Announcements https://www.trinitylakeland.org Thu, 28 Mar 2024 07:01:45 -0400 http://churchplantmedia.com/ Continuity and Change https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/continuity-and-change https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/continuity-and-change#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2024 14:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/continuity-and-change Change and continuity are often seen as opposites, but they’re also frequent companions.

Think about how you are the same, no matter your age, as the day you were born. Just as an acorn grows from being a large nut to a sprig to a 200-year-old mammoth of a tree, you have gone from being an embryo to a fetus to a newborn baby to a toddler to whatever you are today.

And yet, you are the same person. Your DNA has never altered. You are who you are.

The same goes for us as a collective church body. Trinity has grown immeasurably, far beyond even one congregation to now helping to give rise to eight others, and we have progressed from being a handful of couples in a living room to now being over 1,000 souls as members and regular attenders.

Why does this matter? Because I would say that it requires wisdom and perspective to faithfully hold to what should not change (our identity in Christ and our Mission, Vision, and Values) and to graciously accept and even rejoice in what is changing.

Growth is change. And yet, what is there in us that resists it? Is it that change requires us to yield, to work more or at least often, to work differently? C.S. Lewis notes, in his book, The Four Loves, that one enduring love that we all share is the love of the familiar. We develop familiar routines. We enjoy some of the same enduring things, places, or meals. We resent change, and undeniably, the greatest change we all face is death — where we will all change from this realm to eternity.

I do not believe that resistance to change is a sin. But it can be. Especially if there is a refusal to yield or serve or give way for others to flourish. This is a prevalent idol in many churches. It objects to anything new as inherently wrong simply because it deviates from “what we always have done.”  But if you evaluate many of the wonderful milestones in your own growth, would you have wanted your loved ones to have objected to “change?”  I bet when you were potty-trained, that was a welcome change. And when you could feed yourself, make your own bed, do your own laundry, manage your own school work, drive yourself and eventually make your own money, I’ll bet there was rejoicing.

So why don’t we rejoice in a similar way when growth happens in a church? Surely, one reason is that change has not always been for the better. People leave the faith. Church leaders go back on their convictions. Congregations give up on their beliefs or their mission. So, change can be for the worse. But growth in Christ is not that. We have seen scores of people come to trust in Jesus as their God and Savior! They changed from unbelief to belief, from outside to into God’s family, from selfishness to love, and from condemnation to redemption. These are the greatest changes that any human could ever hope for.

Corporately, we can see that while the size of the congregation has exponentially grown, historically, we have always had people (and structures) for oversight, shepherding and teaching. While the people and the numbers in those roles have changed dramatically, the continuity of that work has resolutely endured.

Trinity’s leaders are working so very hard to lead, navigate, and prepare for our church's sustained growth. Our Mission, Vision and Values remain the same. Please pray for them and for us as a people to rejoice in healthy growth and abide faithfully in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and yes, forever.

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Change and continuity are often seen as opposites, but they’re also frequent companions.

Think about how you are the same, no matter your age, as the day you were born. Just as an acorn grows from being a large nut to a sprig to a 200-year-old mammoth of a tree, you have gone from being an embryo to a fetus to a newborn baby to a toddler to whatever you are today.

And yet, you are the same person. Your DNA has never altered. You are who you are.

The same goes for us as a collective church body. Trinity has grown immeasurably, far beyond even one congregation to now helping to give rise to eight others, and we have progressed from being a handful of couples in a living room to now being over 1,000 souls as members and regular attenders.

Why does this matter? Because I would say that it requires wisdom and perspective to faithfully hold to what should not change (our identity in Christ and our Mission, Vision, and Values) and to graciously accept and even rejoice in what is changing.

Growth is change. And yet, what is there in us that resists it? Is it that change requires us to yield, to work more or at least often, to work differently? C.S. Lewis notes, in his book, The Four Loves, that one enduring love that we all share is the love of the familiar. We develop familiar routines. We enjoy some of the same enduring things, places, or meals. We resent change, and undeniably, the greatest change we all face is death — where we will all change from this realm to eternity.

I do not believe that resistance to change is a sin. But it can be. Especially if there is a refusal to yield or serve or give way for others to flourish. This is a prevalent idol in many churches. It objects to anything new as inherently wrong simply because it deviates from “what we always have done.”  But if you evaluate many of the wonderful milestones in your own growth, would you have wanted your loved ones to have objected to “change?”  I bet when you were potty-trained, that was a welcome change. And when you could feed yourself, make your own bed, do your own laundry, manage your own school work, drive yourself and eventually make your own money, I’ll bet there was rejoicing.

So why don’t we rejoice in a similar way when growth happens in a church? Surely, one reason is that change has not always been for the better. People leave the faith. Church leaders go back on their convictions. Congregations give up on their beliefs or their mission. So, change can be for the worse. But growth in Christ is not that. We have seen scores of people come to trust in Jesus as their God and Savior! They changed from unbelief to belief, from outside to into God’s family, from selfishness to love, and from condemnation to redemption. These are the greatest changes that any human could ever hope for.

Corporately, we can see that while the size of the congregation has exponentially grown, historically, we have always had people (and structures) for oversight, shepherding and teaching. While the people and the numbers in those roles have changed dramatically, the continuity of that work has resolutely endured.

Trinity’s leaders are working so very hard to lead, navigate, and prepare for our church's sustained growth. Our Mission, Vision and Values remain the same. Please pray for them and for us as a people to rejoice in healthy growth and abide faithfully in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and yes, forever.

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What is really wrong here? https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/what-is-really-wrong-here https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/what-is-really-wrong-here#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/what-is-really-wrong-here The right tool fits the job. You wouldn’t try to drive in a nail with a tape measure. Even if you tried to do that, failed, and then complained, “This tape measure is no good!” your evaluation wouldn’t be valid. Hammers, drive nails, and tape measures give you a good read on size and dimension.

When it comes to critiquing the Church, it’s open season. Think of a category, and someone can give you (often reasonably) an example of how a church has failed and that someone should do something better. Church-bashing is so constant now that young leaders are no longer pursuing pastoral ministry because they don’t want to face the incessant (and often bitterly public) ridicule.

In a new book, The Great De-Churching, authors Jim Davis and Michael Graham identify prevalent trends across our culture of people who are moving out of church. Overall they show many reasons for these trends. What is clear is that distinct demographic groups make up the de-churched and many people who used to attend corporate worship with some regularity simply no longer do.

On the one hand, if many sense that “Church” should give them some hope or perspective, and their congregation had drifted from the Gospel, then it makes sense that some would give up and leave. What is given little press today is a different consideration. What if a lot of the critiques of the Church of Jesus are like my hypothetical critique of my “bad” tape measure above?  They’re measuring the Church against tasks or goals it was never intended to pursue?

