Our church body will be studying Hebrews 10 this coming Sunday and two verses therein bring that question to my mind. Hebrews 10:24-25 says this: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We must not neglect meeting together. That much is clear. However, I don’t think the author has small groups or additional meetings in mind when writing this verse. He is speaking about the Sunday gathering of worship. That singular gathering is where the people of God gather around the Word of God through preaching, praying, singing, and demonstrating it together. We are commanded to do those things (Lk. 22:19; Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:1, 4:13; and 2 Tim. 4:2) publicly when the whole church is assembled together (Acts 15:22 and 1 Cor. 14:23). It should be the ordinary and expected practice for anyone professing to be a Christian to regularly gather for corporate worship with other believers. That is all that Hebrews 10:24-25 is requiring. 

So…should groups be required? Should you feel like you are doing the wrong thing if you cannot commit to a group? No. We ought not create or submit to commands that bind one’s conscience to feel the burden of obedience in ways that Scripture itself does not. 

However, the way you and I engage in the life of the church - and by that I mean the people who make up the church - on Sundays and throughout the week must be meeting the other requirements of Hebrews 10:24-25 that we are stirring one another up to love and good works and encouraging each other. If you are committed to the gathering on Sundays and yet failing to accomplish those goals, then you are missing the point. 

Groups are not required, but they may be the very best way to ensure that you are fulfilling the entire charge given to us in Hebrews 10. Gathering in smaller groups with others in the church may be the very best tool at your disposal in helping you follow Jesus. At HVBC, we have Life Groups that meet on Sunday mornings, Youth Group on Sunday evenings, Life Groups that meet in homes throughout the week, and smaller Discipleship Groups of 2-4 people meeting at various times and places. These groups, we believe, are the best way for you to be sure that you are meeting the expectations for Christian relationships within the church body and for you to receive the encouragement and equipping you need to continue growing in your own faith and sanctification.

There may be seasons where you are unable to commit to a group of some sort and that is OK! It is not sin in any way to not be in a group. But be sure you know when and how you are able to give and receive the other actions we see in those verses. You need it. The church needs it from you. For all our sake. 

Writing creeds or confessions of our faith happened at critical moments in history, usually at times when what we believed about God and what it means to know Him was in question. As you might expect, the most important works took place in the formation of the early church. By 454 AD, the first Christians had summarized their faith in statements that came to be known as the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Chalcedonian Creed. Since then, Christians have used these early statements of faith to define the boundaries of orthodox, or true, Christian faith. More statements and confessions were written at the time of the Reformation around the 16th century and again in the 20th century, further clarifying what Christians believe in the face of oppositional and problematic views. 

Holding to clear statements of theology matters because we cannot separate what we know about God from knowing Him. 

While Scripture is truly sufficient for everything we need to know and follow Jesus, creeds and confessions help to safeguard against wrong interpretation or application. They tie us back to what Christians have been saying about God for 2000 years. And we are in a moment in time when clarifying what the church believes about who God is and what we must believe to truly know Him is needed. 

To that end, the Elders of HVBC will begin using the Apostles Creed occasionally in our services as part of our liturgy for receiving the Lord’s Supper together. It will not permanently replace our other liturgical readings, but we want to be sure that our church body is well equipped with orthodox theology. By reading the Apostles Creed aloud during the Lord’s Supper, our aim is that we would be reminded of what unites us together and turns the eyes of our hearts to Christ in a moment of corporate unity at the Lord’s Table. 

Here are the words of the Apostles Creed we will be reading together, as millions have done before us:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
  who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
  and born of the virgin Mary.
  He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
  was crucified, died, and was buried;
  he descended to the grave.
  The third day he rose again from the dead.
  He ascended to heaven
  and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
  From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the holy true* church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

Years ago, I began using a version of three simple tools, from Bryan Chapell’s Christ Centered Preaching, to help me make that transition in sermon preparation that I think could be revolutionary for anyone aiming to understand and apply God’s Word to their life. 

