Scott Chafee – Page 138 – HeartQuest 101

Is Jesus God?

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Scott Chafee

It is impossible to know for certain that God exists and what He is like unless He takes the initiative and reveals Himself to us. A clear clue is found in the stable in Bethlehem. The paranoid Herod had all male children age two and younger murdered; the slaughter of the innocents (Matthew 2:1-18). We see Jesus at age twelve in the temple, “My Father’s house” (Luke 2:49). He lived in obscurity for about thirty years until He started His public ministry. Common people heard Him and they marveled at His words spoken with authority (Matthew 7:29).

Jesus said He was the Son of God:

He had many shocking statements that began to identity Him more than just a remarkable teacher or prophet; He clearly claimed deity. The question for Peter and all of us, “Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:16-17). What was the impact of His words? The Jews sought to kill Him, no mistake of what Jesus was claiming (John 5:18, 10:33). Not only did He claim deity in His words, but also in His actions. He healed and forgave the paralytic’s sins (Mark 2:5-7).

The title of Son of Man asserted His deity. The High Priest asked Him if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One, and Jesus answer, “I am.” (Mark 14:61-64). John Stott puts it this way,

to know Him was to know God (John 8:19, 14:7);
to see Him was to see God (John 12:45, 14:9);
to believe in Him was to believe in God (John 12:44, 14:1);
to receive Him was to receive God (Mark 9:37);
to hate Him was to hate God (John 15:23);
to honor Him was to honor God (John 5:23).

Only four possibilities:

Liar – He claimed to be God and He knew that it was false. If this is the case, there is no way that He could be revered as a good moral teacher.
Lunatic – He claimed to be God and He did not know that it was false. If He is deceived in the area of His identity, He cannot be trusted with much else. But there is no evidence of an emotional imbalance we find in a deranged person.
Legend – He was a man who had enthusiastic followers who centuries later put words into the mouth of Jesus. Evidence shows that four individual biographies were written within the lifetime of the contemporaries of Jesus; no later than AD 70. If the claims of deity were not true, people in the day would have repudiated the claim. The story would never have gotten off the ground. Besides, there are simply not enough generations to elevate these claims to the status of legend. The documents have an early dating.
Lord – Claims don’t mean much, talk is cheap. What credentials do we bring to substantiate the claim? Miraculous signs backed up what He claimed (John 10:38).

What were Jesus’ credentials?

His character – He was unique in that He was sinless (John 8:46). We read of His temptation but no prayers of forgiveness (what He told His followers to do). This lack of moral failure is in contrast to the history of those called saints. As people are drawn to God, they are overwhelmed by their sinfulness. John, Peter and Paul mentions the sinlessness of Jesus (1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). Pilate found no fault in Him (John 18:38), and the Roman centurion recognized the uniqueness of Jesus (Matthew 27:54).
His power – He could calm a raging storm and the question arises, “Who is this?” (Mark 4:41).
1. He turned water into wine (John 2:9-11)
2. He fed 5000 men with five loaves and two fish (John 6:10-13)
3. He raised people from the dead (Matthew 11:4-6, Mark 5:40-42, John 12:1)
4. He healed people of disabilities and diseases (John 9:25, 32) – lame walk, blind see, mute speak.
His resurrection from the dead – He predicted that He would rise from the dead, and did it to prove He was right (Matthew 12:40, 26:61, Mark 8:31, 9:31, John 2:19).

Our own Christian experience combined with historical evidence give us a solid conviction that Jesus is exactly who He said He was. He changed the world, the calendar and the lives of people for centuries.

Study questions:

In what ways did Jesus claim to be the Son of God?
What are the four possibilities in evaluating these claims?
What is the evidence for and against the theory that Jesus was a lunatic?
What evidence do you remember that the gospels account for an actual person rather than a legend?
How do you answer a person that says Jesus was just a good moral teacher and not God?
How did Jesus prove His claim to be God?

Was the Lame Man at the Gate Distracted?

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; this lame man represents all men and the issues we face:

This is part five from the Men of Steel topic on the Lame Man at the Gate (From Acts 3:1-5).

The Bible says that when Peter and John came to the temple at the hour of prayer, they fixed their eyes on the lame man (Acts 3:4). Peter said to him, “Look on us.” I believe that Peter didn’t want this man to be distracted. If a man gets distracted, he can miss what God has for him.

Peter wanted this man to pay close attention to what he was about to do. He wanted him to intently hear him. Maybe he got right down in his face, locking eyes so that everything else in that lame man’s world just faded away. That’s the way we need to deal with men who are in pain. When we’re the ones suffering, that’s the way we need to look at Jesus. We need to get so close to Him that we don’t see anybody else.

Then Peter spoke to him using a name (Acts 3:6). Every one of us needs a name that is stronger than ourselves, our problems; a name that is greater than our need, a name that is more powerful than our pain. He spoke the name of Jesus. Paul would later write, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

It is the name of Jesus that is higher than any other name. The writer of Hebrews says, He is “holy, harmless, undefiled … and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). There is no other name that can heal men of their lameness. Then Peter went beyond words. Notice the words of Peter had no visible effect on this man’s life. Men may hear sermons each week and find that nothing changes in their lives. Men all around us in need of hearing about the love and forgiveness of God, yet have not experience any of it for themselves.

Peter put the name of Jesus into action by reaching down and taking this lame man by the right hand and lifting him up. This lame man’s feet and ankle bones were healed as Peter lifted him up (Acts 3:7). Notice that this guy who had never walked, didn’t need any help walking (Acts 3:8). He only needed help getting up on his feet. Now he was standing, walking, and leaping as he praised God.

There are men all around us today who need for us to speak the right name to them—and they need for us to help them get to their feet spiritually and emotionally. We don’t need to be their crutch, but we do need to pull them to their feet so that God can heal and strengthen the lameness in their lives.

How can we as Men of Steel speak Christ to other men, and put into action words that can bring more men into the group? How can we make other men thirsty for healing and fulfillment? What are some practical things that we can do to minister to men in our church, community and workplace? What sort of things do you personally need from the Men of Steel? How can the group help you to become all that God wants you to be? What are the distractions that are keeping you from being totally sold out to Jesus? What are a few steps of faith that you believe God is calling you to take?

Are You Trapped at the Gate?

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; this lame man represents all men and the issues we face:

I thought I was finished with the Lame Man at the Gate, but not so fast, here’s part four… I find his story very appropriate for men today, and I have another observation to bring up. (Acts 3:2)

Remember that friends carried this lame guy to the gate, and at the end of the day they took him back to his home. Take a look at just where they left him; at a gate of the temple that was so beautiful that they called it the “Beautiful Gate.” See the irony? This man had an ugly problem and it matters little that he was at the Beautiful Gate! Any man with an ugly problem (visible or secret) cannot enjoy or appreciate the beauty around him.

Don’t forget, all this is taking place in the Promised Land, the “land flowing with milk and honey.” This was a descriptive for God’s care, provision and blessing; providing His people with the land that He promised Abraham generations ago. As a lame man, he was not able to enter the temple (2 Samuel 5:8), which was reserved for able-bodied men. Even though he was in the right place, he’s not really a part of the religious community.

Today, so many men are close to being in the right place, they are not fully there. They’re close enough to the church to know what’s going on, to know who’s who and what is being preached, but they are not all the way into the body of Christ. These guys are trapped at the gate.

The contemporary Christian music group, Building 429, has a song out called, “You Carried Me” (fits the lame theme, right?). Here are a few lines from the song…

I’ve been so busy. I missed the reasons.
I missed Your love and I nearly missed it all.
Still You’ve held me and You’ve healed me.
You’ve given all and it brought me to Your cross.
And I stand only because
You’ve given me grace to walk, only because…
You carried me. You carried me.
You carried me through it all.
And I believe. Yes I believe.
You’ll carry me all the way home, ‘cause mercy covers all.
I know the Scripture. I’ve known the songs.
I sang the words from my hollowed heart.
But You’ve spoken softly through the storm.
I’ve heard Your voice and I’ve felt the calm.

We can be so familiar with the church and the ritual that we fail to encounter the God whom the church worships and serves. He is the only reason we gather in the first place. Men can sit at a distance, at a beautiful gate, and then feel as if they are exactly where they need to be. But they are still trapped by their ugly problem, this whole life-affecting problem. They don’t get it; that God can heal their heart, their marriage, their family, their relationships, and touch their soul and bring peace, purpose and potential.

