Happy New Year!

Blessings, and Happy New Year!

The Open Door church of Christ is beginning its second year as a congregation of the Lord's people. The past year has been a blur - and full of peaks and valleys - but, we are greatly encouraged as we continue to build strong relationships with each other.

Our focus has not changed. As individuals, we are committed to "living a life worthy of the calling [we] have received," a phrase taken from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 4:1). As a congregation, we are committed to enriching the community of Broken Arrow. As a family, we are committed to encouraging and building up each other. As members of the kingdom of God, we are committed to seeking His will first in our everyday lives.

Our resolve has not changed. We seek to serve as He served, love as He loved, and honor the Father as He honored the Father. We seek to create transparent Biblical leadership through our ministers and recently appointed deacons. We seek to add people-focused shepherds as soon as possible. We seek to find those works He "has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph.2:10)".

Our spirit has not changed. We will strive to build intimate spiritual relationships with one another. We will strive to resolve conflict directly and in love. We will "make every effort" to grow in goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love (2 Peter 1).

Our hope is that we will identify and confront our failures at every turn, forgive and ask forgiveness in every circumstance, and petition the Father in prayer at every opportunity. We ask for your prayers...and encourage you to join us in service to the King!

Managing Relationships in the Kingdom

Brothers and Sisters, the most important thing we can do at Open Door is to manage our relationships. Is this shocking to you?!? Some might say that obeying the doctrine on baptism, or confession or repentance is more important, but -- since, as members of Open Door we are already Christians -- I would submit that "love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39) is a command (that we must obey) that points right to the need to effectively manage our relationships, including how to form relationships, how to maintain relationships and how to fix broken relationships. I think this command is one of the most important we can heed in the body.

For now, we focus on the maintenance of an existing relationship, and for our text we turn directly to Matthew 18:15 -- "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." This one verse is like a handbook for keeping our relationships healthy and vital. It is also difficult.

By and large we are chickens in managing our relationships. Usually, we talk about people that we have an issue with (or vice versa), rather than obey Christ's teaching on dealing with sour relationships. Notice the key word in this text: "Go."

The onus of responsibility in mending a relationship is on the person who is hurt or has been offended. Why? My own experience has been that more often than not, the "offender" usually doesn't even realize that they've hurt or offended me. Now, that brings up an important point before we "go." Here it is: don't be petty. Many of us walk around with a chip on our shoulder, just waiting to be offended or hurt. Get rid of the chip. Make it a goal to become "unoffendable." Since we're not perfect, people are going to say and do things that will hurt us, even when they don't mean it. So, be gracious.

• Go Promptly. Time does not heal all wounds. Go as quickly as possible.
• Go Personally. Don't use email; don't use the phone. Go to them directly.
  
• Go Privately. Until you sit face-to-face with the person, don't talk about them or about the problem.

This is mostly common sense, but our fear of going to people with our hurts overrides our common sense in many cases. However, Christ's way is the best way, and in hindsight, our fears are usually unwarranted.

God will not bless a bickering church. If we can't maintain our relationships with each other, how do we expect to maintain our relationship with God? (Matt. 6:14)

I have been witness to Christians working out differences before and I have successfully practiced Matt. 18 myself. It works! Here are some tips for making this meeting with a brother or sister work better:

1. Sit down in a comfortable, private setting if possible.
2. Ask the person if you can share something with them that is difficult for you to share.
3. Ask them if they will be a good listener for a few minutes as you share. In other words, don't create an expectation that you want an immediate response; after all, immediate responses are usually defensive.
4. Let them know that when you are finished sharing, you will be a good listener too.
5. Now its time to share: As gently as possible, share the words or actions that YOU OBSERVED the person do that hurt or offended you. Speak only for yourself.
6. Let them know how you feel. Own your feelings. They are yours, not anyone else's.
7. When you are finished, be quiet for awhile. If the other person doesn't speak, just relax and let them think. Think along with them. Pray also! Silence can be uncomfortable, but it can be very effective. Don't rush the process!

Seven is a good number to stop with, but the sum of the matter is to be as good at listening as you are with sharing. Try to understand. Don't demand an answer or response on the spot. You might have totally surprised your friend with this revelation.

