Presbyterian Devotions: Better Things

Hebrews 6: 9   Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case-things that accompany salvation.

For the first time in its history, our church at Erin is undergoing a $1 million Capital Campaign. It’s a high bar to reach and has shaken us up from the cozy culture that we have embraced over the years. We want to be more effective and influential for God’s Kingdom in our community. We want to reach out to more people and families in our surrounding neighborhood. We want to update our facilities and offer our members, worshippers, and visitors an attractive building and a welcoming experience. These are the better things that the writer of Hebrews expresses in his letter – the better things that accompany salvation.

These changes are not easy to accomplish. We all have grown used to our church and treat it like a comfy spiritual sofa. We tend not to see the building’s wear and tear. We tend to put up with an old sound system. We tend to ignore the state of our classrooms because we only use them once per week. But what if the state of the building actually reflects the neglect of our spirits? Don’t we just tend to put up with things spiritually and rely on God to ‘understand’?

The more that I get involved with this campaign, the more that I understand that it’s not about the money. It’s about who we are as Christians and how we practice our faith. It’s both a cultural revolution and a spiritual rebirth, which makes us honestly review our personal commitment to God and how we seek to serve Him. The better things that accompany salvation means that the old way of thinking “that will do” just will not do, and that “that’s enough” just isn’t enough.

This campaign will change our church for the better. It’s also changed me. My prayer is that our whole congregation will embrace those changes too.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, keep us alive and in tune to Your Spirit moving among us. Remind us that we belong to You and that our purpose is to faithfully serve God’s Kingdom. Help us to work for the better things that accompany salvation, so that we may attract and welcome others to Your Church. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Presbyterian Devotions: Fundraising

Luke 10:20 (Jesus said,) “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Our not-so-wee church made a brave decision last Sunday morning. We agreed to ask the bank for a $500,000 line of credit so that we can begin the much needed renovation and construction work in our building. It was an almighty leap of faith for our congregation, but through the presentations of our campaign and construction teams, we now all share the belief that this is what we are meant to be doing.

It’s the biggest decision and commitment that our church has made since the present building was opened in 1955. Over the next three years, we are going to raise over $1,000,000 so that we can upgrade the church campus and have an attractive site that will bring in more people for Christ.

Sunday was also a beautiful moment in the life of our church because of two important things. Firstly, we were making a commitment to the future well being of our congregation. Most of us will not be around to see the fruits of our endeavors, so this is an almighty act of faith by this present generation. And secondly, we were gratefully showing God that we have been truly blessed by His Son’s work and ministry amongst us.

In years to come, our church will become stronger and more influential in our resident community. Hopefully, we will look back and understand that this was the moment when didn’t glorify ourselves but chose instead to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord. This is a special calling, and I believe that we are both humbled and honored to be given such a privilege from Christ.

When the disciples came back to Jesus from their own winter ministries, they were full of stories about how God’s authority had been channeled through them to overcome evil spirits. They were amazed at the powers they had been given and wanted to boast about their victories. Jesus, however, reminded them to rejoice in being saved and of the fact that God had given them a place in heaven. This was infinitely worth more than any power to subdue earthly devils.

I believe that Christ is telling Erin church to do the same. We can express and boast about how much we have done and of what we are going to do, but the real rejoicing and glory belong to God. This Capital Campaign is not just a commitment, it’s a celebration of the fact that our not-so-wee church called Erin is also known in heaven and blessed by God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the calling that You have given to all of our churches. Help us to celebrate this blessing and to glorify You through what we give from our resources, as well as expressing our faith by what we do each day. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the Scottish pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.