How does a church come into existence? The Bible describes a local church as a living organism. Paul said, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corithians 12:27) Everything living has a birth. So we are talking about the birth of a church. How is a church born?

I remember hearing many times in college that “churches start churches.” It makes sense that something living would give birth to something just like itself. Dogs have more dogs, bunnies have a lot more bunnies, and so churches give birth to more churches. When I was faced with starting Open Door Baptist Church, the situation did not open to having a church send us out or parent the new church.

Though sometimes I may have my doubts about starting without an active sending church, God still began Open Door Baptist Church of Alamogordo, NM. There was no way I could bring together all the miracles that it took to start this wonderful church. I think about the starting of Open Door Baptist Church, and a thought crosses my mind. If sometimes children are born that were not planned or intended, what if the actions or circumstances of one church gave birth unintentionally to a new local church? We did not work to split a church. Only the Lord knows how much we worked to ensure we did not steal anyone away any other churches. But the Lord had made it clear to us that Open Door Baptist Church would start. An unintentional birth came to pass, and a new living church was started.

I cannot dwell in the past or on what I could have done in the beginning. Nor would I want to undo the souls who have been saved and the decisions that have been made over the past 2 years. Yet, over the past several months I have considered the teaching about churches starting churches. I have come to some conclusions.

1.  A church started from a church is God’s perfect plan
While sometimes churches are started without the direct oversight and investment of a sending church, I am beginning to see where God blesses when the parent gets involved in the birth and development of the new local church. Both in the ministry and teachings of Paul, you find a desire on his part to see new churches to have that tie to other churches. Paul told Titus, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:” (Titus 1:5)

2.  A new church must be able to submit
How can a church lead their community to Christ until it first learns to follow? The baby church learns submission in the process of working under the counsel and investment of the parent church.

3.  A new church needs accountability
The truth is every church and every pastor could use someone that will help keep them accountable. While ultimately we are accountable to Jesus Christ, there is a great blessing to be had when we allow ourselves to be accountable to someone we trust. James said, “James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another…”

4.  A new church could use the extra teamwork
Collaboration brings glory to God as Christians give effort to His service together. No church is an empire to be built, but rather a picture to be painted. What better art than 2 pictures side by side that point to Christ together.

5.  A new church could use the partnership in prayer
The new church will quickly need God’s protection and provision as Satan tries to attack and defeat the baby. Every church could use a little more prayer for God to work in them. A new church needs those who will partner with their ministry in asking God to bless.

All of this being said, I cannot undo the past or change how Open Door Baptist Church was started. However we are still a baby church in need of some growing, just as this pastor has a lot of growing to do. When a baby enters this world without the presence of parents, oftentimes new parents can be sought out. For Open Door Baptist Church, we are coming under the umbrella of another church – an adoption, if you will. Open Door Baptist Church did not start with the direct sending of a parent church. However, I believe we still need to come under God’s plan. Our church still needs submission. I know we could benefit from the added accountability. I also look forward to the collaboration and prayers that come from a parent church. We want to set the right example of God’s plan for those who come after us. When the door opens for us to start a church, we want the right plan to be seen. We are not establishing an hierarchy. Rather we are seeking to have a multitude of counselors. Therefore on April 24, 2013, Open Door Baptist Church will have a Commissioning Service where we will come under the adopting church of Mountain View Baptist Church of Las Cruces, NM pastored by Robb Redlin. Already having been a tremendous blessing, we look forward to working with him and the church to help more people come to Christ. It may not be our birth as a church, but it can be a God-blessed adoption.

What does it mean to love God? How does a person know they love God? How do we know others love God? How does God know we love him? Complicated answers have been given over and over. Intricate terms and philosophical debates have covered the many answer people attempt to give in answer to this simple question. Do you love God?
The truth is Jesus already answered the question long ago. His words state very clearly, “if ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
It’s quite simple to answer. If we love God we will do what He told us to do. Yet, so often that is exactly what we don’t want the answer to be because we know we are not doing what He wants. If we love God we will be in church every time there is a church service. When we aren’t there, we simply show our lack of love for God. If we love God, we will read our Bibles personally. When we refuse, we show how little we love God. If our love for God is real, then we will find ourselves actively sharing the gospel with those who have never heard, or working extra hard to give our tithes and offerings faithfully. Our love for God is shown when we spend time praying to see God work. Our family will receive our attention as we minister to them to the glory of God.
We don’t intentionally refuse to love God. We just get so caught up in pleasing ourselves and making ourselves comfortable that it becomes easy to neglect loving God. We focus on relaxing instead of attending or vacationing instead of serving. The only sure way to show ourselves and our Creator that we love Him is to obey what He clearly told us to do. So, let me ask you: Is self really more important in the long run than loving Almighty God?

