Minister’s Blog

In Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy, his fellow leader, he instructed Timothy to offer prayers for kings and all who are in authority so that people may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (2 Timothy 2:1,2) The application for Christians living in our present age is to pray for our political leaders and other leaders in authority. Therefore we pray for President-Elect Obama because Scripture teaches us to pray for our leaders. How then shall we pray for our future President?

I first pray for Barach Obama’s physical health because being the President demands physical fitness. We want a healthy President who is not hindered by bad health and physical illnesses. As we pray for each other’s physical health we ask God to give our President good health.

Second, I pray for our President’s safety from those within our nation and outside our nation who would wish to destroy him. Our nation has made great strides in equal rights for people of all races but we are not free from radicals who hate those who are different. Every US President has been in danger from insane people who wish to do them harm. President-Elect Obama has already ignited the flames of hatred and animosity among certain groups. We are at war on two fronts against terrorists who would give up their lives to destroy an American President. For these reasons let us pray for the safety of our President.

Third, I pray for our President to exercise humility as the most powerful leader of the most powerful nation in the world. Arrogance may be a constant temptation for this man who overcame poverty and racial prejudice to ascend to the White House. Reporters speak of him as a man making history in the world. Obama possesses a keen intellect and the ability of a skilled orator who has exhibited strong persuasive power. The cheering crowds, the world-wide celebrations, and the praises of the news media over his election must be intoxicating to his ego. He like any man wants to be respected and loved. We pray his ego is under the control of strong discipline, reasonable wisdom, strong ethical standards, human compassion, and a love for freedom. Egomaniacs become tyrants who destroy the innocent and helpless to feed their own egos. We pray our President will be humble before his nation, the world, and before God.

Fourth, I pray our new President will be a problem solver instead of being a poll watcher on issues such as the economy. He has made promises which have pushed our expectations past the realm of reality and common sense. Inflated promises are the substance of present day politics but trying to please everyone will eventually please no one. President-elect Obama shoulders a huge responsibility to solve our nation’s problems. Pray for him daily.

Fifth, I pray our soon to be President will be a role model by word and example on the responsibilities fathers and mothers have for their children. I admire him for overcoming the trials of not having a father in his home and being reared in a single parent home. He is coming to power during a time when society has delegated parental responsibility to the school system. The priority is fixing the homes first which would also repair much that is broken in our school systems. Pray for President Obama.

In God’s Love,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister

Our stewardship emphasis for the 2009 budget is now underway as of October 20. For the next four weeks we will study and meditate on the subject of giving from the book of 2 Corinthians with lessons and sermons from chapters 8 and 9. For our daily devotions we have prepared a devotional guide for the next four weeks on the major themes found in Paul’s second letter to the Corinth church. You can pick up your devotional booklet each Sunday at the Information Desk for the coming week. We invite you to pray, study, and learn about giving from the example of the churches of ancient Macedonia as recorded in the second Corinthian letter.

The need for this campaign, Cheerful Giving, is necessary when we consider the state of the economy at the present time. I encourage you to plan your giving to Christ’s Church in 2009 in order to be faithful in your support of the Lord’s work. During times of economic uncertainty we are compelled to plan how we can manage the portion of our incomes after we give God’s share to Him. Alexis and I have always practiced giving a tithe plus an offering to the church.

The question has been asked, “How much would we have if every person at Christ’s Church tithed?” I do not know how many at Christ’ Church tithe but I encourage you to establish the tithe as a goal for your family. If you tithe, thanks for your faithfulness and I know God will bless your support for God’s work. God is not only interested in our amount we give Him but He is also interested in our attitude about giving. Second Corinthians 9:7 describes the attitude God desires, “God loves a cheerful giver.” God wants us to give His portion to Him with joyful and grateful hearts because God is a cheerful Giver. Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus “…for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” From the human viewpoint, we may erroneously believe the less we give the happier we will be. If I give reluctantly to God I will never be happy regardless of how little or how much I give. Giving cheerfully is an awareness of God’s abundant grace so freely given to us through Jesus Christ.