All this to say that men today can be so close to the church yet still embrace the problem that causes their lameness. Rather than going through the motions, we need to get connected to the source of life, meaning and our only real help. God can carry us through our brokenness, and when that happens, the essence of the beautiful gate will rub off on us and we can live up to it’s name.

Help Your Kids Pick Good Friends

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Scott Chafee

I was reading the Lifeway magazine “Living with Teenagers” (Feb 2009) and it’s full of great information this month. One article on finding friends I find exceptionally noteworthy today:

Your teenager may have a couple hundred friends on his Facebook page, but how does s/he find real friends? How can parents help?

Reflect on your own friends when you were a teen.
Understand it takes some time.
Get to know your teenager’s friends and pray for them.
Help them to see that God is relational and created us to connect with others (Matthew 22:37-39).
Help them think through the qualities of a good friend; perhaps define the word “friend.”
Share examples of poor friends:
- Shallow friends (Proverbs 18:24),
- Foolish friends (Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 14:17),
- Mean girls – and boys (Proverbs 12:26),
- Gossiping friends (Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 20:19),
- Volatile friends (Proverbs 22:24-25),
- Fair weather friends (Proverbs 17:17).

Measure how good a friend you are (each question is worth 10 points):

____ I haven’t passed on any gossip this week; I keep things to myself.
____ I am a good listener; I make eye contact and ask follow-up questions.
____ I am even-tempered; I don’t explode or withdraw when upset.
____ I am happy for people, not threatened, when they succeed.
____ I feel sad when others (including those I don’t like) fail.
____ I have the skills to be honest about things that bother me in a relationship; when I’m honest the problem is usually resolved.
____ I appreciate someone who is honest with me; I receive it gracefully.
____ I take appropriate responsibility for my behavior.
____ One of my strengths is picking the right kind of friends.
____ I can avoid foolish and wicked people without creating a scene.

How’d you do? The closer to 100 you are, the better friend you are! Ask your friends to take the test with you in mind and see how the two compare.

How Did You Get Where You Are?

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; this lame man represents all men and the issues we face:

This is part three from the Men of Steel topic on the Lame Man at the Gate and What Are You Expecting? (From Acts 3:1-5).

Ever think about that question? Sometimes we ask this question when we get deep into trouble, but not so much when things go well. Do well, and it’s internal… it’s my giftedness, ability or determination, but if we’re in trouble it goes to something more external like dumb luck, circumstances, “the devil made me do it” or life is just out of control. As the Nationwide commercial goes, life comes at your fast.

A friend told me about a story about a turtle on the top of a fence post. If you find someone at the top of his game like that, you have to assume that someone else put him there. No one gets to the top alone. Another positive illustration of community.

Just how do we get through the rough things of life? We often look at our lame legs and fail to see the bigger picture. Remember that our lameness is anything that is considered to be a problem, a personal need or an area of weakness in our lives. Sometimes we don’t consider where we are because we don’t have a clear picture of where we’ve been or how we got there.

The lame man did not get that way due to an injury because he was born a cripple. This is all he had ever known. His lameness was not a disease or an injury, but a weakness. But think about it, this guy had two advantages that men today do not have:

He knew he had a problem: It was obvious to him and to those around him. He was forced to face his problem, and faced it daily. Men today do not see any major flaws in their lives. Perhaps making it through the day, not getting fired, not messing up in a social situation is a sign that they are doing life just fine. Each of us has our kryptonite and we must face it even if it is not obvious to others.
This guy also knew there was a reason for his lameness: He knew the cause of his problem; he was lame from birth. He knew the answer to the question, “Why am I like this?” If we want to get our lives back on track, we have to ask the same question, “Why am I like this?” or “Why do I do what I do?” Until we know why we are filled with hate, envy, foul language, lust, anger, bitterness… we can’t fully understand how to get beyond our lameness.

Have you ever asked yourself questions like these?

Why do I come home from church (where I’ve acted like a saint) and act like a monster with my wife and children?
Why don’t I know how to communicate?
Why am I unwilling to communicate better?
Why do I feel inner rage all the time?
Why is my life out of control?
Why don’t I succeed at work?
Why do I feel depressed?
Why am I not further along in my walk with God?

I recently read about a challenge to look over my resume, to look back over my life, and try to discover why I’ve camped out with my lameness for so long. When we look closely, we discover that we need a Savior, a Lord, and relationships with other believing men who will teach us the Bible, model a godly lifestyle, and help us to become more like Jesus Christ. It’s a great journey of discovery, and I’m glad that the Men of Steel group is a part of that healing process.

There is a reason that we are like we are, and there’s a greater reason or purpose for our lives. You are who you are, but you are not yet who you will become. Pastor Jerry reminded us that “the best is yet to be.” God has bigger and better things for you, for your marriage and for your family. So consider your problem of lameness, but also consider the cause, not forgetting the result that we find by being in Christ.

Like the turtle on top of the fence post, how can we help each other to make it to the top of our potential? How can we help you be all you can be for Christ?

Is There a God?

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Scott Chafee

Quite a profound question, since the dawn of time:

“More consequences for thought and action follow the affirmation or denial of God than from answering any other basic question.” – Mortimer Adler.

The whole tenor of human life is affected by whether people regard themselves as supreme beings or acknowledge a superhuman being whom they conceive as an object of fear or love, a force to be defied or a Lord to be obeyed.

God in a test tube:

God cannot be proved through scientific methodology.
The reason lies in the nature of history itself, and the limits of the scientific method. In order to be provable scientifically, it must be repeatable. But while the facts of certain events in history can’t be proven by repetition, it does not disprove their reality as events (creation, assassination of Lincoln, crucifixion).
Scientific method deals only with measurable things. No one has ever seen three feet of love or two pounds of justice, but it is foolish to deny their reality.
Evidence for God?
1. Anthropology: a universal belief in God, a Great Spirit, a Creator, even in societies that are polytheistic.
2. Old idea of how religion developed: monotheism was the apex of gradual development that began in polytheism.
3. New research: oldest traditions around the world of a Supreme Being.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – eternity is set in the hearts of men. Pascal called this the God-shaped vacuum in every man; Augustine wrote that “our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.”

The law of cause and effect:

No effect can be produced without a cause.
Bertrand Russell, in Why I Am Not a Christian, God was the answer given to him for many of his childhood questions. In desperation he asked, “Well, who created God?” No answer came and his faith collapsed. But by definition God is eternal and uncreated.
R. C. Sproul – “Being eternal, God is not an effect. Since He is not an effect, He does not require a cause.”

Infinite time plus chance:

Inventions do not come into existence without first having a design. We find objects and books that mandate that an intelligent mind was at work. How much more would the complexity of the universe and life itself require a Designer.
Our two choices: Our universe came together by chance, or our universe came together by purpose and design.
1. Ideally prepare primordial soup, jolted by frequent electrical charges, over an unlimited period of time, that some life form would then evolve. How long would it take a blind person to solve a Rubik’s Cube? One move per second, without resting, it is estimated that it would take 1.35 trillion years; therefore a blind person could not solve a Rubik’s Cube.
2. So look at DNA. To get 200,000 amino acids in one living cell to come together by chance, it would be 293.5 times the estimated age of the earth (which is set at 4.5 billion years). The odds are better that a blind person can solve a Rubik’s Cube!
3. Junkyard mentality: What are the chances that a tornado might blow through a junkyard containing all the parts of a 747, accidentally assembling them into a plane, and leave it ready for take-off?

Order and design in the universe:

Look beyond the observable world: protons and neutrons, and the vastness of galaxies. Who gave the specifications?
A working TV – glass, metal, wood, wires, all coming together by natural selection or it is a self-assembled product?
The earth is in delicate balance: (pp. 28-29) temperatures, peculiar properties of water, size of the atmosphere, distance from the sun, the lunar orbit,
The human eye: lens, retina, nerve, brain – chance? Darwin stated in his Origin of Species, “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.” (Chapter 6, p. 186). He then goes on to explain how it could have actually happened. The problem is that he appeals to reason, then goes on to paint a picture of imagination and possibility, desiring us to accept the process even without evidence. (Irreducible complexity).

