My reflections on Christianity in Mozambique, based on Sunday's presentation by one of our elders.

Whenever I hear about missions work—the efforts of devoted men & women who give their time and effort to taking the gospel into places where knowledge of it is scarce, I'm encouraged.

• I’m encouraged by remembering that salvation by faith in Christ is for everyone, whether they live in wealth or poverty.
• I’m encouraged to see every person as a soul whose greatest need is salvation in Jesus. I’m encouraged to remember that every person is precious because they are made in God’s image and are his child.
• I’m encouraged that people see the value of teaching the truth about God, and they will do so even when only one person has a Bible.
• I'm encouraged that God is making a way for people to learn his word in spite of corruption and evil in human polities and governments.
• I’m encouraged—thanks to the pictures shown Sunday—to have seen the faces of some of our brothers and sisters in our faith. They are people with whom we may share little by way of customs or birthplace or language or economic station… but with whom we share the most important thing: our faith in the God of Heaven & Earth.

The Gospel is for all people, and it's a great blessing when we who know it can find ways to go and share it in places where it has been unknown. Rod's Sunday comments about the lack of Bibles remind us how fortunate we are to have it and to live in a place where universal literacy means that all who care to can read the words of God in our own language. We're reminded how fortunate we are to have people near to us who can teach the word well. We're reminded how fortunate we are to be so economically blessed. And we're reminded how important it is that all people are given the opportunity to learn the good news of our lord and savior Jesus Christ.

So, here are two pieces of practical advice as we think about all of that. 1) Pray for our brothers and sisters in Mozambique to remain faithful and to grow in wisdom and understanding of God's word as they serve him. And 2) think through your life and what you have that could be a blessing to others. Can you set aside time to evangelize in our community? Can you donate money to a mission or faithful charity that you believe in? Can you write a letter to encourage a missionary in another part of the country or the world? Can you make a visit to another place in the country or the world to work alongside those who labor to convert outsiders and to build up the church of Jesus Christ? Think about it, pray about it, and decide how you will help the word of God continue to increase and prevail mightily (Acts 19:20).

-  Dan Lankford, minister

How do you respond when someone corrects you regarding your behavior, words, or attitudes? We tend to think that our responses depend on how the other person delivers the correction (and that’s something that we’ll address some other time), but the reality is that our response is just that: ours. So how do you handle correction, whether at work, at home, and from fellow saints at church? Obviously, wisdom is in order when considering the validity and worth of some rebukes, but when corrected in truthfulness, which of the following responses is most frequently yours?

Response 1: We begin justifying the thing that we did wrong. Maybe we attribute the fault to our current condition (e.g. “You don’t understand how tired I was.”). Maybe we lay it at the feet of our life influences (e.g. “My mom/dad always had that problem and I guess I inherited it.”). Or maybe we blame it on the situation (e.g. “I know what’s right, but it just wouldn’t work in this case.”). In all those instances, we are attempting to say that what was wrong should actually be reconsidered and seen as right.

Response 2: We compare ourselves to others’, attempting to look good by contrast to their bad. Maybe we’re prone to saying things like, “Well, I know I shouldn’t talk like that or do that, but I hardly think that I’m the worst example of that bad habit.” Again, we are attempting to temper the badness of our sins rather than self-correcting.

Response 3: Sometimes when we are caught in the wrong, we resist correction at first, but a guilty conscience eventually comes around and we begrudgingly, slowly make the necessary life adjustments. Jesus taught about that once (see Mt. 21:29), and while it isn’t the best case scenario, it is commendable in that it eventually leads to a good outcome. Even reluctant acceptance of rebuke and correction is still acceptance.

Response 4: We humbly accept rebuke, make the necessary corrections quickly, and even express gratitude toward the person who corrected us. How much better would be our relationships if, when exhorted to a better life of faith, we could say in response: “You’re right. I’ll fix that right away. And thank you so much for helping me.”

One of our main aims as disciples of Jesus is to reach out to the lost around us, and our hope is that they will receive the corrections that their hearts and lives so desperately need with humility and appreciation, even though we know that types of responses to the gospel vary widely. But, while we can’t control how the world will respond to correction given by Christ and the Spirit, we can and must be careful that we respond well when we are corrected. Otherwise, we won’t see clearly to remove the specks that are in others’ eyes, and, worse yet, we may even find ourselves to be opposing God.

