joshfranklin.org
Before I entered the ministry, I worked in Christian bookstores. I started working in them at the age of 16 and even managed three of them once I turned 18. I enjoyed every minute of it and thought that was going to be my career. In general, I love bookstores so much that when Lydia and I were first married, a great date for us was to eat out somewhere, and then she would drop me off at a used bookstore or a regular bookstore, while she shopped somewhere else. Several hours later, she would pick me up, and we would go get ice cream or dessert. I remember working as a bookstore manager and later on shopping as a customer; I always enjoyed helping people find Bibles and Christian resources. In a bookstore, there would be a variety of Bibles available, and I would often hear customers express what they were looking for, but no one was available to help them. So, I would step in as a customer and offer my help. The employees would be surprised, but I just wanted to help. It's nice to be able to touch and see a book before you buy it. However, online shopping has taken over the book industry so much that many brick-and-mortar bookstores have had to close. They simply weren't getting the same level of customer engagement and financial returns as before. Why do consumers prefer online shopping? When shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, customers might find what they're looking for, but they may also find that the prices are too high. For instance, a few weeks ago, I was at a bookstore, and I saw a book that I wanted to buy, but the price was pretty high. So, I looked it up online and found it for half the price with free shipping. What did I do? I purchased it online and walked out of the store. Online shopping has become increasingly popular in the last fifteen years, and it has pushed traditional shopping to the side. However, you just don’t get the same experience when you shop online. For instance, when you go to the mall or a physical store, you can try clothes on and immediately see if something fits or how it looks. Shopping online, you take a risk that something might not fit or look good on you. Often, you have to return the product because it wasn’t quite right. The point is that we can see bookstores and other brick-and-mortar stores struggling to stay afloat. We've all seen it – you just go to a mall and notice certain areas that are empty instead of bustling with activity like they used to be. Even though we have online shopping, people still want to experience what they once had in brick-and-mortar stores. One national online retailer that put many brick-and-mortar businesses out of business has now decided to start up brick-and-mortar bookstores. Why? Because people want to experience the same thing they did before. It was a sad day when I realized that I was part of the problem. I would go to a store, look at a book, and then search for it online to get a better deal. I would also take pictures of items with my phone, intending to purchase them later. If everybody treated bookstores the way I did, then they would inevitably go out of business. But that's capitalism 101, and this is what progress looks like. Relating this to God’s church, here’s a good question we should ask ourselves: If everyone treated the church the way I treat the church, will it survive? The online church is a great option for keeping you connected during times of sickness (even long-term illness) or vacation, but believers should want to physically be in the church. Christians should desire to be back with the people of God. The online church will never replace the experience of gathering together, worshipping together, giving together, serving together and hearing God’s Word and responding together. Nationally, around 4,000 churches across the country close their doors every year, including many that were once thriving. Rather than simply criticizing this trend, we should ask ourselves if we contribute to the church’s demise. I was thinking of this one guy, he called up a pastor and he said, "Pastor, I want to join your church." And the pastor said, "Okay, great. This is exciting." And he said, "However, I want to tell you, Pastor, that even though I'm going to join your church, I don't want you to ask me to give any money. I don't want you to look and see if I'm attending on a regular basis. I don't want to be asked to serve on any committees. I don't want to be asked to go to Sunday school. I don't want to serve. I don't want to teach, but I want to be a member of your church." And the pastor said, "You know what? I don't think our church is the right place for you, but I do have a church that you would like to be a member of." The man was interested, so the pastor said, "Write this address down." He wrote down the address. He said, "Thank you for your time." When the man drove to that location, he found an abandoned church building – no longer in use. The truth is, if everybody treated the church the way that man wanted to treat the church, there would be nothing but abandoned church buildings everywhere. There was a large church that had to sell its property and purchase a smaller building because the attendance was so low. The online chatter exploded, locally and nationally because of the church’s prominence. People criticized the leadership of that church. "How dare that church sell their beautiful building to go to a smaller location. Now it will be turned into something else. The leaders are making a terrible decision,” The online responses were heartbreaking, because they went something like this: "That's the church I used to attend. That's the church I used to serve in the Sunday school. That's the church I was baptized at back in the day. That's the church I grew up in and loved." The phrase that was common was "I used to" or something in the past tense. Every generation has to make the decision of how they're going to handle God's church. In 722 BC, the Assyrian armies dispersed the northern tribes of Israel, but the southern tribes, where the house of God still stood, were untouched. The faithful tribes there held on until 586 BC when the Babylonians destroyed everything in Jerusalem, including the temple. The Babylonians took the people into captivity, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. God's message to His people was that they would return to their homes after 70 years. And just as God had promised, King Cyrus of Persia sent a letter allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Fifty thousand Jews led by folks like Zerubbabel and the governor repopulated the area of Jerusalem and began to rebuild the temple. They laid the foundation, but fear of outsiders caused them to pause the work. They were, however, still able to rebuild their own houses during this time. After 15 years of no progress, God sent the prophet Haggai with a message. Haggai 1-2 records four messages from September to December of 520 BC, urging the Jews to resume the work on the temple. The people had become apathetic and were making excuses that it was not the right time to rebuild the temple. However, Haggai reminded them that it was time to rebuild the Lord's house. Haggai 1:1–9 (NKJV) 1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. In the fourth verse, God is questioning His people’s priorities. In essence, He