The Real Confidence Monitor.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. (Matthew 13:6)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Martha said something that I’d like us to reflect on today. She said (paraphrased here), It’s not our complaints that move God. It is when we declare the word of God that God responds. She then asked us: How can we declare the word of God if we’ve never read it, or if we aren’t sure of what it says?

As we learn the word of God by reading Scripture, rehearsing it through meditation, and declaring it with our mouths, we can be confident that our Lord will fulfill His word in the earth. However, if we don't learn His word, we won't grow in faith and we won't increase in our knowledge of God. We must remain aware that our depth of devotion to God impacts the confidence with which we can declare His word.

Let's consider the parable of the sower, found in the books of Matthew and Mark. We see in the narratives that the process of seeds developing into mature plants could be cut short by various things: the soil, the sun, the roots, the rocks. Seeds grounded in deep, fertile, rock-free soil had a better end result than those that fell along the path. We also see in these narratives that Jesus used the parable to describe the ways in which people develop spiritually (see Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20).

How are we doing in terms of our spiritual development? Do you and I carry, in our hearts and minds, a knowledge of what God’s word says? Do we live in obedience to His word? Do we rejoice in the expectation that God will fulfill His word? Are we committed to being “deeply rooted” in the word of God? Are we willing to extract and discard the things that are harming, stunting, or otherwise blocking our spiritual development?

Recitation. Meditation. Declaration.

Isaiah 55

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

"All Shoots. No Roots."

(Fallen tree on Pelham Parkway North. Bronx, New York, U.S.A. Photos taken October 31, 2012.)

Pastor Shane made a profound comment during his message this past Sunday. He said, and I paraphrase, "I had spent all my life in church, but I had no relationship with Jesus."

And, he was not merely a casual church attender. He was busy. Busy as an usher, busy in the youth programs, busy going on ministry trips. Any observer would tell you that he was very involved and engaged in God's project at Bronx Bethany.

The reality, though, according to his own testimony, was that he was far from God.

We thank God that Pastor Shane was a recipient of God's grace, and that he responded to God's invitation to draw near to Him.

The title of today's post is a phrase I heard in a recent podcast from Metro West Church of the Nazarene, where Rev. Ronald Benjamin is the senior pastor. He used the phrase during a sermon on the parable of the sower (see Matthew chapter 13). And he made a very strong case for the parable being not so much about the sower, nor the seeds, as it is about the types of ground where the seeds fell.

So, what is the "ground" that produces all shoots but no roots? It is the person who engages ministry without first having been firmly planted in the word of God. He is present every time the church doors open. She is a great teacher with lots of head knowledge about Scripture. He is quick to volunteer. She stays behind to clean up after luncheons.

What happens to him when the winds of adversity blow? What does she do when she is offered the ease of sin versus the trial of obedience? Matthew tells us how Jesus interprets His own parable. "The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away." (Matthew 13:20-21, italics mine)

When we think of lack of endurance, on the first contemplation, we may think it means someone will burn out quickly: in days, months, or perhaps in a year or so. I wish it were that swift. Sadly, some believers grow over decades without ever being rooted and grounded in Christ. Much like the tree in the above photos, there are lots of leaves, branches, and a solid trunk. Ministry is "happening". However, the roots are shallow-- not deep enough to support the believer when the strong winds of temptation or adversity blow.

End results?

A dead tree. Whether literal or figurative, ministers and ministries that are not grounded in Christ fail. And, they do die: some figuratively, some literally.
A blocked road. Persons who admired or deified such ministers or ministries become disillusioned, as the ministry failure becomes a stumbling block to the faith of others.
A lengthy cleanup process. Ministers and ministries who are solidly grounded are tasked to step in and deal with the messes left behind by others. And, it's a long process: a tree can fall in seconds, but it takes years for a new planting to be properly rooted and grown to full stature.

So, in actuality, today's post is neither about Shane nor Ronald, nor their sermons. It's about you.

*Are you rooted and grounded in the Word and Spirit of Christ?
*Do your actions point people to Christ our Savior, or to yourself?
*What does your thought life indicate about the state of your spiritual root system?

Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man... and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. (see Ephesians 3:13-19)

First, grow down. Then, grow up.

A Fresh Coat Of Paint To Cover The Mold.

This week, we have been getting under the veneer of counterfeit Christianity.

The sermon this past Sunday informed us that in the church community the useless are intertwined with the useful, so much so that a) they are virtually indistinguishable from each other and b) the useless have to be violently removed by angels at the command of Christ (Matthew 13). This week we have looked at the processes of threshing and winnowing, and we have reflected on the characteristics of the blessed and the wicked.

Our prayer is that your walk with Christ is not a facade, but that you are enjoying a deep and meaningful relationship with Him: a relationship that stands up to the storms and trials of life; a relationship where your lifestyle of integrity and peace shows the world that you have set your anchor in the LORD.

Bronx Bethany is in preparation for events marking the centennial of our denomination, the Church of the Nazarene. There is much potential for danger. I say that because it is easy to program events and create a celebratory/"charismatic" atmosphere without seeking the Holy Spirit's direction. As we've learned, the church community which forges ahead without the powerful Spirit of God is just a facade. So please pray for us, and please pray for yourselves.

(Our next blog will appear on Monday.)

T Minus Time

On Sunday Pastor Benji shared with us the first installment of his sermon "The Time Is Now: Time for You To Be Changed". It is a most apropos title, as the ministers of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene have spent this summer urging congregants to be sure of their decision for Christ and their right standing in Christ. Autumn is beginning, and BBCN continues this plea for all of you to obediently submit to the rule and sovreignty of Jesus Christ.

One of the images in the sermon referred to the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). This parable reminds us that God divides people into two categories: those who are "sons of the kingdom", and those who are "sons of the evil one" (13:38). Jesus says He will send angels to weed out "everything that causes sin and all who do evil" (13:41).

For those of you who have never pulled weeds, I'd like to share a quote from Pastor Benji's sermon that is crucial to understanding the gravity of this weeding process: "Weeding is not a gentle activity." The strength and swiftness of the weeding process is our example and warning of the speed with which Jesus will execute righteousness on behalf of those who love and obey Him. It is a violent and sure and permanent removal of those who seek to hinder the plan of God.

The Matthew 13 passage informs us that it is not pastors or prophets who remove evildoers, but that Jesus will send His angels to uproot and throw out those who have planted themselves among the people of God but are in fact "weeds"- agents of Satan who seek to engage in the things which are contrary to righteousness. What is contrary to righteousness? Jesus gives us a list in Revelation 22:15. "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolators and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

Pastor Benji's warning towards the close of the sermon is reminiscent of Psalm 1: "Don't be a part of anything that goes contrary to righteousness." Some of you have been enjoying short-term profits from industries and ideologies that stand in opposition to the desire of Christ. We are asking you, in the interest of saving your soul, to abandon those things that in the end will result in your destruction.

The title of today's blog refers to the traditional countdown before a rocket or space shuttle is launched. But, I cannot give you an exact countdown time. I do not know the day when Christ will send His angel to purge unrighteousness from Bronx Bethany, and according to Scripture our task is not to determine dates, but to be ready at all times for the return of Christ (Matthew 24:36-44). But we do have this statement from Jesus: "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots" (Matthew 15:13).

I encourage all of us to read and meditate on Psalm 1 during this week. Tomorrow we will take a closer look at "chaff" as a metaphor for ungodliness (Psalm 1:4).