Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.
-- John 15:15-16 (KJV)
On Sunday, December 6, 2009, I was ordained into the ministry of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at St. James Reformed Church in Mount Pleasant, NC. Presiding over the service was the Reverend John H. Bigelow, my sponsor and the Pastor of St. James. Delivering the message was the Reverend Dr. Steve Disher, Pastor of St. Paul's Reformed Church in Newton, NC, and Board member of the Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches. The following is a plain text version of the ordination paper I prepared and presented to the Ordination Board.
Ordination Paper Guidelines
The accompanying Ordination Paper should address the following points of discussion:
Introduction: A concise statement of your personal journey, Christian experience, and your call to the ministry. Explain why it is that you are pursuing ordination.
The World to which the Gospel Speaks: Your understanding of creation, nature, humanity, free will, sin and evil.
The Nature of the Gospel: What is the Good News? How do you understand the nature of revelation? How do you understand the authority of both the Old Testament and the New Testament?
How do you articulate the doctrines of the faith: God Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Providence, covenant, judgment and suffering, grace and salvation, hope and eschatology?
The Movement of the Gospel into the World: What is the mission of the Church? What is your understanding of the Church in its local, denominational, and ecumenical expressions? How do you understand the Lord’s Supper and Baptism? What are the social implications of your own history and beliefs and the Church’s mission? What are your primary religious, moral, and ethical concerns? Be explicit about your beliefs concerning ministry with both individuals and structures.
ORDINATION PAPER
For
Richard R. Moore
Prepared for
St. James Reformed Church
In the Beginning
Perhaps uncharacteristic of those who pursue the calling to enter pastoral ministry, my early childhood was not marked by devout training in nor adherence to a religious life. While my family occasionally attended Sunday services, it never seemed all that important, and would easily become a second option if another activity presented itself. Baptized in the Christian faith, I believed in God and knew about Jesus and heaven and hell, but the finer points eluded my grasp. The lack of emphasis placed upon the Church kept me blissfully ignorant, allowing me to enjoy a carefree childhood, oblivious to the concept of a personal Savior.
I first stepped onto the road I now travel in my early teens. The Pastor of the church I attended took particular notice of me, apparently seeing something in me that spurred him to ask if I would at least consider pursuing my higher education at a Divinity School. The last thing I thought about at that stage of my life was college, but I agreed when he offered to drive me to visit Bob Jones University, at his own expense. To say I felt unmoved would be an understatement. Two years later I chose Bible Studies as an elective in high school. My instructor seemed to see something in me that prompted him to ask if I had ever considered a life in the ministry. Yeah, right, me a minister. I should add at this point that I was somewhat of a handful as a youth, constantly getting myself into some sort of mischief or another. I did not exactly consider myself “preacher material”. I smiled politely at my instructor, grinning on the inside at the absurdity of the question, and finished the course with a solid “A”. During my senior year, my English teacher gave me a funny look, seeing something in me that caused her to wistfully say, “There's just something about you...”, as she tried to ignite my interest in creative writing. Her persuasions fell on deaf ears, for I had no desire to extend my education past high school.
Do you see a pattern in this brief history? It repeated over the years of my young adulthood, in lessening frequency, with other men and women of God seeming to see something within me that I did not see when studying the image in the mirror. I married, started a family, and lost my wife to cancer. I remarried too hastily and divorced nearly as quickly. I remarried once more, gained additions to my family, adopted an adult son, slowly drifted apart, and divorced yet again. Middle age settled in. Though accomplished in my career as a computer engineer, my life lay in ruins at my feet.
Slowly I began to realize that the lessons I failed to learn in childhood now haunted my days and stained my life. I knew of God and the Ten Commandments. I had read the Bible from cover to cover. I knew of Jesus and the straight and narrow path. But I did not know God, I did not know Jesus. I understood then just how far I had strayed from that path Jesus laid for us to follow. The laws of Moses had become nothing more than loose guidelines in my adherence to them. I had replaced God with the wonders of the world, the pleasures of the flesh. My sins were uncountable. And this Godless life I led had cost me dearly.
