I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:14).
Shepherds and their sheep have deeply intimate relationships. Jesus our good shepherd knows us by name and guides us through life’s valleys and mountaintops. When we run the other way, he goes in search of us! His relentless love pursues us. Our good shepherd laid down his life for us, knowing the details of all we would think and do. He didn’t redeem our ideal lives – he sacrificed himself to redeem the actual life we are living today.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” With these words, Jesus is not only revealing a truth about who he is, but how he feels about us. He knows and loves our whole story. Sheep are utterly dependent animals. They physically cannot rest until all their needs are met. In the comforting presence of Jesus we can relax and let go of our fears.
Prayer: Jesus, we thank you that you are faithful to supply all my needs. Help me to see how you providing for me today, and make me aware of how I can share your love and provision with those around me.
Health is a relative term. According to the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This is an important distinction – especially as we focus on Healthy Church.
We all experience the ups and downs of health in our physical bodies. My very first week of serving as president was likely the busiest and most demanding of my life. Among the ceremonies and retirement parties, there were a number of planning meetings accompanied by informal breakfast and lunch meetings. The dinners included rich foods, robust wines and always some fancy, hard-to-say-no-to dessert. The physical, mental and social challenges were at an all-time high.
I came out of that first week with my heart full due to the overwhelming high support I received; I also came out with my sinuses and lungs filled with congestion due to the long days and late nights. My second week as president involved a lot of hot tea, vitamins, chicken soup, and extra rest. This experience gave me even more thought on the concept of healthy church.
You are aware that I have been preaching and promoting healthy church, and we are just beginning to focus on what this means. Caring for our bodies and caring for our churches have many similarities. The ebb and flow of how we manage our work schedules, our diets and workout routines is a good platform to convey my thoughts. Let’s ask a couple of important questions:
What is the activity level of the church? Almost all our churches host a weekly worship service (some fellowship groups meet less frequently). So, what is the activity level during this gathering? Does the worship team have to come early to get their worship set together, or have they met at some other time during the week? Do we spend too much time on announcements because this is the one time to communicate with the members, or is communication happening through the week with emails or posts on the church’s website? Does fellowship go unusually long because we only see each other at worship services, or do the members’ lives intersect during the week between services? Are the majority of leadership meetings held on the day of services or do these meetings take place on a different day? (Video conferencing can be utilized when it is simply too hard to physically meet.) When do outreach activities and community-building events like picnics, campouts take place? Working toward and creating a balanced rhythm to the overall schedule is crucial to church health.
What is the diet of the church? Ultimately, we should be feeding on Jesus, the Bread of Life. This is why we have some of our best writers creating sermon outlines for the cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). We believe that preaching through the Bible over a three-year process creates a steady diet that is nourishing to all church members. We also promote the practice of Bible-based Small Groups because the diet of one weekly meal needs to be supplemented.
What is the spiritual exercise of the church? Exercise (working out) for Christian believers is tantamount to becoming equipped for Christian ministry. This can include formal education – I highly recommend our stellar institutions of Grace Communion Seminary and Ambassador College of Christian Ministry. Learning the art and skills of Christian ministry is more caught than it is taught, so we also strongly suggest the practice of mentoring. It is imperative that veteran ministers and ministry leaders pass along their skills and knowledge for the perpetuation of the church. If you are a veteran please find an apprentice to invest in, and if you are a new believer then search out an area of service that fits your personal interests and latent skills and dive in.
Please understand when I promote the vision of Healthy Church, I am not intending any church to assume the label of being unhealthy. All churches go through ups and downs as they attend to their health; good health is an ongoing process. When we write about church health or create ministry tools for you to use, it is based on our desire to provide support that assists you toward better health. Better ministry practices implemented over time will yield better church health. Every congregation and fellowship group is important to us and we pray all of GCI is on a path to better health.
My sentiment to you is the same as the Apostle John’s to Gaius, a beloved church member in Ephesus –
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John :1-4 ESV).
