Re-Issue of “The ‘Country Club’ Church”-Aug. 23, 2017

          A year and a half ago I wrote about a long standing concern of mine that many believers display a sense of entitlement when it comes to the church.  Many, it seems, cannot lay aside their personal preferences and desires and focus on Christ and follow the pattern He set forth in the New Testament.  Every week, all across the nation a great number of people enter worship services only to focus on themselves for the next hour. 

 

Allen Raynor Weblog: “The ‘Country Club’ Church

(Jan. 26, 2016)

 

          For many years I have often heard the non-flattering comparison made between some churches and “country clubs.”  I did not quite understand the link early on, but I have come to appreciate what people mean when they make the comparison.  We live in a consumer-driven world and an unmistakable consumer-driven way of thinking has poured into the church of the Lord Jesus like a flood.  This mind-set is now driving much of what the church does and how it does it.

          The majority of people have never been a member of an exclusive country club and probably only know vaguely as to how it operates and what it offers.  I browsed the websites of several country clubs and found overwhelming consistency on a few key things.  Annual memberships seemed to run in the 2 or 3 thousand dollar range with packages offering extra perks and benefits costing even more.  They offer quality and abundance of the things they believe people desire.  These include such things as golf, tennis, racquetball, aerobics, yoga, swimming, fitness classes and equipment, banquet halls, fine dining, etc.  A direct quote from one country club’s website extends the invitation to “Become a member and enjoy the benefits membership has to offer.”  Another website offers as their mission statement: “It’s our mission to provide a tradition rich, outstanding private country club known for the quality of its membership and for service that exceeds expectations.”  I do not know of any particular church that is so bold as to adopt, word for word, as its mission statement the one used by this particular country club, but it seems to be widely implied across the church landscape of our consumer driven nation.  In fact, if you removed the words “private country club,” and substituted the word “church,” many churches in America would be comfortable adopting this as their mission statement.  It would then read “It’s our mission to provide a tradition rich, outstanding church known for the quality of its membership and for service that exceeds expectations.” 

          Recently I read a post on facebook by a gentleman who had visited a church.  He mentioned he had been looking for a church change for a long time.  He referred to the church he had recently visited and was complimentary of the music, friendliness, and overall environment.  He made no reference to the preaching or beliefs of the church.  Not to imply any of it was necessarily bad, but it is interesting that the things which were mentioned by him would be the things that had the most appeal to the flesh.  It would be the things that might also draw someone to a country club with all its amenities.  Somewhere along the line many believers have drifted from internalizing Christ’s Words “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mat. 16:24)

          One of the most frequent words I encountered in my browsing of the country club websites was the word “amenity.”  Webster’s defines it as “The quality of being pleasant or agreeable; something that conduces to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment.”  Most churches do things that lead to their further comfort and enjoyment.  One positive exception came early in my years of pastoral ministry.  In the late 1990s a tornado ravaged a nearby community and we were discussing, in a church business session, how much money we could/should send to help out.  We were a small church with limited resources.  Our church was in process of having our church pews re-upholstered at the time.  A man spoke up and suggested rather pointedly that we should send at least as much money to the tornado relief as we were spending on cushions for our seats.  The church could not argue with that challenge, so we sent an equal amount which was around 3 thousand dollars.  The two expenditures used up about 2/3 of the money we had in the bank, but we never missed it.  I have thought about that many times over the years as I have thought about the attitude churches should have as they fulfill their purpose and mission before the eyes of God.  Our attitude should be the exact opposite of the “country club” mindset.

          If it is about you, you may not be willing to settle for less than what you think you deserve when it comes to the overall church experience.  Many church goers are like rude patrons in a restaurant expecting top quality food and service for their money.  But if you are a Christian, you are still a Christian in that restaurant and even though you are not the waiter or waitress whose job it is to serve, it is your very purpose/mission to serve them.  It is an exponentially higher calling.  When we go to our church, or when we visit another church we need to be constantly looking for ways to help/serve rather than ways to be consumers of amenities.  We desperately need to follow the Lord’s example.   “The Son of Man did not come to be served; but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  (Mat. 20:28)

 

In Christ,

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

: Re-Issue of “The Disappearance of God”-Aug. 9, 2017

          In the spring of 2010 I read a book by Dr. Albert Mohler which gave strong warnings concerning trends in theological beliefs that were highly minimizing God and His Word.  He warned that it was serving to give sort of an “open door” licensing to sinful behavior and further, to masking the true identity of the God of the Bible.  When God is made out to be something other than what He has revealed Himself to be in and through the Scripture He has given to us then - BEWARE!

 

Allen Raynor Weblog: The Disappearance of God

(Mar. 1, 2010)

 

          In his book, The Disappearance of God: Dangerous Beliefs in the New Spiritual Openness, Dr. Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary discusses the most dangerous trends within the realm of that which considers itself to be the evangelical church.  Many have observed that the most threatening attacks upon the church have come, and are coming, not from without but from within.  The world around us, in predictable fashion, is still yet failing to understand the church, and largely dismisses it.  But, from within the church’s own ranks serious damage is taking place.

          Mohler first discusses what he terms “theological triage,” a take-off from a system used in emergency rooms which refers to a practice of treating the most serious patients first.  It is not that each person there does not need treatment, but stopping massive bleeding is more important than setting a broken bone.  One is immediately life threatening.  In the evangelical church there is massive bleeding in some sectors.  And left untreated will lead to fatal results.

          There is now wide-spread attack on some of the most basic and fundamental doctrines in the history of Christianity.  Most notably perhaps among these is the disappearance of “sin” in the thinking and doctrine of an increasing number.  Sin is more and more coming to be seen as indefinite rather than definite.  Sin is no longer being seen by some as the violation of an absolute standard, but instead as violation of one’s own conscience.  Sin further could be hurting another person in some manner, instead of the more traditional view which says it violates an absolute standard, usually God’s law as revealed in scripture.  Sin is to be viewed from a much more “anthropocentric” (man-centered) point of view than a “theocentric” (God-centered) point of view.  It is much more then about our human relationships than any potential violation of God’s eternal law.  Mohler asks, “Whatever became of sin?  It has been redefined, ignored, rejected, neglected, and denied.”  He goes on to write, “Sin has been redefined as a lack of self-esteem rather than as an insult to the glory of God.  Salvation has been reconceived as liberation from oppression, internal or external.  The gospel becomes a means of release from bondage to bad habits rather than rescue from a sentence of eternity in hell.”

          Along with the disappearance of sin, there has predictably been a disappearance of eternal punishment.  Hell is viewed in a handful of differing ways, but less and less is it viewed by the traditional understanding which the church has held on to, for the past two millennium.  To some, hell is merely a state of mind – mental torment as one remembers various wrongs either genuine or perceived.  Hell, to others is much like it has been traditionally understood, minus it’s eternality.  People simply “burn up” and cease to exist; this is called “annihilationism.”  They say, how could anyone enjoy heaven knowing that others are burning and suffering in hell. 

          Hell naturally does not fit with the current culture.  Hell was never pleasing to anyone’s palate, but in generations past, it was an understood reality.  The congregations that men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield preached to lived each day with a fear of hell in the back of their minds.  Not so anymore.  That which man does not like or does not want to have to wrestle with is all-too-easily just dismissed.

          Mohler devotes 3 chapters in this book to our current cultures’ preoccupation with physical beauty over and above other forms of beauty.  Much of culture’s value system is based upon its concept of its ideals for physically attractive features.  Rather than valuing what is fixed or changeless, this culture has become fixated upon certain aspects that are fluctuating and changing – chief among these is physical beauty.  One need not look far to see what sells magazines, garners TV ratings, box office ratings, or is the image made for billboards.  The intellect, personal character, and a host of other qualities take a distant back-seat to physical beauty.  Consequently our culture thinks much more with the “senses” than it does with the organ specifically designed to think with – the mind.

             The church is further not exempt from this worship and service of the “creature” rather than the “creator.”  The typical church service these days is much more about man than God.  And, consistent with the title of Mohler’s book, God is disappearing from many of our  churches.  The obsession with physical beauty is tied closely with the pleasuring of all five of our senses both outside and inside the church.  Our society, and our churches, are obsessed with the wrong things.

          Mohler addresses perversions of Christianity such as that found in the phenomenon know as the “Emerging Church” which takes the wholly pragmatic approach when it comes to it’s philosophy for gaining adherents.  It minimizes everything which it perceives as “stumbling blocks” to people coming and being a part.  It essentially focuses on that for which the majority can agree.  The Emerging Church is particularly dangerous because it devalues the Bible.  It openly tells people that we really cannot know what the Bible actually says.  Scripture might condemn homosexuality, for instance, or it may not – we just cannot be clear about it, and we certainly should not be “dogmatic.” The natural outcome is that it produces people who are always searching but are never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.  It is something akin to the X-Files approach – “The truth is out there.”  It is just never quite found!

          In four successive chapters, Mohler shows the digression away from biblical church discipline which has, in many ways, led to the other problems and movements we see today.  How could theologians like Clark Pinnock, for instance, who openly advocates “open theism” (a belief that God does not really possess fore-knowledge but is surprised as are we when something happens) be taken seriously and sell books and even have a real voice in the debate?

          How can we be effective evangelists and missionaries when we cannot even come to widespread agreement about the basics?  Mohler sees these issues which are cropping up with greater and greater frequency as distractions to the commissioned work of the church.  He ends the book by making a passionate call for the Bible to be exposited by faithful, God-called preachers.  The best way to fight against lies is with truth.  The drift in beliefs are best combated with the truth.  As the church of Jesus Christ becomes less and less biblically literate, for many reasons, the drift away from authentic biblical doctrine continues.  As this doctrine drifts away, that which we know about God drifts away along with it.  The best thing we can do is get to know the Scriptures and allow them to teach us, equip us, and guide us.

 

In Christ,

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

A Layman’ Guide to Helping Your Pastor Succeed - July 27, 2017

There seems to be a perception in church life that basically a pastor will succeed or fail independent of what a congregation does or does not do.  It is almost as though he swoons into a church at the call of the people and either works wonders or he does not and is considered to be a failure.  First of all, the ways we usually measure success and failure in a ministry are totally bogus and are rooted in the business model which has totally captured our understanding of what is, and what is not deemed “success.”  The business model looks for full buildings, full treasuries, and satisfied customers.  This perception is only bolstered by the advent of the mega-church.  It is perceived that every church in America is either (a) a mega-church or (b) a mega-church want-a-be.  I hardly believe that is actually the case.

          Let me let you in on a little secret.  A pastor’s level of external success at a church is directly related to the degree by which he can motivate the congregation to do the work of ministry.  There is a sense in which if he cannot get people to attend, give, serve, disciple, worship, etc. then he has failed; providing that he makes the case that doing these things are of necessity.  There is also a sense that, as far as how God measures success, if he tells his people the truth and does so in a loving and caring manner then he is a success.  I heard once of a track coach who had highly successful track teams, going to state and competing on a very high level.  Interestingly enough the coach of this team was confined to a wheelchair.  His success came not in his ability to run himself, or participate in the field events, but in his ability to motivate and teach the fundamentals of track and field.  A pastor is in a somewhat similar position.  The pastor is handicapped in that he cannot go into your office and invite people to church, but you are in the position to do so.  He cannot go into the classrooms at your school, but you can.  He can hardly go up and down the streets of your neighborhood, but you can cultivate those relationships with your neighbors.  He can hardly go to your family reunion and share Christ, but you can.  He can hardly bear witness among the parents of your son’s baseball team but you can. 

          When you fail to bear witness for Christ and invite people to church, the pastor’s perceived success at a church is hindered.  When you never quite get around to sharing or ministering the whole body suffers and is less that it has the potential to be.  When you fail to give of your financial means, the whole body suffers and it is often the pastor who gets the blame for the tight budget.

          The pastor has to wear a great many hats as he leads your church, some of which are night and day different than the other ones.  Think about it – a pastor is expected to be the most kind, helpful, and sympathetic individual in the church when there is a need, yet turn around and be like Jesus cleansing the temple the next minute when that sort of response is called for.  He is expected to explain the plan of salvation and baptism to a 6 year old with clarity then turn around and explain it to the self-proclaimed atheist with a PhD from U. Cal. Berkley!  He is expected to delivery the fruits of a week of in-depth study from the pulpit on Sunday morning, yet have ministered faithfully all week, done counseling, visit the hospitals, talk with those who dropped by, and drop everything and talk on the phone when someone calls.  He is expected to have wonderful daily quiet times, spend hours each week in prayer, read the latest books, be on top of current events, be a model husband and father, attend community events, take calls anytime day or night, and be available for lunch or coffee at a moment’s notice. In order to help your pastor succeed you must be able to understand his world a little bit better.

          You need to ask and answer the question – “What can I do to help?”  Over 22 years of pastoral ministry, spanning 6 churches, I have done all of the following, many of these multiple times.  See if you can pick out anything on the list you could do to give the pastor more time to do other things he desperately needs to do: prepared sermons, prepared lessons, wrote a weblog,  wrote and compiled the church newsletter, prepared PowerPoint presentations, done marital counseling, led persons to Christ, engaged in discipleship, wrote letters and postcards, visited the hospital, prayed with someone, met with salespersons, ran errands, picked up office supplies, taken out the trash, wiped off tables, done the dishes, vacuumed the carpet, interior and exterior painting, mowed the lawn, watered flowers, swept tile floors, cleaned out closets, patched a leaky room, trimmed trees, planted flowers and shrubbery, watered flowers and shrubbery, laid tile, sharpened lawnmower blades, changed the oil in the lawnmower, hung drywall, fixed running toilets, cleaned out the refrigerator, repaired guttering, spot treated carpet stains, hung doors, led the singing, taken and accompanied youth on outings, taken youth to camp, prepared meals for those in need, given money, changed light bulbs, gone on mission trips, helped persons move, invited people to church, cleaned out the oven, stained and varnished woodwork, built shelves, replaced wall switches and outlets, replaced faucets, spread gravel, removed fence posts, built retaining walls with railroad ties, helped with benevolence needs, washed windows, cleaned up water damage with a shop vac, laundered towels used in baptisms, filled baptistery, unloaded dumpsters to lighten the weight, unlocked the doors for repairmen, cleaned toilets, mopped floors, watched children, installed playground equipment, cleaned out fence rows, picked up trash in the yard and in the building, set toilets, removed stumps, changed the church sign, took van in for repairs, stacked chairs and tables, moved furniture, made copies, recruited volunteers, poured cement, stuffed envelopes, addressed envelopes, did strategic planning for the church, performed funerals, ministered to the bereaved, answered the phone, etc., etc., etc.  Do you get the picture?  The vast majority of the things that any pastor often finds himself having to do, could be done by others as the shared responsibility of the church body.  Is there anything on the above list that you might be able to do?

          Perhaps your greatest contribution is in helping with the little things that will help allow the pastor to devote more time to study and prayer.  The very reason deacons were chosen in the early church was so that the leaders of the church could devote more time to prayer and the ministry of the Word.  The church of Jesus Christ is best served when the body functions as our Lord intended and we all do our part.  There is not only a job, but a true ministry for every person in the local church.  Some do much while some do little.  Whatever we do, let us do it mightily as unto the Lord!

 

In Christ

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

Re-Issue of “The Urgency of Christian Warfare”-July 20, 2017

     I began reading a book a couple of days ago by Ray Stedman titled Spiritual Warfare: How to Stand Strong in the Faith.  Stedman emphasizes the fact that the enemy never wants us to see things the way they really are.  In other words, he wants to hide the truth or reality.  All around us a war is raging and we are not acting like soldiers or as even though there was a war in progress!  That needs to change and change fast.  We need to be intentional, determined, and ready to stand up for God’s truth in these last days as a faithful soldier of Christ our King.  Three years ago this summer I wrote the following weblog about the need for this urgency.

 

Allen Raynor Weblog: The Urgency of Christian Warfare

(June 5, 2014)

 

          Throughout the passing decades of the last half-century the church has, quite ironically, battled itself as much or more than it has battled the world.  Frequently, rather than engaging the world and confronting the world, the church has instead often taken up arms against itself!   Strong opinions about a variety of issues have led to deep divisions, animosity, and even church splits.  This effectual “turning against one another” has been cause for Satan to break out the celebratory champagne.

          Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Petty battles albeit defending deeply held convictions may have felt like spiritual warfare to those involved, but frequently these engagements have served to drain the church of its spiritual, emotional, and physical energy and sometimes it’s monetary resources.  Not to mention, caused many pastors sleepless nights.  And it has certainly been cause for delight to the enemy of our souls.  Quite simply, believers in recent decades in particular, have struggled to identify the real enemy and the real battlefield worthy of their attention.

          Much of the language found in the New Testament is of a militant nature.  Believers are often referenced as soldiers.  Warfare is a common overarching theme and words like battle, fight, and defeat are regularly used.  The real enemy is Satan and this worldly, fleshly system he superintends. 

          Believers are called to be warriors in this conflict– not spectators.  Further they are expected to properly identify the true enemy and his tactics.  A warrior is “A brave or experienced soldier or fighter.”  It takes skill, resolve, and determination to defeat any enemy.  Our opponent is formidable and should never be taken lightly by the church of the Lord Jesus.

Sabine Baring-Gould wrote the great hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” in 1865.  (Follow this link to listen to hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG78M7g9wRo  )  The hymn has served as something of a “call to arms” for Christians engaged in the battle for Christ in this world.  Debates raged in the 1980s among some denominations as to whether to even include this hymn in new editions of hymnals citing the violent language and militaristic tone. 

          When Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met in August 1941 on the battleship HMS Prince of Wales to agree on the Atlantic Charter, a church service was held for which Churchill chose the hymns. He chose "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and afterwards made a radio broadcast explaining this choice.  He said “We sang ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ indeed, and I felt that this was no vain presumption, but that we had the right to feel that we were serving a cause for the sake of which a trumpet has sounded from on high. When I looked upon that densely packed congregation of fighting men of the same language, of the same faith, of the same fundamental laws, of the same ideals . . . it swept across me that here was the only hope, but also the sure hope, of saving the world from measureless degradation.”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onward,_Christian_Soldiers)  While this may have been highly appropriate for this occasion, the ultimate cause of freedom and of nations is not as great as the cause of Christ.  Churchill and Roosevelt were primarily concerned with earthly battles and earthly victories, but Christians have a much greater cause for which to fight.

          Warfare is never as glamorous as some romanticized depictions present.  Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:3 “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  A soldier’s life is far from easy.  There are certainly plenty of hardships, but Paul admonished Timothy that he must endure.  Unfortunately, to look at the attitude and approach of many professing believers, one might easily get the impression the war had long since ended.  Charles Thomas “C. T.” Studd (1860-1931) the great British cricketer and missionary who served in the Belgian Congo captured somewhat of the urgency when he famously wrote “Some want to live within the sound of a church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”  Studd also wrote a ditty that gave, rather tongue and cheek, a depiction of how some so casually approached the great daily battles.  With words meant to be sung to the tune of the famous hymn “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,” he wrote “Get up, get up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the Cross, a lazy Sunday morning surely means harm and loss; the Church of God is calling; in duty be not slack; you cannot fight the good fight while lying on your back.”

          Many Christians today have lost sight of who the real enemy is and are not keenly aware of what he is actually doing.  The second stanza of “Onward Christian Soldiers” optimistically states “We are not divided; all one body we; one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.”  Sadly, we could only wish those words were true in our times.  We are deeply divided across denominations, within our own denomination, and even many times within our own local churches.  An army battling within its own ranks is music to the ears of the enemy.  While many argue over issues, preferences and other minutia that will not even exist in a few years, the enemy is advancing and the church is often in retreat.  Before we are going to be effective soldiers we must first realize there is a war raging and too many believers are not carrying out their assignments.

 

In Christ,

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

“Longing for The Kingdom of Heaven”--July 6, 2017

The Bible ends with Jesus’ promise to return and John, the inspired author of the book of Revelation, saying “Amen” (It is true) “Even so come Lord Jesus!”  The exciting, compelling, overwhelming message that is, in its totality, “The Scripture” ends on the highest of notes. Believers are promised, by the Lord Himself that He will return; not just “sometime” but “quickly.”  His return should always be viewed as imminent.  We have John’s anxious, expectant response as “Yes!”  Indeed Lord “Come back quickly!”  John genuinely longed to see his Lord again.

          Fast-Forward to the year 2017.  The majority of people are busy seeking pleasure and satisfaction in the things of earth.  Their pursuits are, most often, self-honoring and God-denying.  Paul gave a blunt and ominous description of the last days as he wrote to Timothy.  He said “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come; for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” (2 Tim. 3:1-4)

          The pursuit of the things of earth is by no means limited to merely unbelievers.  It is profoundly true of those who claim to be followers of Christ.  Life is more comfortable now than it has ever been.  Subconsciously it almost seems as though many have moved beyond their “felt need” for Heaven.  In his book The Real Heaven, author Chip Ingram illustrates this idea as he poses the question “If you were given the choice of going to Heaven today or waiting ten years, how many of you would choose waiting the ten years?” (Chip Ingram; The Real Heaven; 62)

          The “earthly” mindset, which is so prevalent, takes many different forms.  But, make no mistake, it affects our marriages, how we parent, how we work, how we witness, how we interact with others, and how we worship.  Further, it affects what we do in our free time, how we talk and what we talk about.  Repeatedly we are told in the New Testament this world is not our home.  Paul wrote to the Philippian church that “Our citizenship is in Heaven . . . “ (3:20).  Why then do so many believers live in such a way so as to bear testimony to the on-looking world that even they as Christians do not really believe Heaven is actually better than this broken world?

          Many these days, are so contented with their lives here on earth they only see Heaven as some sort of back-up plan or “Plan B” since they know they cannot do what they really want – live forever here in this world.  This is largely a result and a sign of our wealth and comfort.  In days and centuries past this was not the case.  People lived hard, and often painful, lives.  The comfort and relief they longed for was not realistically attainable in this life and they knew it would only come in the next.  You see this reflected in the writings of saints of the past.  You see it reflected in the hymns once widely sung by the church.  It is particularly clear in some of the old negro spirituals where the oppressed longed for relief from the oppressor only in the coming of their Lord and they longed for His return with great anticipation.

          There are a lot of believers who have grown so contented with this world and their lives on earth that they have only a minor interest in Heaven or the Lord’s return.  One prominent voice of the “Prosperity Gospel” movement said, while seated on a piece of furniture resembling a throne, that “Even if Christianity were not true, it is a very good life.”  What an amazing statement!  What a minimalizing of the life to come! This person’s statement may be true for them, as one who is lavishly wealthy, but I wonder how First-Century Christians being martyred would have felt about this statement.  What about those enslaved in American prior to the Civil War?  What about those living through the Bubonic Plague or “Black Death” of 1340s and 1350s Europe which killed an estimated 25 million people?  Do you think they longed for more of this earth or rather for Heaven?  What about nearly all the generations of Christians in the past prior to the late 20^th and early 21^st Century where wealth is flowing; how might they have longed for Heaven much more than we do today?  Even the poorest among us have multiple luxuries that kings and queens of the past never knew.  We have trouble longing for Heaven because, to a large extent, we have erected a pseudo-heaven here on this earth, mainly in our minds that keeps us from longing for the real Heaven.

          The minimalizing of the longing for Heaven has more far-reaching implications than simply how we feel about Heaven.  It also drags down our view of “resurrection.”  Resurrection is really not that precious to one who longs to keep on living in what Paul called “This body of death” (Rom. 7:24).  In writing to the Corinthian church about the promise of resurrection he laments how sickening the notion that our only hope would be in this life.  He says “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Cor. 15:19)

          If we fail to long for the Lord’s return there are only a couple of reasons why.  Perhaps we do not really believe He is going to return.  This would certainly characterize unbelievers.  But there is a second reason that I believe is very common among believers; that is many believers have grown content with the luxury of this life.  They leave their comfortable churches in their comfortable cars and travel to comfortable homes and rest in comfortable chairs until time to go to their comfortable beds.  Quite frankly it is not as easy to long for the Lord’s return while lying in your lazy-boy in front of your big-screen television or lying on your 800 dollar mattress as it is out clearing a field with an ax, plowing all day with a mule, experiencing the death of your wife in childbirth, seeing a friend die from a simple infection, or knowing first-hand the horrors of war.

          The second coming of Christ is heavily tied to his first coming.  When a church partakes of the Lord’s Supper, for instance, there are three 3 things that are in view; the past, the present, and the future.  We “remember” the shed blood of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross.  We consider in the present our lives as believers and “examine ourselves” in light of His work on our behalf.  Finally, we think about His coming again.  In partaking of the Supper, we are said to be “Proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.”  Much like baptism, the other ordinance of the church, we are making a statement to the world that we follow Christ and we are anxiously awaiting His return.  One of the strongest statements Christians can make in this highly flawed and decaying world is that this place is not our home.  We anxiously wait to be made perfect in Christ.  There is no salvation in the temporal things of the earth, only in the eternal work of Christ on the cross and through His glorious resurrection. 

          Many believers hinder their true witness when they get hung up on highly temporal and earthly things such as election results, battles with each other over music styles in churches, and trying to right all wrongs by even well-intentioned use of social media.

          Everything in this world will leave a Christian hungry and thirsty and wanting more.  If you find satisfaction in this world to the point you secretly wish the second coming be delayed, you have a very serious problem in your relationship with Christ.  The glories of Heaven are so much better and higher.  No true believer would secretly long to stay in a broken, sin-saturated, Godless world where Satan is running wild.  A true believer longs to escape the presence of sin and the brokenness it leaves in its wake and to be with Christ.  Paul gave the only potential defense one could possibly have for desiring to stay on earth just a little longer when he talked about it being needful for “you.”  In his heart and in his mind he wanted out of here and to be with the Lord, but he also knew that the Lord had more work for him to do for the kingdom.  Kingdom minded individuals long for the kingdom and earthly minded individuals also long for their kingdom on earth.  But that kingdom, whether they know it or not is the one Satan promised Jesus when he tempted Him by offering Him all authority over the kingdoms of this world (Luke 4:5-7).  Satan certainly did not have the kingdoms of this world to give away and he still does not. 

          In the first of the Beatitudes (Mat. 5:3) Jesus proclaimed that the “poor in spirit” were the ones “blessed” to see the kingdom of Heaven.  It is those who would come as a beggar longing for something from Jesus.  Augustus Toplady wrote “In my hand no price I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling.” (second stanza of “Rock of Ages”).  No beggar ever became content in this world or with begging as an enterprise.  A beggar longs for a place of comfort and security, imagined but never realized, in this life.  Just like the beggar Lazarus who died and went to the comfort of “Abraham’s bosom.”  He had begged outside the gate of a certain rich man who “faired sumptuously.”  The rich man died and was tormented in the flames of Hades (Luke 16:19-31).  I ask you, does the average American more resemble the beggar Lazarus or the rich man?  How about the average Christian?  Most Christians, I dare say, “fair sumptuously,” even well beyond anything even remotely conceived of in the wildest imagination of this rich man of which Jesus spoke.

          It may be hard for us to long for Jesus’ return in our cozy, plush, surroundings but eternal consequences are at stake.  If you are not more like the beggar Lazarus and less like the rich man, you desperately need to take a long hard look at your life.  Lazarus would have had no problem whatsoever shouting out “Amen!” when Jesus said “Surely I am coming quickly.”  But the rich man would have said, I want to go to Heaven someday, but I am just not quite ready yet.

 

In Christ

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

Re-Issue of “Ethical Standards and Changing Morality”-June 22, 2017

          I am about to begin preaching through Matthew 5-7, better known as “The Sermon on the Mount.”  This message was presented by the Lord Jesus Himself and sets the bar extremely high for the conduct of life.  In my preparation I have confronted again and again the issue of “ethical” standards as they relate to Jesus and His penetrating Words.  Nearly 3 years ago I wrote about my concern for people forgetting about true biblical ethics as they slowly accepted the ever changing morality of this world and the age.

 

Allen Raynor Weblog: Ethical Standards and Changing Morality

(Nov. 6, 2014)

 

          What or who determines standards?  In times past in America, the obvious answer was the Bible.  This was true even for individuals, marginal in their Christian commitment.  But no such standard exists anymore – at least not in the minds of a great number of people.  Where there is no standard, confusion will rise to fill the void left in its absence.

          It is near political suicide for a candidate running for office to quote from or refer to the Bible.  The only exceptions might be vague, general reference to a passage that is hardly controversial.  The 1828 edition of Webster’s Dictionary defined a great many terms by appealing to the Bible as the absolute standard.  Our American laws all are rooted deeply in the standards found in the Word of God.  Laws were not simply pulled out of the air.  Their basis was overwhelmingly in Scripture.

          Over time morality and ethics have become largely lumped together and essentially are now viewed as being one and the same.  However, drawing a clear distinction is valuable.  Morality is a measure of what “is” taking place; what people are doing; their attitudes toward certain issues and standards of behavior.  Therefore we can conclude that morality is forever in a state of flux and change.  The phrase “moral standards” is mostly an oxymoron.  A standard is set and unchanging, whereas morality is merely a reflection of what “is” taking place.  There is no guiding principle.  Ethics, on the other hand, speaks to the “ought.”  Ethics are grounded in a true and unchanging standard.  Christians would appeal to biblical ethics, in particular, and see Scripture as the standard of all ethical conduct.  In other words, “ethics” should determine “morality.”  Even if it is not perfectly followed, believers would claim that we “ought” to follow the teachings and standards of the Bible.

          In our present world, no such distinction is made between ethics and morality.  The absolutes of ethical standards have given way to the moral norms of the ever-changing culture.  To say someone is “moral” only means they are consistent with what is generally seen by a society as being moral.  However, to say someone is “ethical,” means they are following standards that may be outside normal behavior and might even be quite counter to the culture.  To say someone is “biblically ethical,” means someone is ordering their life around the teachings of Scripture.

          Many Bible-believing Christians lament that their adult son or daughter is, for example, now living with their boyfriend or girlfriend out of wedlock, or are engaging in other behaviors that are contrary to the standard taught by the parents in the home.  This standard was based in the Bible.  What has happened?  Presumably, the parents taught an “ethical” standard to their child, particularly a “biblical ethical standard.”  However as the child left home, went to college or joined the military, and got out into the world their biblical ethics came into sharp conflict with the morality of the culture.  In the back of his/her mind the biblical ethic remained, but the morality of those around them was such that they were made to feel uncomfortable and felt tremendous pressure to conform.  Typically this does not happen overnight.  It usually takes time.  It is very hard for those with ethical standards to consistently live up to the standards in which they believe when their encouragement for doing so is minimal or non-existent.  And it is further difficult when their encouragement to adopt the moral norms of those around them is strong.  You see this, for example, on a college campus.  What is more common, to see incoming Christian freshman influence the campus with Christian ethics and teachings or to see the moral norms found on campus to influence the incoming Christian freshman?

          God knew of this dilemma long before human beings ever gave it a thought.  He knew believers needed to encourage one another, because “lone wolf” Christianity was always destined for failure.  “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”  (Prov. 27:17)  Church is the institution He gave, not only for that “sharpening” or “encouragement” to take place but also a place for instruction.  Many have sought answers to why there is such a decline in morality today, when compared with previous generations; but the answers are fairly simple.  People attend church far less frequently, and the Bible is read and studied more infrequently than before.  Add to this the fact that culture is imposing itself on all people with far greater intensity.  Christianity is under direct assault, and the price to be paid for living by biblical ethical standards is much greater than it has ever been for men, women, boys and girls.

          There is more to life than living for the moment.  Moments come and moments go.  According to James 4:14 our lives are a “vapor” that appear for just a moment and then are gone.  The “morality” of the moment is here, and then it is gone.  But biblical ethics are standards that come down to us from God and they do not change.  God declared in Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change.”  As mankind in every generation grapples with trying to determine morality, God’s ethical and absolute standards remain preserved in the Bible. 

 

In Christ,

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

 

Re-Issue of “Fatherhood” - June 13, 2017

          Ten years ago today I wrote and sent out this weblog about fatherhood in honor of Father’s Day.  Sadly, the concerns I raised back then have not gotten any better – only worse.  But, over the course of this past decade I have become more and more convinced that reliance on God’s Word is the only answer for the overall decline of society. Also, I am convinced that a bible-based modeling of fatherhood, by the world’s fathers, is ground zero for changing a rapidly deteriorating society.

 

Allen Raynor Weblog: Fatherhood (June 13, 2007)

 

          In the early years of television the family was represented in a way quite different than it is today.  Instances of persons living together outside the bonds of marriage, single parenthood by choice, homosexuality, etc. were almost unthinkable.  By the 1970s television reached a critical turning point from which it has never recovered. Since that time the downward spiral has continued without mercy.  Along with America’s growing comfort level with homosexuality, cohabitation, the non-traditional family, and sex outside marriage, we have seen an increasingly hostile attitude develop towards traditional family values.  Many factors contribute to the problems we now find ourselves facing and there is no quick and easy solution.

          Perhaps more than at any other point there have been increasingly severe attacks centering upon the whole concept of fatherhood. It is not uncommon today for a woman to go to a sperm bank to become impregnated without even a man in her life.  Homosexual and lesbian couples are, in some cases, now able to adopt children.  That which would have been almost unimaginable even 20 years ago is now just part of life.  God however does have much to say about these issues.  The magnificent truth is that His voice in all of this is not just another opinion but is the definitive Word!  Rosie O’Donnell and her cohorts may think they have a corner on the truth but they most surely do not know the God of the Bible!

          Fatherhood is highly celebrated in the pages of Scripture.  Specific guidelines are given to a father as to how he should lead his family and his home.  He is never called upon to be perfect but to be God-honoring in his conduct as he raises his children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord while genuinely loving his wife.  Real men do not bow out of the picture when the going gets tough.  Instead they step up to the plate.  Our society has a lot of easy outs, or so it seems; abortion, separation, divorce, etc.  Real men do not opt for the easiest way, but the right way.

          On the positive side of things there are many men who have indeed stepped up.  Many have difficult circumstances they face on the job, at home, with extended family, with their children, and even habits they struggle with but they choose to work through it because they have made a commitment.  I recently heard about a wedding ceremony in which the couple, instead of vowing ‘til death do us part,’ vowed ‘for as long as love shall last.’  What kind of a commitment is that?  Honestly it is no commitment at all.  It is essentially saying, “I’ll stay with you as long as I feel like doing so and then I’m gone!”  I hope the wife never burns the toast, or has a bad hair day and I hope he is never late for dinner without calling or it is over!

          Men by nature love a good challenge.  Countless times in my own life I have made it my mission to do something just because someone else told me I could not do it.  Not only that, I have lived with the mantra, “If something is worth doing at all, it is worth doing right!”  There has never been anything more worthwhile than fatherhood!  There has never been anything so rewarding and fulfilling.  There has never been anything which will last so long and have a bigger impact.  Fathers, we do thank you for your investment in the lives of the next generation.  Thank you for caring.  Thank you for fulfilling your God-given responsibility and living out your God-given roles.

 

In Christ

 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor