I’ve done a couple of funerals lately for members of our church. While these losses have been sad, they have also been mixed with joy and hope, knowing these saints are with our Lord. One question that has come up in light of these funerals has been some expressing to me a need for clarity over where exactly this person who has died is right now in light of some of the biblical language used.

I thought it might be worth doing a blog post on this, for I am sure that there are others of you who might have some of these same questions.

One place of needed clarity has been when Paul writes that those who have died are “asleep.” Does that mean that those who have died are in a state of unconsciousness until the Resurrection, often referred to as “soul sleep?” Aren’t they in heaven right now?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, they are in heaven right now. To be absent in the body is to be “present” with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Paul describes his own struggle with life versus death this way in Philippians 1:21-23: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

You can see here the assumption that upon death Paul expects to be with Christ.

Lastly, the thief on the Cross was with Christ in Paradise that day (Luke 23:43).

So yes and amen to the truth that when a Christian dies, they are immediately ushered into the presence of God in heaven.

This is where the “But” comes in…

But, while heaven is great, and believers are there upon their physical death, the ultimate hope of the Christian is not our soul floating off to heaven, but heaven coming to earth along with our body and soul being reunited in The Resurrection. Jesus did not just redeem our souls, He redeemed us as complete persons, body and soul.

Therefore, if we stop our hope at heaven (also called the “intermediate state”), then we have stopped short of where the Bible points us. Our redemption will not be complete until our bodies are entirely set free from the effects of sin and this will not occur until Christ returns and raises us from the dead. Paul says in Romans 8:23-24, And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.
 
This is also referred to as “glorification.” This is when Christ returns and raises believers from the dead, reuniting their body with their souls, and gives them a new, imperishable, immortal resurrection body like He Himself has.

This explains why Scripture sometimes speaks of physical death as being “asleep,” such as in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This language is used not because their souls are sleeping and they are unconscious until the Resurrection, but because sleep is used as a metaphor to communicate the truth that death, while very real, is temporary for the believer–as if they were taking a nap.

The point is this: Yes, believer, upon death we will go to heaven and be with Christ, free from suffering and rejoicing in God’s presence, but there’s more. There is a Day coming when your body will be raised physically out of its grave (or urn, or anything else–God’s power isn’t limited by the circumstances of your death/burial) and you will be given a transformed Resurrection body that can no longer sin, suffer, or die. Your lowly body will be made like His glorious body (Phil. 3:20-21). When He appears, you shall be like Him (1 John 3:2). Think about that: The curse of sin completely eradicated from all of creation, including you. It will not just be a return to Eden, it will be better, for we will not even be able to sin any longer.

While the saints who go before us die and enter the presence of the Lord, they await the final step of their redemption, their body and soul being reunited in the New Creation. This is the Christian hope. Let it fill you with hope today.

Let me say up front that I know this blog post will not necessarily feel relevant to everyone, nonetheless I believe it will be beneficial for you to read it.

Jordan Peterson has become a well known figure in our culture, having come to prominence in the late 2010s and currently has his own channel on The Daily Wire. Back in 2018 he wrote what is probably his most well-known book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, which was very popular with young men in particular, as Peterson himself continues to be. I read 12 Rules myself back in 2018 and thought Peterson said some helpful things in calling young men to take responsibility for their life, especially with some of the trends we are seeing in our culture. It is also clear that Peterson is a thoughtful, well-spoken, compelling intellectual who stands for his convictions and who is passionate about telling the truth.

However, ever since Peterson burst onto the scene I’ve had my concerns, as have many others (see here, here, and here). My concern only has increased since being made aware of Peterson’s new series on The Gospels that is currently being released. Peterson has assembled a roundtable of individuals, none of whom are Bible-believing Christians nor theologians, to discuss “the true meaning of the Gospels.”

While Peterson has many likeable qualities and says some things that are true, quite frankly every time he talks about the Bible I roll my eyes. For example, I’ve seen a preview of his latest Gospel series where he is discussing what “The Word” means in John 1:1 and it is, to use a technical term, gibberish. Another example is a couple of months ago when Peterson was debating with the famous atheist Richard Dawkins and frustratingly refused to answer the direct question of whether he (Peterson) believed in The Virgin Birth as a historical fact and instead started talking, again a technical term, gobbledygook, (see here, go to minute 3 and watch through the end, if you’re able).

Jordan Peterson respects the Bible and Christianity, but he doesn’t think the story is actually true (or at the very least he doesn’t care). He finds the Biblical story useful in the sense that it helped shape our Western civilization but he does not see it as God’s true story of the whole world that is to be trusted and seen as historical. Peterson’s view is not what the Bible is and he doesn’t understand its purpose but instead uses it for his own purposes.

In addition, do not forget that Peterson is a Jungian, being heavily influenced by the analytical psychologist Carl Jung, who saw religion as useful for society regardless of whether it was fact and used psychological terms to interpret religious terms (such as “soul,” “evil,” etc). This is the lens through which Peterson interprets the world and reads the Bible and is part of why he cannot understand it.

Brothers and sisters, you may like Jordan Peterson, you may dislike him, or you may not even know who he is, but regardless, you need to be careful about how much you listen to this man when he “speaks Bible,” for how he views the Scriptures is much different than how you and I do. Do not be tricked into thinking that because he is conservative and talks about the Bible that we are on the same team. We’re not. Unless Peterson is born again by the Spirit and repents and trusts in Jesus Christ, he will never be able to grasp the Bible, for the natural, unregenerate person cannot discern spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14-16). Jordan Peterson cannot truly understand the Gospels until this happens to him, so we as those who do in fact have the Spirit of God should be very wary of listening to him trying to teach us about them while also praying for him. My concern is that there are a lot of people who will think they are truly understanding the Gospels, meanwhile they are receiving interpretations that ignore authorial intent and are viewed through Peterson’s psychoanalyst lens.

If you want to learn about the Bible, you can do better than Jordan Peterson. You can do the normal, biblical things like be a member of a Gospel-preaching church with pastors who desire to shepherd you and teach you God’s Word.

You can ask your pastors for recommendations of good, reputable, orthodox, books that grow your knowledge of the Bible and good theology.

You can seek to be discipled by an older saint who has spent more years in the Bible and can teach you.

Brothers and sisters, these are the primary ways in which we should be learning about the Bible and growing in our understanding, not from YouTubers (though there are a few really great exceptions to this, Gavin Ortlund, for example), not from TikTok personalities, and certainly not from unregenerate people who may have a Ph.D, but not the Spirit of God.

I grew up attending multiple different churches but looking back I realized that none of them had much “historical rootedness.” What I mean is, I didn’t even know there were such things like the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed. I had no idea what a “confession of faith” was. Some of you may be able to relate. The same can be said for catechisms. The word “catechism” simply means “teaching” and they are a summary of Christian doctrine in the form of questions and answers used for the instruction of Christians.
During the Reformation, the production of confessions and catechisms took off, which resulted in popular ones such as Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, The Westminster Catechisms–both the Larger and Shorter versions–and The Heidelberg Catechism. A few years ago, the New City Catechism was released by The Gospel Coalition with versions for both adults and children.

Catechisms were once widely used by many Christians, with almost every denomination and tradition in church history having some form of catechesis for the religious education of Christian children and adults. Parents would use them in order to teach their children the truths of the faith. Sadly, in more modern times they’ve largely fallen out of favor and sometimes are even viewed with suspicion. However, catechisms still hold immense value for teaching essential doctrinal truths of the faith and in my view should be utilized more in both the lives of Christians individually and in the church corporately.

This brings us to the Heidelberg Catechism. This catechism was produced during the period of the Reformation in the year 1563 in Heidelberg, Germany. The German Reformer Zacharias Ursinus was the primary writer of the catechism, and it comprises of 129 questions and answers covering the doctrines of sin and redemption, an explanation of The Apostles’ Creed and the sacraments, and the final section colors in the details of the Christian life using the outlines provided by The Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. The catechism was eventually divided into 52 Lord’s Days, so that it can be worked through in its entirety in one year. It is the most widely used and praised catechism of the Reformation period, having been translated into many different languages around the world.
 
So, as a church, for the next year we are going to walk through this catechism on Sunday mornings, walking through all 129 questions and answers. This catechism uses what is at times beautiful language to describe doctrinal truths and I believe you will find yourself enriched and educated as we walk through it week after week.
 
Now, some of you may feel a little nervous–isn’t the Bible our ultimate authority? Are we putting a human-made document on par with the Bible? Well, yes, it is true that the Bible is our ultimate authority, but creeds, confessions, and catechisms are helpful to the extent that they summarize biblical truths. Every question in the Heidelberg has multiple Bible verses footnoted to show where their teachings come from. However, there are a couple of places where we would disagree with the catechism’s teaching because we don’t believe it reflects biblical teaching (on infant baptism, for example), so we will simply skip those questions. Again, catechisms are useful to the extent they reflect biblical teaching! By and large, the Heidelberg does this extremely well.

So, every week you will receive our questions and answers in the weekly email so you can know and think about them ahead of time, and I encourage you to review them. If you want to take a look at the entire Heidelberg Catechism for yourself, you can find it here. If you want to explore the historic creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the church more for yourself, I highly recommend this book found here.
 
We Christians in the 21st Century face a slew of teachers through television, movies, social media, and websites, and it is important for us to have a standard of guidance such as creeds, catechisms, and confessions that provide summaries of what the Bible has to say about key doctrines. I hope that this exercise over the next year will not only grow you in the knowledge of the faith and ability to detect and reject error, but also grow you in your love for God and for the Gospel of His Son. I hope you come ready on Sundays to learn and rejoice in the truths of our faith through this widely used and praised catechism.

The last couple of years I’ve shared some of what I’ve read over the summer, hoping that it will encourage others to do the same. I figured I’d continue the tradition for the two of you that read this post! Some of these may be of no interest to you, but others might be! So, here are some of the books I’ve read or am currently reading before summer is over (which is soon!):
 
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt is one of my favorite people to listen to and read. This book is important. I can’t think of anyone of any age who would not benefit from hearing Haidt’s arguments as to how Smartphones have fundamentally changed young people (and the rest of us). One big truth that stood out to me from the book was that I personally missed this “Great Rewiring” by virtue of being born just a couple of years prior to the generation in which Haidt believes it began. He contrasts a play-based childhood with the phone-based childhood that now reigns in kids’ lives and believes that the reason why teenage rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply in the 2010s is largely due to them having continuous access to social media and the internet generally. Personally, to me, the thesis of this book seems sound as one big explainer as to what is going on. What is most controversial is Haidt’s prescriptions at the end, which include steps parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of teenage mental illness and restore childhood. One of his prescriptions, banning cell phones during public school hours, is gaining traction nationally and seems long overdue. If you haven’t read his previous book with Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind, that is a must-read also.
 
Redeeming Sex in Marriage: How the Gospel Rescues Sex, Transforms Marriage, and Reveals the Glory of God by Scott Mehl

This is one of the best books (if not the best) on the subject of sex that I have read. In the Church, we often shy away from this issue unless it’s to tell people what “not” to do (sex before marriage, for example). In addition, Christian books on sex can be straight up weird and sometimes even borderline inappropriately explicit. Mehl’s book is not that. Its first half is full of deep theology and then the second is somewhat more practical, but never strays from the theological underpinnings of the first half. We are so used to talking about what sex is not for that we often don’t ask the question “Why did God create us as sexual beings?” Mehl gives five reasons that he teases out in the book:

1. Sex is a means of covenantal union. (Essential/Relational purpose)
2. Sex is a means of mutual pleasure. (Essential/Relational purpose)
3. Sex is an expression of marital love. (Essential/Relational purpose)
4. Sex can bring new life. (Blessed purpose)
5. Sex is a shadow of our relationship with Christ, as his church. (Transcendent purpose)

This book is one I will be recommending and using for a long time.
 
Finding the Right Hills to Die on: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund
Have you ever known someone who embodies the saying “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”? Gavin Ortlund writes a great book for people who see every single theological issue as being of equal importance. Building on the medical concept of triage, which is the process by which doctors assess which patients are in need of the most urgent care and determine the order of priority for treatment, Ortlund shows us that not all doctrinal differences are the same. All doctrine matters, but some are more essential than others. There are times when doctrine must divide, and other times where unity should prevail despite disagreement. For example, denying the Deity of Christ is a first-order doctrine that affects our unity in the Gospel and even implications for one’s salvation. Whereas our differences over the timing of the Millennium, while not completely irrelevant, should not separate Christians from one another–meaning, we should be able to go to the same church–and fall into the third-order category. What can get tricky is second-order doctrines like, for example, Baptism. While I love my paedo-baptist (meaning they baptize infants) brothers and sisters who don’t hold to Baptismal Regeneration, which does jeopardize the Gospel, I as a credo-baptist (meaning only those professing faith in Christ should be baptized) cannot in good conscience start a church with them, as our differences over Baptism profoundly affect how we “do” church. Ortlund gives a great template for how we can weigh our disagreements in terms of how serious they really are and advocates humility all of the way through. There is no better model for how to think through these issues and not see everything as a hill to die on. I have extra copies if anyone wants them ?.

