Spiritually United Regardless of Denomination

Our allegiance is not to our denomination but to Jesus. Yes, you assemble with the Baptist (or some other church) and I assemble with the Church of Christ. Yes, there are some differences between our groups but we have more in common than you think. We serve the same Lord. We are in the same body. We will live in the same heaven. What draws us together is the Lord Jesus Christ. His body is spiritually united. It's made up of all Christians, regardless of their denomination. A man dreamed that he was ushered to the gates of hell. He called out “Are there any Church of Christ in there?” Yes. “Are there any Baptist in there?” Yes. Any Catholic? Yes. Then suddenly he was ushered to the gates of heaven. He called out “Are there any Church of Christ in there?” "No." “Are there any Baptist in there?” "No." "Any Catholic?" "No." "Then tell me, who is inside these pearly gates?" And they answered, "Christians! Christians all!"

Changing the Invitation to a General Prayer Time

For years I ended every sermon with a 2-minute explanation of the five-step-plan-of-salvation. It was not very effective. It left the impression that the invitation was only for people who needed to be baptized or for backsliders. Few people came forward. Today we have a prayer time at the end of our Sunday morning services. Matt and the Praise Team sing as the shepherds minister and pray for the people who respond. Many people request prayer for various reasons. Prayer requests are kept confidential. When people come forward to ask for prayer it is an expression of their faith. It’s not a walk of shame. It’s not an admission that they are a backslider. It’s a sign that they are walking with Jesus faithfully and that they depend on him for help. It is a sign that we have a healthy church that cares for people. The shepherds stand at the front and the back and people come to them for prayer. The shepherds also go into the audience and pray for people who lift their hands requesting prayer. Other people join them in praying for people who respond. Little prayer groups of men and women form spontaneously all over the auditorium and the Praise Team keeps on singing over the congregation until everyone is cared for. Then I say "Are there any unspoken needs? Do any of you have something on your heart that you want to pray about?" Every Sunday dozens of people raise their hands and I pray for them and end with a pastoral prayer which covers the entire congregation. I end the service with a benediction. As the people open their hands to receive a blessing from God, I say a benediction like "The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace." Changing our invitation to a general prayer time has made a huge difference in our services. Every Sunday people request prayer and their brothers and sisters lay hands on them and pray. They cry, pray, hug, and wipe away tears. If you cannot find compassion at church where in world can you go? I love what Ken Medima wrote about “The Church”: If this is not a place where my tears are understood, where do I go to cry? If this is not a place where my spirit can take wings, where do I go to fly? If this is not a place where my questions can be asked, where do I go to seek? If this is not a place where my feelings can be heard, where do I go to speak? If this is not a place where you accept me as I am, where do I go to be free? If this is not a place where I can try and learn and grow, where do I go to just be me?” Perhaps you would like to try this approach and change your invitation into a general prayer time. I recommend it. Try it and you'll see that it is effective. On any given Sunday there is a broken heart on every pew. Offering a prayer time gives them an opportunity to express their needs.

Argument from silence

In the past I have used an argument from silence to prove that instruments were not to be used in worship i.e., since the New Testament is silent about instruments in worship they are forbidden. But today I know that silence on the subject of instrumental music in New Testament worship is not intentional, it is incidental. Incidental silence does not prohibit using instruments. The writers of the New Testament did not directly address the subject. Sometimes silence is intentional and can frequently be inferred in the “law sections” of the Bible such as the codified legislation in Leviticus which contains Levitical law and ritual precedents. Another example is where God gave specific instructions in the Law regarding the construction of the temple in Exodus. God told Moses in Exodus 25.9 "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." Then God gave Moses a detailed blue print for the temple. Silence in this section of scripture is intentionally prohibitive. Anything not mentioned in the Law was forbidden. But the Bible also contains poetry, history, parables, metaphors, allegories, sermons, apocalyptic and wisdom literature, letters of correspondence, as well as law. Silence in one genre of scripture may mean something very different than silence in another. This point was clear when I surveyed specific books of the New Testament. For example, the book of James is silent on baptism but this does not mean that James was against baptism. Jude makes no mention of communion but this does not mean that Jude prohibits communion. John said "I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face." (3 John 13-14). Incidental silence is not a prohibition it just means that certain issues were not addressed. Ephesians and Colossians are letters of correspondence and silence on the subject of instruments should not be taken as a prohibition against them. No such dogmatic conclusions against instrumental music should be made because instrumental music was not addressed. The Bible is silent on the subjects of church buildings, audio and visual equipment, worship leaders, located preachers, youth ministers, campus ministers, pitch pipes, tuning forks, Sunday school, and indoor pools for baptisms yet we feel free to use them because they accomplish a purpose. Any method that fulfills the purposes of God is permissible so long as it does not violate a clear principle of Scripture. I apply the same rule of interpretation to instrumental music.

