PastorPG's Blog

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12, v.2)

Every once in a while, you get asked a question that will take you a bit off guard. I should qualify that: the longer you’ve been around, the more prone you become to questions that can seemingly come out of no where, and occasionally, take you aback. Once such question came my way, yesterday, about 15 minutes after our corporate worship ended.

As I was greeting people, interacting, and after handing off a precious 3-month old baby, it came soon after. Here is how it was presented to me, after delivering a Message on “Being a Holy Church” and sharing in The Lord’s Table, together: “Do you think it is possible that some who call themsevles believers go through all the motions, do and say all the right things, but haven’t made Jesus the Lord of their life?”

My direct response: “As heartbreaking as that is to even think about, yes – it is possible and it does happen.” Then I offered this, “We must pray that we do everything we can, with God’s help, to eliminate its possibility.”

I pondered that on the way home from worship on Sunday, through the afternoon and evening at different points, and here I am writing about it on a Monday afternoon. I must say: it is one of the things that will keep you up and weigh heavily on your heart. Not that we, any of us really, are responsible for the actions or inactions of others. We can’t decide for anyone else, although at times we would very much like to do so. Yet, we have a desperate, urgent responsibility to magnify Jesus Christ and be His hands and feet to a lost and fallen world, at every instant. We are His Church, His representatives, His brothers and sisters charged with taking His mission outwardly and giving it away. We are delivery and logistics. We are to be “broken bread and poured out wine in His Name,” as Oswald Chambers states.

How do we do this? How can it possibly be accomplished in an effective way?

Read that passage again, at the top: Romans 12, v.2.  We have to be renewed, we have to be transformed. We have to be reborn by and into the Spirit of the living God, by way of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We are renewed in His image; that is how! Because it is at this point where we can fulfill our God-given purposes, according to His will (not ours).

Together, we are the Church: His body, His bride, His children, and His people.

Together, we honor Him, love Him, serve Him, and worship Him.

Together, we are available to each other, build one another up, pray for the needs of others, and serve alongside our brothers and sisters to further His Kingdom. Sure – we do much more than this, but this is a beginning. It is to be continued moment by moment, day by day, week in and week out.

It begins with being renewed, allowing the transforming power of God to make us into who He truly desires us to be. Our God is faithful and His invitation has been extended to you and to me. Let me encourage you: It will change your life, forever (in the best way possible). I’ll leave you with this passage, and I invite you to reach out at any time if you would like to learn more: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, so that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but would have everlasting life” (John 3, v.16). Now, insert your name where “whosoever” appears. It is that personal, and it is that fulfilling.

Be blessed in the renewal only He can deliver and give!

Porter

 

The post today is credited to the great man of the faith, A.W. Tozer. He was a key figure in the Christian and Missionary Alliance and was known for his “deeper life movement.” The excerpt shared below was posted recently on a page that I follow, and I felt compelled to share it. Not to discourage, but to have us really examine the essence of what he is alluding to: heart and life transformation. From a Message he delivered, titled: “Game of Pious Words,” here is Tozer in his own words. May the Lord use them to saturate our souls and move us to holiness:

“Do you realize that most men play at religion as they play at games? Religion itself, being of all games the one most universally played. The Church has its ‘fields’ and its ‘rules’ and its equipment for playing the game of pious words. It has its devotees, both laymen and professionals, who support the game with their money and encourage it with their presence, but who are no different in life or character from many who take no interest in religion at all.

As an athlete uses a ball, so do many of us use words: words spoken and words sung, words written and words uttered in prayer. We throw them swiftly across the field; we learn to handle them with dexterity and grace – and gain as our reward the applause of those who have enjoyed the game. In the games men play there are no moral roots. It is a pleasant activity which changes nothing and settles nothing, at last. Sadly, in the religious game of pious words, after the pleasant meeting no one is basically any different from what he has been before.”

 

A few days ago, I found myself pulled into a discussion I didn’t fully realize I was being pulled into. Sometimes, that’s just the way it goes. Prepared or not, ready or not, and sometimes willing or not – there you are. Right in the thick of it.

