New Monmouth Musings: Content or Covetous?

Dear Friend,

We have heard that “the grass is always greener on the other side of the street,” and that is often true. But as someone once remarked, "so also is the water bill.” You and I have an awful habit of comparing ourselves and what we have with those who have more.  As a result, we often miss the best God has for us because we fail to appreciate the blessings we already have.

This past Sunday, we studied Paul's prescription for contentment, as we closed out our study of Philippians. No matter what, Paul says, “I have learned the secret of contentment” (Philippians 4:12). No matter what my circumstances, whether I live under a bridge or in a penthouse, whether I am rich or poor I have learned to be content.

Unfortunately, in today’s world when we are bombarded by ads of every variety that are always promising comfort and convenience, happiness and contentment, we are tempted to think we will also find that happiness in some product or some service. But these things seldom bring happiness or contentment. Just ask some of the lottery winners whose new found wealth has brought them nothing but misery and discontentment. 

We are too much like the guy described in the following bit of doggerel:

“As a rule, mans a fool

When it cool, he wants it hot.

And when it’s hot, he wants it cool.

Always wanting what is not.”

Happiness comes from within and not without. If there is a vacuum within your heart, Satan will steal in and convince you that happiness is found in a credit card. However, like cotton candy, our purchases may bring temporary pleasure, but soon after the purchase we want something newer and bigger, which almost always means more money. As someone said, “greed has a growling stomach.”

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:10, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”.

Christ will meet all of our needs, but never all our greed. God wants the best for us, but often we miss that best because we fail to recognize the blessings we already possess.

An ancient Persian legend tells of a wealthy man by the name of Al Haffed, who owned a large farm. One evening a visitor related to him tales of fabulous amounts of diamonds that could be found in other parts of the world, and of the great riches they could bring him. The vision of all this wealth made him feel poor by comparison. So instead of caring for his own prosperous farm, he sold it and went out to find these treasures. But the search proved to be fruitless. Finally, penniless and in despair, he committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

Meanwhile, the man who had purchased his farm noticed one day the glint of an unusual stone in a shallow stream on the property. He reached into the water and, to his amazement, he pulled out a huge diamond. Later when working in his garden, he uncovered many more valuable gems. Poor Al Haffed had spent his life traveling to distant lands seeking jewels, when on the farm he had left behind were all the precious stones his heart could have ever desired.

Security can never be found in a safe deposit box. Jesus has taught us that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15), and He advised his disciples “to lay up treasures for themselves in heaven rather than on earth” (Mt. 6:19f).

Let us never forget that contentment never comes from the accumulation of things, but from the assurance that “God will never leave us or forsake us”, and that’s a promise we can count on.

Yours in faith,

Pastor Tom.

Thanksgiving and Hospitality

Dear Family,

Who’s coming to your Thanksgiving dinner next week? Jesus has some interesting things to say about dinners and hospitality. He spent a good amount of his ministry dining out. He not only spent time meeting in homes with his friends and followers, but he also took time to meet and eat with the Pharisees and who opposed his ministry.  The kind of people with whom he dined caused me to think about one significant lesson Jesus taught about hospitality.

In Luke 14 Jesus taught, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.  Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (14:12-14)

As I thought about this, I tried to recall the last time I had honored this exhortation.  Quite honestly most of the people whom we have invited to our home have been my friends, neighbors and family, and while on occasion when we lived in Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, we would invite those we knew had no place to go on special holidays, it was not always on a regular basis. Often they would come from local addiction ministries or were referred to us by the Salvation Army, but I would say these instances weren’t often enough.

As I reflected on how we welcome the outcast, the unlovely, the needy, I thought about something that I recently read that took place in a church service, and it was told by former televangelist Jim Bakker shortly after his release from prison.  I share it with you because it is a beautiful story of what the church is called to be.

