Why go to church?

Why I Attend Church

            I was prompted to write this essay, quip mind you, by the numbers of people I know at home in the states that do not feel it necessary to attend church regularly.  I was also asked by a student the other day and thought I might as well come up with a detailed answer I have never been forced to give a non-believer. If you are like me you are probably thinking, but isn’t this a little legalistic?  I mean, what about those people who have to work on the weekends just to scrape by?  Well, I’m not talking directly to those people, but rather the individuals who would rather worship God at home or go do something else on a Sunday morning.  The aspects to this attitude at work among members of the body might include: lack of spiritual commitment to Christ, lack in biblical knowledge, and even personal guilt for things done during the week or Saturday night.  Whatever the reason, perhaps the most common reason is that people had gone to church while they were under their parent’s roof, but their parent’s religion was not their religion.  I will be the first to admit that there is no one specific verse that declares all Christians “must” go to church and indeed many point out that in the beginning the most common type of church was a “home church” where people congregated.  The reasons below are my explanation for those who wish to know a little about why church is important to my family and where my beliefs come from.

            The best place to start any story is at the beginning.  The first church God founded is found in Matthew 16:18 when he said to Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (New International Version 1984). This is the Catholic Church as it relates to all denominations.  The original word in Greek, Katholikos, means “throughout the whole.” This meant Christian churches everywhere, not the Catholic Church as it is now.  The next question is important.  The question for every Christian (in regard to church) should be, “What was God’s intention when he founded the first church?”  I believe the answer to be found in Ephesians 3:10, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,” (NIV).  At this point again, if you are like me, you are thinking, “What is the manifold wisdom of God?” Well, to tell you the truth, I have not yet thought about this in prayerful meditation, but I believe the manifold wisdom of God is Christ.  I believe this because Christ is “of God” and knowledge of the Holy Spirit should be spread by the church as is the great commission in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (NIV).  For it is through fear of the Lord and the repentance of sins that one gains access to the wisdom God reveals.  If people choose not to go to church they will not grow in understanding of this manifold wisdom of God.  The word “manifold” has many synonyms like various, diverse, assorted, etc. Pastors and other believers teach us various aspects of this wisdom.  None of us knows everything, as an English teacher I’m humbled by this fact every time I read an essay or journal from a student. You simply can’t get this wisdom at home…alone…on a consistent basis.  This leads me to my next paragraph.

            The next aspect of going to church that is (probably my favorite reason) that of fellowship and protection against the evils of this world.  These two things fall under the category of community. In Hebrews 10:25 it says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (NIV).  It is important to meet together as a Christian body.  If a person or couple stays home and doesn’t interact with others how can they do as this verse commands?  How can they encourage other Christians?  From my own experiences with darkness I can assuredly say that one of Satan’s most common tactics is that of depression, leading to isolation, leading to death on a spiritual and sometimes physical level.  Satan doesn’t want us to feel loved.  In the Bible, Peter uses the analogy of a lion saying in 1^st Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (NIV).  If we are following the command of this Hebrew's verse, we are like a flock of sheep.  We have relative safety in numbers.  The lion (Satan) will prowl for the weak sheep and the sheep that are on edge of the flock.  As Christians we are fortunate in that we have a shepherd that will watch over us; however, if we are not going to church that shepherd may not be as present in our lives as we think. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Christ won’t be there in your darkest hour should you call on him, but I think sometimes people open themselves to attack by simply believing it is o.k. to not go to church.  My prayer is that young people today will put aside any excuse they have for not going like church being too far, too long, too judgmental, etc and think about the reasons to go.  Many examples in the book of Acts will bring Christians encouraging examples of how a church can benefit its members.  This brings me to my final paragraph; man my leg is warm from the laptop!

            The last thing that needs to be talked about should be what are the functions of a church? How should it be functioning?  We already talked about one function… forgot already? Well, it is in the second paragraph near the end.  Before I begin, I must say that I cannot list all possible functions of the church, but will give a few functions that stand out to me as I write this essay.

First, contrary to the belief of some Christians, man was not created simply to give worship on Sunday.  Jesus said in Mark 2:27, “Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (NIV).  God created the Sabbath for us, that we might find rest in him and spend time learning about him and his creation. He created the Sabbath because he loves us and one way “that love” is shown to us is through the members of our church body!  If a person’s church does not show this love it is a dying church.  We know that Christ’s body is the church from verses like Colossians 1:24, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church” (NIV).  Second, the church can help us to use our gifts correctly in the form of orderly worship. Orderly worship is important so that Christ’s body may be one in thought and mind; however, without knowing one’s gifts, this particular verse is hard to follow.  The verse regarding orderly worship I am thinking of is 1^st Corinthians 14:26 which says, “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church” (NIV).  In order for a church to be strong, these must be taken into account and displayed among the body in proper format.  Rarely, however, is this format followed.   Third, the church can act as a mediator (like Christ is our mediator) between individuals who are having conflict such as the confronting of a member’s sin.  This is seen in Matthew 18:15-17, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (NIV).  If a church body is able to show love and commitment to its members it can be an effective tool in combating sin and keeping a community united in peace.

