Relying On The Church

What a great summer it has been here at FBC Greenville. As we looked ahead at the calendar, I knew this was going to be a great and busy summer. All of our events have been for the purpose of bringing glory to God. I am so appreciative for the team effort that has been on display to make sure all of our events and regular services have gone smoothly. With these efforts comes great sacrifice on the behalf of our church members and staff alike. For me personally, I regret being away at the moment when some church members and their families deserved the support of their pastor. The other leaders of the church stepped up in a great way to cover for me and I am feeling thankful today. Being away doing one great thing lead to missing other opportunities to fulfill the great calling God has placed upon my life. My ego is not great enough for me to believe that only “Chase Clower” could meet these needs and no one else could. That is foolish! In fact, there are others far greater than myself in providing the support needed. I do believe, however, that everyone deserves the support of their pastor, especially during difficult times. As this week closes out youth camp and we head into kids camp next week, we are moving into another opportunity for God to do great things. I love centrikid camps and enjoy going as a chaperone whenever I can. I have looked forward to it and hope to go many more times. In preparation to being away from my regular responsibilities for another week, I am appreciative for the patience and efforts of the church to work together for the glory of God in meeting each others needs. I thankful for the patience of those who work with me during these times where I am overwhelmed with the tasks of ministry. The desire to be available for all things and all people is overwhelming and unrealistic. Having the help of others is a privilege and hard to accept sometimes. My fear earlier in the week was being away again without my personal vehicle to ensure my availability for pastoral care needs that might arise during the week. The frustrations that I felt were from a lack of trust in God and the help that the body of Christ could provide for me. (yes, this is a confession) I believe as pastors, we are so consumed with providing help to others that we can’t even see those that are trying to help us. This is foolishness and sin! Lord help me to listen and trust in you more! Thank you church for your patience and help! I am thankful for FBC Greenville membership and staff! I hope the sharing of these struggles and the way that God has helped me to be thankful for my church family will encourage you to do the same. Be thankful for the body of Christ and trust in the way God works through His church!

Some verses that have helped:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  -Acts 2:42-47

“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”  -Ephesians 2:18-22

Who You Are In Secret

Privacy is something of great importance in our culture and really is a part of worldwide culture. With the desire to have aspects of our lives that are unknown to the outside world comes the effort to put up hedges. One question for the follower of Christ is, what is going on in your life during those moments of privacy? Who are you in those secret moments of your day or week. There is no doubt that Jesus emphasizes the importance of withdrawing from others to spend time with God the Father. This was modeled in the life of Christ and emphasized as evidence of a sincere faith lived out. When serving others by meeting their need we are to value this as a private act and not something to draw attention to ourselves. The consequences of not have a private life that is focused on drawing close to the one true God is that we begin drawing close to the praise and attention of others. Seeking righteousness in our times of privacy is empowering for our public life of faith. This empowerment is not only for the purposes of being effective in the act but to reinforce the object of your obedience and worship. Whether it is in giving, prayer, or even fasting, Jesus points to starting with private obedience to make sure that your motives are pure when seen by others. This world needs to see a display of righteousness from the people of God. This display must come as an overflow of private worship and devotion in order for God it get the glory that is due Him. We are not to withdraw from the world in complete isolation, as that would be counterproductive in being heralds of the gospel. We are to make disciples and spread the good news of the Gospel for the glory of God. To ensure that we do not seek the building of our own personal kingdom but are contributing to the furthering of God’s kingdom, let us be devoted to private righteousness in seeking the Lord. As the Lord feeds our hunger and thirst for righteousness in private, then we are ready to publicly declare the Gospel with our actions and words. 

Recommended Passages

Matthew 5-6

Matthew 28:19-20

Romans 10:15

Luke 5:16

Matthew 14:23

Mark 1:35

Worry About Your Neighbor

At the heart of the Gospel is the concept of sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross to take the place of the sinner. This was for the permanent sacrifice for the sins of the world. (John3:16-17) This has a great impact immediately on the one who trusts in Jesus for this sacrifice that brings forgiveness in relationship with God the Father. Now that we have this forgiveness we are in a new position of righteousness before the Father because of Jesus the Son. Because of this life-giving sacrifice of Jesus, believers are called to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) in serving the Lord by serving others. Throughout scripture, the call for loving your neighbor as evidence of your close communion with God in Christ is evident. (Matthew 22:34-39) We must serve and sacrifice to meet the needs of our neighbors because of  our trust in Jesus. This service is not only to meet needs, but to reveal the grace and mercy of God through the decency of kindness shown to others. Our neighbor, in scripture, is to extend to all we come in contact with. (Matthew 5:43-48) If how we treat others is within the context of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins, then our actions will be sacrificial and loving no matter the obstacles or circumstances. Let us not limit our neighbors to only those who love us back or those that we agree with us, but extend our service ministry to all that we come in contact with. This will bring glory to the Father and reflect the life we have in Him.

The popular idea that is threatening this aspect of the christian life is that of not worrying about your neighbor. To pay attention to the things that impact your life alone sounds very attractive on the surface. This type of self-isolation actually violates the christian mission and purpose of loving your neighbor. By taking the opportunities to show love and kindness to others you are choosing to worry about someone else other than yourself. You have to worry about your neighbor to be a kind and loving follower of Christ. Let us make a commitment to be sacrificially obedient to the Lord by taking the love we have in Him and pour it into the lives of all people.