What's In a Name?

Nothing can be more confusing than to drive around looking for a new church to connect with.  Nearly on every corner, there is a type of “church.”   A church seeker may asked:  Why so many?  Why so many of the same kind of church? Who is right?  Who is wrong?  Can all of them be right or wrong? 

Does it matter what name is on the marquee to determine whether or not it is the right church?  After all, Scripture called the people of God many names: 

Church of the Gentiles – Romans 16:4

Church of God – 1 Corinthians 1:2

Body of Christ – Ephesians 5:22-23

City of the Living God – Hebrews 12:22

Church of the firstborn – Hebrews 12:23

Bride of Christ – Revelation 19:7

Bride of the Lamb – Revelation 19:7

So, if someone is driving down the road and sees a church sign that says, “Bride of Christ,” would that person stop to attend the group of believers?  It has been my experience that most people only search for a church family to attend based on the name they typically attend in their hometown or family tradition.  I must admit, I am one of those people, too!

In Acts 2, the excitement of the newborn church was the talk of the communities and eventually, the world.  Thousands were accepting Jesus and Scripture declared that God was adding those who were being saved (Acts 2:47b).  What is interesting about the newborn church is the fact they were motived by “the apostles’ teaching,” “fellowship,” “breaking of bread,” “prayer,” “unity,” “meeting needs of the community,” “eating meals in each others home,” and “praising God together.”

Notice how the baby church lived out their faith. They didn’t get caught up on what is the best name for their new church plant; rather teaching, fellowshipping, eating with each other, prayer, helping, and praising motivated them.  That is the kind of church Jesus is proud to call his own. 

Fast-forwarding to 2016, it appears that the name on a marquee has become the focal point rather than Jesus.  Having a catchy name or claiming one particular name is the one and only “true” church name has really become more of a distraction and a hindrance to helping people know about Jesus.  You see, the identity of the church isn’t in the name we call it; rather, it is in the relationship we’ve established with the one who died and resurrected for it.  And, to claim one church name has the market on biblical-correctness has forgotten to look closely at all the other names the believers were called throughout the first couple centuries. 

There are millions seeking to connect with a group of believers who are excited about teaching, fellowshipping, eating with fellow believers, praying, helping others and praising the Father, but are confused about who is right?  After all, there are thousands to choose from.  In my fellowship alone, there are about 25 different types of Churches of Christ.  What is sad is that some will not fellowship with each other because of certain “opinionated doctrines” that cannot be backed up with Scripture.  However, the Churches of Christ are not the only Christian group who has difficulty; they all do. 

We must remember that Jesus isn’t bent on what name we call ourselves on a marquee as he is in how we reflect our loyalty to him, our love for God and neighbor and our faithfulness to living a lifestyle that will point everyone to a savior who is love, hope, grace, forgiveness, kindness, servant, and mercy. 

May every church group be God controlled, Jesus centered, Spirit-led, biblically motivated, community helpers, unity driven, and worship focused.  When each believer makes it a point to follow God’s Word, then and only then will we see changed hearts and Jesus led lives in and out of a church gathering.  May it be said of us a thousand years from now that the believers in the 21^st century made a come back by breaking the barriers of “church” segregation based on names and united as one under the authority of Jesus and the guidance of the Word of God and the leading of the Spirit. 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

A Better United States of America

Over the last few years, our nation has been rocked terror, protest,  mass shootings, hate crimes, new laws that interfere with many of American’s core beliefs.  Charleston, South Carolina was the scene of a hate crime where a lone gunman stalked his prey for nearly an hour while Christians were praying and studying the Scriptures before shooting up the house of worship and murdering nine. 

Rioters took to the streets in St. Louis and Baltimore to protest against what they felt was police brutality and prejudice against blacks.  Four Marines and one sailor were murdered at the hands of an Islamist extremist in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Police officers are murdered in Dallas, Texas.  Unarmed black men shot and killed by police officers.  Some National League Football players kneel during the National Anthem in protest against the brutality toward people of color.  School shootings.  Church shootings.  Mall shootings.  And the list goes on. 

