About two months ago, some of our members met a disheveled-looking older man named John at an evening service. He sat alone on the back row near the media booth—if you're a member, you may remember seeing him if you think back. I’d like to tell you his story.

John was at the church building when I arrived to work one weekday. He was living in his car and had spent a cold night here in our parking lot. I introduced myself and asked, “What can I do for you?” His answer: “I was just wondering if I could have a cup of coffee and somebody to talk to. I haven’t talked to anybody in a long time.”

John and I had breakfast together that day, and I was impressed at what an intelligent and honest man he was. He quoted several poems (favorite poet: E.E. Cummings), great novels (favorite: Moby Dick), and ancient religious creeds (at one point in his life, he was a diligent seminary student). He was open about his past, about his current vices and sins, and about his current needs. And he shared a good deal about his family life and how he had gotten into the predicament where he was that day.

The most compelling thing about him was that he had deliberately created a distance between himself and his family—four siblings all living here in Louisville—because he felt unworthy of their love. And, as these things often go, as his life got worse, he believed himself less and less worthy of being accepted back among them. He had made no contact with any of them for over 4 years.

After we spent a long time together, I bought John a place to stay for a couple of nights, told him to clean himself up and get something to eat (it’s amazing how much good that can do for the mind and the heart), and gave him a Bible with Luke 15 bookmarked (look it up real quick; it helps the story). I encouraged him to read it that night, and I invited him to come worship with us on the promise that we would do our best to help him more then. At the service he came to, we were talking about the importance of solitude as a spiritual discipline. And although John had been alone for a long time, he told me later that the sermon helped him to see the difference between seeking healthy solitude and isolating yourself as he had been doing for so long.

So the next morning, John came to the church building and we called his sister with whom he was the closest. She and her husband both cried on the phone when they heard that he was okay (they had wondered if he was even still alive), and they asked is they could come meet him. After not having spoken in almost five years, they had a tearful reunion in our lobby, and some of the first words spoken were, “Come on, John. Let’s go home.”

The scene reminded me of Luke 15. A son who had gone astray was welcomed back home by those who love him. It showed a small glimpse of God’s love and his willingness to bring even the most ragged, ashamed, and broken spiritual son home into his family. And it showed what brothers and sisters should do when one of our own comes back from the prodigal fields—celebrate their return and enthusiastically welcome them among us!

Pray for John, that he and I can continue our friendship and that I can share the gospel more fully with him. And give thanks to God that he is willing to accept wayward sons like us into his home.

- Dan Lankford, minister

When one begins to examine the health and spiritual condition of the local church, there are seven areas of emphasis that need to be evaluated and strengthened. This article will discuss these seven areas as an overview. Each one of these sections deserves its own full review.

There are two considerations in each of these areas of church life. The most important question is whether what we are doing pleases God. That is, does the Bible teach us to do what we are doing or have we merely been doing these things because that’s the way things have always been done around here?

The second question is whether or not the methods we have chosen to accomplish God’s will are the best and most effective ways to do them. In many cases, God has told us what to do, but He has left the how to do it up to us. We need to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” in our choice of effective (and scriptural) methods of doing His will.

Worship

We are taught to worship God in “spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). How we are to worship is outlined on the pages of the New Testament. Worship is to serve two purposes. First and foremost, it is to praise and thank God. Secondly, it is for the building up of one another.

At times, we may need to have some training about worship. We might need to have some singing training to learn how to do that well. There needs to be an emphasis on the Lord’s Supper during worship as we recall on a weekly basis what Jesus did for us on the cross. Those who lead in any aspect of our services should be trained in how to do it well. And we must not merely worship based on the teaching of the New Testament but we must also worship with the right kind of heart (or spirit). Our attitude should be correct before God.

We should examine every aspect of our worship and see if there are ways we can praise Him better (without changing how we worship to please us).

Spiritual education and training

We have written already of the benefits of having an organized teaching curriculum for both adults and children. There should also be some teacher training by qualified instructors so that we do the very best job we can of teaching God’s word. Special classes outside of our regular curriculum can help fill in some gaps in our Bible knowledge. There should be an intentional closeness between teachers, shepherds and parents to provide feedback for one another to the spiritual benefit of our young people.

