As I write this, my family is coming off of the better part of a week of having been very sick. It's one thing to miss church because it's cancelled, due to severe weather, or for some other emergency situation. To be sick and miss church is just miserable. We were thankful to join you all in spirit via the Facebook live-stream. We also want to say a big thank you to the many who demonstrated the love of Christ to our family, the many who offered to help with whatever we needed, and to the countless others who prayed for good health to return to our home. I hope and pray that you all show and demonstrate Christ's love to one another the same way. We are all feeling much better and expect to be fully present this weekend, to worship with you, to open the Word with you, and to enjoy the fellowship and community of the church with you. We'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Church Membership
This weekend is All Family Sunday. We will be taking a break from our Corinthians series and this week look at the topic of church membership. Though I have taught on this topic a couple of times at The Village, we still get questions about whether or not we have membership, how someone becomes a member, and what it means to be a church member. However, in our day one of the biggest thoughts regarding church membership is, "I'm a Christian, why do I need to join a specific church?" It seems to me that the right thing to do is open the Word of God during one of our gatherings and highlight this aspect of Christian life.
Church membership, though not specifically named, is implicitly implied in the New Testament of the Bible. Church membership aids your growth in the Christian life, unifies your life with other believers, helps you guard against temptation and sin, and glorifies God as you walk more fully embracing his design for Christian life. If you have had questions about becoming a member at The Village Church, this is a weekend you don’t want to miss. I’ll highlight much of what this looks like biblically and practically. I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Prioritize Praying with People!
Every Sunday when we gather, we have a time during our worship service where we take time to pray as a congregation. This is corporate prayer. We join our hearts and minds together before the Lord, seeking His glory as we ask him to move on our behalf in the requests and petitions that we offer as a church body. It is an opportunity for me, as a pastor, to shepherd you, the church, in a unique way through prayer.
Every Wednesday night Jacqueline and I open our home to the church to gather for prayer. This is corporate prayer. A time to listen to our brothers and sisters, hear the burdens that they carry, and then to carry them to the Lord in prayer.
Prayer is absolutely essential to the Christian life, this is an inescapable truth throughout the entire Bible. In his devotional book "Evening by Evening," first published in 1868, Charles Spurgeon wrote on January 15th, "Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit, and vocation. As artists, give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so we must addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication."
If you are not prioritizing prayer with the people of God I would strongly encourage you to start. If the only time you are praying with other believers is on Sunday morning, that's simply not enough. I am burdened for us as a church to be a praying church. I am burdened for you as a Christian to be a praying Christian. I am praying that God would burden and stir us, would burden and stir you to prayer. I'll see you Sunday, and next Wednesday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
New In Christ!
Well, we are through with the first week of the year. How's that going for you? I've been dwelling on 2 Corinthians 5:17 this past week. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." I spoke to the youth group about this last Sunday night and men, if you're reading this, your welcome for the preview to our time Saturday morning.
"If anyone is in Christ..." Are you in Christ? Have you, through faith, placed your trust in Jesus Christ as Savior? Have you confessed and repented of sin? Have you been victoriously pulled from the darkness of the world and into the light of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ? Have you seen the victory of the Lord over sin in your life and felt the sweet release from its death grip? Are you striving to live according to God's word? If you haven't, you are still the old creation; nothing new, nothing changed, not in Christ. The Bible warns, "Today if you hear his voice do not harden your heart." Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, confess him as Lord of your life, live in submission to word and be new; be changed! I'd love to talk with you more about this. If you have any questions, please contact me!
If you are in Christ, the Bible says you are a new creation; a new creation! The old has gone, the new has come! Is the old gone, or at least going? If the old is hanging around, what change has there been? What new thing have you become? If you are in Christ, you should be becoming something different, something conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, something holy and pleasing to God. Are you pleasing to God? It's a new year, what is old and gone? What is new? I'm thankful for the areas of my life were I can see that the old is gone and the new is come. I'm actively working on the areas where the Spirit reminds me, "Hey! That's old, get rid of it!" I'm looking forward to being with the church and worshiping the Lord this Sunday. I'll see you there!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
The Year 2020
Well the year 2020 is finally here. I've seen all of the jokes that I think are possible so far, "Where's my Jetson's car?" and "I'm Barbara Walters and this is..." and the worst, "2020, a year of clarity." Regardless, it is a new year and I know that for many people this means resolutions and an attempt to improve some area of life. If you are looking for a new years resolution idea still, I have one for you: resolve to get into the Word of God more in your every day life. There are any number of methods and ways to go about this but I do think that one of the best ways to is to have a plan to follow and accountability in sticking with it. The reason gym memberships don't pan out, the reason diets aren't adhered to, the reason reading the Bible more diminishes so rapidly is bound up in a lack of accountability.
