Sunday’s Hopes

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Nov 13, 2011 in Random | 0 comments

Usually I try to offer a prayer on Sunday mornings and post it to the Preacher’s Pen website, but today I would like to offer my thoughts. These thoughts are random in nature, but from the heart.

• I hope that every member considers one another this morning. There will be someone at services who has had a horrible week and will not tell anyone. They will put on a face of joy, but deep down their heart breaks. I wonder if they will ask their spiritual family to prayer for them.
• I hope each member welcomes visitors into our assemblies. It is hard enough visiting, but it can be made harder when no one speaks to you. May our brethren stretch forth their hands to welcome those who visit.
• I hope each member understands the brief sermon is presented after countless hours of thoughts, prayers and study. Even though it is over in 30 minutes, the knowledge it contains will reach to eternity.
• I hope every minister knows they are loved. Whether it be the outpouring from the brethren or the encouraging words of a visitor, I hope each minister knows God cares for them and will always watch over them.
• I hope to see my brethren in services, but if not, I hope they reach out to the ones who are absent; a card, note or call is an uplifting message to those who cannot make it to services.
• I hope you have a God-filled day!

Just my thoughts,

Jesus Never Arose!

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Apr 23, 2011 in Christian Living, Jesus | 0 comments

Sunday, I will stand before the congregation and share with them a question which needs discussed, “What if Jesus never rose from the grave?” Most Christians discuss the resurrection, but what if it never happened?

Without Christ rising from the tomb, there is no gospel. (1 Corinthians 15.1-8) If Christ was born as a man, lived as a man and died as a criminal only to remain in an earthly grave, there is no good news. The testimony of our Lord is false. Most would call Him a liar, a false prophet and a leader of crazies. Without the good news of His resurrection, there is no good news. Our lives are tremendously lost in the turmoil of this world and our hope is in vain. The faith of the everlasting scriptures is reduced to a pile of rumble amid the chaos of lies.

Without Christ rising from the tomb, the Bible is not true. The prophecies of the Messiah dying to rise again will not hold water, because the messiah would have been a man. His life would have been no different than ours and the Old Testament law would still be intact today. As the letter to the Hebrews discusses the passing of the old law to the new, but without the power of the resurrection, the One who brought the new will never hold it viable to our lives today, for His testimony is false.

Without Christ rising from the dead, we are dead. The same words Paul speaks to the Ephesian church echo in our lives today, “ …made us alive together with Christ…” (Ephesians 2.5; ESV). Without the resurrection of Christ we have no hope of ever being made alive again, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. If Christ never rose, His blood stopped. His blood stopped at the cross, because He was not the Son of God!

What would you add to this list?

And now the Good News…

The good news is that the tomb was found empty! Christ did arise from the dead and our everlasting hope is found on His life. His tomb is empty and His feet walked this earth after His death. The women saw him, the apostles (except Judas) saw Him and many other saw Him! There is a gospel and there is good news!

Since we know there is an empty tomb, are we living like it?

Just some thoughts,

Thoughts for Japan

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Mar 11, 2011 in Current Events, Prayers | 1 comment

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the nation of Japan during the devastation and turmoil resulting from the earthquake. The lives of the Japanese people have been radically change and some will never recover from the recent event.

Japan is a vibrant nation, but even a vibrant nation can be shaken to its core. May this turmoil teach each one of us the instability of physical goods and remind us of the fervor found in each person’s spirit. As the rattling of the earth has passed, may the souls those those in Japan rattle no more, but may  they be fulfilled with peace, comfort and a renew vigor for the future.

May the hearts of those grieving reach the Almighty God allowing His hand to comfort everyone of them with the peace with passes earthly understanding. May the Almighty’s richest blessings fall on the Japanese people.

Let not this event pass from our minds, but let it be a reminder of the frailty of the human life. Fathers left families to go to work never to see their families again. Many children will never see their parents or grandparents again. Parents are missing children and wives are missing husbands. May the events of the past 24 hours change our thinking and renew our thanking! May our thoughts be resolved to put others before ourselves. May the stress of the grieving fill our prayers, our thoughts and our hearts. May we open our eyes to see we are all people looking to make each moment better. Allow your heart to be open to the lives of others and see they need you now more than ever.

Our simple prayer is for the people of Japan. We wish the Almighty’s comforting hand upon them and His guidance as they rebuild, not just a nation but lives.

Just my thoughts,

“What I Love About the Church” – John Alan Turner

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Jul 25, 2010 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

“I like Jesus, but I don’t like the Church.”

I’ve heard people say that. Heck, I’ve heard preachers say that! And maybe they’ve got good reasons. Honesty forces me to admit that The Church hasn’t always looked a lot like Jesus. We bicker and brawl. We split theological hairs and exclude people who don’t agree with us. We divide over dumb things like which songs to sing and what color to paint the foyer. Oh, and there were the Crusades. And that whole Spanish Inquisition thing. That was us, too. Sorry.

There are lots of reasons why a person might say they don’t like The Church.

But I can’t say it.

See…I have this thing for The Church.

