At Red Mesa Fellowship, partnership is more than a name on a roll — it’s a shared commitment to Christ and to one another. A thriving partner is someone who leans into that commitment with joy, faith, and love.

To thrive as a partner means actively joining God’s work among His people — gathering, growing, serving, giving, and witnessing for His glory. Here’s what that looks like in everyday life.

1. Commitment to Gather and Grow

God shapes His people through His Word and through His church. Thriving partners make worship and fellowship a regular rhythm of life, knowing that faith grows best in community.
They participate in worship, pursue spiritual growth through Scripture and prayer, and remain open to teaching, correction, and encouragement.

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together…but encouraging one another.” — Hebrews 10:24–25

When we gather, we remind each other of the gospel and of our shared mission. Our unity in worship strengthens our witness to the world.

2. Care for One Another

Partnership means belonging to a spiritual family — and families take care of one another. A thriving partner looks beyond their own needs to the well-being of others, offering prayer, encouragement, and practical help.

Caring for one another is more than kindness; it’s obedience to Christ. We are called to bear each other’s burdens and to receive care in humility when we need it.

Thriving partners show this by:

• Praying regularly for fellow believers
• Serving when needs arise
• Welcoming accountability and encouragement with grace

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” — Colossians 3:12–13

As we extend the love of Christ to one another, the church becomes a living testimony of His compassion and forgiveness.

3. Engagement in Ministry

Every believer has been gifted by the Spirit for the good of the church. A thriving partner doesn’t simply attend — they participate. Out of love for Christ, they look for ways to use their time and abilities to serve.

That may mean joining a ministry team, mentoring another believer, teaching children, helping with music or hospitality, or supporting outreach and missions. However it’s expressed, service is an act of worship.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” — 1 Peter 4:10

The church grows strong and mature when every member contributes to the body’s health and mission.

4. Faithful Giving

Generosity is one of the clearest signs of a heart anchored in grace. Thriving partners give cheerfully to support the ministry of the church and the advance of the gospel.

We give not to earn favor but to express gratitude — trusting God to provide and rejoicing that we can share in His work.

Faithful giving includes:

• Regular, intentional contributions to the church
• Supporting special needs or missions as God leads
• Viewing generosity as worship, not obligation

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7

Generosity reminds us that everything we have belongs to the Lord. In giving, we reflect His own generosity toward us in Christ.

5. Submission to Leadership and Christ’s Design

Christ is the head of the church, and He cares for His people through the leaders He provides. Thriving partners honor that design by praying for elders and deacons, supporting their leadership, and helping preserve unity in the body.

Submission is not blind obedience but a posture of trust — trusting that Christ is at work through the shepherds He has called.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” — Ephesians 4:11–12

When we walk together in humility and unity, the church displays the wisdom and beauty of God’s order.

6. Witness in the World

The life of a thriving partner extends far beyond Sunday gatherings. Each believer is a light in the world, called to live as a faithful disciple of Jesus wherever God has placed them.
This witness shows up in everyday faithfulness — integrity at work, grace in the home, love toward neighbors, and courage to speak the gospel when opportunities arise.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” — Matthew 5:14

As partners live out the gospel publicly, the watching world sees a glimpse of the kingdom of God.

Our Commitment to You

Partnership is mutual. Just as members commit to one another, the elders and leaders of Red Mesa Fellowship commit to care for the flock entrusted to them.

We pledge to:

• Faithfully preach and teach God’s Word
• Pray diligently for the church
• Guard against false teaching
• Provide care, counsel, and discipline when needed
• Equip the saints for ministry and mission

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” — Hebrews 13:17

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight… not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly… being examples to the flock.” — 1 Peter 5:2–3

Our goal as leaders is to serve with joy and humility so that the whole church might flourish under Christ’s headship.

In Summary

A thriving partner is not defined by perfection but by devotion — devotion to Christ, His Word, and His people.

Together, we seek to be a church that gathers to worship, grows in grace, cares deeply, serves faithfully, gives generously, and witnesses boldly — all under the authority of Jesus Christ and for the glory of God.

I know a guy here in St. George with an LDS upbringing (not uncommon) who asked “so what exactly does someone have to do to be saved and Christian and stuff?” Knowing his background, I understood why he was asking. After all, when the whole “plan” is laid out in front of you, you get used to religion working a certain way. The important people at the top tell the less important people at the bottom what they have to do. I don’t have to tell you (if you’re LDS) all that entails. The more you do, the better you feel about yourself.
God gave man rules too. He called it his law. There were standards for dress, food, human relations, and human to God relations. God’s law was like a toggle switch. Obey or disobey. Disobedience opened the door to destruction and obedience opened the door to prosperity. Of course, you don’t have to read very far to notice how badly man failed over and over again. There was (and still is) an important element misfiring in the anatomy of man that caused him to persist in rebellion. We’ll call this malfunctioning element the heart of man.
According to one particular Prophet in the Bible, “the heart of man is deceitful, above all things and desperately sick. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We need a new heart. A bad heart flips that toggle switch the wrong way because of its twisted condition. That heart is convinced that sin will bring satisfaction that God cannot. It wants pleasure without God. But if we had a new heart, it would change us in this way: Instead of loving ourselves most, we would love God most. As a result, the switch would be switched in a way that reflects our new nature. When our heart is good, we do good.
In order to be a Christian, you need to be new. Jesus called it being “born again”. The good news is that just like being born the first time, it takes little effort on the baby’s part. It just happens. It happens when the Spirit of God calls you to life! To answer my friends question on how to be a Christian, the answer is to be supernaturally changed. Since we can’t do that ourselves, we have to ask God to do it. After all, the Bible promises “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”.
How was this overlooked in the old Testament? Well, actually it wasn’t. According to several Old Testament prophets, this concept (of needing heart-change) was understood, it just wasn’t possible. They knew that messiah was the only one who had the power to bring it about. Jesus (God and 2nd person of God) finally came and gave the essential key to unlock what we couldn’t attain. The key to our life was his death. He died in our place then rose again to give us new life here and forevermore. So do Christians need a law? Not anymore! We have what the law could never give. We have a new heart. Now we serve God out of love. Come to my Church and we’ll be happy to show you what it looks like!

