Don't Have to Go to Church to Be a Christian?

Recently pop icon Justin Bieber got a tattoo on his leg - a tattoo of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns. Of course this caused quite a sensation among his followers, the “beliebers” as they have been called. They wanted to know what this meant. What kind of Christian was he? Sadly, Justin said that he didn’t need to go to church to be a Christian. Now I know he is a young man, and young men are known to say stupid things. I know that I said some stupid things like that when I was his age. But this is wrong. Justin either doesn’t believe what Jesus taught, or (more likely) he doesn’t understand.

Many people see problems in the church such as hypocrisy or people weak in faith. Unfortunately they respond by rejecting corporate worship or what some people today would call "religion." People also feel that they can connect to God on their own without other people being involved. Justin probably wouldn't want to be lumped in with Tom T. Hall, who sang, "Me and Jesus, We Got Our Own Thing Going," but I think that's were he and a lot of people are today.

This rejection of religion or seeking Jesus privately is not the solution. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18.20). The writer of Hebrews warns us not to forsake the "assembling of ourselves together” (10.25). We would do well to notice that the longest of the Ten Commandments is the Sabbath commandment calling us to worship. Luke tells us that on the Sabbath Day Jesus went to the synagogue "as was His custom" (4.16). Jesus also describes the church as the “body” of which He is the head. No one can love the head (Jesus) without loving the rest of the body (the church) (Colossians 1.18).

In John chapter two we read about Jesus clearing the Temple of animals and money-changers. He wanted to clean up the hypocrisy and weakness that sometimes infects worship. But He didn't tell them to stop coming to the Temple! Instead He renewed worship by calling people to repentance and by offering His own perfect life and death as a redeeming sacrifice.

See "Renewing Worship" (sermon for March 11, 2012)

Handling Condemnation

When I made the decision to go to the seminary, one of my closest relatives said, "You know what most people have for dinner on Sunday don't you?... Roast Pastor!" On my vicarage my supervising pastor was adamant that I develop what he called "alligator hide." The barbs, the innuendos, the vague criticisms, and my all time favorite... the anonymous letters... are just some of the ways people like to smack the pastor.

Everyone gets to feel the scourge of condemnation from time to time. There are just a lot of people out there who love to let you know how bad you are! They do so in the corners and the shadows of life. Double that if you try to do anything in ministry... teach Sunday School, play the organ, lead the ladies' or men's group, etc.

I actually thank God for those who condemn me. The more they condemn, the more I cling to Christ and to His gift of righteousness. As I do that, I also become better at showing forth the righteousness of Christ in my life.

I don't assume that every condemnation is unjust. Condemnations are always a call for self-examination, for repentance, forgiveness and renewal. I find that as I struggle through that process I am also able to sift out the legitimate criticisms from the illegitimate. Another important clue to legitimate criticism is that it usually comes face to face and heart to heart. Those who sideswipe us, usually doing so with illegitimate criticism.

Unjust condemnation is still painful for me. But in that case I also turn to Christ for His assurance: "There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8.1).

The Most Valuable Brand

What is the most valuable brand? Interbrand keeps track of the most valuable brands in the world. Click here for the top 100 brands of 2011. In the business world branding is very important - it is the way the world perceives a business.

Churches have gotten into branding. Many churches are dropping their denominational names such as "Lutheran" or "Baptist," etc. Why? It has to do with branding. In most cases those churches think the denominational label detracts from their perception by the world. The denominational label may be old fashioned or may carry some negative baggage.

However, as I look at the list of the top 100 brands for 2011, I don't think there is a single company on that list that has recently changed their name. Does changing your name really make a difference? I think people figure that out fast. On the other hand, I see the companies with the top 100 brands constantly trying to improve their products and services.

This is really what the church should be doing. One of my prayers for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is that we would be the church that God wants us to be. That means being faithful to God's word in what we teach and practice - faithful in God's truth and in God's love.

As the Apostle Paul says: "Strive to excel in building up the church" (1 Corinthians 14.12 NKJ).

Remembering Sarah

Tonight, at our Evening Prayer Service, we'll be remembering Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

Sarah lived to be 127 years old. The Scriptures truthfully reveal her faults as well as her faith. Peter points to her as a model of the submissive wife who called her husband "Lord" (1 Peter 3.6). Perhaps this is the reason so much is said in regard to her death. Abraham mourned her death, wept for her, and went to some expense to bury her at Machpelah. Isaac, her son, was so close to her that none but Rebekah could "comfort him after his mother's death" (Genesis 24.6-7).

Newsweek: The Sex Addiction Epidemic

When I saw this article, I thought, it's just another gimmick to sell magazines. As I looked at it more closely, and especially the new movie "Shame" that is coming soon, I realized this might actually be helpful.

There is nothing really new here. The culprit and common denominator in this malady is always porn. Illicit sexual experiences become addicting, and they fuel a drive for a bigger and better high. What we see again and again turns into what we do until it destroys us.

The ancients did not have digital porn. But they had something better... Religion devoted to sex addiction. I've always suspected that the Baal worshipers and the devotees of Aphrodite never had problems getting their teenagers to go to church.

One comment in the article surprised me (for a Newsweek article). A sex therapist said, "We see a lot of heterosexual men who are addicted to sex and, because culturally and biologically women aren't as readily available to have sex at all times of the day, these men will turn to gay men for gratification."

God's answer to all of this is still the same. When a person has become so ashamed of their sexual sins (or any other sin), God says, "Such were some of you (hetero- and homo- sexual sinners). But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6.11).

Jesus is the only one who promises to take the shame away. And He does.

The Fire of Judgment Day

There is an old sermon illustration that compares Judgment Day to a wagon train crossing the prairie. Heading west, the pioneers saw a line of fire across the horizon coming straight toward them as it was driven by the wind. Quickly the wagon master gathered all the people together. Then he took several men with him, and they walked back over the trail to the east from which they had just come. The men deliberately set the grass on fire. After enough of it had burned, they moved the wagons back onto the blackened landscape. Now the original fire was coming toward them furiously. Some of the people cried out in fear as it approached. But the wagon master assured them: "Don't be afraid. We are standing where the fire has already burned."

That is a beautiful illustration of Judgment Day. We who believe in Jesus stand with Him on Calvary where the judgment of God against sin already burned. In His death, Jesus took the fire of God's wrath for us. As the wrath of Judgment Day approaches, those who are in Christ have nothing to fear. They stand where the fire has already burned. For more on the Christian view of Judgment Day, see my sermon on Judgment Day from November 20, 2011.

1 Thessalonians 1.10 (We)"wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

Picture: Prairie Fire by William Ranney, 1848

Note: This illustration is adapted from one attributed to Henry A. Ironside. Henry was a well-known preacher in the early 1900s. But he was also a strong advocate for the teaching of dispensationalism - an approach to Bible interpretation that I strongly reject.

The Mind Is Like Silly Putty

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4.6-7 ESV).

Our minds are wonderful creations of God. But did you know they need to be guarded? When I was a boy I used to play with Silly Putty. You could do a lot of neat things with it. You could make shapes, and you could even bounce it like a ball. But the best thing to do was to flatten it out, press it on the Sunday comics, and pull up a copy of the comic on the Silly Putty. Our minds are like that too! They are made by God to pick up everything. If we constantly expose our minds to bad things, they will get filled with bad thoughts and desires. Prayer points our minds toward God, cleanses our hearts and minds, and fills them with good things. All of this helps to control anxiety.

For more on the problems of anxiety and the help that God gives us see my sermon "The Right Things Really Matter." (October 10, 2011)