There has been mission-drift. Where churches have drifted from the Gospel, their only alternative is to move into an alternative mission and message. 1) If they move to the right, they move into moralism — like the Scribes or Pharisees of Jesus’ time. Performance and rigid adherence to some moral code is now the standard by which people are “acceptable” and “hope” is found only when people can live up to the standard. And 2) if a church moves to the left, they move into relativism — like King Herod or the Romans of Jesus’ time. Standards stay vague and morals are not too rigid, except to insist that no one exalt any one standard above all the others. This is, after all, why Romans persecuted Christians in the first few centuries after Christ, because they wouldn’t play along with Roman multi-cultural standards. Exalting Jesus above all the others was outrageous to them, just as it is to multi-cultural adherents today. These two trends are wide-spread in our culture today!

How can we find hope?  First, the Church of Jesus is HIS. It is not firstly ours. If the Church is defined in its mission and message by Jesus, then He gets to say if a church is good or not so good (and He did just this, in the second and third chapters of Revelation). He said that He would build His Church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. And He established His people in gathering habitually around Him (“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them”).

What the Church does offer that stands out today is 1) clarity in a profoundly confusing time. There is so much now that is up-for-grabs in morality, identity, sexuality, and spirituality. In such a deeply disputed time, Jesus gives us stunning clarity — and an eternal perspective. And 2) community in a desperately lonely time. People are more isolated now (especially after COVID) and the pervasive fracturing and arguing of our time is driving people into even more and more time by themselves. Yet, Jesus calls us to Himself and to one another with a level of care and motivation that literally no other gathering on earth can offer. And 3) transcendent hope in the midst of pain and death. Remember that the term “Gospel” literally meant “good news." Jesus offers hope to anyone who would turn from their self-will to trust Him as their God and Savior — literally for anyone, across any history, any struggle, any ethnicity, or any failure. No one else offers that!

I do not doubt that many people (if not every single person) can cite instances where they were disappointed by what happened at a church. But if you have a bad meal at a restaurant, I doubt that you swear off food. Learn from what has been done poorly, but also take ownership for how many times that Church has been less than it could be because you withheld from God and His people the gifts and graces that He freely gave you. Be free to point out how something could be better, but then be part of the effort and solution to make it that way.

If you would like to read more about this trend in our culture, you may find this article helpful, from The Gospel Coalition.

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The right tool fits the job. You wouldn’t try to drive in a nail with a tape measure. Even if you tried to do that, failed, and then complained, “This tape measure is no good!” your evaluation wouldn’t be valid. Hammers, drive nails, and tape measures give you a good read on size and dimension.

When it comes to critiquing the Church, it’s open season. Think of a category, and someone can give you (often reasonably) an example of how a church has failed and that someone should do something better. Church-bashing is so constant now that young leaders are no longer pursuing pastoral ministry because they don’t want to face the incessant (and often bitterly public) ridicule.

In a new book, The Great De-Churching, authors Jim Davis and Michael Graham identify prevalent trends across our culture of people who are moving out of church. Overall they show many reasons for these trends. What is clear is that distinct demographic groups make up the de-churched and many people who used to attend corporate worship with some regularity simply no longer do.

On the one hand, if many sense that “Church” should give them some hope or perspective, and their congregation had drifted from the Gospel, then it makes sense that some would give up and leave. What is given little press today is a different consideration. What if a lot of the critiques of the Church of Jesus are like my hypothetical critique of my “bad” tape measure above?  They’re measuring the Church against tasks or goals it was never intended to pursue?

There has been mission-drift. Where churches have drifted from the Gospel, their only alternative is to move into an alternative mission and message. 1) If they move to the right, they move into moralism — like the Scribes or Pharisees of Jesus’ time. Performance and rigid adherence to some moral code is now the standard by which people are “acceptable” and “hope” is found only when people can live up to the standard. And 2) if a church moves to the left, they move into relativism — like King Herod or the Romans of Jesus’ time. Standards stay vague and morals are not too rigid, except to insist that no one exalt any one standard above all the others. This is, after all, why Romans persecuted Christians in the first few centuries after Christ, because they wouldn’t play along with Roman multi-cultural standards. Exalting Jesus above all the others was outrageous to them, just as it is to multi-cultural adherents today. These two trends are wide-spread in our culture today!

How can we find hope?  First, the Church of Jesus is HIS. It is not firstly ours. If the Church is defined in its mission and message by Jesus, then He gets to say if a church is good or not so good (and He did just this, in the second and third chapters of Revelation). He said that He would build His Church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. And He established His people in gathering habitually around Him (“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them”).

What the Church does offer that stands out today is 1) clarity in a profoundly confusing time. There is so much now that is up-for-grabs in morality, identity, sexuality, and spirituality. In such a deeply disputed time, Jesus gives us stunning clarity — and an eternal perspective. And 2) community in a desperately lonely time. People are more isolated now (especially after COVID) and the pervasive fracturing and arguing of our time is driving people into even more and more time by themselves. Yet, Jesus calls us to Himself and to one another with a level of care and motivation that literally no other gathering on earth can offer. And 3) transcendent hope in the midst of pain and death. Remember that the term “Gospel” literally meant “good news." Jesus offers hope to anyone who would turn from their self-will to trust Him as their God and Savior — literally for anyone, across any history, any struggle, any ethnicity, or any failure. No one else offers that!

I do not doubt that many people (if not every single person) can cite instances where they were disappointed by what happened at a church. But if you have a bad meal at a restaurant, I doubt that you swear off food. Learn from what has been done poorly, but also take ownership for how many times that Church has been less than it could be because you withheld from God and His people the gifts and graces that He freely gave you. Be free to point out how something could be better, but then be part of the effort and solution to make it that way.

If you would like to read more about this trend in our culture, you may find this article helpful, from The Gospel Coalition.

]]>
Do you pray for others that they would come to trust Jesus? https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/do-you-pray-for-others-that-they-would-come-to-trust-jesus https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/do-you-pray-for-others-that-they-would-come-to-trust-jesus#comments Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:00:00 -0500 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/do-you-pray-for-others-that-they-would-come-to-trust-jesus If you’re reading this, my guess is that you are not a kid. So, I also suspect you understand basic anatomy and sexuality. Where do babies come from? And you know how that works. So what is behind spiritual new birth?

We adamantly believe that God alone is the Lord and Giver of life and of all spiritual life. John 1:12-13: “To all who… receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 3:3-5: Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Jesus called it birth from above. Other parallels in the New Testament call the experience of a converted heart new creation, or even resurrection. However it occurs, from God’s side of that experience, it is purely a gift. The other companion to that — on the earthly side — is prayer.

I do not know of anyone who was ever converted who wasn’t the object of real prayer. If you think of yourself as a Christian, you may be able to name several, if not many, who prayed for your conversion. I know that I can.

This leads me to a few connected questions: 1) Do you pray for others that they would come to Christ? 2) Do you have a strategy of prayer for others, particularly for those who do not yet believe? And 3) Do you have any partnerships in those prayers, so that you team up in praying for the lost?

This coming Sunday afternoon, we will resume our 4th Sunday at 4:00 prayer meeting. Every month, we have worked to develop the habit of gathering to pray. We took off the last 2 months because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but now, we’re back on schedule. And this week, our plan is to pray for those in our lives, our neighborhoods, at our workplaces, and in our families who do not yet know the saving love and power of Jesus.

We meet at 4:00 and we are done by 5:00. We’ll be in Trinity’s sanctuary, so if you are new to this meeting, at least you likely know where that is.

Think of it as an opportunity to pay it forward. If you think of yourself as a Christian, someone prayed for your salvation — and now you believe! Come join us Sunday afternoon as we pray together for the Lord to continue His gracious work of giving new birth to others still.

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If you’re reading this, my guess is that you are not a kid. So, I also suspect you understand basic anatomy and sexuality. Where do babies come from? And you know how that works. So what is behind spiritual new birth?

We adamantly believe that God alone is the Lord and Giver of life and of all spiritual life. John 1:12-13: “To all who… receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 3:3-5: Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Jesus called it birth from above. Other parallels in the New Testament call the experience of a converted heart new creation, or even resurrection. However it occurs, from God’s side of that experience, it is purely a gift. The other companion to that — on the earthly side — is prayer.

I do not know of anyone who was ever converted who wasn’t the object of real prayer. If you think of yourself as a Christian, you may be able to name several, if not many, who prayed for your conversion. I know that I can.

This leads me to a few connected questions: 1) Do you pray for others that they would come to Christ? 2) Do you have a strategy of prayer for others, particularly for those who do not yet believe? And 3) Do you have any partnerships in those prayers, so that you team up in praying for the lost?

This coming Sunday afternoon, we will resume our 4th Sunday at 4:00 prayer meeting. Every month, we have worked to develop the habit of gathering to pray. We took off the last 2 months because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but now, we’re back on schedule. And this week, our plan is to pray for those in our lives, our neighborhoods, at our workplaces, and in our families who do not yet know the saving love and power of Jesus.

We meet at 4:00 and we are done by 5:00. We’ll be in Trinity’s sanctuary, so if you are new to this meeting, at least you likely know where that is.

Think of it as an opportunity to pay it forward. If you think of yourself as a Christian, someone prayed for your salvation — and now you believe! Come join us Sunday afternoon as we pray together for the Lord to continue His gracious work of giving new birth to others still.

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How Do You Think About Generosity? https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/how-do-you-think-about-generosity https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/how-do-you-think-about-generosity#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2023 15:00:00 -0500 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/how-do-you-think-about-generosity We asked, and you answered — thank you! Last month, our leaders asked me to communicate to you that we were behind on giving for 2023, and your response has been encouraging. We are still short of our budgeted revenue, but in the last few weeks we have made up a lot of the shortfall.

Generosity gets a lot of emphasis at this time of year, but have you ever considered that generosity is an aspect of God’s very nature? It’s not just a rule; it’s a character trait. And as we’re made in His likeness, the LORD also designed us that generosity would be part of our character also.

When can you recall your first instincts of selfishness? Was it in your own family with a sibling? Was it at school or on the playground? Self-interest is powerful, along with all of the other impulses that cluster around it: fear, self-protection, greed, or love of security or control. All of these aspects of self-interest pull at us relentlessly. Then consider, what is it like to be on the receiving end of that kind of behavior? “I can’t wait to be treated selfishly today,” said no one. Ever.

According to the Gospel, God got His most amazing work done by generosity. “God so loved that He gave…” (John 3). “Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, gave Himself for us…” (Titus 3). And “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5).

Please do not hear these words only in terms of a season or need. We want to cultivate generosity as an enduring lifestyle. Christmas brings an annual emphasis on giving, and that’s not evil. Many times, in response to natural disasters or profound need, we can be moved to give, and that is beautiful. But following Jesus, we grow to embody it all the time and in every way. Jesus transforms us to be generous in how we think of others. He leads us to be generous with our time and our abilities so that we work not only for ourselves but for Him and others. And as we are regularly productive and paid for it, Jesus calls us to share as freely with others as we have received freely from Him (Matthew 10).

Do you have any discipline to help you think generously toward others? Rehearsing the Gospel and reading God’s Word every day reminds me of how generously God has treated me. Compared to His justice, He could treat me with holy severity, and yet instead, He has moved graciously to save my life. This humbles and softens our hearts, especially as we learn to compare how slight and small the sins of others are compared to our defiance of the LORD, our Maker.

Do you remember the Sabbath to keep it holy? A rhythm of one day in seven to stop your earthly labors and revel in His saving love can give you an ever-increasing eternal perspective on time and work. Jesus worked for us — when we didn’t deserve it. He stepped out of eternity into time and spent His entire lifetime to fulfill the Father’s good design that Adam and we failed to meet. And Hebrews 12 says it was “for the joy set before Him.”  Jesus joyfully worked for us. Can that begin to turn your heart to joyfully work so that others would be blessed?

And in terms of riches, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8). Do you have a commitment to give at least a certain percentage of everything you make? In my life, this is a constant reminder that 1) I have never lacked for anything, and 2) I have always made more than I personally need. Just as God made us to live seven days on only six days of productivity, He built into His creation a super-abundance. Giving is a privilege. It is not an “I have to” thing. It is an “I get to” thing. And all of it is fueled by what I have been given by my Great God and Savior, Jesus.

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We asked, and you answered — thank you! Last month, our leaders asked me to communicate to you that we were behind on giving for 2023, and your response has been encouraging. We are still short of our budgeted revenue, but in the last few weeks we have made up a lot of the shortfall.

Generosity gets a lot of emphasis at this time of year, but have you ever considered that generosity is an aspect of God’s very nature? It’s not just a rule; it’s a character trait. And as we’re made in His likeness, the LORD also designed us that generosity would be part of our character also.

When can you recall your first instincts of selfishness? Was it in your own family with a sibling? Was it at school or on the playground? Self-interest is powerful, along with all of the other impulses that cluster around it: fear, self-protection, greed, or love of security or control. All of these aspects of self-interest pull at us relentlessly. Then consider, what is it like to be on the receiving end of that kind of behavior? “I can’t wait to be treated selfishly today,” said no one. Ever.

According to the Gospel, God got His most amazing work done by generosity. “God so loved that He gave…” (John 3). “Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, gave Himself for us…” (Titus 3). And “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5).

Please do not hear these words only in terms of a season or need. We want to cultivate generosity as an enduring lifestyle. Christmas brings an annual emphasis on giving, and that’s not evil. Many times, in response to natural disasters or profound need, we can be moved to give, and that is beautiful. But following Jesus, we grow to embody it all the time and in every way. Jesus transforms us to be generous in how we think of others. He leads us to be generous with our time and our abilities so that we work not only for ourselves but for Him and others. And as we are regularly productive and paid for it, Jesus calls us to share as freely with others as we have received freely from Him (Matthew 10).

Do you have any discipline to help you think generously toward others? Rehearsing the Gospel and reading God’s Word every day reminds me of how generously God has treated me. Compared to His justice, He could treat me with holy severity, and yet instead, He has moved graciously to save my life. This humbles and softens our hearts, especially as we learn to compare how slight and small the sins of others are compared to our defiance of the LORD, our Maker.

Do you remember the Sabbath to keep it holy? A rhythm of one day in seven to stop your earthly labors and revel in His saving love can give you an ever-increasing eternal perspective on time and work. Jesus worked for us — when we didn’t deserve it. He stepped out of eternity into time and spent His entire lifetime to fulfill the Father’s good design that Adam and we failed to meet. And Hebrews 12 says it was “for the joy set before Him.”  Jesus joyfully worked for us. Can that begin to turn your heart to joyfully work so that others would be blessed?

And in terms of riches, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8). Do you have a commitment to give at least a certain percentage of everything you make? In my life, this is a constant reminder that 1) I have never lacked for anything, and 2) I have always made more than I personally need. Just as God made us to live seven days on only six days of productivity, He built into His creation a super-abundance. Giving is a privilege. It is not an “I have to” thing. It is an “I get to” thing. And all of it is fueled by what I have been given by my Great God and Savior, Jesus.

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Announcing my sabbatical https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/announcing-my-sabbatical https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/announcing-my-sabbatical#comments Tue, 08 Aug 2023 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/announcing-my-sabbatical For many of you, you may not even know what a sabbatical is. Traditionally, it derived from the world of university professors who were granted a period of paid leave for study or travel. And the Church has often followed suit on this practice. Coming out of our 25th Anniversary celebrations last year, our elders granted Timo Strawbridge and me each a sabbatical.

Timo has taken his starting back in the late Spring. And for me, beginning this next weekend I will start my sabbatical and be away from preaching for 9 Sunday’s.

First, no one is in trouble. Quite the opposite, I am very excited for the opportunity professionally, and this is a profound blessing to me (and Julie) personally! In all my years of ministry, and 27 years of working for Trinity, this will be the longest break I’ve ever had. And the purpose of this break is for me to write, study and prepare for my final stretch of ministry.

This is not a vacation, nor a job search. I will be working a lot! And in the time spent ordinarily on sermon prep, I can get a lot done on other very strategic projects, like working to renew our momentum in church planting (i.e. recruiting, training and deploying our next church planter), invest strategically in the rising generation of leaders at Trinity, and help prepare a healthy transition of leadership as almost half our officers approach retirement.

I am not looking at other churches or jobs (I’ve regularly turned those offers down because I love working here with you.)  So please pray for my work, that it would be strategic and fruitful. Please pray for refreshment as the gears shift from routines here to a longer view of Trinity's vision and plans for our next chapter. And please pray for our Lord to give me eyes to see and ears to hear His leading for our church and church planting network.

And here, we are blessed to have a small army of very gifted men who will be preaching while I’m away — from our own staff and from our church planting network. Please be kind to these men. Lean in. Encourage them as they work to encourage you and build you up in your faith.

And please know that I remain inexpressibly grateful for the privilege of being your pastor.

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For many of you, you may not even know what a sabbatical is. Traditionally, it derived from the world of university professors who were granted a period of paid leave for study or travel. And the Church has often followed suit on this practice. Coming out of our 25th Anniversary celebrations last year, our elders granted Timo Strawbridge and me each a sabbatical.

Timo has taken his starting back in the late Spring. And for me, beginning this next weekend I will start my sabbatical and be away from preaching for 9 Sunday’s.

First, no one is in trouble. Quite the opposite, I am very excited for the opportunity professionally, and this is a profound blessing to me (and Julie) personally! In all my years of ministry, and 27 years of working for Trinity, this will be the longest break I’ve ever had. And the purpose of this break is for me to write, study and prepare for my final stretch of ministry.

This is not a vacation, nor a job search. I will be working a lot! And in the time spent ordinarily on sermon prep, I can get a lot done on other very strategic projects, like working to renew our momentum in church planting (i.e. recruiting, training and deploying our next church planter), invest strategically in the rising generation of leaders at Trinity, and help prepare a healthy transition of leadership as almost half our officers approach retirement.

I am not looking at other churches or jobs (I’ve regularly turned those offers down because I love working here with you.)  So please pray for my work, that it would be strategic and fruitful. Please pray for refreshment as the gears shift from routines here to a longer view of Trinity's vision and plans for our next chapter. And please pray for our Lord to give me eyes to see and ears to hear His leading for our church and church planting network.

And here, we are blessed to have a small army of very gifted men who will be preaching while I’m away — from our own staff and from our church planting network. Please be kind to these men. Lean in. Encourage them as they work to encourage you and build you up in your faith.

And please know that I remain inexpressibly grateful for the privilege of being your pastor.

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We need to talk about sex https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/tim https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/tim#comments Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/tim I am all too aware of how our culture’s public discourse has exploded. Over the last few years, we’ve weathered COVID-19, profound social and political tensions, and behind it all, there has been a steady shift in what sexuality even is — let alone what is now considered sexually appropriate.

So for this week’s upcoming sermon, I want to invite parents to prepare.

This Sunday, as we continue our series from Proverbs on character and integrity, I plan on preaching on sexual integrity.

If you have been at Trinity for any length of time, you likely have picked up on my tendency to be direct. I’m not sure whether it’s a strength or weakness on my part; it’s at least my preferred habit. I don’t have the skills to be more sophisticated, and I am convinced that vagueness doesn’t serve people well. And in this land of confusion season where sexuality now has merged with crazy, I know of no other way.

We need to think clearly. This is a topic that calls for profound sensitivity. And with the Spirit’s help, I plan on speaking directly.

So given that our worship service invites and provides for children as young as 5th grade to be present, I wanted to notify parents ahead of time. If you have not yet taught your children about sexuality, then this Sunday may hasten your need to do so. And if you have, I at least wanted you to have a heads-up before my sermon.

I’m not anticipating any need for graphic terminology or scenarios, but the overall chaos surrounding sexuality in our generation needs a biblical and Gospel-centered response. Consider this (short) list of what’s in play due to various common aspects of sexual brokenness: Abuse and molestation, pornography, body augmentation, promiscuity, STDs, unwanted pregnancies, abortion, gender issues, eating disorders, adultery, broken families due to any of the above, deviance and dehumanizing people, victimization – by sexual assaults or rape, and the monstrous increase of sexual predators and trafficking.

Will your child be prepared to hear these terms and understand them? If, by your preparation, they are, then know ahead of time that these concerns will be named. And if not, which I completely respect because of your children’s youth, then please know that one of our several daughter churches may be a better place to worship this Sunday.

Thank you for your consideration in these matters, and please be in prayer for our church family. In Matthew 10, Jesus did say, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” To be wise and live with integrity, we need to talk about these things.

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I am all too aware of how our culture’s public discourse has exploded. Over the last few years, we’ve weathered COVID-19, profound social and political tensions, and behind it all, there has been a steady shift in what sexuality even is — let alone what is now considered sexually appropriate.

So for this week’s upcoming sermon, I want to invite parents to prepare.

This Sunday, as we continue our series from Proverbs on character and integrity, I plan on preaching on sexual integrity.

If you have been at Trinity for any length of time, you likely have picked up on my tendency to be direct. I’m not sure whether it’s a strength or weakness on my part; it’s at least my preferred habit. I don’t have the skills to be more sophisticated, and I am convinced that vagueness doesn’t serve people well. And in this land of confusion season where sexuality now has merged with crazy, I know of no other way.

We need to think clearly. This is a topic that calls for profound sensitivity. And with the Spirit’s help, I plan on speaking directly.

So given that our worship service invites and provides for children as young as 5th grade to be present, I wanted to notify parents ahead of time. If you have not yet taught your children about sexuality, then this Sunday may hasten your need to do so. And if you have, I at least wanted you to have a heads-up before my sermon.

I’m not anticipating any need for graphic terminology or scenarios, but the overall chaos surrounding sexuality in our generation needs a biblical and Gospel-centered response. Consider this (short) list of what’s in play due to various common aspects of sexual brokenness: Abuse and molestation, pornography, body augmentation, promiscuity, STDs, unwanted pregnancies, abortion, gender issues, eating disorders, adultery, broken families due to any of the above, deviance and dehumanizing people, victimization – by sexual assaults or rape, and the monstrous increase of sexual predators and trafficking.

Will your child be prepared to hear these terms and understand them? If, by your preparation, they are, then know ahead of time that these concerns will be named. And if not, which I completely respect because of your children’s youth, then please know that one of our several daughter churches may be a better place to worship this Sunday.

Thank you for your consideration in these matters, and please be in prayer for our church family. In Matthew 10, Jesus did say, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” To be wise and live with integrity, we need to talk about these things.

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Are we involved in anything heroic? https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/are-we-involved-in-anything-heroic https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/are-we-involved-in-anything-heroic#comments Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/are-we-involved-in-anything-heroic Do you believe, as a church, that we are involved in anything inherently heroic? If you dig at the very essence of what’s regarded as heroic, you will surely see elements of courage, risk, generosity and a willingness to readily sacrifice even one’s own life in the protection or rescue of others.

We all start as rebels and cowards. An ironic aspect of the Christian story is that there is no one among the body of believers who is ever the first hero. Christians throughout the ages undeniably have done some crazy heroic things, but they were always a response to Jesus because none of us start as heroes. Our beginnings, born of Adam, are selfish and shameful. Think of our first parents working feverishly to stitch together the leaves of plants — all pathetically to cover their first awareness of their true condition in sin. Hardly the stuff of heroes, is it?

But then the real Hero came. Jesus is the only Hero in the story of the Bible. I know that may sound radical since so many of the Old Testament narratives tell us of bold deeds done by the Fathers of our faith. (They’re even heralded in Hebrews 11.)  But along with their deeds of courage are also their failings and their fears. Abraham lies about Sarah’s true identity. Isaac was a terrible father. Jacob was a liar and schemer. David committed adultery and then murder. And on and on.

But that is why we needed a True Hero. Leaving the perfection of heaven, all of the recognition as God the Son, sacrificing unimaginable privileges and glory, Jesus came and was born of Mary. And then the really heroic works began. He lived willingly, even joyfully (Hebrews 12), in an obscure, low position. He knew poverty and ugliness. He was constantly misunderstood. And then His messianic works began in earnest so that He drew rage from Israel’s leaders even as He began to draw masses of the suffering, lost and even guilty to His side. And all of it crescendoed (ironically) in His greatest shame and suffering. Smeared with our guilt, Jesus was put to death and then rejected by His Father in our place. Crucified, dead and buried, He descended into hell…

Then from there, in realms that we cannot imagine, He crushed Satan’s dominion and broke out of death into resurrection glory!! His cry of “It is finished” now was answered with exultant cries of “He is risen!!

So if we are now His people, and He said, “Come, follow me,” what does that mean for us? We do not seek to build our record, our lives, our church, or even our church planting network. We seek the LORD and His righteousness, His glory and for His working to build His Kingdom in us and through us.

That also means that the Church (capital C) and Trinity (a church with a little c) exists for God’s mission, NOT for our comfort. If we get pulled into anything heroic, ever, it will start right here. As His people, and as Jesus came to seek and save the lost, we exist for those people who, as of yet, are lost. We exist to build a community of the redeemed, which means people like us, who start as rebels and cowards, can truly grow into people who more and more resemble Jesus and in all of His heroic instincts.

We trust Him to work in us both for our inner transformation and also in keeping with His outward mission. So if involvement in something heroic made you think of being heroic, that’s not it. But if by involvement in something heroic, you see that we trust in His heroic works to save people like us, then you’re catching on. And as we catch on, He is able to work amazingly surprising things into the heart of anyone who trusts in Him.

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Do you believe, as a church, that we are involved in anything inherently heroic? If you dig at the very essence of what’s regarded as heroic, you will surely see elements of courage, risk, generosity and a willingness to readily sacrifice even one’s own life in the protection or rescue of others.

We all start as rebels and cowards. An ironic aspect of the Christian story is that there is no one among the body of believers who is ever the first hero. Christians throughout the ages undeniably have done some crazy heroic things, but they were always a response to Jesus because none of us start as heroes. Our beginnings, born of Adam, are selfish and shameful. Think of our first parents working feverishly to stitch together the leaves of plants — all pathetically to cover their first awareness of their true condition in sin. Hardly the stuff of heroes, is it?

But then the real Hero came. Jesus is the only Hero in the story of the Bible. I know that may sound radical since so many of the Old Testament narratives tell us of bold deeds done by the Fathers of our faith. (They’re even heralded in Hebrews 11.)  But along with their deeds of courage are also their failings and their fears. Abraham lies about Sarah’s true identity. Isaac was a terrible father. Jacob was a liar and schemer. David committed adultery and then murder. And on and on.

But that is why we needed a True Hero. Leaving the perfection of heaven, all of the recognition as God the Son, sacrificing unimaginable privileges and glory, Jesus came and was born of Mary. And then the really heroic works began. He lived willingly, even joyfully (Hebrews 12), in an obscure, low position. He knew poverty and ugliness. He was constantly misunderstood. And then His messianic works began in earnest so that He drew rage from Israel’s leaders even as He began to draw masses of the suffering, lost and even guilty to His side. And all of it crescendoed (ironically) in His greatest shame and suffering. Smeared with our guilt, Jesus was put to death and then rejected by His Father in our place. Crucified, dead and buried, He descended into hell…

Then from there, in realms that we cannot imagine, He crushed Satan’s dominion and broke out of death into resurrection glory!! His cry of “It is finished” now was answered with exultant cries of “He is risen!!

So if we are now His people, and He said, “Come, follow me,” what does that mean for us? We do not seek to build our record, our lives, our church, or even our church planting network. We seek the LORD and His righteousness, His glory and for His working to build His Kingdom in us and through us.

That also means that the Church (capital C) and Trinity (a church with a little c) exists for God’s mission, NOT for our comfort. If we get pulled into anything heroic, ever, it will start right here. As His people, and as Jesus came to seek and save the lost, we exist for those people who, as of yet, are lost. We exist to build a community of the redeemed, which means people like us, who start as rebels and cowards, can truly grow into people who more and more resemble Jesus and in all of His heroic instincts.

We trust Him to work in us both for our inner transformation and also in keeping with His outward mission. So if involvement in something heroic made you think of being heroic, that’s not it. But if by involvement in something heroic, you see that we trust in His heroic works to save people like us, then you’re catching on. And as we catch on, He is able to work amazingly surprising things into the heart of anyone who trusts in Him.

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We live in an overlap of ages https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/we-live-in-an-overlap-of-ages https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/we-live-in-an-overlap-of-ages#comments Fri, 30 Jun 2023 16:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/we-live-in-an-overlap-of-ages One of the most common logical fallacies is also one of the oldest. The “either/or” fallacy was identified in the 4th century B.C. by Plato and Aristotle.

It works like this: whatever you’re thinking about or arguing about, someone reduces the options to only two. “Either it’s _______ OR it’s ________.”  And admittedly, there are many instances where the discussion really can be reduced to only one of two options — like pregnancy, citizenship, or having a pulse. Either you are or are not; you do or do not.

But in the wide majority of discussions, there are often many MANY options, not merely two. And that’s why the either/or fallacy is a logical trap. It’s like going to Publix and concluding you can only buy bread or cereal.

What does this have to do with seeking to faithfully follow Jesus?

Theologians have noticed from God’s Word that we live in a sort of overlap of Ages. They call it “The Now AND The Not Yet.”  There is a way in which, after Jesus’ atoning death, His resurrection, and His outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we live a new age of redemption. The promises of the Old Testament have, in large measure, been fulfilled. This is what is already true, or Now.

And yet… there are also many aspects of God’s promises that are out ahead of us still. Evil still rages. Satan storms around, wreaking havoc with his selfish tantrums. People still suffer and die every day — even believers. And the promises of final judgment, and the new heavens and the new earth are still, as yet, unfulfilled. This is the Not Yet.

Our fallacy comes into play when people want to insist only on one or the other. By denying the Already or the Now of redemption, we will live a very bleak life. It will leave us concluding that because evil is still active, that NO hope is reasonable or even possible. But by denying the Not Yet of God’s promises, we get overconfident or lack compassion for people who are suffering. By forgetting that much of God’s work to finally redeem us is out ahead of us in the future, we can be naive about evil’s power in the world or even in our own hearts.

So, how comfortable are you in tension? 

The theologian J.I. Packer once observed that it’s hard to walk a mountain ridge. Gravity wants to pull us down one side or the other, and if we’re not vigilant, we can subtly begin to give way to the resolute pull toward one side. But the gift of the Now and the Not Yet is that it describes reality. It is really true that both of these aspects of God’s work are in play. There is no either/or.

Now, I can trust and rejoice even that Jesus said, “It is finished,” as He died for me. It is now true that what had to be done has been done to atone for all of my failures and sin. It is also just as true that “He is risen!”  Jesus succeeded where Adam failed! Death has been shattered by GOD! And He has guaranteed that as we trust Him, He seals that victory to us forever. I now have access to the Father, in Christ, as His own adopted child. His Spirit lives in me, both now and forever.

And yet,  I can humbly wait for Jesus’ return. I can trust that as He kept His promises to atone for me and be raised from the dead, that He will also keep His promises to return. While it rages (at times apparently un-diminished), evil will not win. It cannot. And so we wait with a hopeful perspective.

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One of the most common logical fallacies is also one of the oldest. The “either/or” fallacy was identified in the 4th century B.C. by Plato and Aristotle.

It works like this: whatever you’re thinking about or arguing about, someone reduces the options to only two. “Either it’s _______ OR it’s ________.”  And admittedly, there are many instances where the discussion really can be reduced to only one of two options — like pregnancy, citizenship, or having a pulse. Either you are or are not; you do or do not.

But in the wide majority of discussions, there are often many MANY options, not merely two. And that’s why the either/or fallacy is a logical trap. It’s like going to Publix and concluding you can only buy bread or cereal.

What does this have to do with seeking to faithfully follow Jesus?

Theologians have noticed from God’s Word that we live in a sort of overlap of Ages. They call it “The Now AND The Not Yet.”  There is a way in which, after Jesus’ atoning death, His resurrection, and His outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we live a new age of redemption. The promises of the Old Testament have, in large measure, been fulfilled. This is what is already true, or Now.

And yet… there are also many aspects of God’s promises that are out ahead of us still. Evil still rages. Satan storms around, wreaking havoc with his selfish tantrums. People still suffer and die every day — even believers. And the promises of final judgment, and the new heavens and the new earth are still, as yet, unfulfilled. This is the Not Yet.

