Don't Forget

Yesterday, in the morning service, we observed the Lord's Supper. Our attendance was considerably better than the last few weeks. This pleased me, because the more members of the Church Family who participate in observing the ordinance the better.

Once upon a time, I heard someone say, "Observing the Lord's Supper is the most dangerous thing we do in church." That statement certainly caught my attention. After doing a little Bible study, I found a verse that supports this contention.

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep (I Corinthians 11:27-30, NASB).

Paul stated that we should not participate in the Lord's Supper in "an unworthy manner." In other words, we should not eat the symbolic bread and wine "in a way that isn't worthy of the Lord (CEV)." If we do not "examine" ourselves and repent of the sin in our lives, we are insulting the sacrifice that Christ made for us.

How terrible it is to hear Jesus say, "This is my body...This is my blood..." and our response is "So what?" Contemplating the death of Christ should humble us and deeply grieve us. Jesus stated "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4, NIV)." Paul indicated that callously taking the Lord's Supper leads to illness and even death. So, don't forget what the Lord's Supper is all about.

In Luke 22:14-23, I find four things we do not need to forget when we honor the Lord's Supper.

I. The Blessing (14-18)

What a blessing to know that Jesus had a "fervent desire" to observe the Passover with His disciples. He couldn't wait to give them a way to remember Him after he had died, resurrected, and ascended. He longed to be with them.

Jesus took the Passover Feast and gave it a new meaning. The Passover commemorated the release of the Jews from captivity in Egypt. Jesus was now communicating that he was about to give His life in order for the world to be released from the captivity of sin.

Don't forget that Jesus has a deep longing to have a relationship with you and he gave His life to prove it.

II. The Body (19)

Just over a week ago, a sixteen year old boy brutally killed a well known talk show personality. A short time after the murder, he turned himself in to the police. How sad that the young man committed such a horrific crime, but, at least he came forward and admitted his guilt. He will have to pay the price for his actions.

In the light of the perfect life that Jesus lived, how amazing is it that he "turned himself in" for our sin? He gave Himself...His body for us. Don't forget that he said at one time "No one takes my life from me, I willingly lay it down." The bodily pain Jesus experienced was willingly accepted because he loved us.

Don't forget that Jesus went to great lengths to demonstrate his love for you.

III. The Blood (20)

In the context of the Passover Meal, Jesus gave a new meaning to one of the cups that were observed. Four cups were drank symbolically in the Passover Meal to commemorate the four part promise of God to the Jews in Egyptian Captivity (Exodus 6:6-7)

The First Cup: I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
The Second Cup: I will rescue you from their bondage,
The Third Cup: I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
The Fourth Cup: I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.

Jesus completely fulfilled the promise of God that was remembered by the drinking of the third cup: "I will redeem you." Jesus redeemed us by his blood. The scriptures state "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness...(Heb. 9:22).

In Egypt, before the Jews were released, they were spared by the blood of the lambs they had slain and that blood which was placed on their doors. The death angel passed over the home that were covered by the blood.

Paul referred to Jesus as "our Passover (I Cor. 5:7)." Don't forget that the blood of Jesus covers our sin.

IV. The Betrayer (21-23)

For me, I am amazed by what transpired toward the end of this meal. Jesus had made profound earth shaking statements concerning his future. Then, he indicated there was a betrayer among his disciples.

Of course, Judas knew Jesus was calling him out, but the other disciples did not. So, the scriptures record that the other disciples "began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this (Luke 22:23, NIV)."

I am amazed that the fact that Judas was the betrayer was not obvious to the other disciples. The disciples took time to ponder who could possibly do such a horrible thing. In another Gospel it is recorded that they all said, "Is it I?" Judas had flown under the radar for so long. Only Jesus had the spiritual x-ray vision to see his heart.

Don't forget that Jesus knows your heart and we all have the potential to do the unthinkable. Remember to stay close to Jesus and don't take lightly the sacrifice he made for you.

Tornado In Simpson County, MS

My parents live in Magee, MS on Highway 28, which is about 50 miles South of Jackson, MS. Early this morning a tornado touched down not far from their home and completely destroyed Corinth Baptist Church. [Read Article here.] Just last Good Friday, I attended a special worship service at Corinth Baptist in which my father preached.

I talked to my dad earlier this morning and he said that they heard the tornado move over their house. He mentioned some 10,000 folks are without electricity and should be for some time. I encouraged my parents to come stay with me for a few days, but they feel like they will be fine, even though they will have no lights for an extended time.

Please pray for the Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteers who will be helping the 60 families that lost their homes.

God Knows His Way Out of a Grave

Recently, research has been released that indicates that most Evangelical Churches are in serious decline. Chuck Kelly, President of the New Orleans Baptist Seminary, has stated that less than 12% of congregations are actively growing and baptizing new converts.

Add to this news, the astounding challenges we face as a nation--morally, politically, economically, and militarily--and we could become deeply discouraged. However, I’m not ready to give up on our nation, because, as G. K. Chesterton once said, we worship a “...God who knows the way out of the grave."

Whatever situation that you are facing now can be met by Jesus, because He knew his way out of the tomb. The tomb is empty.

