As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
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Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise-- in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down. Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll-- are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise-- in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Change: A foolish Fear Within the Church If ever there is a perpetual problem within the framework and system of the church, it would be that we have frozen our theology and His people due to fear--fear of change.
Do you not think it odd that every generation that comes down the pike has a burr under its saddle to do kingdom life a bit differently? There seems to be a twist of concern which takes concentration to hold congregations together while the young and rambunctious age and the new young and rowdy have ideas. Could this process be something we should grasp rather than battle? Could it be that the reason change is necessary is because God is creative, always new, and man is subject to finding his comfort zone and sticking with it? Did not Jesus warn all disciples in no uncertain terms about tradition? Yet, every generation goes through similar procedures; young and ready to get on with it, middle-aged and happy the way things are, and then older and irritated at the younger who are making a mess of our comfort. God gave us the old law and then changed it to the new Spirit. We read the Old Testament and then the New. To top it off, He concludes Holy Writ with a final book that we still can't grasp. In reading the book of Acts there were various means of conversion while we have tried to formulate and prove that each act was in reality identical. We struggle to let God be young. In the battle for change, can you think of a time a proposal was made that we no longer believe Jesus is God's Son? Or, that we no longer accept the Father as father? Or, that we must now care less about prayer? No, none of these things fit the change mode and they won't. When we battle, though, we tend to behave as if these are the ultimate battlegrounds. Not. So, take a good look at the church terrain. Show me the old style of doing church that is thriving and I'll show you a hundred that are dead while trying to live; all in the name of Truth. Take a good look at congregations robust with the young. New ideas, venues, and concepts bring ‘thrivation’ to all. When Memorial Drive basically had no children and we were a dying congregation, Linda Scott was added as a Children's Minister. This change brought about new life. Halls once dim with no clatter and chatter began to bounce with the young. Change. We are a foolish people if we think the Creative God is not pushing His people to awaken to new. His kind of new. At my age one would think the feeling could be expected to shift into coast mode within the church. But not. We must be wide-eyed and open-hearted to take note of God's walk and talk. We are not in the preservation business. Nor are we called to restore what was. We, the church, are called to live incredibly high-risk lives which dare to break the strong bonds of controversy. Yes. We are called to live in resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. Wasn't it God who said He would do more than we could imagine? Don't you think that if such is beyond our ask or think ability it would naturally insist "things must and will change"? from: Morning Rush blog, by Terry Rush, 7/23/13 Our task, among others, is to hope whenever there is little reason to hope. With some exceptions, churches (not just churches of Christ) are not doing well right now. COVID-19 had something to do with it. But there was something already brewing in the generational and cultural changes and differences. Despite those changes, even if some don’t believe we do, I believe that we have something to offer Wenatchee and the world. We can offer something of value to Wenatchee and then the world AND preserve the legacy of the people that built this building and labored here in Wenatchee and keep this church here and thriving indefinitely. Five hundred in attendance in five years is possible and God WANTS it to happen. However, it will require us to remain focused and not distracted, and to strategize and serve and step out of God’s way.
Thinking of our plans, we are nearing at the end of the year and this time of year has historically been a great time to assess the past and plan for the future. You have been doing this for months prior to our arrival and we have been doing this since I agreed to come and work alongside you, even prior to our coming to Wenatchee. I am thankful that as we consider next year, the birth, life, and death of Jesus is front and center with Christmas. We are all, of course, aware that Jesus was unlikely to have been born at this time of year and there is no biblical mandate or suggestion to celebrate his birth, but doing so can focus us on the reason not just for this season but for our very existence—Jesus. Even as a baby, Jesus invited others to be around and serve with him. That is what we want to do and how we want to be. As we consider our calendar for next year, one of the additions being considered is what we are, at this time, calling our “Big Invite” day. My vision is for us to have 300 people at the 10:10 assembly on April 14, 2024. I am working on a postcard mailer for us to send to neighbors, family and friends, but in the meantime, you can be considering who you can invite and bring. Gather names, phone numbers and addresses so that people can be invited personally by you and through other avenues multiple times. The research says that people are often amenable to visit worship services; they are often only waiting on a personal invitation. Stay tuned and be considering how we can make this day a huge success! We are also wanting to create more opportunities for people to participate in small groups. I have been creating the discussion questions for these groups for the last several weeks and will continue to do so. There is a need for some of us to host a regular meeting in our home, a coffee shop, the church building, or some other place. These meetings need not be complex. You need not serve food or coffee. The only need is for you to be able to consistently meet. My vision is for the section of the bulletin with our meeting times to be packed with small group opportunities for people. Where Jesus has said it exists, there is hope. Jesus provides hope for the world. Don’t be discouraged. Let’s work together to make a difference to Wenatchee and the world! “God, grow our faith and number. Let us serve Wenatchee and the world.” |
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