THE LORD ADDED TO THE CHURCH

The story in Acts 2 of the beginning of the church is powerful and dynamic. The day of Pentecost begins with the sound of a strong, powerful wind filling the room  where the 12 apostles were located. This extraordinary event was then followed by Peter’s preaching. Three thousand people responded to his message and were baptized.

This new life among believers was demonstrated in several ways. In Acts 2:43 Luke records that fear, reverence and awe came upon every person who witnessed the events: “And awe came upon every person.”

We today stand in awe of the church, the visible sign of God’s working in individuals’ lives. The Lord works in the hearts and lives of people, while at the same time adding them to the church when they gladly receive the word, repent of sins, and are baptized.

The Lord adds to the number of the saved. By his divine initiative the church grows, and he claims his own. The church is the result of God’s work.

This may seem elementary, but it is too easy to forget the divine nature of the church and that it all begins with God. The Holy Spirit ushered in the most unusual Pentecost Day that the Diaspora Jews had ever witnessed. Additionally, the Holy Spirit ushered in a new group of people who were awe-struck at the work of God, and responded by “gladly receiving the word and being baptized”( Acts 2:41).

The amazing thing about this initial expression of the church is that God was adding to its number daily. The historical setting, timing and power of the word proclaimed, accompanied by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit resulted in daily additions to the body of Christ. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be in Jerusalem at that time!

The important thing that I want to leave with us in this article is that the Lord adds to his church those who are being saved. Being saved calls one out of the world of darkness, or as Peter plainly pleaded in his message: “Allow yourselves to be saved by God from this crooked generation.” The church is a sub-culture of faith made possible by God. It stands in stark contrast to the culture and the present generation that has other values. The Lord expects his church to be a witness to and against this sinful world.

In Christian love, Curtis

Called To Wisdom

I have come to appreciate wisdom more and more in the Christian life. Having taught the book of Proverbs as a class, going through it with our “Men of Iron” group, and doing some extra reading and preparation for the Preaching Conference at Lipscomb in October—I have come to appreciate the role of wisdom in my own spiritual growth and development.

This is why I was delighted to read the chapter, “Called to Wisdom” in Ralph W. Beiting’s book, Called to the Mountains. You may remember that I mentioned earlier that I took time during my summer vacation and read this wonderful autobiography. After working with the Christian Appalachian Project and working with poverty over the course of thirty years…listen to Beiting’s definition of “wisdom”:

“…Wisdom is the true goal of education. Wisdom is the ability to make connections between bits of knowledge and place value on different ideas. Wisdom is the ability to have patience and accept the inevitable mistakes, not as failures but as a part of learning. Wisdom is the art of listening to others.” [page 88].

I really appreciate his emphasis on having patience and accepting the inevitable mistakes that come with the life of wisdom. How does one become wise? By being unwise! What a paradox! But, if we ask God to help us to be open to learning from our mistakes, that is how wisdom slowly begins to shape and mold our hearts, attitudes and behaviors. 

I remember with chagrin many of my own unwise choices and mistakes in the past. They are all quite humbling! But if we believe that God calls us to live a life of heavenly wisdom, and to reflect the lifestyle of godly wisdom, then we have to be open to the discipline, learning, and patience that can come our way.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”(James 1:5).

In Christian love, Curtis

Called to Leadership

 

Probably his chapter on leadership is the most insightful of the book. Ralph W. Beiting, in his autobiography—Called to the Mountains—shares is life’s journey in being a Christian leader in the Appalachian Mountains. I want you to notice the following quote for two reasons: 1) It demonstrates his insightful ability to see things deeply as a leader; and 2) it sets the stage for our upcoming Wednesday evening study in the auditorium.

            “How can we attack the roots of poverty?”

He could see individuals becoming more bitter, resentful, despondent and cynical while living on handouts—whether government, church or personal. The never-ending question was “how can we get more money?” He knew that there had to be a deeper question.  That question challenges us today.

Jesus’ dictum rings loudly in our ears 2, 000 years later: “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me”(Matthew 26:11). Usually only the first half of this verse gets quoted as an excuse not to get involved in attacking the roots of poverty. But this is Jesus’ response to those who thought the woman anointing Jesus with expensive perfume was wasting it. In essence Jesus was saying you will always have an opportunity to sell expensive perfume and help the poor, but I am not going to be here for much longer. This verse is not a dismissal of the poor, rather a recognition of ongoing care!

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 5, 2011. We will embark on a new and challenging study: “What every church member should know about poverty.” This study will position us as a congregation and as individuals to become more intelligible about the systemic issues surrounding poverty. It will introduce us to the different kinds of poverty, along with the causes.

Toward the end of this study we will be offering a unique opportunity. The acclaimed classic “Stone Pillow” movie will be shown on perhaps a Friday night or Saturday night, with discussion groups following. I am thrilled to be working with Dale Dowling on this entire study. His leadership, gifts, training and expertise over the years will bring a unique perspective and voice to this study. As pulpit minister, and on the board of a few community outreach organizations, I will combine my experiences and insights with his.

Prayerfully consider being a part of this new study! Please let me or Dale know if you want a book. We need to order them no later than Monday, Sept 12.

In Christian love, Curtis

Called to Family

In his autobiography, Ralph W. Beiting makes this statement:

“I have seen so many parents make remarkable sacrifices in the hopes that their children’s lives will be different.” [Called to the Mountains, page 63].

Only when I became a parent did I realize sacrifices that my parents made for me. Their hard work essentially was motivated by their love for me and their dreams for me. The hard thing, though, is to realize how many years went by before my parents received a hearty “thank you” for their sacrifices.

This is the most difficult aspect of parenting. We often do not see immediate results with our sacrifices. But that need not deter us. Because Christian parents are in covenant relationship with God, spouse and children, sacrificial giving of time, effort and money are part of the picture. When love is the motivation for sacrifice, there is a deep, untold joy that enters the picture.

We want life to be better for our children. Here is the sticky point though…the sacrificial life made us the way we are, why would we not want the same thing for our children? If the sacrificial life forges character, why would we not want the same thing for our children?

If the hope that our children’s lives will different revolves only around financial freedom and opportunity, then we have failed in our job as a parent. On the other hand, if we mean “different” in the sense that they will learn much quicker the serendipities of a sacrificial life, then I agree. And on the other hand, if we mean “different” in the sense that they grow stronger in the faith and closer to Lord much quicker than we did, then I agree!

We are called to family…and that calling is immersed in sacrificial giving that provides a model for the next generation!

In Christian love, Curtis

Called To Serve

Ralph W. Beiting, executive director emeritus, wrote an autobiography with the title: Called to the Mountains. I have mentioned earlier that during my vacation this summer I read this autobiography. I was deeply touched by the relief organization he created and the lessons he learned from a lifetime of being called to help those in need.

            Chapter 5 of this autobiography is entitled, “Called to Serve.” He makes the following observation:

“…CAP is still an organization committed to serve. We are still called to serve and every day we are reminded that in serving, we gain much more than we give.” [page 52]

            This concept may run counter to our typical notion of helping others. When we reach out to help someone, whatever the need might be, we gain so much more from the experience than the person being helped! We often approach it with the attitude that the other person is really benefiting from what we have to offer, and we hope that they appreciate to the time and effort we have sacrificed.

            Actually, there is an opposite attitude that I think more closely reflects following in the footsteps of Jesus. When we are truly called to serve, we humbly and gratefully acknowledge the reciprocal gift that is given to us by the one receiving  our efforts. We indeed gain so much more than we can ever give. We gain a humble heart of gratitude. We gain a relationship and friendship deepened by the experience. We gain God’s favor and good pleasure because we are doing what pleases Him. We gain our own self-respect because we are not centering our efforts on ourself. We gain a deeper sense of our ongoing call to serve!

            May God  help each one of us here at Highland View to respond every day in every way to our own call to serve!

In Christian love, Curtis