I Will Have Revenge on My Children

Author's Note: This post originally was posted on my new site sowhatramblings.com. I will continue to post on this site for just a few more weeks. Please update accordingly. Thanks. 

My children will get what’s coming to them. They’ll be paid back for the way they’ve treated me. My wife and I will have our revenge.

You may think I’m some sort of sociopath. To this I reply, 1) You may be right, and 2) I’m not crazy, I just have children.

For every dumbfounded “I don’t know”, each whiny voiced cry, every broken household item, and any spilled beverage, sticky candy, or unidentified goo found under the car seats, we will have our revenge. They will get paid back for the stains on our walls, the broken furniture, and any ruined electronics destroyed by their sticky or slippery fingers.

When I spend unnecessary hours of my life repeating the same things over and over again, only to have my children completely forget what I just told them, I can take comfort in knowing they’ll get their just desserts.

Matthew is a Boring Writer…Yes, I Said it.

A while back I talked about Matthew and how we really don't need his gospel, (sort of). The bottom line is Matthew wrote his gospel with a purpose and a people in mind. He was writing to the Jews, (the people), to help them see that Jesus was the promised Messiah, (the purpose). This helps us see why he wrote the way he did. Matthew chose specific incidents and messages in Jesus' life to highlight how Jesus was the Messiah and to call the Jews to believe in Christ.

So Matthew, a Jewish believer in Christ, is going to write the longest of the four gospel accounts. He is passionate about seeing his fellow Jews come to Christ. He's going to write an awesome gospel account. It's going to blow people's minds. Therefore he's going to start with a really exciting sentence, right? So what does he start off with?

"This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is this? This isn't interesting. Only history buffs like family trees. This is BO-RING. Obviously Matthew was not in marketing and did not go to writer's conferences. This is not a good opening line. No one is going to want to read about Jesus ancestors...or will they?

It's Time to Say Goodbye...

to sowhatramblings.blogspot.com. 

Due to soaring popularity, increased revenue, and the large number of groupies I have following me around, I am going to be saying goodbye to sowhatramblings.blogspot.com and switching to a new website, sowhatramblings.com.

Hold on, my staff is interrupting me...

What? My popularity hasn't soared? There is no money and there are no groupies?

Well then...I'm still switching to sowhatramblings.com. Maybe then I'll get the money and groupies I've always craved.

The new site is already active. Feel free to check it out. It's much the same as this one, with some improvements on the format and style. I'll be closing down this current blogspot site within the next several weeks, but I'll remind you guys before the final day.

In the meantime please keep reading my stuff, and let me know if you see any available groupies.

T

Loaded Mashed Potatoes Are a Gift from God

Annie was just a year and a half old when we took her to Disney World. She was quite overwhelmed by all of the sights and sounds, so we let her carry around her little security blanket. When she was tired or upset she would put it in her mouth, along with her two middle fingers, and suck on both the blanket and her fingers. Somehow this was soothing to her. (What soothes me are three warm gluten free chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk, but I digress).

This picture was taken when we were standing in line for a ride. I had grabbed the other end of the blanket and put it in my mouth. I remember Annie smiling, then grabbing the blanket from my mouth and then handing it back to me. This went on back and forth for several minutes. I couldn't tell you what ride we went on or whether or not I liked it, but I will always remember playing with my daughter and her blanket at Disney. It was a tender and memorable moment between father and daughter.

So what? Why am I telling you this?

Do You Know the "Know-ness", "With-ness" and "Made-ness" of God?

If you are one of those people who trusts God no matter what, never suffers with anxiety, and sleeps peacefully in the stormiest of circumstances, then please go away. We all hate you.

I’m kidding, (sort of).

The truth is that sometimes we find ourselves overwhelmed. It’s unclear exactly what the Lord is doing and where he is going with our lives. This is a problem. We would rather know where we are going, how we are going to get there, and who will be waiting for us with a glass of (insert favorite beverage here) when we arrive. Unfortunately the Lord does not always, (or usually), find it necessary to give us the whole plan when we're following him. Personally I find it rather inconvenient. I don’t like change and I don't like uncertainty. It makes me nervous, anxious, doubtful, and confused. Following God without clear answers leads to sleepless nights, ulcers, and at the very worst, grumbling, (see also the Israelites).