One objection to Biblical Christianity is often one that has to do with interpreting the Bible correctly. The argument is that since there are so many different interpretations of a text by so many denominations, there is no way of truly being able to know which interpretation is most valid.
This objection is popular in an LDS demographic. Mormons believe that their interpretations to various scriptures are correct because they have been given by the authority of the office of a prophet. They believe their authorities have the final say as to how to interpret the Bible. Therefore, any other interpretation that differs from the interpretation they have given can be dismissed.
Although this reasoning is convenient, it does not account for the possibility that someone who holds the office of a prophet is misrepresenting a passage of scripture. Is blind-faith in the prophet’s final word a biblical idea? Are there biblical examples of people holding the office of prophet who were misleading people?
The answer to these questions is found in Deuteronomy 13:1-4. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him (ESV).
Some notable observations can be made from these passages. First, it is clear that a person can hold the office of a prophet (authenticated by signs) and mislead the people of God. Second, not only is it possible, but in the case of Israel, it was expected. These prophets were sent by God to test Israel so that they would not blindly follow them. To the contrary, they were expected to be able to discern whether that prophet was teaching in accordance to the commands they were already given.
So, it seems God assumes the people understood the Bible well enough to tell whether a prophet was reinterpreting who God is. Another example of this is found in Isaiah 8:19-20. “19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” (ESV)
Obviously, Isaiah is referring to the people going to “spiritual people” for answers when they should have been going to God. How do we go to God? According to this passage, we inquire of God by inquiring of his word. If a spiritual person does not speak in accordance to his word, they “have no dawn”. Having no dawn means they lack the ability to see the truth. The Bible gives insight and a prophet’s word is void when it contradicts what is written. From these passages alone, we can affirm that the Lord expects his word to be used to affirm prophets, he does not use prophets to affirm his word.
This begs the question: how can I be sure I am interpreting a text properly? Glad you asked! Although it seems daunting, interpreting a Bible passage is no different than interpreting any written document.
Imagine you’re digging through an attic of a long-dead relative. You open a chest and find several letters. You probably wouldn’t open a letter and read a sentence three paragraphs down and expect to understand what it meant. Who wrote the letter? To whom was it addressed? What are some key pieces of information that would identify the subject matter and the issues discussed? This is called Observation and it is the first necessary step in interpreting the Bible. We ask the same questions when we come across a Biblical passage. Who wrote this? When in Israel’s history was it written? Who was it written to and what are the issues going on? Is this a prophetic book? Is this a narrative (story), is this a letter? These features can be identified by anyone and they are instrumental in concluding the meaning of any particular verse.
Now that you have the necessary information, the interpretation work can be ascertained. Each verse can be understood in the context of the book, the chapter and the preceding verses. If you did a sufficient job observing the relevant details, the meaning of the passage comes easy! There is a common mishandling of the word that is worth mentioning and it is usually the reason for how a passage can be interpreted to various conclusions.
The three parts of how to teach a Bible passage are in the observation, the interpretation, and the application. The observation is the work of collecting important details like I mentioned. The interpretation is done when the observed details are comprehended and placed in order to form a meaningful message. The application is simply taking the meaning the author intended to the audience and concluding how that applies to the life of the believer today. Many people skip the interpretation and move directly to application. But this is a vital error in the handling of God’s word.
We have to remember that the books of the Bible were not addressed directly to us and the context of our world. Taking our world-view and applying it where the world-view of the intended audience belongs will affect the proper interpretation of a passage. Here’s an example: Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (ESV)
Without doing the work of observation I could easily conclude that according to this verse God has nothing but good coming my way. It can be tempting to read a verse like this and apply it to my world before considering the world of the people it was written to. In doing so, I would miss that this verse was written to Judah (Southern Kingdom) that was about to go into a 70-year exile to Babylon. The people reading it were going to lose their homes, their national identity and would die in Babylon without ever seeing their homeland again. This promise was not personal, it was corporate.
God was assuring them that as a nation, they still had God’s best intentions ahead of them. So, without doing the appropriate investigation, I could easily conclude something that this verse never intended. This verse is about the nation of Israel, not an individual, therefore to conclude that it is meant for me (as an individual) would be a bad application drawn from a poor interpretation concluded from very little observation. A proper application would be to conclude that God keeps his promises even when things look bleak. I can hold on to a promise like that!
It does not take a theology degree or a special anointing to understand the Bible. It only takes a person who is willing to commit to the work of understanding a passage based on context. Context of the verses that precede, context of the book itself, and context of the historical relevance. These can all be observed from the Bible itself. With these tools, any preacher can be challenged by any person if that person simply exercises the mind that God gave them.

