Love vs. Obedience

I am grateful to God for giving me the institution of marriage to help me understand who he is and how I relate to him! Let me explain what I am thinking here… When I decided I wanted to marry my wife and she decided she wanted to marry me, we had a wedding. A day we celebrated our love for one another and our devotion to one another. Wedding vows rarely speak of obedience. They speak of love, honor, comfort, help, and support; all of this undying regardless of health, status, or whether or not the other person deserves it.

On December 16th, 2007, Eden and I declared our love for one another. More than that, we declared a covenant relationship that promised devotion to one another outside of obedience, regardless of obedience. For the last 15 years, there have been times I have been an idiot… I have not put her first. I have been selfish. I have forgotten to move the laundry, water the plants, or didn’t make it home in time for dinner plans, or countless other things. Over the last 15 years, she has done some of the same, although I won’t list them here because I have been married long enough to know that would be unwise… No matter the lack of obedience or perfection, we have not doubted our love for one another or, even more than that, our commitment to each other. 

Despite the perfect illustration of marriage we have in the Church, we still tend to forget our relationship with God! We are the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27) and are therefore in that same kind of covenant relationship with him. We entered into that covenant the moment we chose to believe in his death, burial, and resurrection on our behalf, by which he sanctified us and cleansed us, his bride. Yet, if you are anything like me, and a large percentage of the Church, we fall so quickly into a need to be obedient and perfect in the pursuit of God. 

Every day is about doing the right thing, saying the right thing, giving the right amount, and serving the right way. If I can do enough good things; if I can just be obedient enough, I will find the desired outcome or reward. We read the Scriptures and think, time after time, that they are a list of things we need to do and things we should not do. We beat ourselves up when we fail at doing the right things with some broken understanding that we may fall just short of the love of the Father and break the covenant. How quickly and easily our marriage to the lamb becomes more about obedience than love and covenant!

Can you imagine what my marriage would be like if my wife or I had the same kind of mentality ? If marriage was about obedience, mine would have ended long ago! I am imperfect. I am not able to please my wife by doing the right thing all day, every day. If I spent every waking moment trying to live up to the marriage expectations rather than trying to love my wife, I think I would have given up by now from sheer exhaustion. It is my love for Eden that gives me the desire to please her, and without it, I would be simply disciplining myself to do what’s right, and I am not that disciplined! 

It is this kind of thinking that Paul is responding to in Galatians chapter 3, and he begins with this striking statement: “O Foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” Essentially he calls them out saying, you know Jesus died to save you, right?!? So why are you still trying so hard to obey a law that is no longer needed? Before Christ died, the law was how we remained in covenant with him. It was not love. It was obedience! Look what Paul says in verse 10:

“10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”

Before Christ died to sanctify us, his bride, we were stuck under the curse of the law. The whole point of that law was to point us to our need for a Savior. There was never any chance of us actually being saved by the law! We could not possibly be that obedient all the time! So Christ died and invited us into a covenant with him that is not earned but given! 

Look a little later in verse 23:

“23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

We are no longer imprisoned by the law! The law no longer guards us to keep us from living, but now, because of our groom, our Savior, we have been set free from the law! We are now justified, held in covenant, not by our own obedience and perfection, but by the love of God! 

Here this believer, being in relationship with Jesus is not about obedience. It is about love!  

His love for us has freed us from our need to do what is right all day, every day, and has allowed us to pursue, not perfection, but Jesus! Pursuing perfection is exhausting, never-ending, and not even possible. Loving Jesus is life-giving, freeing, and eternally rewarding! 

What is really crazy is this; The more we love Jesus, the easier it is to obey him! My love for my wife gives me the desire to please her. The same is true of God! The more I spend time with him and love him, the more I will hate the things that keep me from him, like my sin! I will be far more inclined to serve God because I love Him! I will be far more inclined to share my faith with others because I want them to know the God I love with my whole heart! Obedience comes out of love!

If your pursuit of Jesus has been exhausting lately, can I encourage you to spend a whole lot less time striving and a whole lot more time trying to love Jesus? Spend time with him. Pray and read his Word, not because you are supposed to, but because you want to talk to the love of your life! Go for walks with Him. Plan time to spend with God! He is not calling you to perfect obedience, he is calling you to a covenant relationship! 

A little side note, if your marriage has been exhausting lately, can I encourage you to spend a whole lot less time trying to do what’s right and a whole lot more time trying to love your spouse? Spend time with them! Hang out and talk, go for walks together, and go on dates. Marriage was never about doing all the right things but about loving each other! 

