Office Devotions: Meaningful Membership

Romans 12: 4,5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

There’s a current trend in Western Christianity of people church-hopping and resisting joining a local congregation. They don’t want to make a commitment to a certain church or denomination because it doesn’t exactly fit their personal beliefs and theology. They move from congregation to congregation seeking to get something, but never really stopping long enough to give something back in return. They are spiritual locusts who feed on what they can get and then move on to another place.

I feel sad for them because they never really get to know the joys of membership, fellowship, and discipleship. To them, Christianity is something to be consumed. While it’s good to be nourished by the Spirit, it’s even better to share those blessings. After all, wasn’t it Jesus who said, “It is far better to give than to receive?”

Membership is originally a Christian invention. It comes to us directly from the writings of Paul. The local church is the Body of the Lord and we are each called to be different parts of Christ. And the different parts of that spiritual body are called ‘members.’

I hope that this trend to be independent and individual begins to diminish. I can’t think of a worse form of Christianity that requires no humility and is always motivated by self-interest. We are meant to be members in the Body of Christ, not individual parts that wander off to go and do their own thing. Christianity works best when people of faith are joined together and serve the Lord by being banded together in a common faith, church, and congregation.

So let’s rejoice and celebrate our church membership. Let’s take time to thank God for this wonderful innovation that was inspired by the Holy Spirit through the writings of Paul so long ago. And let’s also remember, before we criticize Paul for instituting church membership, that he was significantly and deliberately chosen by Christ Himself to do this.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for church membership and how it is wonderfully celebrated and practiced throughout the world. We remember those Christians in China for whom church membership can bring imprisonment. We recall those Christian congregations in Iraq and Iran for whom membership can cost them their lives. And we remind ourselves that our own congregations are full of folk who are called to serve You together through the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and above all else, membership. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Book about Encouraging Visitors to Become Members

Office Devotions: Handling the Truth

1 Samuel 3:17 "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you."

Did you ever see the movie ‘A Few Good Men?’ it stars Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. It’s a courtroom drama and its gripping climax comes when Tom Cruise is cross examining Nicholson near the end. In a battle of words, Cruise passionately insists that he wants to hear the truth, to which Nicholson aggressively replies: “You can’t handle the truth!”

When old Eli insists that the boy Samuel tells him what God has spoken to him, he wants to hear the truth, no matter what it is. Samuel is reluctant to tell him because it is a prophetic curse upon Eli and his sons. But Eli persists and even curses Samuel with the same fate if he does not tell him what God has said.

I wonder if moments later Eli had wished he hadn’t been given the message. The truth was ruthless and full of judgment upon Eli and his family. Would he have been better off being ignorant of God’s wrathful message?

I try to preach the Gospel from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Sometimes when I’m looking over a chosen passage, I wish that Jesus hadn’t said what He did. I know that when I start preaching the truth, it is sometimes too much for people in the pews to handle. So I’m left with a dilemma, do I please the people by diluting the Gospel, or do I please Jesus by not mincing His words?

The truth about the Gospel is this: some people can’t handle it, so they shape it into something that makes them comfortable and spiritually cozy. But they ignore this truth – how cozy is the Cross? How comfortable are the calls that Christ makes to us to repent, challenge our ways, and change our lives? A Gospel that is comfortable makes us all spiritual couch potatoes; Christ’s Gospel, which is awkward and challenging, makes us who God calls us to be.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we’ve let society become our Savior and allowed the world to become the Word. We’ve surrendered our souls to coziness and peacefulness, instead of aligning our spirits to the Gospel and You. We honestly can’t handle the Truth and so we make up our own Way, which leads us to no Life. Forgive us and rebuke us; direct us and renew us. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Office Devotions: Blessings of Baptism

Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

I love the rite of baptism. Whether it’s the sprinkling of water on the head of a bonnie wee baby in my arms or the sacred pouring of water on an adult’s head, I get totally encapsulated by the moment and inwardly rejoice in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It’s a time of joy and sometimes my heart is fit to burst during the sacred ceremony. On each occasion, the Holy Spirit mysteriously moves within the baptismal candidate and universally declares that he or she is a child of God. We only see the pouring of water and hear the speaking of the traditional Trinitarian formula – I baptize you in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Heaven, however, sees and experiences the whole picture where the baptized person is divinely ‘tagged’ as a servant in Christ’s Kingdom and an heir of God’s blessings.

Perhaps today can become a special occasion when we rejoice in our baptism, whether we received it as a helpless babe or an older person. Or maybe it will be a time when we look forward to baptism, either of ourselves or someone we know. Whatever the case, let’s give thanks to God for allowing us this special process in which we are spiritually bonded to Christ forever, and seek to show the world the joy of being baptized.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You were once baptized in the river Jordan and received the special blessing of God’s pleasure through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for allowing us the sacred opportunity of receiving the same blessing through our own baptism. Remind us each day of that special moment of joy and help us to go forth into the world as bearers of this blessing. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or share a baptismal story, he would be delighted to receive your email at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is an original illustration called “Spirit Spectrum” by John Stuart. Signed, numbered, and matted limited print editions can be purchased from his art site at http://stushie.etsy.com

Office Devotions: Love the Word

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

I love the word of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. Ever since I can remember, I have believed in its truthful teaching and eternal message. I don’t think there has ever been a time when the scriptures weren’t real to me, not even in my drunken alcoholic days. The Bible has always been God’s Holy Word and I take great joy in reading it, hearing it, and drawing strength from it.

Now please don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I’m a Bible Thumping, Scripture Bashing, Gospel Guru who sits on a self-righteous pedestal and guffaws at the rest of the world. I do have my arrogant and pride inflicted moments like everyone else, but basically I love God and His wisdom, as revealed to us through the Bible.

When my life was at its most self-indulgent and self-destructive, I kept going back to my Gideon’s pocketbook version of the New Testament and Psalms. Somehow the seeds of faith that my Sunday school teachers had planted in my mind and heart were never completely barren. More than thirty years later, I am in awe of what God chose to do and how He accomplished that through His words that were written thousands of years before I was born. And it’s that constant relevance of the Bible that I see enacted in people’s lives everyday that make me love God’s word even more.

So today, let us rejoice in this beautiful revelation that we call the word of God. May it always be an anchor, foundation, and basic cornerstone of our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have been revealed to humankind for thousands of years through the Holy Scriptures. Your message and ministry are still expressed, embraced, and enacted by millions of people in the world today. Thank You for such a divine, beautiful, and everlasting gift. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Office Devotions: Real Results

1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?

Podcast version here:

The apostle Paul went through some really tough times. Apart from being persecuted and hunted down by his enemies, he was also heavily criticized by members of the churches that he had established and developed. It must have been hard for him to receive such complaints, especially when he believed that the Corinthian church’s strength had much to do with his own work for the Lord. I guess that they must have forgotten how much they owed to Paul for bringing them out of obscurity and into the light of steady growth.

This passage makes me wonder what are the results of our own work in the Lord? How many people have been blessed or touched by our words and acts of Christian faith? If we were to take the faith component out of each of our lives, what kind of gaps would there be? We will probably never know, but it is perhaps something that we each should personally ponder: how effective and influential is my faith? What are the results of my work in the Lord?

Yesterday, I received an email out of the blue which touched my heart and reminded of the importance of this devotional work that I do for the Lord. I’d like to share the email with you. I’ve left the spelling and grammar uncorrected because I want you to experience the email the way I did.

Dear Sir John Stuat,

Thank you for your message in Hebrews 10:33 which conforted me

I have read this in Uganda/ Africa having fled my country due to insecurity but am alive with my wife and children now refugees many things have been destroyed but we were not distroyed.

God bless you

Kakule Kisunzu

I do not know who Kakule Kisunzu is, but I am both humbled and delighted that something I wrote a while back has helped him and his family. To me, that is a wonderful result in this work that I try to do for the Lord.

So the question for all of us is this: what are the results of our work in the Lord?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, through Paul’s ministry You have reminded us that our faith is not something that we keep to ourselves. As Christians we are meant to share Your teachings and influence others to come to You. May we take the opportunities that You give us each day to reach out to those who do not know You. May we also see the results of our work in You. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Office Devotions: Godspell Goodies

Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

I went to our Youth Players opening night of Godspell last evening and I was amazed at the energy, joy, and enthusiasm of all of the young people involved. Godspell has some great songs and is a perfect vehicle to relate the scriptures to a modern audience, but the way our kids have updated the material is fantastic.

Creative Expressions and theater ministry have become important hallmarks of our church and more families are becoming involved in the life, work, and ministry of our congregation. As I watched the young people on stage, as well as those working the sound system and the spotlights, I was just blown away by their creativity and commitment to one another. Sometimes I worry about the future of the church and our faith; and then when I see these youngsters perform, all my anxieties melt away.

I think I understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote that those who take refuge in God will ever sing for joy. At last night’s Godspell performance, I experienced that same joyful feeling.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for our young people and for the new ways, works, and words that they will express and use to carry faith to the world. They are a wonderful blessing to our churches and we pray that You will continue to inspire and excite them through the creative presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Office Devotions: Fellow Elders

1 Peter 5:1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:

Eldership is at the heart of what it means to be Presbyterian. All of our Presbyterian churches are led by our ruling elders and teaching elders. They are called by God to seek the Holy Spirit in a particular congregation and to follow that path sincerely, faithfully, and effectively. It’s one of the great strengths of the Presbyterian system and, when it is employed properly, it makes Presbyterianism a great light amongst Christian denominations.

I love being both a Presbyterian Christian and a teaching elder in the church. I feel connected to the apostles like Peter because of the special, mysterious, and holy laying on of hands that is part of the ordination process. I feel connected to the elders around me, both active on Session and pro-active in the congregation. There is a great sense of team work, responsibility, and faith in Christ that we share amongst us.

I also like the fact that Peter refers to elders as being witnesses to Christ’s suffering, which reminds me that being ruling and teaching elders in the church is never an easy process. We think, we question, and we struggle with our faith. We solve problems, seek answers, and look for guidance from the Holy Spirit. We try to keep the church on the right path, just as the world tries to distract our goals and diminish our effectiveness. We are the gate keepers of the faith and are meant to be the visionaries of our churches. Elders are always looking at the bigger picture and what lies ahead. If we only concentrate on the here and now, we will never reach the blessings yet to come.

These are anxious times for our faith, but if our elders across the Presbyterian Church remain faithful to Christ, uphold His teachings, and live according to God’s Word, then we will not only share in Christ’s glory, but we will also be handing over a strong church for the elders yet to be ordained in years to come.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for the precious gifts of eldership that You have bestowed upon the Presbyterian Church. We pray that the faithfulness, integrity, and spirituality of our ruling and teaching elders may continue to inspire our people and lead them through these uncertain times into future years of bounty and blessing, discipleship and service for Your Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we fervently pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.