How to Be a Good Christian

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 


I grew up knowing what “good Christians” are supposed to do to grow in their faith. Read the Bible, pray, go to church, volunteer, be generous, etc. There’s even a children’s song that goes, 

Read your Bible pray every dayPray every dayPray every dayRead your Bible, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow 

The next verse is less encouraging.

Neglect your Bible, forget to prayForget to prayForget to prayNeglect your Bible, forget to pray and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink

Photo Credit: Markus Spiske

As a kid it seemed like such a simple formula. Read my Bible + prayer = growing in God. Not surprisingly, the ease of that message wore off over time. There have been times in my life, some longer and more serious than others, where all the Bible reading and prayer in the world seem to do absolutely nothing in the face of the very real problems I was facing in my everyday life.

The story in Proverbs 24 is the kind I’d like to forget when I’m struggling to keep up my regular rhythm of Bible reading and prayer. It’s not a complicated concept--if a field is left untended or a fence unmended, they will only get worse over time. While I haven’t tended a garden since I was a kid (and was forced to by my parents), last summer the small raised beds on my back patio were perfect evidence of this passage. I had just bought my condo and wasn’t up for undertaking any sort of growing project, so I let them be. Though I didn’t plant anything, weeds crept in completely uninvited and took over all three of the beds. It was much more work to remove them once they had taken over than it would have been if I hadn’t let them get so weed-ridden in the first place.

Most of us probably know the heart of this message without having to think about it too much. Good things take work, and if we don’t put in the work, they fall into apart. But we often don’t want to deal with all the little mundane drudgeries to get us to that outcome. It’s much easier and more pleasant to watch another episode of my TV show than to heave my Bible onto my lap to do some reading and soul-searching. A day or two of skipping prayer doesn’t seem like a big deal. Sleeping in on the odd Sunday won’t hurt. And it’s true, none of these things are intrinsically bad--but we often fail to consider what kind of person these actions, or lack thereof, are slowing forming us into. 

Author (and Calvin College professor) James K.A. Smith has written several books about the ways our habits and culture shape us, often in ways we don’t even recognize. In Desiring the Kingdom he writes, “All habits and practices are ultimately trying to make us into a certain kind of person. So one of the most important questions we need to ask is: Just what kind of person is this habit or practice trying to produce?” (page 83)

At its heart, this passage in Proverbs is asking a similar question--do we believe the rhythms of faith can form us even when we don’t--or perhaps can’t--see the fruit? Reading the Bible and praying every day isn’t as simple of an equation as the children’s song makes it out to be, but over time, it can slowly form us into the kind of people who are committed to these good practices even if we can’t see the tangible results right away. When we're in painful, devastating circumstances and our faith practices aren't any immediate help to soothe our hurt, God's grace sometimes doesn't look much like grace at all. But God’s grace is often a slow one, and when we ask him to meet us in these places, he can and will use them in his time.

What kinds of commitments might God be asking us to make--and follow through on--so that he can make our tomorrows better than our todays? 


[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]

Kingdom Econ

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

I started college pursuing a degree in Consumer Economics. True confession: I did not  know what that degree was about. I chose it because the classes looked doable and didn’t appear to require dissecting a worm, frog, pig, or cat. There was a requirement for Calculus which I took year one. Not particularly wise for someone who hates math, however I had a mostly positive outcome given my ability to brown nose the Professor and my good fortune to have a math major for a roommate. 

Here is a current definition of Consumer Economics: a branch of economics; It is a broad field, principally concerned with microeconomic analysis behavior in units of consumers, families, or individuals.

What? Microeconomic analysis? Whatever. I never did get that degree.  

This week at Encounter, we got schooled in some Kingdom Economics. This too is a broad field, concerned with all aspects of human behavior.  A financial behavior Pastor Dirk taught us was the three jar method of SPEND, SAVE, & SHARE. He pointed out that the SAVE jar is really a SPEND jar on future me!  Doesn’t that make saving easier? However our focus this week was remembering to look at the SHARE jar with this principal from God’s economy (so very different than a consumer economy), that being generous today will change the world tomorrow.  

The SHARE jar has in it potential to be useful for helping alleviate need. Paul writes to Jesus followers in Corinth with the Jerusalem followers in mind.  Paul says: Remember, how you plant will influence what you reap. Plant little, reap little. Plant strife, reap discord. Plant generously, reap abundance. The church - our fellow followers in Jerusalem have great need. You have great abundance. You offered a gift; be ready; be generous; I’m on my way to get and deliver your SHARE jar.  

The SHARE jar has potential for heart change. Giving something away requires decision about where, when, and how much. Giving something away also comes with attitude. Sharing what we consider ours can look like  prying off fingers, or handing over dutifully. Sometimes it's done with letting-go panic; religious guilt; reluctance. Paul doesn’t address what amount or percent of our means to consider, he addresses the posture of our heart, the most important part of giving.   

  “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.     2 Corinthians 9: 7-8

Kingdom Economics: God provides for us. He instructs us to be good stewards of all that we have.  He opens up opportunities for us to participate in Kingdom work by sharing some of what we have.  But wait, there’s more: God provides more, an abundance in fact, so we may have plenty left over to share. We give a portion. God gives abundance. We will always be able to give generously because of how God’s economy works. If we remember that, why would we give any other way than cheerfully, eagerly, faithfully, willingly, gratefully?

  

A cheerful giver might offer something other than money. Time, talent, or even a four-legged treasure. Scotch  once belonged to my daughter Lauren. She spent a lot of her life on his back riding, jumping, competing in 4-H. When Lauren was in college JR and I moved from Colorado where Scotch lived, to Florida, so Lauren tried to find a home for her handsome horse in MI. The search ended with a heart breaking realization she might have to sell him. Many years earlier some friends of ours talked about starting a therapy ranch for families who had all different types of needs. Lauren reached out to them to find out their ranch status. They had moved onto the perfect place and were starting to bring on the animals. The day prior to Lauren's call, Kaarin, the owner, had just returned two donated unhealthy horses. She was discouraged. After a long conversation with Kaarin, Lauren told us that she was going to give Scotch and all of his tack to Kaarin. Scotch, now known as Butterscotch, became Guided Hope’s first horse, the patriarch, and carrier of all the smallest children. The Lord provided Scotch for Lauren for a season of life and she was abundantly blessed. She decided to share him with Guided Hope, and he continues to bless others in need.  

We  need the reminder of God’s Kingdom Economics. We need reminders of what giving  translates into; how it changes our heart; how it changes a broader world. We need to be reminded as our fellow followers in Corinth were reminded that cheerful giving is trust in God’s abundance and results in thanksgiving.  


[Laura DeGroot likes to laugh out loud, drink good coffee and eat delicious food...with Jesus her family and friends.  She has lived from the West to the East coast but Grand Rapids is home as of one whole year.  As The Caffeinated Woman, she speaks to groups of people about how ordinary life is profoundly better knowing an Extraordinary God, and works at Art Of The Table.  And she loves books.]

The Sacred Ordinary

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://encounterchurch.org/messages] 

I’m passionate about bread-baking. I love everything about it—the yeasty smell, the kneading, the shaping, and the smell as it bakes. If you ask me about baking bread, my social filters will immediately disappear and I will proceed to talk endlessly about loaves that are slow fermented versus a fast ferment, the qualities of hard wheat and soft wheat, using sprouted grains leftover from beer-making to flavor bread, and creating a sourdough starter. When your eyes begin to glaze over, that will not stop me. I may regain your interest when I mention that bread rises due to yeast farts, only to lose it once more when I begin to explain the differences between bigas, soakers, starters, or a poolish. (Yes, poolish is a real word.) You may try to edge away, now knowing more about bread than you ever cared to know. The plus side is that when people show great interest in bread conversation, I usually bring them a loaf of bread at some point.  As you can see, baking bread brings me great joy, and it has also become a spiritual practice. With the word “bread” being mentioned at least 492 times in the Bible in the original languages, as well as being an important element of the sacrament of communion, it is not hard for me to see the kingdom of God breaking in when I make bread.

Photo Credit: Mike Kenneally

In the following clean up time? Not so much. Kneading dough on my kitchen counter leaves a sticky residue that is difficult to remove—it will quickly gum up any dishcloth and usually requires a good scraping. If you walk away for a well-deserved cup of coffee, you will return to find that any dough left on the bowl or utensils has hardened to the consistency of cement and will need to be chipped away with a knife. And since I am a messy baker, dough bits are everywhere. At this point in the process, I’d love to be a celebrity chef with an assistant to do the clean up.

Unfortunately, no matter how I read it, Colossians 3:23 reads “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” It does not say, “You only have to work for the Lord doing things you love.” What a bummer. But the discipline of working for the Lord, cooperating with grace and gratitude begins in the little things, each and every day. It means growing an attitude along with an action. Jesuit Brother Rick Curry, author of “The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking” recounts that the Rule of St. Benedict reminds the monks to regard all the utensils of the monastery as if they were sacred vessels of the altar. Kitchen rules dictated that if a spoon was dropped, the monk who dropped it was to bend down and kiss it. It created a respect for the commonplace tools of the kitchen. (If this were the rule in my kitchen, I would spend a lot of time on my hands and knees.) But the idea is sound—all the work we do, big or little, loved or endured, is sacred work, a chance to participate with God’s transforming work in us and in our world. 