KCU

I loved speaking at the chapel service at KCU. I enjoyed visiting with KCU’s president, Dr. Keith Keeran. We talked about the upcoming North American Christian Conference (NCAA) which will be this June. During the first part of my chapel talk I shared my excitement about this historic meeting between the a cappella Churches of Christ and the Christian Church. It will be the largest gathering of our movement since the 1801 Cain Ridge Rival. The division over the instrument will finally end in a happy reunion this summer. I cherish the relationships I am making with Christians in other churches. Amber, Tori and Shayna enjoyed the day. After speaking at the chapel service we went to the rec-center and played ping-pong, pool, racquetball, volley ball, foosball, and air hockey. I bought them t-shirts with the school’s name. It was a great day for the girls and me.

Speaking at KCU

I will be speaking during the chapel service at Kentucky Christian University (KCU) tomorrow. The title of my talk is called The Dating Game. I'm taking my daughters with me. I pray I do a good job speaking.

Winterfest was Great

Winterfest was great! The worship was wonderful, Jeff Walling was fantastic, and our Saturday night worship with George and Matt was incredible. The kids loved it and so did we. Sloane Williamson and Charity Baker were baptized into Christ!

Family Trip to Gatlinburg for Winterfest

Kim, the girls and I will be headed for Gatlinburg for Winterfest in the morning. George has 65 people going this year - I think its a record for Norway. Amber and Tori are riding the bus while Kim, Shayna and I will drive down in mom's car - which is more dependable than any of ours. Two of my cars are broke down. Anyway, I hope to sing praises and worship with my family and friends. 10,000 people will be assembled in the name of Jesus. I should be a great time.

My Sermons Online

Audio recordings of my sermons are now avaliable online in two places: 1.The first is on our website www.norwayave.org/members - Go to the bottom of the page and follow the instructions to download them to your computer. 2. The second place is iTunes. For those who have iTunes, just search for 'Jeff Garrett' in the music store and subscribe to our Podcast. It will update everyweek with his new lesson. Below are the easy 1,2,3 instructions Rob designed for subscribing to podcast. If you would like more information on either of these options, please email Rob Durst at rob@norwayave.org. Both of these options are completely FREE.

xxx church

xxxchurch.com provides a free program called 3XWatch that runs on your computer and monitors all the internet sites that you visit. Sites deemed morally questionable are emailed to the accountability partners you choose. I have it on both of my computers. I have two accountability partners, my friend Phil Richardson and my wife Kim. If you want to try it you can visit xxxchurch.com and download the 3XWatch program.

The Divorced Woman

A divorced woman was told by her church that there was no hope for her because her marriage had ended. She continued to go to church but doubted that she could be saved and the church no longer allowed her to be involved in certain activities. Jesus did not treat the divorced this way. The woman at the well, in John 4, had been divorced five times and she was shacked up with a man who was not her husband. Yet, Jesus was more inviting to her than he was the religious leaders at the temple. In John 2 he drove the religious leaders out of the temple. Two chapters later he met this woman who had been through multiple divorces and he revealed himself as the Messiah. She went back to her hometown and brought the whole city out to meet him. Jesus not only saved her soul he used her to save an entire city. In this one episode the divorced woman was more fruitful in her evangelism than all 12 of the apostles.

The Spirit and the Word

The Spirit and the word go together. Both are needed. You should not emphasize one to the exclusion of the other. Some may say “We don’t need the word because we have the Spirit to guide us.” They rely on subjective experiences, mysticism, and intuition. It is unwise to rely on your feelings alone because you can feel that something is true and have it be partly or entirely untrue. Others may say, “We don’t need the Spirit because we have the word to guide us.” They rely on will power and self-determination. It is unwise to rely on the word without the Spirit because it is impossible to understand the mind of Christ without the Spirit of God. Don’t reduce your faith to a mechanical, orthodox, perfunctory performance of the word. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The Spirit interprets the word. He illuminates the word in your mind. You should never come to the Bible without asking God to open your eyes and teach you. How does God do this? He accomplishes this by his Spirit. So study the word and rely on the Spirit to help you understand and empower you to obey.

Comin' Home

This morning I’ve been playing an old Lynyrd Skynard song called “Comin’ Home.” No one is around so I sing and play it loud. I love that song. It makes me think of where I grew up – Boone County WV. I have so many wonderful memories of growing up there. Today is dad’s birthday. He died six years ago. I know he’s in heaven with Jesus and I will see him again but I miss him now. I would love to have one more conversation with him. I just got off the phone with mom and she is doing well in spite of her health problems. She lives two blocks from Jeanie and Jeanie sees her all the time. I get to work with Jeanie everyday. Dad would be happy that God saved my life and turned me around and that we are together. He would have never moved from Boone County but he would be happy that mom lives in Barboursville. Susan is doing well but she lives so far away. “Comin’ Home” makes me remember how good it was to grow up where I did. Some people make fun of WV but they don’t know the people who live here. If I could have chosen any place in the world to be born it would have been in that little white house on Six Mile. Godly parents. Wonderful sisters. Granny and Pa lived across the creek. I grew up with my cousins and friends in the mountains. When I got older I made new friends at Madison. I remember football, basketball, the Little Coal River Band, and Friday nights at the sands (up Lick Creek by the river). Great friends and a wonderful family. Things have changed but I can always visit. I can always take little mental trips and remember. That’s what I do when I sing Comin’ Home. I think I’ll play it again.

Alexander Campbell on “Who is a Christian?”

The piece below was written by Alexander Campbell and was published in the Millennial Harbinger in 1837. The title of the article is “Any Christians Among Protestant Parties”, or, “The Lunenburg Letter”.* It is my favorite piece of writing by Campbell because it shows where his heart was. I am not a fan of his debates or the debates that followed his own by people who were argumentative and divisive. But I love this piece. This is where my heart is and I love Campbell for writing it. He was not sectarian. Alexander Campbell writes … I observe, that if there be no Christians in the Protestant sects, there are certainly none among the Romanists, none among the Jews, Turks, Pagans; and therefore no Christians in the world except ourselves, or such of us as keep, or strive to keep, all the commandments of Jesus. Therefore, for many centuries there has been no church of Christ, no Christians in the world; and the promises concerning the everlasting kingdom of Messiah have failed, and the gates of hell have prevailed against his church! This cannot be; and therefore there are Christians among the sects. But who is a Christian? I answer, Every one that believes in his heart that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the son of God; repents of his sins, and obeys him in all things according to his measure of knowledge of his will. … Paul speaks of "carnal" Christians, of "weak" and "strong" Christians; and the Lord Jesus admits that some of the good and honest-hearted bring forth only thirty fold, while others bring forth sixty, and some a hundred fold increase of the fruits of righteousness. But every one is wont to condemn others in that in which he is more intelligent than they; while, on the other hand, he is condemned for his Pharisaism or his immodesty and rash judgment of others, by those that excel in the things in which he is deficient. I cannot, therefore, make any one duty the standard of Christian state or character, not even immersion into the name of the father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and in my heart regard all that have been sprinkled in infancy without their own knowledge and consent, as aliens from Christ and the well-grounded hope of heaven. "Salvation was of the Jews," acknowledged the Messiah; and yet he said of a foreigner, an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, a Syro-Phenician, "I have not found so great faith--no, not in Israel." Should I find a Pedobaptist more intelligent in the Christian Scriptures, more spiritually-minded and more devoted to the Lord than a Baptist, or one immersed on a profession of the ancient faith, I could not hesitate a moment in giving the preference of my heart to him that loveth most. Did I act otherwise, I would be a pure sectarian, a Pharisee among Christians. … And should I see a sectarian Baptist or a Pedobaptist more spiritually-minded, more generally conformed to the requisitions of the Messiah, than one who precisely acquiesces with me in the theory or practice of immersion as I teach, doubtless the former rather than the latter, would have my cordial approbation and love as a Christian. So I judge, and so I feel. It is the image of Christ the Christian looks for and loves; and this does not consist in being exact in a few items, but in general devotion to the whole truth as far as known." _______________________________________ The post above consists of five different sections that I have taken from Campbell’s letter but you can read the entire letter, as well as the correspondence at http://www.bible.acu.edu/stone-campbell/Etexts/lun16.html