 
Finally Alive By John Piper

I love reading about the miracle that is the New Birth–that God takes dead sinners who are unable to respond to His salvation and causes them to be born again through the power of His Spirit. Piper’s book meditates on the New Birth and the new life it creates in a person. This is also called the Doctrine of Regeneration. The fact of the matter is that there are many “born again” Christians who fill our churches who are not actually born again. This is revealed by the fact that many of them live lives that are indistinguishable from those in the outside world who do not call themselves Christians. Piper shows from Scripture what happens when a person is truly born again–how we are given new affections for God whereas we once rejected and hated Him. How by the Spirit we now live a life that desires and is able to obey and please God. We love holiness and hate sin. We don’t find his commands burdensome. We walk in the light and see our sin and fight it. Those are the marks of true saving faith–of having been made alive spiritually. And how did this happen? God. We didn’t control our spiritual birth any more than we controlled our physical birth. God saved us and awakened faith in us when we heard the Good News concerning His Son. Hallelujah! This would be a great read for you to simply be reminded and in awe at what God has done for you in the New Birth and for understanding the nature of true saving faith beyond someone simply saying “I’m born again.”
 
Well, that’s a sampling of what I’ve been reading and learning this summer. I hope that maybe a book (or two) caught your eye and you’ll pick one up yourself!

Back in college, I took an elective course that required hardly any work. It was my final semester and I had done most of the rigorous courses for my degree program, so this elective was really just to reach the required credit hours for my undergrad degree. If they had underwater basket-weaving, I would have taken that instead, but alas, no class existed. I’d roll into this class just before it began and was able to do well without hardly any effort or preparation.

Sunday worship is not like that. It’s not the sort of thing you just roll out of bed, show up right on time, and be ready for. Meeting with God in Sunday worship is not something we should take lightly, and I want to give us some simple suggestions for how we can prepare ourselves well to meet with God together as His redeemed people. Let me mention a few.

Don’t Stay Out/Up Late on Saturday Night - Now I know some of you have jobs that require this, so know I am not directing this at you if that’s the case. But for the rest of us, can I just suggest that on Saturday, you be a boring homebody? Or that if you do go out, that you consider being home and in bed early? I recognize that “early” will mean different things to different people. The amount of sleep we need to feel rested varies from person to person, so use your best judgment applying this principle. My point is that we don’t want to have droopy eyelids on Sunday morning in the worship service. A late night does not help in waking up on time the next day, ready and alert for what God has in store for us. Lastly, consider that declining invitations to late-night get-togethers because you have church the next day will be an unusual and possibly powerful witness to your non-Christian friends, even if it makes you seem strange.

Don’t Be Rushed Sunday Morning - We’ve all been there at some point. Maybe it’s an unexpected accident on the floor from your new puppy or you get in the car only to find that it won’t start. We can’t avoid things like this, but there are other things we can. Maybe it would be helpful to pick out clothes for Sunday the night before instead of being indecisive Sunday morning. If you have kids, try to encourage them towards being ready with some time to spare instead of playing until the absolute last minute.
 
Have a Good Attitude - If Sundays are always hectic, then outbursts and short tempers are almost inevitable. The last step could help that but we also want to cultivate a joyful attitude as we get ready and head off to church. This is (or should be) the highlight of our week, so let’s act like it. If we are flustered and annoyed every Sunday morning, our kids and others will notice. Some Sundays this negative attitude will be very hard to resist based on unforeseen occurrences and difficult mornings but let us try to truthfully say with the Psalmist, I was glad when they said to me ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’” (122:1).

Review for Sunday - We send out the outline for the sermon and the songs we will be doing in our weekly email.  Why not review that on Saturday? Reading through the text, and possibly doing some studying of it on our own can be helpful! Seeing which songs are being sung can be useful in that if we don’t know one very well, we can quickly check it out to familiarize ourselves with it better.
 
Linger - Sunday is a day for community–primarily the faith community. It can be all too easy to attend church like we would a baseball game. We grab our seats and check our phone or talk with friends while we wait for the service to start, and then once we hear the benediction (the last out in the 9th inning), we grab our stuff and hurry back to our cars to beat the traffic out of there. I just want to gently say that if this is what your average Sunday looks like, then brother or sister, you are missing out! Sometimes we have to run out for different reasons but consider staying a few minutes after the service.  My guess is that even this simple change will transform your experience. Your relationships will be stronger and new relationships will form. Don’t zip home after the service, stick around to love your neighbors by asking about their lives, struggles, and ways in which God is working in their lives. Lunch can wait a few extra minutes.  I promise you won’t starve!

Value the Lord’s Day - Let me state right off the bat that I am not a Sabbatarian, meaning I do not view the 4th commandment ("Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy") as being binding on believers in the sense that there should be strict observance and that any work on Sunday is sinful. With that said, I do believe there is still wisdom in observing a day of rest, and we know that it is required that Christians meet together regularly to worship (Heb. 10:24-25). For many of us, that day is Sunday. However, there are so many things that clamor for our attention and time, and many of them seem like good things. Some of these threats include work (which depending on our profession is unavoidable) and youth sports. Other common ones are hobbies we enjoy like hunting/fishing, getting extra sleep, and “family time” (though I don’t see why worship wouldn’t be considered quality time with family). I would encourage all of us to prioritize and value the Lord’s Day, and to make the people of God a priority. This is not to make it an empty day with a list of rules, but by filling it with things that point toward our heavenly citizenship, with the people we will spend eternity with and rest that is to come.

Hopefully this list has felt helpful, not overwhelming. The goal is to help you, not condemn you or weigh you down! When we come together on Sundays, we are engaging in an activity with eternal significance even though it seems very "ordinary." When we worship, we are drawn by God's Spirit into His very presence to have an encounter with Him.  This is all because Jesus, God's Son, lived, died, and rose again for our justification and joins us to Himself when we trust Him. May we come each Sunday ready to worship our Triune God together, and may these simple suggestions aid us in doing so.

*This blog post was inspired by and deeply dependent on chapter 15 of the book What Happens When We Worship by Jonathan Landry Cruse.

In our recent series on Pillars of a Healthy Church, we spent two weeks discussing Elders/Pastors/Overseers, their qualifications and their function in the local church. As I continued reflecting on the text we covered in 1 Peter 5, an implication of what Peter says in verse 4 stood out to me. Peter says this in 1 Peter 5:4, "And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

In context, Peter is speaking a promise to elders who lead well that when Jesus returns, they will be given a great reward. This is to help Peter’s readers, especially here the leaders, persevere in their suffering. However, I want to tease out an implication of Peter calling Jesus the “chief Shepherd” here and how it relates to the authority of pastors.
Jesus being the Chief Shepherd is a reminder that while pastors are given authority and responsibility in the local church, they as undershepherds are accountable to the Chief Shepherd. They do not, in an ultimate sense, own the sheep. Elders–undershepherds are to treat the flock entrusted to them in the way that the Chief Shepherd commands and exemplified in His own life. They should exude the same gentleness and care for their sheep that Jesus Himself showed in His earthly ministry. Elders must (and have the right to) pursue those sheep that wander off out of love for them, which at times will mean saying and doing hard things. To use Paul’s words to the Ephesian Elders, pastors are to pay careful attention to themselves and to the flock, the flock which Christ obtained with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The reality that pastors are undershepherds, subordinates of the Chief Shepherd, should lead them to humility. It should result in them serving Jesus’ sheep, not seeking to be served, as they lead the church. It should lead to them using their authority in godly ways–neither shrinking back from the truth that they do in fact have authority, nor lording their authority over the sheep in domineering ways (Mk. 10:42, 1 Pt. 5:3). The Pastor Richard Baxter, in his classic book The Reformed Pastor, says: “The whole course of our ministry must be carried on in a tender love to our people. We must let them see that nothing pleases us but what profits them…We must remember that pastors are not lords but fathers and therefore must be affectionate to their people as to their own children.”

And for you all as members, let me say this: Church, your pastors don’t own you, Jesus does. But your Chief Shepherd has given to you undershepherds to help shepherd your soul in this life in order to help you make it to final glory. Our desire is to present everyone mature in Christ (Col. 1:28). So I ask, pray for your elders as we seek to pay careful attention to the flock, and that we would do so with humility and diligence, so that our Chief Shepherd will be honored. And pray for yourselves and the rest of the church, that there would be mutual love and affection for your undershepherds. May we be a church where the Chief Shepherd is honored both by our leaders and our members as we await His appearing.

Pastor Logan

Many pastors whose blogs I follow give summer reading lists and recommendations and I thought I might take a few minutes to do the same. Some of these may be of no interest to you, but others might be! So, here are some of the books I’ve read or am currently reading before summer is over (which is soon!):

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff

Many of you remember exactly where you were on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.  This book traces the story of the entire day as it was lived by those who were involved firsthand.  Graff has brought together never-before-published transcripts, declassified documents, interviews, and oral histories from over 500 people, many of them first responders, and strings it all together into a compelling narrative. One haunting detail that sticks with me even now was how many survivors mention how that Tuesday morning started as one of the clearest, sunniest days they can remember, only for it to end with plumes of fire and smoke, and the Twin Towers in a heap of rubble. This is an engrossing, powerful read.

Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications by Michael R. Emlet

Like many others, Christians can tend to have two equal but opposite reactions to psychiatric diagnoses and medications: On the one hand some dismiss them as unbiblical categories that Christians should dismiss and never use. The other end of the spectrum takes them at face value and sees them as the cure for all ills. Instead, Michael Emlet seeks to show us that we need a balanced, biblically and scientifically informed view where we neither too warmly embrace nor too coldly dismiss psychiatric labels and the medicines often prescribed. This book was a very helpful primer to my thinking as a pastor in regard to these issues in an age where mental health struggles are still largely stigmatized and simply not talked about in the Church. This is a thoughtful, short (under 100 pages!), helpful book that can assist you in thinking biblically through these complex issues.

The Book of Pastoral Rule by St. Gregory The Great

St. Gregory The Great, also known as Pope Gregory I, was called “the last good Pope” by the Reformer John Calvin in his Institutes. Gregory was Pope from 590-604. He wrote this work around the year 590 when his Papacy began. There is good reason why it is still so influential today. Gregory begins by stressing the gravity of the pastoral role and the high character that the pastor must have in order to be an example for the flock, commenting, “For no one does more harm in the Church than he who, having the title or rank of holiness, acts evilly.” He also stresses the importance of the pastor to teach his people the Scriptures. However, by far the most amazing part of this book is that out of the 210 or so pages, well over half is dedicated to the importance of understanding people. He describes over 40 different personality types and then considers the best way to approach and apply God’s Word to each one for their benefit. We live in a time where it is easy for pastors to pay more attention to programs and production and gathering crowds rather than to the souls of people. Pope Gregory reminded me that pastoral ministry requires attention to individual people and that you cannot be a pastor without getting your hands dirty in the daily lives of those you shepherd–in other words, shepherds are to smell like sheep. This book was a slow read (because it was rich, not boring), and there were places where I wanted to yell “foul!” with how Gregory interpreted certain passages, but, to use a phrase you might not have been expecting, I learned a lot from this Pope!

Salvation by Grace: The Case for Effectual Calling and Regeneration by Matthew Barrett

Yes, as the title gives away, this is a book for theological nerds, but the issue is relevant for every Christian! Let me show this by asking this question: Does God act alone, apart from human cooperation, to call and regenerate sinners or does man cooperate with God’s grace and thus have some role to play? This is essentially the Calvinist vs. Arminian debate, and Barrett shows clearly that the Scriptures teach that God acts alone to effectually call and regenerate sinners which then as a result leads to our conversion (us repenting and believing in Christ). Many teach that you must repent and believe and then you are born again, but the Scriptures clearly teach that God causes us to be born again by His Spirit and only then do we repent and believe. This ensures that God alone receives all the glory in salvation, not man. This book answers questions like: How much does God accomplish in salvation? How much does man? Where does faith come from? God or Man? Does unregenerate man have a free will? Does God offer salvation to all? This is a book to be studied with a pen in hand. If you are looking for something to take you deeper in God’s Word and you want to become clearer on the truth that God chose you before you ever chose Him, this one's for you.