Good is the Enemy of Best
I have a weakness for videos on YouTube where the guy goes out into the wild and builds a cabin. What took months to do is reduced to a two-hour compilation of all the steps it took for him to go into the wild and carve out a place to live. It fascinates me to see so much skill on display. These guys don’t waste time on the needless things, they spend their energy doing only what is necessary. This is because they still need to hunt, gather and preserve food in addition to building the place that will keep them warm in the winter months.
            Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine what it would be like to watch the snow fall outside while you sat comfortably next to your wood-stove eating the food you gathered. How satisfying to confidently face the winter knowing you have all the provisions necessary. You have plenty of food, a fresh mountain stream flowing nearby, and plenty of fire-wood. Now imagine that after a big drink of water from that stream, you start to feel a little sick. The stream never gave you any trouble before, but now you’re certain there is something wrong with the water. There are two ways of dealing with the problem.
            You could start taking the time to boil the water before using it. Then water would be potable again! Unfortunately, this solution would take more time and resources. More wood will be needed, more wood will need to be gathered. This will take more energy and more energy will require more food consumption. More food consumption means more hunting in an environment that will take more energy to accomplish. More time hunting means less time to gather wood. Less wood means it will be more difficult to boil more water. So, what’s the other way of dealing with the problem?
            Find the reason the water is bad. If on investigating the cause of contamination, you discover a dead cow rotting up-stream, you’ll have discovered the root of the issue. Instead of treating a secondary problem with a perpetual solution, you could eliminate the primary problem with a permanent solution. Both these options were good options because they both solved the immediate problem. But only one option was the best option. Good is the enemy of best.
Children’s Ministry
            Our church doesn’t have to imagine having a minimal children’s ministry, we have one. If a child is old enough to be in the first grade, they are expected to sit in the worship service with their parents. All ages younger than that are welcomed to either the nursery or to a pre-school-level program during the service. We have plenty of volunteers for the program we have, so like that man in his cabin, this pastor felt content with what we were offering. But recently, I was informed that there was concern about how the older kids in our church may be spiritually-malnourished.
            The concern is that the kids who are too old to be downstairs are not able to comprehend the sermons. So, although the babies and toddlers are being ministered to and the adults are being ministered to, the children have no one to teach them the Bible. Now that is a concern that is worth finding a solution to! Making the Bible known to children ought to be a top priority.
            We could start by taking the time to develop a new Sunday School program for multiple grades so that kids can get an age-appropriate Bible education. Unfortunately, this solution would take more time and resources. More volunteers would be needed in addition to the ones who already volunteer for the current children’s ministry. A new coordinator would be needed to get volunteers all lined-out on expectations, security background checks, and time commitments. There would need to be a consensus on a quality curriculum that all the parents could agree on. This means curriculum would need to be reviewed and approved before implementation.  This paragraph is exhausting.
Dead Cow
            Let me tell you about a little boy named Manasseh. He was a boy who began to reign as king in Jerusalem at age 12. He was a naughty boy who grew into a naughty man. Manasseh clearly did not have a Sunday-school program. Perhaps if he had, he would know that idols were bad and would not have built them back up (2Kings 21:3). He would have known not to set up pagan alters in the Temple (2Kings 21:4). He would have learned that burning your own children alive was a sin (2Kings 21:6) and, who knows, perhaps that Sunday-school program could have prevented Jerusalem’s worst moral decline to date (2Kings 21:9). Manasseh was a problem.
            We get a clue to why a Manasseh can happen by reading the preceding chapter to this story. In 2Kings 20:12-15, we learn that Two years before he was born, his father Hezekiah got a knock on the door one day and in walks a whole envoy of Babylonians with get-well cards because they heard he was sick. He is so flattered that he decides to show the Babylonians all the spices and riches of his kingdom (it’s the least he could do). Sometimes flattery gets the best of us.
It didn’t take a prophet to predict what happens when you show-off your riches to a nation of thieves, but God sends Isaiah to spell it out for him anyway. Isaiah delivers God’s message to Hezekiah that all the wealth of all of his fathers and all Israel was going to be carried into Babylon and his own children would be castrated and forced into slavery (2Kings 20:16-18). Now here is Hezekiah’s response: “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good” (2Kings 20:19, ESV).
So, let’s get this straight: Hezekiah has been informed by God’s prophet that his foolish act would make him responsible for losing everything and the babies he bounced on his knee would one day be slaves in another kingdom and he calls that news “good”? Something’s starting to smell like a rotten cow and you get the full picture when you read the rest of the verse: “For he thought ‘Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?’”. In other words, Hezekiah cared more about his own comfort than he did about the future of his own children. Manasseh’s come from apathetic Hezekiah’s.
Here comes the Boom
            Sunday school programs are a good way of dealing with the issue of grade-schoolers not being taught the Word, but if there were a dead cow up-stream, we might want to address that first. Here it is: children are Biblically illiterate because their parents are apathetic. Children are like streams of water. They come from somewhere, and they carry the environment of the place they come from: “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt-water… neither can a salt pond yield fresh water” (James 3:11-12).
I know this comes across pretty strong and I truly hope that it does: if you have children and they do not know the Bible, you should know that this is entirely your fault. If you say “well Sam, I can’t teach my kids the Bible, because no one ever taught me”; let’s get real: You own a Bible. you have an adult brain. You know people who can answer your questions. The only reason you don’t teach your kids is because you think someone else should do it for you. If someone neglects the responsibility of feeding their children, they might say it’s because they cannot cook, but if you can feed yourself, you can feed your kid. The same goes with the Word of God.  
Now if after reading this blog, you’re hard-headed enough to persist in your apathy, and you still insist churches should do it for you, then I have to at least appreciate that you want the water boiled, but please don’t mistake me for thinking you wise. Wise and responsible parents teach their children about the Bible because that is what is best because it is what God expects. (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4, Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 2 Timothy 3:14-15, Psalm 127:3-5, Proverbs 1:8-9, Deuteronomy 4:9, Matthew 19:14).
How Now Dead Cow?
So, who’s ready to pull out the rotten cow of apathy? If you value the truth and truly care about your child learning God’s Word, let’s do this! Instead of saying things like “I feel bad for the generations after me” let’s start doing something about it! Let’s arm our kids and our grandkids! If you have adult children, it’s never too late to spend time talking with them about the Word. I still talk to my dad about it! You may even have grandchildren who would love hearing a great Bible story from their grandparents over the phone! It’s never too late! It’s also never too little.
Sometimes people just need to know how to start. Start small. Pick one day a week where after dinner you simply read the Bible out-loud with your kids. Maybe you just read a verse. Even if it starts small, what’s important is that it starts. If you’re unsure of how to get started with teaching the Bible, read the blog I wrote before this one. Talk to your pastor and pick up a commentary he would recommend. Parents, teaching the Word to our children is our responsibility. Let’s take that on for the glory of God!