With this realization came a clarity of purpose, a determination to rebuild my life, but this time with God's help and a greater focus on Him. I prayed and gave my life to Him. I returned to the Bible, now to learn more about this man called Jesus. One night, with God's hand directing me, I finally looked up and saw the truth. I understood and accepted Jesus as the Christ, my Lord and personal Savior, and knew for certain that I could no longer live without Him. That night, now thoroughly humbled, I gave myself completely to Christ, His servant, to do as He might will.
And soon an old familiar pattern reemerged. First one then another and another, good people began to comment about something they could almost see within me, asking about my role in Christ's Church. It began to dawn on me, thanks to my renewed reading of the Scripture, that these seemingly random events all tied together in one source. What could all this be but a request from God, urgings by His Holy Spirit within me, compelling me in a direction He would have me take. He first asked when I was a child, and I ignored Him. Each time He prodded, I refused to budge. One evening with time to kill before a meeting, I picked up a little book from our church library, “The Christian Ministry” by Rev. C. W. Warlick. Reading while standing in front of the bookcase, Rev. Warlick grabbed my attention on page 19 when he asked, “And now, dear reader, this thought, you who have experienced His appearance, doubtless time and again, and who have heard His call to become His follower as a minister and as a witness, why the delay, why the indecision, why have you refused?” This book, written in 1910, spoke directly to me, and I had no answer. Maybe I just never understood the call. A few pages further on, Rev. Warlick continued, “Has Jesus never appeared to you, my reader, with the call to witness for Him behind the pulpit or in whatever sphere a minister may or does work?” Yes, I suppose He has in a way, but I ignored Him. “And if so, was there no motive on the part of Christ for appearing and laying before you the call?” God has a reason for everything, right? “Most assuredly there was, and the motive was simply this, to make you a minister of His salvation to others. What a glorious prospect!” Glorious indeed! I could ignore the call no longer, the time for hesitation long past. A little over two years ago, after our pastor and my own daughter echoed those words spoken so long before, I agreed to follow God's call, and enrolled in seminary classes. Like Moses and the children of Israel, I wandered aimlessly in a wilderness of my own making for over forty years before God led me to His river. In the darkness of my self-made misery, Jesus took pity. When presented with two small loaves of bread and five fishes that had moments before been lunch for a small boy, Jesus took the bread and, thanking the Father, broke it and fed over five thousand people. Just as He could not use the bread until He had broken it, He could not use me until I knelt broken at His feet.
My decision to enter seminary and seek the ministry did not come easily. Is this really what God would have me do? My answer comes from Jesus. He reassures me of this assignment when He says, “You did not choose Me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last.” (John 15:16a CEV) I know of no greater service I can offer God or my fellow man than to spread the good news, to plant the seed that will bear eternal fruit.
God Created the Heavens and the Earth
When I tired of the nomadic life of driving a truck, I entered college where I studied the sciences and engineering, graduating with honors as an Electrical Engineer. Some ask how I can reconcile my training in the scientific approach with the Biblical story of Creation. For me the answer is simple: science offers no sufficient argument nor plausible explanation as to how the known universe came into being. The Big Bang Theory posits that an infinitesimal point contained all the mass of the universe that was released in an instant to form the ever expanding cosmos. It does not explain, though, from where that mass within that small dot originated, nor what caused the explosion. Such an unlikely event is far less believable than an intelligent, omnipotent Creator breathing life into all that is by uttering the words, “Let there be light.” The very creation of the natural world, by any method, requires the existence of a Creator before the act of creation. Such a Creator existed before time began and will exist after time ends. This Creator is God, the one and only true God.
Mankind is a part of this natural world, another creation of God. He was very careful in the making of man for He loves us as a Father loves His child, creating us in His own image, that of His spiritual being. God created the angels as well, very special creatures whose sole purpose is to worship God and serve Him. Man is also a special being, given the very Spirit of God when He breathes life into us. But God gave us a trait, a feature, denied even to the angels. He gave us free will. He gave us the choice to love Him in return, to worship and serve Him as do the angels, or to not love Him. Why? Because He loves us. And what better way to see if someone truly loves you than to allow them to not love you if that is their choice. Our Father gives us that choice: to love Him or not, to serve Him or not.
Since we are given that choice, it only follows that some will indeed love and follow God while some will not. Those who do not follow God may well be likely to resist His will, even to rebel against Him. An angel named Lucifer once managed to break from his mold and to think that he could be as good, as powerful, as all-knowing as God. He convinced others of his kind to follow him. God expelled these misguided angels from heaven, but decided to use Lucifer to provide mankind with a further choice for our free will. Given reign over the physical world, Satan and his minions prowl the depths of humankind, fomenting trouble, wreaking havoc at every turn, whispering into ears promises of worldly treasures, tempting souls, drawing God's beloved children further and further from the path of righteousness. Evil exists, even in a world created by a loving God. God is outside of the world, not of the world. It was created by Him and given to man as our garden. Lucifer was given rule over this natural world so that man could have a true choice, and by choosing God could show our true devotion and love to our heavenly Father and Creator. A loving parent will teach their child to ride a bicycle, knowing full well that the child will fall off and be injured at some point, because the parent knows that is the only way for the child to learn, to grow. In the same way, our heavenly Father allows us to do things that surely make Him cringe, acts He knows we will be hurt by or use to hurt others, acts including the most horrible evils imaginable, because by experiencing these we can learn, and grow, and better come to love Him. But we need not fear for more than this earthly life. God is in full control. Evil will be punished, and those who love Him will be rewarded. The words of the Revelation to John may frighten some, but they offer encouragement and assurance to those who believe in Jesus.
I Bring You Good News of Great Joy
Satan wasted no time stalking God's most loved creation. The serpent whispered into Eve's ear, promising what he knew not to be true, tempting her to disobey the only thing God asked of them, goading her to take a bite of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, convincing her to give Adam a bite. At that fateful moment, a great chasm opened between God and His creation. Sin entered the world and left a canyon so wide, nothing man could do could ever span the gap. Satan tasted victory. Had he managed to deny this supposed all-powerful God the love of His creation? Did he drive an immovable wedge between God and mankind? Did he pull man from his heavenly Father for all time? No, not at all. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever will believe in Him will have everlasting life.
The original sin of Adam and Eve created a rift between man and God. No longer could man walk freely with God, nor talk with Him as with another man. No longer could they be in physical proximity as they were in the Garden. Man disobeyed God, and alone he could never repair the damage done. Ah, but God had a plan. For thousands of years man wandered through life, living and dying, sometimes steadfast in loving and obeying God's commands, more often not. Over the centuries, prophets of God spoke of a coming Messiah, one who would save us all and provide a way back to God. Then, when man least expected it, God sent His own Son into the world. Conceived by the Holy Spirit Himself and born unto a virgin, Mary, Jesus was both man and God, not a creation but one person of the Triune God.
While Jesus lived among us, He taught by example and by word. He healed those who suffered in body and in mind, performing miracles that would be unbelievable had they not been witnessed. He loved unconditionally. He expanded the boundaries of God's covenant community to include everyone, not just the children of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. He asked only that we know and love God as the one true God, and that we love each other just as we love ourselves, just as He loves us. Love is the common theme of His life, of His teachings. Jesus was and is and ever will be Love. And for His love, Jesus was cursed, beaten, crucified. He died at the hands of those He sought to save.