The Gender Revolution: A Biblical, Biological, and Compassionate Response by Patricia Weerakoon with Robert Smith and Kama Weerakoon

I am in the middle of this one but wow, what a needed book. It shows how we can stand firm in a culture that has quickly embraced Transgender ideology without much evidence to back it up. Using the latest scientific findings along with a biblical basis for the Christian view of gender, this is a helpful tool for how we are to truthfully but also compassionately respond to those experiencing gender dysphoria and the Transgender movement. It is written by a medical doctor and two pastors, and their differing expertise being fused together in this work make it uniquely helpful. Whether we like it or not, we cannot avoid this issue in our time. We must be informed and confident that God’s Word is true and that what He says concerning sex and gender not only matters but is the only way human beings can flourish. Expect to see this on our book table in the near future.

Spurgeon and The Poor: How The Gospel Compels Christian Social Concern by Alex DiPrima

Many know Charles Spurgeon as “The Prince of Preachers” due to his magisterial preaching that commanded the ear of thousands at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Many do not know that Spurgeon was also passionate about connecting the preaching of the Gospel to the relief of the poor. At one time, The Tabernacle had over 60(!) ministries dedicated to serving the poor, oppressed, orphans, and widows. Spurgeon always kept the preaching of the Gospel central to the church’s mission, but he did not let that scare him away from social concern. This question has plagued the church in the 21st century: How should the people of God respond to social issues? Alex DiPrima takes us on a journey that is part theology and part biography as we see how the great C. H. Spurgeon did balanced, Gospel-centered ministry in seeing that men needed more than just physical bread, they needed the Bread of Life, but that giving them physical bread can be a compelling argument for the Gospel’s truth. After watching Spurgeon pray for a dying boy at the Stockwell Orphanage that Spurgeon had started, the man said this: “I had seen Mr. Spurgeon holding by his power sixty-five hundred persons in a breathless interest; I knew him as a great man universally esteemed and beloved; but as he sat by the bedside of a dying pauper child, whom his beneficence had rescued, he was to me a greater and grander man than when swaying the mighty multitude at his will.”

Well, that's a sampling of what I've been reading and learning this summer.  I hope that maybe a book (or two) caught your eye and you'll pick one up yourself!

Last month the news came out that US math and reading scores for 4th and 8th graders plummeted during the pandemic. This only confirmed once again what many already believed and other studies have said: Online schooling during COVID tragically hurt educational progress for many children in our nation.
 
I’m not here to adjudicate whether schools should have been reopened sooner than they were, that’s for others wiser than me.

But here’s what I want us to think about: We are aware of the tragic consequences of online schooling for children and know instinctively that it’s not good for them. Why then do most Christian lack the same instincts about online church?

Now I want to be clear, I don’t believe that churches who do live-streaming have bad intentions. In fact, there are plenty of churches who have had new people show up to their service physically because they first came into contact with their church through live-streaming. That’s a good thing. I also feel the weight of the argument that live-streaming allows those who cannot be physically present due to illness, disability, etc., to experience the service in real time. So I know that other faithful, Gospel-preaching churches will make different decisions, and that their reasons will be good and well-intended.

In addition, you may be wondering why I would write about something that we here at SBCC don’t even do! And my answer is that I want you to understand why we do not do it–though we did during the beginning of Covid, and I think it was appropriate to do so given the circumstances. My big concern, however, is that in fully embracing the live-stream option indefinitely (and now with some churches embracing the Virtual Reality option), churches might want to consider the negative consequences of doing so.

Part of my fear is that we feed consumerism by giving people what they want, when they want it, how they want it. The church should be wary of feeding this beast. Following Jesus will in fact inconvenience our lives and schedules, and to make church fit our schedule instead of the other way around is not what we are called to as His disciples.

Another argument is that the early church centered their life around hearing the Word and fellowship together, even selling their possessions and giving to those who had need (Acts 2:42-47). You get the sense that these people were constantly together. But people “attending church online,” can do nothing of the like. They can only greet themselves, have coffee with themselves, and converse with themselves after the service. The Bible is full of “one anothers” and the fact is that you can’t fulfill any of the “one anothers” when there are no others around. In fact, if the Pandemic taught us anything, it was how much we desire and need the actual presence of people in our lives. To talk face-to-face with them. To laugh with them. To hug them (or shake their hand for you non-hugger types). To sing with them. To ask their forgiveness for that thing you said. To invite them over for lunch spontaneously. To pray with them after the service after they shared their struggle.

Fellow believer, I want you to see how important it is to your life as a Christian that you physically gather with God’s people. Virtual church is a cheap substitute, just like “gathering” with your kids over Zoom on Christmas morning would be nothing compared to sitting in the living room together. While we can get biblical truth virtually, we cannot witness and feel those truths become fleshed out in the family of God unless we are together. Aren’t you glad God has given us something embodied in forming His church? What a grace it is to be together with the people of God! I end with the writer to the Hebrews admonition to his readers, and by extension, to us:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Many pastors whose blogs I follow give summer reading lists and recommendations and I thought I might take a few minutes to do the same. Some of these may be of no interest to you, but others might be! So, here are some of the books I’ve read, am currently reading, or plan to read before summer is over:

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh by Thomas Kidd

Thomas Kidd is a top notch Religion Historian who recently left Baylor to teach at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. I have read and greatly enjoyed two other biographies he has written on George Whitefield and the religious life of founding father Benjamin Franklin. I’m in the middle of this biography on Jefferson, but am thoroughly enjoying it. Jefferson was a man full of contradictions in his personal and political life and Kidd masterfully shows how Jefferson often espoused one thing in writing, and yet failed to live it out (for example, his statements about the evils of slavery contrasted with his lifelong use of slaves). Most interesting to me is how Jefferson loved the teachings of Jesus, and yet he was a Deist who physically cut the miracles and resurrection of Jesus out of his Bible in rejection of them (Google the “Jefferson Bible”). A great read if you enjoy biographies.

Amidst Us Our Belovèd Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition by Michael Haykin

Anytime Baptists hear the word “Sacrament,” we get scared! Michael Haykin, professor of Church History at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, shows that in fact there is a complicated relationship between Baptists and sacramentalism. He shows from writings and hymns how many Baptists in the 17th and 18th centuries such as Charles Spurgeon, Andrew Fuller, and other Particular (Reformed) Baptists largely followed John Calvin and were more “sacramental,” not in the sense of believing that Baptism and The Lord’s Supper conferred saving grace on the one who partook of them, but in seeing them as a means of grace where the Holy Spirit strengthened the believer to persevere in the Christian life. He then traces how Baptists came to hold what is today the dominant view of the Lord’s Supper–that it is simply a memorial and that Jesus is not present spiritually in any way. One of Haykin’s six theses at the end of the book is that the rise of the altar call in the 20th century largely replaced the importance of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper in Baptist churches, which I found insightful. Overall, I enjoyed this book, even if I don’t know if I can subscribe to all of its conclusions. At the end of the day, I think it’s important for Baptists to understand our own history and be challenged in our current day assumptions.

Gospel People: A Call For Evangelical Integrity by Michael Reeves

I’ll say up front that almost anything Michael Reeves writes, I read. He has become one of my favorite theologians. I have not started this quite yet, but it’s up next! Reeves explores the term “evangelical” and answers the question: With all of the cultural and political baggage that the term comes with today, should we shun the label altogether? Reeves sets out to argue that while we shouldn’t discard the label altogether, Christians need to return to the root of the word–the evangel, or “gospel”– to fully understand what it means. He does this by exploring the work of the Trinity–The Father’s Revelation, The Son’s Redemption, and the Spirit’s Regeneration. He calls evangelicals to stand with integrity as people of the Gospel. I’m excited to read this, and have confidence I will leave with great insights.

How (Not) To Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor by James K. A. Smith

Smith, a professor at Calvin College, has written a book that is actually a reading guide to another book entitled A Secular Age by philosopher Charles Taylor, whose work has had a profound impact since it was first written in 2007. Taylor’s book traced the growth of secularism and unbelief in our modern world and what it means to live in a post-Christian time. Thankfully, Smith wrote the book I am reading to make Taylor more accessible to people like me :). This is a book I was actually assigned to read in preparation for my trip to Eastern Europe, where Secularism is already more deeply ingrained as opposed to America.

Here and Everywhere Else: Small-Town Maine and the World by Andrew Witmer

Andrew Witmer is a history professor at James Madison University in Virginia, and was a mentor and friend to me while I attended college there. Dr. Witmer is originally from Monson, Maine, where his parents still live today, and Lindsay and I still consider his family to be beloved friends. Andrew traces the history of Monson and how this small New England town engaged with the wider world in the 19th and 20th centuries, struggling to balance embracing and also resisting external influences. He ends with the present-day attempts to revive this declining Maine town into an artists’ colony. I’m moving through this slowly, but seeing pictures of local people and landmarks has given me new insights and appreciation for this small town, and the state of Maine as a whole!

Well, that’s a sampling of some of my summer reads–maybe you’ll even pick up a copy of one of them yourself!

I want to use this blog post to talk about what many call Deliberate Simplicity when it comes to how we “do” church. What does this mean? Well, as many of you have probably noticed, we keep things pretty simple around here. If someone is looking for a church with state-of-the-art production and a long list of customized programs, Saco Bay Community Church will probably disappoint them. While we want to do things well, we channel most of our energy towards fostering church cultures of evangelism, discipling, and hospitality–to give just a few examples–rather than an array of programs.

Am I saying church programs are bad and are to be avoided? No. Church programs have their use and can be helpful, and there will be times where we have them and benefit from them. But, we believe they should be “downstream” from our primary priorities. One unintended consequence of being program driven is that it can make people think of the church as a spiritual drive-thru, where customers come to partake of religious goods and services. Another concern is that it can endlessly subdivide the congregation along demographic lines at the expense of our collective unity. Again, this is not to say that men’s or women’s bible studies are bad. In fact, we do them! But it does mean we must be careful. After all, our central identity is based in the whole gathering (which is why Sunday morning is important, contrary to what some say), and not the small groupings.

This is why we keep things simple. We want to see more members involved in each other’s lives helping one another grow in Jesus.

Since spiritual growth cannot be manufactured, we orient our congregational life around the ordinary means of grace–the Word, prayer, and the sacraments (by which I simply mean a rite that is ordained by Christ, i.e. Baptism and The Lord’s Supper)–and we emphasize personal initiative and life-on-life relationships, with corporate worship as the center and springboard for all we are and do.

This is why we keep things simple. We want to see more members involved in each other’s lives helping one another grow in Jesus. We are wary of doing things that will fuel a consumer church culture. Some will come and not stay because we don’t have everything they’re looking for–that’s okay. But our hope and prayer is that if we continue to focus on the Word of God as central to all we do, the Spirit of God will work in the hearts and lives of many.

This past week my dad told me about a newsletter that the pastor of his church sent out to the congregation concerning how Christians should view retirement. My first thought was, “That’s a great idea,” and my second thought was, “Why haven’t I thought of that?!” So, I want to take a few minutes and talk to you, SBCC member, about how we should think biblically about this phase of life.

Many of you are either retired or nearing retirement in the next few years. It’s a time where we have more freedom in our schedules and the ability to do as we please. But how should we think about this as a follower of Jesus Christ? I will never forget the first time I came across the video of John Piper telling a group of college students back in 2000 not to waste their life, using the now famous example of collecting seashells during retirement. There’s an excerpt you can watch of that here. All 7 minutes are good, but the example is found at minute 5. It’s a challenging correction to many of us, myself included.

You may have a plan for what you and your spouse are going to do in retirement. Many have it set in their minds what retirement will look like for them and what kind of life they want to live. However, I want to lovingly push back on this mindset by saying this–there is always a cost to following Jesus. There are very real ways in which we must die to ourselves and give up our plans for the plans Jesus has for us as His disciples. If we truly let the Lord direct our steps, He will take us to places not valued by the world, but places of eternal value that bring true joy and hope.

So, my exhortation to you would be this: Resist the temptation to follow the typical American retirement gig and check out on a permanent vacation for the next 20 years. Instead, think about how you can further Christ’s Kingdom and serve His Church, storing up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust can destroy and where thieves cannot break in and steal (Matt. 6:20). I’m praying (and you should pray too) that members at SBCC will see the work of ministry as the life-giving opportunity that it is, not a drag that takes them away from what they plan to do.

If you are retired or getting close to that stage, see that the church needs you. God has continued to give you breath not so you can permanently live a life as described in Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” but in order that you might be on His mission. Young people need your wisdom. The church needs you to serve. Maybe all you can do due to physical limitation is pray for the church–and we desperately need you to do that too!

So, I encourage you, older saints, to view retirement as an opportunity to serve the Lord with increased vigor. Do not stop learning. Do not stop serving. The Lord wants to use you. And this doesn’t have to include a title or formal position. You can disciple people over lunch and a book of the Bible or other edifying Christian book. You can greet new people on Sunday mornings and welcome them. You can invite the new young family or single person over for dinner to get to know them and help them feel a part of the church community. You can drive a fellow church member to their appointments or take them grocery shopping when they are unable to drive themselves. You can serve our children and teach them the Gospel by volunteering in our children’s ministry. You can pursue growing in your knowledge and love for the Lord by pursuing theological education.

