Contentment versus Complacency

Yesterday, we talked about how important it is for us to be leery of complacency as a church. With 95% of evangelical churches in America doing nothing to grow, this is of primary importance to us. One question that arose is the difference between complacency and contentment.

Are the two different and if so what is that difference?

Complacency is a smugness that creates a false satisfaction in our lives, our businesses, or our churches. It is both a thought that everything is okay and feeling in our core that we are justified to think as we do.

Contentment on the other hand is an internal peace that arise from doing what I know to be right. From that standpoint, contentment and complacency are two different things. Complacency is an assumption that I do not need to change or press forward. Paul understood both concepts well:

On complacency, he refused to be satisfied with he status quo. In Romans 13:11 and Ephesians 5:14, Paul says "Wake Up." In Ephesians 6, he says "be alert", In Philippians 3, we are told to "press on." The writer of Hebrews carries Paul's thoughts further in Hebrews 6, encouraging people to grow to maturity. Complacency is the enemy of personal and kingdom growth. We should always be vigilant to fight against it.

On contentment, Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NASB77)
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Echoed again in:
Philippians 4:11 (NASB)
11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Paul refused to let circumstances control his actions for the sake of the work of God, He was content knowing he was pressing on towards a greater prize. So he was content and non-complacent. This is the goal of the life of the believer.

The sad reality for many is that they live discontent and complacent. That is the great tragedy of lives lived without spiritual discipline or purpose. May it be said of each of us that we strive forward in the peace of the presence of God.

Am I Healthy?

Am I healthy? I would assume the answer to be yes. I have shed a couple of pounds and I have been jogging since the summer months. I feel pretty good, so I would assume health. Today, measures will be taken to see if I am right. I have been fasting the last 12 hours in preparation for blood work and tests needed for my physical which I have next week.

These tests are important because they look for things going on that can be undetected on the surface and not necessarily influencing how I feel. One other step occurred not long ago when they did a screening of my carotid artery. Fortunately, it was in an improved state over the year before. I am grateful for the resources available that allow us to manage our health and attempt to treat problems before they arise.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 139:23-24 (KJV)

What a prayer asking God to do some internal tests to find out just what is going on on the inside. We all like to have the appearance of health. We may throw out a few insights every now and then; we might have the appearance of perfect health, but what is going on on the inside. Is there disease? Is there addiction? Is there something that, if it goes untreated could become terminal?

Whenever I have a deep moment with God, I become very aware of the need for the Search Me Test. There are parts of me I think I can go on without addressing, but God points it out and says to me "this is dangerous; let's deal with it together." How gracious He is to begin a treatment plan with me.

So I am heading out the door, my blood work won't point to any matters that are down in the depths of my spiritual heart, but my prayer remains, "Search me O God..."

Are you willing to make that your prayer today?

Celebration

So far, September has been a month of celebration. Last we, we broke ground on a permanent facility. It's completion cannot come soon enough for me, but each step is so exciting, and I know that the church will hit a whole new level.

Next week, I go to another celebration. It will be the 100 year anniversary of Marth Road Baptist Church (formerly FBC, Martha). It will be a celebration of longevity, reaching great heights, and overcoming challenges. I was blessed to have my first experience as a pastor there, and I could not have asked for a more gracious church through all the blunders I would make as a young pastor. I still make a ton of blunders, I'm just not that young any more.

Many churches have lost the art of celebration and settle in for a hopeful existence and a "maybe we can make it through this time" mentality. Sometimes we forget that David did not write all of the Pslams and they cover centuries of time. There is a Psalm of ascent that the people Sang as they were returning froma time of punishment and captivity:

Psalms 126:1-6 (NASB)
1 When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.
4 Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South.
5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

I've read the whole story, Ezra and Nehemiah had their hands full with those who returned from exile. They had serious economic and political challeneges in returning to a land that had so many new inhabitants yet they celebrated. Why is that? They were beginning to learn a valuable lesson about celebration as God's people.

What was that lesson? It seems to me to be a special secret...always put your seed bag to use. Everyone wo plants will celebrate the fruit of his labor, but the person who fails to scatter has nothing to do but mope around.

I have been honored to be a part of church who think about lost people, and want to see their families and friends touched by the God of Great Things. Nothing creates celebration like an eternally changed heart. So we celebrate...and may we never stop!

Breaking Ground

This Sunday marks a new era in our church as we break ground on our facility. It will be rather modest, 150 seats a couple of offices and no real education space. In the 70's and 80's we would have called it a sanctuary. That term comes from cities of refuge were criminals could go and find safety from those seeking justice against them. It's really a fitting term because if the truth be told, we are all guilty and we find our refuge in Christ and the local church represents that.

More recently, the place of our weekly meetings has been called "auditorium." Literally it is a place for gathering and hearing. Perhaps that is why so many who attend church get stuck in a passive role of being mere hearers when hearing and doing are the expectations for believers. Our gathering place is so much more than an auditorium; any school, theater, concert hall, or community center can have one of those. The gathering place for the church has deep meaning that we should consider with all heartfelt passion. What is that? Jesus gives us the insight we need in His life mission:

Mark 2:17 (NLT)
17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough."

The gathering place for all who serve Christ is to be nothing less than a hospital. There are so many wounds that medicine cannot heal. There are battles of the mind that psychiatry cannot win. Our fear should always be that a church be filled with people who have already bee nurtured to health and that there is no room for the sick. As we break ground, it is my prayer that we never forget that the church is a hospital, and we are to always make room for and invite the sick to see the Doctor.

Looks like a chilly day for breaking ground...dress warmly!

Broken

Last year, I bought an Elliptical machine to help work my way back into shape. After two weeks, the questionably made product broke. After months of trying to get a replacement part, they gave up and sent me a new machine that still works but has the same nagging weakness. Before I use it, I try to check it out because if I tighten up the part that loosens during use, it can last much longer than the one that stripped out and is unuseable.

This past week, we talked about marriage and divorce. Its a lot like my two elliptical machines. Often times we go into marriage thinking that nothing could ever fail. What we don't realize is that the regular use, the pounding of life, the friction of day to day activities begin to reveal weaknesses that if they go overlooked will cause things to become broken.

On the other hand, if we know there is places where things are likely to break, we can put special care into it, we can "tighten it up." In every marriage, there will be extra tension regarding money, regarding sex, regarding hobies and relationships. Those things will always be an area of weakness in every marriage just like every same model of elliptical machine will likely fail in the same area.

Marriage takes a lot of care. Take time to do a lot of preventative maintenance. Your spouse deserves it. Have a blessed week!

Thoughts from Sunday

When I sat down and began to contemplate some of the tough sayings of Jesus, I never imagined the wrestling match that would have ensued in preparing for last week's message on lust and adultery. What is too much to say, what is not enough to say. How do I handle the comments of Christ accurately. Probably no message I have ever preached has taken me so far outside my comfort zone than to speak as honestly and candidly as I did on this passage.

Matthew 5:27-30 (NLT)
27 "You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not commit adultery.'
28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 So if your eye—even if it is your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Jesus challenged us to live a life of extremem awareness of what is going on around us and our strengths can quickly become our weaknesses if we are not careful. That has played out in so many people's lives when we see them champion causes only to fall into the sin they were combating. We must strive to be careful, to be wise and to honor people we encounter.

My prayer for all who consider this passage is that we learn to see all people through the eyes of Christ and not as mere objects for our satisfaction. Stay strong, and as Paul said: "Run away from sexual sin!" (1 Corinthians 6:18)

This week, we will look at another challenging subject, the one of marriage and divorce. It lends a question; as people of faith, are we too lax concerning marriage or too condemning concerning divorce? It's certainly something to think about as we prepare for Sunday.

Update

Now that an abundance of activity is complete, I hope to return to my blog more faithfully. The good news is that we have surrendered the use of our youth center through a lease to another local church. We are excited to allow them this opportunity for the enhancement of their ministry. The loan process is complete, and drawing and permits are moving forward. We hope a buyer will come available for the old office soon and provide extra resources for the building project.

Our youth ministry has had a wonderful Summer thanks to the work of Luke and Janelle and a host of volunteers. I know the youth led service was a big hit with the church. We will have to remember to do that again.

New Sunday School classes begin in September, and we are excited to get them rolling. The best way to get involved in a church is to be a part of a smaller group whether it is one of our night groups or a Sunday School class.

On a personal note, I am in the process of getting all my paperwork in to begin doctoral studies through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Rachelle has been pushing me to do this knowing that it has been a desire of mine, and we have decided that now is the time.

This week, we are starting our new series, "Don't Go There" looking at some of those really taboo subjects Jesus talked about with followers and would-be followers alike. Up first is the issue of lust and adultery...there's enough conviction in it to touch all of our lives and enough practical wisdom to teach us to rise above the challenges we face everyday. I hope we will get down to genuine honesty and real practical wisdom for tackling an issue that has become such a part of our culture. As one song writer once wrote, "I would look pretty stupid with my big ol head stuck in the ground." We have to learn to address these difficult topics in a way that allows us to maintain our presence in the world and show a better way. Hope to see you Sunday.