As you continue your faithful walk in the truth, which is your walk with Jesus, I will constantly pray for your congregation to be healthy and prosperous in your collective efforts to point others to Jesus.
The Women of Edgehill Community Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio would like to invite you to their 16th Annual LiLY (Living Life for You) Conference “Joy Intact,” held April 26th-28th, 2019 at the Embassy Suites in Beachwood, Ohio.
This is a weekend filled with wonderful worship, inspired speakers, lots of laughs and simply enjoying the presence of the Lord. The conference is attended by a diverse group of women and teens (Bonfire Sessions for ages 13-17) from every stage on their journey. We come from different churches and denominations. We are about meeting at the feet of Jesus and making him known.
We keep the registration prices low ($70 Early bird special), meals are included and you can fill your suite with up to six women to cut the cost of the hotel. This is a great opportunity for you, your family or group of friends to come together and share a weekend in Christ with no judgment or expectations.
Show us the world through your lens. Contest ends March 17.
Do you attend a GCI church? Enter to win our 2018-2019 GCI Photo Contest and submit photos of your healthy church. Prizes include, $100, $200, and $300 Amazon gift cards!
Praise be to the Father, who by the power of his Spirit has blessed us with a gift of life to see the dawn of 2019! Time is a gift of grace. It allows us to start again, to try again, and to yearn for tomorrow. The start of each day, each week, each month or each year must always remind us of God’s grace. We can rejoice in the new opportunities that a new year presents, and the hope it engenders.
Margaret and I saw the dawn of 2019 under the Namibian skies of the Caprivi strip. We joined Pastor Lascan Sikosi, the National Ministry Leader of Namibia, and the Namibian pastors for a three-day conference. The first day, we had a church service with the local church members. It was followed by anniversary celebrations of GCI Namibia, complete with a birthday cake, which we all shared, followed by Communion. The rest of the conference consisted of pastoral and leadership training.
Thank you for the prayers for safe travels. After almost two days of driving, I experienced a bout of motion sickness on arrival in Namibia, and had to see a doctor. Fortunately, the problem cleared quickly, and I was ready for the meetings the next day. We had great weather with rain, which started the day we arrived. Please pray for the members in Namibia. Unemployment is a huge problem. Many rely on subsistence farming in the villages.
Congratulations to those who have passed their exams last year. May your 2019 plans come together. I want to also congratulate Lorna Laister, our National Children’s Ministry Coordinator, who has completed her Bachelor of Theology degree with UNISA. In the future, all GCI pastors will be expected to have minimum academic qualifications. This is a huge achievement by Lorna. Congratulations from all of us!
“We Are GCI Series” is a collection of videos where various GCI family members are highlighted. In this episode, GCI President, Dr. Greg Williams interviews newly appointed GCI Superintendent of North America, Michael Rasmussen. Mike shares a little about his story and how he plans on moving the vision of GCI “Healthy Church” forward in his area of supervision.
Most of us are not strangers to traveling, whether it be a daily commute or long-haul travel. Our trip to the U.S. Conference in October lasted 20 hours with several stopovers. Upon arrival in America, we were in a rush to get through the airport. As we hurriedly emptied our pockets and removed our bags for security, my backpack passed through the X-ray machine but something was detected so it was stopped and brought back. The staff motioned for me to bring it over for inspection and asked me, “What’s in your backpack?” As it turned out, it was an unsuspecting stapler that caused the delay.
With life often compared to a journey, it would be good to regularly evaluate what we carry with us. What is in our “backpack” says something about our values, priorities, and aspirations. There may be things that should be there but aren’t. At times, we may be carrying things that are nice to have, but not really necessary. We may also be unsuspectingly taking along things that delay us by distracting us or weighing us down.
Hebrews 12:1 comes to mind, “therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…”
We can be weighed down by physical baggage, in terms of too much dependence on people or material things. It can be emotional baggage – like resentment, discontent, envy, and insecurity. It could be spiritual baggage – like guilt, legalism, self-righteousness, or sinful habits we refuse to confront. Sometimes these are clearly evident to us. Sometimes though, further introspection is required to come to terms with what is in our “backpack”, and what we should or shouldn’t take along.