Joyful Generosity

Money seems to be a touchy subject in the life of the church. As with everything in life, the Words of our God bring great clarity to areas we have made so complex. The first time we see “tithing” isn’t in Jewish law. In Genesis 14, Abraham brings some of the winnings of war back and gives a tenth of it to the priest-king of Salem, Malchizedek. Why?

Paraphrasing, Abraham says, “I’m not obedient to God so that I can get rich!” The principle of tithing was added to the law so that we might not forget why we do it in the first place.

From the beginning, we’ve asked “How much do I have to give?” “Is this enough?” Or “Am I required to give at all?” The guidance for us today is that we give sacrificially and cheerfully.

It is as simple as that.

The culture says your worth and wealth is in what you own. That’s why so many of us are consumed with how much money we have and how much of it we’re required to give away. What God says is that our worth and wealth isn’t in what we own, but in Who owns us.

In 2 Corinthians 9 (dare you to read it), we’re shown we no longer give from obligation as under the law but from grace.

Having been shown grace by God, we want others to experience it as well. In this passage, Paul reminds us that God will take care of us in order that He may be generous. God will do much more with the gift than what we could ever do on our own, and God will receive the glory because of our generosity.

Having remembered the grace shown to us, may God find us to be a generous people (with everything, not just our finances) for His glory and the advancing of His gospel.

Brian Clifton is the Executive Pastor at Arcade Church.

Three Things I Learned from Mary Magdalene

As we strive to follow Jesus in our own contexts, we frequently turn to the first generation Jesus followers to teach us how it should look. One of those followers that I learn from is none other than Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was someone that unabashedly followed Jesus from the very beginning. Shortly after having seven demons cast out of her, Mary Magdalene joined Jesus’ team of people that traveled with him from town to town to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Not only did she tag along, but she, and other women, worked to provide for Jesus and the disciples joining in this journey. When Mary Magdalene was healed by Jesus, it changed everything about her life.

This loyalty to Jesus and his message didn’t end there. Mary Magdalene didn’t just want to follow the exciting Jesus that performed miracles and preached about the Kingdom of God, she loved Jesus so much that she stayed right by his side even when all hope seemed lost. We see Mary Magdalene in a front row seat for the hardest day in history as Jesus was crucified. Regardless of what people said about who Jesus was, she wasn’t going to leave his side. Afterwards, we see her visiting Jesus’ tomb before everyone else is awake. Jesus was everything to her and because of that, she wasn’t going to leave.

Then it happened. After the disciples left the tomb in a trance of lost hope, the risen Jesus revealed himself to this loyal follower. The one whose desperation for him dictated everything she did. With a simple, “Mary” spoken by Jesus, all of the hope that Jesus spoke of was realized. Mary Magdalene's immediate response was to run back to notify the disciples of everything she’d seen. This follower of Jesus, in a society that did not respect the voice of a woman, was the one chosen to announce that the Lord had risen. She didn’t let the potential of people not believing her because of who she was stop her from sharing the truth of what Jesus had done. 

Mary Magdalene is a follower of Jesus that we all can learn from. She’s the type of follower that’s willing to risk everything for the sake of following Jesus, she is willing to ride out the storms because of the hope of what is to come, and she doesn’t let others tell her what she can or cannot share about the truth of Jesus. 

Leah Stewart is the Director of College & Young Adults at Arcade Church. Follow @arcadecollege on Instagram for more information and events.

"Someday, you'll thank me."

Have you ever heard those words? Maybe you actually said them a time or two. I know I have. Often, such words are used within the context of parenting. Something like: “Eat your vegetables. Someday you’ll thank me.” Or “Get your homework done. Someday you’ll thank me.”

What is behind that very simple sentence? Usually, it’s said in the context of encouraging an activity that offers little immediate benefit but does produce benefit down the road. For example, doing one’s homework, though laborious and unpleasant, produces opportunities and options for college selection. Practicing the scales on the piano affords the opportunity to eventually play a sonata with ease. Very few people love doing their homework and I don’t know anyone that gets giddy about doing scales. But the reason to engage in those activities is because of a future reward or achievement.

The truth is, it’s difficult to engage in something that may seem counter-intuitive or even burdensome unless, of course, we see the upside to doing the unpleasant activity. Maybe that is why we are so resistant to keeping a Sabbath day. After all, what’s the upside?