The message Jesus shared represented a dramatic shift from the status quo of the culture of that day. The laws, He noted, while important, take a secondary role to loving God and loving your fellow man. All those in a position of authority over us should be given due respect, for they were put in those positions by God. Great wealth may be a blessing from God, but He wishes for you to use those riches to help the less fortunate, and to take up the cross alongside Jesus and follow Him. It is more important to serve rather than to be served. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last. Radical ideas such as these could not be allowed to spread any further. This man Jesus must be stopped! And so the Son of Man was put to death.
Had Jesus simply died, our tale would have closed then and there. His followers would have eventually all died off as well. The Way would have disappeared in the fog of time. The word “Christian” would perhaps never have been coined, or would be nothing more than a footnote in history books if it had. But the page bearing “The End” has yet to be written. For although Jesus did indeed die and descend into the depths of Hell, He defeated death and rose from the grave on the third day just as He had promised! His victory is one we can all share in. That is what He intended, that is what He died for, so that death no longer need hold us in its grasp for ever. And He promised to be our Advocate, to stand beside us when we face our heavenly Father and on that Day of Judgment, to attest that we have been washed clean by His precious blood so that we might face God and live at His side for all eternity. Jesus kept His promise to defeat death and rebuild the Temple on the third day, so we can be assured He will also keep His promise to represent us before God. The great chasm opened by the original sin is spanned only by the cross of Jesus Christ, allowing man to again be with God.
But that is still not all of the story. In his old age, our Lord came to John in his exile, to the one Jesus loved, and gave him a message to share with all mankind from that time forward. The main thrust of the message was simple: Jesus would come again, and would take His followers home to live with Him in heaven. But the message carried a dire warning: Be prepared! The Revelation to John can be confusing and seemingly contradictory, yet the important point should not be missed. Those who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, who follow Him and the path He prepared for us, will be given life eternal and also rewarded for their service to God. Those who have failed to do so by the time Jesus comes again will suffer through seven long years of great tribulations. God is ever faithful and merciful, even at this time for the world, so He still gives man another chance. Those who have not yet fallen into Satan's camp will have seven years to choose sides, seven years of demonstrations of God's power, and His wrath. In the end, Jesus will return to defeat Satan and his followers, both human and spiritual, meting punishments to the purveyors of evil and rewards to those who followed God where and as deserved. This is as God has promised, and God has always kept His promises.
The field of Theology called Christian Apologetics provides a set of rational arguments in defense of the Christian faith and the validity of the Scripture. One such argument addresses the truth of the New Testament by asserting that the people who read the passages recorded by the Gospel writers were alive during that period of time being described in the words, and may well have witnessed the actual events as they occurred. Had these events not been recorded accurately, these witnesses would quickly have exposed the likes of Matthew and Luke as liars, or worse. As we know, that did not happen. The Gospel was not challenged during its day. Also, the translations of the Bible have remained true to form over the centuries, from one handwritten copy to the next. One can find very few errors or changes in translations from the earliest known text of John to the present day massed produced New International Version Bibles. There are many more examples, but all lead to the fact that we can trust the New Testament as presenting a true and accurate history of the events and lives of that time. What we read is real, it all really happened. God came down to earth to save us all. Jesus is that Savior. And when He bodily returned to heaven to be with our Father, He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to guide us through our lives just as Jesus guided the Disciples through theirs. This is the three persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Once we accept the truth of the New Testament, we can know with certainty that the texts of the Old Testament are just as accurate and valid. Jesus and His Disciples were practicing Jews. They knew the laws of Moses, they loved the poetry and prophesy of Isaiah, they understood the importance of the words of Ezra and Jeremiah and the warnings of Habakkuk, they looked ahead to the time described by Daniel. The Gospels often report Jesus quoting from the old texts, using the very words of the Jewish faith to teach them what they should already know. Paul frequently relates to Old Testament scripture in his letters. Since we know the New Testament accounts are accurate and true, and because those accounts attest to the truth of the older texts, we can also be assured of the validity of the Old Testament. All practicing Jews will speak to this truth as well. So the Christian Holy Bible, in both old and new parts, represents the true and inspired Word of God, recorded by man under the direction of God. Of this I have no doubt.