The universe had a beginning:

The Lord laid the foundations of the earth – Psalm 102:25.
Continuous or steady-state theory – galaxies move farther apart and new galaxies where formed in between. Matter is continually being created. Hydrogen is renewed out of nothing. But Robert Jastrow, founder of NASA’s Institute for Space Studies says the opposite is true. Whenever a star is born, it begins to consume some of the hydrogen in the universe. The theory of a continual universe is untenable or indefensible.
Oscillating Model – The universe is like a spring, expanding and contracting, repeating endless cycles. A closed theory, no new energy is put into it, and gravity always pulls everything back together. But the universe is clearly losing density with no sign of going into reverse. Both of these fail to look at the observable cosmology!
Big Bang Theory – Dr, Edwin Hubble, plotted speeds of galaxies, and confirmed they are moving apart at enormous speeds. If it is all moving away, at one time it must have all been compacted into a very dense mass. In 1965 science discovered that the earth was bathed in a faith glow of radiation, an exact pattern from an explosion. But Robert Jastrow (an agnostic) comments: astronomical evidence points to the biblical view of the origin of the world. Details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same – a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.
Even if the universe began in a bang, science cannot explain how the elements were ripe for the event. It certainly cannot be a Who that got it started! Jastrow concludes, “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

The moral argument:

C. S. Lewis – “right and wrong as a clue to the meaning of the universe.” That’s my seat. That’s not fair. Suppose I did the same to you. C’mon, you promised.
There is an appeal to some behavioral standard that the other person is assumed to accept. Is there a law or rule of fair play? Lewis says that quarreling is one man’s way of showing the other man is wrong.
This law has to do with what ought to take place. It is more than cultural or societal standards. There is surprising consensus from civilizations about moral decency. If there were no set standard, there would be no difference between Christian morality and Nazi morality.
Lewis said it cannot be a social convention, but more of a mathematical table. Two plus two is always four, no matter what your culture. So, there is a Somebody who set a standard: fair play, unselfishness, courage, good, faith, honesty, truthfulness.

God – the celestial killjoy:

Who can fathom the mysteries of God – Job 11:7.
He does not peer over the balcony of heaven and zap us, saying, “cut it out.”
He is not the sentimental grandfather in the sky saying, “boys will be boys.”

God has penetrated the finite:

In these last days He has spoken through His Son – Heb 1:1-2.
If you wanted to communicate to a colony of ants, the best way would be to become an ant.
J. B Phillips, the earth is “the visited planet.”

Changed lives:

There is a clear presence in the lives of men and women today.
Change takes place in believing individuals.

Study Questions:

What must happen for something to be scientifically proven?
Why can we not prove God’s existence?
Since the beginning of time, peoples of the world have sensed a creator of the universe, why do you think that atheists believe they have the upper hand by saying it ain’t so?
Discuss the cosmological and teleological arguments for the existence of God.
Discuss the moral argument of the existence of God. How would you argue for and against this argument?
Changed lives as a proof is very subjective. How would a born-again believer’s testimony be different from the devotee of another religion?
What personal evidence can you offer?
What other arguments for or against the existence of God can you think of?
Which argument seems most meaningful to you? Which one least helpful?

Is Christianity Rational?

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Scott Chafee

Know Why You Believe:

My Sunday School class studied the book, Know Why You Believe, a classic book by Paul Little. It’s plain and simple apologetics for the rest of us.

What is faith? Does it mean to believe in something you know isn’t true?

Don’t check your brains at the door:

It is not only essential to know what we believe but to know why we believe it.
Christianity is true whether we believe it or not.
Two broad viewpoints these days:
1. The anti-intellectual approach: (Colossians 2:8) suggesting that Christianity is non-rational if not irrational. A clear presentation of the gospel is important but it is not a substitute for faith. The Spirit is at work helping people to understand the truth, convicting the world of sin. Read the Invisible Gardener quote and the response (p 15).
2. The exclusively rational approach: perhaps everything depends upon the mind. There is an intellectual factor, but there is also a moral factor (1 Corinthians 2:14) that says apart from the Holy Spirit, no one will ever believe.
How do you feel the world challenges your faith?

Know some answers:

We are commanded to be knowledgeable (1 Peter 3:15) for sound reasons. Why would the Bible have such a command?
1. To strengthen our faith – we should know more than the fact that Jesus lives in our hearts.
2. To validate our experience – a non-believer can claim his experience is just as valid and we are stumped. We cannot drive ourselves to believe something of which we are not intellectually convinced.
3. To show that we believe something that is objectively true, regardless of who told us (like our parents or SS teacher, first-hand faith).
How would obeying 1 Peter 3:15 help dispel the faulty concept in non-believers’ minds that faith is believing something you know isn’t true?