Here they are: 

1. Fallen Condition Focus (FCF): How does this passage point out the fallen condition of mankind or creation? Perhaps it’s addressing specific sins or just highlighting the brokenness in the world that causes us to look and long for a savior.
   
   
2. Redemptive Focus Solution (RFS): How is Jesus the good news of this passage? He might offer forgiveness for sins uncovered, redemption and reconciliation, or be the hope we are resting in. Jesus isn’t named or even implied in every passage, but all of Scripture points us to Him in some way (Lk. 24:27).
   
   
3. Main Idea (MI): How can I summarize the two points above into a 1-sentence (10-15 words) main idea to bring clarity and focus to what I just read? 

The FCF helps me see the need for a savior. The RFS clarifies how Jesus is the hope. The MI forces me to cut through the rabbit trails and interesting ideas and find clarity in the passage. 

Before I begin writing any sermon, I take all my notes and from them write three little lines: FCF, RFS, and MI. Filling in each of those spots has been tremendously helpful to me in gaining clarity about any passage of Scripture. The next time you are reading your Bible, I would recommend you do the exact same thing! Make a little note in your journal or just in your mind. What is the FCF? What is the RFS? And how would you summarize the point of that passage in one sentence? 

These 3 simple tools can help anyone better understand and apply Scripture, as well as see more clearly how Jesus is in fact on every page!

Here are 5 reasons I want our entire church to remain committed to sending short-term mission trips: 

1) Encouraging long-term missionaries is a top priority! 

At this time, HVBC has 3 adults and 2 children who have been sent from our church to live on other continents for the purpose of taking the gospel to the nations. That is a high calling, but it can often also be a lonely one. As truly helpful as video calls and emails and care packages can be, nothing accomplishes our aim of encouraging one another quite like face-to-face connection. Repeatedly in Scripture, Christians are urged to encourage one another that we may be strengthened in our faith and continue walking with the Lord. If we are going to ask our friends and family to ‘go’ then we must commit to doing whatever it takes to encourage them just as we do with one another. Short-term trips help us to support our brothers and sisters in meaningful ways that we simply cannot accomplish from a distance. 

2) Short-term trips are actually a smart investment. 

Based on a global average, it takes about $60,000.00 annually to support one adult missionary on the field. You obviously double that for a spouse and those numbers do not take into account any children or overhead costs for the sending agency, which are quite a lot. All in all, that amounts to a significant investment in every person we send to the nations, growing year after year. From a purely financial perspective, it makes a lot of sense to spend a fraction of that total investment to send a short-term team to support those we have commissioned and help them prosper in their life and ministry. 

3) They are wonderful tools for discipleship. 

Every aspect of a short-term trip is useful for discipleship. For those involved in sending, they are called on to be fervent in prayer, to give sacrificially and generously for something entirely outside of themselves, and their heart and mind are re-oriented time and again to the vast lostness in the world. The significant work God does to disciple those who go is nearly impossible to reproduce in any other way! They are called to walk in obedience and sacrifice, faced with their own sin and weakness in order to better rely on the grace and power of God, and given broader perspectives on the centrality of the mission of God in the world as well as

what God is doing in and through His church across the globe. There are few things as powerfully impactful in such a short period of time as short-term mission trips. 

4) God often uses these experiences to call more people to the nations. 

I am sure there are exceptions, but most missionaries who have heard and answered the call of God to move across the world would point to short-term trips as a significant part of that process. It is very difficult to imagine God calling you to something you cannot begin to picture. These types of trips allow people to experience life overseas in a different culture and setting, as well as come face to face with living for the purpose of evangelism. Personally, a summer spent in India exposed me to sensing the reality of spiritual darkness in ways I couldn’t have imagined and that oppression gave me a deeper burden for the lost in every nation. 

5) Evangelism! 

