Category: John

  • The Church – Who’s in?

    quaint white country church

    The word “church” is interesting in that it can have  various meanings depending on the context.

    We can go “to church,” which is a common way of referring to gathering in a building for worship. Sometimes, the church means the building itself.

    The church can refer to the people gathered together for worship and instruction. It is often a mixed bag of believers and non-believers. Some people don’t yet know Jesus but are seeking truth. Some people claim the name “Christian” for any number of reasons but don’t have a relationship with Christ.

    This gathering is called the visible church. It’s what the world sees as the church.

    Then, there are all true believers worldwide. They can differ in theology and practice, but the Holy Spirit seals them all. They can vary by denomination, affiliation, and confession. This is the invisible church, the true church.

    In North America, at least, a Christian can be a member of the invisible church, part of a visible church, and meet in a church building.

    Some advocate that Church gatherings be comprised only of true believers. This begs the question, “Who decides whether someone is a believer or not?” Only God knows our true hearts; you and I cannot know the state of someone else’s salvation.

    We can get some hints from their conduct and the fruit of their lives. We can get clues from what they profess to believe.

    When we get to glory, I think we will be surprised by the absence of some people we expected to see and the presence of some we didn’t. There won’t be any mistakes. Jesus knows his own.

    So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He, who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:7-16 ESV

    Our role isn’t to decide who is and isn’t a believer. We are called to love and minister to everyone and let God do the sorting.

    Sheep and goats can be present on any given Sunday (or at special times like Christmas and Easter). Let’s welcome and love them all.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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  • The high cost of stubbornness

    black lamborghini hurricane
    Lamborghini Hurracan

    Some years ago, I was driving down Anthony  Henday Drive (part of a ring road system that encircles Edmonton) when a new-looking Lamborghini blew past me at an incredible rate of speed. The traffic around me was traveling about 30km over the posted limit, and I was keeping up with the flow of traffic. He blew by us by at least half our speed again.

    Just down the road, we all passed him as a police officer was writing him a ticket. It wasn’t long before he passed us again. Five minutes later, he blew by and hadn’t slowed down.

    I passed him again, stopped for the third time, and got what I assumed was his third ticket. I wanted to see if he would go for number four, but I had to take the next exit and never saw him again.

    Maybe he had so much money that he didn’t care about the cost of the tickets and the increased insurance premiums. Perhaps he thought the law didn’t apply to him. Maybe he was leaving the country never to return and didn’t care. Whatever his reasons, he struck me as being slow to learn. 

    Sometimes, we’re stubborn and slow to learn. That is generally not a good thing.

    Being stubborn and slow to learn is often a problem in our Christian walk. We complain we don’t understand everything the Bible says, but if we took the blinders off and put the little bit we understand into practice, we would see the world transformed.

    God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He does expect us to work diligently at what He’s told us to do.

    You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15 NIV

    We’re called to do what He’s told us to do. There’s a reason for that command. Obedience brings joy.

    As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:9-11 NIV

    In what areas of your walk have you been stubborn or slow to learn? What are you going to change today (with His help)?

    Until next time, remember that there is joy in obedience and pain in disobedience. My prayer is that you opt for joy.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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    The high cost of stubbornness