So what do you look to for “faith food” when you're in these kinds of moments? (I just made the phrase "faith food" up and I hereby claim full rights to it from now on).

Matthew’s Gospel Isn’t Necessary. (Purpose and Persons)

We don't need the gospel of Matthew. I mean, really, why do we need his extremely long gospel with its unnecessary genealogy and innumerable Old Testament references? Why couldn’t we just read Mark, Luke, and John and be done with it? This would mean one less book of the Bible to read. Isn’t there enough of Jesus in the three other gospels? Like they say, too much of a good thing…

Why couldn't Matthew have just been happy with the writings of those other guys? Was Matthew jealous of Mark's gospel? Was he thinking: "Mark thinks he can write about Jesus; oh yeah? I'll show him. I'll write an even longer gospel." Is that what’s going on?  

Was Matthew trying to make a name for himself? Was he thinking he could make some money if he wrote a book about Jesus? Heck, he was a tax collector and they were known to be shady individuals, right? So why did Matthew write another gospel? WHY AM I ASKING SO MANY QUESTIONS?

How Hope Went Down the Waterfall...and I Ate Ice Cream

My wife and I had such high hopes. We were going to take our kids to a state park, hike to a waterfall, observe God’s glory in creation, play in the sparkling water at the foot of the falls, and most importantly, create some wonderful family memories. It would be a fantastic experience we would all remember forever. It started out so well. The drive to Dupont State Forest outside of Hendersonville, N.C. was beautiful. The weather was cool, the trees were green, and the sun was shining.

We were going to have a good time.

Then, like the water cascading down the falls, our hopes came crashing down to reality.  

Is the Church like Waffle House?

Waffle House makes Waffles. (Brilliant, I know). What does the church make? What is the purpose of Jesus’ church? Waffle House exists to serve waffles, (sweet, delicious, golden-brown waffles…mmmm). Why does the church exist?  Above all the bells and whistles, buildings, signs, ministries and activities, what should be the central goal(s) of the body of Christ?

We looked at what Jesus said to the churches in Revelation and what Paul said to Timothy, a leader of a church. Today we will look at Jesus’ final words to the apostles, the future leaders of the churches. There are five charges, or commands, given to the apostles in the gospels and Acts, Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:44-48; John 20:30-31; & Acts 1:8. (Click here for the verses in full).

Take a look at the verses. Now what? “So what?” Is there something to learn here? Shoot, that’s like asking if waffles are delicious.

Puzzles and Church Purposes

Have you ever put a puzzle together? If you’re a child of the 90’s or later you’re probably wondering I mean by a “puzzle”. If you’re like me and you grew up in the 80’s, then you probably are young enough (ahem) to remember doing puzzles at one time or another in your life. For me it was during the holidays when the family got together, or on summer vacations with my grandparents. (Why my grandparents thought they could get my younger brother and I to sit still with two senior citizens for an hour and match tiny pieces of paper together I’ll never know). Nonetheless they succeeded in teaching us something about the art of puzzle making. One of the things we learned is you should always find the edge pieces first. These are the pieces which have at least one straight side. One way or another these pieces will build the frame of the puzzle you’re making. Once you have a frame for your puzzle then you can begin to fill it in with the actual body, (or innards as they say in the South), of the puzzle. I won’t include a picture of innards here. You’re welcome.

Where am I going with this? Good question. We've been trying to determine God’s purpose for, and desired product of the church. Unfortunately we can’t turn to the book of 2^nd Opinions, chapter 5, verse 52 and get our answer[1]. To answer our question we have to…wait for it…put the puzzle pieces together. Once we have the frame we can begin to fill in the innards of our study of the purpose and product of the church.[2]

So far we have looked at Jesus’ words to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. These words were technically the last instructions of Christ directed to the churches.[3] From those articles we saw several characteristics which Jesus desired in the church.

1.    Love and Life – The Lord Jesus desires the church love him and each other fervently. He is not a big fan of apathy. This is in line with the greatest commandments: Love the Lord with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, (Matthew 22:37-40).