The biggest reason people give as to why we ought not take short-term trips is because they are ineffective at evangelism. And they are absolutely right! The reality is that without language proficiency and cultural understanding, short-term teams are not overly effective at communicating the gospel. However - and this is no small thing - they CAN be effective at advancing a long-term missionary’s strategy in lots of ways and they help train those who go to share their faith back home upon their return. Long-term personnel can often use short-term teams to bridge into new relationships, multiply their work or ministry in purposeful ways, or bring skills and resources into their setting that otherwise would be less readily available. While short-term teams are not usually as effective at personal evangelism, they can advance the mission of God in partnership with local workers and churches in strategic ways that do lead to Jesus being named and known more broadly. 

For all these reasons and many more, I hope our church will continue and grow in our commitment to sending short-term mission teams to our current and future partners around the world. I hope everyone at HVBC will partner together to send these teams and that as many of our members as are able will go on one themselves. May God use us to encourage and care for those He has called out of our midst and use these trips to call many more to the nations!

To see why we should serve in the church, we need look no further than the Bible. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 talks about the body, or church, having many parts, or members. All the members work in unison to have a properly working body. A hand cannot pump blood like the heart, an ear cannot smell like a nose does, a leg cannot bend without the knee, and so on.  Also, the body could not function at its best if parts were missing or replaced with other parts.  Imagine if we had eyes in place of our feet or, even better, if we had feet in place of our eyes.  I know that these illustrations are funny to consider, but I think that the picture they paint gets the point across well. All parts are unique but equally important in the proper, ideal, function of the body.

Now I know that you’re likely agreeing that it all makes sense but you might be wondering, ‘where do I even start serving?’ Well I was there once, so let me share with you my story of serving and what I learned from it.

1. Be willing to say yes. The first time I served in the church was as a Sunday school preschool aide. My wife started leading a class and asked if I would help her. I said yes and so started my journey of serving.

2. Look for opportunities to serve. The first time I approached church staff about serving was to lead a preschool choir.  At the time, we had a preschool choir and the leader was stepping down.  Nobody was volunteering for the position and since this was something I really thought would be beneficial to keep going within the church, I volunteered.

3. Pray about how God might want you to serve and then follow His leading. As I prayed about serving, I really felt that God was leading me to serve in a way that would be an example to my kids in how to serve. This led me to AWANA. Since my kids were already participating, I thought I could serve in AWANA as a visible example to my kids of serving within the church. My time in that ministry looked like serving in a number of roles: game time, listener, preschool helper, etc. The position mattered less than just being there, willing to serve. 

4. Don’t be afraid to leave or move positions. Over the years, I’ve served in several areas in the church: preschool aide and choir director, several roles in AWANA, youth leader, chaperone of many kid and youth trips, men’s events, as a Deacon, and now  as an Elder. This doesn’t mean that all those moves and changes were easy. Some were more challenging than others but each had their unique rewards and blessings, and most only lasted for a season. It’s ok to serve in a role for a time and step away to do something else. 

5. Again, be willing to say yes. This is not to say that you need to say yes to all opportunities. Some opportunities are not feasible or even right for you. However, if you always start with “NO”, how will you ever say “YES”? I had a previous pastor give me what I consider to be a huge compliment; he told me that if he ever needed a volunteer in the church he knew that he could almost give my name without even asking because he already knew what my answer would be: “YES!”.

My hope is that reading this would be an encouragement for those of you that aren’t serving to jump in with both feet and serve. Be willing to say yes. Look for opportunities to serve.  Pray about how God might want you to serve and then follow that leading. Don’t be afraid to move positions or try different things. Again, perhaps most importantly, BE WILLING TO SAY YES!

Each day we wake up, pray, and get excited about sharing Christ with those whom we encounter throughout our day.  We know we are to love others, but do we realize that love does NO HARM to a neighbor (Rom. 13:10)?  That means that the first step for some of us who are quick witted and sharped tongued is to realize that demonstrating the love of Christ to others is often in what we do not do or say.  The words we use, as well as the tone of voice, are important.  The way we react to situations can be hurtful.  

Are we really here for others as Jesus is here for others through us?  The answer is absolutely, “Yes!”  His desire is that those whom we encounter will see Him by experiencing His kindness, grace, goodness, compassion, and forgiveness in our words and actions (Rom. 15: 5 – 9). 

Everyday evangelism leaves each person we encounter knowing that we value them just as Christ values them.  It is always Jesus’ desire that we interact with others in such a way that they know that He came to save them (Jn. 3:17).

Everyday evangelism should not result in a great debate, but rather, it should result in seeds of our faith being sown.  Our encounter with someone may be the only moment in their day when someone, who has no selfish reason for doing so, is kind and loving to them.  

So:

• The next time you are getting a haircut, begin sharing what you are doing at church or in your life group and invite them to join you
• The next time you encounter someone on the phone who has no idea how to help you, why not thank them for working and tell them how valuable they are and how much the Lord wants to help them in these trying times
• The next time you step into your office, make sure everyone gets a joyful, heartfelt greeting from you with the encouragement that you are there for them and make sure they have your phone number
• The next time someone needs you, you say, “Yes”
• The next time someone needs to vent, you listen

If you see these people again, ask them about something they shared with you and let them know you have been praying for them.  This may open a door for you to share even more with them about Christ.

Each day, let the Lord shine forth from you to all whom you encounter.  Anticipate tomorrow with joy.

While we are particularly wired for that kind of thinking, a certain level of personal discipline and striving is a uniquely Christian calling. 

When you are born-again by grace through faith in Jesus, Scripture says you are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). And as such, the Bible actually says quite a lot about this newfound life we have in Jesus not being our own – but His – and the fruit that follows. No longer slaves to sin, you are “slaves to righteousness” (Rom. 6:18). Paul writes that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) and that he “disciplines (his) body and keeps it under control” (1 Cor. 9:27). Amidst the numerous callings and commissionings and ‘one-anothers’ we find for ourselves in God’s Word, we are over and again taught that to follow Jesus will mean we are “making the best use of the time” (Eph. 5:16) in every area of our life.  Personal discipline to strive toward and achieve what the Lord calls you into is a good and God-glorifying endeavor. 

The gospel reorients our lives around living for Jesus by giving us a new heart with new motivations and new desires to do so. Yet, if we fail to grasp the fullness of the gospel, that new creation ‘want to’ will turn into a feeling of ‘have to’ rather quickly. 

Calvin famously described the human heart as an ‘idol factory.’ We can turn even the highest calling of our lives into something about ourselves in the blink of an eye. So, the call and desire to grow as individuals, in our relationships, at our jobs, for the sake of making disciples – all good and wonderful things worthy of our time and energy – can become about fulfilling a need for self-worth, or feeling safe and secure as we gaze at our accomplishments, or about our crafting a certain life for ourselves to enjoy rather than about the glory and purposes of God. When our hearts slide into those spaces, we’ve entered the ‘have to’ feeling compelling our decisions. And that’s not how God wants His children to live. 

Rather, Jesus makes a very different offer for those who will come to Him.  

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

Because Jesus gives is His worth, and His identity, and His grace, and His goodness when we come to Him by faith, we can live free from trying to gain those things anywhere else! The gospel moves all the feelings of ‘have to’ aside and leaves us only with the ‘want to’ desire to strive to follow the Lord. Not striving to gain anything, but from a place of already having everything we need in Jesus. 

Jesus transforms how we live our lives by simultaneously re-orienting our hearts with a desire to strive and toil and discipline ourselves for Him as well as gifting us with an ability to strive from a place of freedom and joy as we find we already have everything we need in Christ. It is in the disciplining of ourselves for the sake of Jesus that we find true joy when we rightly understand who He is and what He has done for us. 

What might the Lord be calling you to this year as you seek to strive for His glory? How might Jesus be calling you to learn to work from, not for, the grace, love, worth, and goodness He supplies?