- Dan Lankford, minister

In 1990, country artist Paul Overstreet wrote and recorded his song, "Seein' My Father In Me." If you're a fan of sentimental 90's country music, you should give it a listen. If not, at least take a few moments to read the lyrics:

Last night we brought the children by to visit their grandpa
And it's plain to see they're truly part of him
While we were there
Their Grandma took out some old photographs
Man, he sure looked a lot like me back then

I'm seein' my father in me
I guess that's how it's meant to be
And I find I'm more and more like him each day
I notice I walk the way he walks
I notice I talk the way he talks
I'm startin' to see my father in me

A lot of us realize as the years go by that we are unconsciously taking on characteristics of our parents. All the things that Overstreet talks about just sort of happen to us as we live longer and collect more memories in life. But wouldn't it be all the more wonderful if an honest look at our lives—whether from ourselves or from outsiders—revealed that we were also taking on characteristics and behaviors of our heavenly Father?

There is a key difference between how we mirror our parents and how we imitate God's nature: We are far less prone to assume God's characteristics unconsciously. It must be a series of choices; an ongoing, purposeful effort to cultivate hearts after his own heart. The idiom that says someone is "the spitting image of your father" is said by some to be derived from saying, "You are the spirit and image of your father." Would that our lives were truly like that—that we embody the spirit and image of our Father in heaven.

How are you doing with that? What would your life actually be like if you were deliberately, continually increasing in your likeness to God's own holy nature? What differences would people see in you? How would your calendar or your budget look different? How different would your words be if you talked the way he talks? How would your relationships be improved if you walked the way he walks? What efforts can you make today to be transformed more completely into his image?

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another..." (2 Cor. 3:17-18)

- Dan Lankford, minister

Our prayers reveal what's truly in our hearts, whether they’re said publicly or privately. And I’m afraid that sometimes, the small prayers that we offer show that our faith in God is smaller than it should be. Maybe we need to pray bigger.

I was once in a service when the only prayer offered before Bible class was, "Father, help [our brother] to present the things that he wants to present this evening.” Can you see an issue there? That's different than praying for a teacher to have a ready recollection of the things that he's prepared, and it's very different than praying, "Father, help our brother present the things that you would want him to say." Both of those are things that we should want: We should want a brother to speak for God (that's what teaching a Bible class is, after all) and to have the things of God so fixed in his mind that he can recall them and speak them skillfully. We ought to be asking God for his will to be done and his words to be spoken—not simply what we want to present.

When that’s the prayer that we offer, it can sound like we're mostly interested in the speaker making a successful presentation. But 1) God can use unsuccessful presenters to speak his words (see Ex. 4:10, 2 Cor. 10:10), and 2) a class or sermon shouldn't be about what the speaker wants to say anyway. If we want to hear from God, let's pray to hear from God. Because if all that we pray for is for the speaker to speak his own ideas well, that's probably all that we'll end up with — a good presentation of the speaker's ideas, but not the words of God.

Consider two pieces of advice for how we think about our assemblies and about prayer:

1. Remember that Bible classes and sermons are more than presentations—they are occasions for God's people to hear God speak. Ezra read from the words of God and gave the sense, and Paul told Timothy & Titus to speak to people as though they were speaking God's oracles. None of them prayed for opportunities to say what they wanted to say — they spoke for God. The Bible classes and sermons given in a congregation are categorically NOT tests of a man's presentation skills—they’re all about God.
2. Choose your words when you pray. Think about the nature of our gathering in God's presence, and pray accordingly. I feel confident that David would not have prayed merely for correct notes and good voices for the worship leaders at the temple—he wanted them to be skilled in leading the hearts of the people toward God himself. We ought to want the same thing when we read and expound God's word. So let's pray for what we really [should] want to happen at our gatherings: that God would be glorified by a group of people whose hearts hunger to know him and his words.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Senate, in a vote of 61 to 36, passed what is called "The Respect for Marriage Act," which effectively attempts to redefine marriage by federal law to recognize same-sex marriages nationwide. And you might be thinking, "Didn't the Supreme Court legalize same-sex marriage across the country back in 2015?" Yes, they did. But what we're seeing now is the movement by the entire legislative branch of our government to put that precedent into codified law throughout the land. That the law is called "The Respect for Marriage Act" is profoundly misleading—even intellectually dishonest, because its first outcome is to repeal a previous federal law ("The Defense of Marriage Act" from 1996) that did respect marriage for what it is: the exclusive union of one biological man and one biological woman (although no one felt the need for the word "biological" in that sentence back in 1996). The new law was supported by all Democratic senators and 12 Republicans, had support from plenty of activist groups and even a few religious bodies (including the Mormons, oddly enough), and now all it lacks to become the law of the land is a signature from President Biden, which he will almost surely provide soon. All of it serves to "not only do [these unrighteous things] but give approval to those who practice them." (Rom. 1:32)