On Sunday, January 1st, I exhorted the Arcade congregation to, for three months, set aside a day of the week for Sabbath-keeping. If you weren’t there, I encourage you to go to our YouTube channel where you can review the teaching. The sermon itself was somewhat easy to deliver. After all, the Bible uses the word “Sabbath” a few times. (For those of you keeping score at home – 139 times to be precise.) Yes, the sermon was easy to preach. I’m finding however, that it takes work to…well…not work.

For the first time in our 41 years of marriage, Debbie and I have established a Sabbath Day. What we quickly discovered was that “stopping” didn’t come naturally. Especially because there didn’t seem to be a viable reason for the Creator to command us to stop. Does he not know that we have mouths to feed, bills to pay, lawns to mow and clothes to fold? Words like “responsibility,” “productivity,” “tasks,” and “to do lists” dominate our lives. Debbie and I have discovered deep in our DNA that we have this propensity for constant motion. And not just motion for motion’s sake. Rather, motion that points to significance and usefulness. We are Americans after all! We’re doers. We’re accomplishers (Is that a word?). We’re achievers. To take a “day off” seems unpatriotic, lazy, slothful even.

No doubt such was the response of the Israelites when God first dropped the command to keep the Sabbath (Exodus 20). Throughout their history and leading into the public ministry of Jesus, the people of God couldn’t seem to get it right. Think about that for a moment: The Israelites couldn’t get “stopping” right. As much as I would like to shake my self-righteous head in disgust at their rebellion, I must confess that I’m right there with our Jewish friends. Like I said above, Debbie and I have found that it requires effort - effort that doesn’t make sense in order to keep a Sabbath day.

Maybe it’s time that we take a stab at doing something our God modeled on the seventh day of creation. Maybe because we have Jesus and no longer need to strive, we place ourselves in a weekly environment where God actively reminds us to stop striving because he is enough. Maybe we quit trying to find the upside to Sabbath-keeping and merely trust our Creator that it will be good for us.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to establish a Sabbath Day. Experience the awkwardness of doing nothing for the glory of God. Shelve, for a day, the idea that everything is up to you, that unless you do it, it won’t get done. For a day, suspend the instinctive desire to accomplish, to finish, to complete or produce. Embrace the reality that within the hours of a Sabbath Day you are connecting with the Creator who himself rested. In doing so, perhaps you can hear the whisper of our gracious Heavenly Father say, “Someday you’ll thank me.”

Remember…

On the Sabbath…

We rest
We play
No work
God is enough`

See you Sunday!

Embrace the Supernatural

Thoughts on the Team Commandments*
Nick Morlet, High School Pastor

Celebrate the possible win… Two Thursdays ago, a brand new student to youth group signed up for Summer camp. Two days ago, a freshman whose parents know some Arcadians signed up.  A week before that, a young lady who is not connected to youth group signed up, and a couple of days before that another girl. A week before that another girl not involved with youth group and a couple of days before that a boy who goes to school with one of our students signed up. Even as I went back to look at the summer camp roster to get these couple of names, knowing how crazy this was, I was still astounded at the sheer amount of people and the craziness surrounding each of their stories that will bring them to camp this year.

Too many ‘coincidences’ all lining up to bring a whole mess of students I hardly know, that are hardly connected to Arcade Church to a camp where we get to bring the Gospel hard and help as many students as possible to hear, see, and follow Christ!

In my best moments, in my greatest strength, I could not have possibly gathered all these students from all over the place to be at camp this year. And this is only one story!

I have to remind myself often of one of our team commandments…

Embrace the supernatural.

Each week, we gather together in this room and tell stories of things happening that have no business happening. Pastor Dann is a walking highlight reel of the supernatural.

I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

It is so important to embrace the supernatural, because no matter how good I am in what I do here, I am not good enough to fulfill God’s purposes for Arcade Church! If my messages are my own power they will not cause people to rest in the power of God, but in my own wisdom.

My own personal influence, even our collective influence in this room may be enough to reach a few lives and maybe even make an impact on those lives, but is nowhere near powerful enough to help as many people as possible hear, see, and follow Jesus! This will have to be a supernatural work in our lives and the lives of the people around us!

I don’t think I need to spend much time convincing the people in this room that we need Jesus to do the work of Jesus!

Neighborhood kids… LGBTQ… politics…. Covid aftereffects…

We need the power of Jesus!

If we are embracing the supernatural what are some things that will need to be true?