It was interesting. It was relevant. I was just running a bit late for a long overdue dental appointment. So I had about 15 minutes, at that appointed time, to try and give an answer for a question that was being tabled. The discussion surrounded the church and the mission that the church has been given: “to go into all the world, and make disciples of all nations…” (see Matthew 28).

A good question you might be wondering, right about now, is this: What in the world does the church, the Great Commission, and establishment have to do with one another? That is a very good question – let me elaborate a bit more.

One of the persons in the discussion was convinced that the church, for the most part, has become more of an “establishment” and has lost (or minimized) it’s first love in pursuit of things that aren’t necessarily “after God’s own heart.” They referenced things like: structures, systems, vision statements, financial reports, and groups at the top who hold onto authority and power. A few minutes into this back and forth, this person made the comment: “the church looks more like an institution to me, with an establishment, goals and objectives, and less like the movement Jesus led.”

I have to be a little honest here: That had me thinking. Even if it may be accurate in some instances, in some examples, in some places and spaces; it surely is not true everywhere, in each situation, in every church. How do I know this? Because God’s Church is His answer to a lost and dying world that desperately needs the Gospel. The Church is the body of Christ, a city on a hill, a royal priesthood that has been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. He charged the Church to go into all the world, and He stated in no uncertain terms, that He would be with us even until the end of the world (again: Matthew 28).

I believe if we “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” that it will all fall into place as long as we lean on Him to provide and sustain us. Who do we need to be? What do we need to do? We need to surrender to God! We need to be available and willing to go, to learn, to serve, and to work. We need to allow God to do His part and we need to be faithful in doing ours.

When our priorities are aligned with God’s…when all of that has been fleshed out and made new, I just believe we can trust that He will keep our actions, our motives, and our purposes in the right place. The Church is an essential, necessary, living movement that is called to give Jesus away. The Church is a people in communion and fellowship with God and with one another, who take the mission passionately and with great urgency. The Church is you and I, and despite any establishment or ulterior motive that some may in fact have, with God’s help, we can move the mission forward in spite of it. We must.

The conversation will continue. We agreed that day that it wasn’t going to just end there. I now look forward to it. But believe me, there are many out there who have a similar mindset and position. Some are in your sphere of influence. People who have been hurt by churches and church-people, whether recently or decades ago. People who have questions in a day/time where faith seems to be on trial and skeptics come out of the woodwork. People who try to seek excuses and reasons to stay at arms-length from making a decision that will change the course of their life, forever. Let’s seize this God-given opportunity to give truth away…to give Jesus away…to truly be The Church for His glory! 

Blessings and peace.

Porter

We are on the verge of a New Series, starting this Sunday, May 26, 2019: “A Movement of God Through the People of God!” While this is a new focus that has been launched through our Global Ministry Center, it really does tie in beautifully with what God has been leading us in since the beginning of 2019.

Yes, we are a sent people! Jesus states it clearly in John 20: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” Sometimes it’s easier to neglect it. Other times it may be simple to avoid it. On other occasions, sitting and listening seems to be enough. But the reality is: We are a sent people! There is no negotiation. We must go! The questions arises in my heart/soul: If not us, who? If not now, when? 

So this Series is being custom-crafted for what God is calling us to do, in this action-oriented command. It is our part and it certainly helps define Who We Are. I/we invite you to come and join us on this God ordained, Jesus led, Spirit filled journey. Without giving to much away, let me just encourage you that you will be built up, encouraged, and yes, probably challenged – to find a place to help us “work out what God has worked in” (in the words of Oswald Chambers).  But really, what is the alternative? To do nothing? To avoid it? To neglect or overlook the command of Jesus?

No one has to do everything. No one can. But everyone can do something. There is a place for you here: a place where you can believe, belong, and become. A place where you and yours can call “home”. A place where you can worship and plug in to the community. A place where you can serve for the glory of God and impact lives.

Join us this Sunday 5-26-19 (Memorial Day Weekend) for the launch. 10 am right here at Bridgeway Church (100 Lockhart Drive, Beaufort, NC). Visit us online to learn more: www.bridgewaync.org. May God bless you, and give you peace!

Porter