Hearing the Music

Stewarding Our Gospel Vision

Careful readers of the bulletin may have noticed that, at our most recent meeting, the session agreed to begin the process of looking for a church planter to lead another church planting effort from Christ Church.  We are humbled to be able to have this opportunity and excited about what it portends for the future! Having just watched Gracehill particularize, we realize afresh the impact that new churches can have on a community. It is our goal as a Gospel centered church to do all that we can to both nourish those already within and welcome those outside the current fold. This vision presents both challenges and opportunities as we see people drawn to this Gospel vision. Especially with respect to those currently outside the fold, there are multiple things which we must attend to if we are to steward this vision well.  

First, as in all things, we must persevere in prayer together. In our public meetings and our private chambers, we must maintain an attitude of humble supplication before the the throne of grace looking to receive from our Heavenly Father wisdom, creativity, patience, selflessness and everything else that is needed to faithfully steward our Gospel vision. Both the opportunities and challenges require creativity and patience that is beyond us.

Second, we must be intentional about welcoming those thirsty for Gospel centered community into Christ Church. Theoretically, this means continuing to invest in ministries that get outside of our local doors. CarePortal, ministries such as Grace's Table, active ministry on college campuses all bring us into contact with those who are outside our current fold. Practically, as people find themselves connecting to Christ Church, this means things like maximizing seating in the sanctuary, looking for creative solutions for classrooms (reorganizing, portables, acquiring property, building expansion), welcoming new people into C-groups, Bible studies, or into our homes for meals. In short making space, both practically and relationally.

A third thing we can do as a church is nurture options for people that are other than Christ Church. People in the GR area are looking for vibrant, Gospel centered churches to be a part of. One way to ensure that these types of churches are available and identified is if we continue to use our resources (leadership, people, finances, etc …) to partner with other Gospel centered churches so that this vision can be easily accessed by all who look for it. This type of partnership could range from shared ministry to shared worship in ways that builds up the greater body. In particular, this could mean being attentive toward supplying needs of congregations that may require assistance in carrying out the Gospel vision. Or, as we decided this past week, nurturing options means that we continue the strategic planting of new congregations through active prayer, planning, equipping of planters, and deployment of teams.

As you can see there is much to hold before the Lord as a community.  Stewarding the Gospel vision that the Lord gives us has many facets to it and we have not even touched on other aspects of our stewardship such as global missions or our own internal discipleship efforts. But thanks be to God, He always gives us what we need to accomplish what He requires. Christ Church is filled with people both hungry for the Gospel in their own lives and eager to share with others!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Put No Confidence in Princes

In Psalm 146:3, the Psalmist reminds the worshippers to "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation." The exhortation of the Psalm is to trust in the Lord who is the only true help of mankind. While we are not sure who wrote Psalm 146, it is not a jump to imagine that the insight to put no confidence in princes came, at least in part, from watching the life of David.

2 Samuel 9 was a high point for David in terms of his character and reflecting the heart of YHWH. Unfortunately, from this point on the stories are less glamorous, many even downright difficult to read. Over the rest of his life David will struggle with pride that will lead to power plays, sexual sin, an unwise census, etc... He will struggle with denial, depression, a weakening of his effectiveness as a ruler and a father. The consequences of his sin, though forgiven, will continue both throughout his lifetime and throughout his dynasty. And truthfully, these stories will most likely strike close to home. In some cases surgically opening up our own hearts to expose the rot that has set in. In other cases, poking at a wound that others have inflicted, perhaps causing pain or a resurfacing of anger.

So "why go there", you ask? Well, we go there because that is where the scripture takes us. As a church we are committed to the "whole counsel of God". We believe that every bit of the Bible is given for our building up and training in Godliness, even the difficult parts. We go there because it is against that backdrop of human failings that we discover, rediscover, that God is our refuge and our strength. He is the only one who is worthy of our trust. Furthermore, we are reminded that though our sins are many, His mercy is more. David and the rest of the cast of characters find themselves in a morass of brokenness brought about by their own sin as well as the sins of those around them, but God is still at work. Sometimes he works from the shadows to be sure. Sometimes his brush portrays only a small dash of color in an otherwise bleak landscape. But He is there. Every story whispers His name.

Photo by T. Selin Erkan on Unsplash

Staying Human

Many of you have played around with, or are perhaps actively using some of the AI (artificial intelligence) applications that are becoming more and more prevalent.  Personally, I have not used any of the platforms such as ChatGPT or any of the helper buttons on Google or otherwise. However, one of our fellow congregants recently played around with ChatGPT and asked it to write a Friday Letter with the theme of Christian freedom in light of Independence Day. He also fed ChatGPT a few of my previous Friday Letters and asked it to write in the same style. Honestly, I was a little shocked and more than a little weirded out by the quality that was produced.

I have been thinking a fair bit about AI and have read and listened to a variety of folks wrestling with the ethics of AI, what we gain with AI, what we lose with it, etc... In this case, I was struck by how much the letter sounded like me, but yet wasn't me. Honestly, I had a moment of thinking how much easier my life could be if I utilized such tools. But at the same time I knew that it would come at a cost. Believe it or not, writing these Friday Letters is a labor of love. While some are more in depth, coherent, logical or interesting, they all are done with you in mind. They flow from our life together, hallway conversations, interactions over books or basketball. Why this letter on AI?  Because we have been talking about it.

I don't have all the answers, maybe not even many of the answers. But let's keep asking the questions. Let us not make the mistake of many who assume that just because we can do a thing, we should. But most of all let's stay human together!

The Bible keeps it real when it comes to the humans in its story. This week, we see David at a high point, showing compassion and his own covenant keeping love to his good friend Jonathan's son in 2 Samuel 9. David's was a costly love, reminiscent of the love of Christ. I look forward to Michael's exposition of this text, just as I -- the person -- look forward to seeing you!

Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash