A Guide for Lay Members (5 of 5)

Today’s words to ponder is the fifth and final review of the General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church published guide for lay members (www.gbod.org).  I decided to share this article with comments for the 2014 Lenten season. The steps include the Lay members' covenant commitment to 'pray' for the church, to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their 'presence', to use their 'gifts' to nurture and grow the body of Christ and to take an active role in the body of Christ by ‘serving’ his or her faith community through the ministries and life of the church.  This week we are looking at ‘witness’, which is how we live out our faith on a daily basis, both in the life of the church and in the secular world where we work and live.

The author reminds us that when we join the church “we covenant to witness to other people who see and hear us all the time.”   It is important for us to remember; not only to witness, but that we are witnesses all the time. “Our living, our words, our actions and commitments are a witness to our priorities.” We can claim Christ as Lord, but how we live our lives tells the truth about who or what we deem most important in life.

“To uphold God's church with our witness is a vow to let our life speak, 24/7. 

• Live with integrity so that our words and actions honor God, honor ourself, and honor others.
• Greet and speak warmly to others, especially visitors in our church, co-workers and people with whom we live, do business and interact every day.
• Learn how to share your faith naturally and comfortably; invite people to attend church events with you.” (http://www.gbod.org/)

The 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church added the statement to uphold God’s church with our witness; however, this is not a new tenet. Adding this vow only reminds us of what we already know: how we live is a testimony to what is important. This does not mean we cannot have hobbies or be involved in other activities. What the author is saying, is that other people will notice our priorities and our witness will either benefit God or hinder God’s mission to make disciples for the transformation of the world.  In fact, participating in hobbies and enjoying secular activities are great places to witness our faith.

To join the United Methodist Church is to say, “I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and I will follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and live my life as a Christian.” This does not mean we believe when we join a church we will be perfect. When we join a church we are saying, we are going to be intentional about living out our Christian faith by following the teachings of Jesus Christ 24/7.


Published in the Morrow Mirror (Morrow First UMC, Morrow Ga) March 2, 2013 

A Guide for Lay Members (4 of 5)

Today is Scout Sunday (February 23, 2014). So what do Jesus, Scouts, and Christians have in common? The answer is SERVICE. In Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus teaches us that the best way to serve God is to serve others. [in verse 40 Jesus says, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ (CEB)] Scouts teach the same thing. So do Christians. Service is how we follow Jesus' commandment to love God and our neighbor.

Today’s words to ponder is the fourth installment from the General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church recently published a guide for lay members (www.gbod.org).  I decided to republish this article to help us reflect on Lent. So far we have covered the Lay members' covenant commitment to 'pray' for the church, to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their 'presence' and to use their 'gifts' to nurture and grow the body of Christ. This week we are looking at  ‘service’.

The author of the article wrote, “Service reminds us that Jesus' life was an example of living as a servant and his words instructed his disciples to do the same.

• Participate in church service and mission projects. When you recognize an unmet need, work with others to try to meet the need.
• Volunteer regularly to serve the church community through office work, teaching, building cleanup, Sunday morning service, and other ways.
• Volunteer regularly for community service, such as school tutoring, cleanup and recycling, disaster recovery, and other ways.” (http://www.gbod.org/lead-your-church)

It would be impossible to address all the diverse areas of service where Lay members can contribute to their church communities and throughout the world. However, the point of the GBD’s article is not to provide a list for the faithful to follow but to remind laity that being part of the Body of Christ is more then membership. It is an active role that provides a place (the body of Christ) to grow in faith as well as a place to be in service (to love God and to love neighbor) Christians can learn a lot from boy and girl scouts on what it means to be faithful members of the body of Christ. 

First Published in the Morrow Mirror (Morrow First UMC, Morrow Ga) 2.23.2014

A Guide for Lay Members (3 of 5)

The General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church recently published a guide for lay members on their website (www.gbod.org).  We are republishing this article and adding comments in preparation for Lent. So far we have discussed the Lay members' covenant commitment to 'pray' for the church, their covenant commitment to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their 'presence' and today we are looking at the Lay members' covenant commitment to use their 'gifts' to support the body of Christ.

The General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church article "encourages us to use our spiritual gifts, our natural abilities, our material assets, our training and experience to uphold God's church. The writer believes Christians have opportunities each day to discover and develop their gifts, then a responsibility through this vow to full stewardship of their time, abilities, and finances. Christians therefore should:

• Maximize opportunities through church, work, school, and relationships to discover and develop their natural and spiritual gifts, and to expand their experience. This is referred to in the Bible as growing in wisdom.
• Practice recycling and wise stewardship of the earth's resources.
• Manage their material assets wisely. Learn about and practice financial management and biblical giving of money and resources. John Wesley would say earn all you can and give all you can." (http://www.gbod.org/…/church-membership-checklist)

Hank Hanegraaff wrote, "Of all the questions asked to answer, questions about money, specifically about the tithe are the most difficult.  He says, it is difficult in part because tithing is often hotly debated and it is difficult because research demonstrates that the vast majority of Christians not only do not tithe regularly, but give little or nothing at all in support of the church they call their church" (The Bible Answer Book, © 2004 Hank Hanegraaff).  

Discussions about tithing are uncomfortable, but they should not be, because giving is rooted in the very fabric of our faith. Why Abraham decided on giving 'ten percent' or why those that followed him continued with this ritual amount is a mystery of faith. What I know is that after I give my ten plus percent to God there is always enough to pay the bills and I also know that since I began giving I have grown spiritually, tenfold. I believe that by giving the tithe we literally knock down the wall of selfishness that surrounds our heart and inhibits spiritual growth. 

Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic. I believe he did this because he understood that selfishness is the great destroyer of faith and it creates a wall between us and God. A wall made of ice that freezes our hearts and inhibits our spiritual growth. Author and theologian Randy Alcorn says, that the tithe may well be regarded as the training wheels of giving. If that is the case and I believe it is, then tithing is just as important today as it was for the people of Israel when Moses' said, we tithe so [we] may learn to revere the Lord [our] God always (Deuteronomy 14:23).

The story of Cain and Able makes it clear that if our gifts come not from the heart they are unworthy of God's grace. God required Israel to give numerous sacrifices, not because God needed them, but because Israel needed to give in order to grow in relationship with God.

Giving has always been about growing in relationship with God by trusting and believing God created us, knows us, and cares for us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that we may have eternal life. 

A Guide for Lay Members (1 of 5)

The General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church published a Church Membership Checklist on its website and since we are moving toward the season of Lent, I have decided to share this article with you in part over the next five Sundays. You will be able to read the article in its entirety on my blog Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2014). My Blog link is always noted in the mirror following the words to ponder.

We sometimes speak words with deep conviction, yet as time passes the words fade into the  noisiness of life and we sometimes forget what we held so dear and close to our hearts. So as we prepare for the season of Lent, let us also be reminded of our covenant vow to be intentional about our relationship with Christ. As the journey toward Lent begins let us center ourselves on God's will and quiet our minds to hear, once again, God's call to be a disciple for Jesus Christ.  

"When a person officially joins with a congregation, he or she makes a commitment to participate in the ministries, financial support, and decision-making of the church. Therefore, the church not only counts members, it counts on them to be a formal part of the body of Christ and to accept and exercise their responsibilities in that role. People who join a United Methodist Church commit to 'uphold the church by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service and their witness' (underlining added). Honoring this membership commitment through a lifetime builds a strong community of believers who are disciples of Jesus Christ" (http://www.gbod.org).  The GBD checklist correspond to the covenant vow United Methodists make when affirming this question by joining the United Methodist church. The first is prayers.

"Prayer is conversation with God. Your relationship with God grows the same way that significant human relationships grow. You have to give time and attention to special relationships. As your faith develops and grows, you spend more and more time with God.

• Set aside some time each day to talk with God. There are many daily devotionals, Bible reading guides, books of meditations, and forms of prayer to help you. [The church library is filled with resources or just ask another church member for suggestions.]
• Learn and try new ways to pray. [We have had several classes on prayer & Christian meditation. There are numerous opportunities, just take advantage of the resources the church provides].
• Increase the time you talk with God each day. The Apostle Paul urges prayer "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).” (http://www.gbod.org).  

Next week we will look at what it means when we say will uphold the church by our Presence.

May your spirit be enlightened and your relationship with Christ grow stronger as you embrace God's gift of prayer, one of many means of grace God has provided.

 In Christian Love, Dr. Ed Judy

First publishded in Morrow Mirror, February 2, 2014, (c) Rev Dr. Edward E. Judy

A Guide for Lay Members (2 of 5)

In last week’s Words to Ponder we talked about covenant commitment to pray for the church in our membership vows. This week we are looking at the second covenant commitment.

Lay Members, commit to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their presence.  The General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church article says our “commitment to presence means we pay attention to the time and to the place we are at in the present moment, which is actually a hard practice because people generally think about the past or future. Yet our Christian commitment is to pay attention to the present moment, while looking and listening for God's guidance. When we promise "presence" to the congregation, we commit to be engaged to the place and people who compose both the congregation and the community the congregation serves. (http://www.gbod.org). 

• Attend worship weekly where you are.
• Build deeper relationships with people in the congregation and the community through regular participation in a small group, fellowship opportunities, and service projects.
• Pay full attention to your location and to the people you are with at church, at work or school, and at home.” (http://www.gbod.org).  

The author believes it is difficult for humans to think in the present because we tend to think only about the past or the future. I believe this is especially true concerning our spiritual journey. Many Christians have the ‘hell fire and brimstone’ teachings of their youth embedded in their minds. They remember the preacher who induced fear with sermons that condemned them to eternal damnation for their sins as they called them forward to recite the sinner’s prayer. Once this public act was accomplished; prayer spoken and Christ accepted as Lord and Savior, they return to life as usual believing their eternal home to be secure. With their eternal future now secure they live out their lives waiting for their heavenly reward. One concern I have with this analogy is that it turns Christianity into a wait for death lifestyle. Christianity is not about waiting for eternity. Christianity it is about bringing heaven to earth, it is about living for and with God in the here and now.

Salvation is a lifetime experience, an eternal journey that begins in this life. It is a daily occurrence of growing and being in relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is not about doing one thing at a single moment in history so we can make it to heaven when we die; it is about living out the heavenly experience everyday wherever God has placed us. 

The church is just one of the many ‘means of grace’ provided by God to help us fulfill our baptismal and confirmation commitment to be Christ in the world. The Lay member, as the body of Christ commits to be present not to help the church, but to be the church in the world as a reflection of God’s love for our neighbors.  When Christians are present in the body of Christ it not only helps to transform the world, it helps disciples (members of the body of Christ) grow in their relationship with God. It is a win – win situation. When we live out our faith God’s love is shared and others are drawn to God, they grow in their relationship with God and we grow in our faith and relationship with God.  Heaven on earth becomes a reality and the world is transformed one person at a time.  In Christian Love, Dr. Ed Judy

 Fist published: Feb 9, 2014 Morror Mirror, Morrow First UMC, (c)Rev. Dr. Edward Judy