Our fallacy comes into play when people want to insist only on one or the other. By denying the Already or the Now of redemption, we will live a very bleak life. It will leave us concluding that because evil is still active, that NO hope is reasonable or even possible. But by denying the Not Yet of God’s promises, we get overconfident or lack compassion for people who are suffering. By forgetting that much of God’s work to finally redeem us is out ahead of us in the future, we can be naive about evil’s power in the world or even in our own hearts.

So, how comfortable are you in tension? 

The theologian J.I. Packer once observed that it’s hard to walk a mountain ridge. Gravity wants to pull us down one side or the other, and if we’re not vigilant, we can subtly begin to give way to the resolute pull toward one side. But the gift of the Now and the Not Yet is that it describes reality. It is really true that both of these aspects of God’s work are in play. There is no either/or.

Now, I can trust and rejoice even that Jesus said, “It is finished,” as He died for me. It is now true that what had to be done has been done to atone for all of my failures and sin. It is also just as true that “He is risen!”  Jesus succeeded where Adam failed! Death has been shattered by GOD! And He has guaranteed that as we trust Him, He seals that victory to us forever. I now have access to the Father, in Christ, as His own adopted child. His Spirit lives in me, both now and forever.

And yet,  I can humbly wait for Jesus’ return. I can trust that as He kept His promises to atone for me and be raised from the dead, that He will also keep His promises to return. While it rages (at times apparently un-diminished), evil will not win. It cannot. And so we wait with a hopeful perspective.

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How do you view words? And how do you use them? https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/how-do-you-view-words--and-how-do-you-use-them https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/how-do-you-view-words--and-how-do-you-use-them#comments Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/how-do-you-view-words--and-how-do-you-use-them Jesus said: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

Chilling and sobering words. So accordingly, how do you view words? And how do you use them?

By Scripture (implicitly by written words), we’re told that God used words (verbally spoken words) to create everything that exists. So words are powerful. And accurately used words matter because God’s Law clearly encourages honesty and forbids dishonesty (“You shall not bear false witness,” Exodus 20:16). And by the earliest lessons in logic (from Aristotle, for example), we know that words mean whatever they mean, and not the opposite of what we mean. (Aristotle taught us that A cannot = non-A at the same time and in the same relationship; it’s called the Law of Non-Contradiction). Whatever cold means in reference to a temperature, it doesn’t mean its opposite, hot. And vice versa.

So it’s fascinating to consider the alternative viewpoints that increasingly are being used today where words are wielded in contradictory ways. When expressing a viewpoint someone likes, words are given the most flexibility, even elastic powers. It’s as if in making your point that the laws are suspended, and people can say anything they want. But, when words are used to question or even counter a viewpoint, then they are black and white. (“Yes, but you said ________!”)  It’s as if to question or disagree at all is to hate, almost as if words alone can kill.

What can possibly help us in such a dark and bewildering time?

This is not a new problem! In Isaiah, ca. 750 B.C., the LORD warned His people of impending judgment if they didn’t repent of their unfaithfulness to Him. And the similarities are telling: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Therefore first, we need to hold onto the conviction that words — even the smallest ones — matter. And by God’s good design, we should be people who use words with accuracy and care.

Second, we need to agree with God’s Word that we are law-breakers and use words to go on record against ourselves as sinners — as liars, as rash slanderers, as gossips, as fools — who have ignored God’s good Words to us and have abused our ability to use words at all as we speak.

Third, we can turn back to the best words ever given in God’s promises of His saving Grace. We can trust the Gospel. We can trust every word God has given us to promise the coming of a Savior (in the Old Testament) and to reveal the fulfillment of all of those promises (in the New). “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). We can take up the words Jesus gave us and make them our own — that we cannot save ourselves and yet that He can and He has, by His life, death, resurrection and the outpouring of His Spirit.

And then, lastly, we can apply ourselves to be wordsmiths — craftsmen of words — who have integrity. Said simply that we live what we say. That we don’t out-punt our coverage. That we refrain from speaking far more often, and that whenever words are in play, to believe that they matter. That because of God’s good design and our redemption in Christ, that we want to: “Do [our] best to present [ourselves] to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

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Jesus said: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

Chilling and sobering words. So accordingly, how do you view words? And how do you use them?

By Scripture (implicitly by written words), we’re told that God used words (verbally spoken words) to create everything that exists. So words are powerful. And accurately used words matter because God’s Law clearly encourages honesty and forbids dishonesty (“You shall not bear false witness,” Exodus 20:16). And by the earliest lessons in logic (from Aristotle, for example), we know that words mean whatever they mean, and not the opposite of what we mean. (Aristotle taught us that A cannot = non-A at the same time and in the same relationship; it’s called the Law of Non-Contradiction). Whatever cold means in reference to a temperature, it doesn’t mean its opposite, hot. And vice versa.

So it’s fascinating to consider the alternative viewpoints that increasingly are being used today where words are wielded in contradictory ways. When expressing a viewpoint someone likes, words are given the most flexibility, even elastic powers. It’s as if in making your point that the laws are suspended, and people can say anything they want. But, when words are used to question or even counter a viewpoint, then they are black and white. (“Yes, but you said ________!”)  It’s as if to question or disagree at all is to hate, almost as if words alone can kill.

What can possibly help us in such a dark and bewildering time?

This is not a new problem! In Isaiah, ca. 750 B.C., the LORD warned His people of impending judgment if they didn’t repent of their unfaithfulness to Him. And the similarities are telling: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Therefore first, we need to hold onto the conviction that words — even the smallest ones — matter. And by God’s good design, we should be people who use words with accuracy and care.

Second, we need to agree with God’s Word that we are law-breakers and use words to go on record against ourselves as sinners — as liars, as rash slanderers, as gossips, as fools — who have ignored God’s good Words to us and have abused our ability to use words at all as we speak.

Third, we can turn back to the best words ever given in God’s promises of His saving Grace. We can trust the Gospel. We can trust every word God has given us to promise the coming of a Savior (in the Old Testament) and to reveal the fulfillment of all of those promises (in the New). “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). We can take up the words Jesus gave us and make them our own — that we cannot save ourselves and yet that He can and He has, by His life, death, resurrection and the outpouring of His Spirit.

And then, lastly, we can apply ourselves to be wordsmiths — craftsmen of words — who have integrity. Said simply that we live what we say. That we don’t out-punt our coverage. That we refrain from speaking far more often, and that whenever words are in play, to believe that they matter. That because of God’s good design and our redemption in Christ, that we want to: “Do [our] best to present [ourselves] to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

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Possibly one of the toughest aspects of credibility today https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/possibly-one-of-the-toughest-aspects-of-credibility-today https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/possibly-one-of-the-toughest-aspects-of-credibility-today#comments Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:00:00 -0400 https://www.trinitylakeland.org/announcements/post/possibly-one-of-the-toughest-aspects-of-credibility-today I want to take one last look at how we can establish credibility before a watching world, and this may be one of the toughest, given our culture and time. 