2.    Righteousness in thought and in action – Jesus hates immoral behavior and bad doctrine. What is notable is how the two are often interconnected. An immoral lifestyle seeks doctrine to support its actions and believing lies will ultimately lead to immoral behavior.

3.    Endurance and Holding Fast – All of the churches were called to some form of endurance: to hold fast, to be faithful, or to persevere. All of the churches were called to overcome, with the promise of reward to those who endured to the end. Jesus desires his church endure hardship, hold fast to faith in him and to the gospel, and to be faithful until the end.

So far we have some puzzle pieces we can work with. Are we finished? No. Is this a sum total of the New Testament’s words on the purpose of the church? Hardly, but it is a starting point from which to go further. Was that an incredibly long introduction to this article? Yep. But hey, we got to review where we’d been and I got to use the word “innards” at least four times. Plus we are all caught up and ready to move on. Woo-hoo!

Today we’re going to look at some of Paul’s words to Timothy in 1^st Timothy chapter 1. Why is this important? I’m glad you asked. 1^st and 2^nd Timothy, as well as the letter to Titus, were letters Paul wrote to leaders of churches. They are called the Pastoral Epistles. Paul wrote these letters to Timothy and Titus, as his physical representatives in Ephesus and Crete, to tell them how to lead and guide the churches. Because of the context in which they were written these letters have greater significance to our discussion. Unlike other letters in the New Testament Paul was not just writing to correct a particular doctrinal or behavioral issue, he was directing Timothy and Titus how to lead and care for the churches.

Let’s look at 1^st Timothy, chapter one and see if we can’t find any other pieces to our puzzle. As always, please read along in your own Bible.

“As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to spread false teachings, nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. Such things promote useless speculations rather than God's redemptive plan that operates by faith. But the aim of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:3-5, NET Bible).

There were false teachers in Ephesus who were promoting myth and speculation. These ideas were not based on Biblical revelation in the Old Testament or the teachings of the apostles. Instead they were the mulling over of ideas or stories outside of the revealed Word. The problem with this sort of thing is: a) It wasn't based on revealed truth and b) it was taking the focus away from "God's redemptive plan, which is by faith", that is, the salvation offered by God for sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. The focus of the church should be the revealed truth of God in his Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for the salvation of men. The minds of the believers in Ephesus were very important to Paul and so he tells Timothy to make sure truth is being proclaimed and the gospel was central.

Paul now describes the goal of his ministry.[5] “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith,” (verse 5). These are the core goals of Paul’s ministry to the church and he desires Timothy pursue these characteristics in Ephesus. Let’s look at the innards[6] of love, conscience, and faith.

Okay, I couldn't resist a picture of innards.

Paul desired his ministry to produce love from a pure heart. What does that mean? Answer: Love which is uncorrupted, free from selfish desires or ambition. Paul told the Philippians “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves,” (Phil. 2:3). He told the Colossians “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony,” (Col. 3:14). To the Ephesians he said, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,” (Eph. 5:2). Love was a recurring theme for Paul. His aim was to produce selfless and pure love among the churches. This same desire is seen in Jesus. He said the greatest commandment was to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. The second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself, (Matt. 22:37-39). Jesus also criticized several of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 for their lack of love, particularly towards God, (see prior articles to make sure I’m not lying). Love to God and to others was foundational to Paul and to Jesus. Paul wanted Timothy’s ministry to the Ephesians to produce this love among the believers.

So what is “a good conscience”. Do you remember watching the movie Pinocchio as a kid?[7] For those of you whose grew up in a cave, Pinocchio was a little wooden puppet who magically becomes a real boy, (sort of), and he is given a little cricket, (Jiminy), to watch over him and tell him right from wrong[8]. Jiminy Cricket was supposed to act as Pinocchio’s conscience. Your conscience, according to Mr. Webster, is “the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong.”[9] In Pinocchio’s case, he had a cricket.[10] You and I have that little voice which tells us not to cheat on our taxes, run the red light, or mouth off to our boss when they tell us we’re morons.

So we all know what a conscience is, right? One of the goals of Paul’s ministry was to produce a “good conscience.” So what’s that? A good conscience is one free from shame, guilt, or embarrassment. When you have a good conscience you have lived a life of moral purity and excellence. Paul desired the Christians in Ephesus to live morally and blamelessly. The same was true for other churches Paul ministered too, (Col. 3:5-6; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:16). Righteousness in actions, speech, and behavior is the aim of God. This is also seen in Jesus’ words to the churches in Revelation. He called them to depart from impurity and warned them of the consequences of immorality. Timothy was called to produce and promote righteousness and a clear conscience within the church.

“A sincere faith” - this seems like an obvious statement like "delicious bacon" or "truck-driving rednecks". We all know bacon is delicious and rednecks drive trucks. In the same manner, faith should be sincere, genuine, and without hypocrisy. A person should trust and walk with Christ with full devotion. For whatever reason, due to the context of the false teachers, Paul felt the need to specify the need for a sincere faith. Perhaps the false teachers were producing hypocritical or heartless faith. Who knows? Either way he wanted his ministry, and thereby Timothy's, to produce sincerity of belief. Nobody likes hypocrites, (except in the hypocrites club where all are welcome). Jesus especially didn't like hypocrites. He spent a whole chapter in Matthew 23 going off on the hypocritical Pharisees. Jesus desires honesty and sincerity in those who follow him. Remember, "Would that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm...I will spit you out of my mouth," (Rev. 3:15-16). The Lord desires a heartfelt faith without pretension. The church should produce this sort of faith in his members. 

Takeaways regarding the Purpose of the Church

God's truth and the gospel of Jesus - are these central in your church? Are they central in your own walk and faith? They certainly were central to Paul. His letters are full of references to God's salvation and his Word. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek...as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith," (Romans 1:16-17). "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her," (Eph. 5:25). "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy," (Tit. 3:5). "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth," (2 Tim. 2:15). "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching," (1 Tim. 4:13). We also see this was important to Jesus. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you," (Matt. 28:19-20). Are the Word of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ central in your church? 

What you believe is important. What a person believes about God, man, sex, relationships, money, and morality will have a direct impact on how a person lives their life. Paul wanted to preserve truth in the minds, and therefore the hearts, of the Christians in Ephesus. We see also how rejecting “faith and a good conscience” led to the shipwreck of the faith of some of the men of Ephesus, (1 Tim. 1:18-20). Consistently in the New Testament Epistles the authors, (Peter, Paul, and Mary John, etc), write to correct false beliefs or misunderstandings of the people. Why? Because they knew a wrong belief would lead to wrong actions and corrupted faith. What does this have to do with the purpose and product of the church? I think we can make the case that one of the purposes of the church is to produce and preserve right belief among Christians. We can do all sorts of nice things within the church. We can serve others, give to the needy, have emotional worship services, build big buildings, and have great childcare, but all of that doesn't matter a hill of beans, (to quote Mr. Bogart), if we are not part of a community which teaches what is true. Jesus prayed in John 17, “Sanctify them in your truth, your word is truth,” (John 17:17). One of the church’s purposes is to do help answer the prayer of Christ.

How you act is important. When my wife and I take our kids out to eat we always give them “the talk”. (If you’re a parent then you know where this is going). “The talk” consists of telling them what sort of behavior we want and what sort of behavior will get them thrown in the dungeon underneath our house.[11] We tell them we want to get “5 Stars”. 5 Star behavior means they say “yes ma’am” and “no sir”. It also means they don’t throw spaghetti at one another, scream at each other, or take fish out of the fish tank in the lobby of the restaurant. Basically they are not to embarrass my wife in I or any way because we are insecure people and want others to think we are good parents.[12] We also don't want to get asked to leave Chili's by the manager. 

God desires “5 Star” behavior in the church[13], only more along the lines of sexual purity, honorable speech, kindness to one another, giving, serving, and an unsoiled mind. One of the purposes of the church and church leaders is to promote and produce moral righteousness and holiness within the body of Christ. We can do (fill in the blank) at our church very well and have a good time doing it, but if our church isn’t producing goodness and morality distinct from the world we’re living in then we are not living up to God’s ideal for the church.