            My prayer as I conclude this essay is simply that we as Christians can point people to the reasons for our beliefs and that we would understand the need to be together rather than in isolation. In my family, I never want it to be an option to not attend church.

           

Bees and Basketball

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers:

            I thought I would take a break from writing about exploring and share some of the latest from our life around Saipan Community School.  On February 3^rd, our school had its annual Scripps Spelling Bee competition.  As the English teacher, I am responsible for planning/organizing it.  There is a fair amount of copying involved in the planning process, but everything else is well planned already by the Scripps organization.  They have a great website that has every resource a person could ever need in order to run a spelling bee.  Our school allows grades 1-8 to compete.  We do an elementary (grades 1-5) spelling bee first, and this year a fourth grader won.  Afterward, we had a short bathroom break.  Then it was time to start our junior high spelling bee.  The winner of the elementary spelling bee is then allowed to participate and compete against the older kids.  When the competition was all said and done with our overall winner was Ms. Tiglao (an eighth grader) who had won the competition the previous year while in seventh grade.  Our little fourth grader, Tommy, ended up being the runner-up!  It just goes to show you that good spellers can be of any age.  Ms. Tiglao will now go on to the regional competition in Guam.  Last year, I allowed one of the parents to use my ticket to see their daughter perform; however, this year I will be going to see the competition for myself since it is my last year.  I have always wanted to see a spelling bee competition. Mrs. Tiglao said it is exactly as you see it on TV; I am looking forward to that. 

            Another thing that has been going on is Saipan Community School’s basketball season.  My wife and one of her co-workers are coaching the girls team and it is a rebuilding year.  As with all rebuilding years, it is sometimes tough to watch the games, but my wife is having a good time.  Coaching is always something she has wanted to do and I admire that.  I have attached photos from the spelling bee, boys basketball, and of course girls basketball events.  I hope you enjoy the pictures, remember to click on them if you wish to see them a bit larger.  Below I have attached a devotional I wrote after thinking about how basketball could relate to God, feel free to read it is you have time or need a break time with God. 

The junior high spelling bee students holding on to Tommy the fourth grade phenom. I hope you can tell which one is me in the picture haha

I love the color in this photo and it shows Kara's dedication to the girls. This was taken just before their first game of the season.

Kara giving the girls a pep talk before their first game is about to start.

One of my eighth grade students making his way toward the opposing team's net.

 

Bunching

It can be very easy in basketball to end up bunching together, and it is perhaps

even easier in other sports.

            When my wife was coaching a middle school girls basketball team, she told me one night about how she was trying to teach them zone and/or player to player defense. I could not help but imagine that Christ has the same issue with his followers. This essay is not about which form of defense is better or easier to learn.  This essay is about how to move as a team in order to see God at work among the players on the court.  Christians often have a problem with “bunching” because the environment bred by Christianity today matches our perception of the status quo. The status quo of Today is one that is self-serving, but it makes us feel as though we serve others.  An example of this would be going to church on Sunday, but forgetting to serve others in various ways throughout the week in our own “zones” of influence.  Some people refer to this phenomena as a Christian “bubble.”  We must take ownership as believers of what is perceived by those in our churches as a bubble.  The problem with every bubble is that talking about it leads to the eventual loss of that bubble’s flimsy structural integrity, a pop.  

            In basketball, zone defense is a great way to move players around while keeping the same structural integrity and effective defense.  The issues that face churches change daily because Satan knows how to twist the truth. When the ball is passed from one player to the next or the player with the ball moves to another position, it is important for the defense to know their zone and adapt to the situation regardless of the height of the individual.  In a church the same may be true.  In churches, the issue might move from one zone to another but as a church we must know how to adapt and keep unity.  In his prayer for believers, Jesus mentions how important unity is to the relationship with his Father and among believers saying:

              “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their
              message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me I am in you. May they 
              also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the 
              glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May 
              they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved 
              them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23 New International Version)

Without unity there is every kind of discord because Satan can sense weakness as easily as an opposing forward can see a break in man to man coverage and go for a lay up or a dunk. If a team has unity, opposing players will know that your team is of one heart and mind. The gap will shrink at and instead of bunching up players will box up.  Jesus had to be one with his Father because any separation would have led to Jesus being vulnerable to sin. We all know, however, that he never sinned and remained faithful in obedience by death on the cross.

             In the above verses, Christ tells us that if we are not united with Christ the end goal of sharing the saving knowledge of Christ is impossible just as scoring a goal or having possession of the ball is impossible on the court. In order to be open for a pass, a player must not be bunched up, but open and ready.  The same can be said of Christians and God’s game plan. If we are open to receiving whatever God has for us we will be in the open and not bunched up, stuck, and uncertain of where to move next. Jesus alludes to this idea of unity and being bunched up in a sort of self imposed prison of thought by sharing wise advice such as, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25).  I know all verses in the Bible are good for teaching and instruction, but this particular advice is given in three of the four gospels, which leads me to  believe it is maybe worth mentioning (Mrk 3:25 & Luke 11: 17).  A team is a sort of kingdom and realm of its own…perhaps more importantly it is like a family.