A rational body of truth:

Perhaps no one has ever presented the facts to us logically. Faith is more than superstition based on emotions.
The Great Commandment to love God will all our heart, soul mind and strength (Matthew 22:37) which involves the whole person.
Paul defends and confirms the gospel (Philippians 1:7) which tells us that the gospel can be rationally understood and supported.
The gospel is equated with truth, and opposed to error (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Non-Christians are defined as rejecting the truth (Romans 2:8).
Paul asserts that it is not because people don not have enough knowledge to know the truth (Romans 1:20) but they have exchanged the truth for a lie (Romans 1:25).

Moral smoke screens:

The moral issue overshadows the intellectual issue: it is not that people cannot believe, but that they will not believe (John 5:40).
Moral commitment leads to a solution of the intellectual problem (John 7:17).
Question: If Christianity is rational and true, why don’t more educated people believe it? It’s simple, because they don’t want to believe it! It’s not a matter of brain power; it is a matter of the will.
Do you agree of disagree?
Do other factors (like an abusive earthly father) keep someone from fully trusting God?

Doubt strikes terror:

Sometimes we question our faith and wonder if it’s true, especially if you were raised in a Christian home. We believe it because we have confidence and trust in the person who told us about it. Re-examination is needed; to become first-hand faith.
How can we know that we are not taken by church propaganda? Come back to two factors:
1. The objective, external, historical facts of the resurrection.
2. The subjective, internal, personal experience of Christ.
Would a good Christian ever doubt? Like your faith is slipping because you began thinking. When challenged by an educated skeptic, they conform under pressure and then shed a faith that they never embraced as their own.
How are doubting Christians usually handled in this church?
Is there a group where doubters can discuss their issues in a non-threatening way?

Don’t hit the panic button:

If you don’t have the answer, just promise to get one; no one has thought up just this week a question that will bring Christianity crashing down.
Some things are never going to be answered (Deuteronomy 29:29). Christian faith goes beyond reason, not against it.
Exposure to non-Christians reveals the same questions come repeatedly, and are limited in the range. One can predict the questions that will arise within a half-hour.

A doubter’s response:

Doubters need to understand that they must come to a decision rather than find an answer.
To make no decision is to decide against Christian position.
To continue to doubt in the face of adequate information may indicate an unwillingness to believe and a will set against God.

Study Questions:

For centuries the church did nothing to foster spiritual knowledge and Christian growth. Today we have millions of Bibles, thousands of churches and hundreds of ways to access information. Do you think it is easier or harder to have a genuine and growing relationship with Christ than in earlier centuries?
What reasons do you see in your friends who refuse to believe? How can you help them through the roadblocks?
Apart from the Holy Spirit, no one will believe. Pray now for the Spirit’s intervention in the lives of people you know.

Is This Sunday School or Just Christian Living?

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Scott Chafee

Beware; this is a long post, written in anticipation for the King’s Grant Strategy Rally, February 8 at 4:00.

I am a fan of small group Bible study and fellowship groups! Well, that’s probably not a real secret, but when I challenge classes toward growth and outreach, I hope that you are helping to move people toward higher levels of commitment to Christ and His church. If you have not heard by now, that last phrase is the vision statement for our discipleship ministry at King’s Grant. Where many may think I am just promoting a Sunday School program, what I am really doing is promoting proper Christian living.

Let me explain. When we are actively involved in our Christian lives, doing something with our faith and not merely believing the right stuff, Jesus is able to shine through. Our behavior, thoughts and attitudes reflect Christ. I hear you saying, “I know all this already. So, what does Sunday School have to do in all of this?” Sunday School is about community. The Christian life does not really exist outside of community. There are no Lone Ranger style Christians.

To truly become a Christian, it is much more than just believing the right information about Jesus (James 2:19), it’s about following Him (Matthew 4:19), being a disciple of Jesus (Luke 9:23), and allowing Him to live through us (Galatians 2:20). Christians are a part of the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5) and have become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So, since we are to live out our Christian lives in community, what better community does the church have than the Sunday School?

There are small groups for every age group.

