Jeff Bartell

So here we are again.  Saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming in the new.  Like many, I typically make resolutions and like many, I typically don’t keep them.  Before I launch out with a new set of goals for 2012, I have to look back at 2011 and see how I’ve done.  Some of the goals I set are personal, some professional and others spiritual.  (Yes, there is overlap in these categories.)

Among the different goals I set for myself in 2011 was the one goal that I have set (and never kept) for about 10 years now.  I determined to lose weight.  I’d rather not state publicly how much I weighed at the beginning of 2011, but I can finally and proudly declare that I used to wear size 38 pants (and they were too tight!) and now I wear a comfortable 36!   One of the deacons at our church expressed his encouragement for my noticeable weight loss by observing that we need to change the photo of me from our church’s website (it has been changed now – you can view it here).  He commented that “if a visitor comes to church after looking at the website he will expect to see a fat guy preaching, but instead you will be up there.”  I love this kind of encouragement!  I must admit, I have given in to the Thanksgiving / Christmas cheer of enjoying the goodies these past 2 months, but I am still doing better than ever before.

I think it’s important to rejoice in the victories, however trivial they may seem.  We beat ourselves up enough about our failures.

So how did you do with your 2011 resolutions? Share your victories here and we can all rejoice together.

No, this is not a post about the Civil War.

On December 11^th I had the privilege of participating in an ordination service for a young man that got saved in my Jr. High youth group about 20 years ago.  This brother is currently serving as a youth pastor and plans to start a new church in 2012.  This is a huge victory!  This is why God left us here on Earth after our salvation – to carry out His mission to fulfill the Great Commission and start new churches.

I was also greatly encouraged because he plans to start the new church in the same city that I was wanting to start a church prior to coming to New Philadelphia.  It’s great to know that when I left behind the possibility of starting a church in Emerson, GA myself, that God is still at work and calling men to go there to reach that city for Christ.  For me, personally, it helps fill what was an empty feeling of thinking I was leaving a work undone.  I guess God knew what He was doing all along!

I have been stimulated to re-evaluate my commitment concerning my personal involvement in the Great Commission.  I am tired of talking about it.  I want to act in such a way as to affect real results that will last for eternity.  If you want that to rub off on you, come hang out with me.  If you don’t, well, …

Let’s go make a difference in this world!

This is an issue that keeps rolling around in my head and I will be addressing this Sunday.  I must admit, it has been a challenge for me to step in and lead a fairly large American church with 150 years of history and tradition.  Our church has a lot to be proud of and I am glad to be here.  Many of the traditions that we are familiar with are not bad, but they might not be expressly biblical either.  That’s not a problem – I mean there are a lot of things that churches do that are not expressed directly in scripture.  God gives you room to figure out the details for your time, culture and application.  The Bible was written to transcend all times and cultures, so God wrote it in a way to not specify too many “procedural” details.  I actually like that about the Bible.

This becomes a problem only when people hold fast to their traditions or thoughts about what they think God said and end up contradicting what He actually did say clearly in His word.  What is the actual role (job description) of a local church pastor?  What should deacons really be doing?  What does the church exist for?  What does God expect from me, personally?  What about politics?  What about social agendas?  Wow!  A person could get overwhelmed pretty quickly thinking about all these things.  Many people may not know the Bible answer to all the questions, but they know “what we have always done at our church.”  Herein lies the challenge.

There are a lot of programs and activities that are “Christian” or “spiritual” but not biblical.  That makes me nervous.  There are a LOT of “spirits” in the world, but only ONE of them is holy!  There are a lot of (weird) things that people do in the name of “Christianity” that have nothing to do with what God said.  (Can I remind anyone of the Crusades?!)  There is a genuine revival in spiritualism – everyone is spiritual these days – but few remain biblical.

My goal (and job description) is to be biblical and to teach others to be so as well.  There are a lot of ways to accomplish God’s revealed will and I am excited to see how He will lead us in 2012.  If it happens that someone is striving to accomplish God’s revealed will in a manner that is not strictly forbidden by the scriptures, let’s all agree to give the brother some space.  At the same time, let’s make sure that we don’t pick a (needless) fight over a tradition that we enjoy but cannot prove as biblically necessary.

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Arguably the greatest characteristic about God is that He doesn’t change, or in other words, He doesn’t go back on His word.  When He says something, He means it and He keeps His word.  Theologians call this “immutability.”  All the other wonderful attributes of God:  His holiness, power, love, grace, compassion, foreknowledge, sovereignty, etc. are virtually worthless if He “changes His mind” and behaves in a manner different than what He says!  When He says:  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” we can count on it!  If He ever changed His mind on that one we would be in big trouble!

In Joshua 9, Joshua was deceived by the Gibeonites.  God told the Israelites to kill all the inhabitants of Canaan.  The Gibeonites lied, they portrayed themselves as a people from a far land, just passing through Canaan, and asked Joshua to make a league with them to not kill them.  Joshua made the deal without consulting God – big mistake (v.14).  The people murmured against Joshua, but ultimately Joshua kept his word, because he gave it. (vv.19-20)

Similarly, as children of God, we too ought to have this same characteristic.  We need to be people of our word.

James 5:12  But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Jesus said virtually the same thing in Matthew 5:33-37.  In other words, there should be no reason for a Christian to have to “swear” an oath, like we do in a court of law, because we should be people who always tell the truth.  There should be no need to “promise to tell the truth” this time!  If you say “yea” (yes) you mean it!  Similarly with a “nay” (no).  Your word is your bond.

Now imagine a Christian who understands God’s will and hears God speak (lead) to him to do something specific.  That Christian makes a promise to God that he/she will do it.  Then after a while, the promise is not kept.  We leave the work undone that God asked us to do.  How do you think God feels at that point?

Recently many people have heard the voice of the Lord speak to their hearts here at FBC.  God has been working in many through recent preaching / teaching series including our missions conference.  Many have made commitments to serve the Lord in some new, specific way, or to start giving financially at an increased level.  My prayer is that we all will let our “yea be yea and our nay be nay.”  Whether or not you agree with the commitment, that is a life that you (and others) can respect.