This past week God really drew my attention to an eye-opening truth in Proverbs 13:15 that says “Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.” As a pastor, I often wonder what people are like in their homes when they are away from my peering eyes. Who someone is and how they are truly doing does not always show up on Facebook or Twitter. Then I also wonder about how life can seem so hard to one family and yet seem great to another. Often it is not the troubles they face, but rather the heart of the people facing those troubles that makes the difference. The Bible tells me that the way of transgressors is hard. We often take it for granted that life is just the sum of circumstances and there is nothing we can do to change those circumstances. Fate is often used as an explanation for the status of life. The thought is: things happen and there is nothing we can do about it. Life is hard and there is nothing that can change it.

I notice however that life is not simply the sum of events. You see the Bible tells me that life is hard not based on the situations that come at us, but rather based on our relationship with God. Life becomes hard when we in some way pull ourselves away from God’s will for our lives. The word “transgressors” speaks of those who break a law or violate a command. Situations and events are often outside of our control and arrive unbidden. However to be a transgressor takes a conscious choice to ignore or violate one of God’s commands. It is not the difficulties but rather the decision to refuse the authority of God in your life that makes life hard.
You see, I don’t have to enter a home or spy on someone’s personal life to know that if they are fighting what God wants them to be doing then life for them will be hard. We know that many of us have become good at hiding the state of our lives. We are good at coping. There are so many ingredients we throw at life just to help us cope and maintain a picture of happiness, but when we are alone there is a huge void and emptiness. We know something is not right. We realize something is missing. Yet, we continue keeping up appearances. For some it means accepting that life will just always be hard.

Still, is that what was really said here? Is life just hard and we can do nothing but learn to deal with it? Is there really no hope? The verse did not say that life in general is hard. It only said “the way of transgressors is hard.” Notice it is only describing one “way” and not an entire journey or all of life. If there is a way ascribed to the transgressors, then there is also another way of living that is not “hard.” If the violation of what God reveals to be right brings a life of hardship, then a life that begins to obey the simple truths God reveals as right will know peace. Isn’t it interesting that this is exactly what Jesus called people to know when they came to know Him. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

A life close to God is not without it’s difficulties. Situations and events outside our control still arise, but the heart of the person going through the storm decides the heaviness of the raging. A life that is hard is a life that is fighting to resist something God is trying to accomplish in the heart of a person. There is beauty even in the storm for the one that walks close to the Master of all creation. Though it may be hard to imagine now, the life that is surrendered to the leading and commands of God Almighty will also know the rest and peace that comes with a relationship with Him. Life is no longer hard when the load is carried by the All-powerful God. It only takes a life that will obey those commands that God teaches us in the Bible. The circumstances are not the determining factor. The status of the heart that enters the storm determines the hardships of life.

Why does someone go to church? This seems to be a source of great misunderstanding among those who don’t go to church and those who do attend a church. Church is a good thing in the eyes of many, but more often than not something else can easily become more important. Even among those that go to church regularly, there is often no sense off why they go except for knowing that it is a good thing for them. It is no wonder that when schedules fill up the first thing to go is the church attendance.

What is church supposed to be? What does God intend to accomplish in the life of those who attend church? If people understood the purposes God wanted to accomplish in their lives through the local church, they would never want to take attending church out of their schedules.

The Church is a Hospital
One of the greatest tasks a local church undertakes is becoming a spiritual hospital. Life hurts. Even our churches are filled with people with scars and injured hearts. It surprises me how many people simply live with the pain assuming there is nothing that can be done or should be done. We are quick to go to the hospital when we think there is something wrong with our bodies. Yet, we live with pain and never seek a change. I am amazed how many just accept the injuries as a part of life and never seek a change.