Childcare is not a problem so adults can get together with people similar in age or life stage.
There is Bible study and discussion on life issues to help each person move toward deeper levels of commitment to Christ and His church (there’s that vision statement again).
There is life connection, through shared hopes, dreams, struggles and successes.
Oh, one more thing, there should be hospitality!

I’m going to share a few Bible verses that ought to be lived out through the Sunday School. Out of that premise, I want to discuss two ideas that will foster community in your small group.

A Key Principle: Practicing Hospitality

Take a look at Romans 12:13.

The Living Bible paraphrases it this way: “Get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner.” I like that. Your small group needs to make eating together a habit! When we talk about hospitality, it is not the same as social entertaining. Entertaining focuses on the host (a spotless home with just the right food) while hospitality focuses on the guest and their needs (their nourishment or even a place to stay).

So, what is the nature of the language of this verse? Is this a proverb, prophecy, parable or command? It is a command, right? As surely as God has commanded us to pray or give, or serve, or do anything else in the Christian life, God has commanded us to get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner (showing hospitality).

Notice it is a habit. The word habit is actually not in the Greek. Kenneth Taylor (the author of the Living Bible) put it in there to emphasize that this is a present tense verb, which, in the original Greek, emphasized a linear action. It is not something we do one time and we are done. We do it over and again. It is a lifestyle. It is a habit. It is the way the Christian life is lived.

Christian living is not done all alone. It is not done sitting on benches watching the same events happen on the same stage, and looking at the back of someone’s head. We grow as we are joined together (Ephesians 2.21, 4.16). Remember that the church is the people rather than the building. The Christian life is a very connected life. Remember that the world is watching to see if we are living out what we say we believe.

Now notice the word invite. What can you expect to happen when you invite guests home for dinner? Not every person that is invited shows up, but you can’t do anything about whether they come. All you are responsible for is inviting. So, think about your small group. Are you inviting people to social gatherings and bringing them into the community of faith? How often can you reasonably have a social event in order to make practicing hospitality a habit?

Now let’s look at 1 Peter 4:9.

Again, what is the nature of the language of this verse? It is also a command to show hospitality. We are commanded to show, offer and welcome others. You can’t control whether or not people come, but you are to offer.

How are we to offer hospitality? This verse adds “without grumbling, murmuring, grudging or complaining.” I wonder why Peter had to add this phrase. Perhaps there are two reasons:

First, all good ideas can be reduced to work. When we have people over, we like to have the house clean. Somebody has to make the dessert, vacuum the floor, clean the bathroom and so forth.
Secondly, some people are kind of hard to love. Some times we will invite them and they will come and it will be fun and all is well. But, sometimes we will invite them and they will be boring, or obnoxious, or irritating, or late, or even ungrateful. So, offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Our next verse is 3 John 1:8.

We ought to show hospitality. It is not exactly an imperative, but it is something we ought to do; not just mentioned once, but this seems to be a theme in the New Testament.

Look at the word partners or fellow helpers; this means working together. Many times we as teachers are not too good at this part. We are into teaching. Our students are into discussing, reading and studying. Teachers generally are not the most fun people in the room; perhaps they are a bit bookish and cerebral. The good teacher knows that s/he needs partners in the ministry, and must let others know how much they are valued.

To me, work together implies we want to get a whole team of people helping with this. We want our team to include:

Inreach leaders to invite every member
Outreach leaders to invite every prospective member and guest
Fellowship leaders to plan the social activities
A class leader who will serve as an overall organizer and see that everything happens as it should.

The goal is not for the teacher to do the work of ten people; it is to get ten people involved in the work.

My final verse is Luke 14:12.

Have you ever had a lunch or dinner and invited only your friends? I believe all of us generally do it this way, but Jesus told us to live differently; to live open and inviting lives. He wants us to form a habit that each time we have a lunch or dinner we think about inviting and including someone who is not a part of the group. How can you organize your class to live out this Christian life principle? Josh Hunt, the “double-your-Sunday-School-in-two-years guy puts it into a formula: “invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month.”

Don’t just invite your friends. Invite people who are far from God, in need of a church, who would benefit from being a part of your community. Remember that we can’t just wait for them to join us, they need an invitation. Invite guests. Invite absentees from your class. Keeping inviting them to the party, or to your dinner!

What Are You Expecting From the Church?

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; this lame man represents all men and the issues we face:

This is part two from the Men of Steel topic on the Lame Man at the Gate (From Acts 3:1-5).