1. Be ready to throw the plan out the window…

Acts 8:26 Great ministry happening in Samaria, So much great ministry, John and Peter even join in and people are coming to Jesus! It is in the midst of this, that God calls Phillip and says hey, leave this great ministry and head over to that desert road. If I were Phillip, I think I would be like, but Jesus!! Stuff is happening here! Don’t you see! But Phillip, throws his plan out the window and heads to the desert road, where he meets a man who happens to be reading the scripture and has no idea what it means. Phillip shares the Gospel with him and he believes and is even baptized right then and there!

When we are embracing the supernatural it means sometimes we will have to throw the plan out the window.

When I was in high school, my brother (the youth pastor at the time) and I were at a camp. We decided we wanted to scare the kids so we came up with this elaborate plan to trick them into thinking I was abducted… In the middle of the plan a little 6th grade boy finds my torn shirt and cries out in all seriousness, “take me instead! My life is not worth anything!” This unplanned moment led to a conversation between the young boy and I where I was able to share with him the worth Christ placed on his life!

Some of the most amazing ministry moments were outside of the plan!

I am so blessed every time I see Rob in the courtyard, though he probably has a million things to remodel, he is wrestling with the neighborhood kids, or eating lunch with them. Plans thrown out the window.

When we are embracing the supernatural, we have to be ready to throw the plan out the window, and we also need to:

2. Pray like Crazy!

“If prayer isn’t vital for your church, then your church isn’t vital. If you can accomplish your church’s mission without daily passionate prayer, then your mission is insufficient and your church is irrelevant.” -Francis Chan

If it is God’s power that will get the job done, then we need to ask him constantly to do it!

Matthew 17:21 This one only comes out through prayer and fasting!

I wonder how many of the struggles in my life and ministry can only be solved through prayer and fasting! I would argue the vast majority of them if not all of them! I wonder how many of the problems our families are facing can only be dealt with, with prayer and fasting!

At the graduation last Thursday, we had a girl whose friend was just taken to the hospital for suicidal ideation. She was really hurting. In that moment, there was nothing I could do, so I simply prayed for her. It was like a great weight fell off her shoulders and she was able to enjoy the night.

When we are embracing the supernatural, we need to be ready to throw the plan out the window, we need to pray like crazy and we should certainly:

3. Enjoy the Show!

 Acts 2:42

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

In the early church we see God working like crazy… Miracles are happening the supernatural cannot be stopped and I love this little piece in Acts 2:43… Awe came upon every soul!

I can only imagine what it must have been like for them, with God moving so constantly, the awe that lead to constant worship and recognition of the supernatural happening all around them.

One year, when I was doing ministry in Alaska. We were headed to winter camp and I was putting together a weekend series on the Power of God. I remember, in preparing for the last night’s sermon (the big one), I felt the Lord prompting me to say at the end of the sermon, “God show us your power” and pray. I remember pushing back on that prompting, thinking, Lord if I do this and you do nothing the whole weekend is a wash. In the end, I did it. I said God, show us your power and I prayed. The band came up and played a song, and nothing happened. I sent them all to small groups (you had to walk a short distance from the gym to the cabins) and I stayed in the gym to pray.

“Lord, nothing happened! Do something please Lord!”

I was in there for 25 minutes or so asking Him to show up already when one of my leaders came into the gym.

“Nick what are you doing?”

“I am praying for God to show up, why are you not in small group.”

“Nick, you need to come outside.”

I went outside and all the youth group was standing on the edge of the lake, crying and worshiping God, looking up into the sky where the Northern lights were lit up from one end of the sky to the other more bright than I had ever seen them.

I could only respond with immediate worship of the supernatural power of God!

We should not, cannot hesitate to stop and worship Him when he is moving and even when we don’t see him moving! Take time to remember the works God has done, to celebrate the win, yes, but even more so to worship the winner!

*Taken from a devotional time in our weekly staff meeting.

Thoughts from the Elder Board

Why the Bible?

Recently sports fans were introduced to a new professional football league. The concept has many familiar aspects of football (e.g., teams are trying to score touchdowns). However, in Fan Controlled Football, decision making is handed to viewers who determine major aspects of the game online such as roster choices and play-calling.

Fad or flop, the premise hinges on humanity’s desire for power and control. The allure of participating is not unlike the human desire to seat ourselves on the rightful throne of God. We want to run our own playbook. Thankfully, God gives us a real, time-tested, viable guide: the Bible.

Viewing the World Through a Biblical Lens

Since the beginning, the Bible has transformed civilization. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It is translated into more than 200 languages. It is the foundational text of Western thought. At Arcade Church, the Bible is the lens through which we view the world.

There are many reasons to learn the Bible: for wisdom (Colossians 3:16), guidance (Psalm 119:105), to understand our thoughts and heart (Hebrews 4:12), maturity (1 Peter 2:2), instruction, endurance, and encouragement (Romans 15:4), to treasure God (Job 23:12), reproof, correction, and training (2 Timothy 3:16) to experience freedom (John 8:32), and for answered prayer (John 15:7) to name a few.

But not everyone chooses to run with God’s playbook.

Preparing a Fertile Field

In the Gospel of Mark (Mark 4:13-20), Jesus explains the parable of the sower and the seed. The illustration shows how people respond to the word: they hear it, but it is taken away by Satan’s schemes, it sprouts in a person’s heart but so does persecution and they abandon it, or the “worries of the world” crowd out the fruit produced by it. Only a few are “like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

At Arcade Church it is our desire to create a fertile field for seed to be planted and grow. Children, young adults, parents, singles, empty-nesters, seniors, beginning Christians and life-long believers will be told of the Christ-like joy and message of the Gospel described in the Bible.

The Arcade Institute

One of the goals at Arcade Church is to establish a pattern of learning biblical truth equipping adults to be disciples who make disciples. Over the next five years, leaders will create the Arcade Institute comprising a syllabus of Bible-infused learning. We aim to teach a minimum of 5-6 courses per year that equip and support Arcadians in their ongoing walk with Christ. We will roll out courses on campus in June 2021.

God is Calling the Shots

Understanding the Bible is more than a matter of preference, it is a matter of desperate need. The Bible is the guide to knowing the one true God. Renown Welsh minister Martyn Lloyd Jones said: “Our supreme need, our only need, is to know God, the living God, and the power of His might. We need nothing else. It is just that, the power of the living God, to know that the living God is among us and that nothing else matters… I say, forget everything else.”

Humanity will continue to seek to satisfy the needs only God can fulfill. History proves, they will fail miserably. Like Fan Controlled Football, calling our own shots has a dubious end. (Over the last two years, two professional football leagues, the Alliance of American Football and the XFL, folded prematurely).

The Bible is a single, wonderful narrative showing readers who God is in His own words. Understanding the whole Bible enables the readers to understand the big news about Jesus Christ. Knowing God through the Bible is the underpinning of our lives and is a lifelong pursuit. At Arcade, our God-authored biblical guide far exceeds that of any human ability or play calling. The Bible assures us, God is calling the shots.

Thoughts from the Elder Board

Not Neglecting to Meet Together: Gathering and Community

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
- Hebrews 10:24-25

At Arcade Church, we believe every morsel of this verse is to be savored. For the Elder Board, the yearning to meet in person has been ever present for more than 11 months. We have prayed continually for wisdom in how we can and should meet. We have examined scripture for guidance and aimed to align our thoughts and discussions to be in accordance with Christ. We have considered each other’s point of view to aid in making sound decisions.

We believe now is the time for Arcadians to gather as a local church.

Given the online options, watching service from home, communicating by email, posting on social media, and an established pattern of not being physically with people, it easy to wonder: why gather?

There are many reasons but here are five:

To be joyful together. “I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete” (2 John 1:12). The Apostle John knew the importance of physical presence communicating directly without distance or barriers. At John’s urging, believers are to take joy in being together.

To be humble together. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Jesus is speaking in this passage to his “little children” and “those who are weary and burdened.” He is urging his people to learn to have a heart like Jesus, free from pride and arrogance in the presence of others.

To be generous together. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). Paul urges Christ followers to give up personal desires in order to help someone else. One could argue this is possible from afar but together Christians can exhibit the fullness of Christlike generosity for each other and for unbelievers to see.

To be devoted together. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:10-11). This verse paints a vivid picture of the steadfast attachment the early Christians felt for one another. We are to live together like brothers and sisters exhibiting loyalty and sense of belonging that surpasses normal friendships.

To be the Church together. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Jesus describes his church as a light-giving lamp. When Christians are not in each other’s presence we are but a twinkle in a dim world. Together we are a radiant lamp illuminating God to the world.

We understand there are real circumstances related to COVID infections that prohibit some Arcadians from gathering in person. Individuals from vulnerable populations who refrain from gathering are wisely demonstrating personal discretion. If you cannot meet for those reasons, you are not sinning. We still encourage you to engage – make phone calls, email, take part in online worship and pray like crazy!

Believers are called to live together according to God’s ways, cleansed of sin and in fellowship (1 John 1:7). That is why one of our goals for the next five years is to engage 90% of Arcade membership in small groups alongside adult ministry with a focus on developing leaders. Community will be an essential ingredient in the culture of Arcade Church. We will honor God by assembling, praising, remembering, and testifying in Christ alone.

In these acts of worship, we are foreshadowing an eternity that is to come. Someday believers in Christ will gather without restrictions, without distancing, without masks. We will join in the presence of our Holy Father in heaven for eternity (Revelation 7:9).

Today, our prayer is for total alignment with the life and mind of Christ. Savoring God’s word when we are alone or face to face. Together, we will be God’s family, His body, His bride, and His temple “on earth as it is in heaven.”

Thoughts from the Elder Board

Uncovering Joy

The Church in the United States and most of the world has never lived through anything like the past 11 months. We have endured anxious caution and a restrained life for the sake of protection. We have watched as infection rates surge and fall. We have learned to rely on technology to connect online (so available, yet so remote).

With greater depth and urgency than ever before, many believers have faced a spiritual reckoning. They’ve questioned their self-sufficiency, personal sacrifices, and God’s authority. For many believers, this unprecedented experience has been alarming. For God, it is nothing new.

God has challenged man in startling ways since the very beginning. In Genesis 3, God challenges Eve to explain herself and later for Adam to present himself (as if he could hide!). God presents similar challenges to Moses and the Exiles (Exodus 15:22-27), in Jacob’s wrestling encounter with God (Genesis 32:22-32), with Thomas who doubted (John 20:24-29), not to mention the early churches in Philippi (Philippians 4:6), Corinth (1 Corinthians 10:1-33) and Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 2:1-17).

God Is Challenging Us

It should come as no surprise when God is challenging us. Yet, it does.

In Arcade Church Elder meetings there has been much discussion about “new normal” – where we will settle after this crisis. While the conversations are absolutely necessary, we have constantly had to remind ourselves of the deep-rooted, unchanging sovereignty of God. What is God’s clearly expressed and perfect way? How are we to think and act in these unprecedented times? Where are we timidly holding back as God is calling us to boldly go forth?

In John 5:14-16 Jesus tells his disciples: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

When reading these verses, consider the alternative: turn off the lights, hide, extinguish any flicker of light, and repress the God-given urge to help others to hear, see or follow Christ.

I compare it to owning the perfect style, size, and color couch. We know its intended use. Great for gatherings. An ideal napping place. Cozy for book reading and television watching. Knowing all that, it is as if we place a crunchy, clear, plastic couch cover over it. For the sake of maximizing its utility, we keep it uninviting and hidden.

The Vision

As Christians, we should know better. That is why Arcade Pastors, the Elder Board and Staff propose a new vision for Arcade. We urge believers (and pre-believers) to discard the coverings of the world. Instead, we aim to place a renewed focus on uncovering joy.

Like the one healed leper out of ten who came back in gratitude, complete joy is found in Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 urges believers to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Starting this Sunday, Arcadians are going to be hearing a lot about Christ-like joy. Arcade has many reasons to know the joy of Christ: senior-saints who continually pray, pastors and Sunday school teachers who faithfully and enthusiastically teach the Word, and musicians who exalt Christ. We have a firm foundation upon which to build.

Even if the joy may have dimmed in the current trial, it is ready to ignite. In our celebrations and in sorrow, baptisms and memorials, meals and fasting, joy is to be on display. It is Christ-like joy that encourages others to know Jesus, for us to be more like Jesus and for Jesus to be rightfully exalted.

Yearning for Joy

Like everyone, the Elder Board is ready to say goodbye to COVID-19. We yearn for regular, in-person gatherings, small groups and serving. For Christians, this is not a new yearning. Gathering fuels joy. John the Apostle writes in 2 John 12: “I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

Even if we are not together soon, my prayer is that Arcadians set their minds on the joy of baptisms, raising hands in worship, seeing children learning about Jesus, participating in Bible studies, connecting with friends at the coffee cart, playing futsal with our neighbors, handing out water bottles at events and much more. Lord, fix our gaze on Christ today that joy may abound. Set our minds on the day when there will be unfettered worship and adoration before your glorious throne forever and ever.