stumble us up a bit at Laurentian is when people ask "What's a Wesleyan Church?" I admit, I stumble over that one a bit too, not because I don't know who we are, but because the best answer often depends on who is asking. If someone's background is Catholic, or Baptist, or Methodist, or none, I often try to explain who we are in a way that relates to their experience. Sometimes I suceed sometimes I think I make them more confused. It's easier to say "come and find out". I was reading an interview with our General Superintendent, JoAnne Lyon. This interview reminded me of who we are. (You can click here to read the interview. It's a quick, easy read). If someone asked me that question today, I would say something to the effect of, "We're a church that believes in sharing the hope found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, and that God can set us free from our sin". Certainly we share these biblical ideals with many churches, and I'm grateful for our heritage as a church. But the bigger question is, am I prepared for the much more important question; "Why are you a Christian?" 1 Peter 3:14-16 says, "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.' But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." I know that sometimes, this verse actually keeps us from sharing our faith, because we never feel adequately prepared. If Chrissy and I found that trail we hiked in Vermont and didn't put on some different shoes based on our last experience, we would not be "growing" in our understanding of what it means to hike up a mountain. We are not experts. We don't claim to be. But if there is a "next time", we'll be more ready. I realize sometimes my logic is my own..ha. But if we are asked "Why are you a Christian?" and we aren't prepared, let's get prepared, as best we know how. But most of all, be growing in our preparedness. We'll never be prepared for any question someone might ask. It's ok to say, "I don't know that one, but I'll find out". (And by the way, I believe we actually hurt the cause of Christ when we pretend to have all the answers). Sometimes we can say, "follow me and then you'll see". The point is to always be growing in your preparedness. I hope I don't stumble over my answer to "What's a Wesleyan Church?" as much as I have in the past. But more importantly, I want to be prepared to point people to Jesus when they ask about my faith. And if I make a mistake, it's ok. I'll learn from it and be more prepared in the future. In Christ, Jason P.S. At our Thursday Bible Study, we're doing a series called "Go Fish" which teaches us how to be prepared to share out faith. Join us. This series goes until Thurs., Oct. 15th).
Yesterday I was in the dollar store and noticed one of those ball throwers for your dog. This one was a scoop that you put the ball in and then you fling it and the ball flies. Similar to the photo in this blog. I'll bet many of you have played with these at some point in your life. With little effort, you can really make that ball fly. Our dog Digby hasn't quite figured out fetch yet. If I throw a ball he runs after it, but then wants you to fight to get it back. If I'm playing fetch with him, and I'm trying to distract him, I'll sometimes just toss the ball near me. He kinda just looks up at me as if to say, "that's not how you do it". He wants me to throw it far.
A favourite verse is 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." This verse can give comfort when we're faced with difficulty and encouragement that we're not meant to carry our burdens, we can give them to God. But as we often do, we like to sanitize things and make them very neat and tidy. We think of someone helping lift a burden off of our backs and the freedom that it brings us. This is certainly a good analogy and has helped me understand what it means to give my burden to God. But can you think of another time when that word "cast" is used in the Bible? Perhaps by Jesus? Here's one example, "And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons" (Mark 1:39, ESV). When we read about Jesus casting out demons, "neat" and "tidy" would not be words I would use. Violent, forceful, direct, powerful are words I would use to describe these encounters. In the Greek (the original language of most of the New Testament) the word we translate as "cast" or "casting" have a common meaning. After all, that's why we often translate them into the same english word. That common meaning is the word "throw". Think about it. A similar meaning to Jesus casting out a demon, and us casting our anxiety on God. I think God is giving us permission to be more than "neat and tidy" but to get a bit forceful and direct with what is weighing us down. Could we possibly speak to our problems, cares, concerns and worries like Jesus did when casting out demons? "Hey sickness, lust, depression, negativity! Are you listening to me! By the authority given to me by God's Word, get out!" When stuff comes that brings us down, let's stop being nice to it. Rather, let's throw it far away. Cast it onto Jesus, because Jesus cares for you! -Jason Are there tastes, smells or sounds that bring you right back to childhood? One sound that does it for me is hearing a train in the distance. There were train tracks on the edge of our property growing up. I remember especially in the winter when on cold nights it sounded like the train might drive right into the house. For some, if they hear a train it wakes them up. For me, a train makes me think of home. We often would take a Sunday afternoon four-wheeler ride back to the tracks and marvel, every time, how one engine could pull so many freight cars.
The image of a train helps me understand a simple reality of life. We need to have the train cars in our minds in the right order, or things don't work well. The engine needs to be out front. Isaiah 3:12b says, "My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path." I propose there are three things that we can be the engine of our lives. One is our emotions. The second is our wills. The third is the truth. I have found it important to put together the train of your life in the right order, or you have a derailment. You've all met people who put their emotions first. When they're up, they're up and moving fast. Their will; or decision making centre; follows their emotions. If they feel like doing something, they do it. And the truth is in last place. After all, "who has any right to tell me what to do". These people can be fun to be with, until the engine of their lives gets down or angry or sad. One of the clearest examples of where this can go wrong is when a young man's girlfriend breaks up with him and his life is crushed. We all have disappointments, but I'm talking about the extreme. The train has derailed. Why? Because their emotions were driving their life. Well, perhaps we should put our will in front. Our choices are important, after all. You've met people like this. They think of themselves as self-made. They decide to take on a challenge and truth and emotion get behind. After all, "I create my own destiny, I create my own truth" they say. And their emotions follow. This ones a little more dangerous than the first. Because it is true, we can affect our emotions by a decision of our wills. But our decisions only go so far. There are things that are out of our hands. I think of a person who has put all their self-worth in their job or their finances, and then something happens that is out of their control. And their life derails. Finally, we can put the truth in front as the engine of our lives. When truth is in front, decisions are made from good information. We don't just change our lives by positive thinking or some other psychology, but our choices are based on real truth that is solid and won't change and shift. And our emotions won't be jerked around by whatever path seems right. They will be following things that are right. When temptations come, inviting you to doubt your capabilities or self-worth, the truth about who you are is right out front. You are loved and valued by God. Nothing will change that. So, your decisions and emotions aren't as easily swayed. Sure, we still have times when our emotions can push hard on the engine. Breaking up will always be hard to do. But the truth will keep us on the tracks. Of course, if you're a follower of Christ, you've seen this coming...what did Jesus say about truth? "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). The best engine is Jesus. Let Him be. |
Jason McCutcheonDevotional thoughts, reflections on a books I've read or a great song I've come across. Thanks for reading! Archives
April 2021
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Laurentian Wesleyan Church
529 McKay Ave. North Bay, ON P1B 7V7 705-494-9710 |
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