“One baby is aborted every 26 seconds. That’s 137 every hour.  Which means there are 3,304 murdered every day; 23,196 every week; 100,516 every month and 1,206,192 every year just in the United States of America.”  http://www.mccl.org/us-abortion-stats.html

While the stats are tough to read and our present-day America is looking bleak in the eyes of millions, never count out God and what he will do next.  He is aware.  He knows our situation inside and out.  He will never leave us abandoned without hope, nor forsake us while we are at our worse.  One of the reasons that Romans 5:8 is my favorite Scripture is because it tells all of us that while we are at our worse, God is at his best.  Look at it… “ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”  God is in the business of redeeming us, saving us and being merciful to all of us.  

Don’t give up on America just yet; instead, let’s look at how we can live the Jesus life and make an impact in our nation that will help rid our towns and States and an entire nation of hate crimes, murders, drunk drivers, prostitution, greed, deception, and liars 

God never created any of us to do wrong; rather, he created us to have a wonderful relationship with him.  1^st John 4:19 says it perfectly, “We can love because He loved us first” (paraphrased)

Also, God would have never made us in his likeness if we were created to be rebellious.  Moses said in Genesis 1:27 that we are all “made in the likeness of God.”  God is love.  God is peace.  God is good.  God is patient.  God is kind.  God gentle.  God is self-control.  God is faithful.  God is joy. 

The way each of us helps change a community for the better is to be better ourselves.  The way to be better is to model God’s likeness and to allow the indwelled Spirit to lead us in our pursuit of godly living.  The way to model God’s likeness is to train our thinking and behavior to be godly.  The Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:8, "...train yourself to be godly."  The way we train to be godly is by doing four very important lifestyle changes:

Number 1:  Keeping focused on Jesus, not on self!  Hebrews 12:1-2, "...throw off everything that hinders us...fix our eyes on Jesus....” It’s all about Jesus!

Number 2:  Praying and Positive Thinking! Philippians 4:4-9, "...in everything, by prayer...think about such things...." Stinking thinking only gets you a bad attitude and no friends or influence.

Number 3:  Kicking out bad habits!  Galatians 2:17-21, "...I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...." Jesus and the Spirit keeps the bad habits from coming back if you stay connected.

Number 4:  Being around motivators!  Hebrews 10:23-25, "...let us consider how we may spur one another...let us encourage one another....” Church gatherings are the spark to give energy to model godly values. 

When godliness leads our lives, community’s change, crime goes down, hate of one’s color of skin loses out and murderers become life protectors. 

It all starts with YOU!  Will you be the ONE to start making our community a better place to live? 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Angels Among Us!

A few years ago, I was getting groceries at a local supermarket in South Carolina.  I finished my shopping and found a checkout lane empty and headed for lane 6.  The cashier was extremely nice as we chatted a bit.  The total was $34.78.  I got out my debit card and swiped it, but the cashier said it didn’t take the card due to non-sufficient funds.   I said, “That can’t be, I just made a deposit into my bank account and have plenty of money.”  She said, “Try it again.”  I did and the same results, non-sufficient funds.  I was totally embarrassed, but thankfully, no one else was in line with me.  I said to the clerk, “I am going to my bank, please set my groceries aside, I will be right back.”  I walked out the door and headed for my car.  The cashier comes out and yells, “Sir!”  “Sir!”  I turned around and she said, “A man came up to me and paid for your groceries.”  I was dumfounded because there was no one else in line and no one could have known my debit card didn’t work.  I went back into the store to thank the man, but he was nowhere to be found.  There was only one way in the store and one way out.  The cashier and I looked all over the store but we could not find him.  I remember the cashier saying with a smile on her face, “You must have an angel watching out for you!” 

I think about what happened to me often and am grateful God uses his angels to help his children in times of need, stress, difficult situations or tragedies.  The singing group Alabama performs a song called, Angels Among Us that is fitting for so many hard to answer situations.