We make a big deal of the cross that Jesus bore. Where I live, that seems confusing to most of my neighbors. There are several reasons why. I want to share a few of those reasons, briefly respond to them then give the reason we as Christ-followers glory in the cross.
Objections:

1. If the cross was where Jesus suffered, why would you choose to be reminded of Jesus suffering instead of his life?

               Actually, the cross doesn’t make us happy. It doesn’t make us sad. It brings                 us joy.

2. If Jesus died in an electric chair, would you wear that on your neck?

                Yes.

3. Isn’t it better to glory in the resurrection instead of the cross?

                No. It’s best to give both achievements their due respect. Jesus deserves                      glory for both.
The reason why we glory in the cross:

1. The cross brings us joy because it is the means by which God saves transgressors.

Isaiah 53:11-12 says “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
If you are a transgressor of God’s holy law, the only hope you have is in the death of Jesus which satisfied the righteous requirement of God. Paul says in Romans 5:8-9 that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
If you are a sinner, the cross is the doorway to your salvation.

2. The cross is a symbol of our salvation and our way of life.

Jesus said that if any man would come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me (Luke 16:24). We don’t believe Jesus was referring to a small trinket on our neck. That image only reminds us that the cost of being a Jesus follower is a willingness to follow him even to the extent that we too hang from a cross as he did. Today, ISIS is crucifying Christians demanding them to die like Jesus died. Their martyrdom is the cross Jesus was referring to. 
Paul said in Galatians 2:20 that “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but he who lives through me and the life I live, I live for the one who loved me and gave himself for me.”
The cross is just as much a symbol of Christ’s death as it is our own. If our lives have been given over to him, there is no place we will not go in his name, even if he calls us to a death like his.

3. The resurrection is our guarantee that the cross was sufficient.

Jesus wasn’t the first person to be crucified. Rome had already employed crucifixion as a form of capital punishment.  They killed people in many ways, but crucifixion was by far the cruelest. It was intended to be the longest (sometimes it took days), the most excruciating, the most humiliating, and the most public.
Jesus told Nicodemus “as the Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15). When the soldiers at the cross offered him wine mixed with gall to numb the pain before his crucifixion he refused it (Matt 27:34). He intended to go to the cross and he chose to suffer the cross to the full extent. But how can we be sure his sacrifice was sufficient to take away sin? How can we be sure that it was enough?
The answer is in the resurrection.
1Corinthians 15:14 Paul says that “… If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”
Death is the payment for sin according to Romans 5. Death is judgement for sin. We are confident in Christ’s death because his death was swallowed up in victory. Because his death was swallowed up into victory by his resurrection, we have confidence that our death will also have no power over us. Our death is swallowed up into victory (1Cor 15:54).
The resurrection is the crowning event of Christ’s work on the cross.
Make no mistake. Disciples of Jesus glory in the cross. We do not glory in the image, we glory in the message. The message of the cross is redemption. The message of the cross is redemption by death; death of the Son of God. This death was sufficient to be a death that you can receive on your account.
Because of the cross, because of his death, you can have life. If you have life, you have no fear of death.
The cross is the greatest thing we could ever cherish.
 
