Family Devotions
One of the most beneficial things any family can do is to have a regular time where everyone in the house comes together to worship Jesus. You've probably heard someone talk about the importance of having this family time, but maybe you're struggling getting things going or maintaining some regularity. Let me give you some encouragement and tips that might help you. I'll break my tips into three categories: families with young children, families with older children, and adult families (everyone living in the house is an adult). Finally, I'll end up with four pieces of advice for every family.Families with Young ChildrenI've got two rules of thumb here: make it special and keep it short and to the point. Make your family devotion time something special for your kids. It doesn't have to be extravagant, just special. Rebekah, our 3 year old, loves candles. So every night before she goes to bed I let her get the special candle, I light it during our devotion time, and she blows it out when we're done. It's simple, but makes it special for Rebekah. It's also good to make it short and to the point. Younger children probably aren't going to sit for a half hour Bible study, and that's ok. Intentionally make your family devotion time short and sweet. In our house we have a devotion routine that has three short parts. We'll sing a song together (if you don't play an instrument go a cappella or use YouTube), read a Bible story, and finish up with prayer. You know how long your kids will stay focused, so make the length of your time fit your family. Here are some great resources for younger family devotions.Children's Bibles to read from every night
- 1 - 4 year old: The Beginners Bible (short stories that young kids can hold on to)
- 4 - 12ish year old: The Jesus Storybook Bible (stories are longer, the book connects every story to Jesus)
Families with Older ChildrenIf you are a family with older children your kids can pay attention more, and you need to go out of your way to get them to interact more with the passages you're reading. My two rules of thumb here are make is special and get them talking. If you've got older kids you need to make your family devotion time special. The simple things that work with younger children won't be as effective, but thankfully there are other ways. For older kids the best thing you can do here is to get them involved! Let them read the Bible, let them act it out while you are reading, ask them to come up with one question about the passage. Do what ever you can to give them responsibility in your family time. You've also got to work to get your kids talking. It's not enough to read the story of Noah, Abraham, or Moses. You've got to get your kids talking about why those stories matter. The entire Bible is about God's rescue mission through Jesus! So read through a passage and ask questions like: what does this story teach us about people? about God? about Jesus?* Ask them what their favorite part or verse was...and them ask them why! Your best resource for older kids is the Bible you already own. Before your kids go to bed tonight grab your Bible, open to Mark chapter 1 and start reading. Keep reading every night until you finish Mark (it may take you two weeks or two months, that's O.K.). When you finish Mark let one of your kids pick the next book to read through.*if you need help coming with questions to ask your older kids send me an email. There are too many resources to list here, and I like to suggest these resources on a family by family basis.Adult FamiliesIf everyone in your house is an adult a family devotion may seem a bit out of place. It's not. You rob yourself of an awesome opportunity if you're an adult living with adults who are christians and you don't do regular devotions together. My tips here are go deep and make it personal. Pick up your Bible, start in the gospel of Mark and work your way through the book. It doesn't matter if you read a chapter a night or a paragraph a night. But don't just read. Go deep. After you read ask each other questions like: what is God teaching us in this section? what do these verses have to do with Jesus? Talk about what parts jump off the page as well as the verses that don't make any sense to you. And take the next step and make your study personal. Share with everyone how God challenged, encouraged, or convicted you with his Word. Reading the Bible isn't like reading any other book, it reads you more than you read it. So when God is working don't keep it to yourself! Finish your time off with serious and loving prayer for each other.4 Short Tips for everyone
- If there's a man of the house he should take the lead. Dad, husband, elder-statesman, whatever your role is men, you need to lovingly take the lead on this one. If your reading this and know that your not the one to take the lead, then humbly encourage the one who should lead to start tonight. A simple, "I would like you to lead us in a family devotion" will do
- Be disciplined in your family devotion. Pick a time that works for your family every day and is easy to remember. After breakfast, before bed, any time that is regular.
- No matter what the ages in your family try to include reading the Bible, singing (or some other form of music), and praying. All three of these are means by which God works in individuals and families.
- Finally, remember that christian growth isn't an individualistic pursuit. Yes, you are an individual accountable to God, but God has designed it such that we grow in community with other believers. You need your family to grow and they need you.
God foreknew you
Every truth God gives us in the Bible is deep and rich. Even simple truths have the power to shape the way the live, love, and think about God, others, and ourselves. The Bible's teaching on God foreknowing his children is no different. I've often come back to this word when I'm afraid, sad, or unhopeful. Let me talk about what God foreknowing you means and then show you why it's so encouraging.Some of the greatest verses on God's foreknowledge are Romans 8:29 - 30. Paul Writes,
For those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
The word foreknew is simple enough to break apart. For-knew, or to know beforehand. So Paul is saying that God knew you before. Now there are two important questions we need to ask. The first is, before what? What did God know me before? I think it's before God said "let there be light." Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:4 that God chose us (that's every christian) before the foundation of the world. That's right, before God created the first molecule he knew you! And that brings us to our second question.What does it mean that God knew you? Is Paul saying that God knew every thought and action you would ever make before you made them? While I think this is true, I don't think that's what Paul is getting at. Paul is drawing on a much deeper use of the word know. Consider the following verses:
Amos 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.1 Corinthians 8:3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.Genesis 4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain.
In each of these verses know is used to mean much more than 'I know some information about you.' God knows the facts about every nation on earth, but he said to Amos, "Only Israel have I known." Paul is aware that God knows every human on the planet, and yet he says that if you love God you are known by God. And certainly Adam had met Eve before Cain was conceived! It's obvious the word know has a much deeper and richer meaning than we may at first think. It's a knowing that that includes loving, choosing, and doing good. In that deeper, when God says he knows someone he means that he has set his attention, love, and grace on that person in a special way.Now put those two together and be blown away that God foreknew you. Before God created anything he set his attention, love, and grace on you, christian. That's right, God has loved you with saving love before he made anything. And that is wonderfully encouraging. Let me give you two ways this truth encourages.First, God doesn't love you because of your performance. God set his love and grace on you long before you were born. There is nothing you have ever done that earned God's love. In fact, every truly good thing you've ever done has been because God had already set his grace and love on you. Even your faith to believe in Jesus was God's gift to you (Ephesians 2:8 - 9). Faith is the first fruit, the evidence that God has set his love and grace on you. Practically that means that God's love and grace toward you do not rise and fall based on your actions. His love and grace have roots in his foreknowing you.Second, God will keep giving you grace. Have you ever wondered if God would ever cut you off? That one day you'll wake up and all the love and grace you've know will be gone? Thankfully, that's not an option. God foreknowing you means that he will never stop pursuing you! Isn't that where Paul takes foreknowledge? Those God foreknew he predestined, justified, and glorified. That's one reason we can be confident that all things work for the good of those who are called (Romans 8:28).God foreknew every single person who has, is, or will one day put his or her faith in Jesus. If that's you, be encouraged today. Long before you did anything good or bad God set his love and grace on you, and that will never change!
The Kingdom Doesn't Grow like a popular movement
Most movements grow by force of one kind or another. It may be a dictator using military force to grow his control. It may be a company that uses money to bully others. It may be a tactical smear campaign aimed at discrediting an idea. It may be a grassroots campaign--force in numbers that cannot be overlooked. Or it might be a well planned boycott. So many things grow through force that it's tempting for Christians to adopt a similar model. I mean, if it works...Thankfully, there's another model, set by one who is supremely perfect--Jesus Christ. Christians are followers of Jesus, so it makes sense that we will seek to build the kingdom of God the way Jesus built his kingdom. What's astonishing with Jesus is how little force he used. Think about it. He didn't use divine power--the same power that spoke the world into existence--to blast his opponents out of existence. He didn't use 'show' force, the 'look what I can do' effect to grow his kingdom. Most of his miracles are followed with, "don't go around telling everyone what I just did." Didn't anyone tell Jesus he was missing out on a marketing opportunity? He didn't use crowd power. He passed on the 'look how big our group is and reckon with us' approach. I'm think about the feeding of the 5,000 here. Jesus had a massive group gathering around him and he looks them straight in the eye and says things that make almost all of them walk away (John 6:53, 66). A blown opportunity? Jesus didn't even call for strategic boycotts. Not once did Jesus or any of his apostles teach, "Boycott that meat market because their supply comes from idolatry," or "avoid everything Roman!"So how did Jesus' grow his kingdom? Humble service. Take a few minutes and read Phillipians 2:5 - 11. That passage ends with, "God has highly exalted him...so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." That's a statement of victory, Jesus is at the top. But how did he get there? What was his approach? Paul says that Jesus "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant." There it is! That's how God grows his kingdom. Not through show of force (and lets be honest, God could flash just a bit of force and everyone would bow and crumble in fear), but through humble, loving service. And don't go all social gospel on me. Jesus didn't grow his kingdom by eating with sinners, he used eating with sinners as an opportunity to proclaim his gospel and grow his kingdom. Humility that led to real, painful, life-giving gospel conversations.That's what Christians are called to do. Let God, through the power of the Spirit, grow his kingdom through our humble, loving service that leads to genuine gospel conversations. And that's encouraging. God's not asking all of you to start the christian equivalent of a fortune 500 company. He's not asking you to start a movement (although he does ask you to join the one started by Jesus!). Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9 - 12 and be blown away by the simplicity God calls us to. What God is asking us to do is love Jesus and love people--in gospel word and deed--with deep humility. I know, it sounds so strange compared to what we're used to seeing. But that's how God works. When the kingdom grows through humble simplicity no one but God gets the glory.
What we Believe: Pastors / Elders
(this post belongs to the ‘what we believe’ series and is aimed at communicating the doctrines [truth claims] our church teaches)It's always a bit awkward when someone who's familiar with church ask me what I do. I tell them, "I'm a pastor at Union View." Nine times out of ten the response is, "Oh, are you the youth pastor?" (That used to ruffle my feathers, but now I take it as a complement that I still look young!) My reply doesn't help matters much. "No, I'm not the youth pastor. I'm just a pastor." Usually a weird look comes across their face and they cut to the chase. "Well, who's the senior pastor." They're even more troubled when I tell them, "We don't have one."The introduction to the pastors / elders section of our church's constitution concludes with:
It is the conviction of this church that whenever possible the church should be led by a plurality of pastors; consisting of both vocational and lay. Pastors shall be equal in authority but may specialize in function.
One office, three namesLet me explain those two sentences, beginning with the word pastors. The Bible uses the terms elder, overseer, and pastor interchangeably to refer to one office or position of service. You can read examples of this interchangeability in Titus 1:5 - 7; Acts 20:17 & 28, and 1 Peter 5:1 - 2. We have chosen to use the word pastor because it is both biblically accurate and easily recognizable. However, it would be equally right to say we believe in a plurality of elders or overseers. The three terms refer to the same person. So, a church that has pastors also has elders and overseers. (That's why Paul can give the qualifications for an overseer in 1 Timothy 3 and not worry about giving separate qualifications for pastors or elders.) The different titles more often than not focus in on different responsibilities a man filling that office has.More than OneSecond, let me talk about plurality. When possible we believe the church should be led by a group of pastors who have equal authority. I recognize there may be some temporary situations that only allow for one pastor, but a church should be seeking a plurality of pastors to lead. I also know that the model I'm describing goes against the popular model that many have grown up in. If you've grown up in a Baptist church (as well as many other denominations) you're probably familiar with the structure of a senior pastor who makes the decisions and, if the church is large enough, several associate pastors who are under the authority of the senior pastor. I do understand the mindset and pluses of that model from experience; however, at the end of the day I believe the Bible gives a different model for pastoral leadership. Namely, a plurality of pastors who are equal in authority who together make decisions and lead the church. My biblical support comes from a number of places. Here are two for you to think about. First, there is no biblical mention of the senior / associate pastor model. You can read the Bible from cover to cover, especially the New Testament, and you won't find separate qualifications or job descriptions for varying pastors. The New Testament only know one concept of a pastor; namely a man who leads a shepherds the flock. So, if your church has two or twenty pastors they all have the same biblical job description (which includes an equal level of authority). Different pastors may have different levels of responsibility, but expectation and authority to shepherd the flock is the same for every pastor. Second, nearly every time the world elder (which, remember, is synonymous with pastor) occurs in the New Testament it is in the plural. Consider the implications of these three verses.
Titus 1:5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him.
The Bible assumes that multiple elders will be in every church. Paul even commands Titus to appoint elders (plural) in every town. And keep in mind, during the time of Paul there wouldn't have been multiple churches in every town like we have now. So, the expectation was that multiple men would be set aside as pastors/elders to lead the local church.(Hopefully you caught the word 'men' above. We also believe that only qualified men should serve as a pastor / elder. I'll explain why in my next what we believe post.)When you put all this together you get the foundation for what our church believes and practices. The local church should be led by a plurality of pastors who are equal in authority. To put it another way, when we say 'the buck stops here' the 'here' isn't my desk, it's at the feet of all of our pastors. At Union View we have vocational (paid) pastors and lay (unpaid) pastors who together shepherd the flock of God. We lead with a plurality that must be in complete agreement on every decision. If we disagree we pray until we agree. We hold each other accountability, encourage each other, pastor each other. I can honestly say it's a complete joy to serve with a plurality of pastors.Resources on a Plurality of Pastors / EldersBiblical Foundations for Baptist Churches, by John Hammett*40 Questions about Elders and Deacons, by Benjamin Merkle**Both of these men serve a professors at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary