Posts from January, 2012

Dear church,

What is the Gospel? Now, the simple answer is, “It’s the good news of Jesus Christ.” But, what does that mean? If a co-worker or neighbor asked you to tell them the message of the Gospel, what would you say? Are you prepared to respond to that question?

Paul tells the Roman church, who he’d never met, that he is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” He has conviction, but is that it? Is that a full explanation of the Gospel? Now, with every ounce of respect due to the Apostle Paul (I have no doubt he could articulate the Gospel far more clearly and completely than I will ever be able to), I still don’t know what to do. I am still not sure HOW salvation comes for everyone who believes. We may think it’s simple, but this is a very important question; what is the Gospel? It’s also one we cannot afford to get wrong. The very souls of people are at stake.

Not long ago I was reading a blog where this question was asked. I am not sure you would believe me if I told you how many very different answers were given. I should mention that this was the blog of a popular ministry that serves mostly evangelical pastors. Some of the answers were long and winding, others were overly simplistic, but the thing that stood out to me the most was the variety of words and content that these, mostly, pastors used to articulate the Gospel. I thought, “Is it really this hard? With so many differences, can we hope to share a succinct message of hope and reconciliation between God and a lost and dying world that says all it needs to say without adding things it does not mean to?”

Our Saviour Evangelical Free Church is committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not sure I can understate the tenor of this commitment. We are not just Gospel-oriented, we are Gospel-centered. We are Gospel-saturated. It is the first in a list of four things we are committed to and it is by far the most important. The Gospel of Jesus Christ defines and shapes everything about who we are.

As we continue speaking this Sunday about our purpose and what we are committed to, I’m going to try to simply and clearly define what the Bible says the Gospel is. Then, we’ll have a better understanding of what the Gospel calls us towards. This may seem like an easy task, but it is harder than we think. However, I want to be clear. I am not going to tread on new ground this Sunday as much as I will identify old truths that should have never been forgotten. I hope you will join me. This is the message of our faith. It is what makes a Christian a Christian and it is what EVERYONE needs.

In closing, I want to let you know that over the next couple of months we will have some new worship leaders on a Sunday morning here and there. In order to fill out our schedule I have asked Bill, a man who has served this church for many years as pastor and Tim, a college student who has made this his church home to lead the music portion of our worship services. I can personally vouch for the humble, sacrificial, Gospel-centered lives of these two men and look forward to worshipping along with them as they serve in this capacity on occasional Sundays.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam

Dear church,

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

- Hebrews 13:17

As a pastor texts like Hebrews 13:17 are difficult for me to preach and teach. I am always afraid, if I am not careful, that I will come across as power-hungry or arrogant. Through Jesus Christ, I am not, but I still worry. Nevertheless, these are God’s words and if we are to be a Biblical church, we must know them and submit to them.

The reason I want to draw your attention to this passage is that just a few hours after you receive this, much of the leadership of our church will gather for the purposes of prayer, discerning God’s will for our church, and strategically planning for the future. During this time we will have two main groups of people in mind: you and those God is calling us to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On behalf of our elders, staff, and ministry team I want to tell you how seriously we take our calling. In particular, the end of that first sentence in Hebrews 13:17 weighs heavily on us. As those who lead God’s people we will one day give an account for your soul.

Secondly, we are told to undertake this work with joy, not groaning. The reason for this is that it would not help you if we did not enjoy our work. For the men and women that will gather, our ministry is both a delight and a burden and we carry it joyfully. It is our privilege to serve you in the ways we do.

Finally, you may have noticed that I have yet to challenge you to obey your leaders and submit to them (the beginning of this command). That is because I believe this obedience and submission must be earned through Godly, servant-leadership. In fact, I believe if we as leaders remember that we will give an account for other souls and approach our tasks joyfully, you will find it easy to submit to that kind of leadership. So, according to this way of thinking, even though this is a command to those under leadership, it is much more a challenge to leaders to serve humbly and faithfully.

As we prepare to retreat together this weekend, I want you to know how much respect and admiration I have for the elders, staff, and ministry team of our church. They are men and women of Godly character, compassion, and they are servant-hearted. As we gather together, our deepest desire is to glorify God and serve Him. We covet your prayers on Friday evening and all-day Saturday. As God leads you, please pray specifically for these areas:

1. Pray that, first and foremost, our time together would be worshipful to God and centered on His Word.
2. Pray for humility, fellowship, and unity among our leadership.
3. Pray for discernment of God’s will and desire as well as the courage and boldness to pursue it wholeheartedly.
4. Pray for wisdom and vision in our leadership of others to pursue joy in Jesus Christ.

Thank you in advance for your faith-filled prayers. As for this week, I am excited to begin a new series of messages that will communicate and call our church toward a renewed sense of purpose and vision. The series is called Committed with the subtitle, “What defines us.” Beginning this Sunday, I will unpack a slightly revamped Purpose Statement for our existence as a church and then, in the weeks following, identify four Commitments that drive everything we do. Along the way, I will also highlight five central Values that make Our Saviour Evangelical Free Church a, somewhat, unique place to belong.

Please pray for these things as well. These are very exciting times at OSEFC, however, we must be mindful that they are not exciting because of our strength, but because of God’s abundant provision. To Him be the glory forever! Sunday will be an exciting day. I will see you there.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam

Dear church,

The Old Testament is filled with systems and commands for the worship of God. The Bible tells us who could perform sacrificial acts at particular times, what a person should wear, and how often ceremonies must take place. In many ways, it is very rigid. The New Testament, on the other hand, says almost nothing about outward acts of worship, especially in corporate settings. Why?

Without spoiling too much, I believe this is because the teaching of Jesus takes the outward, visible performances of worship and turns them inward on the heart. So, where once God was primarily worshipped in the temple, now the bodies of Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit and God can be worshipped anywhere. Where once the sins of people were transferred to slaughtered animals, now the sins of believers are given to Jesus through repentance and faith and they have been atoned for once and for all. Where once a consecrated priest would ritually wash himself and put on special clothing, now a dirty beggar in tattered clothing can freely approach God through faith in Jesus Christ, the great high priest.

Perhaps this new attitude and access for worship is stated most clearly when Jesus talks to a sinful woman in John 4 and tells her about the true nature of worship. There, He says that those who wish to truly worship God must worship Him “in spirit and truth.” That sounds lofty and sophisticated, but what does it mean? How do I do that every day? What does it look like in my life?

Now I definitely won’t spoil it too much. This Sunday we’re going to be talking about the true nature of worship. What is it to magnify the God of the universe? I hope you can be there. It will be a great Sunday.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam

Dear church,

Happy New Year! I hope that you are beginning to recover from the business of the past few weeks. Recover seems to be the right word. Even the joy that is present around Christmas can be exhausting in a way. So, as your decorations come down and life returns to its normal rhythm (if there even is such a thing for you), my prayer is that you would know the joy and the hope of the coming of Christ throughout the entire year.

How do you begin a new year? With resolutions? Maybe. Be honest, how many of you were back at the gym for the first time in months this past week? How many of you began a diet on Tuesday morning? Ok, enough fun with that. Many of us approach 2012 with hopes and dreams, with expectations, and with the desire to make changes; to do and to see things differently. It may not necessarily be a resolution, but this Sunday I want to begin our year together by talking about how we see things. In Isaiah 6, God allows an ordinary man to see something extraordinary and it changes his life forever.

I don’t want to say too much now. In fact, like Isaiah, even though he experienced it first-hand, I’m struggling to put it into words. I’ll simply ask for you to join me this Sunday as we begin 2012 talking about the holiness of God. This particular Sunday may not, but if you know and worship the only God who is holy, like Isaiah, it will change your life. I can’t wait to see you Sunday!

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam