The Shrinking Church

The changing landscape of Christianity in America is creating some alarming statistical anomalies. For example, the numbers of those who would classify themselves as a part of the Christian “religion” continue to grow in America. Many identify as Christians simply due to the fact that they were born and grew up in what has been called a “Christian” nation. But this anomaly is one that simply isn’t true.

Here are some interesting statistics. Nearly nine in ten Americans (88%) actually own a copy of the Scriptures. 80% of people surveyed identify the Bible as sacred literature. However, we continue to see the morality of our culture in rapid decline. Why is this? I believe that it is because while many own a copy of the Scriptures and believe it to be sacred, very few actually read it and even fewer actually follow it.

Here’s the point. Our churches are in decline…there’s no way around that. Oh, your attendance may be up, you may have lots of programs and people are wlaking through your doors day in and day out, but what is the real impact of what you are doing? Are you touching people where they live? Are we really ministering to people where their needs are, or only where we believe them to be?

I want to challenge you today, believer, to pray and ask God these questions: “Lord, how can I make my faith active in my community? How can touch the lives of those around me so that they would be drawn to You? And how can most effectively stand for truth in the midst of a culture bent on crowding You out?”

When we honestly and faithfully answer these questions, we will see that God’s desire for us is more than just calling ourselves “Christian.” He wants to actually be like Christ. No more role-playing, but actual living, breathing, authentic Christianity. And I promise you, that when these things become the common way of thinking within the church, we are going to see God move in mighty ways to bring the lost back to Himself.

I hope you take the time to pray those questions today, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Rescue Work

I want to take some of your time as you read this blog post, to expand on an idea that I had mentioned in my sermon yesterday. This idea can be summed up by this question: “For all we as the Church in America call for the end of abortion, what can we practically do that will honestly and compassionately minister to mothers, their unborn babies, and the fathers that are sometimes forgotten?”

This question is a hard one for us to answer, but let me give you a few things to think about as we consider this. First, couldn’t we, as local churches, partner with local crisis pregnancy centers to minister to women who are considering abortion, or who find themselves in an unwanted pregnancy? What if God were to raise up families who said, “We will take the pregnant mom into our home, care for her, feed her, make sure she gets her prenatal care, mentor, coach and encourage her as she goes through this time in her life.”? Do you think that if we, as a church, were known for this that more people would come to us to find answers?

Another idea is that the church be a place where we champion those who are willing to adopt children of unwanted pregnancies. If we were to have homes that were willing and able to not only support and nurture the baby after birth, but also to help support and nurture the moms who carry these children before and after birth.

What would these things look like? To be honest, I have no idea, but I feel strongly that the church should be leading this charge. We need to be proactive and not reactive as we have been.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to send me an email with your comments to jim.augustine1970@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 5

Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

Then they also will answer, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?”

Then he will answer them, saying, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

And these will go away into eternal punishment, bu the righteous into eternal life.

Jesus and the Least

In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the end of the age and the final judgment of the world. In this, His final “parable,” He speaks of the Son of Man (Jesus’ favorite name for Himself) separating the nations before Him as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

One of the most interesting things that Jesus says to these people is that their outcome (whether or not they get to enter into heaven) is based solely on what they did or did not do to the “least of these.” He is telling these people whatever you did or didn’t do to the most vulnerable and weakest among you, you did (or didn’t do) to me. Jesus is saying here that He is the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

Now just as a point of clarification, I do not believe that Jesus is teaching here that the acts done in the body in any way determine our worth to enter into heaven. I can see how at first blush this might be saying that to some. But one of the things that we need to take into consideration when studying the Bible is what the whole of Scripture teaches. The whole of Scripture teaches us that we gain entrance into heaven based solely on what Jesus has already done on the cross and in rising from the dead…not one what we do. So this cannot be what Jesus is telling us.

Instead, I strongly and most definitely believe that Jesus is teaching us that the way we treat the “least” is a direct reflection on our love for Him. And our love for Him grows out of our faith. You see, we are not saved by what we do, but it is the evidence that our faith is alive and active…thus making us fit for heaven.

So here’s the question we need to ask ourselves today: “What am I doing to help the least? What I am doing to save those who are weak and vulnerable among me? What I am doing to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to welcome the stranger, to visit the sick, to go to those in prison, to rescue the orphan and widow, to be the kind of person that God has called me to be?”

It’s a hard question to answer, and I don’t think that God is calling us to be all of these things all of the time. But I do think that we miss His call sometimes because in our fast-paced society, we are just too busy to help. Perhaps it is time for us to just slow down, take a deep breath, and look for the open doors around us.