With so much heartache, there ought to be a place we can turn to uplift in the face of hurts and heal in the face of injuries. That place always ought to be the local church. A church that seeks to be empowered by Jesus Christ will bring Godly healing. Jesus was described as the Great Physician. He said, “I am come that ye might have life.” Jesus cries, “come ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

The spirit of a church ought to lead towards healing hurts. It scares me when a church is known more for attacking or belittling people in need of help. The spirit of a pastor ought to encourage his people to know encouragement. The spirit of the people ought to inspire others to find a hospital from within the church they attend. Does the spirit of your church tend towards hurts being healed?

The teaching of a church ought to show the way to healing. The word of God ought to be a medicine in hearts of those who listen. It is not enough simply to march against sin. You ought to look for a way of hope from the correction of preaching. We need preaching to be the medicine that makes our lives whole again. The average life will experience hurt multiple times. Instead of finding ways to survive, we need to find the Great Physician’s medical plan found in a good local church. It won’t be found in a single showing, but rather in the consistent surrounding that God will make a difference in our hearts. Are you hurting? Find your healing in the house of God. Do you not see any healing in your church? Seek to find the church that God is using to bring healing to others.

Each year i spend some time thinking about what should be different in the next year. Clay that ceases to mold becomes useless to the potter. So a willingness to change is accompanied by consideration for God’s plan for my life.
Let me give you 5 things every Christian ought to include in their new year.
Growing in knowing your Bible
Everyone should have a plan to know more about the Word of God this time next year than they do right now. It is not always about knowing more verses to prove the Mormons wrong or defend the doctrines of the Bible. Oftentimes God has promises for our daily circumstances that we can claim. Yet, if we fail to spend time in God’s word that day, we may miss the promise or verse to give direction in the situation we will face that day.
This may mean setting a goal to enable you to read and understand the Bible more. Maybe you just need a new tool to help you stay faithful or glean more from you reading. I have found Bible study computer programs helpful in looking deeper into passages. I have also learned that a tool to allow you to listen to the Bible can help you retain more of what you are reading.

Faithfulness to a Great Church
What is church to you? Is it just another classroom that just happens to include the Bible? Is it another social gathering where people look forward to bumping into 1 or 2 friends every week? One blog post could not adequately express all the many ways a great church can fill the many voids that exist in the hearts of today’s average person. In a church that God is working in, the preaching is more than an explanation or lesson on a few verses. Preaching should become an eye-opening time when the Holy Spirit of God takes the word of God and brings amazing encouragement, definite daily direction, strength to do right, and above all else a sweet and Christ-like spirit. While the word of God ought to be the center of focus, Church brings more to our lives than just the preaching. Church is a gathering together of believers to live side-by-side and help encourage along a God-given journey. Fellowship is a key ingredient to any great local church. It may be a planned event on the calendar to gather around food or testimonies or it may be an impromptu meal at someone’s house. Living life together in the company and inspiration of others God has worked in becomes an absolute necessary part of our year. Is your church more than just a classroom that includes some Bible verses? Is God using the preaching in the lives of those who attend to transform them? Is there wonderful fellowship between the people who are going? Determine this year that you will be faithful to a great church.

Personal Health Goals
While oftentimes we feel it is unspiritual to talk about setting goals for our bodies, God teaches that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we belong to God. We were entrusted with our life and our body and therefore ought to care for the health of this body for His sake. This year we should determine not to be foolish with our health and rather take care of what God has entrusted to us.

Regular Family Time
One of our most important relationships we have is with our family. Have you ever set some goals as to how much time you will spend totally focused on your family? Make this year a time to mend relationships and invest time into growing relationships with our family. What can you do each week to show your family is important to you?

Give my needs to prayer
No man is greater than is prayer life. When we struggle in life it usually indicates that we struggle even more in prayer. It is not the life that suffers that struggles in prayer, but in the suffering prayer can still give us strength. It is the life that is struggling in the heart or struggling regardless of the circumstances that struggles with prayer. Do you accomplish anything through prayer? We all need to. Don’t wait another year to begin seeing God work in response to prayer. Set aside time and needs for God to meet as you ask for them.