                 
 

There is a topic that I have been meaning to address lately and it is one that will no doubt conflict with the ways of the world. When it comes to spanking your children, the world, by and large, views this practice as brutal and unnecessary. But my concern as a pastor is that young parents in the church are beginning to agree with this notion as well. This concern rises from my own personal observation of the way children are permitted to behave in the church. For the love of the parents and the children, I write this blog.
Spanking is not mean.
God’s Word regarding spanking is that disciplining children by inflicting pain with a rod does not harm them, it saves them.
     Do not withhold discipline from a child;
          if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
     If you strike him with the rod,
          you will save his soul from Sheol. (Prov 23:13-14)
I think it goes without saying, but I will say it just in case: The motivation for spanking is not out of emotion. It is out of reason. The reason we spank is for our children to be wise. Wisdom is crowned with long life (Prov. 16:31). Folly leads to an early grave (Eccles 7:17).
Some believe that spanking should be a last resort because they believe it to be a mean activity. The result is that spankings that do happen are so infrequent and gentle, they function more like a strange ritual than a simple spanking. But the truth is that withholding this form of discipline is not a kindness to your child, it is an act of hatred (Prov 13:24). Therefore, spanking is done out of love, not out of unkindness.
Spanking has a function.
God’s Word explains that the purpose of this form of discipline is that it is effective for extracting the folly that comes natural to children.
     Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
          but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. (Prov 22:15)
Folly is just a word that describes the actions of a fool. Fools hate authority and instruction because fools make their own rules. This is the nature of your precious child. You may not like it, but it’s in there. The only way to get it out is with pain. If your child is acting foolish, it’s time to bring the pain. The more foolish the child, the more frequent the pain.
Folly takes two forms: sinful behavior (immoral actions) and insubordination. When a child clearly violates what he or she knows to be right or they act in defiance of their parents or other leaders, it’s time for a spanking. Typically, the number of swats is related to the degree of the offense. This is calculated with thoughtful (not emotional) consideration of the parent. The goal is that the folly presented is answered with the appropriate pain level. Pain is the necessary component, so be sure that no matter how many swats are rendered, pain is rendered with each stroke. If they’re not crying from the pain, they’re not in pain.
Insubordination comes in three forms:

• Disobedience: If you know your child heard you and they ignored you.
• Sass: When your child retorts verbally or nonverbally with disdain for your instruction. This takes the form of talking back, rolling eyes, slamming doors, throwing a tantrum, etc.
• Whining: When your child pouts, cries or moans when given instruction.

Spanking leads to wisdom
God’s Word claims that the use of the rod is for giving Wisdom.
    The rod and reproof give wisdom,
         but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (Prov 29:15)
Reasoning with a child who is during their folly is a useless endeavor (Prov 17:12). When I see a child throwing a tantrum and their well-meaning parent take them aside and start instructing them, I feel like I’m watching someone leave their gas can on the side of the road and push their car to the gas station.
Spank first, explain later.
The correction you are imparting to your children is the vital wisdom they need, but that correction is falling on deaf ears until the pain of a proper spanking has opened them up.
That’s the reason we’re spanking. It isn’t out of anger. It’s out of love. It is not simply to inflict pain. It is inflicting pain for that pain to have its effect. It softens the pride so that instruction can be heard.
So, let’s make spanking great again! You’ll be glad you did; God’s Word says so.

The term “gold-digger” summons a certain caricature of a human that most find revolting. Typically, it conjures up an image of a trophy wife who cares for a man three times her age for reasons that serve only her. At the end of the day, what motivates her to devote herself to her husband is the pay-out when he finally kicks the bucket. She’s not interested in his family. She’s not interested in his past. She’s not interested in him. She’s interested in the pay-out, and so long as she’s got that coming, she’ll do whatever is necessary to that end.
As despicable as this kind of person may be, and however easy it is to despise someone like this, you might be surprised to recognize some familiar features in your own heart. You may be a bit of a gold-digger yourself. Consider these three questions:
Why do you worship God?
In Isaiah 29:13 the Great Prophet hit Israel right between the eyes with a heavy indictment that Jesus would later repeat. They knew the right things to say, and they knew how to busy themselves with actions they presumed God cared about, but at the end of the day, their hearts were far from God. They had reasons for worshipping God, but their hearts were somewhere else.
Is your heart somewhere else?
This generation may be dying out, but there are still unsaved church-goers that go to church, sing the songs, and even go to Bible studies. They go because it is “the right thing to do”. People go to college because they believe it’s “the right thing to do”, they rotate their tires because it’s “the right thing to do”. But let’s put that reasoning into another relationship and see if it sounds right.
If a wife were to look over at her husband after 20 years of marriage and say “Wow, 20 years! We’re still together! Even after all the disagreements, the crazy pregnancies, my intruding parents, how’d you stick with me for so long?” How do you think she would feel if his answer was “Well honey, it’s the right thing to do”?
The answer is true enough! But it might need some explanation. There are may reasons people stay married. But there is only one good reason. It is because they express their love for each other in devotion. It should not be because divorce is expensive or that you’re looking forward to his or her cash when they die. The same is true for a genuine relationship with God.
When you hear things like “the will of God”, what comes to mind?
Some people hear “the will of God” and they suspect that these are the things required of them in order to get what they have coming. They’re nervous about dying and they want to know what they can do to have some peace of mind. They want to know the bare minimum requirements for making it to heaven by the skin of their teeth.
Others hear “the will of God” and they eagerly search out God’s word to know his thoughts and actions they spend time in prayer telling God how they feel about him. They do all this because they want to know how to please God. They’re going to meet him one day and they want to hear “well done”.
One of these attitudes reflects the mind of a gold-digger and the other reflects the mind of a woman in love.
So, when it comes to why you do the things you do for Jesus, why do you do them?

