Ridgell's Originals

Easter week.  Good Friday.  Resurrection Sunday.

My last blog post was about your individual response to the good news of Easter.  That Jesus died for your sins and was raised from the dead.  If you have faith in Jesus, you are baptized into his death.  Raised to a new life.  Crucified with Christ so that you no longer live, but Christ lives in you.  That is a response of your own individual faith and love.

But Sunday is an opportunity for the communal response to Jesus death and resurrection. We get to take communion together.  Where as a community of believers we together announce the Lord's death until he returns.

Yes we remember.  But we announce our conviction that Jesus died for us.  And that he died for all of every race and nationality.

We announce our conviction that not only was he raised from the dead, but that he is coming back to take us to be with God forever.

You will hear a lot of great sermons this Easter Sunday.  But the greatest sermon is the one you will be a part of -- the sermon where we believers proclaim that Jesus died for our sins.  Where we proclaim that we believe.  Where we make it clear that there is still room at this meal for others.  

And where we remind ourselves that we will do this again and again and again.  Until the one who died and was raised returns.

The greatest Easter sermon ever. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 It is just over one week until Good Friday and then Easter Sunday.  Easter is the day that gets most of the attention, but I want to talk about Good Friday -- the day Jesus died.

Jesus died to make a way for us back to God.  Our sin separated us from God.  Bad choices.  Things we did that we really knew we should not have done.  Things not done that we really knew we should have done.  Holy God and unholy us.

Yet God loved us so much that he sent His only Son into this world to die on the cross and pay for our sins.  Paying a debt that was not his.  All so we could live forever with the Holy God.  Read John 3:16

It is a free and loving gift.  Yours for the taking.  All it takes is faith.

Faith enough to die.

That death is called baptism.  Read Romans 6:3-5.  

We are baptized into his death.  We are buried with Christ thru baptism into his death.  Then raised to a new life.  And if we are united with Christ in baptism, we will also be raised with him.  

God's gift.  Our faith.  Love.  Death and resurrection. 

Friday he dies.  Sunday he is raised.

If you have died with Jesus, celebrate this next Friday.  Remember your baptism.  Tell your kids and grandkids about how it felt to come out of that water.  Thank God for his gift.  Resolve to live up to your baptism.

If you have not yet died, I am going to ask you to make that commitment.

Maybe Good Friday would be a wonderful day to die with Jesus in baptism and be raised to a new life. 

So make the decision.  Call your preacher.  Or a good friend.  Ask them to open up the church baptistry.  Or meet you at a lake or use a hot tub.  Find a fountain.  

If you are not sure who to call, get ahold of me.  I will meet you or connect you with someone.

steveridgellministry@gmail.com.

Good Friday could just be the day you are born again.  Forever. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Churches have to make hard decisions.  Conform to culture or stand for Jesus and against culture.  Not stand against people, but against the things of this world.  Here are things that will happen if you listen to culture.

Your church gets smaller and smaller.  I still remember the many church buildings I have seen in Europe that are empty.  If they still assemble, it is a very small room in what was once a large church ediface.  Most of the buildings now museums.  It happens when your church follows culture.

You move away from believing in the Bible.  Spend enough time explaining why the Bible does not mean what it says and soon you will find no one cares what it says.

Your members are weak.  Don't give.  Not much prayer life.  No ministry.  No new births because no evangelism.

Look at every post-Christian society.  This is what happens.

Our Kingdom is not of this world.  We are aliens and strangers here.

Jesus spoke of trouble and persecution.  As fact, not possibilities.

Culture will accuse Christians of all kinds of false things.  

It will be hard to be a faithful church in the face of culture.

If you do not remain faithful, your church has no future.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I do beleive the church has a bright future ahead of it.  Maybe I am just optomistic by nature.  Or maybe I am optomistic by spiritual conviction.

But here are my ten reasons the church is going to thrive in the future.

God's Kingdom will last forever.  I am part of something that will never end.  

God is in charge.  He is going to right all wrongs someday.  He will come in judgement.  My faith in His Son will ensure my salvation.

I can't die.  The worst that happens to me is that this earthly body is killed or dies.  But the same God that resurrected Jesus from the dead will resurrect me.