Personal Evangelism

Jesus calls His followers to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Much of this work is done individually by disciples who seek to help others to become disciples as well. Classes need to be held to equip and train Christians to learn how to best teach the lost. We should encourage not only public classes but home Bible studies as well. There must also be follow up studies to help new Christians grow mature in Christ.

Hospitality

We are taught by the Lord to be hospitable to one another and to strangers (1 Peter 4:9). Christians should spend much time together outside of assemblies as we seek to help each other to remain strong in Christ. We should have other disciples over to our homes for parties and singings and other social activities. We should go on outings together and should desire to spend quality time with other Christians in many different settings.

Evangelism efforts

In addition to our individual efforts, there should be church level evangelistic events and opportunities for us to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Gospel meetings, Vacation Bible Schools, and social media should all be utilized to open up doors of opportunity for the lost to learn about the Savior. The church is to be “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) and we should intentionally plan to provide chances for the lost to attend and learn the truth.

Leadership

The leaders of the local church (shepherds, elders, pastors, overseers, bishops) should model the right kind of spiritual example for others to follow. They should set the pace for evangelistic work and be personally involved in people’s lives so as to help them become more like Christ and develop strength in areas where they need to grow.

There should be on-going training for future men who can serve God’s people as shepherds, rather than waiting until something happens to current leadership before we begin to think about the future. The importance of leadership cannot be overstated, but far too many churches have underestimated the need to train new leaders.

From the pulpit

The preaching from the pulpit should be balanced to meet the spiritual needs of both new Christians and long time members. There should be an emphasis on evangelism and a focus on Jesus that reminds us of the One to whom we belong and whom we serve (Acts 27:23).

It is incumbent on the pulpit preaching to raise the level of commitment in the church as a whole. And the preacher must both teach what is right and show the way as well.

Conclusion

These seven areas of emphasis are vitally important if we want to be the church that the Lord expects us to be. Some of these things deal with our personal obligations to God and some have to do with collective actions of the congregation.

There is nothing negative about our need to constantly examine our practices to make certain that they are both true to the Bible and being successful in accomplishing what God wants us to do. If we need to improve in some areas, let us prayerfully plan to grow in our devotion and dedication for Him.

And let us never forget that we are to do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

--Roger Hillis

I have been especially encouraged about the condition of God’s church this week. I hope that you have too.

My family and I spent the first part of the week with a church in Cleveland, TN (near Chattanooga). They asked me to preach a series six lessons from Sunday to Wednesday. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, they asked if we could meet an hour earlier and have two lessons each of those nights. And it was such a powerfully encouraging thing, because I knew they were not interested in hearing me—they were there to hear the Word.

Those four days were also characterized by several long conversations that went deep into questions about who God is, group behavior of God’s people, and various ones’ personal walks with Christ. In many ways, we spent more time in the word while out of the pulpit than we did while I was in it. And again, the encouragement that brought was powerful, because we saw God’s people hungering to know him. And when they saw truth in his word, they rejoiced in that.

And all of it reminded us of our immense gratitude for our Eastland church family. Because the mentality behind those experiences is the same mentality we experience here all the time: a hunger to know God’s ways and genuine joy in learning them. We found ourselves frequently talking about how much we love you—our church family—and how much we look forward to coming home every time that we’re away. And it just reminded us what a joyful thing it is to be among people—both away and at home—who love our Lord.

- Dan Lankford, minister

"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice." (Prov. 16:8)

It's all too easy to look at our lives and focus on what we don't have. We feel like we do not have enough time, enough energy, or enough money. Maybe we feel that we do not take enough vacations, we do not have enough friends, or we are not respected enough.

While there may be legitimacy to some of that kind of perspective, the verse above reminds us that it does not take much to have what is best for us. If our lives are governed by God's righteousness, we will find contentment in him. And so even if we do not have enough time to do all that we want to, if we use our time in righteous ways, it is enough. If we do not have as many friends as we would like, we can still be righteous with the friendships we do have, and it is enough. If we are not as highly revered in a particular realm of life as we would prefer, we can be an influence for righteousness in a small circle and that is enough.

