Tag: church

Strengthening our Spirtuality

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This Sunday we’ll be looking at 1 Timothy 4:1-10 where Paul gives warnings and guidance regarding false teachers. Today, we find no shortage of people pointing to different church leaders and different doctrines as false, and honestly it can be overwhelming to sift through it all. How can we be confident that the teachings we follow are in line with what we learn about Jesus in the gospel?

Based on the way Paul describes these actions, we see that this is something he takes quite seriously. He points out that people have been adding extra rules and regulations that do not come from Christ. Some could argue that these restrictions are not life threatening, but Paul says that people who enforce this type of behavior are led by deceptive spirits and their consciences are dead. Why does this seem to be something Paul is so passionate about? Why do actions like this have grave consequences from his perspective?

V6-10 provides a few positive directions for us to follow in searching for a healthy spiritual worldview.  What is the basis for a good spiritual worldview according to v6?  

What we believe matters.  While we never want to join the bashing tactics of the loud voices that overwhelm the news and social media, we do need to recognize the need for a clear, Scriptural framework from which we make the choices of life. 

We hope you can join us this Sunday as we dive into this scripture together.

Matters of the Church

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I’m always curious about the different expectations that people have when they come to church. I wonder about when people step through the doors of Eastgate, whether it’s the first time or the hundredth time, what are they expecting to find?

Those who have been to Eastgate many times might expect to be greeted with friendly faces. They might expect to grab a refill of coffee during the five minute break. They might expect to sign up for a new event or ministry. They might expect it to feel like winter on the inside while it is boiling lava hot in the rest of Florida. 

Sometimes, we have found Eastgate to disappoint people’s expectations of what church should be. We have had some leave the church because they expected us to put more effort into how the church is marketed in the local community. Some have left because they expected us to spend more time weighing in on political matters or whatever things are dominating the 24 hour news cycles.

What are some non-negotiable expectations that you have for Eastgate, or all church communities that you participate in? For me, I expect to spend time studying scripture. I expect to spend time worshipping through music. I expect to support, and be supported, by the people in the church community.

This week, as we read 1 Timothy 3:14-16, we will see Paul continue to reinforce his expectations for the church community. This book is a letter to a church in Ephesus, a place we are many miles and many years removed from. Yet, there is wisdom in this text that is meant to shape and cultivate every church community that is centered on Christ. It is through studying this word we are able to learn Paul’s expectations for a healthy church, and consider how well we line up with that at Eastgate.

We invite you to join us this Sunday as we study the word together at 10:00AM.

The Call to Community

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

Did you know that April 15 marks Eastgate’s 31st birthday? Last year at a staff meeting, we talked about how amazed we were that our little church community had reached 30 years. Now here we are, a year later, celebrating 31.

Instead of throwing a big party, we realized we would rather invest our energy into the people and ministries that make this community what it is.

Over the past year, we launched a podcast to share more about who we are and to talk about things we do not always have time for on a Sunday morning. We created our first ever VBS program from scratch and served over 30 children. We began weekly financial support for Pastor Christian and the Spanish speaking ministry he leads. We also opened a new Eastgate location in the Fountain and Marianna area called Eastgate North, led by Julie Gjendem and her husband Trond. 

We also continued many of the quiet, faithful practices that shape who we are. Our weekly donations to the Panama City Rescue Mission continued. Our meal train ministry kept bringing meals to families welcoming babies or walking through illness. Men’s gatherings, women’s gatherings, young adult meetings, and small groups all carried on. We trained and hired our teens to help care for children during special events, inviting them into responsibility and service. 

I have been part of this community for all 31 years, and I am continually in awe of what God has done through this imperfect, generous group of people. That brings us to this Sunday’s scripture. Jesus will be teaching about what to do when people in a community face internal struggles. 

The truth is that a healthy community is made up of people, and wherever there are people, there will be conflict. This Sunday we will read Matthew 18:15 to 35. The first part of the teaching helps us see that conflict is not only normal, but that there are wise and loving ways to address it. How might learning to handle conflict well actually strengthen a community rather than weaken it?

We invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we study this scripture together and reflect on what it means to cultivate community.

The Weight of Unity

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Has anyone ever had a job that would require regular inspections from outside sources? When I (Janelle) worked in the children’s program at the navy base we were regularly inspected by government officials to make sure our practices complied with their standards.

