With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #43.
This congregation received us warmly and embraced our presence. They exuded a sense of family, just as true church should be. I felt a peace. I felt at home. As a community, they drew me in.
Although their service style was not what I’m comfortable with, these are good folks and part of me wants to join them.
However, my key observation was their excitement over their new leader, who will officially arrive in two weeks. The church’s enthusiasm was palpable. It was contagious and soon I joined in their anticipation.
I wanted to come back in a few weeks to meet her.
However, I’m concerned over the height of their anticipation. Surely, no person can live up to that and meet everyone’s wishes. When we put a pastor on a pedestal, we form unrealistic expectations for our spiritual leader.
As with all people, inevitably our ministers will one day disappoint us. And the higher the pedestal, the greater the disappointment.
I pray that the potential leadership before them will successfully emerge and not be thwarted as the newness of their minister’s arrival wears off.
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Audience: Jewish leaders (members of the Sanhedrin)
Preceding Events: Stephen supernaturally does many miracles and amazing things. The opposition stirs up trouble, has him arrested, and persuades others to lie about him.
Overall Theme: Stephen gives a concise historical overview from Abraham up to Jesus. Throughout this history, God is at work.
Central Teaching: The Jewish people miss seeing God at work, resist the Holy Spirit, and reject Jesus, just as they did the prophets before him.
Subsequent Events: Stephen is Martyred, brutally killed by a mob.
Being bold for Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit does not always guarantee our safety or a happy outcome.
In Stephen’s case, his words to tell others about Jesus don’t have the desired impact of them deciding to follow Jesus. Though the crowd is motivated by his message, they have the opposite reaction and instead kill the messenger, literally.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
When the people of Israel were in the desert, God provided manna for their daily sustenance.
He gave them some basic instructions about collecting the manna, but some people didn’t listen—or at least they didn’t obey God and do what he said.
He warned them not to stockpile the manna and try to save some for the next day. Those who did, found their hoard had become smelly and infested. I think the lesson was to rely on God for their daily bread, in this case manna.
On the day before the Sabbath, God said to collect enough for two days, because the next day was a day of rest. Those who ignored his instruction found no manna on the Sabbath and presumably went hungry.
The lesson was for them to rest as God commanded them to do.
God provided for the people, but only those who obeyed him completely realized his full provision.
I wonder how often God does the same with us, trying to provide what we need, only for us to miss out because we don’t do what he says. When we fail to obey God, we may fail to receive his blessings.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
We Should Be Careful What We Put into Our Minds Each Day
We know of toxic people. Because of their personality or character, they are just too hard to be around. Spending time with them threatens to drag us down with their negativity or their drama.
In the same way, a toxic environment is a place or a situation that causes us emotional or spiritual damage. We should avoid toxic environments, just as we avoid toxic people.
Toxic environments cause social tension. They produce an unpleasant atmosphere. They demean our spirit and damage our soul. We should avoid going there.
Two situations come to mind that are toxic to me. These are destinations my body doesn’t go physically, but where my mind goes intellectually.
Toxic News
It’s been years since I watched the nightly news on TV. Most of what they covered were negative events, highlighting humanity’s proclivity toward evil and the darker side of life.
Their negativity depressed me—not in a clinical sense but in a practical manner.
Seldom did they cover positive stories that inspired me or filled me with hope. When it came to the news, I turned off the TV. And I haven’t missed it.
More recently I stopped listening to the news on the radio. It’s been over six months since I tuned in to hear what was happening.
At first, I felt guilty for not knowing what was going on in the world. But I soon realized how much better I felt emotionally and spiritually by not listening to their biased reporting and their slanted opinions presented as fact.
I don’t know what happened to true journalistic reporting, but it’s absent in most all of today’s news broadcasts on television and radio.
Today’s news is a toxic environment we should avoid.
Toxic Social Media
Another area I’m pulling back from is social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. I only login once a day and then only on weekdays. This is to see if anyone has reached out to me, so I can respond to them.
I don’t scroll through feeds, and aside from family, I follow few people—only those I can trust to be an uplifting, positive source of information or insight.
The hate-filled rhetoric and unexamined parroting of vocal, but misguided, trolls have overtaken the pages of social media. I don’t need their voices screaming at me. I don’t want them encroaching on my daily reality.
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Better yet is to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
I’ve not yet shut down my Facebook and my Twitter accounts, but I’m getting close to doing so. Oh, so close. This is because social media is a toxic environment, even worse than the news.
Pursue Positive Thoughts to Escape These Toxic Environments
Instead of enduring the negativity of the news and the unproductive time suck of social media, the Bible gives us eight things to think about.
We should focus our attention on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
These eight positive traits seldom appear in the news or on social media. That’s why we must be intentional about pursuing what is good.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #42.
I carried high expectations for this church, but I experienced a disappointing day when we visited. What they delivered fell far short of what I anticipated I would encounter.
My unwarranted anticipation built them into something they were not, something few churches could ever achieve—or maintain. In truth, no church could be that good.
From such a lofty perch that I placed them on, it was much further to fall.
The service was tightly orchestrated, but felt disjointed, the songs were dated and tired, the people were self-absorbed, and the sermon was critical and divisive.
This church exemplified many of the traits the unchurched levy against it. Now I understand why.
However, even if I had no expectations for my experience with them, I’m sure I’d still have been disappointed. Perhaps I should have arrived, expecting the worst. Would that have allowed me to better see the good?
What I can say is this is a larger church with a passionate following. Certainly, they are connecting with some people, just not me.
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Paul is the most prolific writer in the New Testament. Who is second? That would be Dr. Luke.
Luke wrote an account of Jesus’s life (called “The Gospel According to Luke,” or simply “Luke”). He also chronicled the activities of the early church (called “The Acts of the Apostles” or just “Acts”).
He researched and wrote these two books for a man name Theophilus, so that Theophilus could know for sure what he had been taught. These books help us today, so that we can also know for sure.
These two accounts encompass over 25 percent of the New Testament and give us valuable historical information about Jesus and his followers, providing a powerful and compelling two-book combination.
Luke was a doctor and the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament. As such, his words are that of an outsider and may more readily connect with those on the “outside.”
Luke wrote with simple, yet compelling language. As a trained professional, He was a keen observer and provides many details and facts that are not included in the other three historical accounts of Jesus.
The book of Acts looks at Jesus’s followers and their efforts to continue on without him. They wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, who Jesus promised to send to them for guidance, direction, and counsel.
Many people look to Acts for a model for how the church should function.
Noteworthy in Acts is the frequent mention Holy Spirit. With about 100 references, Acts provides a close and personal insight into the function and mystery of the Holy Spirit.
Both our monthly Bible reading plan and the New Testament reading plan kick off the year with the books of Luke and Acts. Regardless of your Bible reading intentions for the year, I hope you are off to a good start—and if not, why not start today?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Just Because God Can Do Something Doesn’t Mean That He Does
Most people know the story about Joseph and his multicolored coat. Of how his brothers resent his behavior and how their father indulges his favorite son.
To get rid of him, the brothers effectively imprison him and sell him as a slave to some traveling merchants. Joseph is gone. Problem solved.
Not really. First they need to concoct a story to tell their grieving dad. Then they must live in guilt for what they did. And their guilt doesn’t go away. It stays with them for a long time.
Payback
A dozen or so years later, not knowing Joseph’s fate, his brothers travel to Egypt to find food. There’s a severe famine, and they want to buy grain to keep their family from starving.
They unknowingly encounter Joseph, but he keeps his identity hidden from them.
Joseph messes with them, accusing them of things he knows aren’t true and harassing them.
Maybe this is to test them and see if they changed. Or perhaps it’s a bit of payback for what they did to him. Regardless, his rough treatment scares them.
They conclude that their predicament of him accusing them of spying and imprisoning them for a few days is payback for what they did to Joseph. They perceive it as just punishment. What goes around comes around.
God’s Punishment
After Joseph hassles them for a few days he lets them return home, but in their sacks of grain is the money they paid for the food. It looks like they stole it.
Devastated, the Bible says, “their hearts sank,” and they blame God for their predicament. “Why is God done this to us?”
The reality is that God isn’t doing this to them, Joseph is.
The Source of Punishment
So it is when bad things happen. Though the first impulse of many is to blame God when bad things happen, the truth may be quite different.
Sometimes our predicaments are a result of bad decisions that we have made. Other times it’s the actions of others that are the source of our problems. Last, the world that we live in can be another source of difficulties.
This isn’t saying that God never punishes us, because the Bible shows us otherwise. However, we’re smart to acknowledge that when bad things happen to us it may not be God’s doing.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Now we’ll build upon that understanding and use it to inform us so that we can better pray to the Trinity.
When you pray, who do you pray to? Many people address their prayers to God. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it’s a bit impersonal and keeps him at a distance.
God doesn’t want that, and we shouldn’t either. God desires that we have an intimate relationship with him.
This should be our intent as well. One way to do this is to stop addressing our prayers to God and start talking to him using his Trinitarian parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is, our Creator, our Savior, and our Advocate.
To inform us as we move forward, consider the characteristics of each part of the godhead.
Pray to the Trinity When We Offer Thanks and Praise
God deserves our adoration and are thankful hearts. Out of gratitude for what he’s done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us we should praise and thank him.
To help make this come alive we can address our appreciation, as appropriate, to the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.
For example, we can praise the Father for creating us (knowing that his Son took part as well, John 1:1-3). We can thank Jesus for saving us. We can thank the Holy Spirit for living in us and guiding us.
Likewise, we can praise Father God for his blessings and provisions. We can praise Savior God for his example, words, and sacrifice to save us. We can praise Holy Spirit God for living in us and guiding us.
Pray to the Trinity When We Make Our Requests
We can also use this idea of praying to the Trinity to inform our petitions. For example, James writes that if anyone lacks wisdom, they should ask God (James 1:5).
This is correct. But which part of the godhead can best grant this request? The Holy Spirit. So ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom.
If we seek a blessing, who might we ask? Go to God the Father. Ask the Father for his provisions, and he will provide.
If we desire to live a more holy life—not to earn God’s attention but as an act of worship—we might ask this of Jesus, since his life serves as an example for us to follow.
In Whose Name Should We Pray?
Jesus tells us we are to set our requests before him, asking in his name (John 14:13-14).
Some Christian traditions follow this by adding a phrase to the end of their prayers: “in Jesus’s name we pray, amen.” Of course, Jesus also tells us to pray to the Father (Matthew 6:6). Which is it? Both.
In addition, the Holy Spirit can help us when we pray. He will intercede for us (Romans 8:26-27). Should we then pray in his name?
How about all three? This may be why other Christian traditions pray “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Enjoy Freedom as We Pray
This idea that we can pray to the Trinity is to free us so that we can move into a closer and more meaningful relationship with God. In doing so we should hold loosely our desire to identify the correct part of God to pray to.
If we ask Jesus for something that more appropriately should go to the Father, it’s not a problem. They are one (John 17:22).
Praying to one is praying to all three. If we get the name wrong, it’s not a big deal.
This idea that we can pray to the Trinity is not a command to follow but one option to enhance our prayers. As we pray to the Trinity, we can breathe life into our prayers if our words mired stuck in a rut.
In the same way, this can also draw us into a closer relationship with God if he seems distant. Remember, it’s not him who’s far away from us but we who are far away from him.
When we pray to the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we draw ourselves to God in greater intimacy. Isn’t this the purpose of prayer?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #41.
Aside from the usher, we had limited significant contact with the people at this church. (Shaking hands and saying “welcome” is not a significant contact; it’s a trivial one.)
The one woman we connect with is not a member of this church and usually attends another one, but she does go here from time to time.
This is not the first instance when our prime connection at a church is through a nonmember or another visitor.
Too often, visitors are ignored by most church members. They are either unaware of those who are visiting or assume someone else will make the effort.
Reach Out
While it’s correct to note that visitors know fewer people and therefore have more incentive to reach out, the sad opposite is that members know more people and therefore have little incentive to reach out to those they don’t know.
Hanging Out
Hanging out with our friends is the easy thing to do and the most natural. It’s also the most limiting. If we only spend time with people we know, how will we ever meet more people?
If a church truly wants to grow, connecting with visitors is the easiest place to start. Why then do so many churches fail to do this?
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