According to 2 Corinthians 8, the churches of first century Macedonia gave with cheerful and joyful hearts to support the needy Christians back in Jerusalem from their severe poverty. True joy in the Christian’s life is present when we struggle with keeping what is God’s but surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and give to Him when we want those financial resources for our own needs. Some of the joy of giving is experiencing God’s blessings on our lives, including our pocketbooks, when we cheerfully give.

Pray daily for good financial health for our church families which will insure good financial health for our church family. Petition God to work through us as we prepare for a challenging and rewarding 2009. The “Cheerful Giving” Campaign will be conducted October 20 thru November 16. Thanks for being a Cheerful Giver.

In His Love,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister

When is the right time to pray? God expects His people to pray when they are experiencing crises in their lives because our God is the God of all comfort and the source of our strengths. Crisis praying is not the only time we petition God. God deserves our prayers of thanksgiving and praise when He has generously given us what we need with an extra portion tossed in for good measure. Actually there is no wrong time to pray! Anytime is the best time to pray!

The best answer to the question about the right time to pray is, “Now!” Now is the time to pray whether it be the present moment or tomorrow’s distant “now.” I believe as I stated on Sunday morning, September 21, that the single greatest factor is the early church’s influence upon the people of the first century was prayer. They prayed ten days before the church was created according to Acts 1. The first converts to Jesus Christ continued daily in prayers according to Acts 2. In Acts chapter 3, the Apostles observed the hour of prayer in the temple at 3:00 in the afternoon. Prayer saturated the life of the early church.

As a church, the time to pray is now because we are standing on the horizon of major decisions about the future. We need to pray for God to give us His wisdom to make decisions now that will affect our future in a positive way. We pray for God to give us the courage and strength to set the pace with our sacrifices to Him as we anticipate a major building/relocation program. Relocating to new property and building a completely new facility is so beyond our present ability that God must be involved. It is time to pray. I request you spend more time in prayer than worrying about the future needs of the church. God will answer us. God will give us wisdom to guide us into the future.

One of our nation’s war heroes was asked this question while rescuing a fellow wounded soldier while under heavy attack, “Were you afraid?” He truthfully answered, “I was scared to death but I refused to let my fears control me.” I encourage you to be as afraid of a new building and relocation program as you are afraid of any major decision you will be making in your life. The bigger the idea the greater will be the fear. Anything great attempted for God will carry a fear of failure. The old hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, says, “O what peace we often forfeit, o what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” A more contemporary lyric says, “Come, now is the time to worship. Come, now is the time to give your heart. Come.”

In His Service,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister

I am presently reading UNchristian, a most provocative piece of research by the Barna Group, which has surveyed what the sixteen to twenty-nine year old adults think of Christianity. My initial reaction to this book is to dismiss it as another attempt to discredit the established church as being irrelevant and out of touch with the rest of our world. The church is always out of favor with a segment of our society because God designed the church to be anticultural and opposed to the relative morals and values of our society. This book is different because it strikes at the heart of our righteous attitude and superior feelings about ourselves. Some of these findings reveal some biases against us but we must not ignore what our younger generation is trying to communicate to us.

David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons have teamed up to awaken the church to our responsibility in this not so-positive attitude the Mosiac generation has developed about us. They have reduced their research into six conclusions that reveal the church does not enjoy a favorable light. We dare not ignore such criticisms because we share some responsibility in the conclusions these young adults have made. The negative themes this research has uncovered should compel us to take a serious inward look at our values and reputation. 1. Hypocritical. Outsiders view the church as hypocritical - saying one thing and doing another - and they are skeptical of our morally superior attitudes. 2. Too focused on getting converts. Outsiders wonder if we genuinely care abou them. They feel like targets to “get saved.” 3. Antihomosexual. Outsiders say Christians are bigoted and show disdain for gays and lesbians. They feel we Christians hate them though Christ wants His people to love everyone regardless of what they do. 4. Sheltered. We are thought of as old-fashioned, boring, and out of touch with reality. They question whether or not we are dealing with reality. 5. Too political. Another common perception of Christians is that we are overly motivated by a political agenda. 6. Judgmental. Outsiders think of Christians as quick to judge others. (Source - Unchristian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2007, pp. 29,30)

My first response to this list was to reject it because I refuse to compromise my belief in the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. These perceptions of Christians are not about our biblical positions on the issues within our society but on our attitudes as Christians about those who are not part of today’s church. Is it possible for us to remain true to our position of being Christians only, based on the Bible only and love people as Christ loves us though they be totally counter to our moral standards? I believe we can and should. Jesus loved sinners and tax collectors though the Pharisees and scribes despised them.

