I’m celebrating my 50th Jesusiversary. Ok, I just made that word up. But I think it communicates the joy of what I’m talking about. Half a century of my life has been spent with Jesus.
That’s a long time and a big milestone. Along the way, I’ve learned some lessons. and now I’m sharing them with you. Knowing that they come from a long-term journey with Jesus, I hope you’ll take them to heart.
I’ve shared before, but I’ll repeat here, that my dad is a pastor. So growing up, everything revolved around the weekend. Not for the time off work, but because Sunday was the day our family revolved around.
Because Sunday was so big, it actually had trickle-over impact on Saturday. That was the day that we got ready for Sunday. Starting at dinner time (hamburgers on the grill was the tradition we followed), we entered a kind of slow down period. Seldom would we go anywhere. Mom and dad were all preparing for the next day. As kids, we played along.
What did Sunday mean? As a kid, it meant Sunday School, Church Service, maybe a business meeting, home for a couple hours (insert a nap here) then of course Sunday Evening Service.
Our entire day was wrapped up at church.
Sunday was different. Sunday was special. Sunday was all for Jesus.
When I went away to college, what did I do on Sunday? I went out to the community and found a church. Yeah, I did the InterVarsity group on campus during the week. But that was never a replacement for gathering with God’s people, singing praises to God, opening His word and hearing from Him.
Sunday was for church.
Period.
As a young adult, I moved around a decent amount. There were periods where I was not faithful about attending. But let me tell you I felt guilty about that!
I met my wife at church. I made friends at church. I got married at the church.
I think you could chronicle and track my life based on what was going on at church.
Once I found myself at a church where the gospel wasn’t front and center. Some times it needed a search and rescue team to find. I stuck around to “be a missionary” at the church – to influence people for the gospel. Looking back I wish I hadn’t done that, and that I’d made the hard decision earlier. 10 years was hard to let go of. But the church had lost its saltiness. I couldn’t save it. Frankly it wasn’t my job.
Have you figured out what my 50 year lesson is?
Plug into a church.
Yes, they can be messy and hurtful. All of life is that way, because it’s sin-tainted. But you are not better off “going it alone”. You’re going to be way worse off.
Jesus founded the church. He said He would establish it and keep it safe against all comers. Even against the very gates of hell itself. It’s His tool, His institution, for maturing disciples. It’s part of His grand design for those who put their trust in Him.
You might think you know better. But tell me. Really? You know better than Jesus Himself?
If you want to be a fruitful and effective disciple of Jesus, then you need to be where He wants you to be. And that means in a church.
Don’t just be a “church consumer” who shows up and takes what you can then runs off to do your own thing. Plug in. Deep. Serve where you can (and if you don’t know your gifting start experimenting).
This is what you were created (as a new person) for.
Right now I go to Christ Church (https://ChristAZ.org). I’m a deacon there (a servant). I lead the Prayer Team. I go to a Small Group that meets on Wednesday nights. I’ve attended a number of the courses that we offer (and I’ve taught some of them). I know a Men’s Breakfast is coming up soon, and I’ll be there. Saturday I spent the day painting the house of one of the ladies in our small group who lost her husband a few years ago.
I find solid biblical teaching and am challenged by faithful men and women who also love Jesus. I can’t find people like that anywhere else in my life.
Church (and God’s people by association) are central to my life. Take them out and I’d be quite lost – a completely different person.
This is 50 years of wisdom for you. I hope you are encouraged by it. And if you’re not plugged in to a church, I hope you feel a bit convicted and start to think differently about this topic.
If you do have a church, reply back and tell me about it. Where is it located? What do you like about it? What are you studying right now? Do you serve in any way?
I’d love to hear your church story. That’s how much church matters to me.
Until next time,
Dennis