How should Christians respond to news like this? What does it mean for our daily lives of faith and for our outlook on reality and for our place in society? Well, those are big questions that probably deserve more long-form writing, but here are four short responses to help us process all of it today:

1. In our daily lives, we will probably feel very little substantial change right away. But Christians everywhere are already well aware of the not-so-subtle support of all activities and lifestyles connected with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ideologies all around us. It comes to as a gradual process of a few isolated incidents at a time, and we will likely continue to see more of those episodes in the course of normal life. A gay or lesbian married couple as next-door neighbors, more and more LGBTIQ+ characters in shows and movies, a coworker who invites us to witness their marriage to someone of the same sex, a city hall building that hangs a rainbow flag over the front of the building (this example is a current one in Colorado Springs), and more direct promotion of these sinful behaviors targeted to our kids. The challenges will likely continue to increase, and we need to remain resolutely committed to Scripture's teachings that God intended marriage to be the exclusive and sacred union of one biological man and one biological woman for their whole lives. There's a lot more to be said for how we talk about that conviction, but it's nothing that would ever diminish the import of our conviction about God's word.
2. Christian couples need to value our own marriages and treat both the institution of marriage as well as our own spouses with the utmost honor. The world may enact policies and plans that undermine the integrity of God-ordained marriage and the selfless, holy love that ought to be characteristic of it, but Christians will still shine as lights out of darkness if our marriages demonstrate the love and respect of Christ and his church (see Eph. 5:33). Our examples in that closest of relationships will be one of the many ways that we can shine with Christ's light and let others see the glory of God (Mt. 5:16).
3. These new developments at the federal level will very likely cause some challenges to religious liberty in the U.S. Back in 2015, when the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision was handed down, Justice Samuel Alito asked the U.S. Solicitor General how he thought that the decision would affect Americans' religious freedom, and he responded, "You know, I don't think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it's certainly going to be an issue." Yeah, it is. There will be challenges for religious schools and other parachurch (i.e. religious, but not church-connected) organizations who attempt to hold their religious convictions consistently (there already have been, and not just for Christians), and there will probably be challenges to Biblically-convicted churches themselves for the teachings they espouse on the subject. What will we do? Well... First, we will not be scared of Christianity being stamped out. Jesus said that the gates of Hell will not prevail against his church (Mt. 16:18), so Christians shouldn't be worried about losing in the grand scheme of history. Second, we should help our communities make decisions in favor of truth. Our votes, letters to the editor, or speeches in the school board meetings may be against the tide of the masses, but if we're speaking the truth, God will see that it's heard. And third, churches and their leaders need to be thinking ahead about how we will continue to hold on the truth, even if it costs us our charters, our tax-exempt status, our facilities, or some of our members when we do so. If things get dramatic enough that we lose everything to persecution, we will still have God, and he will not leave us or forsake us. And so we need to be mentally prepared to hold up the book and stand on truth for God's glory, no matter the cost.
4. And all of this reminds us why we can't put our trust in anything other than God for surety in this life. If the Proverbs are going to instruct us to trust God more than even our own minds to get us through life (Prov. 3:5), then we for sure want to trust him above any government entity or worldly philosophical view. Only he is trustworthy enough to teach us the truth about every situation and circumstance. Only he can show us how to leave the darkness of error and live in the light of truth. Let's put our faith in him completely and exclusively.

There is a steady pace to the changes that we're seeing in our society. Many of the proponents of the new law about marriage have said that this is an important first step toward affirming LGBTIQ+ Americans, and that they believe there is more work to do. That's problematic because it forgets that this is not nearly the first step toward affirming those sinful behaviors and also because it warns us that more similar advances of the LGBTIQ+ agenda are likely ahead of us. But, in whatever we face in the present or the future, we know that God is with us, that he is righteous and unchanging, and that our perseverance to the end with him will grant us the reward that he promises.

- Dan Lankford, minister

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Heb. 2:1)

The warning from that verse is a compelling one that obviously resonates with many people. It’s a perpetual challenge for all Christians. It’s a subtle process that we often don’t even notice we’re experiencing.

And that’s the key problem with drifting: it’s imperceptible. It’s very much the way that a boat drifts with no anchor. We may start off safely in a wide place where the water is deep enough, and so we go about our business and just enjoy the peacefulness of the water. But after some time passes, we look up and realize that while we’re inattentive, we drifted shallow water or a narrow place where the boat is about to bottom out. 

This is what happens spiritually as well. We often do not notice that we have lost ground, that we’ve developed unrighteous thought processes or habits, that we’ve neglected some important relationships, or that we—like the original readers of the book of Hebrews—simply haven’t grown; we’re spiritually immature long after we should have progressed to spiritual adulthood (see Heb. 5:11-6:12). The process by which all of this happens is subtle. So subtle, in fact, that we usually do not notice when it’s happening.

For us, maybe the drift looks like a little less Bible reading, a little unkindness that we make excuses for, a little blaming someone else for our weaknesses, or a little commitment that we didn’t keep, a little item that we borrowed but didn’t return… And after awhile, all of those little infractions of morality create vast amounts of spiritual drift.

So how do we stop that process? How do we heed the advice from Hebrews 2:1 and “pay closer attention” so that we do not drift away from God and the faith? Consider these three pieces of advice:

First, deliberate growth negates accidental drifting. Seeking God intently through Scripture, through prayer, through Christian fellowship, through worship, and through faithful books will help us become stronger and more grounded, halting the drift.

Second, a regular habit of undistracted, serious self-assessment will help us be aware of our true spiritual condition. Regularly and thoughtfully checking our spiritual lives isn’t always a pleasant experience, but it’s invaluable in our efforts to grow toward God.

And third, learn to desire God; not just to be satisfied with the status quo. Because if we truly want closeness with God, that desire will never allow us settle, but we will be continually working our way closer to him, not drifting away from him.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Have you heard the term "quiet quit"? Articles and advice columns on the 'phenomenon' (I use that term very loosely) of quiet quitting are popping up on business websites, blogs, and newspapers everywhere. And research organizations are busy analyzing and quantifying it. The term has even gone viral on TikTok.

Basically, that's become the modern term for doing the bare minimum requirements when you're on the job. The phrase cleverly labels the behavior or a person who might as well quit because they're no longer going for anything better or more noble than the lowest level. They've checked out of the possibility of growth or advancement or helping others, and now they're just getting by and getting paid.

That problem on the job is at least as old as the New Testament, because the apostle Paul admonished our brothers in Colossae with these words: "obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Col. 3:22-23). We need to make sure that we are learning from Paul's words; that we aren't "quiet quitters" at work. Whether or not it garners any payoff in the workplace, we ought to work as if it's for Christ. And if our work is for him, then it needs to be our very best.

There's also the potential problem of "quiet quitting" on a group of God’s people, and this is a temptation that Christians everywhere face at different points in life, whether they're new to faith or seasoned veterans in the Lord's army. Whatever the reasons, they come to do the bare minimum to remain on the membership of a congregation, but they show no more signs of involvement than that. They don't make connections with other Christians, they attend sporadically, they keep to themselves, they read their Bible infrequently, they know few names their Christian family members, and they turn down invitations to special gatherings like potlucks (or, on the flip side, they only show up for potlucks... kinda funny; kinda not). Churches everywhere have members like this, who do only the bare minimum to remain on the membership.

Having put it in those terms, church starts to seem like the place in life where quiet quitting may be the most prevalent.

So what's to be done about it? What are the remedies? Here are two quick thoughts:

• First, it’s up to every individual; take ownership and decide not to be a quiet quitter. Find a way to GROW, engage, develop yourself and others. If our answer is, "I can't help anyone, I'm too deep into my own problems," then that is all the more reasons to reach out and engage, because someone in the church can help you. Wherever you are starting from, all of us can move toward deeper engagement and stronger fellowship. Everyone has something to offer to someone else. The Holy Spirit said, "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them..." (Rom. 12:6)
• Second, it’s up to the leaders to develop a culture of engagement: a place where people have opportunities to build others up (and not just in the assemblies), to see and encourage potential for growth among all, to build authentic connections, and to know that they are valued. The Proverbs writer advised: "Know well the condition of your flocks" (Prov. 27:23), which means that leaders need to be well-connected and well-informed and continually praying for their church members in order to enfold and engage them in fellowship of saints that we are.

The research that’s out there is good for workplaces: It’s so nice when all the elements of an engaging culture are present at work. But especially in a church, people ought to be able to find a vibrant, engaging culture in the group—a place where they know they are valued and where they freely and enthusiastically share that unique value with others.

What can YOU do to make that culture stronger and make sure that no one is quiet quitting on Christ's people at Northside?

- Dan Lankford, minister

"And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes..." (Num. 11:1)

Have you been around people who complain regularly? Some people are dependable complainers. No matter the subject of conversation, they'll have some criticism or griev-ance or disappointment or disgust to express. And even when others point out some-thing positive, the response is, "Well, I guess I'm not as optimistic as you are." It's hard to be around people like that for very long because of the sourness that they bring into affairs.

And it's not just us who are challenged when dealing with complainers: God doesn't like it either. The passage quoted above is from one of the many occasions on which Jacob's descendants complained about their lot in the years after God set them free from slavery to Egypt. In the shadow of such great and good gifts—their salvation and freedom from tyranny—it understandably infuriated God that they would complain about petty business of what kind of food they ate thereafter.

Are there legitimate times to complain about something? Well, yes. The Psalms contain many poems that lament the present condition of the poet or of the Israelite nation, and those laments were perfectly justified. But complaining becomes inappropriate when we express dissatisfaction with a gift we've received, when we complain about something small or petty in the shadow of some great and good thing we possess, or when our speech is primarily constituted of complaints and we rarely (if ever) express gratitude and joy about the good things of our lives.

So can you see the good in something? Then say something about that good. Have you received a gift? Then express pure thankfulness to the giver. Is there an occasion to celebrate, then celebrate it. Are there people around us with goodwill, whose intentions toward us are good (even if their execution leaves something to be desired)? Then let's give the benefit of the doubt and bite our tongues with our complaints.

And especially in our outlook on life as children of God, let's be careful not to complain when our hearts and our words should be defined by gratitude. The apostle Paul warned Christians about grumbling like Israel did in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:10), and the apostle Peter said that we should show love & grace to others "without grumbling" 
(1 Pet. 4:9). A constant (or frequent) chorus of complaints about the life that God has given us reflects a heart of ingratitude for the blessings that we do have. In the shadow of such great and good gifts as Jesus' redemptive work on the cross, should we be so base as to complain about the petty inconveniences of life? Let's resolve to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess. 5:18) and "do all things without grumbling" (Phil. 2:14).

- Dan Lankford, minister

To everybody in our church family:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.” (Eccl. 5:18-19)

Coach John Wooden was one of the winningest college basketball coaches of all time. His UCLA teams won 10 national championships during his career there. And while there are many positive things that could be said about him and his coaching methods, one particular thought rises above the others: Wooden was devoted to the fundamentals.

Every new player that joined the UCLA team was taught how to put on their socks and shoes—an education in doing things right from the most fundamental, foundational elements of gameplay. They endlessly ran dribble drills and layups. They were devoted to doing the basic mechanics correctly, because they knew that no amount of athletic prowess could compensate for failure at the most basic levels.

The coach's outlook has a lot of correlation to the ideal outlook of the Christian life. Because the fundamental disciplines and practices of the Christian life are of truly crucial importance. Things like reading the Bible, habitual prayer time, visiting those who are sick and afflicted, participating in church assemblies, and giving to the poor—they may seem like the simplest things, but their importance cannot be overstated. If we're going to shine with Christ's light to those both near and far, then we can't neglect them.

So, make a determination to practice the fundamentals. Devote yourself to reading and knowing God's word, to speaking with him daily, and to regularly connecting with his people. If we're consistent with these practices, over time, they will enlighten our minds and enliven our hearts more and more to be the saints that God has made us to be.

- Dan Lankford, minister