May God give us the ability to be perpetually content with whatever portion he gives us. And may we have the determination to be wholly righteous with our portion in life.

- Dan Lankford, minister

For those who have grown up around churches of Christ, the term, gospel meeting, will be a familiar one. But for those who grew up with a denominational background or no religious history at all, this term will not have much meaning.

In the past, churches would have a series of gospel messages in consecutive evening (or morning) meetings. So the phrase, gospel meeting, refers to an effort to preach the gospel to both the church and any unbelievers that Christians could convince to attend. Some denominations (and perhaps some faithful churches as well) used the term, revival, to describe such meetings as the hope was to renew and encourage a new sense of spiritual commitment to God.

Years ago, many churches did not have a full-time paid preacher who spoke almost every Sunday. A lot of churches (but not all) in the southern and central Illinois area where I grew up would only have “preaching services” one or maybe two Sundays per month. On the other Sundays, the church would meet for Bible study and then have a short worship service that would include the Lord’s Supper, and maybe, a short talk by one of the men and then everyone would go home until next week.

But once a year, the church would have a gospel meeting. It would often be held in the Summer months because many of the members were farmers and they were busy planting in the Spring and harvesting in the Fall. The Winter always threatened bad weather so the Summer months were usually the best time to have such an effort. In the early and middle parts of the twentieth century, such meetings would be 2-3 weeks or even a month or more long, if the interest remained high. People didn’t have as many distractions as we seem to have now and it was not uncommon for these long meetings to include many sincere people who would visit from their denominational churches and when they heard the true gospel, many of those who were genuinely seeking the truth would respond in obedience. If you invited family, friends, and neighbors, many of them would attend. Even among the local families in the church, some people would wait until the gospel meeting to be baptized and so it was not uncommon to hear of gospel meetings that would last a month and scores of people would be baptized into Christ.

When I was just getting started trying to preach, I preached for a while at a small church in central Illinois one Sunday per month and different members would tell me on Sunday afternoon when it was their turn to feed the preacher about the gospel meeting in the 1970’s when 13 young people were baptized on the same night of a meeting. Although they didn’t have 13 young people attending any more when I was preaching there, their dream was always to repeat the success of that one meeting.

As people’s schedules got fuller and busier, churches began to shorten the length of gospel meetings, but perhaps have two per year, one in the Spring and another in the Fall. Most meetings started on Monday night and went through the following Sunday. Then they switched from Sunday through Friday and now, many meetings run Sunday through Wednesday (or maybe Tuesday). And of course, we now try to encourage people not to wait for anything once they are convinced they need to be baptized. So most people aren’t even baptized during a regular service time, but many are immersed during the week as soon as they know they shouldn’t put it off.

We have very few baptisms these days in gospel meetings (although every one that we have is important and precious in the sight of God). I do not have any scientific research to back up this statement, but I have noted, in the places I have worshiped, that more meetings have no baptisms than those that may have one or two.

I am not writing this to convince us to quit having meetings, but there are a few things we can do to make them more effective.

First, although some preachers will think I am speaking blasphemy, perhaps in some cases, we should not call them gospel meetings. I say that only because most of our unsaved friends won’t know what we mean if we invite them to a gospel meeting. Of course, we can explain it to them and if they come, that is great. But, it is just as appropriate to call them a teaching seminar or a Bible lectureship, or, as the preacher where I worship likes to call them, a guest speaker series. We only call them gospel meetings by tradition (gospel meeting is not a phrase that the Bible uses either) and perhaps a different designation might stir up more interest and bring more sincere people who are seeking the truth. This is just something to consider.

Secondly, we should ask ourselves, what are we wanting to accomplish with this series of Bible lessons? Because our member’s schedules (and those of our lost friends) are so busy, we need to be wise about the time it takes to attend a week-long series (or even one night for some people).  Let’s use the time wisely. Isn’t that what Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5 teach us? Make it really worth their while to attend and have a theme or series of lessons that really speaks to their every day lives and then show them how that applies to their eternity as well.