So, have we found all the puzzle pieces for the purpose and product of the church? No, but I think we're getting close. Next time we'll look at Jesus' closing charges to the apostles and see if they provide the final edge pieces to our study. Once we have the edges then we can begin to discuss...wait for it...the innards. 

Stay tuned. 

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[1] This verse actually says, “Don’t eat too many beans before going to church.”

[2] Innards is just a fun word to say and to use.

[3] So um, they’re kind of important.

[4] Food for thought.

[5] I think it would be unwise to assume this is the singular goal of Paul’s ministry. He was certainly very focused on evangelization and other things, but it is safe to say this is one of the primary goals of his ministry to the churches.

[6] Love that word.

[7] The scene on Treasure Island gave me the willies.

[8] Trust me, it’s better than what I just described. Go watch it. If you don’t like it, then I owe you a cricket.

[9] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscience

[10] Better than a termite! Thank you. I’ll be here all week.

[11] Just kidding DSS.

[12] Yes we have image issues. We’re working on it.

[13] Fantastic segue if I do say so myself. 

Three-Times-Itis

I would like to bring to your attention a very serious problem which affects people everywhere. Parents, teachers, grandparents, and generally anyone who has to deal with young children on a regular basis are aware of this very concerning issue. This problem causes headaches, stress, anxiety, raised voices and bronchitis.[1] I am speaking of course of the problem of children’s inability to hear what adults tell them.

There is no illustration which can adequately show the hearing inability of children. Children literally cannot hear what adults tell them. If you tell a child to go clean their room they will say "okay" and then go run outside in the rain. If you tell a child to come in out of the rain they will look at you, nod their head, and then proceed to pick up the mud they were playing with and eat it. Why? Because they cannot hear or process what adults say. There is nothing with which to compare them. They are unique in their ability to hear what a person has to say and immediately forget what they were just told.

Sure, why not?

For people without children who have never had to try and get a child to cooperate with you, let me give the following example. A recent morning my wife and I were trying to get the kids in the car to go somewhere. We had gotten them up, dressed, and fed, (the morning routine is altogether another topic), and were ready to go. So I said to the children, "Okay guys let's get in the car." I did not stutter. I did not speak in Mandarin Chinese. The children were all within 10 feet of me when I said it. There was no reason for them not to hear and respond to me. A normal human being would respond with "Okay," and then get in the car. For my children there was no response whatsoever. They continued to torment one another, play with their toys, or pet the dog. After noticing my kids did not respond my wife said again "Guys, let's get in the car, we have to go." Perhaps hearing it from the prettier and kinder one of the house would have some effect on the kids, right? No. They continued to act as if they had cotton balls stuck in their ears. Finally, with quite a bit of volume and force I said, "GO GET IN THE CAR!!!" My kids looked up as if this was the first time they'd heard me speak all morning and promptly got in the car. This sort of conversation happens at the dinner table, ("Eat your green beans, please"), at bedtime, ("Go brush your teeth"), or out in public, ("Stop bothering your sister"). In every situation the children appear to have heard words come out of your mouth but it was always translated in their mind as "Continue to do whatever you're doing. Mommy and Daddy just like to say things out loud to themselves for no reason." 

It's not as if children can't hear at all.[2] I don't live with three people who have hearing impediments. If my children were outside and I were to say "Who wants Ice Cream?" then my children would immediately stop what they were doing, rush inside and grab a spoon. If I were in the upstairs bathroom, dropped a heavy bottle on my toe and uttered a curse word my three year old downstairs would rush up and want to know why I was describing the inner workings of sanctified cow manure. Children can hear, but they can only hear certain things.[3] 

It's also not as if my children, or children in general, are disobedient. Certainly kids can be little brats. I know we've all seen "that child" at the mall, grocery store, or parking lot who is throwing a tantrum about not getting what they want.[4] But a child's inability to hear is not related to defiance. That sort of thing, I'm told, happens when the child becomes a teenager. At that point they hear and respond with "NO, I HATE YOU AND YOU DON'T LOVE ME!"[5] No, a child’s lack of hearing is not related to disobedience. Younger children generally want to be liked and loved by their parents and do not like getting in trouble. It is not necessarily that they don’t want to hear, but they can’t.

Researching Three-times-itis, I think.

So what is the reason why children can’t or won’t hear? It is not because of a disobedience and it is not because of a buildup of wax in their ears. The truth is of the matter is young children have a unique medical condition called Three-times-itis. Three-times-itis is the condition where younger children have to be told something three times before they will hear and respond. A child will not hear and respond the first two times they are told something. It takes the third time of giving instruction before a child will hear what a parent or any person of authority is saying. Thus the saying, “three times the charm”. See the previously used example of trying to get my kids in the car. The third time I said “Get in the car” worked.[6] My children were and are simply suffering from Threetimesitis.

No one knows exactly where Threetimesitis came from. Researchers[7] have shown Threetimesitis is a genetic condition which all children are born with, though some scientists believe Jell-O is to blame.[8] Threetimesitis generally begins around age two and children grow out of it around age seven or eight. Girls are typically faster to grow out of Threetimesitis than boys, but boys will ultimately grow out of Threetimesitis as well.[9] There is no known cure for the condition. It is simply something parents must endure, like winter, the Flu and Hockey season. It is believed children suffering from the condition will respond somewhat more favorably to grandparents, but research has shown this depends on the amount of spoiling the grandparent in question provides on a regular basis.

So how do you, as a concerned parent, teacher, grandparent, or daycare worker deal with children suffering from this horrible and frustrating medical condition? I’m glad you asked. Dr. Travis is here to help with a few helpful steps.

1. Get used to saying things three times in a row to your children. No matter what the circumstance, time of day, season, or how responsive your children have been for the last five minutes. Just accept you’re going to have to give every instruction three times in a row. Don’t wait for your children to ignore what you’re saying. Just go ahead and say “Put the dog down, put the dog down, put the dog down,” and your child will respond. It’s better if you just go ahead and say it three times and save yourself the time and trouble.
2. It’s helpful for you, the parent, if you limit your instructions to short phrases. This will save you from stress and from using too many words. For example, don’t say “Stop what you’re doing and go clean your room this instant” three times. You’ll just wear yourself out. Just say “Stopit-stopit-stopit”, “No-no-no”, or “Comehere-comehere-comehere”. Once you have your child’s attention through short phrases you are more likely to get them to do what you want.[10]
3. Don’t get frustrated when you have to keep repeating yourself three times. Just accept that your child has a genuine medical condition and they can’t help themselves. Getting mad at your children for not hearing the first two times is like getting mad at water for being wet. Getting mad will only cause you to be stressed out and yell at your children. Then they’ll cry and you’ll feel awful. Accept there are things you cannot control like Threetimesitis, the wind and five o’clock traffic. Acceptance is the first step to healing.
4. Another option is to start each instruction or command with a trick word like “Ice cream”, “Money”, or any curse word and then go on to give your command. These trick words are magically able to stick in your child’s brain and draw their attention. Example, “Ice cream, please finish your broccoli,” or “Who wants some money? Clean your room please,” or “Son of a female canine, would you stop hitting your sister.” I would suggest against using this method. For one thing, your children’s medical condition will cause them to quickly adapt and they will ultimately stop responding to your trick words. Secondly, if you use curse words DSS will eventually come calling and you’ll have to do a lot of explaining and it may just get awkward for everyone involved. NOTE: if you use the curse word method I am not responsible if you get arrested.
5. Don’t use the repeat method around adults, just children. This can be difficult as you spend a great deal of your time with the genetically affected people known as your children and you get in a habit of repeating yourself. You have to be careful though because you don’t want to be at a dinner party and say, “Can you please pass the salt” three times in a row. You’ll look weird to other people, except other parents who will just nod their head in understanding.

Lastly, don’t give up hope. You are not alone in your struggle with these little people who can’t remember or hear what you say to them. There are billions of people all over the world who are suffering with you. Just keep going and one day your children will grow out of it. Then they’ll turn into teenagers, but that’s another condition altogether.

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[1] Well, everything but the Bronchitis part is true.

[2] We’ve had them checked.

[3] Like bad words, money, Disney World and ice cream

[4] I may or may not admit to being the parent of “that child” from time to time.

[5] Which is why when my kids are the ages of 13-18 I will be getting 4 additional jobs and will never be at home. Sorry honey.

[6] That and a little volume.

[7] What researchers you ask? Well I’m not telling you…but I promise they’re real.

[8] But those are also the scientist who believe in the Loch Ness monster, so take it with a grain of salt.

[9] I hope.

[10] Though there are no guarantees. 

It's the End of the World as we Know it and I Feel...Challenged to Study the Purpose of the Church!!!

The Church at Indianapolis

March Madness and the Final Four just ended last week when Duke beat Wisconsin for the national championship of college basketball. March Madness is one of the most exciting sporting events because of the high amount of drama, excitement, buzzer beaters, emotional back-stories, screaming coaches and highlight plays. There are a lot of peripheral things that surround March Madness, but the overall driving purpose of the Final Four is to win the national championship. Coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Bo Ryan did not enter into the final game with the goal of having a good story, completing some highlight plays, or enjoying themselves on national television. No, they wanted to be the champions. Through all that encompassed the event the main purpose was to be champions at the end of the day.

There are a lot of peripheral things that surround the church: serving the poor, teaching, social issues, childcare, youth groups, mission work, giving, loving, spiritual gifts, etc. What we are trying to determine is the main goal or purpose of the church. What is the “championship” that the church is seeking? Thus we’re continuing our study of God’s desired purpose and product of the church and we are looking at Jesus’ commendations and criticisms to the churches in Revelation.

(For further introduction and background see the previous articles). As always, please read along in your own Bible to make sure I’m not just making stuff up.[1]

The Church in Sardis

 “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you,” (Revelation 3:1-3).

Unlike the other churches, Jesus starts out his address not with commendation, but with criticism and let’s just say it does not sound good for the church at Sardis. They have the appearance of being alive, but in reality they are a dead church. There is no life, no fervor and no heart within this church. What a distressing reality! What is even worse is the same thing could be said about many churches and Christians today. They have the appearance of being alive, they are involved in religious activity, but in reality there is no life within. The church in Sardis is are called to remember what they originally had heard. They are called to return to what they originally were taught. Thankfully Jesus words are not totally without praise for the church.

“Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy,” (Rev. 3:4).

There is yet some minor measure of commendation for this church. There are a few there within the church who apparently were not dead, were not corrupted by sin, and had life within them. To these faithful few Christ promises a blessing of white garments and their names will be proclaimed before the Father and the angels. If that sort of thing doesn’t motivate you to get off your duff[2] and faithfully serve the Lord then I don’t know what will.

What do Jesus’ words to Sardis teach us about what he wants from the church? What does it teach us about God’s desired product from the church?

The Church in Philadelphia

“I know your works…I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name…Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world…I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. To the one who conquers…” (Rev. 3:7-12).

Interestingly enough there are no criticisms in this passage, only commendations from Christ. As an aside, how would you like it if your church were to stand before Christ and be commended and encouraged like this? How would you feel if your church were to be criticized like the one in Sardis?

Throughout these verses Jesus praises the church for their endurance amidst persecution and difficulty. The church had kept the word of Christ. They had not denied his name. They had patiently endured through persecution. They were encouraged to continue to endure and hold fast. They were encouraged to “conquer” with the promise of reward. The church in Philadelphia is repeatedly praised for their endurance and faithfulness. They were faithful to Jesus Christ, faithful to the gospel, and faithful to endure even when persecuted. What does this teach us about God’s desired purpose and product of the church? What does this teach us about what we should see in our own churches? Hold that thought. We’ll come back to it at the end.

The Church in Laodicea

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see…The one who conquers…” (Rev. 3:15-21, selected verses).

Notice there is no commendation whatsoever in Jesus’ words to this church. At least the church in Sardis had one minor commendation. This church has nothing. They are criticized for their lukewarm nature. There was no heart for God. They were apathetic. Secondly, the church was full of pride and trusting in their wealth. They trusted in their own resources, thinking they were rich and secure when in reality God viewed them as wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. They were called to repent, to turn from their apathy, and to turn from their trust in their own wealth and sufficiency. In the end Jesus again closes with a promise that those who overcome will be blessed and rewarded.

Closing

So what[3] can we learn from Jesus’ words to the churches in Revelation about God’s desired purpose and product of the church? First we should ask what, if any, are the repeated themes and ideas in these chapters?

      Jesus is a really, really big fan of endurance, faithfulness, and holding fast. The message of the gospel is one that will divide, anger, and challenge the world. If they killed Jesus for his claims how do you think they will treat his followers?[4] Jesus Christ desires his church be one that endures hardship, holds fast to the gospel, holds fast to truth, and remains faithful despite difficult circumstances, including persecution and death.[5]

2.       Jesus hates apathy and cold heartedness in the church. Several churches are rebuked for some form of this. Ephesus was rebuked for abandoning their first love. Sardis was rebuked for being dead and having no life. The Laodiceans were rebuked for their lukewarm nature. Jesus desire for the church to love him deeply is in line with the first and greatest commandment. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,”[6] (Matthew 22:37).

      Jesus Christ despises immoral thought and immoral behavior. He praised the Ephesians for standing against those who were evil and for rejecting the works of the Nicolatians. He rebukes the church in Pergamum for being involved with the doctrinal and behavioral error of idol worship and sexual immorality. The church at Thyatira is rebuked for tolerating “Jezebel” who was promoting sexual immorality among the believers. Jesus desires doctrinal and behavioral purity in the church. The two are closely related. I’ll say it again, wrong doctrine will lead to immoral behavior. Evil behavior will corrupt what you believe about God, Christ, and man.

This is just an initial foray[7] into our study of the purpose and product of the church. We’re just beginning to gather our puzzle pieces to see what God desires in and from his church. Hopefully these articles will give you a good foundational ground from which to proceed.[8] Until next time I leave you with some parting questions/thoughts:

-    * Reread Jesus words to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. What do you personally think Jesus desires from the churches? Do you agree with my conclusions?

-    * Does your church promote a gospel and ideals that challenges the culture and the world around you? Do they preach the gospel of turning from sin, bowing the knee to the one and only Savior for salvation that is by faith alone?

-    * How is your heart towards the Lord? Is it apathetic? How would you say you are doing in loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?

-    * Does your church promote doctrinal and moral purity? It seems like that was a pretty big deal to the risen Lord? How about you? Are you pursuing purity in mind, heart, and body?[9]

-    * How’s your endurance and holding fast to Jesus in difficult times? Do you have Christians in your life you can reach out to in challenging times for your faith? I encourage you to find some brothers[10] in Christ that you can be open about your struggles, your sin and your hurts. We are the BODY of Christ. We need one another to keep one another holding on in hard times.

Alright. Peace out my brethren. See you next time.

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[1] Because sometimes people just make stuff up, like that boy who cried wolf, most politicians, and your grandfather when he’s telling you about how he went to school 50 years ago through four feet of snow.

[2] Duff = buttocks. As in, “That worthless bum sits on his duff all day.”

[3] Yep, I threw that in there again…”so what” as in sowhatramblings.blogspot.com…you see how I did that? Isn’t that smooth? Aren’t you impressed? No?...Well you should be.

[4] Which begs the question, if the message of your life and church doesn’t irritate someone are we maybe preaching/living the wrong message?

[5] You don’t see a lot of Christian bumper stickers or t-shirts that say that. “Come be a Christian and die for your faith.”

[6] Yes, I used KJV language. I’m trying to appeal to all types of readers here.

[7] Mr. Webster: an attempt to do something especially for the first time

[8] If not then just lie and tell me I’m doing a good job anyway.

[9] No, you don’t get to ask me these questions. Only I can ask uncomfortable questions. Stop it! Stop asking me uncomfortable questions that I may not like the answer to!

[10] Or sisters, depending on your corresponding gender.