Let us boldly face these criticisms for there is always a remnant of the truth in any criticism. In being painfully forthright about our attitudes we can form a bridge to a generation of people we can help. We seek not to make them another number but to show the grace of God we also experienced when some of God’s people reached across the barriers we had built to show us the way to Christ. Have a Spirit filled day!

In His Service, Terry Jones, Senior Minister of Christ’s Church at Tiffin, Ohio

God is sovereign over everything, everyone, and all time. God is so powerful He is sovereign over the most adverse circumstances in life. Romans 8:28 promises us that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God according to His purpose. Paul is not claiming God causes all that happens though He permits freedom in His will. God is not responsible for the evil that occurs in our world. Actually the presence of evil shows the absence of God’s power and influence over those who practice wickedness.

God has not promised the good will be ours immediately after we suffer through a difficult struggle and neither does God promise the good will be ours for it could be for other’s benefit. We can trust God to work through our sins, mistakes, and offenses for His glory and good. We can lift up our heads in hope for the future belongs to God and we belong to God. God will not fail to keep His Word for He is always faithful. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to claim the promises of God.

In His Service,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister, Christ’s Church at Tiffin

The meeting of Christ’s Church on Sunday evening, July 13, heard a financial report on the progress of ‘Rock Solid Giving’ through the first five months of this year. Due to some unanticipated expenses early in the year, we decided to readjust the 2008 budget with cuts in many of the ministries of the church. Because the giving is almost meeting the budget, the cuts plus some additional giving from the church will find us in good condition by the end of the year. Thanks for your participation in the financial support of Christ’s Church at Tiffin.

After we heard the financial update Bryan Ardner informed us of the developments involving our present property and the possibility of relocating to another lot. Mercy Hospital has become our new neighbor to our south after relocating from their Market Street location. The hospital has made an offer to purchase our present land and facilities to add to their new campus. Christ’s Church at Tiffin has an opportunity to purchase 25 acres of land about eight tenths of a mile from this present facility. The sale of our present property minus the cost of the 25 acres will give us over a half million dollars. The half million dollars will provide more space than we have with our present facilities. Public utilities are available at the new location on CR 591 which joins US 224 to Findlay.

We want you to be informed about this plan for future facilities and land (tools). Follow-up informational meetings are scheduled for Sunday evening, July 20 and Wednesday, July 23 at 6:00 PM. We leaders request your prayers for wisdom as we lead. Pray for Christ’s Church as we plan for the future.

God Bless,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister

The introduction of contemporary Christian music with its guitars, drums, syntherizers, and other electronic instruments brings an element of excitement to churches using this style of worship. Along with this excitement has arisen an uneasiness among those worshipers who prefer the hymns. As a biblically based group of Christians we seek biblical justication for new styles of worship or if we are opposed to contemporay Christian music we search for biblical reasons to oppose this style of Christian music. When a contemporary worship leader is asked to biblically justify the use of today’s Christian music, we hear quotes from the Psalms about praising God with the harp, the lyre, the tamborines, the cymbals, etc. A counter response comes quickly, “You cannot justify contemporary Christian music with the Psalms because we do not use the Old Testament.” Our tradition as independent churches seeking to restore the New Testament church is to dismiss the use of Old Testament Scriptures to support New Testament church practices.

The issue then moves us to a different arena on the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament Church. Does Psalm 150 provide a valid reason for using various types of musical instruments in a church worship service? If we dismiss the Old Testament as a component of our theology, belief in God, then we can oppose contemporary Christian music by arguing that the Old Testament cannot support this style of music and the New Testament is basically silent about the issue. If we reject the Old Testament as authoritative in matters of today’s church we will conclude, therefore, that today’s contemporary Christian music is not acceptable for New Testament Christians.

Is this conclusion valid biblically? Before we dismiss the Old Testament as outdated pre-Christian literatue, we need to re-examine the New Testament’s approach to the Old Testament and particularly to the Psalms. Have you ever counted the quotes of the Old Testament in the New Testament? Before you start your count I must remind you quotes from the Old Testament and the Psalms are too numerous to calculate.

I refer you to a few instances of the use of the Old Testament and the Psalms to support New Testament teachings and practices. In Matthew 2, the magi learned from the chief priest and scribes that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem from the Old Testament prophet, Micah. To resist the temptations of the devil Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13,16. When Jesus was dying on the cross He quoted Psalm 22:1 - “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

When Peter preached on the first Pentecost feast after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he quoted from King David’s Psalms. Peter declares Psalm 16 is a prophecy that the body of the Christ would not be left in Hades and His body would not see decay. Peter explains that the only way for someone to not be left in Hades (the unseen abode of the spirit of the saved dead)and the body to not experience decay is to be resurrected as King David predicted. In Acts 2, Peter also used the most frequently quoted Psalm in the New Testament, Psalm 110:1 - The Lord said to My Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

The author of Hebrews depends heavily upon quotations from the Psalms. The Hebrew writer’s target audience, Jewish believers, would understand and accept the Psalms as their sacred Scriptures. Most of the twenty-nine books of the New Testament rely upon the Psalms for support for establishing Christian teachings. The question before us is, What shall we do with the book of Psalms? Is the Psalms to be limited to being supporting Scriptures for New Testament teachings with quotes from the comforting Psalms such as Psalm 23? I think not!

I believe God intends for us to use the Psalms to worship and praise God. In addition to reading the Psalms to lead us in worship, I also believe the Old Testament “hymnal” qualifies to guide us on how to worship God. The Bible does not instruct us on the volume of the service or which instruments are acceptable. We make those choices guided by wisdom and the vision of the church. As past church music controversies have taught us, patience with one another will lead us to joyful praise to our Lord Jesus Christ and preserve the unity Jesus desires from His church.

God bless,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister

On Sunday morning, July 6, we will add an eight o’clock worship service with a classic hymn format. The other two worship services at 9:30 and 11:00 will be changed to present a more celebrative approach to worship with upbeat music and different format. The content of the Word of God will remain the same though we may alter our method of preaching the message of Christ. We believe these changes will open wider the gateway for the unchurched in our community to attend worship services at Christ’s Church at Tiffin.

Why are we departing from the blended style of worship services? The blended style of worship is not working in churches today as it once did several years ago. One writer states blended music in worship irritates the groups who desires a more contemporary sound as well as the other groups who prefers more hymns. We appear to be reaching neither group as well as we believe we can do.

The early morning time for the classic service deserves some explanation. As staff and leaders we wrestled with the proper time for this service to best accomodate those who prefer this service. Saturday evening was ruled out because most of us want to worship on Sunday. Sunday afternoon and evening were discarded due to the fact that we prefer worshiping on Sunday morning. We discussed at length turning the 9:30 or 11:00 service into a classic service but we would have to reformat the worship program for our youth for this change.

The decision was made to insert a new classic worship service into the 8:00 AM time to not disturb the other schedule already in place. We realize this time is early and will require some sacrifices on behalf of those who plan to attend it. I will be required to be at the facility one to two hours earlier to preach at this service. The worship team for the early service will be required to be at the church site much earlier. Their practice will be at 7:00 AM to be ready for the 8:00 service. Many of us will be giving more time and effort for this new schedule. I appreciate your willinginess to give this new plan an opportunity for the church to be more effective in our ministry to reach others.

Churches grow when her leaders launch out into ministries that challenge our comfort zone. The best decisions I have observed in my ministry are those risky, prayed over, and fearful changes we make. God reaches out to us when we take a step of faith that stretches us beyond where we think we can go. I want God to surprise us with growth in quality and quantity at Christ’s Church.

In His Service,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister

For years I have been giving couples, who request I perform their wedding ceremony, an evaluation called PREPARE, produced by Life Innovations of Minneapolis. This organization offers several different versions for engaged couples with no children, couples with children, and cohabitating couples. The survey examines fifteen areas of a relationship including the major issues of communication, financial management, family, conflict resolution, and beliefs. After Life Innovations returns the results of the survey, we meet for several sessions to enhance the relationship strengths and work with the areas needing growth. All who participate in this evaluation or another type of survey respond with positive feedback about how this training provides them for marriage. Hundreds of thousands of couples have been able to apply the principles to their own marriage resulting in a less stressful home environment and a stronger marriage relationship.

PREPARE uses biblical principles to support the Christian view of marriage without explicit reference to the Scriptures or biblical terminology. All pre-marital training requires discipline coupled with a commitment to the principles that make a marriage permanent and fulfilled. Preparing people for marriage demands extra effort on everyone involved including us who perform the ceremony. I enjoy assisting a young couple through the preparation for their ceremony and for the application of those principles that make a fulfilled marriage.

As a church, we feel the pressure to give up on biblical marriage in light of the recent news that the state of California is now permitting same sex marriages. Our contribution as Christians to a secular world that has little or no understanding of a biblical marriage is to present the basic guidelines for a Christian marriage and model those principles with our marriage. Ephesians chapter five places marriage within the context of both spouses being submissive to God while the wife submits to the leadership of her husband. The husband in submission to God loves his wife just as Christ loves the church and gave up Himself for the church. The wife is instructed to submit to her husband and respect him while the husband is guided to love, nourish, cherish, and care for his wife. Repetition in a Scriptural passage reveals the subject is a major issue. The submission of the wife is mentioned twice as compared to the husband loving his wife being mentioned four times.

We never give up the goal of a biblical marriage though the breakdown of marriages among evangelical believers is the same rate as the divorce rate of the unchurched. Our failures are not a signal that a biblical marriage is unattainable. Instead, the Word of God and the successful marriages both testify biblical marriage is worthwhile and attainable. If you are in a struggling marriage, seek help from a professional counselor before declaring your marriage hopeless and beyond repair. If you have endured the agony of a divorce, encourage family members and friends to seek after a biblical marriage. Why? Marriage according to biblical standards is worth all the discipline, self-denial, repentance and cost it may occur. Remember that breaking up a marriage is also painful and costly. A biblical marriage is a goal worthy of achieving.

Sincerely,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister of Christ’s Church at Tiffin

Praise to the glory of God is essential in our worship of God. We do not naturally gravitate toward praise and glory to anyone, especially God, after living in a world that conditions us to give our attention to the sensationalism of trouble, conflict and disaster. As a church of the Lord Jesus Christ we step outside the habits of our world to bring praises to Jesus Christ for His goodness and mercy. The book of Ephesians is a letter written to first century Christians in the church at Ephesus to develop the grand themes of God’s grace and mercy with practical applications about how Christians are to love one another with a forgiving attitude. In the exhortation section Paul also addresses the subject of the family, marriage, and training children. Ephesians is not addressing church problems but is a celebration of the mercy and grace of God.

His letter to the Ephesian Christians is saturated with gratitude and praise to Jesus Christ for His gift of salvation to all of us who were “dead in trespasses and sins.” After acknowledging the greatness of the love of Christ that “surpasses knowledge” he delivers a doxology or praise to God in 3:20, 21. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask of think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” We praise our God because He is able to do “far more abundantly beyond” what we ask or think. Paul has emptied his dictionary of modifiers to describe God’s power at work within us. English translators use far, more, abundantly, and beyond to begin to praise God for His power at work within us.

Paul answers three questions about praise to God. When? Who? How long? We praise Jesus Christ NOW. ALL generations are to praise Him. We will praise Him FOREVER and EVER. Since we will praise God forever, we must get started now. Amen or “so be it.”

In His Service,
Terry Jones, Senior Minister