Maybe we can use the time as a focused, intensive study time on a particular subject or a book or series of books from the Bible. Perhaps we should have fewer meetings but make them more targeted times of Bible instruction.

Several years ago I was away in a gospel meeting and my wife got a phone call from the preacher at another church where I was supposed to speak in about a month. He told her they didn’t really have a theme in mind but they wanted me to preach lessons that would appeal to non-Christians. That’s a great idea, of course, one I highly recommend, and so she asked him if they typically had a lot of non-Christians attend their meetings. He admitted they almost never had anyone to visit their meetings and so she asked him if they were doing something different this time that might attract non-believers to this meeting. Again he said no, so she kindly and politely asked him why they wanted me to preach sermons for non-Christians if they weren’t going to be there? He told her that they just hoped that maybe this time some might come. (That was in 1986; we had about 250 souls there on Sunday morning and now, 30 some years later, that church has about 40 on a good Sunday morning.)

Wouldn’t it make more sense to preach to the people who typically come to such services or to have a theme or study that might appeal to those who didn’t normally attend? But to just randomly preach lessons that would help unbelievers if they were there, in the empty hope that they might accidentally show up is not wise.

We cannot afford to waste the Lord’s money and the efforts, energy, time and good will of the members, just because 50 years ago, we had a gospel meeting and a dozen people were baptized. Without changing the message, we need to change the methods we are using to try to spread the best news in the universe to those who desperately need it.

--Roger Hillis

RogerLeeHillis@gmail.com

This post is from our minister, Dan Lankford. He currently runs all of our social media platforms, so I asked for some of his input in this series on how congregations can do things well.  - Roger Hillis

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The power of social media is no secret anymore. Particularly if you live in an urban area, its presence is powerful. And while we probably spend more of our church assembly time warning about its pitfalls, the fact is that it presents several open doors for the church too. If we use it thoughtfully, it has the potential to be a blessed tool for a congregation.

Like everything we do, a church’s use of any of the mainstream platforms—Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest—must be governed by the wisdom of God. Jesus' instruction to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16) applies as much in what you post as in what you preach. Paul’s example of not holding back the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) should govern us here too. Even something as simple as the Bible’s usage of the word “church” should guide what kind of content we are generating. This whole undertaking is more than marketing. Because we are spiritual people, it is a decidedly spiritual activity.

So what should our goals be when managing social media threads? Here are some things that our experience has taught us:

• Churches must do posts about people. This is why I said the Bible’s usage of the word “church” is an important governing idea for us. Whether we’re trying to engage the unchurched or keep our members connected, the key to doing that online is the same key to doing that in daily life—it’s about people. Most churches post lots of words on their websites and social threads (scripture quotes, explanations of doctrine, and articles). But the digital world works like the analog world: most people engage with the words (the Bible) only after they have come to know the people who are living it.
• Don’t spam your followers’ threads. If you do too much of a good thing, your content quickly begins to be overlooked.
• Keep things current. Neglected websites and social threads give an impression that a congregation just doesn’t do things well. Don’t let someone stumble across your Twitter and see that your last tweet is from six months ago.
• Be open about the teachings of the Bible. It’s tempting to just post things that are “nice,” like sentimental cliches, pictures of sunsets, and feel-good verses taken out of context. But we need to make sure that we are open about what the Bible really teaches. If we get nasty responses in the comments section, so be it. If we’ve chosen to use social media, the light has already been placed on the lamp stand. Don’t be afraid to let it shine.
• This one is the most important: the church that people see online should look like the church they will see when they visit. You want posts that highlight the church’s actual beliefs and actual personality. Don’t advertise yourself as the church that you want to be—advertise yourself as the church that you are. If your congregation is low-key and more reserved, communicate that. If you are an energetic and boisterous group, communicate that. If you tend to be more focused on practical teaching for daily living, communicate that. If you tend to be more focused on deep theology, communicate that. Whatever the church is like, that is what it should look like.
• Give your best thoughts to keeping a balanced perspective on the things that matter about a church: God (his love, his will, and his word) and people.