I will live forever.  So the 70 or 80 years here is just a drop in the bucket.

I am making a difference.  Helping people find Jesus.  Helping people fight for their faith.  It matters.  People really are changed forever.  

History is on our side.  God writes history.  His will is going to be done.  He will triumph in the end.

Truth.  God is true.  Satan is the father of lies.  Truth will always win out.  Becuase Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

The kingdom is going to grow.  I may not live to see the coming spiritual revolution.  But it is coming.  People are going to seek Jesus.

There are lots of disciples that will answer the call to go into their world and make disciples.  

Young people.  My grandkids and others are going to live out their faith.  They will not seek recongnition or glory here but they will seek God's glory and they will make a difference.  And they will teach their children to love God, love others, and make disciples.  And on it will go until Jesus returns.

So yeah... I am very optomistic about the future of the church.

Even if it looks nothing like the church I spent my life in.

Well, except for Jesus, love, baptism, Lord's supper, serving, and reaching others.

So I guess it is the same.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

Mark Rogers was killed in a car wreck last Saturday.  He is survived by his wife, Jenn, and his three kids.  It seems so senseless and tragic.  So many questions.  But so many answers.  Answers about faith and the resurrection.  Answers about the legacy of a life well lived.  Answers about the hope of someday.

Mark and I weren't particularly close.  But he loved singing in worship.  I loved speaking in worship.  So we connected many times that way.  We were part of a funeral group.  For several years it seemed as if every funeral had the same two or three speakers, the same 10-12 singers, and the same 15-20 food fixers and servers.  We were both in that group.

So I wanted to share three things I want to remember from Mark's life.  Three things that make me a better follower of Jesus.

Love life.  Mark just loved life.  Loved being Jenn's husband.  Loved being a Dad.  Loved worship.  Loved people.  Loved the marginal.  Loved his friends.  And everybody thought they were his friend.  Mark was happy.  So many of us grieve Mark, but when talking about him... well, everybody smiles.  Everybody.  It seems to me that maybe Mark crammed a lot of life into a few years.  Maybe that is how God intended us to live.  Mark didn't have a love life.  Mark was a love life.  Just like Jesus.  That inspires me.

Mark loved to praise God.  It helps if you are a really good singer, but the music wasn't the main point for Mark.  Jesus was.  Loved watching Mark and his Dad, Urban, sing together.  Lot of strong teaching just in that visual.  Mark sang his praise, but Mark's praise showed in his face.  Mark wanted to be in worship.  Wanted to worship.  Happy to lead.  Happy to sing.  Happy.  I appreciate the people that inspire me to worship.  I am inspired to worship like it is a celebration.  Thanks Mark.

Mark made people feel better. You had to smile when around him.  Old people, young people, and everyone in between.  Quick with a laugh, quick with a compliment.  You left Mark feeling like you were a better person than you were a minute ago.  I want to do that for people.

And it all comes from what was core to Mark.  He was a believer.  His family is a Jesus family.  First thing my wife said after the phone call was "Jenn will make it thru this."  Great recognition of what a family of faith looks like.

I don't know what was happening in that car right before the accident, but I would not be at all surprised if there was not singing and/or laughing, and/or talking about Jesus.  In fact, I would almost bet on it.  

So thanks Mark.

I look forward to hanging out with you in heaven.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 When church and culture are at odds, it really changes things.  So for the churches that are about to be at odds with culture, here are some good things that I think will happen.

The Kingdom will increase.  Evangelism will increase.  Souls will be saved.  Churches that stand for something are attractive.  When people have questions about this life, they need answers. 

Unity.  The harder things get for Christians, the more we hang together.  We will find that most of us agree on the core things of Scripture. And we will also realize many of the things we thought mattered really do not.  We will need each other. 

Lukewarm Christians are not as prevelent.  No one wants to be at odds with their culture unless they are passionate about what they believe.  It will cost you something to follow Jesus.  Persecution and intolerance mean you have to be serious about your faith.  Church is no longer the thing to "do" to be culturally acceptable.