Just why is it that you go to church? Why are you really there? Is this a question that you have ever asked yourself…besides perhaps during a particularly boring guest speaker?

Are you at church so you have the right to tell others they need to be in church?
Are you at church so you can play a role that you feel gives you status in your community?
Are you at church because your family expects you to be there?
Are you at church to keep your wife from nagging and pleading for you to be there?
Are you at church because it is a habit?
Are you at church because you enjoy the company of friends?
Are you at church out of some sense of guilt, or for fire insurance?

This question of expectation is not too far from what Jesus said in Matthew 11:7-15 (Just who did you go out to the wilderness to see?). So, let’s add another question to the list above, Who are you going to church to see and to hear?

It’s not for the choir, not for the preacher, not for the fellowship, not for the business contacts… just as the lame man at the gate, we often go to church looking for the wrong thing (Acts 3:4-5). He sought a handout, not healing.

We also need to take a look at the way in which we see other people around us each day. What do we expect from these encounters? Do we approach people the same way as this lame man did? Are we looking for something that we can get from them, or for what they can do for us? We should be looking for what God wants to do through us or even what God will do in us.

Sometimes we are looking for people to help us get out of some problem in our lives. This guy was looking for what he could take from others; something which would comes to him without effort or responsibility. These types of people are users. They use people and love things, rather than the other way around.

God calls us to see Him when we look at other people. Jesus said that when we do something for the least of these my brothers, you have done it to Me (Matthew 25:45).

So, when you go to church, do you come expecting to encounter God?

Do you expect Him to show you something new out of His Word?
Do you expect Him to work among His people here at King’s Grant?
Do you expect that God will show you the best thing for your life, and heal you from the lameness that keeps us bound and begging?
Do you expect that God is the One to set you free from the bondage that keeps you lame in the first place?
Do you freely pass on that which God has so freely given you (Matthew 10:8)?

Take a few moments right now to identify what you expect from God. Gather with the church this Sunday because it is the right thing to do, and because God deserves your worship. Identify the barriers that are keeping you from being the man of God that He wants you to become.

As Men of Steel, we must constantly be on the lookout for the kryptonite that so easily trips us up (2 Timothy 2:4, Hebrews 12:1, 2 Peter 2:20).

The Lame Man at the Gate

Posted on January 23, 2009 by Scott Chafee

The Men of Steel looked into this topic; this lame man represents all men and the issues we face:

Today I write about a story in the Bible where Peter and John go to church together for prayer time, at around 3:00 in the afternoon. In this story is a lame man who was carried into the Temple and is sitting at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-2).

Think about the lame guy for a moment. There was nothing wrong with this man in many parts of his body, because he could see, hear, touch and speak. He could move his upper body just fine. There was really only one thing wrong, he could not walk due to his crippled lower legs or feet. But that one weakness was severe enough to affect his entire life. We might say that this one problem was a whole-life problem.

He was handicapped and needed to be carried. He could not support himself, stand on his own or live life on his own. His situation had nothing to do with his character, whether he was a good man in his heart or in his motives. It had to do with having a bad problem.

His problem made him dependent on other people. His problem interfered with the lives of others, being carried to a place to beg and at the end of the day he is carried back home. He could not get to where he wanted to be on his own.

Perhaps this guy felt discouraged or he had a low self-esteem. A man in this situation will feel demeaned and diminished. He is not allowed to participate in activities with other men. Perhaps he does not feel like a real man.

Maybe his physical lameness moved to his emotions and his spirit. This would mean that at the beginning his legs were lame, now he was lame.

I feel that nearly all men are in this position today. We each have a weakness that keeps us from functioning as a whole person. Most of us just deny our lameness. We also pass by others because we do not have the courage or the compassion to stop and help.

This is why I have such a heart for a ministry to men. I may not have all the answers, but my heart bleeds for men who are trapped by their own lameness, many of whom don’t realize or recognize their need.

I hope that the Men of Steel will help all of us to stop fooling ourselves. We need God’s healing power. We need His strength to be the men He has called us to be. We are lame at the gate and we need help.

The good news is that God sends people our way, right to our place at the gate. They help us understand what God has for us. Look out for that person in your life, and let him in to your circle. Remember to be aware that you may be that person to another lame man.