Now, with those goals in mind, what works? Here are some practical suggestions.

• Post pictures of people. This cannot be stressed enough. Children’s and adults’ Bible classes, worship assemblies, handshakes and hugs in the church lobby, impromptu Bible discussions that you see happening after a service… all of these make great fodder for posts. Keep your phone handy, and keep your eyes open for encouraging interactions between people.
• Post helpful audio and video quotes from sermons.
• Advertise all upcoming events. Do countdowns to VBS, introduce the guest speaker for an upcoming series, or advertise an upcoming sermon series. And during events, post synopses of messages, pictures of kids in VBS classes, sermon quotes, and anything else that gives a good vibe of what the event was like.
• Take pictures of every guest speaker that fills your pulpit. Even if it’s one of your own members, highlight the different faces of the men who preach the word in your assemblies.
• Use content that you are already generating. Share your bulletin articles and sermon recordings. These will never become your most-liked content, but they are helpful nonetheless. Link your social threads to your website that they can generate automatic content. We use a free service called “If This Then That” (IFTTT on app stores) to post every new blog article and sermon recording to Facebook & Twitter.
• We also use the same service to instantly share every new Instagram photo to Facebook & Twitter. This saves valuable time for the minister (or whoever is running the social stuff) to do more important things.
• Highlight things that happen outside of the facility. Sharing pictures from youth devos, Bible study meetups, elders meetings, and even something as simple as dinners between church members keeps people engaged outside of assembly times.
• If you have a marquee message out in front of your facility, post pictures of the messages you put out there.
• Post Bible verses. Share them as images rather than just a tweet or a Facebook status. Images get lots more attention on every social sight.
• Be creative in taking photos and designing layouts. Try different angles, highlight various groupings of members, use apps like Hyperlapse and Instagram’s native video tools to play with the timing in videos.
• Get other people to take videos and pictures for you. You don’t want every picture of a service to have obviously been taken from the same seat, and you don’t want to be the only person working on this effort.
• Use relevant hashtags and occasionally pay to promote your best content. It’s annoying to have to do that, but it is necessary to reach wider audiences with our crucial message.

If you’re not committed to using these platforms well, we seriously suggest that you don’t use them at all. For all that we could say about the good that can be accomplished through them, we also recognize that they are not necessary to spread the message of Jesus Christ. And so, if working in this particular vein proves itself a distraction from effective ministry, get rid of it and focus on ministering in more effective ways. But if you’re going to use them, hopefully these considerations will help you to do that in ways that are powerful, faithful, and encouraging.

Like everything he or she does, a Christian’s use of social media must be governed by the wisdom of God. Jesus’ instruction to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16) applies as much in what you share as in how you speak. So here are a few considerations for those of us who use them to do that in a way that fits with a living faith:

• Above all, be clearly Christian in your social media presence. Comment with language that is appropriate for Christians. Refuse to post, like, and share pictures that are inappropriate. Speak out about cultural matters with a Christ-like humility & conviction. Show gratitude (cf. Rom. 1:21) for God’s blessings. Care about the lost, the isolated, and the downtrodden. If the real you is Christian, let the digital you be equally Christian.
• Share truth. If you are going to share your beliefs about current events, public figures, or cultural matters; do so with thoughtfulness, prayer, and a humble desire to spread truth. Don’t find yourself regretting the speed with which you jumped on a trending bandwagon that turned out to be utterly vain or false.
• Share truth (it’s in here twice for a reason). Any tool for communication can be a tool for evangelism in the hands of a Christian. That is often awkward, but it is a great way to be the light of the virtual world.
• Encourage others. For all the complaints many people make about digital interactions being less personal than face-to-face, your digital voice can still be and encouragement to others. (It can be particularly helpful in the cases of Christians who have left the faith and rebelled against God.)

Plenty more guidelines could be given, but even these simple ideas will help us if we are serious about being people of faith in all areas of life.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Last week, I spoke to a minister from Florida who told me how much his church is doing to give and to help those in need around them. It reminded me again of the principles we talked about a few weeks back—of how important it is for all Christians to be giving, sacrificial people who are constantly on the lookout for ways to do good.

We talked about those matters in principle a few weeks ago, so I thought I would follow that up with a quick list of practical suggestions for ways to get busy doing good works (cf. Eph. 2:10).

• Volunteer for something at church.
• Donate blood.
• Support kids who need assistance to attend faithful camps, colleges, etc.
• Volunteer as a camp counselor.
• Donate to faithful charities.
• Volunteer at hospitals, shelters, schools, and other venues that assist the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the sojourner.
• Foster or adopt kids.
• Give to a church.

As we said in the sermon, don't try to do everything. You can't; you're not God. But don't let the inability to do everything prevent you from doing anything. Find ways to be a blessing. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

- Dan Lankford, minister

I don’t mean how is the local church doing? I mean, how involved are you personally in the work of the Lord?

Too many Christians are content to sit back and let others do the behind the scenes work in the church. And then, some are quick to criticize and complain that the church just doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. If that is true, how much of that is your fault?

God’s design for the church is for every part of the body to be active and working. We learn this all through the New Testament, in passages like Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.

Are you doing your part?

As you examine your relationship with God (2 Corinthians 13:5) and the things you do for Him as a disciple of Christ, think about how long it has been since you did some of these basic, easy things. When was the last time you…

• Visited a person who is sad and lonely, just to try to cheer them up?

• Told a teenager how proud you are of him (or her) spiritually?

• Invited a non-Christian to services?

• Told someone that you love them? It might be your spouse, your children, your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or simply friends.

• Sacrificed a personal item you wanted so you could give a little more money to the Lord’s work?

• Hugged your children for no real reason?

• Thanked the elders for doing their often thankless job of trying to help us make it to heaven?

• Invited another family to come to your home for a Bible study or maybe for a fun evening of food and games?

• Wrote a card of love and encouragement to someone who is hurting for attention and understanding?

• Read through the New Testament in your Bible? (You could easily read the entire New Testament in six months.)

• Wrote a note of appreciation to your adult Bible class teacher or those who teach your children?

• Expressed your appreciation to our great song leaders for the marvelous job they do in leading us in worship?

• Thanked the deacons for their hard, mostly behind the scenes work?

• Prayed for more laborers to enter the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38)?

• Offered to babysit for a young couple so they could have a date night without their small children?

• Thanked the Lord for the good church where you worship and all the godly people who are not perfect but are trying with all their heart to serve the Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
• “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the LORD your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV). Did you catch that word, abounding? Could your work for the Lord be described as abounding? Or is it lacking? Or missing entirely? Could you do more?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it is to be, it is up to me?” That could easily be the motto of every disciple of Christ. If we would all take the personal initiative to do what we can in the Lord’s service, this world would be a much better place in which to live. And more souls would be saved for eternity in heaven.

Are you familiar with the 80/20 rule? That’s the situation in too many churches where 20% of the people do 80% of the work. The key to success is to change that statistic, having every member (100%) doing all that he or she can. Everyone is important to God and we are all needed to accomplish what we can.

What are you doing to help the local church to grow, numerically or spiritually?

--Roger Hillis

When the Lord called Gideon to do a great work in delivering the Israelite nation, he didn't call him because he had proven himself a great man of war. In fact, at that moment, Gideon was proving himself to be a scaredy-cat. And yet, God's first words to him were, "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." (Judg. 6:12)

Why did God call him a mighty man of valor when it was so clear that he wasn't that? The key to the second phrase is the first phrase: "The Lord is with you."

If you are doubting whether you have what it takes to do the Lord's will today, be encouraged by the fact that God has given the same promise to us that he gave to Gideon. Paul frequently ended his letters with this blessing: "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." And he will be.

Whatever the will of God has commanded of you today, know that the Lord is with you and will give you the strength to accomplish it, even if it's very difficult. The Lord is with you.

- Dan Lankford, minister