I remember going into a house of mirrors at a carnival when I was in high school and what caught my eye most was how I could see myself from all angles. I looked totally different than I presumed I would. Some of the angles I liked, but others I didn’t like. Before I walked in, I had no idea how attractive and unattractive certain perspectives of me could be.
This concept was affirmed years later when my 87 year old barber instructor taught me that no one actually knows what they look like. He explained that the person we see in the mirror is only one of many perspectives. Nonetheless, most people presume everyone else sees them as they see themselves. That is one part of what they see, but the truth is that everyone else has a much better understanding of the way we look because they see us from all angles.
Have you ever looked at a picture someone took of you and hated how you looked in it? Maybe you thought you looked strange. Did you ever wonder why no one else thought you looked strange? That’s because as strange as you think you looked, what you thought was strange everyone else thought was normal. It only offended you because it contradicted your previously held perception.
Like a house of mirrors, being involved in your church and allowing others to speak honestly into your life gives you the chance to understand how others see your behavior. Conversely, coming on Sunday and avoiding genuine fellowship with the rest of the body allows you to maintain your own perception of your character.
Proverbs 18:1 says “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgement.”
It is easier to remain as you are and keep believing that you have no ugly sides. It doesn’t feel good when someone points out an area in your life that needs to be improved. If your goal in life is to be attractive to yourself, then carry on, but if you’re a Christian, you should desire purity (1 John 3:3), not the perception of purity.
When we’re eating out, after we’ve finished eating, my wife will look at me and ask if there is anything in her teeth. She gives me the expression of a ravenous wolf and I tell her if I see any food stuck in there. She asks me because she feels most comfortable with me. She asks me because she knows I’ll give her the straight answer. She doesn’t want the answer that will make her feel better, she asks because she wants the truth.
If you want to know if an action or an attitude you have is ugly, you probably have people you trust to ask. The more the merrier. The more perspectives you have, the more likely you will get to the truth of who you are. Some parts of you may be more beautiful than you think. Other parts may need some improvement. You won’t really know, if you don’t get involved.
So if you aren’t already involved in a church-group where others can get to know you and you can get to know them, it’s time to step away from your own mirror. After all, the more people get to know you, the more they can teach you about the way you are. Get to know the church, so you can get to know yourself.
Don’t forget that you add an important perspective as well. You will be able to offer insight that we need the way we will offer insight you need. By pulling away, you may be robbing someone of insight that will help them grow in purity. So, stop isolating! You don’t need to have it all together in church and if you’re human, we already know you’ve got issues because we all have issues. Let’s grow together (Prov 27:17)!
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head running down the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon. Which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” (Psalm 133)
Fellowship with the body is life in Christ. Unity is not uniformity. We will likely always disagree on something. Unity is a singular commitment to the mission and the people on mission. When Aaron was consecrated for his priestly work, all Israel was united to glorify God by keeping the law. When we dwell together in unity, it produces life like the waters that spring from the base of Mount Hermon and flow down the Jordan River. That river supplies life to all Israel and God equates unity in God’s community to that life-giving stream!
So whether you ease in, jump in, or want to start by getting your toes wet, talk to your pastor about where you can get involved. He’s rooting for you!

How do we spend time with our Father?
What does your daily time with the Lord look like? 
When I ask someone to tell me about their time with the Lord, in response I often hear about their Bible reading plan . . . where they are reading, and how well (or not-so-well) they’ve been keeping up with it.

It seems as though the current trend is often to think of “time with the Lord” simply as synonymous with “Bible reading plan.” Is this what immediately jumps to your mind when you think of what it means to spend time with the Lord each day?

Don’t get me wrong, Bible reading plans can certainly be helpful and useful. However, I feel as though there has been an increasingly prevalent assumption in the church today that time spent with the Lord may look like nothing more than spending 30 minutes reading, 30 seconds praying, and then checking off a daily reading box (whether on physical paper or in one’s conscience). 
Then we can continue on with the rest of our busy day…or, if we missed our daily Bible reading, go on feeling guilty for leaving that box for today “empty.” It’s hard to imagine what my relationship with my wife would look like if I took the same approach to time spent with her.

Question: Is this a biblical understanding of time spent with the Lord, or have we slowly adopted a legalistic approach through the lens of Christian culture?
How did Christ spend time with his Father?
Jesus ought to be our ultimate example of how to spend time with our Father. Does our time spent with the Lord line up with the example Jesus gave?
Here are some helpful passages:

• “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35).
• “But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Lk 5:16).
• “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” (Lk 6:12).  
• “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (Mt 14:23).