Your individual faith will grow. You will be critical to the survival of your community of faith.  You will matter.  Service, evangelism, discipling, and body life will be more important for us all.

Christians will know the Bible better. If you are going to be at odds with your culture, you sure want to know why.  You will read and be convicted by Scripture.

Your prayer life will be deeper.  Daily bread prayer will be real.  

Your light will matter.  When darkness is all around, light shines brighter.

So it may just be that as culture moves farther away from truth, God will do amazing things.  

He always has.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Things have changed.  Not will change.  Have changed.  The Covid Pandemic has changed things.  Cultural influence has changed things in the U.S.  Politics has revealed lines of division even in churches.  Hard decisions about what we believe are going to be made.

Churches that stand with the Bible will be at odds with our culture.  And that changes things.

And here are four ways churches are going to be different over the next twenty years.  

Big buildings/church complexes are out.  The churches that have big debt on big buildings are going to be in trouble.  House churches, worship assemblies in offices, and much smaller crowds.

Changing roles for preachers.  The senior pastor as church leader model will be over.  There will not be enough large congregations to support multi-staff.  Few highly compensated ministers.  More evangelists and elders.  There will still be a place for preaching.  Always has been.  Lots more lay preaching.  More preachers serving multiple congregations.  

Budgets will go away.  Not giving.  Just budgets.  After all, most budgets are heavy on building/staff expense.  Much more of individual Christians helping each other.  

Programs will not be the center of our ministries.  Youth ministry will be in the hands of parents, families, and all the church members.  Much more equipping of individuals/small groups doing ministry.

And that is different -- way different -- than the church I grew up in.  Makes me sort of nostalgic.  Makes me more excited to see what God is going to do.

And yes, I am aware I will probably see most of this from heaven.  Unless I am wrong about all of it.  Which I will still see from heaven.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

Things are certainly changing.  Laws about gender and about marriage.  Many Christians are concerned because the new laws contradict what the Bible teaches.  There is concern about what that means for our churches.  There is worry over how that will play out in the lives of individual Christians.  Will our beliefs affect work opportunities?  Will they have to make choices about obeying God rather than men?

So here a few things to remember as Christians.

Truth will still be true.  No matter what any government decides, it will not change God’s teaching.  Nor will it change God’s intentions for how we should live.

Just because culture/government claims something to be true does not mean you have to accept it as truth.  Men have often exchanged truth for a lie (read Romans 1).  Don’t fall for it.

We are on the right side of history.  Our culture is not.  God will vindicate our faithfulness.  Truth will triumph.

This world is not your home. 

Your God will take care of you.

Memorize Joshua 1:9

Be courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged.

Our God is with you wherever you go.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 How things look matters.  Just ask Ted Cruz.  The Texas Senator went to Mexico in the middle of the worst Blizzard in Texas in over 100 years.  The problem was not that he could do much to help anyone.  It just looked like he didn't care.  Constituents freezing, no power, no water in many places.  And he takes a vacation.  Or so it appeared.

Optics matter.

Optics matter in church too.

So here are a few suggestions for church leaders.

Show up.  I really appreciate Youth ministers and workers who have students in their group from several high schools.  Most of them have a favorite school but they work hard to make an appearance at every school -- and at a variety of activities (games from all sports, plays, concerts, etc).  Optics matter.  

Visit the hospital.  Things are opening up and this is possible again.  

Show up at the funerals.  Families notice when you do.  And when you don't.  It matters.

Master the art of the drive-by.  If you are in a large, active church you cannot be everywhere or show up at everything.  But do what you can.  Enough that the word gets around.  And it will.

Showing up says "I care."  And I know that some of it is only optics.  I am always skeptical of political photo ops.  But for most church leaders, they do care.  Showing up is one way to show it.

Don't play favorites.  Every church leader has their favorites.  I do.  People know and understand that. 

But do not show up just for the big givers or the influential people.  Everybody shows up for them.  Show up for those on the margins. 

Friends and family notice when the preacher or elder shows up.  It gives your people opportunities to talk about why Jesus and church matters.

Showing up -- a bunch -- is hard and time-consuming.  But optics matter.

Just something to keep in mind.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 1 comments