The Kingdom Life

Rob Woodrum2 Comments

This Sunday we’ll be reading James 1:9-12. We idolize the wealthy in our society. People are famous and have reality shows who have never, EVER done anything of value for our world; they are famous simply because they are rich.  We make them celebrities and envy them and fantasize what it would be like to be in their shoes. But all through the Scriptures, both Old and New testaments, we are presented with a different view of the wealthy.

From the very opening of his letter, James has been presenting us a very unusual perspective on life. He encourages joy during difficult times. He announces that wisdom isn’t something gained purely through life experiences, but that it is given as a gift by God. In this section, he turns the world on its head again.  How does this passage compare to the world’s perception of wealth? How do you think the “lowly” person is exalted? How is a rich person like a withering flower?

Considering the description James gives of wealth in v11, how does this challenge our understanding about what will bring us security and happiness?

V12 provides the ultimate contrast. If you were to summarize what he’s saying, what is the basis for a sense of security and joy?

See you on Sunday!

Wise Living in Troubled Times

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

How many times have you faced a crisis situation, or found yourself surrounded by one trouble after another, and your most prominent question has been: “What should I do?”  We are never more in need of divine guidance than when we are faced with difficult circumstances in life.  Sure, life is filled with decisions and choices that must be made and we want to make them all wisely, but the potential for making bad choices or reacting in an unhealthy way increases exponentially when faced with troubles.

That’s the point that James will be making in our study this Sunday as we read James 1:5-8.  How to judge correctly and follow the best course of action when faced with troubles.

As you read these few verses, it is very straightforward counsel that Jim gives. It starts with admitting our lack of wisdom. Why do you think this is so difficult for us as humans?

Once we admit we are powerless, we are encouraged to ask for wisdom…from whom?  What sort of picture does the text paint of God here? Do you shrink in fear from this description, or feel emboldened to approach? Why?

Based on the description you read – when James says “ask in faith, don’t think you’ll receive anything if you doubt.” – do you feel any tension between his encouragement to ask and this warning? I had always been taught that this passage meant that if I didn’t have enough, or the right kind of faith, God had no interest in helping me.  Faith is the magic you use to entice God to respond…without it, he doesn’t care. At least that’s how I had come to imagine it.  Yet as I read this passage, I realize something. This is not about God’s willingness, this is about our ability to  receive the help that God is offering. If I ask you to write me an email, but I never check my inbox to see if you have….what does that say about me and my request?

Maybe what Jim is asking us to do is open our eyes when we pray…look around for the answer God has given and stop second guessing him and ourselves? Have a little trust that he loves us and he wants to help.

It’s stuff to ponder to be sure.  Hope to see you this Sunday!  We’ll be observing communion during the worship time, so don’t be late!

An Unconventional View of Trouble

Rob Woodrum3 Comments

Imagine you’re way out on a country road and you’ve pulled over and stopped your car for some reason. As you prepare to start the engine again, all you hear is a clicking sound – the battery is dead. There is no one else on the road, you are miles from the nearest gas station, and when you pull out your cell phone, you realize you don’t have service so far out of town.  You look at the sun as it’s going down in the late afternoon.

How do you feel? What is your immediate reaction? Angry, fearful, frustrated, despairing, – kicking at the gravel and shouting “WHY God?” –all of those would be reasonable reactions.

Imagine some preacher comes up to you at that moment and says “Listen friend; count it all joy when you have all kinds of trouble in life.”  Do you want to punch the guy, or are you willing to listen to him?

We’re starting a new study in the letter of James this Sunday, and we’ll be camping out there for the next few weeks. Most scholars believe that the James who wrote this epistle is the half-brother of Jesus. His writing style is very distinct from Paul’s – he’s much more of a straight forward thinker.

We’ll be reading chapter 1:1-4 where James tells the Jewish Christians who’ve been run out of Jerusalem and are now homeless and persecuted to count all their troubles as joy.

It sounds crazy when you say it out loud, but this is a very unconventional view concerning troubles in life, it is in harmony with most of New Testament thought.  James indicates that troubles in life verify our faith, and our enduring faith produces wholeness in us.  Think of the most troubling circumstances you’ve faced in the last year. Were you able to experience joy, that is, a sense of confidence and stability during it?

All of us want to feel whole, but few of us find it easy to submit our whole life to God. Think about it: do you consider life fulfilling only when circumstances are trouble free?  If so, then we are seeking God in only PART of our lives. What of the troubling times – can we find God there? If we see a fulfilled life in both the good times and the bad, how would that affect our sense of wholeness?

It’s stuff to think about. Hope you can join us this Sunday!

In Christ: A New Social Dynamic

Rob Woodrum3 Comments

Have you ever had someone do something that really hurt you…or maybe infringed on your rights or took something from you?  Imagine that person coming to you with a note from your pastor saying “This person has really changed and I believe in him/her- please accept them and forgive them and charge me with anything they defrauded you of.”

What would you do? How would you feel? What would it take for you to muster up the strength to go along with that request?

That’s the premise of the short Epistle we’ll be reading this Sunday: Philemon 1-25.  It’s basically a short e-mail Paul sent to a friend of his who had a runaway slave that Paul had met and led to a salvation experience, whom he was sending back to Philemon to ask for his freedom so he could keep working with Paul in Rome. Get it? What comes through in this epistle is how Paul anticipates that the dynamic of social arrangements and relationships will change when they come under the influence of Christ.  In Christ we will treat each other differently than in the dynamic of the broken world.

So – as Paul is talking about this slave, Onesimus, he describes him with terms that are very different from fugitive or slave. What does he call Onisemus in v10 or v12 (in the ESV)?  Considering those words, and his description of Philemon’s and Onesimus’ relationship in v16, what seems to be the overriding dynamic that characterizes their relationship in Christ?

We don’t know what Philemon does after reading this letter. Some people believe the outcome was good and Onesimus went on to great things – but we’ll really never know.

Let’s think about this letter in light of our own lives, shall we? What is one of the prickliest relational problems you’ve worked on recently (it may have been yours, or problems between other people)? What can we learn from this letter that can aid us in navigating difficult relationships?  V18 and 19 are beautiful and profound to me.  Can those verses help inform us about why grace is an important factor in relationships?

What can we learn from this letter that will produce an “in Christ” dynamic in our relationships today?

Hope you can make it Sunday…if so, see you then!

 

An Effective Church

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

If I were to start working out, I should expect to see results, right? I mean, if I start working out for an hour every day but my weight just goes up as well as my blood-sugar levels, then an investigation is in order as to what my workout program consists of.  If you discovered that my “workout” was to watch exercise programs on TV for an hour while I sat on the couch eating Cheetos and drinking Mountain Dew, you would most likely find the culprit for my physical decline instead of intended advance. You (if you are my real friend) would tell me “Rob, your workout isn’t effective because sitting still and consuming calories is the OPPOSITE of an effective workout.”

That’s SORT of what Paul is going to say as he closes his letter to Titus and what we’ll be considering as we finish our study by reading Titus 3:9-15.

Paul is wrapping up his thoughts, and summarizing his instructions by challenging Titus on what to do with contentious people.  His overall point has been to get the churches in Crete up and running, and if the church is going to be effectual in representing God’s plan to redeem, it must steer clear of what he describes in v9 – nitpicking and arguing over peripherals.  Have you ever witnessed this sort of thing happening in the church (arguments over doctrines or practices)? How did it  effect you?  What effect does Paul describe these arguments as having?

Paul even goes so far as to tell us to have nothing to do with a person who stirs up divisions through his or her doctrine. The idea may be that we should completely disengage with those kinds of debates. What is the danger of an “us versus them” mentality in the church? What happens to people who think of themselves as “us”? How might people feel who are identified as “them”? How does this square with how Jesus lived and taught?

