The first two weeks of 2021 I preached a short sermon series on Christian Maturity. The first week I focused on the path, from Psalm 1, and highlighted the necessity of God’s Word to center all our maturity. The full message can be found here. The second week I focused on characteristics of the people and the importance of the local church for every person. The full message can be accessed here. At the end of the message I offered five priorities as counsel for each person. I thought I would break it out from my sermon post and offer it here. I pray this help and encourages.
The effect of Covid is no joke and there will be more darkness ahead before it lightens. But God’s will for our lives and His work in and through His people is not “on hold” or even “paused”. He continues to call the church to serve so that all can grow and mature to the full measure of Jesus Christ.(Eph 4:13) If this season has revealed anything for Christians, it has highlighted the great necessity of the fellowship of the saints for every believer. In a season when fellowship and community has become a serious challenge, and with significant threats to people’s well-being, I urge you to remain faithful by holding to Five Priorities.
1. Pursue deeper immersion in the Word. Spend more time in Scripture study, meditation and memorization, instead of more time in more books, more newsfeed scrolling, or more anything else. Take more time to saturate your life with more of God’s Word at all times. Read more to gain a larger perspective, even whole books in one sitting. Read less so you can read it more. Read and re-read repeatedly until the Word begins to read you. Capture as much as you can from all these methods in a journal so you can review, as you pursue a deeper immersion in God’s Word.
2. Give priority to “local over accessible“. The accessible amount of resources one has access to today is endless. But if you always feed from many troths, you will commit to none. Everything you can get “there” (by accessibility) may be better, but it will not be better for you than the local church. When you are with your local church you may not hear all you want to hear, but I assure you that God guarantees you will hear all you need to hear. And, you can have it ministered TO you in a way that is FOR you, because of how God works through those around you. Prioritize local over accessible.
3. Commit to “centralized over partitioned” community. We have a tendency to partition our life according to our needs and approach the Christian life in this same way. So, we read the Bible with one group, study with another, socialize / fellowship with still another, and likely, attend service at yet still another. But consider if the Word, by which God wants to transform your life, that you read, study, learn, know and do, had one central place where everything came together? Imagine the potency of one “place” where you read / studied / sat under the Word was the same place you discussed, listened, celebrated, shared, and confessed. In that place, those who listened could respond with words of affirmation and encouragement. As well, in response to struggles and sin they could ask, “Why did that happen?”, “Have you considered why you continue to act/think that way, or struggle with that sin?”, “Do you see any pattern in your life that would help you identity it?”, “What are you thinking / experiencing when that temptation habitually arises?” And when they asked, because you knew them and they knew you (i.e. trusted), you would listen and receive what they asked or said. God’s Word comes to us through our relationship with Him, and it should be digested by us in as much the same way as possible. The local church, your fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ, is just such a “place”. One all-too-common mistake is that we get too little Bible and too much community. What we need is NOT more community but better community that is intentional to increase, expand and maximize our Bible immersion to full impact! When you partition your life by multi-faceted participation, you neglect (even reject) the very sources (relationships) that God established through which you are to grow and mature. The more partitioned your life the more central self becomes, the more sin gets managed, and the more God becomes difficult to hear, to believe and to trust, so that He seems less reliable, and ultimately even necessary. When you live partitioned you end up isolated, exposed, and easy picking for the enemy. The more centralized your community, the more multi-faceted your reception to, immersion in, accountability for, and application of the Word for faithful obedience becomes. Salvation means “to know and be known by God”(Gal 4:9), so how we walk with God’s people to live out our faith should reflect that relationship with Him. Prioritize centralized over partitioned community.
4. Contact a person for, or to pursue, ministry before and more than you post to all on social media. When you have a need that arises in your life, for prayer or some other ministry, don’t post it to the world before you have given the Lord an opportunity to work through your church. Before you post, ask first, “who are the top three people that know me and will pray with me?” Then, pursue them for the ministry you feel you need. Fight the urge to let pride stop you from pursuing ministry, either to receive or serve. I’d rather have one person who knows me pray for me, than to have hundreds who follow me think “God help him.” as they scroll past my request. When someone comes to mind, don’t put off contacting them. A voice over the phone can make a big difference to someone who has far less contact with people than normal. Your ministry to others may be the lifeline they need at a critical moment of darkness, just as they can be to you. Prioritize personal contact for ministry at every opportunity.
5. Train your children, and yourself, IN this time more than only sheltering them from it. If you want to teach and train your children how to follow Jesus in hard times, then be careful not to hide reality from them nor let someone else interpret the times for them. Immerse their life in a community where people are pursuing Jesus in the midst of hardship, trial, and calamity, and finding joy, encouragement, strength and wisdom in Him. Children come to understand the conviction of our faith in action when they hear us say, “church is important.”, then watch us act on that statement. You can’t stop it or change it, so don’t waste this season. This can become of the greatest opportunities for Christian growth and maturity, and for your child to develop a deeper understanding and faith in Jesus. Prioritize training your children well in this season.
Many negative effects will surely come from this Covid season, but as Christians we hold a confidence that God will bring good to us from it. Our thinking and living should reflect what we know to be true. Though the valley is dark, Jesus is with us. He will prove faithful and sufficient at all time as we look to Him. May you know the great love of God through Jesus Christ in increasing measure throughout this season.