Sometimes the inspections were planned and sometimes they were surprises. The planned inspections involved a great deal of preparation on our side. We would review the areas that would be inspected, we would re-train staff, and we would clean every last inch of a space that was constantly filled with over a hundred kids. Needless to say, it was a stressful time.

There was always a huge feeling of relief when the inspection was over and we could return to our normal ways of running the center. We could untuck our shirts and be a lot more relaxed about how we ran things.

While Paul was not an inspector for the church of Corinth, he was invested in how they lived out their Christian faith. Even though Paul spent a good deal of time with the church in Corinth and teaching them about Jesus, even from afar, Paul found that it was clear they got sloppy while he was away. We’ll be reading 1 Corinthians chapter 1:10-17, where we’re told that Chloe’s household noticed that they did more than untuck their shirts… they seemed to have forgotten the majority of the way they were taught to live.

From what we understand of the culture at that time, societal standings were built on an honor and shame code. It was like a never-ending game of chutes and ladders where people could move up or down depending on what leaders they followed and who they associated with. Even though they were instructed to flip the board game table like Jesus, they seemed to have fallen back into the same social traps by creating a Christian-themed version of the game.

Paul, knowing and loving this church well, had no patience for this type of behavior and was clear about where he wanted them to go from there. I find it fascinating and heartbreaking that a church’s problems from so long ago and so far away can still relate to us today.

This brings us to Sunday and the questions we must ask ourselves as we study the text. Is this a cycle we are doomed to repeat, like the one in Genesis, or are there different choices we can make? Is it possible that the actions of our small church could make a difference? Do you think the Corinthians heard Paul’s word and changed? Or do you suspect their divisions only got deeper as time passed? 

Since we don’t have the Corinthian response to Paul’s letter it means that we get the opportunity to live out the response for them. I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we study 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 together and discover for ourselves the power of Paul’s pleas for unity.

Elemental Eastgate

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

So we finally made it through the extremely challenging task of studying the book of Revelation. This Sunday, before we begin our study in a new book, we’re going to take a moment to reflect on our goals as a community. We will be looking at our purpose, our values, as well as our vision.

Some of the Scriptures we will be looking at will be: Matthew 22:36-40; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Galatians 5:1-3 as well as others.

If you’ve been a part of Eastgate for anytime, how would you describe our fellowship? If you were to take an objective look at our fellowship, what do you think our values are? Are there specific things that you appreciate about Eastgate? Are there things you think we could improve on? I’d be interested to know your thoughts on this in the comment section.

I think this will be a good refresher on why were here and what we’re doing. It’s good for us to find unity in purpose and harmony in Christ! I hope you can make it, I believe it’s important for everyone who feels that they are a member of this fellowship. Hope to see you Sunday!

In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas

Enduring in a Hazardous World

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Man…what a year 2017 has been! We’re on track to break records for the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters this year. USA today says we’ve already tied the record for billion dollar disasters. It is reasonable that people are wondering about the end of the world.

I’ve been asked multiple times if I think these are signs of the last days. My answer is “absolutely”. According to Matthew 24, all of these things – wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, storms, diseases – are going to characterize the world as we wait for Jesus to return. From the time Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, we’ve been on the final stretch of history until he returns. So, yes, these are indicators of that…but in many ways, it’s just another tragic day in a broken world. These are the labor pains as a new world is breaking in. Since labor pains usually increase as the birth draws closer, it seems reasonable that these upheavals will increase as we get closer to the end.

Given that, how should the church be responding to this? What is Jesus expecting from us as this world reels and becomes hazardous? If the world were going to end tomorrow, what does God want to see from us?

That’s what we’ll be considering this Sunday as we continue our study in Revelation, reading chapter 2:1-11.

This begins another section traditionally called the 7 letters to the 7 churches. As we stated before, there were more than 7 churches in Asia Minor, so highlighting 7 of them carries the implication that these instructions are for all churches throughout all time.

The first church addressed is in Ephesus. They are commended for an active ministry and doctrinal purity. They were hard at work, serving each other and holding on to orthodoxy. But Jesus zeroed in on something that was lacking. What was it? They were doing the stuff that most churches are always being prodded towards – but it doesn’t seem to be worthwhile without the component Jesus identifies as missing. Jesus tells them to “remember”, “repent” and then “do”. What would that look like lived out in real life?

What does that tell us about God’s expectations of us as this world rocks and reels? What is our main mission as we march toward the end of history?