Paul finishes off his letter with a sweeping instruction about how we live in v14.  What is his instruction, and what can we learn from it about what it means to be an effective church?

Hope to see you Sunday!

A Lifestyle That Say’s Thank You

Rob Woodrum5 Comments

This Sunday we’ll be reading Titus 3:1-8.

Paul is making his point in reverse in this section. He begins with the results, and works his way backwards through the causes. We should live this way, because of how we used to be and what God has done for us. Working our way from the front to the back of his instructions, we realize he is describing our intended lifestyle as a response to God’s grace.

Paul’s instructions have to do with how we react to and treat other people. Who does he begin with? How easy or difficult is it for you to show grace in that area?

As you think over your life before Christ, are there times you’d like to forget, and really hope God has forgotten? Does that have any effect on how you perceive and behave towards others?

What are the benefits Paul describes that we receive from being in relationship with God through Christ? It’s pretty clear that we didn’t deserve those benefits. When I think of what I brought to the table in this relationship with God, I realize the only thing I brought were my sins which Jesus paid for. So then…who are the people that I think are less deserving of grace than I am? Who am I quick to judge…whether president or pauper…who do I reserve the right to criticize and disrespect, and what could I possibly use as a justification for that considering how God has treated me?

V8 doesn’t sound like Paul is making suggestions – he seems pretty adamant. In his view, this is what being a Christian looks like. Not that we live this way in order TO be saved…but this is what God’s redemption of us is intended to look like. I feel like I have a long way to go, but that sure is the person I want to be.

Maybe we can move that direction together?

Relevant Grace

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Grace is a word we use a lot in our Christian worldview. It’s an amazingly deep and rich concept for such a small word. It is really fundamental to all aspects of our fellowship with Christ. It is a theological proposition, yet it is relevant to every part of our lives.

God’s grace is my obsession.  I’ll admit it. 21 years ago I brushed against the abyss of His grace and I’ve never recovered from that contact. Some people are geeks about sci-fi, some are geeks about movies and TV shows…I’m a grace geek. I can ruin any conversation in nano-seconds if it goes anywhere near the topic of God’s grace, because I can’t seem to shut up about it.

That’s why I really love Paul’s writings because he was apparently a grace geek too.  We’re going to be reading Titus 2:11-15 this Sunday, and we’re going to be looking at how God’s grace is relevant to the core of our Christian walk. Some people have said “you can’t always talk about grace Rob, sometimes you have to talk about obedience.” – as though you could ever truly have one without the other. I insist, as Paul seems to in Titus, that we can’t really talk about obedience if we’re NOT talking about grace.

V11 serves as a heading to the passage. What does Paul says grace does in our lives…and what ways does grace have a practical, even observable outlet in our everyday experiences?

How do you think grace teaches us anything?  What hope does grace inspire in you?

I’m really looking forward to Sunday! Surf-N-Grill 2012 commences right after 2nd service…be there or be….somewhere else, I guess.   Oh yeah, and small group leaders guides are here: leaders guide 5-20-12 (I changed the title of the teaching).

Healthy Beliefs

Rob Woodrum7 Comments

Doctrine has been a hot topic since the church began. Doctrine  is often misunderstood as simply a set of beliefs; but doctrine, in it’s truest sense, is far more than that. Doctrine in the church is a set of beliefs, but it is also the teaching of life principles that are intended to shape the way we as Christians live in this world. We may want to say “I’m not interested in doctrine, I just want to love Jesus.” – but that is a doctrine, and it will affect the way a person lives.

That’s why doctrine is actually very important.  Not simply as an exercise of the intellect, but as a guide for the choices we must make on a daily basis.  The apostle Paul felt doctrine was important, and urges Christians to follow sound doctrine in the passage we’ll be reading this Sunday: Titus 2:1-10.

When Paul starts describing what he considers to be sound doctrine he doesn’t set out a series of theological propositions, what does he speak about?  What does that tell us about the nature of a truly healthy belief system?

A lot of this passage presents pictures of women in roles that are hugely debated in our present society. We sometimes think that Paul is defining roles for women and men in this passage, but we have to be careful in reading it that way, because his mention of slaves being submissive in the next few verses, read that way, could lead us to believe Paul was also endorsing the evil of slavery. Rather than reading this as Paul defining roles, we should read this as Paul applying the principles of the gospel to the cultural framework he was presenting it in.  It’s really sort of cool – cultures change and evolve and the truths of the gospel can apply within them, affecting change from within.

In our present culture, what do Paul’s words about family and employment mean to us? How does a healthy belief system get worked out in our modern society?

Stuff to chew on.  See you Sunday!  (Home group leaders – Here is the study guide for this teaching: leaders guide 5-13-12 )

Community Watch

Rob Woodrum3 Comments

A community or neighborhood watch are crime prevention programs initiated by neighborhoods where they look out for each other and, hopefully, prevent burglaries or vandalism…or worse. The idea behind them was that citizens needed to take up the responsibility to look after each other and their communities.

It’s not a bad idea…but it’s one that needs to be carried out with great caution, as the events that happened in South Florida several weeks back drove home.  Two people, completely misunderstanding each other in a toxic atmosphere of mistrust resulted in one innocent, unarmed teen’s death.

A community watch can be a good thing, if those undertaking the watch carefully follow the guidlines and keep the primary goal in mind…that of the safety of the community.  If it becomes some vigilante group, or a team of busybodies, then it actually subverts it’s intended purpose.

In similar fashion, Paul intends that the church community watch out for threats to the health of their fellowship. Instead of watching out for burglars, we have to be careful about doctrines, behaviors and attitudes that can negatively effect the well-being of the group. But we have to do so cautiously, so as not to end up working against ourselves by forgetting that redemption and relationship are the goals.

We’re going to be reading Titus 1:10-16 this week, and Paul provides some guidelines about what we need to be careful of as a community concerning doctrine, practice and motive.

What does Paul warn us about mostly in this section? What sort of myths and commands of people can serve to be divisive in the church today?

Some people freak out at Paul’s statement about Cretans in v12. It seems pretty harsh. But if you factor in the history of that statement (you can find it HERE), does it help you see why Paul may have been using that quote?

Hope to see you Sunday!


Qualities of the Guides

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

Sunday we’ll be continuing our study in Titus, reading 1:5-9.

As I write this, on my desk is the opened letter from some fraudulent group called St. Matthews Church. I’m not going to post their link for fear someone might actually click it. Anyway, these “caring” ministers sent me a paper prayer rug with a creepy face of Jesus printed on it. According to the incredibly long instructions printed on several different sheets of paper, if I kneel on this rug and pray for something…or make a wish, I guess….and then send this rug back (with a check, of course), my wish will come true. This, of course, is all done with a great flourish of Scriptures and Jesus’ name is invoked multiple times…well heck, Creepy Jesus is even on the rug!

It’s all a great source of a laugh until I start thinking about the people who actually get duped by these deceivers and I’m reminded of how dangerous church really is.

It’s vitally important for the church to live out in real life the things we believe about God, and it has to start with the leadership of the church.  Hence Paul’s instruction to Titus in our passage.

Hopefully in your experience with the church, there have been leaders whom you respected. What traits did they have that caused you to respect them? How do those traits compare with Paul’s quality control list in our passage?

When you’ve been aware of church leaders being caught in scandals, how has it affected you? If you re-read v7, Paul uses a job description to describe a church leader. How can what he compares leaders to help remind leaders of their purpose and place, and encourage the church community to see leaders in the proper context? (too confusing?…yeah, maybe….just think about it for a while).

That’s going to be our topic – hope you can join in.