What does it mean to live with sexual integrity? THIS calls for real faith. And courage.

First, what I mean by sexual integrity is NOT a one-dimensional argument of heterosexuality vs. the LGBTQ community. And similar to the real percentages within our society (that the LGBTQ are a profound minority in terms of real adherents), the concern over sexual integrity in the church is predominantly a heterosexual problem.

Just as our culture has wholesale abandoned a biblical view of sexuality, so within the church, vast numbers of people have abandoned any prevailing sense that sex belongs only within marriage. We can view this from opposite ends of the spectrum. First, in terms of desirable pursuits, our culture is drunk with sexuality. Sex represents, for many, the highest of all possible highs. So, even among professing Christians, a majority of our rising generations are asking, “What’s wrong with being sexually active as long as it’s consensual?”

And from the other end of the spectrum, our culture has adopted a pretty consistent (and harsh) assessment of people who insist on rules. Rule-keeping is archaic. It’s viewed as petty, even restrictive or oppressive. And who wants to be viewed like that? So Christian leaders, especially parents, have lost their nerve. It’s less that Christian leaders have endorsed unbridled sexual activity and more that our leaders have gone mute. And in the silence of a credible, calm rationale for sexual faithfulness, the revolution of self-rule has carried the day in the West.

Sexual brokenness is in everyone because all of us are fallen. By total depravity, we mean that every aspect of our nature is affected by sin — our minds, emotions, bodies, wills, and yes, our sexuality. And sexual extremes are not new phenomena. Commands in Scripture imply errant behaviors, so why did God call out so many sexually specific commands? Because people were doing all the things that the LORD knew were broken and destructive. And by the time of the New Testament’s writing, Greece and Rome were rife with what many now think is a “new” level of sexual expression. It’s actually very ancient.

So what can help us, both in what we desire and what we don’t want to be? Let’s never forget that all of God’s commands are about His design for us — God’s good design.

This means that the contemporary obsession with free expression sexually is ignoring the reality that God designed us to work in a certain way and that violating that design is not just a question of guilt but also a matter of damage. Violating any design is destructive, whether that violation is acute (what traumatic bodily damage occurs in a high-speed car accident?) or chronic (what bodily damage occurs over 20 years of a bad diet with no exercise?).

But we also believe in redemption. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers (in a profoundly sexually deviant city) that a broad list of sexual sins led to destruction and judgment. Yet “such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11. This means that there is hope for anyone who would recognize their peril and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and transformation — many who populate Trinity every week.

If our physical sexuality is an expression of God’s covenant love (see Ephesians chapter 5), then God’s design is not oppressive. It’s literally life-giving (as in human conception).

So this also is a matter of faith, not sight. We live in a community also! We live for one another and for one another’s sexual integrity. We can encourage those married and those not; praying for one another; working hard to not tempt one another; and championing faithfulness in every heart and every arena.

And before we single out this one particular aspect of faithfulness as impossible, 1) how is this any different than any other impossibility? Jesus taught us that what is impossible for man is possible for His Father. And 2) why is this any tougher than any other quality of Jesus’ character being formed in us by faith? Which is easier? Generosity? Courage? Kindness? They’re all basically impossibilities for our feeble human efforts. And they’re all equally beautiful aspects of how Jesus is.

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I want to take one last look at how we can establish credibility before a watching world, and this may be one of the toughest, given our culture and time. 

What does it mean to live with sexual integrity? THIS calls for real faith. And courage.

First, what I mean by sexual integrity is NOT a one-dimensional argument of heterosexuality vs. the LGBTQ community. And similar to the real percentages within our society (that the LGBTQ are a profound minority in terms of real adherents), the concern over sexual integrity in the church is predominantly a heterosexual problem.

Just as our culture has wholesale abandoned a biblical view of sexuality, so within the church, vast numbers of people have abandoned any prevailing sense that sex belongs only within marriage. We can view this from opposite ends of the spectrum. First, in terms of desirable pursuits, our culture is drunk with sexuality. Sex represents, for many, the highest of all possible highs. So, even among professing Christians, a majority of our rising generations are asking, “What’s wrong with being sexually active as long as it’s consensual?”

And from the other end of the spectrum, our culture has adopted a pretty consistent (and harsh) assessment of people who insist on rules. Rule-keeping is archaic. It’s viewed as petty, even restrictive or oppressive. And who wants to be viewed like that? So Christian leaders, especially parents, have lost their nerve. It’s less that Christian leaders have endorsed unbridled sexual activity and more that our leaders have gone mute. And in the silence of a credible, calm rationale for sexual faithfulness, the revolution of self-rule has carried the day in the West.

Sexual brokenness is in everyone because all of us are fallen. By total depravity, we mean that every aspect of our nature is affected by sin — our minds, emotions, bodies, wills, and yes, our sexuality. And sexual extremes are not new phenomena. Commands in Scripture imply errant behaviors, so why did God call out so many sexually specific commands? Because people were doing all the things that the LORD knew were broken and destructive. And by the time of the New Testament’s writing, Greece and Rome were rife with what many now think is a “new” level of sexual expression. It’s actually very ancient.

So what can help us, both in what we desire and what we don’t want to be? Let’s never forget that all of God’s commands are about His design for us — God’s good design.

This means that the contemporary obsession with free expression sexually is ignoring the reality that God designed us to work in a certain way and that violating that design is not just a question of guilt but also a matter of damage. Violating any design is destructive, whether that violation is acute (what traumatic bodily damage occurs in a high-speed car accident?) or chronic (what bodily damage occurs over 20 years of a bad diet with no exercise?).

But we also believe in redemption. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers (in a profoundly sexually deviant city) that a broad list of sexual sins led to destruction and judgment. Yet “such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11. This means that there is hope for anyone who would recognize their peril and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and transformation — many who populate Trinity every week.

If our physical sexuality is an expression of God’s covenant love (see Ephesians chapter 5), then God’s design is not oppressive. It’s literally life-giving (as in human conception).

So this also is a matter of faith, not sight. We live in a community also! We live for one another and for one another’s sexual integrity. We can encourage those married and those not; praying for one another; working hard to not tempt one another; and championing faithfulness in every heart and every arena.

And before we single out this one particular aspect of faithfulness as impossible, 1) how is this any different than any other impossibility? Jesus taught us that what is impossible for man is possible for His Father. And 2) why is this any tougher than any other quality of Jesus’ character being formed in us by faith? Which is easier? Generosity? Courage? Kindness? They’re all basically impossibilities for our feeble human efforts. And they’re all equally beautiful aspects of how Jesus is.

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