We’ll also be reading the instructions to the church in Smyrna. They aren’t corrected for anything – but they are encouraged not to do something. What is it? What does that tell us about God’s expectations for the church in the last days? What should characterize our attitudes and ministries? How does that square with frantic end of the world predictions you’ve encountered?

Hope to see you this Sunday!

 

The Triumphant Decline

Rob Woodrum2 Comments

Have you ever worked really hard on some idea only to have someone else come along and take credit for it, even indirectly? What emotions did you feel?

The human need to be significant and important, at very least for recognition is universal. Ego is a tough wrestling opponent. Yet, as we’ll read in this week’s text, John the Baptist was able to find joy and peace by putting his own ego last and Jesus first.

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 3:22-36 as we continue our exploration of the fourth gospel.

John’s gospel is the only account that indicates that Jesus and John had a time when their ministries overlapped. Jesus began with John the Baptist’s endorsement, and now, we find that he is present when the first hint of controversy arises. His disciples are jealous at the rising popularity of Jesus and his message. John was very popular, probably more popular than Jesus at this beginning stage…he had all the trappings of what passes for successful ministry. Yet it was his joy to step aside for the elevation of Christ.

What reason does he give for that in v27?

Does that help you in any struggles you may have in embracing an intentional humility?

v30 is a powerful statement. It sets the tone for the entire church movement. We haven’t always been very successful in remembering who it is that everything orbits around. How do you think it can bring you joy, like it did for John the Baptist, to allow the reality of Jesus to increase in your life? What would be decreasing in your life as this takes place?

In yet another way, the kingdom of God moves counter to the world’s assumptions, we we find ourselves flourishing through this triumphant decline.

Hope to see you on Sunday!

Myth #3, The Clergy – Laity Divide

Rob Woodrum3 Comments

Sorry about Wonderwhat being down last week.  Technical issues which have now been rectified were to blame.

vestmentsI have received a lot of invitations over the years, invitations that you have NOT received.  Do you know why?  They were invitations to honor the clergy among us, of which I am perceived to be.  You didn’t get the invite to be honored (or fed or given a plaque or ride on a plane) because YOU are perceived to be laity.  Of course…if the one doing the inviting were to interrogate me first…do a little research beyond the fact that I’m listed as a pastor in a church…they would probably rescind the offer.  As soon as it was discovered that I didn’t attend a seminary or a Bible college, I would be promptly demoted to the position of “lay minister”, because, of course, I didn’t receive official training for my status.   That’s the way it works, you see.  I have a friend who was informed by someone who was inquiring about Eastgate that we aren’t an actual church, because the pastor hasn’t been officially ordained and lacks the proper training.

Hey…I’ll be the first in line to complain about the lead pastor at Eastgate, and his lack of skills (bow-hunting and nun-chuck skills come readily to mind).  BUT…is it really a Biblical mandate that a specific class of people receive official training for a “spiritual vocation”?  Is there really a distinction between a “clergy class” and a “laity”?

The word “clergy” comes from the Greek word “kleros“…it means first and foremost, an alloted portion, or we could say “an inheritance”.  It’s used in 1 Pet 5:3, Pete encourages leaders not to “lord over” “those entrusted to them”.  The word he used for “those entrusted” is “kleros”.  Break it down…who is Peter calling “clergy” in this verse?

Col 1:12 is another passage where this word kleros shows up.  There, it’s translated as “inheritance”.  So…substitute the word “clergy” for the word “inheritance” as you read it.  Who is the clergy in this passage?

We’ll unpack this on Sunday morning as we take on the myth of the clergy/laity divide…and we may also consider the concept of “secular and spiritual” along with it.

See you then.

CORRECTION: Just to qualify, based on Mike’s comment…I want to clarify that I in no way mean to denigrate those who have paid the cost of formal training, nor do I mean to imply that there is no value in being educated to the best of our ability to do so.  My issue is with what essentially a class distinction between those who occupy supposed offices and the general community of the church.  There is no premium on ignorance…but does that entitle a person to elevated status among the saints?

What is the Church Anyway?

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

Our text this Sunday will be 1 Tim 3:14-16 (In the Message)

Just a few short verses, in which Paul gives an explanation about why he’s writing this letter in the first place.  In his explanation, he gives some very interesting insights about the nature of the church gathering.  How does v15 describe the church?  What three descriptors does he use?  What do those mean to you?

The context is the church, yet what does v16 seem to be talking about?  What do you see as the connection?

Short…to the point…yet a lot to think about.  See youse Sunday.