Computer Church

With so much technology around us its difficult at times to tell the difference between reality and virtual reality. It would be really easy for me to say that I’m good friends with someone like Abraham piper or Frank Turk (two guys that are bloggers with lots of readers) simply because I have had a few “conversations” with them on twitter where I spoke and they responded. Now simply by using my phone I can see what my good friends in Texas are saying while I’m having lunch in the park in Arkansas.

With these thoughts in mind I can also get online at home (in Little Rock Arkansas) to listen to Matt Chandler (lead preaching pastor at the Village Church in Texas) preach to his church, tweet Michael Bleecker the worship pastor on the wonderful song choice, and encourage Josh Patterson (an elder at the Village Church) because he wrote a great blog post this week. This can all be done from home and give me the impression that I am just as much of a member as anyone at the Village Church as many of the covenanting members. The unfortunate part of this is that I’m the only one under this dilution. The members at the Village have no knowledge of me, I have not covenanted with the church, and I’m not having fellowship with any of them.

Ed Stetzer posted on twitter a blog post that quoted him when the writer was talking about the resent fad of internet churches and social media. There are some out there that try to bring church to those who won’t go (this is not referring to those who are unable to go for health or physical reasons other than the early morning weekend blues). These have made it so that all the things you would want in a church are supplied from worship and preaching to the message boards allowing for conversation.

Ed said this in the blog post “there is no such thing as an internet church.” Those who regard the church in this manner and participate only by the live streaming of the worship service and “conversing on message boards are short circuiting the fellowship of the saints and their own spiritual growth.”
The writer of the blog states that Stetzer used “classic text” of Hebrews 10:25. http://baptistmessenger.com/the-rise-of-social-media/

So for myself and all of you I pray that we never fall into the trap of watching a monitor instead of communing with our brothers and sisters. I have seen a few friends fall victim to this mentality. I at times have even lingered far to long on the thought of how much easier things would be if I watched the sermon at home and then led a devotion and worship with my family instead of attending. Gas may not be cheap and humans may be hard to get along with. But the sacrifice of covenanting with a local church could be devastating to our walk in Christ.

Love

In the past few days, I realized that God has been constantly bringing the certain subject of love up over the holidays. As I look back, it is really cool, because I can see times where God was trying to show me what it really means to love.

I had the opportunity to attend Chris and Anna Kay's wedding last monday, and Douglas and Cammie Allison's last month. Tim Senn performed both ceremony's and he used it as a time to share the gospel in a unique way.

First, Tim described the duties of the Christian husband and wife. Here are a few attributes of each: A husband is to forsake all others. He is supposed to be the protector and, while he should lead and make decisions, listen to the advice of his wife. A wife is supposed to honor her husband by submitting to his authority. She is to only intoxicate her husband and no other.

Ephesians 5:23-24 - "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."

God used this example (the love between husband and wife) as a representation of Christ's love for the church. This love isn't a romantic giddiness, but rather the devoted love that a husband has for his wife. Relationships aren't always perfect. Love isn't just a feeling. If it was there would be very few married people left.

Love, rather, is forsaking your own desires in order to put another's desires or needs first. I'm not married so I don't know from experience the intensity of that kind of love, but I am getting a better idea of love day by day.

I am currently reading a book called "Relationships" written by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp. The book starts by giving examples of the difficulties of relationships. Basically two people both wanting their own way, but it seems fair in their own eyes. They take this and run, showing the reader everything that is wrong on their side of the relationship. But instead of it being an extremely depressing book by only showing you all your failures, it encourages you with the sacrifices Christ made for us and the love that he showed us.

These things made me stop and think, first, about the sacrifice made and love shown by Christ to me, and, second, my love for Christ and others around me. It's overwhelming when you think about the love Christ has shown. His love and grace is our salvation! His love is unconditional. No matter how bad we mess up, he still loves us. And I don't love nearly as well as I should, but I thank God for his mercy and I use his example as fuel for my struggle to love as he did and does.

Thank you, Jesus, for the love and grace that you showed on the cross. I pray that you would help me to love others, even when they hurt and wrong me, as you loved me, a wretched sinner, who spit and mocked you. And may the glory of any love that comes from me by given to you, who made salvation possible. Amen.