“When I was transferred to my last prison, Franklin Graham said he wanted to help me out when I got out with a job, a house to live in, and a car.  It was my fifth Christmas in prison.  I thought it over and said, ‘Franklin, you can’t do this.  It will hurt you.  The Grahams don’t need my baggage’.  He looked at me and he said, ‘Jim, you were my friend in the past, and you are my friend now.  If anyone doesn’t like it, I’m looking for a fight.’”

“So when I got out of prison, the Grahams sponsored me and paid for a house for me to live in and gave me a car to drive.  The first Sunday out, Ruth Graham called the halfway house I was living in at the Salvation Army and asked permission for me to go to the Montreat Presbyterian Church with her that Sunday morning.  When I got there, the pastor welcomed me and sat me with the Graham family.  There were two whole rows of them.   The organ began playing, and the place was full except for a seat next to me.  Then the doors opened and in walked Ruth Graham. She walked down that aisle and sat next to Inmate 67407-059.  I had only been out of prison 48 hours, but she told the world that morning that Jim Bakker was her friend.”

“Afterward, she had me up to their cabin for dinner.  When she asked me for my address, I pulled this envelope out of my pocket.  In prison you’re not allowed to have a wallet, so you must carry an envelope.  She asked, ‘Don’t you have a wallet?’  And I said, ‘Well, yes, this is my wallet.’   She walked into the other room and came back and said, ‘Here’s one of Billy’s wallets.  He doesn’t need it.  You can have it.’”

What a beautiful lesson in hospitality.  As you think about entertaining thisThanksgiving, why not think about inviting someone you would not normally ask to your home, someone, who, like Jim Bakker may need, to know that you are a friend, a person who can be counted on to accept and love them “just as they are”.

I close with a quote of one of my favorite authors, Erwin Lutzer, who writes, “Hospitality is a test of godliness because those who are selfish do not like strangers (especially needy ones) to intrude upon their private lives.  They prefer their own friends who share their lifestyle.  Only the humble have the necessary resource to give of themselves to those who could never give of themselves in return.”

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Tom

P.S. Please let me know if you take my advice this Thanksgiving and let me know about your experience.

New Monmouth Musings: The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Growth Opportunities for the Body 

Dear Friends,

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is one of our para church ministries that is closest to my heart.  It was back in the Spring of 1962 that a college football teammate encouraged me to attend a weeklong summer F.C.A. Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisc.  It was during that weekend that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  Since that time, I have lost track of the exact number of summer conferences I have attended (probably eight or nine).  My F.C.A. experience has resulted in my chairing the South Florida F.C.A. Board, as well as serving on the New York / New Jersey Board under the direction of our own Harry Flaherty, who with his family is a part of our New Monmouth fellowship.  I am indebted to the F.C.A, for it has played a significant part in my spiritual inheritance, and because of this I am always eager to promote the ministry in any way possible.  Which leads me to draw your attention to the first announcement below.

F.C.A. 5K RUN/WALK ON SUNDAY

The 7th Annual F.C.A. 5K Run/Walk will be held this Sunday, October 28, at Thompson Park in Lincroft.  The entry fee is $25.00 and check in for the race begins at 1:30 PM, with the race to follow at 2:30 PM.  Awards will be given at 3:15 PM. Those interested in participating can register online at https://fca.regfox.com/2018fcanjrunwalk

Even if you choose not to run or walk like me, you can participate by just showing up and cheering on those involved.  During the awards ceremonies you will hear some wonderful testimonies from both high school and college participants, as well as brief messages by some of those adults whose lives have been impacted by the ministry.

MEN'S BREAKFAST, NOVEMBER 3RD WITH NEW YORK GIANTS' LEE ROUSAN

Also, all men are invited to join us on Saturday, November 3rd at 8:00 AM in the Church basement for our monthly Men's Fellowship Breakfast.  Lee Rousan, a former New York Giant running back who played 7 seasons with both the Giants and the Browns, will be our guest speaker.  Lee is a member of the New Jersey F.C.A. staff as well. You won't want to miss his inspiring message, so please join us and be sure and bring a friend.  Teenagers are welcome to join us.  A free will offering will be taken to cover the cost of breakfast. 

MEN'S CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND WITH KEN GRAVES

Let me encourage all men to consider attending Calvary Chapel Old Bridge Men's Conference featuring Pastor Ken Graves.  Having previously served for five years at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge and having heard Ken speak on a number of occasions, I can attest to his ability to powerfully deliver the Word of God.  The Conference will be held at Calvary Chapel, Old Bridge, 123 White Oak Lane on Friday, October 26th from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM & Saturday, October 27th at 8:00 AM and wrapping up at 1:00 PM. Ken, who is the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Bangor, Maine has been a frequent speaker all over the country. Pastor Ken is known as a dynamic speaker who combines his rugged masculine style with a vast knowledge of Scripture.  Cost at the door will be $ 25.00. 

I hope many of you will take advantage of any of the above ministry events.

PASTOR ARMANDO’S NEW ADDRESS

Pastor Armando is now settled in Florida and has begun his new ministry.

He appreciates your prayers and the many expressions of love he has already received from so many of you in the New Monmouth family.

His new address is:

      Pastor Armando Quatela 

      4235 US Route 1, 

      Rockledge, FL 32955

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom

New Monmouth Musings: Are You An Active Member? You Might Be Surprised When You Read This List

Dear Friends,

What makes an active church member? There are a number of criteria one might offer beginning with one of the most predicable means of measuring church activity, and that is worship attendance. It used to be that an active member was considered to be one who attended church three times a week. They might attend Sunday morning, a mid week service and maybe a Bible study. Today we have lowered the bar, and many consider worshipping three times a month qualifies you to be called active member. That is a difference of 75 percent. What if you were to reduce the time you spent with your spouse by 75 percent? The marriage counselor might be just around the corner. Hebrews 10:24-25 exhorts us "to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching". 

But there are other means of measuring active membership, and let me share some of them with you to see how we stack up? 

Secondly an active member will pursue meaningful relationships with others in the family. One of the best ways to do that is through small group involvement. A member who is involved in a small group will be five times less likely to drop out from the church over a five-year period than one who is not involved in a small group. Relationships are the glue that holds the church together.

Thirdly, you are giving regularly and systematically to the church. You are investing in kingdom purposes through the stewardship of your resources. The bible is clear that "where your treasure is there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). Your heart will follow your money which seems counter intuitive, but it is true. If you invest in the stock market you will be anxious to regularly check the stock prices because you are interested in your investment. If you give to the church, you become more interested and more involved as you want to know how your giving is being used for kingdom causes.

Fourth, you will be involved in some form of ministry: serving on a cleaning crew, setting up tables for fellowship, ushering, greeting, teaching, welcoming new visitors, serving in youth ministry, teaching Sunday School. There are plenty of opportunities to become involved, and if you are not sure where you might fit in, let us know and we’ll find an area of service that fits your interest. 

Fifth, you are inviting others to church because you want others to experience what you have experienced. If you are excited about something, you will encourage others to become involved. When we find a good restaurant, one of the first things we will do is to tell others about our experience, and the same is true for the church.

Sixth You are reading your bible daily, involved in some form of spiritual discipline like prayer, bible study or fasting, using a daily devotional or watching a podcast.

Seventh you are able to share the vision and purpose of the church. Your elders have been prayerfully working to identify our church's core values, those qualities that identify us and guide us in developing our mission and ministry. It is important for each member to be able to identify our values and our distinctives and to be able to communicate those values to others. Hopefully, within the next couple of months, these values will be shared with the congregation through a series of messages from the pulpit. 

I write this not to foster guilt or heap judgment on anyone who doesn't subscribe or measure up to these above qualities of active membership. I fully realize that none of us will probably ever fulfill all of them. But the more qualities we do identify as part of our church's DNA, the more likely we would be considered active members. The church needs active members, each one bearing and sharing part of the ministry load. May God help us develop these kinds of members, who can help us storm the gates of hell and pull down Satan's kingdom. Will you join us?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom

New Monmouth Musings: Do you watch Fox News or MSNBC?

Are you a contentious Christian?  In today’s political world it is easy to become one.  This past week I have witnessed such contention exhibited by both sides of the political spectrum.  Each one of us may possess strong feelings about our political positions and persuasions, and I confess it is easy to draw our line in the sand, to become overly emotional about our views, and yes, to even become angry and belligerent over the causes we espouse.  Like many of us who have watched television the past few weeks.

I have witnessed these kind of reactions as we have followed the Kavanagh confirmation process.  Many of us have sadly witnessed relationships severed because of unkind words that were spoken or positions that were defended because of strong positions that were held.  It is not wrong to feel strongly about the positions we hold, but let’s be careful in doing so to remember our witness for Christ is more important than the candidate we support or the cause we champion.

As Christians there are times to be both peaceable (Romans 12:18) and contentious (Jude 3).  We are to be “both kinds of people depending on the issue and concerns we address” For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . . a time for war, and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8).

Yes, I watch Fox News, but I also will often turn to MSNBC because I want to know what is being said from another perspective.

Whatever our reaction and response to the particular issue being addressed, our ultimate concern must always be my witness for Christ.  All of us need to remember that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:24).  Yes, there is a time to fight for our faith, but let’s be sure the underlying cause is our love for Jesus and our desire to see others come to know Him as we do.

Philip Yancey in his book “The Jesus I Never Knew” offers thoughts that provide a much-needed boundary for our conversations and relationships with others.  Yancy writes “I feel convicted by this quality of Jesus every time I get involved in a cause I strongly believe in.  How easy it is to join the politics of polarization, to find myself shouting across the picket lines at the “enemy” on the other side.  How hard it is to remember that the kingdom of God calls me to love the woman who has just emerged from the abortion clinic (and yes, even her doctor), the promiscuous person who is dying of AIDS, the wealthy landowner who is exploiting God’s creation.  If I cannot show love to such people, then I must question whether I have truly understood Jesus’ gospel.”  Quoted from “I Can”, Art Lindsay, p 251.

So maybe the best thing we can do is to turn off our television sets for a while and ask God to show us if our contention is “godly, loving and kind.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom

New Monmouth Musings: Handbells or Guitars: What I Learned About Change In A Church I Once Served

Dear Friends,

Someone said the only one that likes changing is a wet baby. The person was probably right. Change is not always a popular experience, and it can produce a lot of damage if it is not done wisely, carefully, and lovingly.

Today we face a culture that is fast changing, and that change has not been lost on those of us in the church. New Monmouth has been through a number of changes in recent years, and for some not all of those changes have been popular or easy to accept. However, I commend you on the way you have handled them.

Change is never trivial no matter how small that change may be. I remember the first time I ditched my robe while pastoring one Sunday morning a number of years ago in a church I served, and you can’t imagine the uproar from some of those in the pews.  “What is Tom doing walking around the pulpit teaching without wearing a robe?” It was as if I had ascended the pulpit in my birthday suit.  I can write and laugh about it today, but I can tell you I wasn’t quite prepared for the reaction I received. That experience was a stark reminder to me of the ‘tumult’ that even change can produce, no matter how small that change may seem.

When people allow their own personal preferences to usurp the church’s efforts to reach people for Christ, the church is in danger of becoming irrelevant. When change happens in the church that I don’t like, I have to remind myself that the church is not here to serve me and my preferences or traditions. It is here to reach the world, and if that change can help in accomplishing that goal, I better be championing it no matter how I personally feel about it.

This week I have been reading an eye-opening book by J.D. Greear, titled “Gaining by Losing”. In it he shares a story that really touched me. It reminded me of the way our New Monmouth Baptist Church family regularly responded to change.

Greear, a pastor in Durham, N.C., where several of our members have visited, writes about a lady in his church who has a great appreciation for hand bell music.

She discovered the church was about to sell their hand bell set so they could purchase some newer music equipment, specifically some new guitars. “This lady, who loved worship, was more of the organ, bells, and horns persuasion than the drums, guitars, and rhythm one.”

Confronting the pastor, she shared something that he didn’t know. Those hand bells, which had been stored away in the closet for a number of years, were the result of a gift her mother had given to the church shortly before she died.

In speaking with the woman, Greear writes “After a couple of long, awkward seconds, I said to her, “Well, don’t you think your mom in heaven would be glad to see us using instruments that would help us reach this next generation-including her grandkids and their friends?”

“She thought about that for a second, and then said, ‘Well, yes . . . I suppose my mom would be happy with that.’”

 “She requested that we not sell the hand bells but donate them to another church, which we gladly did. Yet she did not resist seeing them go, and she did not leave our church when we shifted our worship to a more contemporary one. Today over 2,000 college students attend our church each weekend.”

Greear concludes the story with these words: “Because of the selflessness of this woman and many others, our church is reaching a whole new generation. Taken from “Gaining by Losing”, J. D. Greear, p. 90

It is true that as Robert Schuller once wrote, “every end is a new beginning.” And those of us who protest change may miss the joy of seeing what God is ready to do with “new beginnings.”

See you Sunday!

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom

String That Instrument and Sing That Song

Dear Family,

It is so good to be back after spending a wonderful time of vacation with Jean and our family at our cottage on Lake Ontario in upstate New York. In 77 years it hasn't changed much and maybe that is why we all enjoy it so much. It's a quiet, restful haven where I have spent parts of every summer of my life. However, it is good to be home again, for home is where the heart is, and my heart rests and resides within the New Monmouth family of faith. Having said this I am happy to be home and, I am eagerly looking forward to all the exciting events and activities that are being planned for the fall.

A number of years ago I preached a sermon on stewardship in which I told the following story related by Dr. Louie Evans, a well-known pastor in the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Evans was visiting a mission station in Korea where a medical missionary friend of his had invited him to witness an operation involving major surgery in a make shift tent in an out of the way area. The heat, as Dr. Evans describes it, was stifling. The smells emanating from that tent were oppressive. Hour after grueling hour, the steady, calm determined surgeon worked on an old peasant woman. After seven hours the doctor stood up and drew back his mask and sighed, " Well the job is done now", and together they returned to his modest missionary office where Dr. Evans asked, "I am curious Dr., how much do you get paid out here in Korea for an operation like that"? The surgeon answered, "Well, to begin with I get this." He picked up a dented copper coin.  "This poor old woman came in here some time ago with this old coin and said,"Dr., do you suppose this would pay for the operation"? I answered, " It so happened it is just enough. So to begin with I get this piece of change". Sitting down and watching tears well up in the eyes of the doctor, Rev. Evans asked, "Is that all you receive"? "No," the doctor said, "I get far more than this. I have the wonderful feeling of knowing that for seven hours Christ is living in these ten fingers. I have the priceless awareness that these hands become the hands of Jesus Christ healing one of his children."

This story reminds me of an old poem I once read.

"Spring is past and summer is gone.

Winter is here.

And my song that I was meant to sing is still unsung.

I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument."

How sad it is to live life with such purposelessness, and yet there are many for whom life is like that. Their life is nothing more than a constant treadmill of action with little or no meaning or purpose. Their days are spent "stringing and unstringing their instruments." Why, because they have never "sang the song" that God intended them to sing. They have never learned the joy that comes from serving others. That is where our joy and satisfaction comes, and it comes when we are doing what this medical missionary was dong, serving others, giving ourselves away in the service of Christ, yielding our hands and heart to Him allowing them to become His hands and His heart. That is when we truly find the abundant life of which our Savior speaks.

The next time we begin to feel sad or sorry for ourselves, may we be reminded of this dedicated minister of healing and the wonderful satisfaction he derived from simply being used to bring healing to one of God's children. That is the privilege that every believer possesses, so let us get on with our work, and in so doing discover the wonderful satisfaction that comes from serving God's children.

And those who do "sing their song" will quickly discover that "It is truly more blessed to give than to receive."

See you this Sunday.

Pastor Tom