Tag: church

Kids & Kingdom: Children in the Gospels- Heirs of the Kingdom

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Imago Dei Class, Kids & KingdomLeave a comment

I recently heard a counselor tell parents that one of the most helpful tools in raising children is the remembrance of their own childhood. This helps the parent remember what it felt like to be a child, including both the positive and negative aspects.

For example, it helps the parent consider how little things can be huge things to kids, like the friend that hurt their feelings during recess. In our adult minds, we know it was likely a minor thing and not worth getting all worked up about. But for them, it is as if their world came crashing down on the playground.

Remembering what it felt like to be a child helps us have sympathy and compassion for children and their experience of life. It enables us to enter their world, so to speak, and comprehend the things that matter (or don’t matter) to them.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses as one who was tempted in every way as we are, yet was without sin. He can sympathize with children, too, because he was one. He is not just our perfect high priest, but theirs too. He can understand their world, their struggles, and their dreams. He also knows what children are capable of, even when adults can’t see it.

Let the Children Come to Me

Jesus’ disposition towards children is displayed in several of the gospels. Consider this story from Mark 10. “And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them” (Mk 10:13-16).

Who was bringing children to Jesus? Probably their parents, siblings, or grandparents! Why? “That he might touch them” (v. 13)  It is possible that they had heard of Jesus’ power and how that power had been revealed through touch (Mk 1:40-42, 5:25-34). Maybe touching Jesus would make their children strong and healthy or wise and successful. Maybe it would even make them more obedient!

I think its more likely that they were seeking a blessing for their children. Blessings were often conveyed by the laying on of hands (Gen 48:14). So these parents probably though it would be good for Jesus to touch their children. Wouldn’t you?

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The Necessary Ingredients for Effective Gospel Ministry (Colossians 4:7-18)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Colossians, Devotionals, Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

Last words are meant to be lasting words, yet so often I am guilty of skimming over them in the Bible. I find this temptation in the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians as well. He lists several names and gives salutatory commands that may seem to amount to “Tell Barnabas I said hey.” Yet when we slow down and consider all that he’s saying in this passage, there’s a beautiful lesson to be learned. That lesson is the example of effective gospel ministry.

Paul’s ministry of the gospel was effective. It bore much fruit. You and I are more than likely believers today because of Paul’s ministry. Yet we know from the book of Acts and his epistles that he never ministered alone. There were several men and women that God called to minister alongside Paul, whether it was through joining him on mission trips, helping him escape assassination attempts, or working alongside him to plant and encourage churches.

In other words, Paul’s ministry wasn’t effective just because he was a great communicator or a strong leader. It was effective because of the things and people that made up his ministry of the gospel. We see these people and these things in full color in Colossians 4:7-18. I call them the necessary ingredients to effective gospel ministry. Here’s seven of them.

1. Gospel ministry requires the family of God laboring together (4:7-8).

    Paul begins this section, “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servantin the Lord” (v. 7).[1] Notice that he refers to Tychicus by name and calls him first a beloved brother and then a fellow servant. The church of Jesus Christ is not primarily a team or a staff, but a family, and we labor together to fulfill the family mission of making disciples among the nations. We are not called to minister individually, but together! If the apostle Paul needed partners in the gospel, how much more do we?

    2. Gospel ministry requires intentional encouragement (4:8).

    Paul tells the Colossians his purpose in sending Tychicus to them: “that you may know how we are” and “that he may encourage your hearts” (v. 8). These are two separate purposes, but they are closely related. We recently had a missionary from South Asia come and give our church a report on the work there. By letting us know “how they are,” he greatly encouraged our hearts that God is still at work among the nations.

    However, I do think Paul is sending Tychicus to encourage the Colossians directly. The gift of encouragement is to the church what a rush of oxygen is to a struggling fire. That’s why Paul commands the Thessalonians to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess 5:11). We know this intuitively. If you’ve spent any time trying to improve in some skill or area of life and someone takes note and encourages you in it, it strengthens you to continue what you’re doing. So it is with gospel ministry. We must intentionally encourage one another to keep laboring for Christ’s kingdom.

    3. Gospel ministry requires intercessory prayer (4:12-13).

    Paul names another man in v. 12, Epaphras, and describes him as “always struggling on your behalf in his prayers.” He goes on to say that Epaphras “has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis” (v. 13). Epaphras could have visited and worked in these churches, but within the context of v. 12, Paul likely has the work of prayer in view. Epaphras is a prayer warrior for these three churches. His work is regularly taking them and their needs before the throne of heaven.

    Effective gospel ministry in a church requires intentional prayer of every member. As Spurgeon once said, a prayerless church member is like a decaying tooth in the mouth that does not contribute to the work of the church. Each member should pray for the ministry and health of the church. It is necessary work, and it is good work, but it is work. In other words, it doesn’t just happen naturally. We must make time for it, and commit to it. Let us be members who, like Epaphras, work hard by praying for our churches and their ministry of the gospel.

    Continue reading “The Necessary Ingredients for Effective Gospel Ministry (Colossians 4:7-18)” →

    How to Faithfully Serve Christ’s Church (Colossians 1:24-2:5)

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Colossians, Devotionals, Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

    Last week we considered Paul’s Christological masterpiece in Colossians 1:15-23. Oh what a beautiful passage! This week we move to 1:24-2:5, where Paul continues his theme of Christocentrism, but does so with an emphasis on what it looks like to serve him faithfully.

    Paul begins by describing his own ministry, which sets the example he sets for all ministers of Christ. His goal was, and our goal should be, to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” after our life of service (Matt 25:23). Scott Pace echoes this point, “The measure of our success in life, and certainly in ministry, is ultimately summarized by one standard in God’s kingdom—faithfulness.”[1] This passage teaches us what faithful servants of Jesus do. They suffer as servants of the church, they strive for the mission of the church, and they strengthen the members of the church.[2]

    Suffer as Servants of the Church (1:24-25)

    Paul begins this section, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known” (1:24-25).

    Faithful servants of Jesus should expect suffering. “If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first” Jesus said in John 15:18. We should also expect suffering to come at the hands of a broken and fallen world. “In this world you will have tribulation,” Jesus says, “but take heart, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

    Notice that Paul says he rejoices in his suffering. He knows that these tribulations are to be expected. But that is not why he rejoices in them. He rejoices in them because he knows that they are doing something! I am suffering “for your sake,” he says, and “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” What does Paul mean here?

    Continue reading “How to Faithfully Serve Christ’s Church (Colossians 1:24-2:5)” →

    You Should Regularly Pray This! (Colossians 1:9-14)

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Colossians, Devotionals, Imago Dei Class, Messages1 Comment

    What should I pray for consistently? Aside from our immediate needs (health, jobs, direction), we often do not know what we should pray about or who we should pray for. We don’t know how or what to pray for our own spiritual lives, much less the lives of our fellow church members or friends. Thankfully, God’s Word shows us the what and the how!

    This week we continue our study of Colossians  by studying 1:9-14, where Paul moves from his opening greeting and thanksgiving to encouraging the Colossians by giving them insight into how and what he prays for them. He does this to show them that God is answering their prayers and to model for them what they are to pray for, look for, and rejoice in.

    I think Paul highlights two main prayer requests here, requests that all of us should regularly pray for ourselves and other believers in our lives:

    1. To be filled with the knowledge of God’s will (1:9)

    Paul’s first request is that the Colossians would be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual insight” (v. 9). The “will” and “insight” that he has in mind here is not the specifics regarding who to marry or which job to take, but God’s will for all his people- the will to know his Son and walk with Him.

    How do I know that? Because Paul tells his readers why he prays this for them, “so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (v. 10).” The kind of spiritual understanding he is praying for is understanding what God wants (to trust his Son) and what kind of life is pleasing and honoring to his Son.

    Paul then describes the kind of life, or “walk,” that is pleasing to the Son. First, it is a walk that bears fruit. “Fruit” is the tangible evidence of God’s work in and through us. It includes spiritual growth, holiness, and having an eternal impact through our ministry (and yes, everyone is called to minister wherever God plants them!).

    Bearing fruit is using the gifts God has given us, in dependence upon the Spirit who dwells inside us, to impact those around us. It is becoming more and more like Jesus, and because of that, introducing more and more people to Jesus.

    “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should last,” Jesus said in John 15:16. These words were spoken to his original disciples, but they apply to all his disciples. Our Lord is pleased when we bear fruit![1]

    The second aspect of a walk that is pleasing to the Lord is a life marked by “increasing in the knowledge of God.” Jesus does not save us just so we can labor for his kingdom and see fruit in our ministries. We aren’t just servants, but friends and children of God (John 15:15). He wants us to see fruit in our relationship with God. He wants us to growin our knowledge of God. He wants to see our capacity for a relationship with God to deepen. And that happens as we grow in our knowledge of God.

    We can spend so much of our time praying about and being consumed with the little details of our life. Its not that God doesn’t care about those, but what he is primarily concerned with, as was Paul, is that we understand his will and walk in a manner worthy of Christ. If we do that, all the little things will fall into place. For example, our youth pastor regularly tells high school students to not be primarily focused on where God wills for them to go to college but who God wills for them to be wherever they go. That last piece- the who he calls us to be- that’s the knowledge of his will, and that knowledge applies to not only college choices, but to every area of our lives.

    Continue reading “You Should Regularly Pray This! (Colossians 1:9-14)” →

    Children & Church

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Miscellaneous2 Comments

    What if our children saw church,
    not as a place where their parents went out of mundane routine, but a place where they delighted to go?

    What if our children saw church as the place where their parents expected to meet with God, worship Him, and learn to walk with Him?

    What if our children saw church as the place where their parents looked for opportunities to speak to, encourage, and pray for other members?

    What if our children saw church as the place where their parents cheerfully gave their money, time, and resources to the mission of God?

    What if our children saw the church as the place where their parents were constantly inviting their friends, family, and even strangers to go?

    What if our children saw the church as the place where their parents were refreshed and invigorated for the week ahead?

    What if our children saw the church as the place that their parents valued so highly that almost nothing came in the way of their attending?

    How might all of this affect the child’s, and future adult’s, view of church?
    The next generation is watching us, parents! By the grace of God, may we demonstrate through our attitudes and actions the incredible value, beauty, and privilege of being a part of God’s church

    How God Builds, Sustains, and Strengthens His Church (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Imago Dei Class2 Comments

    Church life is messy. There are no perfect churches because they are no perfect people. The church at Corinth demonstrated the possibility of imperfection better than any other church in the New Testament. Their disarrayed congregation fell prey to the cult of personality (1:10-17), sexual immorality (5:1-13; 6:12-20), confusion about marriage (7:1-40), misuse of Christian liberty (8:1-11:1), dishonorable practices surrounding the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34), unhealthy practices concerning spiritual gifts (chs 12-14), and incorrect views on the resurrection (ch. 15).[1] A mess indeed.

    Nevertheless, they remained God’s church. And the beginning of Paul’s letter to them tells us just how God builds, strengthens, and sustains His church, despite the mess they may create. He helps us clean up our mess by re-directing our attention to His work and to the ways that He builds, strengthens, and sustains His people.

    1. God calls leaders to shepherd His people (1 Cor. 1:1).

    1Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes (1:1)

    God does not desire for His church to function as an anarchic democracy. He raises up leaders to shepherd His people. Paul identifies Himself as one of these leaders in the opening verse of the chapter-as an “apostle” who was “called” to His assignment according to “God’s will.” It is the same with all church leaders- God appoints shepherds to lead His flock. “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,[2] to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). The church should pray for, support, and follow the leadership of her shepherds, as they follow the Chief Shepherd.

    2. God saves sinners and sanctifies saints (1:2-3).

    2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:2-3).

    God’s church is the place where sinners become sanctified saints. It is where the gospel is preached, where sin is repented of, and where Christ is believed (i.e. “called upon”). Those in Christ are sanctified- a word that is in the perfect tense in Greek, emphasizing the resultant state. In other words, members of Christ’s church have been made holy in Christ, and are currently holy in Him. As such, the Scriptures call us saints.

    Continue reading “How God Builds, Sustains, and Strengthens His Church (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)” →

    Discipleship Happens in Relationships

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

    Discipleship is an integral part of the believer’s life and a necessary component of any local church’s ministry. However, discipleship can be easily misunderstood and become a sort of grey, ambiguous term, something that we all know we should be a part of but we aren’t sure how. We know that Jesus invites us to be disciples and commands us to make disciples, but we don’t really know what that looks like. So what does it look like? Relationships. Relationships with the purpose of growing in Christ.

    Let me start by defining terms. Discipleship is the process of following Jesus. Disciple-making is the process of helping people follow Jesus. This is primarily done through relationships. Disciples are not made via online sermons, curriculum, or printed books. They are made through participation in the body of Christ, especially through participation in relationships.

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    The Necessary Attitude of Sunday Expectancy

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

    What should our attitude be towards Sunday worship? I’ve been pondering this question as I prayer walk around our church campus this morning. Unfortunately, one of the attitudes I sense the most is one of reluctance. People don’t really want to be there, but they know other people expect them to be. They believe that good Christians should go to church, and so they go, doing the bare minimum while they’re there. This attitude often leads people to be there physically without being engaged spiritually.

    Others may not have an attitude towards Sunday worship at all. They just go. It’s a habit. Like robots carrying out a programmed task, they wake up, go to church, shake some hands, maybe even give an offering, and return home. No negative attitude, but not necessarily a positive one, either. Status quo. Go with the flow. Whatever it may be, wrong attitudes (or lack of right ones) do not glorify God, lead to spiritual growth, or bless fellow believers. Therefore, we need to fight for the right attitude towards Sunday worship. I believe one of those attitudes to be an attitude of expectancy.

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    Ten Advantages to Gathering Together as the Body

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

    The term “gather” does not only include a Sunday morning worship service, but may also include life groups, small groups, socials, discipleship groups, etc. The following are some of the many advantages to gathering faithfully with other believers in the context of a local church. 

    1. You receive help and support in time of need.

    In our walk with Jesus, we all struggle at times. We all have needs. We get discouraged. We are prone to drift. Our faith gets weak. We grow weary in well-doing. When such times arise, should we merely “strive harder” in our flesh? No. Instead, we should lean into the power of the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest with trusted friends. God wants our fellowship with others to be real, honest, and transparent. We should be able to say to others, “I am really struggling. Would you please pray for me? Do you have any advice from your experience?” Sometimes we might even need physical or financial help from the body of Christ. “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:45). 

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    Seven Ways to Get More Out of Sunday Sermons

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

    For centuries, Christians have considered the preaching of God’s Word to be one of the primary means of grace.  In other words, it is one of the main things God uses not only to save, but to grow and sanctify His people. Does the way we view, prepare for, and listen to preaching reflect this truth? If we really believe that preaching is one of the primary tools God uses to fashion, guide, and grow us, what practices regarding sermon-listening should we develop? I’d like to offer seven.

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