Changes at Metokos Ministries, Church Revitalization

Next week I will attend the PCA General Assembly. I will not be a delegate, but I will be an exhibitor for Metokos Ministries, a church revitalization  ministry begun by my seminary classmate, Don Clements, over a decade ago. In that decade, he has served over 100 churches. Don has mentored me to become the Executive Director as he stays on board and works from his home in Virginia. I will be the one on the road working with churches, raising support and adding staff and regional directors.  We plan to incorporate the ministry here in Georgia. 

When Don came to me last fall to talk about Metokos Ministries, I knew it was going to be a ministry I have had a heart for since I was a civilian pastor in the 70s & 80s,  and then in the military – with new opportunities  every 3 years – for over two decades. While others have a heart for church planting – an  always-needed ministry – I have a passion for church renewal, dating to my student days at Covenant Seminary under Dr. Donald J.  MacNair.  Dr. McNair later came and worked with a church I pastored so I saw the vision for church revitalization from both the academic setting in seminary and the practical setting in my local church. Don MacNair’s 1980 book “The Living Church: A guide For Revitalization,” came out of those seminary classes and a life time of field work in the local church. Don Clements and I were in that same class at Covenant Seminary. We both caught our prof’s vision.

At next week’s gathering, June 8-12, in Chattanooga, Metokos Ministries will have a booth, and Don and I will be there to spread the word about church revitalization. We both want to listen to the folks who will come by for information and to answer their questions about Metokos Ministries and church revitalization.

In “The Living Church: A guide For Revitalization” Don MacNair has an appendix on “The Living Church and the Deacon” which expands on his points made in the chapter, “Share Your Faith and Your Life.” This section reminds me of Paul’s word to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20: “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Mercy ministries are a necessary dynamic part of church revitalization.

“Diversity, Unity and Community in the Church,” the last section of the book, could have been written in 2015 as well as long-ago 1980, but it is on target about this topic as it concerns church revitalization. Dr. MacNair writes:

                “The natural bent is not restricted by race or by so-called ability. However, the forces inherent in educational standards, economic pressures and social pressures may keep people apart who normally would find it easy to be acquaintances and friends. Furthermore, the natural bent of the individual can indeed be broadened. This usually happens through being challenged by others and through personal evaluation of the experiences of life.

                “Broadening of the interests and approaches in individuals effectively expands their lifestyle by giving them new dimensions and extended horizons for enjoying and contributing to life. This kind of broadening should be happening within the organism of the church.” (pp. 166, 167)

I close with one more quote from Dr. MacNair’s work:   “…a living church does not happen by accident; it demands a lengthy, faithful and purposeful commitment.” Metokos Ministries approaches church revitalization through collaboration with local churches. We can walk you through the process we use to help a local church and its members develop their own revitalization plan.

Visit www.metokos.org to see how we can help revitalize your church.

2015 New Year's Greeting from High Crag

From the Road, Psalm 25 on "Teach Me"

Here is a short sampler of the references from Psalms 25 and 119 that say, “teach me.”

Psalm 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 119:64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!

Psalm 119:124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.

Pick one of these and use it as a prayer. Ask for a teachable spirit. Notice the topics of the lessons asked for.

Heavy reading on a needed topic. We tend to fight the last war, this is not 2001. This will end up another 100 year war/conflict, but not a European/western war. Home court rules and outcomes.

Remembering Your Way Out of Darkness

This week we turn from God’s memory in Psalm 25 to our memory as described in Psalm 77 – a psalm of  lament with a happy ending. The Psalmist begins in a dark place, then, through his memories he comes out of the shadows of doubt through a confession of faith. The role of his personal memory in this prayer journey is woven throughout the Psalm. For the purposes of our study we will consider the role our personal memories have in shaping, encouraging and helping to describe our devotional lives.

The Psalmist gives us first an out-loud prayer. Jesus prayed this way. Hebrews 5 reminds us, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” When the lights go out for you, do you pray out loud? Read again the Psalmist’s words of lament, “In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”

It is the Psalmist’s own memories of God’s actions and attributes that enable him to “seek the LORD.” The memories of his actions are divided into days and deeds. The memory of the days of the LORD that begins in verse 5 is followed by the memory of the deeds of the LORD starting in verse 11. The attributes of the LORD are described in a confession of faith that ends the Psalm, starting in verse 16. Redemption is accomplished, applied, and confessed from his memory of the LORD’s actions and attributes. This psalm gives practical, usable knowledge of God for comfort in dark places, when “my soul refuses to be comforted.”

A Prayer about God's Memory

We have looked at the language of the Psalms, considering first his presence and then the role of the heart. Now we shift to the role of memory—first God’s, then ours. We will now turn to Psalm 25.

This Hebrew alphabet acrostic Psalm is about trust and guidance in an unstable world that includes shame and guilt. The last verse is not a stand-alone prayer, but a needed bridge from the individual to the covenant community. I am not alone in this unstable and hostile world. David’s first-person singular prayers, 1-7 & 16-21, and creed, 8-15, are followed by a prayer, 22, for all the covenant people. David prays about themes common to many of us, external threats that create crisis, chaos and unwelcome change coupled with the internal wounds of his own sins.

God’s memory is mentioned at the end of the first prayer in verses 6&7:” Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!”

David prays for the LORD to remember his mercy and steadfast love (twice) and his goodness. What he wants God to forget, not to remember, are the sins of his youth and transgressions. This comes after a plea for what we commonly refer to as a guidance prayer/request based upon a trust in the LORD expressed in his description of the LORD as he prays.

The 25^th Psalm’s two prayers can be used as a Psalm whose very words can become our prayer using the words and images to expand the language of our prayers. This week our consideration of Psalm 25 and conversation about it will focus on what we want God to remember and to forget in our prayers.

As the Heart Waits and Seeks

This week we return to Psalm 27 to consider our topic of the heart.  We return to this compact Psalm that begins with questions and ends with this declaration of faith: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

This is the third and final week of considering how the use of the word heart in Psalm 27 can “shape, encourage and describe our devotional life.” This is a personal Psalm sprinkled with first persons in almost every line. David starts the Psalm with two questions related to fear but gives us his source of courage and peace with these opening verses: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” The Lord is “my light, my salvation, and the stronghold of my life.” We can remember, meditate on, and speak these three word pictures in our prayers when the shadow of fear crosses our path.

In the parallels of poetry the word of the week heart is used with I that is so often used in this personal Psalm of David. Here are the three examples: “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” Again, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not your face from me.” Then in an appeal to his readers or listeners, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

The desires and prayer of David’s heart are expressed in this verse: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” In the presence of the Lord, his house/temple, where his light, salvation and strength are found will David’s fears/enemies be defeated by the Lord.

Fear is a battle for the heart in Psalm 27. Even the fear of death is confronted in this verse, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” The answer to the fear of death is resurrection based upon the three word pictures at the beginning of the Psalm.

This week we will consider what it means for our hearts on a daily basis to both seek and wait in our devotional lives.

An Acceptable Heart

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” - Psalm 19:14

This is the final verse of Psalm 19 after three divisions – a creation fireworks starburst, then the glory of verbal revelation, and finally a confession of sin that is graced-based.

Psalm 19 ends with the Psalmist placing his heart in the center of his prayer, reflecting both public and private acts of worship and communication with “O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” This was done “in your sight,” (that is, in your presence). What a way to end a Psalm!

In considering how the language of the Psalm can “shape, encourage and describe” our devotions, the word “heart’ is often used. In Psalm 19 the request is “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.” The Psalmist wants the words and meditations of his heart to be acceptable to the LORD. His worship/devotion is concentrated in his heart. His prayer for acceptance is grounded in the LORD as redeemer, not his own efforts. The Psalmist confessed, “Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;..”

Verse 1 can help shape our devotions, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” We can certainly see the glory of God in the creation we share. Verses 7-11 shape our attitude about the verbal revelation from the LORD. The mix of images in verse 10 is so descriptive, “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

Verses 12 and 13 encourage us to confess our sins to a gracious and redeeming God. This confession comes before the prayer of the Psalmist’s heart to be accepted in the sight of the LORD. Listen to the prayer-shaping encouraging words, “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.” This is why the LORD is my rock, steadfast because of his grace as my redeemer.

So now back to the final verse, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Reflect, think about, and reread this verse to shape, encourage and describe your devotion life, your heart in the presence of our LORD, our rock and our redeemer.