I think there is a reason Jesus uses so many common things to talk about the kingdom of God. Salt. Light. Bread. Seeds. Coins. Yeast. Easy to understand, yes, but they also show God’s kingdom breaking through and illuminating the ordinary, everyday tasks of life. Shoveling snow is kingdom work, feeding a baby is kingdom work, web design is kingdom work, homework is kingdom work, serving coffee is kingdom work, delivering mail is...well, you’re a smart person, you know where this is going.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, 

as working for the Lord…” Colossians 3:23

[Sandy Navis is happily retired and spends her days doing pretty much whatever she wants to do. She is a firm believer in the power of laughter, singing while doing the dishes, crazy dancing while cleaning house, and eating chocolate every day. Sandy has three grandkids, who she loves to talk about even more than breadmaking.]

Fruit of the Harvest

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://encounterchurch.org/messages] 

Have you ever had one of those really intense reflective moments that tend to happen very late at night or very early in the morning—one of those moments where you see yourself and your life in an entirely different light, and suddenly things become clear? Your path of change is laid out in your mind and you are ready to take action. And then, you wake up to face the next day, and go about your normal tasks as always. A week goes by, and still you take no action on your “epiphany”…then you wake up a few months later and think, how did I get here? Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

We live in a world where we want instant gratification and quick fixes. Instead of putting in hours at the gym, maybe we can simply drink a strange concoction of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice to melt off our extra weight. Or, when it comes to professional development, isn’t it easier to `just keep getting the job done rather than pushing yourself to grow and innovate? As the mom of a 7-month-old, I’m notorious for reading articles such as “5 steps to night-weaning,” “10 minutes to keeping your house spotless,” and “3 ways to help your child nap longer.” But as we all know, most of those step-by-step processes don’t work. Babies start teething or get sick; your house becomes infested with carpenter ants (yes, really—that happened this week); or you are gone all weekend and your child only sleeps while riding in the car.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it does tend to happen over time, little by little. Every small decision we make can eventually lead to end results. Choosing to have a side salad instead of fries. Attending a webinar on collaboration through servant leadership to push your team to the next level. Putting your child to bed at approximately the same time every night. While some of these decisions might be intentional, the reality is that we make small decisions everyday without giving them a second thought.

Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons, user winecountrymedia

These small decisions can either lead to destruction or eternal life. As Paul writes in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Good decisions compounded over a long period of time can produce great results. We might not have instant gratification, but we should not give up in daily seeking to model our lives after Christ. Perseverance in doing good will lead to a bountiful harvest; we must only be patient and wait on the Lord’s timing to see His fruit.

God wants to plant in us the fruits of the Spirit—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). When He sows these seeds in our heart, they will grow, and in His timing will produce amazing fruit for His Kingdom.

However, we can also let the acts of the flesh grow in our hearts—“sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21). Some items on this list might seem extreme, but it only takes small steps in the wrong direction to lead to destruction.

For example, your mind strays just a little too far when you see a suggestive ad on TV; that turns into time spent on your computer looking at pornography; and that can lead further down the path of sexual immorality. Or, you spend one night drinking too much, only to find yourself months later binging every weekend, realizing that alcohol has consumed your social life, your finances, and your self worth. It’s so much easier to trick ourselves into thinking that one small decision won’t make a big difference in our lives. But the reality is that these seemingly insignificant decisions really determine the direction of our heart’s compass.

So, in light of the fruit of the sinful nature and the fruit of the spirit, is there a sense in which your heart needs a recalibration to true north—towards Christ—in order to avoid destruction? God wants us to seek Him in every small and large decision in order to plant the seeds of the fruits of the Spirit and bring His kingdom here on earth. Reflect on your own life today and ask God to reveal to you areas in which your heart might need a recalibration to true north. Then ask that He help you begin the process of eternal change, one step at a time, so that you might reap the bountiful harvest of His Kingdom.

[Megan Stephenson is a proud new mom to her seven-month-old son August and spends her days trying to figure out how to take care of her tiny human. She also works for a private education group in Grand Rapids as an Assistant Registrar. Megan loves spending time with her husband, Ben, trying out new breweries, restaurants, and local attractions. She also self-identifies as a crazy cat lady, despite owning no cats of her own, thanks to her loving and allergic husband.]