My prayer is that here at Saco Bay Community Church we will have a culture that thinks differently about retirement than non-Christian America does. That instead of pursuing money or entertainment or comfort and ease in retirement, we will see it as an opportunity to pursue ministering to the body of Christ in an increased capacity. Instead of cooling in our devotion to Christ and His church and becoming more self-centered, we would grow in our passion for the Lord and be increasingly focused on how we can put others before ourselves. At the end of our lives, my hope is that we won’t wish we had one more day with our feet in the sand, but that we will say along with the Apostle Paul, who in his last letter said, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7). Let us keep fighting and running until the very end.

Recently a friend and I finished going through the book How to Build a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander. At the end of one of the chapters, they provide a great general, biblical list of prayers that we can pray for our church (Dever and Alexander 230-231). Maybe sometimes you wish you knew of more specific ways you can pray for other members and for our church corporately. If so, I hope you’ll find what’s listed below helpful. I’d encourage you to pray through a few of these a day and ask the Lord to be working among us.

• Pray that we would preserve our unity even in our diversity as a witness to the gospel’s uniting power (Eph. 4:2)
• Pray for a local revival of godly sorrow, conviction, and spiritual interest in the Bible.
• Pray that God would create a new local appetite for expositional preaching of the Bible.
• Pray for good fruit from the regular preaching of God’s Word in the local church.
• Pray that all members would look out for each other’s interests (Phil. 2:5-7).
• Pray that the elders would equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12).
• Pray that members would be faithful to make disciples, to build a culture of discipleship, and to see disciple making as part of what it means to be a Christian (Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:2).
• Pray for growth in the church’s ability to encourage and counsel one another from Scripture.
• Pray that established members would be hospitable to newer members, visitors, and those different from themselves.
• Pray that the congregation would welcome political, economic, social, and racial diversity as God gives it.
• Pray for growth in personal holiness, love, and faithfulness.
• Pray for Christ to be honored in our work and that we would commend the gospel to others in our words and conduct during the week.
• Pray that the congregation would grow in prioritizing attendance at the public meetings of the church.
• Pray for growing maturity in giving and receiving godly criticism and encouragement.
• Pray for the children of members to become obedient to their parents in the Lord.
• Pray that the church’s reach for the gospel would broaden to more people and places.
• Pray for growth in a gracious and patient attitude toward those who disagree with us.
• Pray that God would give the congregation more good purposes to spread the gospel and do good (2 Thess. 1:11).
• Pray for growing faithfulness and fruitfulness in private Bible reading.
• Pray for growing faithfulness in private prayer for each other.
• Pray for God to deepen the congregation’s relationships with each other to center on encouragement, confession, and gospel ministry.
• Pray for maturity in being slow to take offense and quick to receive correction.
• Pray that the elders would watch their life and doctrine closely (1 Tim. 4:16)
• Pray that the congregation would bear fruit in every way and increase in the knowledge of God with gratitude (Col. 1:9-12).
• Pray for growth in a shared heart for personal, local evangelism (Acts 8:4)
• Pray for growth in a shared heart for international missions and that the Lord would raise up more workers for his harvest (Matt. 9:38; Acts 1:8).
• Pray for fruitful Bible-reading friendships between us and our non-Christian friends.
• Pray that God would raise up additional qualified elders, preachers, evangelists, and deacons among us (Acts 13:1-3).
• Pray for good fruit from the ministries of the elders and deacons.
• Pray for good fruit from the men’s and women’s discipling relationships in the church. 

I want to begin with a question and ask you to agree or disagree with this statement:  Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.
 
If you agreed with that statement, you have just agreed to a heresy called Arianism. This is the teaching from a man named Arius, who taught that Jesus was not the divine, eternal Son of God, but was created by God before the world was brought into existence. Jesus is neither co-eternal nor con-substantial (meaning of the same substance) as God the Father. Think of Jesus more as a demi-god--still worthy of our worship, but not equal with God. 
Now you may be wondering, why bring this up? Some of you may also feel bad that you initially agreed with that statement! But don’t worry, sadly you’re not alone.

Last September, a biannual survey called The State of Theology, was released by Lifeway Research and Ligonier Ministries. This survey gives insight into the theological beliefs of Americans and how they agree with or differ with basic Christian doctrines. While there are many interesting results, the answer to the question I opened with above was agreed with by 65% of self-professed Evangelical Christians. Two-thirds of self-professed Evangelicals agreed with a heresy.

Now, could they have legitimately just been confused by the phrasing of the question, reading “greatest” and overlooking “created being,” wanting to affirm a high view of Jesus? Sure. However, it also points to what I think many of us in church leadership are guilty of: seeing doctrine and theology as unimportant to living the Christian life. But I disagree and this survey proves it (go read the other responses!). How healthy can a church be if potentially up to two-thirds of its members believe Jesus is a created being? This denies the Triunity of God, and if Jesus is created, albeit the first and greatest created being, wouldn’t worshiping him be akin to idolatry since he is not God? If Jesus is not God, then we are making a grave mistake every Sunday by worshiping him. Only God can save humanity from ourselves, and our salvation depends on Jesus being God incarnate, not simply being “like God.”  

What this sad reality did for me is remind me why it is important that as pastors we must not shy away from teaching doctrine or see it as irrelevant. Orthodox belief leads to orthodox living, and that includes such truths as the fact that Jesus is the uncreated Son of God who has dwelt eternally with the Father and the Spirit in Trinity and who for us and for our salvation came to this earth as fully God and fully man to suffer, die, and be raised in our place for the forgiveness of sins.

Christian, I hope you will see that doctrine matters. Learning more about the nature of Jesus is critical. Knowing what the Bible says is important. Knowing church history and the ecumenical creeds adds such richness to the Christian life. Here at Saco Bay we will continue to give you opportunities to grow deeper and learn more about the Christian faith, and we hope you will join us in that journey so that you might grow, not only in accuracy of belief and understanding, but in your love for our Triune God.

Oh, and next time we say the Nicene Creed, I hope that the following words will mean even more to you now that you know they were written to reflect biblical teaching and specifically to refute the heresy of Arius: We believe….in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made.
Amen.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been slowly going through Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians with the help of this book in the very helpful “For You” series. While studying Ephesians 4:1-16, I became encouraged to share some insights with our church as to how Paul says all of us are to be involved in building up and upholding our unity as a church here at Saco Bay Community Church.