According to Your Faith
Two blind men came to Jesus, seeking to have their sight restored. Jesus asked, “Do you believe I can do this?” They responded, “Yes, Lord”. I imagine a warm smile spreading across His lips as Jesus touched their eyes and replied, “According to your faith, let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened.
Faith is defined in the dictionary as confidence in a person or thing, or a belief for which there is no proof. Paul defines faith as “being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) Jesus said if you have faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can cause mountains to be moved (ref. Mark 11:22-24). Both the dictionary and the Bible point to the same conclusion: it is not the size of our faith, not some quantitative measure of how much we believe, all that matters is what we believe in, the subject of our faith. Paul knew our faith in God to be the foundation of our hopes, the certainty of our hearts, the truth of everything around us seen and unseen. Jesus knew that with God all things are possible, if we ground our faith on God.
My faith is rooted in God's Word, the Holy Bible. The best way to come to know God in His three persons is by knowing and studying His Word. This is how we build a relationship with anyone, by talking to them, asking questions, learning more about them. The same is true of God. The very word “theology” translates from the Greek as the study of God (actually, the study of the nature of god, but we know there is only One and He is God). My personal theology is centered upon growing my relationship with God, enriching the friendship between us. Just as God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, He is my Lord, my Savior, and my friend. I might add, He is my very best friend. Always faithful, I can count on Him at all times, for any need. When I am weakest, through Him I am strongest. I have put my life in His hands and I trust Him completely.
But what if there were no Bible, how then could I know God? I would like to take an ages old approach and answer that question with a question of my own. How can someone look at the world around them and not know God? His creative talent is on display twice a day with each sunrise and sunset. His hand paints the leaves in fall, strews shells along the shore, puffs up the clouds in the sky. His breath stirs the gentle, warm evening's breeze or whips up the raging storm. His eyes flash with lightning, or twinkle in the night sky. He set in motion the timeless surf, and created the most fragile, delicate flower that lives but a day. He engineered the absolute wonder of the human eye, and of a baby's hand. Science teaches us that the most likely answer to any question is the one which requires the least assumption, that provides the simplest answer. Did all around us happen by accident, and then continuously evolve to what has been in effect for a few thousand years now? Or did God create it all? Which answer requires the least assumption, which is simpler? God.
Now, having faith rooted firmly in God and believing without a doubt His Word as recorded in the Old and New Testaments to be true and accurate, we can begin to understand why He would love us, and why His will must be carried out as He planned. His love is ever faithful, our ultimate well-being His primary concern. Because of this love He sacrificed His only Son. By His mercy and grace alone we are saved. Nothing we can ever do, nothing we can ever say, nothing we mortals alone can effect will ever pay our way to heaven. God alone is sufficient. It is through His Providence, His caring and guidance, that we can survive this life. It is by His grace and the covenant He forged with us through the blood of the Perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord, that we might be made clean enough to bow in His presence. We are allowed to suffer so that we might grow strong. We can feel loneliness so that we may never again want to be separated from God. We are broken and left hopeless so that we might realize our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Our good works are worthless without our belief in Jesus as Christ. On Him rests our hope of salvation.
I hold to the Biblical standards of a minister as described by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy, chapters three through five. With all my heart and being I affirm our statement of faith as recorded in the Constitution and By-Laws of St. James Reformed Church and hold firmly to the mission of our local congregation and the greater Church community. I also affirm my understanding of and belief in the purpose, organization and statement of faith of the Evangelical Association, with which we are affiliated. The Apostles' Creed states my full belief from my heart, while the hymn “Amazing Grace” so clearly reflects my soul's amazement and thanks at the awesome mercy, love, and grace of our Savior, our Lord.
Feed My Lambs, Tend My Sheep
When Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection, He left His followers to continue His work as His Church, the body of Christ on earth. And here I draw a distinction between the “Church” as defined as the entire body of Christ and the “church” as an individual congregation or the building in which they worship. I believe that the fundamental role of the Church, as well as one reason I seek ordination, is best summed up in Romans 10:14-15 (here in the NLT): “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, 'How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!'” For people to come to accept Jesus as their personal Savior, they must first know of Him and His life. Paul, the original church planter, focused on this goal of spreading the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that just as God the Father had sent Him into the world, so He was sending His Disciples into the world (ref. John 20:21). He also said that He was not sent from heaven to do His will, but the will of the One who sent Him, the will of the Father (ref. John 6:38). Now if Jesus sent His followers, including us, into the world to continue His work, and He Himself was sent to do His Father's will, then the mission of the Church is to do the Father's will, exemplified in the teachings and life of Christ as contained in the Gospels and explained in the many letters recorded in the Bible. This role is the same today as when Jesus first commissioned His Church.
One aspect of this mission is clear: to spread the good news that Jesus has paid the price of our salvation, that through Him and by the grace of our heavenly Father, we may have eternal life. This must be the primary focus, but more can be found in the Scriptures. Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd, even at one point instructing Peter, and by extension the entire Church, to “feed My lambs” and “tend My sheep”. Just as sheep without a shepherd, we would be lost without Jesus. (Mark also drew this analogy for us in his sixth chapter verse 34.) In that vein, the Church should also serve as a shepherd, seeking out those who may have strayed from the path and are lost, caring for those unable to care for themselves, standing guard against the inroads of the fiercest predator Satan.
Along those lines, the Church must help see to the needs of widows and orphans, among the most vulnerable of those not fully able to care for themselves. In Matthew 25:31-40, we are charged to feed the hungry, provide drink for the stranger, offer shelter and sustenance to the foreigner and traveler, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned. “Tend My sheep”, our Lord instructs, “Feed My lambs.” This involves more than seeing after the physical needs, although that is a large part. Their spiritual needs must be seen to as well. Sometimes those two needs combine nicely, such as when someone just really needs a good hug, or a warm blanket. Both offer solace to the body and the soul. And when we tend to the physical needs of others, we are given the opportunity to share with them the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, to witness to them the difference He has made in our lives, even if only silently by our actions, to spread His love as He commissioned us to do. And the truly amazing thing about this is that we, the members of Christ's Church, gain as much if not more from these activities as do those we serve. God, in His awesome wisdom, provides reward for our efforts, and usually immediate reward. We feel good when we serve others, and that is wealth beyond measure.
Of necessity, the early church adhered to these principles. There being no state funded welfare system nor unemployment benefits, the church was expected to see to the needs of those who could not provide for themselves, and of those who spread the Gospel among them. Many of the early churches were small and met in homes or hidden in caves or other less visible locations, again out of need since early Christians were hunted as prey for the pleasure of Nero. So the Church has its roots in small groups. It is in this small group setting that I feel most comfortable and perhaps most effective at sharing God's word, whether through Bible studies with fellow believers or in jail ministries with those who want to believe or any other venue where two or more can gather in our Lord Jesus' name.
In my life I have witnessed lives ravaged by illness and death. I have seen families shattered by addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex. I have seen hungry children, barefoot, faces without a trace of hope. War and rumors of war walk the earth. We live in the end times, after Christ's resurrection but before the Tribulation and His second coming, as evidenced by Biblical predictions finding life in the world around us. We sit stunned by the latest atrocity on the evening news. Decaying morals, abounding disrespect for life, God's laws broken on all sides. There is so much that the Church can work on, and should be involved with, that we slide into a state of shock, nearly unable to move from the weight of all that needs to be done. With God's help, the Church can stand and tackle these problems. It must, for without the Church the world is lost. Individual churches cannot even contemplate taking on a project of this magnitude. But they can pick an area where they feel they can make an impact and begin there. The Church must leave the safety of the church walls and go into the greater community, where the need lives. That is not to say that it should neglect its own, for needs are great within the Christian community as well. A balance must be determined and met, so that God's hand can touch all those in need. That is the role of the Church: doing God's will.
Within the Christian community we have those who believe, who attend church services regularly, who contribute to the church monetarily. By all outward appearances, these are good Christians, following the Way our Lord set out. But some are missing something, they fail to truly understand what Christ would have them do. They sometimes put other pursuits before God, such as the opportunity to attend an event rather than worship together with their brothers and sisters. They think of themselves and their families first, and others, if at all, much later. They prefer to be served, unless they can receive recognition for serving. Their corporate prayers shake the rafters so that everyone can hear how pious they are. Their hearts do not fully belong to God. Yet it is not our place to judge. We cannot know God's heart other than what He has given us insight to with His Holy Word. If they truly believe, their place in heaven is assured. But if they truly believe, how closely would they try to live their lives as Christ taught, as He lived His? How closely would they listen to what He said and strive to follow His example? I worry that many may find themselves like Bruce Barnes, the fictional assistant pastor of the New Hope Village Church in the “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Left behind after the Rapture, Bruce realized that even though he thought all along that he was a good Christian, he just didn't get it, he did not truly understand. How many of our friends sitting in the pew beside us Sunday mornings might be left behind if Christ called us home today? How many of our neighbors might awaken to find their spouse or children missing? How many might the Church miss simply because they aren't our kind of people or don't dress very well or smell funny?
It concerns me when parts of the Church seem to forget what Jesus taught and preached. They fail to remember how He expanded the faith community to include all manner of people. Throughout history the Church has grappled with issues of admission, questioning whether Gentiles, women, people of color, or homosexuals should be allowed in the sanctuary to worship. Why is it alright to greet and welcome the unmarried couple living together to attend worship, but not the African-American? Why are the terminally ill shunned and forgotten after saying a few prayers over them? Where is it written that everyone stepping into a Sunday service must be wearing fancy clothes? Jesus did not command us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves as long as our neighbor is just like us. He did not say to clothe only the working man and his family, to feed only those who are temporarily down on their luck. Jesus put no conditions on who we are to love, no restrictions on how we are to serve. Christ did not seem to expect much real justice in this world, social or otherwise. Look at how He was treated as a clue to that. But He does expect much of us in our interactions with others. Do we live up to those expectations?
I love my Lord and Savior with all my heart and soul. A great passion burns within me to serve Him in any way He leads me. Jesus said “Follow Me”, and I intend to do so for my remaining days.
Grace to All Who Love Our Lord
My being ordained into the ministry of our Lord would serve two purposes. For one, it would show that my brothers and sisters in Christ deem me worthy and competent to represent our Savior as a shepherd of His flock, that I will rise capable to the responsibilities of the position, that I love God and that I love them. This aspect of ordination would be personally satisfying and tremendously humbling. But of greater importance in my mind, ordination will be my signature on a promise I made to God a few years ago. When I gave my life to Jesus, I promised to serve Him to the best of my abilities, in any way He saw fit to use me, for whatever purpose and to what end He desired. Ordination will be the seal on that promise, and will mark my commitment to my personal covenant with our Lord. God made a covenant with mankind, paid for by the sacrifice of His Son, sealed with the blood of Jesus. I cannot begin to fathom so great a love. But I can show God my love for Him. Ordained, I can perform functions in His name to honor Him, to remember His devotion and sacrifice, certain rites not allowed a lay leader. Whether ordained or not, I will keep my promise, for I love my Savior. When I gave my life to Jesus, a deep, calming peace washed over me. When I committed to seeking the pastoral ministry, I sensed a smile upon His face. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. But I fully believe this is the path my Lord wishes and intends for me to walk. Where Jesus leads me, I will follow.
Amen.