In most cases, you will "win your brother over" with the gentle sharing and careful listening behavior that you exhibit. In some cases, you will find out that your brother did not even mean to hurt or offend you, which means that you never "lost" your brother in the first place. Typically, things get resolved on the spot. Not only that, but this kind of face-to-face reconciliation strengthens relationships in many cases.

As I think back, most of my very strong relationships have had a hiccup or two along the way. Following the Lord's method was meant to maintain and strengthen relationships. Having seen His ways at work over the years has confirmed our Creator's wisdom and love for us. His ways are not always easy, but they are always best. Having witnessed these principles put to work just recently between brothers, I have been encouraged at where we are going at Open Door. I am just as encouraged about how we're going to get there. Week by week we make a commitment to practice Biblical principles with regards to leadership, servantship, and relationship. Come, share this commitment with us. Together we can make a difference.

The Prophet's Curse

One of the definitions for a prophet is "a spokesman for God." In the Old Testament, the prophets of Israel received inspiration from God and were commanded to preach repentance to a drifting nation. These men often foretold the future -- for nations and for individuals.

In re-reading about the prophets, as a part of our weekly Bible study groups, I have come to appreciate these unique men in a deeper way. Of course, their own people did not appreciate them. Society viewed these men as misguided zealots, troublemakers, misfits, unsophisticated, and even insane. All were persecuted (Acts 7:52); many were slain for their preaching. Interestingly enough, many times that were posthumously viewed with reverence, once their preaching had been silenced and they were gone from the earth.

Although not directly inspired, today's gospel preachers are spokesmen for God. As they read, study and preach and teach -- remaining faithful to God's Word -- they are no less His prophets than those men of old that we read about.

They are also often viewed as misguided zealots, troublemakers, misfits, etc.

Faithful preachers command us (yes, they have that authority as they speak the truth in love) to be pure, faithful, love each other, love the Christ, and repent from our sins.

Faithful preachers command elders to shepherd the flock, to visit the sick, to pray for the church, to teach and set an example.

Faithful preachers point out the "exceeding sinfulness of sin" and the destination of the lost if they do not obey the gospel.

Like the prophets of old, the prophets of today are not perfect. Sometimes we -- like the Israelites of old -- want to point out their imperfections so that their message of repentance is obscured. We want a reprieve from our conscience so we rally ourselves against their imperfections and allow ourselves to become indignant at their humanity.

It's easy in that environment for a preacher to feel alone (1 Kings 18:22). It's easy for the preacher to feel like no one is listening (v. 21). Recently we read about Elijah and his confrontation with the "prophets" of Baal. What intrigues me about this confrontation is the response of the congregation when Elijah challenges them: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."

The Bible says, "But the people said NOTHING."

The next time a spokesman for God challenges us to be more Christ-like, to shepherd, to renounce the morality of the world, to resolve disputes, and to love each other... what will be our response?

The prophet's curse is that he is often not appreciated until it is too late. Thank God for men who preach, teach and live lives to encourage us to change; thank Him while you still have breath.

Thank the men themselves for overcoming their own insecurity, loneliness, and humanity to speak God's truth to us; thank them every week.

At Open Door, we are privileged to have two wonderful preachers. If you are blessed to hear them week by week, THANK THEM. If you have not had the opportunity to hear them, come and see.

What Is Man?

Twice in the Psalms, King David makes the statement, “What is man?” The context of both statements centers on the greatness of God in His creation of the universe, the planets, the stars, and all of nature – in sharp contrast to the pitiful weakness and immorality of man. David both saw and lived this contrast… and he was amazed that the God of the universe would stoop to pay attention to man, much less orchestrate man’s deliverance from his own self-destruction.

What was true in David’s time is equally true in ours. Some research into the shallowness and frailty of today’s man and woman gives us additional amazement into God’s continuing love and concern for us. Man is patently bent on self-destruction (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 7:24):

1. Man is self-destructive in his relationships.

We do harm to our marriages.The divorce rate in the United States continues to approach 50% of marriages. The divorce rate for those claiming to be Christians is actually higher than that of agnostics and atheists. The divorce rate in the Bible belt is the highest in the nation.

We do harm to our children. There are more than three million reported instances of child abuse in the United States per year, and officials fear that the actual number is much higher. The death rate from child abuse in the U.S. is 11 times higher than that of European countries. I sometimes wonder if enrolling our kids in every sport, hobby, and extra-curricular activity isn't some form of abuse? Is it any wonder that there is less time for church activities as we rush back and forth to drive our kids to the next, scheduled event?

We do harm to our partners. Spousal abuse is rampant. Abuse can take several forms, including physical, mental and emotional. The most commonly reported is physical and the instance is about 12% of women in the U.S. report physical abuse of some sort each year. Interestingly enough, men were as susceptible to abuse from their wives as were wives from their husbands.

These statistics are not unique to the non-Christian. These numbers reflect so-called "Christian" families. Each Sunday, as a minister looks at his congregation, he is looking at people bent on destroying their relationships.

2. Man continues to self-destruct in his spiritual journey.

Americans are worshipping and living in accordance with our own consciences and desires at an alarming rate. As America has become a more pluralistic nation, our recognition of "sacred" books other than the Bible has increased. In a recent Barna survey, the book of Mormon, the Koran, the Torah and a variety of other books were recognized as sacred texts. Thankfully, the Bible is still the overwhelming favorite -- and exclusive -- sacred book in America. We may not know its contents, but it still occupies the dominant spot on America’s bookshelf.

Among those who consider themselves to be strong Christians and hold only the Bible to be the Word of God, the trends are no less alarming. A recent survey indicates that the conditions of an ideal life for these committed Christians included, in priority order: physical health; integrity; one marriage partner for life (although only about 50% are achieving this); a clear purpose for living; a close, personal relationship with God; close friendships; a comfortable lifestyle; a satisfying sex life; having children; close relationships with family; and a committed faith. One interesting observation is that the condition of “having a comfortable lifestyle” has risen in importance by 20% in the last 20 years, and is seemingly more important to Christians than having a committed faith. Note that Americans spend seven times as much on entertainment as they do on spiritual activities. What if the apostles or the restoration movement leaders of the 1800s had held the same priorities as we?

Finally, “Christendom” is undergoing a vast reformation. While some of us are concerned with restoring first century Christianity, many others are focused on re-inventing the church to be relevant to today’s society. Less than half of today’s “protestant” ministers have a Biblical worldview which includes absolute moral truth, the infallibility of Scripture, the virgin birth, the existence of Satan, the omnipotence of God, and the personal responsibility to evangelize. Many see that we must re-make the church to be relevant to our high-tech, pluralistic, politically correct society.

At Open Door, our "experiment" in shrugging off the man-made traditions and institutionalism to be a restoration church is all the more important in this kind of society. We'd better become bold, courageous and determined in being counter-cultural.

3. Man continues to self-destruct in his personal life.

The United States leads the world in substance abuse. 16% of Americans have used cocaine, which is 4 times the percentage of the next highest country. Nearly 50% have tried marijuana.

More than $10 billion a year is spent on cosmetic surgery.

We spend $360 billion each year on entertainment.

Americans are engaged in an expensive, all-out search for the meaning of life. We have focused our attention on every conceivable idea, gadget and fad available in an effort to understand why we are here and how to obtain “happiness”… everything except to consult and follow the handbook to life that is provided by God.

Do you think that comfort is any less important to us? Next time you walk through the parking lot, notice the late model automobiles that we drive. We do not lack for comfort in our vehicles and our homes. How is it that we struggle to pay our ministers and find a permanent place to worship? Hmmm...

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Our reading on the divided kingdom of Israel and the succession of evil and good kings experienced by both the northern and southern kingdoms has provided ample illustration of a nation of people that abandoned God and His ways to succumb to their own wiles and “wisdom.” There is nothing in the reading to suggest that the people and their leaders made a conscious decision that they “wanted to go to hell and be eternally separated from God.” Even at their worst, these people worshipped, prayed, encouraged community, maintained their ministers, and celebrated holy days.

Are we any different? Nationally? Congregationally? Individually? I think not.

Why would God continue to care about a wretched, fallen, rebellious bunch of people like YOU AND ME? Should this not motivate us to submit to Him and His ways? Like David of old, let’s first acknowledge our sinfulness and helplessness and seek Him who can save us from ourselves.

At the Open Door Church, we have made a conscious decision to ask and discuss the tough questions, engage in self and congregational examination, and seek in every way to do better and align ourselves with the Christ of the New Testament. We're not perfect, as the statistics and the Scriptures would indicate. But we're determined to make a difference. Care to join us?