At the crossroads of another year, let us rest and reflect on what we have been carrying with us. Allow God to search our heart and detect what does not belong there. What are the things we should not leave and live without? In this journey, let us make room for what matters – the joy of salvation, hope for the kingdom, boldness for the gospel, and passion for God and for the people he has called us to love. Happy travels!
Prayer: Lord, in this life we all go through, you are with us all the way. Let nothing hold us back, or weigh us down, but rather, refresh us, and help us fix our eyes on you. In Jesus name, Amen.
While touring the most popular attraction in Charlotte, I was struck by some coincidental characteristics between myself and the personality for whom the museum was honoring. The video film introduced our main character as, “A southern farm boy from North Carolina who became a gospel preacher and worldwide evangelist.” You may have guessed that I was touring the Billy Graham Library and my “aha moment” was, “Hey, I too am a southern farm boy from North Carolina, and a preacher of the gospel.” It feels good to associate with the likes of Billy Graham (though I don’t have any notions of filling stadiums as he did).
Over the course of the tour I saw more insights into Graham that intrigued me. He had a friendly relationship with every US President from Harry Truman forward. There were pictures of him playing tennis and golf with a few presidents. There were other shots with him at retreat sites or their personal properties, like Lyndon Johnson’s farm in Texas, or George Bush’s vacation home in Maine. Billy Graham was active, athletic and a rather “normal” guy who was good company to presidents and ordinary people alike. I aspire to be rather normal myself.
During his long and storied life of 99 years, Graham displayed humility. He readily admitted that his wife Ruth was a better Bible student than he was. He touted Ruth as being his chief spiritual counselor throughout his ministry. Again, I felt a kinship with him knowing just how important Susan is to me.
Another similarity is that Billy Graham’s greatest attribute was pointing others to Jesus. At his best, Graham was simply reflecting the Jesus in him. More than any aspiration to be like Billy Graham or any other spiritual leader, my greatest aspiration is to be like Jesus. I’m sure this is your aspiration as well.
In several gospel accounts, Jesus was a regular party guest, and I bet he would have fit very well into the social scene of spending time with the presidents of our modern era. Both Matthew and Luke identify Jesus as a “friend of sinners,” and they add glutton and drunkard to their critical review. Ironically, the “friend of sinners” label was meant as a criticism and yet it is one of the highest compliments awarded Jesus. I hope the same label will be awarded to the leadership of GCI. It is a mystery how religious people want their leaders to be other-worldly instead of approachable and likable.
The apostle Peter challenges believers to be like Jesus and to follow in his steps. In his first letter, he reminds us we have been called to be like Jesus in our patient endurance, especially in the light of unmerited suffering. What!?! How am I supposed to do that in a world that has programmed me to stand up for my rights and to fight back against any type of abusive treatment? It is only in the vicarious humanity of Christ that I find the strength to walk in his steps; it is Jesus who has saved me from sin and death, and only him living in me can empower me to endure the struggles of this life.
Following in the steps of Jesus is different from the typical protégé coming along behind a senior mentor and trying to follow his or her pattern of life. Following Jesus is also more than reading about Jesus in the pages of the Bible and then, through our determination and human effort, striving somehow to be like him. Following in the steps of Jesus means actively walking with him, in communion, continually relying on him, and becoming more and more like him in this Christian journey known as sanctification.
The bottom line is that Jesus is more than a historical example. He is the God-Man who is real, relational, and desires to make his home in every single human. Following Jesus means more than admiring him and hoping to be like him. It means participating with him and coming to the realization that we can do all things only through him (Phil 4:13; John 15:5).
From this southern farm boy who shares some commonalities with the late Billy Graham, allow me to echo the sentiment of pointing you to a day-by-day vibrant relationship with your Lord and Savior, Jesus. As the great evangelist said, “I have never known anyone to accept Christ’s redemption and later regret it.”
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:14).