is saying, “You build luxurious homes for yourselves, but My House lies in ruins.” They justified their apathy, saying it wasn’t yet the right time to rebuild the temple. But Haggai is reporting that God wants them to prioritize His house. The temple was where God’s presence would remain and where the people could offer sacrifices. In verse five and verse seven, God says, “Consider your ways.” In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." While it is true that Jesus is responsible for building His church, it is equally true that every generation will decide how they will treat God's house, which today is His church. We must do our part to ensure its survival for future generations. We must faithfully attend, give, serve, love, and support God’s church. We must see the church as an essential part of our spiritual walk. “Dear Lord, thank You for Your church. I pray that You find me faithful in taking care of Your church, so it may be a beacon of hope, love, and truth in my community for future generations. In Jesus’ Name, amen.” I remember when Lydia and I were planning on getting married, and friends and family members were going to throw a bridal shower for Lydia. I had not gone to any bridal showers that I was aware of, and I was kind of indignant that I was being left out. I said, "Hey, why am I not invited? I'm getting married too. This shouldn't be a bridal shower. This should be a wedding shower, and it should be both of us there." The ladies who organized it decided to indulge my ignorance and invited me. I remember spending the first 10 minutes in that wedding shower, where I was pretty much the only guy there, and I realized real quick why they call it a bridal shower. With lots of ladies there, talking about different things with the wedding, I thought to myself, "I do not belong here." I felt so out of place. So, let’s just keep calling it a bridal shower. Has there ever been a time when you didn't feel like you belonged? Has there ever been a place where you didn't feel like you fit in? It can be a challenge. It may cause you to feel ostracized. First Peter was written by Peter while he was in Rome. He was writing to a group of people, not just one church, but a group of people who were in several different colonies of Rome who were believers. Some had Jewish backgrounds, some had Gentile backgrounds, but all of them were beginning to experience suffering and persecution for their faith. Peter is writing about this intense persecution that he and others were experiencing. According to Church history, that persecution in Rome would ultimately lead Peter and his wife to be martyred for the cause of Christ. They experienced great persecution and were sent to their deaths, proclaiming Jesus as Savior and risen Lord. A couple of years before this ultimate martyrdom of Peter and his wife, persecution began to intensify in Rome. Peter also heard about the persecution that was happening in these Roman colonies. Why were Christians suffering persecution? First, Nero burned down many parts of Rome so he could rebuild it the way he wanted. When citizens grew upset about it, Nero blamed it on the Christians. They were easy targets because they were a group of people that the Roman citizens really didn’t understand. He would ultimately call Christians “atheists.” Why? Because they wouldn't worship the Roman gods or deities that the other citizens would worship. So, they would point to Christians and say, “Who are these people? They don't even acknowledge our own deities. They must be atheists.” Second, Roman Christians were accused of being cannibals. The confusion came from the practice of the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion. In John 6:53, Jesus told His followers, “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you do not have life in you.” This was a symbolic statement, but outsiders viewed it as literal. Jesus instituted Communion, when He said, “Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Take, drink. This is My blood poured out for you” (see Matthew 26:26-29). Jesus was referring to our identification with His sacrifice on the Cross. However, the Roman citizens would overhear them and think they were cannibals. Third, they would call the Christians incestuous, believing they were marrying their own siblings. Why? Because, those Christians would greet one another, referring to one another as “brother” or “sister”. Ultimately, they would marry, and so there was the accusation of incestuous marriages. Of course, all of these were misconceptions about first-century Christians. Imagine the context where being a believer meant that you were misunderstood for your convictions. Of course, we don’t have to imagine it, as it is part of our daily lives living in this country. Our faith is misunderstood. We stand for truth and are misunderstood by secular society. Well, First Peter begins his letter to Christians who are scattered in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in this way: 1 Peter 1:1-2a (NKJV) – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God…” Verse 1, in most English translations, reads, “To the pilgrims…” lists all of the places, and then verse 2 begins, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God.” However in the Greek text, it actually says, "To the elect pilgrims" or "elect exiles" or "elect sojourners" - however you want to translate the word "pilgrims." The Greek text reads "elect pilgrims," and then goes on to describe the dispersion in Pontius, Cappadocia, Bithynia, and other places. That means that God is sovereign even over where He has placed you. You may say, “Well, God doesn't know where I am.” God knows exactly where you are. You may say, “Well, I'm in this environment at work or school where I'm the only Christian.” God knows, and in that place, He calls you one of His “elect pilgrims.” Sometimes, as Christians, we find ourselves in situations where we say, "I don't belong here. I don't fit in. I don't understand why I am experiencing suffering or persecution, or why people will not try to understand my Christian faith.” However, the truth is that you are a citizen of heaven. You are a pilgrim, a sojourner, and a refugee traveling through this world. Peter reminds the people of God who are dispersed in places like Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia that He knows where they are but they are not citizens of those places. Even though they may be citizens of Rome, their true citizenship is in heaven. Paul expresses the same idea in Philippians 3:20, when he says, "Your citizenship is in heaven." Even though Paul was a proud Roman citizen, he knew that his true citizenship was in heaven. When traveling internationally, you might feel like you don't belong because you are not in your home country. Similarly, as believers, we are not made for just this place. So, when you feel like you don't belong or fit in, remember that it's because you were made for another world. You are just passing through this earth, and your true home is in heaven. “Dear God, thank You for helping me see life from Your perspective. I trust You with my life. Thank You for loving me and saving me. May I remain faithful to You as I look forward to heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.” |
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