What can be observed from Christ’s example of “time spent with the Lord” is a discipline and drive to set aside time to pray with his Father for extended periods of time, alone—often early in the morning or in the watches of the night. Prayer seems to be the daily practice of Christ outlined in the gospels, rather than daily Scripture reading.

Make no mistake, Jesus had an extremely high view of Scripture, and so should we. He studied and read it thoroughly (Lk 2:40–52, Lk 4:16–21). He taught about its necessity, expected us to read and be very familiar with it, and quoted from it constantly (Mt 4:4, 12:3, 19:4–5; Mk 12:35–37; Jn 5:46–47, 8:31–32, 17:17; Lk 24:27). 
However, the reality is that in the oral culture of his day, Jesus very likely would not have had a physical copy of Scripture with him daily or during these times spent with the Lord—Scripture makes no mention of it.
The point:
To be very clear and avoid confusion, this blog is NOT suggesting we spend less time in Scripture or take a lesser view of its importance. Yet, we must be reminded, through the example of Christ, of what the point or goal of Scripture is:

Scripture is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself.

We have such a high view of Scripture, because its means (purpose) is to inform our worship, prayer, and relationship with God (the end goal). When we only focus on Scripture, and neglect to spend time in prayer, stillness, and fellowship with Him who Scripture tells us about, we miss the whole point!

Scripture is but a temporary means for us to know God now, as fallen beings who are temporarily separated from Him, with sin clouding our understanding. However, just as Adam did not need a Bible in the Garden, it is likely that we will not need Bibles in the millennium:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD” (Jer 31:33–34; cf. Heb 8:10–11).
 
And this lack of need for Scripture will come to even greater fruition in our eternal state after the millennium; where we will no longer be separated from God or have distorted minds due to sin, but will see his very face (Rev 22:4), and dwell with and know him intimately as his bride (Rev 21:2–3).

Indeed, the very purpose of our time spent in Scripture today is to inform our relationship with God. And so, if we spend a half hour reading the Word in the morning, simply to conclude with a 30 second prayer and get on with our day, we completely miss the point. We have focused on the means but neglected the end.

It would be like going to a skydiving facility, taking the pre-flight course, learning the proper “in air posture” while lying on your stomach on the floor . . . and then simply driving home afterward. While the course was certainly necessary, the whole point of the course was to inform one for the real purpose: to experience the joy of flying through the air.

In the same way, we rob ourselves of the point and purpose if we read Scripture for 30 minutes, pray for 30 seconds, and continue on with our day. Compare that approach with these Psalms that would have informed Christ’s time with his Father:

• “O God, you are my God; Early I will seek You: My soul thirsts for You” (Ps 63:1).
• “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night” (Ps 63:6).
• “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Ps 5:3).
• “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (Ps 119:147–148).

Is this what your time with the Lord looks like, or are there areas where you could follow Christ’s example more? Maybe what you need is to get up early, go find a mountain (or a closet; Mt 6:6), and pray! Let’s be more intentional about our time with the Lord—because that’s the example Christ gave.

There has been a lot of resistance to the concept of church membership (or partnership) lately. Putting your name down on a church roll is becoming more and more “old fashioned” these days and the concept of being a member of the “global church” has become a more favorable philosophy. I admit, it does have a pious ring to it. When I hear it, it conjures up the image of a faithful believer making his/her rounds from church to church, taking part in Bible studies in this church, worship in that church, outreach with another church, etc. After all, with so much to give, why not bless all the churches with your presence instead of just one?

I have some reasons why not. However beneficial this philosophy seems; the effects are less than desirable. The philosophy appeals to the flesh, it reduces effectiveness, and is impossible to sustain.

Free-Agent Mentality is Carnal

Imagine you’re a coach of a local basketball team who had a player that practiced with your team on some days and other teams on other days. He chose these practices based on what workouts were best for him. When asked which team was his, he smugly replies that he is a member of the league, not one individual team. We wouldn’t consider that individual a team player because it would seem that his behavior only benefitted him, not any one team. That coach would probably prefer that player never came at all.

The carnal mind is a mind that finds its motivation for everything centered on self. Choosing to attend the best parts of each local church in my community and avoid the parts that are less attractive to me is selfish behavior. Selfish people are only interested in consuming, not producing. Being a true disciple is when the goal in living is to glorify God by producing fruit (John 15:8). But the consumer is only interested in consuming it. Being in an abundant vineyard does not make you an abundant branch. Being an abundant branch is what contributes to an abundant vineyard. Being a selfish branch, only interested in gleaning spiritual nourishment from the vine has a dire consequence (John 15:2).

Free-Agents are less effective

Typically, it is assumed that going to various churches means that you are having a greater impact, but in truth, no one remembers you and no one takes you seriously. We remember people who matter and we take people seriously when they can be trusted. Neither of those traits can be established when someone is not fully committed. People become important when they are dependable. People who bear responsibility can be depended on. The more they step up to their responsibilities the more they matter because they have made themselves an invaluable player in the local church’s mission.