Think about it, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

The Vox Project

What do you think would happen if the church finally stood up to her calling and, instead of looking down our noses at those who are suffering from a bad choice, decided to help those people through that choice and help them find peace and find wholeness and find God?

This is the question behind The Vox Project, a ministry whose stated purpose is to “[break] the silence for the silenced, and [speak] up for the weakest and most vulnerable among us.” Their aim is to “be a catalyst, spreading awareness and propelling the people of God to action through creative and innovative means.”

This group is seeking to not necessarily end abortion, but to help the church become more compassionate to those who find themselves trapped in a tough situation. It is seeking to help the church rescue not only the unborn, but the mothers considering this decision in their lives.

Here’s a video about the movement…

As Sanctity of Human Life Month comes to a close, let us seek ways in which we might be a voice (Vox is Latin for “voice”) for the unborn, for the mother trapped in a bad situation, and for those who find themselves discarded and unwanted.

Pray about it today…and we’ll see you on Sunday! 

Another Quick Note

Okay, everyone. I'm feeling better and plan to blog like a madman today. I should be back up and running starting tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Pastor Jim

A Quick Note

Due to a sickness, I am unable to post this week. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope to have posts resume by Monday, January 23rd. Thanks.

Pastor Jim

Celebration Week 3

We Will Not Be Shaken by Bethel

Cornerstone by Hillsong

Enjoy! And we’ll see you on Sunday!

God’s Love Does Not End

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

If you read this blog with any sort of regularity, then it has become rather obvious to you that I believe what the Bible says. I am such a radical believer of the Bible that I hold to the “theory” that the earth was created by God in six literal, 24-hour days and that the earth is relatively young. I also hold to the belief that there was a world-wide flood that wiped out all life on this planet save for two of every kind of animal and several pairs of birds as well as 8 human beings, namely, Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives. I further believe that when the Bible tells us something about God, we should take it as the truth and put our faith in that.

So because I believe these things, it shouldn’t come as any shock to you that I believe that God loves me…and you, too. The verses you just read above from Romans 8 seem to be telling us that God’s love is about as strong a thing as there is. Nothing can take it away from us. Fear cannot take God’s love away from us, worry cannot take it from us, the power of hell cannot take it, and not even death can take God’s love away from us.

So that being said, I think it is safe to say that God’s love will never run out, it will never leave us, it will never be gone, and it will always be there.

So if I may, let me encourage you with this simple truth, that will never, EVER change…

GOD LOVES YOU! 

Hope that helps you today, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 3

Romans 8:31-39

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You Are Loved!

I first heard this song at Winter Jam in Peoria, IL last March/April. Thought it went pretty well with what we’ve been talking about, so I thought I’d share it with you today! It’s by a group called “Stars Go Dim” and the song is called, You Are Loved. Enjoy

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

God Loves You

Shortly after my wife and I were married in 1993, we were introduced to a funny little children’s show that was produced by a company called Big Idea. This children’s show was called VeggieTales, and it starred a cucumber and a tomato named Larry and Bob, respectively.

Now I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of these two, so allow me to introduce them to you in this short video:

If you’re wondering why they sound so weird, it’s because this particular promo was done before the first video ever came out. So, all that being said, I was a fan of VeggieTales from the start.

The reason I bring them up is because of their tagline. It says simply, “God made you special and He loves you very much!”

This is a great truth for kids to learn, but I think it’s also a great truth for us as adults to grab a hold of as well. God’s love for us is huge, and it’s not just because we’re made in His image, it’s because He genuinely loves us for who we are. His love came first and His love is pure and holy and perfect. When we think about how much God loves us, we ought to stand up and shout from the rooftops, “I AM LOVED!”

So think about that today, and as you get ready for Sunday’s worship, remember…

“God made you special, and He loves you very much!”

We’ll see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 2

And so we come to celebrate this week, and as we do, we will listen to two songs that have to do with the blessings that we have in this life. The first is from Laura Story, called Blessings…

The second is from Mark Schultz, and it is his song, She Was Watching.

Enjoy and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Lightening the Load

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7 (NLT)

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” –1 Peter 5:6-7 (NAS)

These two verses are vitally important in the life of the Christ follower. If we are going to live our lives out as Christ’s ambassadors, then we need to learn to allow Him the opportunity to lighten our load…and especially the load of worry.

When I became a dad, my worry level increased exponentially (those of you who are parents know what I’m talking about). And when each of my other children were born, more and more worry was heaped into my lap. But the beauty of these verses is that all of that worry doesn’t need to be mine, because I can give it to Jesus.

The word that Peter uses here is a word in Greek that really means “to superimpose”. It means very basically to superimpose your worry over Jesus. When we superimpose an image, we can see both at the same time. This is what Peter is getting at…he wants us to look at our problems, our worries, in light of who Jesus is.

The dictionary definition of the word “Superimpose” is “To place an object over another object, usually in such a way that both will be visible.”

Now think of it this way. If I were to try and superimpose the object the size of the earth over an object the size of the sun, would both still be visible? In truth, if we did that and pulled the picture back so far as to see the full circumference of the sun, the earth wouldn’t be very visible at all, would it?

Now think of the size of your worry, and then superimpose that on the size of your God. As you pull out to see just how big your God truly is, do you even see your worry anymore? Nope! You don’t…and that’s the point. When we see our worry next to our God, we don’t see our worry anymore.

So think about that today, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

How Great is Our God!

Yesterday we talked about how much God loves us and how He had created us. Today, I want you to listen to Loui Giglio speak about how great God is and how His creation screams out His love and presence. Watch to the end, and I guarantee that you will be blown away!

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Life (Period) Matters--Part 1

Since January is Sanctity of Human Life Month, I thought it would be nice to spend some days talking about it. I mean for all of the talk we hear as Christians as to the heinousness of abortion, euthanasia and the like, we seldom consider what the Biblical ramifications of these things are, save to say that “God values all life” or “We are made in the image of God” or “All life comes from God, therefore all life matters.”

But what I want to suggest to you today is that when we look at our world, God does care about each and every life…not just one part, or one skin color, or one ethnic group, or one profession. He cares about all of it, and I hope that you will continue to read to see what I mean.

The Scriptures say that we are all made in the image of God because we all descend from Adam, the first man. We are, therefore, given the image of Adam, the nature of Adam and a body in like kind as Adam. Each and every one of us have been created in the image of our God, and as such, there is intrinsic value to each one of us.

But not only the image we bear gives us value, but the love that God has for us gives us value as well, and we’ll talk more about that tomorrow.

For now, be blessed, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 1

Today we celebrate the New Year with a couple of old hymns. The first is the classic hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy, sung by one of the forefathers of the Christian music scene, Keith Green:

The second is the hymn, Amazing Grace, is sung by the group Celtic Women. I hope you feel as if you’ve worshiped today!

God bless you all, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Deep Faith

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” – Hebrews 11:1

Your life as a Christian is like a tree. You begin as a seed…dead, by itself, but alive once planted into the soil of the grace that is offered us by God. Once the seed is broken, the life begins to grow. Eventually, the proof of life springs out of the soil to be seen by all…small at first, but then growing, up, up and up into the sky, reaching, as it were, for the highest height. Branches stretch out this way and that seeking to gain as much of the sun’s rays as it can, so that it might grow even bigger.

But even beyond what can be seen in the trunk, branches and leaves, is the root system that begins to go as far down into the life-giving soil as it can. Deeper and deeper, wider and wider until the tree is so connected that only very drastic means could render it useless. The deep roots hold the tree in place, even though buffeted by the winds and the storms.

And then, due to its deep root system, the tree begins to bear fruit. Apples, pears, nuts, whatever the tree was designed for, the fruit becomes obvious. It grows and ripens on the branches until such time as it is ready to be picked and then planted again…to form another tree.

In the Christian’s life, the roots are our faith. We cannot see them, but they are there. And our faith must be rooted in the life-giving soil of the truth of God’s Word. If we try to place our faith in anything else, our tree will fall at the first sign of trial. Our faith, dug down deep into God’s Word will allow us to see God’s will and do it. It will give us stability through the trials of life and allow us to stand tall even in the midst of the toughest storm.

So don’t be afraid when your roots are tested. Don’t be afraid you face the trial. It is causing your faith to deepen, and it is causing you to become more and more like Christ.

Think about that, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

New Year’s Resolution

I want to start this morning by saying how incredibly humbled I was by the response of our congregation here at Grace EFC yesterday. I had told my congregation that God seemed to be stretching me beyond what I like to do and taking me where I did not necessarily want to go. But when He does this, it is invariably a good thing. And He didn’t disappoint yesterday either.

We were challenged to commit ourselves to DEEPENING OUR FAITH, ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY, SHARING THE GOSPEL, and WORSHIPING CHRIST. We talked about how that could happen here at Grace, and how we might also see it happening in our individual lives.

But I want to challenge all of us who call ourselves Christians to be more intentional about these things. We cannot make an impact on the Kingdom of God without having faith (Hebrews 11:6). We should not attempt to engage our communities when the Gospel or worship of the Son is not happening.

And so, to that end, will you commit yourselves to being Christ-followers who are about deep faith, community impact, sharing the Gospel and worshiping Christ? If you do commit yourselves to these things this year, 2017 will be your best year ever!

Keep that in mind, and we’ll see you on Sunday!