Christ Esteem

Raymond Corsini tells a story about a counseling session he had with an inmate in a prison. He had one session with this man and did not see him again. Four years later, as this inmate was being released, he came to say goodbye. The inmate said “Dr. Corsini, I want to thank you for changing my life.” Corsini, who barely remembered him because he had only one session with him said, “How did I change your life?” The man said, “You told me that I was intelligent. All my life I’ve been told that I was stupid. That’s all I heard when I was growing up. But since you’ve told me the truth my life has change. I now have my GED, I’m being released from prison and I have hope for a bright future.”* Some psychologists teach that what people need is healthy self esteem. I believe self esteem is important but not sufficient. What we really need is Christ esteem.** When you have Christ esteem your search for self esteem ends because you know Jesus loves you and accepts you. His death on the cross proves that you are important to him. ____________________________ *Corsini, R., Wedding, D (2005). Current Psychotherapies 7th ed. Brooks/Cole ** Matzat, D (1991). Christ-Esteem. Harvest House Publishers. Eugene, OR

The First Marriage

A little girl went to Sunday school and heard the creation story. She couldn’t wait to get home to tell her Mom. She said “Mom, the teacher taught us about how God made the first man and the first woman. The man was lonely because he didn’t have anybody to talk to so God made him go to sleep and he pulled out his brain and made a woman. In Genesis 2 God put Adam under heavy aesthesia and performed the first surgery. He took a rib from Adam’s side. I think it’s worth noting that he did not take a bone from his foot or a bone from his head. He took a rib from his side (to me that represented her equality). God took Adam’s rib and he closed up the place with flesh and with the rib he made woman. Then he brought her to the Adam and he named her. He had already given names to all the animals and now he named her. Can you imagine what it was like for Adam to meet Eve for the first time? He had been alone for who knows how long. He had never seen a woman before. Never! He went to sleep and woke up and suddenly saw a beautiful woman. She was stunning and she didn’t have a stitch of clothes on! Genesis 2.23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,’ for she was taken out of man." Now when you read 2.23 you might get the impression that Adam calmly and clinically said “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh … .” No! That was not the way he said it. It was not calm or clinical. He was excited. The first 3 words of v.23 “This is now” is actually a Hebrew exclamation--it was a shout and none of our English translations captures the significance of that word. The Living Bible comes close. The LB says “This is it!!! What Adam said was not “now” but WOW! EUREKA!! YABA DABA DOO!! Adam was overwhelmed. God saved the best for last. 2.24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The first marriage was picture perfect. They were totally transparent. They had nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Honest, open, and innocent.