If you bounce from church to church, you know less about the mission of each local church, and instead believe something worse: You believe you’re the mission. You’re the reason the churches exist. This is why you believe you’re making an impact. You believe you are contributing to the churches by being seen and heard. But the impact you assume is more of a distraction than anything else. You’re not special. No one cares what you think. Start being someone a local church can depend on and they’ll start to care and you might even become special to them.

Being a Free-Agent is Not Sustainable

Given my basketball illustration, what would become of basketball if every player had the same non-committed attitude. Basketball would cease to exist. In fact, all team sports find their success in the commitment each player has to the cause. It is so important that any coach in his right mind would be sure to keep that mentality on the bench. Team sports win by being a team and there is no “I” in team. The success in the local church is no different. If pastors take time away from their members to pour into a free-agent, they are both starving their church and setting a poor precedent.

The “global church member” mentality only renders the church inert in a dark world that needs the gospel. It advocates the kind of Christianity where submission, longsuffering and bearing burdens can be avoided. How can we show the world we’re different without these important Christ-like attributes. Submitting to godly elders (Hebrews 13:17), suffering through hardship (Romans 8:17), and taking time to bear with one another (Galatians 6:2) are what set us apart in this dark world and put God on full display.

Ready to Sign?

I hope that you can see the value in what can be accomplished when saved sinners commit to Christ by committing to one another. Even if the church you choose does not have formal membership, make that your church. Be there for the fun stuff and the hard stuff. Make it known that you can be depended on and you’ve made that church your family of faith. If every Christian made it their personal goal to have a meaningful effect in one church, we would have many strong churches instead of many weak ones.

With the internet, people have access to teaching and preaching from anywhere it can be downloaded. Although there are obvious benefits to this, there is one unfortunate development.

Whether you can’t get enough of Piper, MacArthur, Sproul, or Furtick, or you find yourself diving deeper into eschatological rabbit holes or conspiracy theories, the consequence has left the local church leadership seeming much smaller in comparison to so much that can be learned. Christians have become “experts” in their theological preferences and before long, many have fallen into the temptation of elevating their ideas to that of their leadership.

Imagine playing on a football team where every time there was a play called, the players would only execute the play with their teammates so long as they agreed with it. We would not expect that team to do very well.

The church is a cooperative effort, but there is an authority structure that is essential to the accomplishment of the Church’s goal (to spread the knowledge of Christ to a world of unbelievers).

Church leadership (whether it is a senior pastor or a board of elders) is the “quarterback” of the local church. These men are tasked with leading the church so that she can accomplish what Christ commanded his church to do: things like evangelism, caring for the weak, baptism, discipleship, and the Lord’s supper.

Of all of these activities, discipleship is at the heart of the rest. Elders and pastors teach faithful men who will be able to teach others (2 Tim 2:2). But what if the pastors and elders have a congregation full of people who refuse to be discipled? Just like the illustration, we would not expect that church to do very well.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17
 
It is great to have the resources of great teaching and preaching that we have, but your pastor is still your pastor. The online pastor is not. That pastor will not give an account to Christ for your spiritual development.

As our church leaders seek to accomplish the goal of discipling us to grow into all that Christ intends, let this be a reminder that they will be judged for how well they shepherded, but you will be judged for how well you subjected yourself to their leadership.

According to 1 Peter 5:3-5, elders are examples to the flock, and the flock is commanded to be subject to their leadership.

This subject is rarely broached because elders want to avoid coming across as “domineering” (1 Peter 5:3), but it is a subject that needs to be addressed due to the effects of our digital culture.

Now that being said, pastors should always be open to questions people have about how or why a thing may have been taught to them. In no way am I suppressing skepticism. Rather, I hope to suppress cynicism. Young believers love knowledge and just like any adolescent (spiritual or physical) sometimes the glory of their own opinions can blind them to their insubordination. It is the duty of parents to correct that kind of attitude and pastors must correct it as well. The difference is that the kids can’t leave the house.

Most people who leave the church feel they are right in doing so. They are justified by their opinions of themselves and when the elders disagree with them, they take their leave. From my own experience, I would say that 80% of the people who have left churches where I have pastored have left because they didn’t get their way. The reason they believed they had to leave was they were right, and the leaders were wrong. But the deeper reality was that they did not honor their pastor(s). Their decision to leave was the result of their unwillingness to submit to authority.

Your pastor is not your pastor so long as he does everything that agrees with you. He ought to be your pastor because his teaching and behavior align with God’s Word.

You have the right to disagree with your pastor. But if we would be obedient to these scriptures, we must honor our leaders even if we don’t always agree with them.

Your elders have a responsibility to shepherd the flock of God. They will be judged for it. You have a responsibility to be shepherded. You will be judged for it.

The good news is that when God’s church is submissive to leadership, we can better accomplish God’s mission. Elders don’t always make the best decisions. Your idea may have been better. But this is Christ’s church and when you pray for your leaders, you can trust that he can help them to see things as they should be seen.

The internet has a lot of great preaching and a lot of bad preaching. It has good ideas and bad ideas. The internet is not you pastor. You are not it’s Church. You’re in Christ’s Church. He has given you pastors. He has given them a church. We ought never to take that lightly and we ought never to presume that our opinions should ever warrant us to disobey Scripture.

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

Let’s get on mission!