            The signs of discord from bunching in a church related setting are similar to what you see on a basketball court and may include uncertainty, ball hogs, confusion, and even sadness due to the state of affairs. I find it ironic that basketball hoops are symbolic of Christ and should remind the players not to bunch. All a player has to do to remember to keep unity is remember the team objective is a goal/basket.  That basket can come from anyone, but in order for it to occur the ball must first find its way through the halo with white netting.  That halo is a sign of unity.  If a team is off by just a couple centimeters the ball is going to fall away from the hoop and the ball will be in the enemy’s hands.  May we all be able to work as a team, not bunch, and be open to whatever God has planned for us.

Questions for Discussion

1. How does Romans 15:6-7 relate to this question of community both in church and on the court?  What does this verse say the reason for unity is?  (note: think about God and not yourself)

2.  In the above devotional there is mention of a team being like a family.  If this is true, how does 1^st Corinthians 1:9-11 relate to unity?  (note keep in mind that in v.10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family)

3. Does unity have something to do with mutual submission?  If so, how is that achieved in church and on the court?

4. See the following verses for perspective on living with others and having unity:

2^nd Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 2:2/2:5, and 1^st Peter 3:8.

Saipan Time is also Guam Time:

A Bible Devotional from Grant

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers:

I was going to write a hotel review blog post, but sadly that will have to wait until next time.  After reading the devotional booklet our church, Saipan Community Church, gives away free, I began to write a sports related devotional.  I have already copyrighted one devotional book I wrote titled Biblical Lessons from Hunting & Fishing. I have been in the process for a while now of writing sports devotionals for an as of yet untitled devotional book.  This devotion I am pasting into this blog will be copyrighted, but you can use with permission.  Today's Daily Bread devotional December 27, 2011 mentioned verses from 2nd Corinthians Chapter 4. I was also encouraged to post this devotional due to being at Gold's Gym and watching a debate between sports analysts about players kneeling to pray after touch downs. Here is my devotional essay that sprung from The Daily Bread.  I apologize in advance for having no pictures with this blog entry, pictures are always fun.

Determination & Setting Goals

Hard work, determination, and setting goals can help athletes achieve

success in their endeavors, but sometimes success is achieved by

viewing the world differently than the athlete next to you.

            Athletes are often encouraged by coaches and trainers to set goals for themselves.  These goals are important because they allow us to see, even feel the progress we have made. We can set goals that are easily reached and that we can touch by focusing on things of the world like scholarships, trophies, medals, etc. The most important goals, however, are the ones that cannot be seen or felt.  These goals are such that they turn our achievements into legend.  In 2^nd Corinthians 4:18, Paul talks briefly of this saying, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (New International Version).  If we fix our eyes on the things that are seen or felt, like the proverbial carrot on a string in front of a donkey, we lose sight of what will last for the ages.  In many cases, trophies and medals are awarded every year and each year someone new receives the award.  Records, however, sometimes last decades, sometimes they become eternal.  In Christ, our obligation is to bring God’s program or will to earth in a way that changes the lives of those around us resulting in eternal change. 

            The hardest thing about bringing the kingdom down to earth is that it requires the transformation of our minds.  We know that transformation is required from Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV).  This transformation of our mind is that we align ourselves with the will of God.  The will of God is that we help others achieve the eternal through acceptance of Christ’s word. In other words, it requires us to be set apart, selfless servants.  The athletic world around us tells us to be competitive, achieve glory by hard work and determination, and let nothing stop you in your routine.  Overcoming this battle is one of the sole (soul) issues we as Christians face on a daily basis.

            Routine can be dangerous for anyone. Like the donkey chasing after the carrot we can lose sight of the fact that we are chasing after something that is unachievable or at the very least unrealistic.  We are so driven to get the carrot in front of us that we forget about one another and how to help those around us in their hurt.  I really enjoyed it when Pastor Abe of Saipan Community Church shared the statement, “If you can’t change the situation, let the situation change you.”  His sentiment is exactly what helps us break with the routine of this world and converge on the world of the spiritual in Christ Jesus.  My prayer for all athletes in the world is that we would no longer strive for individual goals, but goals that are aligned with God’s purpose. That purpose being one another. 

 Questions for Discussion

1. What do you get from these verses?  What are your goals currently?  How are people around you hurting?  Have you bothered to ask them?

2. We cannot always change our situation, but we can let the situation change us.  Is it possible that we try to ascend to God’s position of authority when we are led astray by our own goals?  Read Philippians 3:21 for perspective on God’s power to transform and bring things “under control”. 

3. For perspective on what our goals should be read: 2^nd Corinthians 5:9, Philippians 3:12, and Colossians 2:2.   Do you find it odd that in 2^nd Corinthians 5:9 Paul tells us what our goal is as Christians?  How does this change your perspective on goal setting?

Saipan Time (Also Guam TIME):