I have committed to reading the Bible in its entirety this year and I think I could do it by myself, but I know with the accountability of others reading alongside of me I'll stick to it. Bible.com has made both reading the Bible in a year and the accountability of others reading it with me easy, and if you're up to the challenge I want to invite you to come along with me! Follow this link (One Year Bible Reading Plan) to my invitation for you to join me on this journey! In one year we will read once through the entire Old Testament and twice through the New Testament and Psalms. I am reading in my actual Bible while following the plan online. At the end of each day there is the ability to discuss with others that are journeying with us, I like that feature! If apps and the internet aren't your thing but you like the sound of this, let me know. I have the ability to print this plan out and would be happy to get a copy to you!
The year 2020 is here. Let's resolve to know God and His Word better this year, together!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Happy New Year!
Thank you to everyone who served in someway and was involved in helping glorify the Lord, through our joint Christmas Eve gathering with the Byron Baptist Church. It's never just a one or two man show, and speaking on behalf of myself and Pastor Gary, we could not imagine doing this without such supporting congregations. An estimated 375 people came out and we can be certain that not every heart in the room belongs to the Lord Jesus. Please join me in praying for all of the souls that came out in whose life we had the honor of planting and watering the gospel seed.
As a new year approaches, I am praying for you as a people and for us as a church. I'm praying that we will continue seeking to glorify the name of the Lord, to edify and build up the church, and to lead lost souls closer to the cross of Christ and the life that we have found in Him.
I'm looking forward to worshipping with you one last Sunday this decade. I hope you will join us Sunday as we share communion and reflect on what the Lord has done and look forward to what he will do. I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
30 Days of Prayer for Christmas Eve 2019
Hello Church!
It is hard to believe that we are about to embark into another season of holiday activities! If this is the only reminder you receive over the next several busy weeks, don’t forget what is truly important. Maintain your relationship with the Lord through diligent time in the Word, time in prayer, and time with other believers! It’s not the meals or decorations or gifts people will remember, it’s being together. Remember, around us always are those who do not carry the hope and light of Jesus Christ, and they don’t need us distracted by something that holds no eternal value. Love God, love people!
For the past couple of years, as we approach our Christmas Eve gathering, we have committed as a church, to thirty days of prayer. And, we are calling the church to this again in 2019!
We have been extremely thankful for the opportunity that the Lord has given us to work with Byron Baptist Church over the past couple of years. From The Break and community youth group, to vacation Bible school, our two churches have enjoyed wonderful unity in the Spirit as we co-labor in our community for the sake of the Gospel. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to provide our community with a joint Christmas Eve worship gathering. I met with Pastor Gary yesterday and through a wonderful planning meeting it is quite clear that the Lord is out ahead of our planning. More specific details about Christmas Eve and how you can be involved will be coming very soon!
In the meantime, we are calling the church to spend thirty days in prayer starting November 24th, for this endeavor into our community for the sake of the Kingdom. How can you pray?
Pray that the churches would walk united in the Lord (John 17:20-21) and in purpose (Philippians 1:27) as we bring the gospel to our community this Christmas.
Pray that the Lord would continue to go before us in planning that every point and every detail would be in accordance with His will, for His purpose, (Proverbs 19:21).
Pray for the protection and good health of those in the church body that we may labor for the Lord without distraction or interruption, (Ezra 8:21-23).
Pray for the lost souls who will be invited to join us on Christmas Eve, that all of our interaction with unsaved people would be a planting of the gospel seed in their life, (1 Corinthians 3:7).