I have a love/hate relationship with churches. They provoke disappointment and anger — sometimes bordering on rage — in me. I sometimes wish I could just stop going to church altogether, stop the whole corrupt enterprise.

But, when it comes to The Church, I can’t seem to help myself.

I have a love/hate relationship with churches, but The Church — capital T; capital C — that’s another story. The Church is the hope of the world.

Maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement. Jesus himself is the hope of the world, but The Church is supposed to be the physical manifestation of Jesus in our day and age.
I grieve over churches that fail and church leaders who allow fear and anxiety to rule the roost. I cannot abide churches that play games and engage in petty politics. I have a low threshold for manipulation and triangulation. I can spot an ego problem a mile away (probably because that’s something I personally struggle with — it always seems easier to point out flaws in someone else that you recognize in yourself).

The biggest problem I have with churches is that so many of them lack integrity. They say they’re committed to one thing, but their actions betray them.

And yet….

I can’t quit. I can’t help myself. I cannot stop thinking about and working with The Church — made up of all these mad local congregations. I love these churches that drive me absolutely crazy. I root for these churches and constantly look for things in them to celebrate. I long for them to gather together and recognize that it’s only as they work together that they actually do become The Church — the Body of Christ — God’s plan to save the world.

Because I knew I would be writing this for you, I sent a little tweet out the other day asking folks what they love about The Church. Everybody who responded sent me a list of what they love about Their Church.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s interesting.

Are we so myopic that we can only see what’s happening at our local church? Are we even aware that our union with Christ mystically joins us to a much larger body than just the folks I can pick out of the church directory?

I’m rambling a little. Maybe I’m stalling.

Here’s my bottom line — what I love about The Church: It’s big. It’s way bigger than I can get my arms around. I don’t know everybody and they don’t all know me — even though we’re all family. Most importantly, The Church isn’t my church, and it isn’t your church. It’s not even our church. It’s God’s Church, and it’s too big to be controlled by any one person or any one group of people.

And this great, gigantic Church — this Body of Christ — is, without a doubt, the single most powerful force of good in the world — when it comes together and flexes its muscles. The Church is responsible for educating children, liberating women, overturning slavery, caring for the sick, clothing the naked and feeding the hungry. You remove The Church and the lights will literally go out in some places.

We banished the Gladiatorial Games. We outlasted the Roman Empire. When China outlawed The Church, it started spreading like the kiddie crud in your local elementary school! There’s more drinkable water in Africa now than there was a generation ago. And there’s a lower infant mortality rate, too.

Why? Because The Church does that. The Church does what Jesus did and gets results. The Church doesn’t just exist for its own sake. It exists for the good of the whole world — regardless of whether that world ever joins or not.

This world still remains upside-down. That may be more obvious in some places than others, but all you have to do is watch CNN for a few minutes to figure out it’s true. God’s plan is to turn it all rightside-up again, and the way he’s going to accomplish that is through The Church — not your church, not my church, The Church, his Church.

And that’s what I love about it.

______________________________________________________________________________

About John Alan Turner

I am a husband, a father, a son, a brother and a friend. I work as a writer, a theologian, a consultant and a teacher. I have one wife, four books, three daughters and a dog, and we all live in a great house about an hour outside of Dallas, TX. I like jazz, baseball and reading — though not necessarily in that order.

I believe Jesus was the most brilliant man to ever walk on the earth, and I also believe he was God incarnate who lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death and rose victorious from the dead.

I believe the message of the Bible is the most life-changing message of all time, and I believe God has called us to share that message with others in a way that makes sense to them.

I believe people would live much better lives if they would periodically take the time to re-examine what they really believe. That’s what my Faith 2.0 is all about.

John’s website is http://faith20.org

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Personal Note:

I thank John for writing and challenging our thinking. I believe it is the challenges that make us stronger. may we, as members of the Church, strive to take an upside-down world and turn it right-side up!

Thanks John for taking time out of your busy schedule and writing for the Preacher’s Pen!

Just my thoughts…

Chris

I Love This Work…

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Jun 7, 2010 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Yesterday I had the powerful privilege of standing in front of a congregation of people seeking to follow Jesus with the purpose of motivating them to continue with their great service and to inspire them to grow their life to be the best it can be. Today the privilege continues as the meeting enters its fourth lesson. After already delivering three lessons, three more await and then I will travel back to South Carolina and continue the work there. After 13 years of standing before people to motivate and inspire them, it never gets old.

No matter where you go, God’s people are always shining lights to the community in which they live. From the smallest towns to the largest cities, God’s people are delighting in the  presence of the majestic God and His radiant Son in their lives. To hear the phrase “Share the gospel daily; use words when necessary,” is a proper description of the members of God’s family. The service of Christians to the troubled world around them is an awe inspiring event, not because of the human service but because of the Son, Father and Spirit which gave us the opportunity to serve.

May the richest blessings of God fall down upon the church and may His face shine upon the countless thousands seeking to serve this world of turmoil in expectation to bring it healing so that all may have the opportunity to share in the light of the Father.

Just some thoughts,

Chris