“Oh I believe there are, angels among us
Sent down to us, from somewhere up above
They come to you and me, in our darkest hours
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give
To guide us with the light of love”

There are some who will say that God doesn’t use angels today as he once did!  According to Hebrews 1:14, the writes asked, “Isn’t it obvious that all angels are sent to help out with those lined up to receive salvation?” (MSG)  Angels are used by God to be a protector for believers.  King David proclaimed in song in Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (NIV)

It cannot be disputed that angels are active and usable for service to God whenever he calls them to serve.  It is also true that any believer can entertain angels at any time, anywhere. 

Hebrews 13:2 says, “Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!” (MSG)  How we act towards stranger’s maybe a test to see how we will act toward one of God’s angels.  It could be the next person who asked us for food or shelter could be an angel in disguise to see how we would respond to the request.  We must always be aware of who is in our presence.  We must never show a lack of respect, a judgmental attitude toward the hungry or the homeless, never allow the stranger to leave without showing him/her kindness; for it could be an angel of God. 

Angels are more than a figurine on a shelf or an ornament on top of a Christmas tree; rather, they are God’s servants to be used to aide believers in life as God sees fit.  Angels are real, used by God today, and, as much as Satan and his angels are active, so are God and his angels. 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Putting the "GRAND" in Parents

To get to grandma’s house in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, we had to drive down miles and miles of dirt road.  Her house was in a little community called Richwood’s. At the time, I didn’t think there was much “rich” to the community.  After all, I was a kid who was growing up in the city of St. Louis.  We had it all; so I thought! 

Grandma’s house was not fancy.  On the front porch was her laundry room with all the primitive conveniences – a tub, a washer that had a ringer to get the water out and a line that was attached from the house to a tree to dry the clothes.  As you walked into the house, there was a woodstove in the middle of the living room, a couple bedrooms and a kitchen.  To use the bathroom, you had to go to the outhouse that was located about a hundred feet from the house.  On a cold night, those hundred feet may as well have been two thousand feet!

Grandma’s yard was filled with chickens running around, a huge oak tree with a tire roped to a limb for anyone to swing on and an old white abandoned church building that set at the very corner of the property. 

All around were dirt roads, rice and watermelon fields.  My dad’s one room school building was just up the road.  It was dilapidated, but became a place for all of us to hang out and play when we visited grandma. 

As I write, I can see myself running down the dirt road or playing in my dad’s old one room schoolhouse or watching my grandmother catch a chicken that would become our dinner that night.  I can see the tire swing and hear the crackling of the fire as my siblings and I lie on pallets of grandma’s hand stitched quilts.  I can smell the bacon, biscuits and homemade chocolate gravy.  I can feel grandma’s warm hands as she would touch my face or hold my hand or hold me in her arms.   I see her face. I hear her voice.  I miss her. 

Proverbs 27:19 describes the heart of most grandparents, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” The heart of a grandparent is full of love and grace and tenderness and joy and patience and kindness and peace.  Grandparents are “grand” because they have learned that life needs laughter and meals around the dinner table.  Grandparents see the value in spending time with their children and grandchildren.  Grandparents are grand because they focus much of their attention on God and have conversations with him all through the day.  Grandparents are grand because they no longer have the rush to get a job done; they are now more relaxed and enjoy every moment with the very people they love so much.  Grandparents are grand because like Jesus, they allow us to come to them for rest and receive their inner gentleness without conditions. 

Proverbs 17:6 proclaims that “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.”  Yes indeed they are, but grandparents are the steady in the storms and the light in the dark when we are scared and the hope that everything will turn out ok and the hand who wipes our tears and holds our heart. 

Today, I am thankful for grandparents.  I am thankful that God gave them a heart to love unconditionally and be packed full of everything that is kind and good.

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Michelle's Strength

As I write, there is a young lady named Michelle walking up and down the halls of our church facility exercising.  She is amazingly spiritual and always has a smile on her face and a song in her heart and a Scripture ready to quote.  The first time I met Michelle, she asked me what my favorite Scripture was.  I said, “Romans 5:8.”  She said, “What does it say?”  I said, “God demonstrated his own love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  She said, “That is a good one.”  I asked her, “What is your favorite Scripture?”  She quickly said “Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’”  I said, “That is an awesome Scripture.”  She smiled a smile that was at least a mile long and was overjoyed by sharing her Scripture and hearing mine. 

As she is walking down each hallway, I hear her singing to the tunes of gospel music.  She just isn’t singing softly and timidly, but rather, with vigorous joy and conviction.  She stopped by my office and we chatted a bit.  She said, “I hope my singing isn’t bothering you.”  I said, “Oh no, I love to hear you sing.”  She said, “Good, I am singing to the Lord.”  She smiled another mile long smile and began to walk and sing to the Lord.

You see; Michelle isn’t like most of us.  She can’t walk fast, but she believes in Philippians 4:13, She can do all things because of Jesus!  She sees life through the lens of innocence and lives life with the joy of the Lord being her strength.  Her bible reading is a lifestyle, not a chore.  Singing to the Lord is an honor, not a burden.  Speaking about Jesus is her desire, not a task.  Smiles on her face are permanent, not an effort.  Michelle is love.  Kindness.  Joy.  Spirit-filled. 

Why is she?

Because she sees a Father who is love, kind, and joyful.  Because gospel music takes her before the throne of God with whom she loves so much that she extols him from her own heart.  Because her strength is in a Father who is walking down every hallway she walks and listens to every conversation she has with him.  Because she trusts her heavenly Father will always love and protect her. 

Imagine a world full of people who simply “…love deeply from the heart.” 1^st Peter 1:22 or a community where music is full of praise, where everyone “…worshipped the Lord with gladness and offered him joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2 or a society where our strength is in Christ Philippians 4:13 or where towns across our nations will proclaim, “I trust in you, Lord; I say, "You are my God." Psalm 31:14.

Life is a journey of unexpected twist and turns, ups and downs, happiness and sadness, calm and chaos, love and hate, laughter and crying, life and death, singing and silence.   The key is how each of us responds to every twist and turn and all the ups and downs.  When we proclaim Psalm 91:2, “…He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” our life will be a reflection of everything that is good about God and will ultimately draw others to inquire about the lifestyle that is different from everyone around. 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Who Really Matters?

 Black Lives?  Blue Lives? 

All Lives? 

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.  Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

As I sit at my computer typing this article, I struggle to find the words to convey my inner thoughts about what and who really matters.  Our society is inundated with hate crimes, riots, brutality, and hurting people of all colors.  As a white male, I cannot imagine how those of color feel as they read the stories about the oppression of their ancestors who were enslaved; or, how one might wonder if they are the targets of police brutality.   On the other hand, I can’t imagine being a police officer that patrols the streets of a community, only to become the target of those bent on hatred, getting even or a blatant disregard for authority. 

I’ve been wondering if the clash between police officers and those of color is really about hate or does it go deeper than one’s feeling about another?  Is it possible that the clash is deeply rooted in what we teach our children about historical events and/or the dislikes about one another? 

What if…

What if parents taught their children about how we treat each other?  Jesus said it best in Matthew 7:12, “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” (MSG) It is true that there are some no matter how you treat them, they will be pessimistic and hard to love; however, when kindness, gentleness and patience are the leading attributes in a person’s life, it will help clean up a world polluted by evil intentions and helps solve the problem of bigotry.

What if churches all across our nation, no matter the ethnicities or colors or beliefs would unite as a people of God?  Jesus prayed this prayer to his dad, “I’m praying not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me.  Because of them and their witness about me.  The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.” John 17:20-21 (MSG) Sunday mornings in our nation is the most segregated day of the week, yet, for believers in Jesus, it is the most important day of the week.  There are sermons preached about unity, yet it isn’t practices beyond the walls of the church house.  Sermons are preached about love, yet the evidence is clear by the segregation of believers.  It is interesting how we cannot meet in the same church house, but we can meet up with others of faith at a restaurant after the church gathering.  People of faith, it is time to change our behavior and start finding commonality in Jesus, rather than allow our traditions, theologies, ethnicity and skin color to separate us.    

What if we loved the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white?  Paul said it right to the believing Christian in Galatia, “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.” Galatians 3:28 (MSG) Truth be told, we all matter.  Black lives matter.  So do to the lives of white, yellow, red, brown or whatever color is out there.  Cops matter, too.  So do, doctors, janitors, lawyers, teachers, sanitation workers, preachers, and the list goes on and on and on. 

Rise up, America!  See the value in our differences, unique skin tones, ideas, heritage, culture, and faith.  God has created each of us for his purposes and plans.  Stand up, America!  Stand for unity.  Stand for truth.  Stand for love.  Stand for God. 

What if the world were just like you, what kind of world would it be? 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

#bestdecisionever!

As a kid, I use to sing a song called, “I am a Christian.”  It goes like this:  I am a C, I am a C-H, I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N and I have C-H-R-I-S-T in my H-E-A-R-T
and I will L-I-V-E E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y

For me, deciding to be a Christian is by far the best decision I have ever made.  However, the decision meant that I had to really be careful how I lived, acted and talked.  Although the decision was mine, it meant that I represent Christ who is holy and I must ensure that I do not misrepresent him in any negative way by my lifestyle. 

It is extremely hard to be a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N sometimes. It is quite difficult to say no to sin.  Sure, there is quilt that follows, but in the moment, who is really thinking much about the aftermath of giving in to sin? Sin offers the fulfillment of our passions and desires.  Happiness is the ultimate desire for most of us.  Feeling the emotions of happiness and fulfillment are often the driving force of giving in to the very sins that cause a misrepresentation of who we are as a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N! 

Whenever the decision is made to become a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N, God gives us all kinds of help to keep C-H-R-I-S-T in our H-E-A-R-T so that we can L-I-V-E E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y.  Think about it, God who is perfectly holy, completely righteous, and undeniably sinless provides all the resources to unholy, unrighteous and sinful people.  Why?  Because he desires for us to L-I-V-E E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y with him! 

One of the resources God provides us with is his Spirit.  His Spirit is a gift to the C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N to lead her as she walks the lifestyle of representing a Father who “demonstrated his love for us while we were still sinners by giving us his Son to be the savior of the world by saving us from our sins.”  (Romans 5:8 and Matthew 1:21) (Paraphrased)

The Spirit digs deep into our heart and soul and takes up residence to produce life-changing characteristics so that each of us will represent God well.  Sin will not be the leading fulfiller of our life; the Spirit will take its place.  The Apostle Paul told the Galatia believers that when we “live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Galatians 5:16 (NIV) Allowing the Spirit to work in our lives is crucial for our desires to be godly and honorable, not godless and dishonorable to the one we represent as a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N! 

The Spirit will provide everyone who makes the decision to be a Christ-follower a supply of fruit-seed that is cultivated in ones life.  The fruit seeds of:

-Love provides a heart-felt desire to be accepting towards everyone no matter the color, ethnicity, gender, religion or social values. 

-Joy is the sustainable inner emotion that keeps a person rooted inwardly with contentment when trials, hardship and struggles are beating a person up emotionally and physically. 

-Peace is the fruit that keeps us calm and steady because we know that the protector of the soul has provided us with the right seed to keep us from anything that can harm the eternal life. 

-Self-control gives us the ability to say no when the urge is to gratify the desires that are not honorable to God. 

Being a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N is by far the most important decision one makes in life.  It is hard.  It is challenging.  It is tough.  However, God never allows the Christian life to be without the resources to be successful in living it out every day.  Know that God loves you.  Provides for you.  Is rooting for you.  Is proud of you.  Prayerfully, all of us can sing, I am a C, I am a C-H, I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N and I have C-H-R-I-S-T in my H-E-A-R-T and I will L-I-V-E E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y!

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian