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Spare Change - May

Have you ever sat and wrestled for a while with big questions?  I know that most of us have a little more time on our hands, so this is a good time to meditate and ponder.  I was reading in James this past week and came across a verse that I had read many times before, but it struck me differently this time.

You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.  James 4:4

First, we need to understand the context of this verse. James is the elder of the church in Jerusalem.  He writes this letter to give some very practical instruction to the believers.  You can see that he is getting tired of Christians playing games.  He has had enough of weak faith.  He calls out some very bad habits that Christians were apparently struggling with, like not controlling their tongues or having trouble dealing with trials.  In this passage, he really gets going.  He rebukes the believers for infighting among the brothers. Why?  Because they do not have all they want.  Not that their needs are not met, but rather they are craving things of the world that they do not have.  James speaks up to tell them that friendship with the world comes with a price, you will become an enemy of God.

This theme is not new.  All the way back in Psalm 1 we see there are two paths.  One worldly and the other godly.  Jesus addresses this a couple of times with a metaphor about sheep and goats and again when we talk about two paths: one wide and one narrow.  All these things are driving at the same point.  We cannot walk down the worldly path and expect to find God.

In fact, to choose a worldly path is offensive to God.  You are saying that you know better than the creator and Lord of the universe.  You are saying that all the good gifts that God has given are not enough.  You are saying that sin and wicked deeds are better than the righteous teaching of God.  You are basically saying that you do not trust God.

The world is seductive, with its constant newness, never mind that all the "new" are usually shined up versions of old sins.  The world draws us in like a shiny lure does with fish, but we do not realize there are sharp hooks that grab a hold of our hearts.  We get trapped by the shininess of it and before too long we are addicted to it.  The sad reality is that the world can never fulfill us, that is not its purpose.  Rather it just keeps us craving more and more until we are so deep into sin that we do not even recognize who we are anymore.

I realize it is hard to resist because the world is entertaining and often we can rationalize it in our lives.  The world has a firm grasp on many Christians because, well, it is just easier. Resisting the world and following God takes work.  Paul compared training for godliness to training for a race.  You do not get up off the couch and run a marathon without extensive training.  Godliness does not just happen by accident either.  It takes time and dedication to study God’s word, to pray, to obey and to cultivate a relationship with the Lord.   However, there is great hope even if you have been walking down the path of worldliness.  James helps with this in verses 7-10.

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.  James 4:7-10

We need to repent, turn our hearts back to God and commit to His ways.  If you have been walking down the path of worldliness, turn back to God today.  The world will only leave you empty, craving more and more.  The path of godliness will fulfill you and bring you close to the Savior.  Forsake the world and turn back to Jesus to walk the path of righteousness today!

Student Ministry - May

Dear Church Family,

During this time of social distancing and home isolation we as a church have continued to make much of the Lord and His goodness and glory. We’ve moved our services to online venues and have switched our Life Groups to Life Group video chats. The students have been video chatting in their Life Groups on Wednesday nights and have been joining a video chat with me on Sunday nights. I want all our people to know that God is still in control, and His people still need to hear His Word. Hearing from God and encouraging one another is how we are going to get through this. And I pray that on the other side, we will be more passionate for God’s glory than ever before!

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Student Retreat last month, but the Student Ministry has been looking at this whole situation as a God-mandated, long-term retreat of sorts. So, we have been discussing what resting in Christ really means and what it looks like. It has been very relevant for the time we are in. Here are just a few things about true rest that I want to share with you:

True rest happens somewhere between anxious toil and laziness. We can only rest when we trust Christ to work perfectly for us and are then motivated by that freedom to work in His grace and power. God does not want our lives to be filled with anxious toil and perfectionism. Psalm 127:2 says ^“It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” Matthew 6:31 says “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’” God wants us to put our faith in Him and receive our righteousness from what He has done for us through Christ on the cross. Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” And Hebrews 4:10-11a says “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. ¹¹ Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest…”

Trusting in Christ is how we find true rest! But in that, we are not made lazy. The reason is because we now have new desires filled with a God-breathed work ethic. Look at what Titus 2:11-14 says: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, ¹² instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ
Jesus, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own
possession, zealous for good deeds.” (emphasis mine) This means that once we have put our faith in Christ, we are given a new heart and new hope, and our work ethic actually grows because of our newfound love for God. When we live on mission for Him, He provides us with all the energy we will ever need. Colossians 1:28-29 says “²⁸ We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. ²⁹ For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (emphasis mine)

So, what does this mean for us? It means that we cannot be lazy, but also that the burden of life is not really up to us. It means that we can get up day after day and face what life has to throw our way, because we don’t have to carry it. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My
burden is light.” As we follow Jesus and trust in Him as Savior and Lord, He is carrying the yoke and He has the burden under control. Trust Him and rest in His grace and power as you zealously live for His glory!

Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren