Member or Disciple?

At last weekend’s services, Pastor Steve mentioned that the church should not be focused on membership, but rather on discipleship.  He even mentioned that perhaps we should get rid of the membership “rolls” that we keep and start over.  I know some of you wanted to shout “Amen,” while others of you wanted to say something else!

I’ve been thinking about that over the week.  What does it really mean to be a member versus a disciple?  Well, let’s look at what Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary has to say: 

Member  (noun, often attributive)

a body part or organ; a unit of structure in a plant body; one of the individuals composing a group; a person baptized or enrolled in a church; or a part of a whole.

Disciple (noun)

one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another; one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ's followers according to the Gospel accounts or a convinced adherent of a school or individual.

While both are nouns, they differ in that one is merely focused on being part of a structure or part of an organization; the other requires more activity.  As a member, technically, I don’t have to do anything once my name is in the roll book.  In fact, I get some rights as a baptized member.  I have the right to vote at annual meetings or special meetings regarding other church-wide decisions. I can have my wedding at the church. I can even have my funeral at the church.  Sure, I can get more involved in the church, but that isn’t a requirement to maintain my membership.  Once I’m in, I’m in! 

Now, if I consider myself a disciple rather than a member, my focus changes from being listed in a book to actively professing my faith and “assisting” in the spread of the Gospel.  Yikes!  Some would say, isn’t that the job of our pastors or the evangelism committee?

While “membership” has been historically part of normal church organizational structure for years, what would happen if we considered ourselves not merely “members” of Calvary or a church, but rather as disciples of Jesus Christ who happen to worship at Calvary?  Notice the shift?  How might being a disciple for Christ change our view on how we live out our faith each week?  To really live out what we confess to believe in? 

I know for me, if I refer to myself as a disciple of Christ Jesus, rather than only a member of this church, that requires me to live out my faith, to be a little Christ to others.  Wow!  That puts a little more pressure on me to live out my faith in word and deed whether I’m at church or at sporting events or even at neighborhood block parties. 

My challenge to all of us this week, and for the next few months, as we journey through the Book of Acts, is for us to really LIVE in the chapters each week.  Don’t just read them.  Let’s challenge each other to wrestle with the chapters and apply what we read to our lives each week.  To truly go beyond being a member and take that leap of faith and become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ!   

Here’s a great song from Matt Maher that reminds us to rise up and be a disciple!

In His Grip!

Pastor Carol

Simple Acts with Eternal Significance

Over the past week, my Calvary small group finished our summer study called Finding God in the Desert of Your Soul.  In this week’s study, one of the main verses we focused on was Romans 12:9-13.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

I’ve read this passage many times, but never really stopped and went through it line by line before.  As a pastor, I could write a sermon for every verse and every sentence!  These verses are all calling out to be preached!  I’ve really been noodling verse 12 over the past week – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.”  Now, at first glance, those seem like good things to do, but what if we all truly believed and lived just those three things out in our everyday lives.  Would our lives change?  Would our faith-lives change or deepen?  Would our willingness to serve others change?  Then I started to think more deeply about the last verse:  “Share with God’s people who are in need and practice hospitality.” 

You know, “...our Christian walk is not just made up of those mountaintop experiences or great feats of spiritual strength,” as Buddy Owens, the teaching pastor at Saddleback Church, said in this DVD study, but rather, “It is made up of faithfulness to simple, small acts of generosity, kindness, devotion to each other, and caring for each other.”  It’s the little things that we must be faithful to, not just the big things in life.  They will indeed make a difference.  In fact, sometimes the little acts of service can have far-reaching and even eternal consequences that we may never know. 

Perhaps that smile you gave to the checkout person at the grocery store lifted their spirits and encouraged them to make it through one more day; perhaps calling or stopping by to visit an elderly person in your neighborhood made them realize that they are not alone; perhaps giving the littlest word of encouragement to someone who is going through a dark valley made them feel a sense of hope in their darkness.  Speaking words of hope into someone’s life can and will have eternal results.  In God’s Kingdom there are no small or insignificant acts.  Remember, the measurement is not ours to determine; rather that measurement is in God’s hands!  Look at Mathew 25:21 where Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” 

We often think that we need to go out in this world and do huge things to leave an imprint on society.  Instead, how about trying to help one person this week and leave a holy handprint on their life?  Oh, I know we sometimes compare ourselves to others and think what we have to offer is so small.  Remember this: God’s greatest gifts are not reserved for those that have merely received advanced college degrees or people who have advanced theological training or are famous in our society; God’s gifts are given to us all.  In fact, those gifts do not require anything more than a humble, willing, and contrite heart.  In fact, the only way to attain those gifts that really matter are found when we are on our knees. 

