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

A Message Worth Sharing

Words to Ponder …A Message Worth Sharing … Morrow Mirror … January 26, 2014

A religious woman upon waking up each morning would open her front door stand on the porch and scream, "Praise the Lord." 

This infuriated her atheist neighbor who would always make sure to counter back, "there is no Lord." 

One morning the atheist neighbor overheard his neighbor praying for food. Thinking it would be funny, he went and bought her all sorts of groceries and left them on her porch.

The next morning the lady screamed, "Praise the Lord, who gave me this food." The neighbor, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out, screamed "it wasn't the Lord, it was me."

The lady without missing a beat screamed, "Praise the Lord for not only giving me food but making the atheist pay for it!" (http://www.homileticsonline.com, January-February, 2014)

God is bigger then our faith or lack of faith. God can and does use all people to bring about His goal for creation, so we should not be surprised when God uses an atheist to help a faithful servant to get something to eat. 

Penn Jillette, the atheist illusionist and comedian, has said: "I don't respect people who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward. ... How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

(Penn Jillette gets a gift of a Bible," YouTube, August 9, 2009, youtube.com)

Jillette’s words remind me of the commencement speech the Dali Lama gave at Emory University May 1998. I do not remember his exact words, but the gist of what he said was, “regardless of your faith live it. If you are a Buddhist live it, a Hindu live it, or a Christian live it.” Others should not be surprised to hear we are Christian, they should know it by our actions as well as by the words we speak.  If we do not share our faith we are not being faithful to the Gospel! I am NOT saying, beat people up with the Gospel; the Dali Lama made a point to say that sharing our faith is not about condemning others for not believing as we do. It is about sharing with a passion what we believe and being open to hear stories of faith from those who believe differently.  We should not fret if the world refuses to jump in the boat with us, but neither should we cast them out of the boat. 

I believe Jesus died so that we might have eternal life and this is a message not only worth sharing, it is a message the world needs to hear. If those who live in darkness shun the light, it is not our place to force it upon them. It is our calling to trust in the One who carries the light as we pray for those in darkness.

May the Light of Christ Shine on you today and always. 

In Christian Love, Dr. Ed Judy

The Healing Spirit!

"Sometimes our own insufficiency is what God finds the most useful about us. James W. Moore tells of his own past to

illustrate this quirky divine preference for turning weakness into strength. While a seminarian, Moore took a course in clinical pastoral education. One afternoon the head nurse took him aside and told him that a patient, Mrs. Davis, was in dire need of pastoral counseling. She was facing serious brain surgery the next morning with the double liabilities of poor physical condition and a soured, self-pitying spirit. Her chances of survival did not look good. 

Overawed by the life-and-death responsibility his pastoral ability seemed to carry, young Moore decided to let Mrs. Davis do all the talking and serve as an active listening sound-board for her fears and anxieties. Unfortunately this plan was squelched when, at the last minute, Moore was told Mrs. Davis was not allowed to speak. In a panic, this young seminarian bumbled into the desperately ill woman's room, accidentally banging the door into the wall. He then lurched forward into the room and jarred the poor woman by kicking her bed. Mortified, he then launched into a stuttering, stammering series of platitudes and prayers, saying all the wrong things and feeling he had utterly failed to reach the woman's fears. Horrified at his inadequacy, Moore left quickly. 

A few days later, Moore was amazed to find Mrs. Davis recovering nicely and in remarkably good spirits. Even more incredibly this patient praised him and credited him with practically saving her life. But I don't understand. I felt so terrible; I was so ashamed. I did everything wrong, Moore moaned. That's just it, she replied. I felt so sorry for you! It was the first time I had felt anything but self-pity for months. That little spark of compassion ignited in me the will to live! And the doctors tell me it made all the difference."

[James W. Moore, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991) 96-98.]

Mrs. Davis found what we all need to find, and I am not talking about the will to live; although, I pray you have the will to live life to the fullest. What Mrs. Davis found was compassion for another human being. This was the first time she was not consumed by her own struggles.

It is my belief the root of all sin is selfishness. You may be wondering if I am considering self-pity a sin, the answer is yes. Anything that takes us into the pit of despair is wrong because it can destroy our spirit as well as our relationships with family and friends, God's gifts to us.

Christians are not immune to self-pity and sometimes we find ourselves in the dark pit of despair. Life can be extremely difficult, but no one has to face his or her struggles alone. Christ told the disciples he was going away to be with the Father, but he was not leaving them alone. He would the comforter, the Holy Spirit to be with them. The same Spirit dwells within us and when we open our hearts and empathize with others the Spirit shines forth a healing grace to all who have eyes to see. 

I imagine Moore was feeling a little self-pity when he left Mrs. Davis' room, but when he returned, his despair was vanquished by the Light of Christ. The Spirit used Moore’s compassion to heal her and her compassion healed him.

May the Light of Christ Shine on you today and always. In Christ, Dr. Ed Judy