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Site Design by
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There have been many “firsts” in the last few months; the first worship service in our new church campus, the first baptism in the new baptismal, the first business meeting , the first pot-luck, and now, the first newsletter. It’s great to finally be here! What wonderful and comfortable facilities we now have! The best part is that we can let the dust from construction settle, replacing it by kicking up the dust in doing ministry.
Now that we are getting comfortable we need to remind ourselves that our calling isn’t to be comfortable. As James D. Berkley wrote, “No pioneering, radical, countercultural organization has the leisure to be comfortable.” Have you ever thought of the church as pioneering, radical, and countercultural? Jesus’ final marching orders to His disciples in the upper room before leaving them indicate that they were to become a culture-shaking, eternity-changing band, commissioned to turn the world upside down--anything but a comfortable task. Being comfortable is something for the self, and the self certainly drives our culture. The Apostle Paul instructs all who are disciples of Christ to treat others as more important than yourself (Phil.2:3-4), to actually be “put out” by the interest of others, as one said “the church isn’t my personal vending machine.” The church is a lifesaving station to reach out to those in peril, needing to be made safe.
There have been many “firsts” in the last few months; the first worship service in our new church campus, the first baptism in the new baptismal, the first business meeting , the first pot-luck, and now, the first newsletter. It’s great to finally be here! What wonderful and comfortable facilities we now have! The best part is that we can let the dust from construction settle, replacing it by kicking up the dust in doing ministry.
Now that we are getting comfortable we need to remind ourselves that our calling isn’t to be comfortable. As James D. Berkley wrote, “No pioneering, radical, countercultural organization has the leisure to be comfortable.” Have you ever thought of the church as pioneering, radical, and countercultural? Jesus’ final marching orders to His disciples in the upper room before leaving them indicate that they were to become a culture-shaking, eternity-changing band, commissioned to turn the world upside down—anything but a comfortable task. Being comfortable is something for the self, and the self certainly drives our culture. The Apostle Paul instructs all who are disciples of Christ to treat others as more important than yourself (Phil.2:3-4), to actually be “put out” by the interest of others, as one said “the church isn’t my personal vending machine.” The church is a lifesaving station to reach out to those in peril, needing to be made safe.
The placement of our new church building positions itself well to be such a lifesaving station. Our community includes so many eternally lost souls. I pray that we value them so highly that we venture out of our “comfort zones.” I realize my value of lost items determines the intensity of my search and recovery efforts. When I lose my car keys, wallet, or glasses, a major recovery effort kicks in. The house is turned upside down and could even result in dismantling furniture. If it is really valuable to me, I don’t even think of the inconvenience of having to search; all I’m concentrating on is finding it. If I loose my newspaper, I don’t fret, another one comes tomorrow. How much do we value the lost? To what extent will our efforts be to reach them?
In chapter fifteen of the Gospel of Luke, much light is shed on Jesus Christ’s value of the lost and His intensity of recovery. When the Pharisees were criticizing Him for hanging out with sinners, Jesus told them three stories about lost items: a lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), a lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and a lost son (Luke 15:11:32). The shepherd who lost the one sheep didn’t say “oh well, I’ve still got ninety-nine left, that’s not too bad!” The peasant woman scoured the floor to find the small lost coin. She didn’t say “ Oh well, find some, loose some. What’s a day’s wage?” The father whose son ran off didn’t say, “Forget him if he’s going to be a fool, he deserves what he gets, I’ll just spend more time with my older son!” In each of the three situations, there was an intense, all out search for the lost item. Jesus is saying that every one who is lost is extremely important—worth stopping whatever you are doing to search for them. Intense searches happen when we put extreme value to the lost item.
How do we view the neighbors around us? Are they valuable to us? Are we willing to interrupt our busy lives, bend our demanding schedules, expend extra energy, be a little uncomfortable, step outside our comfort zones to reach the lost? If people are really lost, and if they are truly valuable, then an intensive search and rescue is in order. What if it was evident to the community that we value people the way Jesus values them?
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)
Trinity Baptist Church
711 Fairview Dr. Moscow, Idaho 83843
208.882.2015
trinity@moscow.com
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| Value & Intensity
Pastor Dan Bailey
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| Trinity Baptist Church |
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711 Fairview Dr.
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