Reread Romans 12:9-13.  These are indeed the keys to being a servant of Christ.  Those simple verses hold the keys to spiritual greatness and significance.  This week, set out to be faithful in the simple and small things and see how God uses those small steps of faithfulness to accomplish great things for His Kingdom.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."  (Isaiah 6:8) 

Here’s a song that calls us to stand up and be faithful by merely offering ourselves to be used by God.  May we always be faithful, especially in the small things!

In His Grip!

Pastor Carol

Okay, God... You Can Remove My Thorn NOW!

As many of you know, over the summer, I spent six weeks with severe abdominal pain, which was finally diagnosed as ACNES (abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome).  The Apostle Paul talked about his thorn in his side that was never healed; well, I began to understand Paul’s situation and suffering in a very personal way this summer! 

After countless doctor visits, dozens of tests, multiple CAT scans, hospital stays and one doctor after another referring me to yet another specialist saying, “I don’t know what is wrong with you,” I soon began to ask God the all-important question – why?  I would ask God, "How can lying in this bed in severe pain bring glory to You?  How can I serve You in the midst of this pain?  How can You use this illness for good?"  And, most importantly, I asked God, "What I was supposed to learn from this?" 

I learned a lot over those six weeks.  Being in bed and in pain allowed me to bathe in God’s presence every minute, of every hour, of the day.   I had to!  God and I had many “interesting” conversations!   Yes, they were honest, heartfelt, and tough conversations.  Being a Type-A person and having to learn to just “be” and to trust fully in God, forced me to look at my faith from a deeper perspective. 

At several doctors’ appointments, I found myself having conversations with the receptionists, the nurses, the lab techs and the doctors.  And on more than one occasion, I was asked by someone about Calvary and had opportunities to share my personal faith in ways that only God could have orchestrated!  I handed out more Calvary business cards and gave more hugs to total strangers from my hospital bed and at various doctors’ offices than I’ve ever handed out when I was well and just “visiting” others in the hospitals.  Hmmm…Did God use these six weeks of my illness to His glory and to be His hands and feet to others?  Well, I would have to say, yes! 

You see God uses us all the time, not just when we are doing great and sailing through life, but more times than not, He uses you and me in the midst of our own suffering and problems to minister to others.  You know, a season of suffering in our own lives can oftentimes have consequences that are life-changing for someone else.  Through our own suffering and pain we live out our faith in a more powerful way then words could ever express.  Your pain and my pain does indeed have a purpose. 

Rather than resent our problems or suffering, we need to ask God to use them to His glory.  Yes, the pain or problems may still persist in our lives, but when we allow our problems, our suffering and our heartaches to unite WITH God’s bigger purpose, then God can be glorified in miraculous ways we may never understand.

Michael W. Smith had a song a few years ago called "The Heart of Worship."  It’s a wonderful song that reminds us that no matter what we go through and no matter what is stripped away from us, we simply need to come just as we are, to the One who is at the heart of our worship, Jesus. 

To His Glory!

Pastor Carol

God's GPS

I recently got a new phone and with it I have discovered the wonderful world of apps!  Lots and lots of different apps.  One app that I’ve found very helpful was the navigation/GPS app.  I always thought that GPS was a luxury and one that I didn’t need.  After all, there’s Google Maps and that has worked fine for me over the years.  Then I got GPS!  Wow, my luxury item soon turned into a much needed item! 

One day as I was using my GPS, it suddenly hit me that GPS is a lot like having a relationship with God.  GPS keeps you on the right road and even when you miss the exit or go left rather than right, the GPS patiently “recalculates” and tells you how to get back to the correct road and to get to your destination.  God is like that too.  When we spend time with Him and develop a relationship with Him, He will patiently direct our path.  He’s got plenty of time.  No matter how far we stray from the “main road” God will wait.  Sometimes He bring people into our lives who help us to get out of the “ditch” or “path” back up onto the road.  Other times, He simple speaks to our hearts and points us back to the road. 

God and I have had some interesting journeys over the years.  Oftentimes, we grow deepest in our relationship with Him when we are going through a valley in our life or walking through a desert wilderness.  You want water; you are thirsty; you are tired and in despair.  You may cry out to God and say “I want my life back!”  When God seems to be silent, remember He is listening.  He will gently and patiently use your valley to His glory.  Oh, we may not realize it at the time we are going through the pain and suffering, but when we have the vantage point of being “back on the main road” we can oftentimes look back and see how God directed our path even when we seemed to be hopelessly lost and hurting. 

Psalm 119:105 tells us that God’s “Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  No matter the direction we take in life, God will always point us back to Him.  He is our GPS!  He will shine the light of His love and will direct our paths.  We may mess up or go through trials we never imagined.  Yet God’s Word and His promises will always bring us back out of the ditch or path back to the “main” road.  Remember, God’s GPS doesn’t rely on correct satellite images and it doesn’t ever need to be recharged.  He is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Here’s a great song that reminds us that the God is always beside us even when we lose our way. 

To His Glory!

Pastor Carol