Mealtime Devotions by John Avery Whittaker

Meal Time Devotions:

It might be targeted for kids, but it goes a lot farther than that. A wonderful book to get you started on the right conversation.

In today's world. Sitting at the dinner table is a rare thing indeed. With our busy schedules. Work, school, church, social events, family events, work around the house and others. Dinner has become more of a pit-stop than a family gathering.

The original purpose of this book is to get your family talking about the spiritual matters that count. To help prepare our children to face life's matters God's way. With that said, I personally am using this book for an entire different purpose.

I am responsible for my church's Men's Ministry. Getting a group of men together is much more difficult than even getting your family together at the dinner table. Early morning is usually out of the question due to work and family. After work is even harder. So what do you do?

One of the best ways for men to meet is at a local restaurant after work for about 45 minutes to an hour at best. After work we are tired and hungry. Meal Time Devotions is the perfect lesson plan for us. Prayer, Appetizer, Main Course, Table Talk, then some Vitamins and Minerals. The issues affecting our youth are very similar to what we as men are facing in today's busy backwards world. The easy to follow format of this book makes leading the group a breeze.

Table Talk, open discussion is key to a productive Bible study group, in my opinion. We sit down during Sunday School and listen. We listen to the Sunday sermon. This is a chance to ask questions and discuss what is going on in our lives while keeping God the focus of the discussions.

Though I am using this book for an entire different purpose, it works just as easy with a group of men as it will with your family or any group gathering. Easy and compact to carry around in your back pocket. Youth Ministers wold benefit greatly by using this book too.

Vitamins and Minerals is the closing session. Leaving everyone with God's Word to follow for the rest of the evening and/or week. This book is a wonderful tool.

Teach, Preach and Reach!

The Corporate Church:

It is a little obvious to my readers that I am not a supporter of the modern corporate church model. I am not alone. Authors Thomas White and John M Teats of the book “Franchising McChurch.” Tony and Felicity Dale of the book “the Rabbit and the Elephant, Why small is the new big for today's church.” First we need to clarify what is the modern corporate church model. Just a few short decades ago in fact the corporate buffet of the 90's was a time when corporate America was at its peak. Mega corporations buying out other mega corporations became the primary news feature each night. With that also came to view the birth of the mega-church. The bigger is better attitude for a new generation of Christians. These churches existed long before the media took notice. The push for more came with the media wave of influence. Suddenly the non-profit corporation of the new face of Christianity was looking much like corporate America. That is exactly what happen. We quickly went from seeking redemption to seeking ratings. From worship to entertainment. Growing even bigger today.

So D. C. what is wrong with that? More are coming to Christ right? With numbers in the thousands you would think so. It is agreeable that a mega-church begins with a congregation of 2,000 or more. Many support congregations of 5,000 to 50,000. On the surface that is something to celebrate. With that comes the sucking sound of small local community churches forced to close their doors for lack of funds to keep the lights on. We see a similar effect on the down town districts of towns and cities when Wal-mart opens its doors. The local mom and pop stores which have been family owned and operated for generations fall like dominoes. Call it an ending of an era. Might want to call it the ending of our neighborhoods as we once knew them.

So what is your problem D.C.? This is a world of progress. The church needs to grow just like the world right? There is the problem. The church conforming to the world when the world needs to conform to the church. Is bigger better? Did not the church grow in the Book of Acts with the same numbers of converts that we are talking about within the mega-church? Yes, I would have to agree, but that is where the similarities begin to separate. How so?

A business owner, an accountant, or even a CEO would look at today's modern church and see little difference between the American Corporate Business model and today's corporate church model. To conform to IRS regulations the hierarchy is the same. Committee members are formed from people within the congregation who's only real experience is with dealing with corporate America. Therefore the result is a church run like an American corporation. Expecting profit and loss. Wait a minute! We are Christians. We are not producing some type of widget or product. We are in a battle that is in fact life or death. How can that be put down on a balance sheet? Does the church have expenses? Absolutely, the bigger the church the more the costs are to operate. Not much head scratching on that. So what is our goal? What is our purpose?

That is where we have taken a wrong turn some where. I agree with Pastor Ray Comfort. (Way of the Master, Living Waters Ministries) Today's modern gospel has become about life enhancement and not about repentance.

Let's talk turkey. Let's get down to brass tax here. Should we dismantle our mega-churches and return to small community churches? No. Let me put it this way. Noah built the boat, but it was God who gave it to him. By doing so saving all of us. We built these mega-churches, but it is God who gave them to us. Is our purpose to save the world? It should be. Seek and save the lost. Sounds simple and with these mega resources we should be more capable of doing just that for God. Are we?

One of the problems with mega-churches is the disconnect problem. Being so big one can easily hide if not be lost in the crowd. Crying out for help among the roar of others. One can easily be left behind. That is the difference between the church in the Book of Acts and today's modern corporate church model. The focus was on the needs of the people and not of one's self. This is extremely hard for us now since we live in a materialism based culture and society. We have become backwards and upside down.

Let us talk about solution then. OK, let's say a mega-church of 2,000 sets a goal of each member witnessing to others for at least 3 new converts each. By the end of the year the church would have a congregation of 6,000. Do it again for the following year and you would have 18,000 members. Sounds great on paper. Witnessing and revival are not the mainstream we are seeing. Keyword here: “Witnessing.” Being a witness for Christ. Simple, straight forward and obeying the Great Commission.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matt 28:19-20 (NLT)

Therefore our focus should be on witnessing for Christ. We need to teach it. We need to practice it. We need lead in doing it.

The goal should not be “Bigger is Better.” The goal should be to witness better and for His Kingdom to become bigger here on earth.

Team up, Set-up and get into the fight. <><

Who is in Charge?

Bosses, CEO's, managers, supervisors even store owners always think that they are in charge. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

We all think we're the boss, but it's a bunch of baloney. If you are confused about who really runs your business, consider this: a co-worker with a bad attitude can (a) steal your money or products, (b) fudge on their hours, (c) undermine your relationship with your customers, and (d) poison the morale of everyone else. So, if you think you're the head honcho at the office, think again. Your coworkers really run the business. ~Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko's, author of the book: “Copy This!”

Rarely do I ever hear people complain after going to Wal-mart that the prices are too high. There is no where else to shop. They are the only game in town. What we do complain about though is how we were treated. Many I have talked to repeatedly complain about the service or lack of it. What does this say about Wal-mart? If I the customer am being treated badly by the sales clerk. The manager must be mistreating the sales clerks. The upper management must be mistreating the store managers and so on up the ladder. So who really is in charge? The one who has the one-2-one relationship. Some call it personal service. We Christians call it fellowship. The building of personal relationships. That is why when I shop at Wal-mart I look for certain sales clerks because I know they will treat me right. That is how people should look at and for Christians.

For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
Matt 7:2 (NLT)

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us. 
Titus 2:7-8 (NLT)

In Matthew above did you ask who will be judging us? The one and only judge, God. So if we treat someone else badly do we really think we can get away with it? Of course not. Why? The fact is God is in charge. The sooner we realize it and submit ourselves to God's will the better we will be. Does this make our lives easy. No, in fact it makes our lives harder, but more rewarding knowing that we are doing it for Christ.

Team up, Set-up and get into the fight. <><

Idolatry

This is not the article you think it should be. The question has come up. Have I committed idolatry? The answer is YES. Look at my writings over the past few years. You see a pattern. I am very quick to defend pastors and preachers. Therefore have I placed my pastor on a pedestal? When have we not? It makes me think do I want to become a pastor? If you had asked me that question 6 months ago I might of answered yes. Ask me that today and I would diffidently say No. What I want is to be what every pastor and preacher aspires to be a servant of God. By idolizing the position of pastor we have done all we can in preventing this man of God from in fact serving God.

Pastors receive enough pressure from associations, periodicals and other pastors on growing their congregations. Look at the back of a baseball card. We Americans are obsessed with numbers. When it comes to church and determining how well a pastor is doing we look at “the numbers.” You know what I am talking about. Numbers published on how many baptisms your church had last year. How many new church members, attendance records, Sunday School enrollments, and let’s not forget the most important one, MONEY. Money received. Money given. Money spent on church operations, buildings, maintenance and so on. Just where in the Bible does it state that is how we measure the success of a pastor? Where?

I am guilty too. Thinking my pastor has some obligation to me to listen to my whining. We expect our pastor to be on call 24/7 without any thought to their families and personal life. Don’t get me wrong. I agree that the Christian life and being a servant is a life of servitude and poverty. Look at the recipe for failure we as followers of Christ have created for pastors. We demand them to have an education that surpasses any CEO of a Fortune 500 company. They need to be great communicators with the ability to draw in the masses like a celebrity. They need to be the CFO so the money is better spent. A degree in counseling and we expect them to repair our marriages and relationships within minutes that took years to destroy. Did I forget to mention years of experience too? How can one man be expected to meet such expectations?

We measure the success of a pastor by the numbers. When the church is packed and the money is flowing in everything seems to be great. Do we dare say a blessing? Sounds like college football to me. One losing season and you are out. When did corporate America suddenly dictate how the church is to be conducted? Have we moved from church members to shareholders? Are we looking for serving Christ and saving the lost or just looking for a return on our investment? I cannot tell you how many church meetings I have attended that spent more time reviewing a balance sheet than focusing on missions or discipleship.

How do we measure the success of a pastor? The same way we should measure the success of a church.

1. Is the pastor’s faith stronger with the Lord than when he first begun? Whatever the answer we as a congregation need to minister to our ministers.
2. Is the congregations’ walk with the Lord stronger now than before? Ask the Sunday School teachers and they will tell you who is thirsting for God’s Word and who is there for the social meeting.
3. Is the congregation participating in worship? Ask the choir members for they see first hand who is engaged in worship and who is there for the entertainment value.
4. Are lay leaders being trained and actively involved in part of the overall ministry of the church?
5. Is there an active new church member class being conducted each month?
6. Is the church supporting the development and making opportunities for members to enter into the ministry?
7. Is outreach a habit of the congregation rather than a chore?
8. Is the church actively involved in new church planting or a cooperative program?
9. Is the church part of the local neighborhood or part of the highway road show with signs rivaling those of an Indian Casino or Wal-mart?
10. Do the sermons contain more text from God’s Word than jokes and illustrations?

Not one of these 10 measurements involves the American Corporate yardstick of what they call success. Just ask a cattle rancher. You might have more cows than the other ranch but that does not mean better beef. You need to decide if your goal is raising hamburger or steak.

If you agree or disagree with me have the guts to leave a comment. Just click the comments link below.

Be the Best

My father told me long ago, “Son, no matter what you do. Be the best.” Some of you might interpret that phrase to be arrogant or assertive. Your interpretation is incorrect. My father knew I would have failures in my life. To be the best means to strive to become the best at whatever you do. Even if you come up short and still have done your best you have no shame or regrets. If you have done your best what more can be asked of you? Let us look at my favorite verse of scripture.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matt 20:28 (NLT)

Jesus sacrificed His glory to come to us. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords yet became a servant for us all. Not just a servant but the best servant. He is the example for all of us to follow. Yet that is the best we can ever expect from ourselves is to follow. No matter how hard we try. No matter how many things we accomplish. No matter how many others we try to help we still will come up short in God's eyes.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 (NLT)

Many times we fall into a trap. We believe if we just study our bible hard enough. If we just memorize enough scriptures. If we just pray often enough. If we go to church and try to live a good life God will make things right for us. If we just try to make God happy our marriages will be wonderful, our kids will grow up perfect. Our job will be a utopia. That is not what God's Word tells us.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Gal 5:22-23 (KJV)

As author Chip Ingram wrote: We may not do it consciously, but our expectations make God out to be a cosmic vending machine.

Whatever you do be the best. If you come up short you have nothing to be ashamed about. You did your best. For our salvation our best is still not good enough. Heaven would be a boring place if we were able to enter on our own accomplishments. Think about it. We would have to sit there and listen to others brag about what they did to get into Heaven. We hear enough of that junk (putting it lightly) here on earth.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. Prov 11:4 (KJV)

Being the best means often stepping aside in the service of others. Doing the job no one else wants to do. Taking that extra step knowing in advance that no one is watching or will even care about what you have done. God is watching. Be the best.