Pray for salvation, for rebirth, for real, gospel conversion of lost souls from dead in sin to alive in Christ, (John 3:3-7, Romans 10:1, Ephesians 2:4-7).
Pray that in all things, through this season and beyond, we will glorify the name of our Father in heaven and lift high the name of His Christ, the Lord Jesus, in our work (John 12:28-32, 2 Peter 2:9).
So, let’s pray church! Join me, starting Sunday, November 24th, in daily prayer for all that is in front of us over the next several weeks. Let’s be diligent in prayer, pleading for the souls of men, for God to do in and through us what we, quite simply, cannot do without Him!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
IDOP 2019
"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." Hebrews 13:3
This Sunday is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This is likely to be a very new thing to many of you, as I find other pastoral friends who are unaware of it as well. If you are familiar with it, that is great and I hope, if not officially, you will take a moment this Sunday to join with the church around the world to pray for persecuted Christians. International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, or IDOP for short, officially started in 1996, but traces its roots back to the 80's (you can learn more at IDOP.org). It has now grown into a much larger effort, on the part of the global evangelical church, to raise awareness of what our brothers and sisters are facing and too engage in prayer for them and send them whatever aid possible.
This Sunday, we will pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. We will pray for the governments of the countries where persecution is allowed, and we will pray for the gospel-work happening in heavily persecuted areas. We will also look at a new way that The Village Church will be able to partner with the work happening in these countries. If you would like more information on the persecuted church and how you can actively engage in prayer for them, please contact me! I have several outlets of information that I can recommend to you. The persecuted church is a treasure to God, and an inspiration to us. We cannot bury our head in the sand of our freedom and ignore their plight. I hope you will join us for this very special Sunday of prayer and learning about what our brothers and sisters face around the world.
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
A Difficult Message to Preach
"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10
Church, I am asking that you be in prayer over the next couple of days as we approach our Sunday worship gathering. I am asking that you be in prayer specifically because we will handle an uncomfortable text. It won't be the only text that we will handle on division, but it will be the first one. I would ask that you pray for me as I study and prepare to speak on this topic. That God would use me to very clearly, accurately, and lovingly convey His truth. I ask that you pray for our church, because we are not immune to or free from this very problem that the Corinthians faced. I ask that you pray for other churches who are experiencing the struggle of division. I ask that you pray for the unity of Christians. The New Testament is filled with the call for the unity of Christ's people, because the greatest threat to the advancement of the gospel is disunity in the church. I'm praying for you, for us, for Christ's Church. Please join me. I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
New Sermon Series: First Corinthians
"To 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: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:2-3
Church, this Sunday we will begin a long journey, as we open to Paul's first letter to the Corinthian believers. Not only will this be a long series, it will be a difficult one. First Corinthians is filled with very solid spiritual food that can be very difficult to digest. Much like those to whom it was actually written, we will read and discover things that will challenge us in our way of thinking, in our culture, and how we do life together as a church.
First Corinthians is full of correction for believers misguided perhaps by false teacher(s) or through their lack of surrendering their former ways to a new life in Christ. They are believed to have been a wealthy society; Corinth being a busy place of commerce. Therefore, it is believed that much of the trouble they fell into was because of their wealth. Remember, Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. They were plagued by sexual sin, marital trouble, lawsuits, lack of adherence to church discipline, and perhaps worst of all - division in the church.
For a long time I have said, one could substitute "Corinthian" and in its place write "American." I see so many parallels between the church at Corinth and the church in America today. Further, I see parallels between the church at Corinth and The Village Church. We are not perfect. We must never allow ourselves to believe we are. We must continually rely on and return to the things of Christ. The Bible says that Jesus is preparing His bride. Just as Jesus builds the church, Jesus also cleanses the church that at the return of Christ His bride would be without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish.
I'm excited to journey through First Corinthians with you! I'm excited to see what God will do in our lives, in our church, and in our community as we get serious about things that God is serious about. Start reading it for yourself! Prepare your hearts and minds for our journey through this wonderful piece of Scripture. Pray for understanding, pray for one another, that through this we might be more built up into the head of the church - Jesus Christ! I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
A Busy Time
"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10
It's been a busy couple of weeks for me, with a lot of very good things going on. This weekend I am headed to New Life Camp with a few men from The Village, and a bunch of other men from a few other churches. I'm looking forward to this time. I love the fall with its crisp air, clean blue skies, and bright sunshine. All too quickly we will trade that for the gray, cold of winter.
I'm excited to get away and be still in my life and know, remember, set apart, and worship the Lord as God. Special moments like retreats and camps afford great opportunity to refocus for a new season. We must work diligently to keep the Lord in His proper place, and I am no exception. This is the reason for the last 5 weeks of challenges. To better align our lives with the Lord through His Word, in prayer, and in fellowship with His people. This is literally what Acts 2:42 says the early church was all about.
So, this week we'll take a break from the challenges, perhaps just for this week or perhaps for a season, in order that we may really dig into the previous challenges in our lives together. Here are the 5 challenges that have been given for you to review and begin working on in your life. We all have work to do!
#1 Commit time each day to the study of God's Word.
#2 Begin forming regular prayer habits that will lead to a life of prayer.
#3 Connect prayer and the study of God's Word.
#4 Make time to study God's Word with other Christians.
#5 Make time to pray with other Christians
If you haven't signed up for Trunk-or-Treat yet, take a quick second to scroll up and click the link and do it right now! If you aren't serving in the church, consider how you can and get involved and take that next step! If you aren't actively taking part in the study, prayer, and fellowship opportunities that exist, look for ways to begin. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been given some incredible things: forgiveness, new life, and a community to live it all out in and celebrate it all together with! I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Spiritual Growth Challenge Week 5
"All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother ofJesus, and his brothers." Acts 1:14
We are on week five of working to grow in our daily walk with the Lord. How are you doing? What step are you on? It's okay to not be ready for week five and it is okay to still be working on week one. Where are you? We are all at different points in our walk with the Lord. However, we should all be taking steps and working toward a deeper relationship with Him, whom to know is life eternal.
#1 Commit time each day to the study of God's Word.
#2 Begin forming regular prayer habits that will lead to a life of prayer.
#3 Connect prayer and the study of God's Word.
#4 Make time to study God's Word with other Christians.
For week five: Make time to pray with other Christians. Christians gathering together for prayer is something lost in our culture of nominal Christianity. Prayer together for the burdens and cares of others and for the things that the Bible calls us to pray for simply doesn't happen as it should. This is one of the reasons that we have a weekly prayer meeting at The Village. People were burdened that we not just have lists of prayer, a prayer email, or that we only pray when we're gathered on Sunday. Rather, that in addition to these we would also gather for the intent and sole purpose of praying together, for one another and with one another. It's a rare thing. Most churches don't have a prayer meeting anymore and the reasons are awful, with the worst being "no one will come." I'm quite certain the Bible never tells us to do anything based on who will show up. Christians not gathering for prayer is in direct opposition to what we see in the Scripture and throughout church history.
So for us, let's be in unity with the Scriptural directive from God and in opposition to the culture of nominal Christianity that surrounds us. Let's not just be known as a people of prayer, let's actually be a people of prayer. Let's gather regularly and specifically with other Christians for the purpose of prayer. If you were to start searching the Bible and reading about what has happened when God's people pray, it will blow your mind and change your perspective. Start with the verse above, and those that follow. Read Acts 1 and 2 and see what happens when they were gathered in prayer. I prayed for you today, wherever you are in your walk in these challenges. That you would realize the work of God in your life as you surrender to Him. I hope you're coming to the worship night on Saturday and I hope to see you Sunday morning!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Spiritual Growth Challenge Week 4
"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today" that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13
We're three weeks into seeking growth in our discipline and devotion to God's Word. I decided to continue listing these challenges out each week so that whether you have been seeing them from week one or for the first time today, you can pick up and start. Here's a review of the last three week's challenges:
#1 Commit time each day to the study of God's Word.
#2 Begin forming regular prayer habits that will lead to a life of prayer.
#3 Connect prayer and the study of God's Word.
Challenge #4: Make time to study God's Word with other Christians. This will be one of the hardest challenges so far, simply because who has the time for that? However, God has called us into the community of the church, but this community should and must go beyond Sunday morning worship. The verse above, calls us to "exhort one another". The word "exhort" means to strongly encourage. The Greek word here is "parakleō," which loosely means to address or speak to in different ways, including instruction or comfort.
What should we use to exhort one another? From Matthew 28:20 and Acts 2:42, we know that the only thing we have to exhort one another with is the Apostles' teachings, which are the teachings of Jesus Christ that he commanded us to teach. Simply put, this means the Bible. When we gather on Sunday morning, where I have the privilege of sharing God's Word with you, I am exhorting you in God's Word. When you take part in a Bible study, the teacher is exhorting you in the Scriptures. When you come together in a small group or just a few individuals and learn from God's Word, you are exhorting one another. This exhortation in its many forms is a part of God's design for Christian growth.
All too often today, Christians and churches settle for nominal Christianity, 90 minutes of exhortation on a weekend and nothing more. However, God calls us to so much more! It is good and necessary to come together with the church as a whole to learn from God's Word. Also, it is most excellent and necessary to study God's Word at the individual level. Likewise, it is extremely important and necessary that we come together in Christian fellowship with focused time on God's Word, that we may encourage one another. Notice the common thread in the last three points is "necessary." These various forms of exhortation are all equally necessary and should all be a part of our lives as Christians. The verse gives us to reasons why. One reasons is because time is running out. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't promised so we only have right now, today, to encourage one another. Don't waste time regretting yesterday and don't put off until tomorrow. The second reason is that doing so keeps us from becoming hardened to sin. Christian exhortation through the Word of God should keep us keenly aware of sin, which helps us avoid it. Exhorting one another daily builds us up in our faith, builds God's church up, and ultimately brings glory to our Heavenly Father as we live out the life he has designed for us!
So, there is your week 4 challenge. Get together with other believers and encourage one another in the Word today! Watch God work as you submit to His design! I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Spiritual Growth Challenge Week 3
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." James 1:5
This is week three in our short series of being challenged to grow in the disciplines of our daily life with Christ. How are you doing so far? The past two challenges have been:
#1 Commit time each day to the study of God's Word.
#2 Begin forming regular prayer habits that will lead to a life of prayer.
I hope that by this point you are eagerly waiting for the next challenge. As you accept these, I truly believe you will begin seeing God working on you and transforming your life with Him. So let's get to it. The challenge for week 3: Connect prayer and the study of God's Word.
It goes like this: We want to know God more and we want to know His Word, so we open our Bibles, read, study, take notes, and discuss it. However, if we are honest, a lot of the time we don't understand what we are reading. First things first: if you feel like I just described you, you are not a failure! You are a human made in the image of God and you are in desperate need of the Spirit of Truth to reveal truth to your heart from His Word. God's Word is beyond our grasp without the Spirit of God enlightening us to God's truth.
Second, the verse above couldn't be more clear: if you lack wisdom, ask God! This week, as you continue to spend time in God's Word and develop habits that will lead to a life of prayer, begin incorporating prayer into your study of God's Word. When we don't understand God's Word, we can go to the Lord in prayer and ask for wisdom and understanding in His Word. This is not some new Christian, young believer practice. This is for every Christian, of every age, at any point in time. I literally do this all the time when I am studying God's Word. I'm not able to comprehend it, let alone do what it says, without the Spirit's help. This is why before his betrayal and crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples, "It is good for you that I go." (John 16). Alright, let's get to work! Let's continue growing in these daily practices and disciplines, that our life may grow up in Him who is the head of all things, the Lord Jesus Christ!
As always, if you need or would like any help with any of these things, please reach out and let me know how I can help you.
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Spiritual Growth Challenge Week 2
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." Mark 1:35
Well, how did you do last week? How much time did you commit to God's Word and how faithful were you in that commitment? As you read this, only you and the Lord know the answer. Be honest with yourself, and be honest with others when they ask. Continue working to do your best in the study of God's Word!
This week, as the verse above may have indicated to you, I want to challenge us in the area of prayer. The reading and studying of God's Word and prayer are of equal importance to our life as a follower of Jesus, as a Christian. The Bible tells us that the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. The Lord tells us to come to Him in prayer with our petitions and requests. Throughout the Bible, we see God do incredible things as His people come before Him in prayer. Just as reading the Bible can be intimidating because we don't know what to read, prayer can leave us feeling intimidated because we don't know what to pray. The reality, though, is that you can literally pray for anything, anytime, anywhere. God's Word teaches us that, while we can pray for anything, the result of prayer is only accomplished when sin is absent (Psalm 66:18), when our motives are pure (James 4:3), and when it is according to God's will (1 John 5:14).
This week's challenge: begin forming regular prayer habits that will lead to a life of prayer. In the verse above Jesus woke up early and got alone to pray. Maybe some of you will do this. It's a great practice to wake up early and thank the Lord for a new day of life and ask for his help and guidance through the day ahead. Others may end the day with a prayer of thanks for God sustaining them through their day while seeking his protection over them as they sleep. For someone, maybe this will be a simple prayer of thanks before a meal, as you remember that God provided that meal. There is a prayer meeting every Wednesday night that you could come to and be encouraged in your prayer life, while praying with other believers. Some of you might do every single one of these and more, which is great! Really, the options for how you could start a prayer life by forming regular prayer habits is limitless, especially since God has made it possible for us to pray at all times (Ephesians 6:18).
Through time in His Word and drawing close in prayer, God begins forming our view of Him in new and incredible ways. Our life is strengthened against sin and our motives become pure in what we are praying for, since we our praying for God's will. We then become more easily aligned with God's will as our hearts and minds are tuned more closely to the heart and mind of Christ. I could go on and on. Prayer is such a big subject and a key component of our life with Christ. For now, remember your commitment to time in God's Word and begin forming regular prayer habits. There are people ready to help you with these things! We all need guidance, please reach out if we can help you!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Spiritual Growth Challenge Week 1
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
If you have been around me for even a little while, it is likely you have heard me quote the verse above, at least to some degree. Most often I quote it by saying, "study to show yourself approved unto God", as this is how I memorized the verse while growing up.
Study. School was not an enjoyable thing for me, and if you relate to those words then you probably also relate to checking out when you hear or see the word study. However, studying the Word of God is precisely what we must be doing as Christians. In order to be Christians, we must study the Word that teaches us how to be a Christian. We cannot define the Christian life by cultural norms or standards, that's impossible. The Christian life must be defined by the Word of God. Our speech and actions must be guided by the Word of God as the Holy Spirit, living in us, leads us into all truth. I like the words of the ESV: "do your best". Do your best! Don't try to be like someone else. Don't try to be perfect. Simply, do your best. Maybe your best is 5 devoted minutes to reading the Bible this week and 5 devoted minutes to prayer every day. Awesome! Maybe next week or next month it will be 20 minutes.
We are called to add knowledge to our faith and we should be growing in our life with Christ. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to offer some challenges for you to establish more of your life with Christ. For this week's challenge, here is something simple: How much time will you commit each day to God's Word? To help hold you accountable in this, tell someone in our church family the answer to that question. Be prepared for me, and I hope others, to ask you! I'll be prepared for you to ask me! If you aren't sure what to read, please reach out and ask for help! The Bible is big and can be daunting, but there are so many helps and people willing to help. You won't be unsure for long! We're not all at the same point in our walk, but we can all be growing together. I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Let's Eat!
"...let us eat and celebrate." Luke 15:23
Ok, full disclosure. If you look up Luke 15:23, you will find that it is practically in the middle of the story of the prodigal son. But let me tell you, a church picnic is not the easiest thing to find a verse in the Bible to go along with!
Church, let's break bread together this Sunday. It's a common thread in the early church that seems lost in today's church culture. Come for worship at 10am at the high school, just like normal, then after our worship gathering is over, we'll head to the park and enjoy one another's company and fellowship for the afternoon. I love you all and I love food, so I'm really looking forward to this time together! If you're in town for the holiday weekend, come spend time with your church family.
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
Stop Swerving!
"Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." Proverbs 4:27
The only way that we can walk out life with Christ is by walking straight according to the Word of God. Psalms tells us that the Word of God is a light to our path. If we aren't being guided by the Word of God, then we are going to stumble off to the right and to the left and fall into the weeds of temptation and sin.
On Sundays, we have been looking at the life of Gideon and we have learned about Israel's oppression under the hand of Midian. The reason for the oppression? They swerved to the left and right. They didn't stick to the narrow road of obedience to God. Jesus said the gate to reconciliation and eternity with God is narrow and hard, and few find it.
In your life, are you swerving? Are you at the wheel of this vehicle called life, swerving from fog line to center line and back and forth? It won't be long until you crash head on! "Turn your foot away from evil"! Dig deep into the Word of God! Get into real, accountable relationships with other Christians and grow in your walk with the Lord!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
They Were Together!
"And all who believed were together and had all things in common." Acts 2:44
In my call as a pastor to train and equip the people of God for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12), I feel called to spend a couple minutes on a necessary aspect of your discipleship. If you study the church throughout the New Testament, through both their actions (the Book of Acts) and the letters written to them (Romans through Jude), there is a fundamental element that simply cannot be escaped: fellowship.
It is apparent in Scripture, the believers of the early church knew that a large component of discipleship was the necessity of fellowship. Discipleship and fellowship are not the same thing, but they are not separable. True Christians living life in submission to the Word of God and to one another breeds accountability, which encourages us and keeps us in line with God's Word as the body of Christ is built up (Ephesians 4:15-16).
Often across the church landscape today, groups of people gather on Sunday morning to sing songs, hear a message, then go home, and that's it. They punch their card in the nominal Christianity club. They have no real accountability or Scriptural authority over them, and believe they are good and on their way to heaven. All the while, they resemble nothing of the biblical pattern of Christianity.
Sunday's gathering is important. We should do it. Early Christians intentionally assembled together on the first day of the week (Acts 20:27). It was their custom, and it has been the custom of believers ever since the day that Jesus came out of the grave. However, for them this had much more to do with living life as Christians than simply following custom. They were together in their homes with one another and sharing their meals with each other (Acts 2:46), contributing to the poor among them (Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:34), praying for one another (Acts 12:5), and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ together (Acts 4:33). It's inescapable, and it's still God's design for His people.
Church, I hope you're seeking ways to be together. I'm writing this on Wednesday and we have Prayer in the Park in a few hours. I am encouraged just at the thought of being with other Christians for prayer tonight, let alone actually being with them. There are all sorts of opportunities available for you to come together with other believers. Don't neglect Sunday's gathering for a small group on a weeknight. Don't neglect a small group on a weeknight in place of Sunday's gathering. Do both! As often as you can! Whether to study, pray, laugh, cry, eat, serve, evangelize, just be together! Lord willing, I'll see you Sunday when we come together!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)
I Am Grieved
"And when [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it," Luke 19:41
Church, I am grieved. I am grieved by the condition of our country. I am grieved by the dishonest actions of people in positions to enact change. I am grieved by the lack of respect for authority, from children to parents all the way up to constituents and politicians. I am grieved by the wickedness of the human heart that prompts the events of last weekend's shootings in El Paso and Dayton. I am grieved by churches giving approval of sin. I am grieved by Christians not standing up for real Biblical truth. I am grieved by a culture of fairy dust Christianity that doesn't grieve and lament, that doesn't weep, wail and mourn, that doesn't humble itself before God and follow his word.
Days before his betrayal and death, which would lead to his resurrection and open the door for our salvation, Jesus was also grieved and he wept. I believe he was grieved as he looked at the city of Jerusalem and saw the condition of mans' heart and, in his all-knowing nature as God, saw mans' response to what he was about to do for them. I wonder, was his grief compounded as he looked down the line of eternity at the heart and condition of all mankind and saw how they would respond to what he was about to do for them?
Church, I am grieved but I am not in despair. I am not in despair because of passages like the one we will find ourselves in this Sunday, where the Lord says to Gideon, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel!" I am grieved, but I do not grieve without hope! Praise the God of heaven! Until Sunday, wherever you live, work, or play, keep laboring for the Kingdom of God and of his Christ!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)