What Does Healthy Mean?

Disagreements abound. Just look at social media and see all the arguments and comparisons. Everyone has an opinion, even when it’s not in their expert view nor in their wheelhouse of operation. Churches are not immune.

At the last church I work, there was a dad who was a Nazi about unplugging extension cords. After class each Sunday, my first desire was to connect to teens after class, not put away all the equipment. He and I went round and round about priorities until finally one day, he simply hid all the extension cords so I could not do my job. We fight about the most trivial things in a church family.

Paul is addressing this very thing in his letter to the Philippians. Relationships are messy but that doesn’t mean we ignore issues and pretend they don’t exist. So, in Philippians 4:1-5, Paul begins the chapter reminding the church what healthy looks like.

Paul says the church should have a big heart full of love for each other. He uses words of affinity for the church. I mean, orthodoxy and holiness are important but according to Jesus, not more important than love for each other. John 13, Jesus tells us the love is how the world will know you are mine.

Paul goes on to say the church should also have a firm stance in the Gospel message. Fourteen times in the New Testament, we are called to stand firm. It gives the suggestion that there may be times we, as Christians, tend to hide or run or camouflage who we are. But Paul wants us to look like Jesus and proclaim his love for the world.

A healthy church has a warm embrace. We are called to love each other. The two women mentioned in chapter four are in a disagreement that seems to be polarizing the church. Paul says, “Look, you both belong to the Lord so work it out.”

When a band plays, it is a blend of different instruments. But the song is only produced when the band leader is calling the pieces together to play their part. It’s the same in the church. Jesus is our leader. He’s calling each of us to use our giftedness and create a blended harmony with each other for one purpose…to show Jesus to the world.

A healthy church also has a joyful soul. Paul says “rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice.” But sometimes, life happens in unexpected ways and it’s hard to rejoice. When your baby only lives a few hours after birth, it’s hard to rejoice. When the divorce gets ugly and very public, it’s hard to rejoice. When your spouse is suddenly taken away at a young age, it’s hard to rejoice. Paul lists all the trouble he had in 2 Corinthians 6 because he followed Jesus. But Paul is saying even when life is not turning out like you hoped, in Christ, we can rejoice.

Sometimes, we have disagreements. Sometimes we’ve been hurt by people who call themselves Christians. You were not included because you were single. You were looked down on because of the divorce. You were gossiped about because of a weekend you made a poor choice. You were ostracized because you look different than most people at your church. I want to say, “I so sorry.” That’s not how the church was designed.

But I want to challenge you. Jesus never said, “Follow my church” or “Follow the pastor” or “Follow my people.” No, Jesus said, “Follow me.” Don’t take out on Jesus what others have done to you. It’s time to settle differences. It’s time to allow Jesus to heal. It’s time to get healthy. Blessings on your journey.

No More Chains!

You and I live in a broken world. It ain’t right. The world around us is trying to drag us down with it by telling us that we are not enough, that we are losers, that we are not loved, that we really are worthless. And too many times we believe the world.

So many of us have been diagnosed with a situation that we’ll have the rest of our lives, like my wife, who is deathly allergic to fire ant bites. In 2017 while teaching her fifth grade kids a science lesson outside, she got bitten by fire ants and then taken to the ER because her throat was closing up. She now carries an epipen. She’s stuck with that allergy for life.

We are stuck with sin too. But Jesus is the one thing that can heal us, make us right, help us regain our sense of worth.

Like the story of the healed leper in Matthew 8:1-4, we are in need of Jesus. Leprosy is a horrific disease. I’ve seen it first hand while living in Africa. If you have the disease, you’ll loose your fingers and toes, then a nose maybe your ears. It is a slow way to die. And in Jewish culture, Jesus’ culture, a leper was outside culture and society. They were banished. A leper could not interact in society, with their family…they couldn’t even go to worship. They lived outside the city far from any normalcy.

Maybe you feel like that. You feel isolated and alone, banished from a life you thought you were promised. You are caught up in a life of addiction or adultery. You’ve hurt people your whole life and lied about others to get your way. You have not been loving to your spouse and continually play the blame game. You’re an absentee parent for your children. Satan whispers in your ear that you are pathetic and you believe him.

But Jesus is the remedy for what’s going on in your life!! He can set things right again. Your mess is NOT bigger than God’s miracle. Saying “yes” to Jesus means you’re willing to let go of the script the world has given you and embrace life with Jesus, letting him lead you in every aspect of your life.

Maybe you’re like the woman in Luke 13:10-13 who had been bent over double for eighteen years. Jesus sees her, calls her over, and transforms her life forever. His healing allows the sun on her face again and now she’s looking directly into the face of the Son of God.

You and I have a habit of hanging on to our burdens. Although we’ve been forgiven, we insist keeping them on our back…all those poor decisions we’ve made along the way, bending us over and weighing us down. Jesus has told us, “Come to me all of you who are tired and worn out and I’ll give you rest.” Jesus is calling you over because he wants to take your burden and remind you that you can once more stand up straight.

And know, it will not be perfect the day after you say “yes” to Jesus. Paul, one of the most profound Christians of all time, tells us that very idea in Philippians 3:12-14. “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Following Jesus is a process that sharpens over time and a life.

Wherever you find yourself, outside community or bend over with burden, know you have a Savor in Jesus who is waiting with open arms to welcome you home. He is our remedy. He has loved us, lifted us, forgiven us, healed us, shed light upon us…He’s there for you right now! Embrace Jesus and find life to be so much more! Blessings on your journey!