I’m going to specifically concentrate on Ephesians 4:7-16, but let me give us some context for what Paul says here. Paul has expounded upon the glorious truths of the Gospel in chapters 1-3--about God’s glorious plan of redemption even before the world began (ch. 1), how we were dead in sin before God made us alive (2:1-10), how we’ve been united as one family, regardless of where we come from, through faith in Jesus Christ (2:11-22), and his prayer for them in light of the revelation of the mystery of the Gospel and how both Jew and Gentile are brought in (ch. 3). As he begins chapter 4, he shifts into practical applications and outworkings of what has come before. He begins by exhorting the church to unity (4:1-3) and gives the basis for that unity (4:4-6).
 
Now in verses 7-16 Paul is still thinking about this theme of unity, but is highlighting how diversity in our gifts given to us by Jesus Himself are to be used in order to build up the body. In verses 7-10 Paul says the following:

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
      “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
       and he gave gifts to men.” 
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Now, I don’t have time to get into the nitty-gritty of everything Paul is saying here, but Paul’s point is in verse 7--that Jesus Christ has sovereignly gifted each individual for the corporate good of the church. This “grace” given to us in this context is not saving grace but ministry grace. Jesus, the risen and ascended victorious King, has graciously given gifts to every member of his body, the church (Paul is not only thinking about those he will mention in verse 11, but of every member) in order that we all might contribute in building up the church.
 
Paul continues in verses 11-16:

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers [most likely he means one overlapping group: pastor-teachers], 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Paul begins in verses 11-12 by saying God has given gifted people to the church not simply to do all of the ministry and thus be glorified by others due to their gifts--no--but to instead equip fellow believers in order that they might do the ministry. This is a model of mutual service in the church, not of professionals serving consumers. Ministry is not just for a paid few but for every Christian!
 
For myself and the other pastors/elders here at SBCC, this means that we must take seriously our role to invest our time heavily into discipling and developing our members in order that they would engage in ministry to the body. And for every member here at SBCC, this passage is clear that you have each been given gifts according to Jesus’ sovereign grace, and those gifts are to be used in service to the church. In this sense, we are all “ministers.” The church is not like a baseball game, where there are 9 people on the field and 50,000 in the stands watching. And what is this service for? for building up the body of Christ  --  The church.

And look at the purpose for this equipping and being equipped in verse 13:
 
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ….

Gifted leaders given to the church to equip members who then use their diversity of gifts to build up the church leads to unity and maturity. There is nothing more exciting for me than to watch people at our church grow in their knowledge and love of God and His Word. As we continue to see this happen by God’s grace, we will be a church that is maturing, solidly placed on the Word of God instead of being swayed to and fro by theological error (4:14) while also speaking the truth lovingly as we grow up in Christ, our head (4:15). Paul’s emphasis here, and our emphasis as a church, is first and foremost on growth in maturity not growth in numbers. I’m not saying numerical growth is bad or even indifferent--we want to see unbelievers come and be converted to Christ through the preaching of the Gospel! We want Christians to see this as a church where they can grow and serve as God calls them to! But we don’t become obsessed with numerical growth.
 
Now comes the part where I apply these truths to us. Are you doing your part to build up the body here at Saco Bay Community Church? If you’ve been here for a while and have not become a member--what is keeping you from covenanting with and serving this local body? If you are a member here and are just showing up expecting to be served every week, I’d encourage you to see that you are called to serve and minister to others.

...it speaks to how we live our life together as a church body. How we pray for one another. How we speak to and about one another. How we rejoice and weep with one another. How we disciple one another.
 
Some of you might say, “I don’t know how I am gifted,” and my response would be this: try things out and see what you discover. Sometimes people know how God has gifted them, but for many, this takes time to discover through serving in different areas. One caveat here: when you see an obvious need in the church, be willing to serve in areas that don’t necessarily attract you or that you have a natural affinity for--sometimes you’ll even be surprised at how much you end up enjoying it. And this goes way beyond simply serving in different ministries, but more broadly it speaks to how we live our life together as a church body. How we pray for one another. How we speak to and about one another. How we rejoice and weep with one another. How we disciple one another. I could go on. For additional ideas, see this helpful resource geared toward church members on this very topic that was released in March.

Church, I want us all individually and as a church corporately to become more like Christ. That’s the goal. That we might be unified. That we would be maturing day after day as we follow Christ together. For my part, I intend to do my best to continue obeying Paul’s command to use the gifts Christ has given me to equip you, the saints, for the work of the ministry. This is an area that we, the elders, will by God’s grace continue improving in, but we cannot do this alone. So I ask you, church: Will you join us in building up the body?

Hello Saco Bay Community Church!

I want to introduce to you an avenue of discipleship in our church, The Saco Bay Blog. This is a blog where we will periodically address certain issues related to theology, ethics, and culture from a Biblical worldview. Now, I know what some of you are thinking--aren’t there enough blogs out there on the internet? Do we need another one? While it is true that the internet is certainly flooded with blogs relating to almost any topic or stage of life one can think of, this blog is specifically geared toward the members of Saco Bay Community Church. The elders are not looking to reach a wide audience with this blog, but see it as another avenue through which we can engage our members with biblical thinking and help us to see all of life through a Christian lens.
Another aspect to note about this blog is that you will see different voices in our church contributing. The pastors (elders--it’s all the same ?) will not be the only ones writing blogs, and that includes myself. While I may write more than most due to my time and availability, the goal is to have multiple contributors speak on different issues. This is not intended to be an avenue for me or anyone else to gain a platform, but as a way to engage the church body and the diverse voices within it, while also giving visitors who check out our website an idea of who we are.

Maybe some of you reading this are wondering--how is a blog an avenue of discipleship? The way I would answer this is that whether the issue concerns an area of doctrine, ethics, or looking at a specific cultural/societal issue, we will do so in a way that is thoroughly Christian and shapes us as followers of Jesus. We want to not only know more about God, but also how to believe, think, and act in His world as His redeemed people who are being shaped by His Word. There will be some topics where not everyone who reads it will be in 100% agreement with what is written, but we hope it will lead all of us to pray, ponder, and consider deeply what is said, even if it challenges our current ways of thinking.
We want to not only know more about God, but also how to believe, think, and act in His world...

In conclusion, we hope that this will be something that you engage in as a member of Saco Bay Community Church, and that you find it helpful to your soul. I hope that it will help you grow in love for Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and I pray that it will help our church as we seek to Know Christ and Make Him Known.