Next month we will celebrate Easter on April 12. As “Resurrection Sunday” approaches, I pray we will not forget who and what is really being celebrated. Jesus died and is now alive. Death has been defeated. Anything done to celebrate Easter should focus on Jesus and the resurrection. It is all about Him.

God is blessing His church through people who are faithfully giving and attending and praying and witnessing and encouraging. May we never forget who is important. Everything we do at FBC Leakesville is all about Jesus.

So, don’t miss the opportunities to celebrate Easter by attending Bible Study, Worship, and the Easter Musical presented by the choir on Sunday, April 5 at 6:00 PM.

Connecting With People

Sunday night, our Sunday School Teachers met for a brief organizational meeting. We are updating our enrollment forms in order to confirm the class rolls in our Bible study groups. After we have updated class rolls, we will make a concerted effort to develop an active prospect list. We have several folks who are regular attenders, but are not connected to a Bible study group. Then, we will intentionally invite folks to study the Bible in a small group.

A real desire to reach people was evident. Of course, we must be open to making changes to our overall approach to "doing" Bible study. Many folks who have never attended "Sunday School" are reluctant to join an open ended group. So, by using the MasterWork Material, we are able to enlist adults for a short term study, which hopefully will connect them to our church.

Relationships! Relationships! Relationships! That's what connects people to a church. So, we have to be more than just friendly. We must demonstrate the love of Christ by being available and present for folks during times of need. People don't just come, because we have a nice building or in a great location. They have to be loved into coming.

So, members of FBC Leakesville, adopt a prospect for our church and start loving on them. Pray for them. Care for them. Take them out to eat. Ask them how they are doing and show them that you really want to know.

I was so pleased to have all (yes, 100%) of our teachers present. Way to go, Teachers!

Bricks With Wings

This week, I finished reading Buck Naked Faith: A Brutally Honest Look at Stunted Christianity(2004) by Eric Sandras. For clarification, I don't usually read books with the word "naked" in the title, but the expression "stunted Christianity" peaked my interest. (Also, to be honest, the fact that Christian Book Distributors had it on sale for 99 cents had some influence on the purchase.)

The premise of the book is that most Christians live shallow and unfruitful lives because they choose to develop their spiritual lives according to traditional and cultural expectations that restrict their growth. Sandras compares this "stunted" Christianity to the restricted environment in which miniature Bonsai Trees are placed.

Another characteristic Sandras finds in "Bonsai Believers" is a tendency to practice a "fake it until you make" mentality that many believers employ. This undermines the scriptural mandate for Christians to "bear one another's burdens." He contends very few Christians feel free to be transparent with their fellow believers, which is a major obstacle to developing the sense of community that Jesus desires for his church (John 17:20-21). Also, failing to be honest with others breads a complacency.

In addressing the power of community, Sandras states:

For some, coffee is coffee, but for the committed. Starbucks is not Folgers. The same seems true for this emerging generation and its attitude toward community. Something new is brewing. This generation seems to have an uncanny ability to seek God in traditional brick-and-mortar houses of God without falling into their associated bureaucracies. Couple that trend with the view that spirituality is a journey and not necessarily a destination, and we have something that looks like bricks with wings...

Is it possible to have bricks with wings? Yes, if you call it community. Neither mortar and stone nor bylaws and bureaucracy can bind this new community. It's a place where people can fine stability, tradition, and permanence while maintaining freedom to explore and follow the guidance of Jesus.

Many have shunned the manufactured, bylaw-driven, cookie cutter model of church life that turned out to be like a Hollywood stage prop--very real until someone leaned on it too hard for support. We long for stable community, not a bonsai community of bonsai believers. Healthy community breads healthy follows of Christ.

For me, an important question I must ask myself is "Am I committed more to Jesus or to an institution?" May I always resist the tendency to default to supporting the status quo and seek to continue on a journey of faith following Jesus wherever he leaders.

A Medical Marvel

My brother-in-law has been dealing with seizures for several months. This has been incredibly difficult for him and his family, since he has been unable to work.

Friday of last week, a major section of his skull was removed in order to place wires that would monitor his brain activity over the weekend. Then, he was admitted into a Seizure Monitoring Unit. Since he was not given his regular medication, he experienced increased seizure activity which gave the medical team the ability to pinpoint the problem area in the brain.

On Monday, a team of 10 doctors concurred that brain surgery could be done that would permanently stop the seizures. So, they removed a quarter of the right frontal lobe. The surgery was completed around 8:00 PM on Monday. The doctors informed the family they were certain that the surgery performed would completely stop the seizures.

Tuesday evening, since I had not heard an update on my brother-in-law since Monday Night, I called his home to talk to my parents who have been staying with my nephew and niece. Guess who answered the phone less than 24 hours after having brain surgery...my brother-in-law!

He sounded just as strong as ever. He joked, laughed, and thanked me for my prayers. Now, I was shocked. How can they remove a portion of your brain and, then, allow you to walk out of the hospital in such a short time?

The only thing I can say is the Psalmist was correct when he declared, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (139:14, KJV)."

Church Bible Drill

Last night, some of our children participated in a judged Bible Drill. I was proud of them. Noticeably, some of the kids were nervous. For me, I can relate, since I remember being in their spot when I was a kid.

The adults that work with them are to be thanked. This is a lot of work. All the kids that participated last night advanced to the Associational Drill at Rocky Creek Baptist on March 29. Way to go!!!