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Greetings,

A.W. Tozer said, “To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.” As members of the family of God, our unfortunate reality is that sometimes we will find ourselves under attack by those who do not understand our way of life. Even Jesus warned his disciples in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you." At some point in your life, you will likely be called on to defend your faith, and your position in the family of God.

In a broad sense, the defense of our faith is a key component to becoming a mature follower of Christ. We should be able to intellectually and joyfully communicate the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15). When we are talking of physically defending our families, we are called to provide for and nurture as well as protect and defend (1 Timothy 5:8). When we are challenged on our biblical worldview of marriage, we should be able to describe why biblical marriage should be considered sacred (Matthew 19:4-6).

While defending our Christian faith, principles, and values, we must be very careful to allow God to be our defense and not our own wisdom, strategy or strength. Our self-defense is not to be vengeful or a “knee jerk” reaction to an offense. In reality, many offenses can and should be simply absorbed in deference and love. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

There are some who think that we should vehemently defend our values by publicly demanding changes be made to reflect our values. As believers and children in God's family, we hold certain values in high regard--such as the sanctity of life, the sacredness of the marriage, the call to put the interests of others ahead of our own--that don't sit well with our broader culture. While it is crucial for us to be able to defend those values, it can be a fine line between standing up for what is right and forbearing in love while we are actively being persecuted. As Christians we are called to love--no matter what government we are under and no matter the circumstance that we find ourselves in.

As the family of God, we should always handle ourselves with propriety and honor to God, making sure that He receives all glory and honor due Him. It is never our place to take glory away from God, even while we defend the family of God. We should strive to meet every challenge to our faith by delivering the truth with love, grace, and compassion, giving credit to the One to whom it is due. Although the world is going to hate the family of God because they hate God, we don’t need to give the world more of a reason to declare war on God and His family.

As God's children, He empowers us to endure hardship, to persevere, and to overcome! "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37). What a blessing to be a part of such an amazing family!

Love ya,

Chris

Greetings,

What do I mean when I say “The Family of God”? The word "family" can bring about many thoughts and emotions, some good and some bad. Physically, every person has a family history and a lineage. Some people know their family history going back hundreds of years and some people don’t know who their biological parents are.

The Bible values family both in a physical and theological sense. The traditional family unit of a man and a woman, parenting children, is the oldest institution on earth. It dates back to the beginning of creation.

Family is an important concept to everyone, unbeliever or not. I think it is a fair definition, generally, to say that the family is where lessons in relationships are first learned. Family is meant to bring a sense of dependability, confidence, acceptance and significance. Family is where we are educated about respect for each other and respect for our own personal responsibilities within the family structure.

Family is meant to love and assure us that someone will be there for us through the good times and the bad. Family, when at its best, offers encouragement, understanding, hope, comfort, advice, values, morals, ideals, and faith. These things are all important because they make us feel a sense of stability regardless of what is going on in life.

Jesus began to splinter major concepts of what it meant to be part of a family: "While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’” (Matthew 12:46-50).

At first glance it feels like Jesus is a little dismissive toward his immediate family. Of course, we know He is not being disrespectful. He is showing the upside down notion that the family of God supersedes our blood family. He is preparing His disciples to understand that the blood of Christ is more secure than genetic blood lines. He is showing the frailty and temporary nature of familial bonds and the stability and eternal nature of our bond within the family of God.

The structure of the family is a matter of debate and has been for centuries among the secular and the sacred. Lines have been blurred in such a away that it creates conflict to define family at all.

The family of God has a definite and clear head. Jesus the son, our Savior and redeemer, is our bridegroom and we who believe in Jesus as our Savior, collectively, make up the bride of Christ. Because of our salvation we are children of God and co-heirs with Christ. The defining lines are not blurry at all and we can rejoice together as the family of God.

The family of God is a legitimately beautiful thing to be a part of and I am so delighted to call you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Love ya,
Chris

Greetings,

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
- John 1:12-13

When I was a young child, my grandmother took on the responsibility of taking my sister and me to church. She would drive seven miles out of her way every Sunday morning for a long time to transport us from a dysfunctional home life to a place where the people were acting like a joyful family. The church we attended had a vibrant life and a feel about it that made me curious. Every Sunday before the sermon and to conclude the worship set, we would all sing one last song together. Every week, for years, I can remember singing “I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God--I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, for I'm part of the family, the family of God.”

While writing the lyrics out, I realized that I never really knew a few of the words--I would just mumble them. I also didn’t know there were more verses or that it was written by the Gaithers (a famous Christian music group). I can tell you this, the faithfulness in singing those words, week in and week out, led me to truly believe that I was a part of this family of God. More than simply singing those words, the people of that church practiced it. To this day when I communicate with someone that influenced me from those days at that fellowship, I feel a familiarity like I am home.

God used that church family to shape who I am today. Much of what I learned about being a man of faith came from watching the men in that church. It was there, among that family of God, that God clearly called me into the work of His ministry. I have spent my life in ministry trying encourage, equip and bring people into the loving family of God.

All along this journey, I have made too many mistakes to count as a man of God and a pastor. Fortunate for all of us, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and it is on Him that we rely. There is no such thing as a perfect family, and that includes the family of God. In every situation and through every change in the world, we remain the family of God.

Our desire at Way of Life is to be a joyful family that worships God together in Spirit and truth and in unity and love. We want to love people into the family of God and equip them to become mature disciples of Jesus that love more people into the family of God.

Usually, my church family letters are “stand alone” notes about a topic. If you have been reading them for a while, you know that they are usually a short note, meant to encourage us with scripture and to challenge us live out what we believe.

This letter is a little different in that it is the introduction to a longer discussion on the “Family of God.” Since there is a lot to unpack, I will break it up to keep it short. Each week, I will address a different component of being a part of this unique and amazing spiritual family. I will be approaching the concepts from a biblical perspective and hopefully, these notes will provide each of us with a clearer picture of what I believe each of us longs for in community and true fellowship.

Love ya,
Chris

Greetings,

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

When purchasing a house, most people immediately begin looking for ways to make it reflect their family’s character and tastes. Maybe they will update it to make it more modernly convenient or even tear down or construct a new wall. It is expected and natural to make a used purchase your own.

Last week I introduced our discussion on being a part of the family of God. We are all aware that the definition of family has been shifted to mean something different than the way it's defined in the Bible, the oldest authority for the definition of family in the world. Today, much work has been done to expand and redefine the biblical definition of family, in part because it doesn’t line up with the lifestyles of some folks who thought it to be antiquated, outdated and not inclusive. This redefined family has now become deeply integrated into fabric of the modern American culture and even in many young believers' concepts of family.

Before we dive into the definition of family, I would like to recognize that our American culture has always been one that shifts and reforms itself. We find ourselves at this very moment to be in what I think will be a culturally redefining moment. Since around the mid 1960s, our culture has valued accentuating personal entitlement and public accusations. The few who desire to redefine family, have--in my opinion--confused the independent and personal freedom of people to redefine their own family individually, with a personal entitlement to demand public redefinition for the general population.

This plays out in such a way that if the redefinition of family, offered by the entitled, is not accepted publicly, then the entitled will publicly accuse whoever they must as a means to shame everyone into accepting the redefinition of family. Once the general population allows this to take place, it quickly becomes shameful in general to disagree with the few that accuse. As it stands now, public accusation of all in disagreement is socially acceptable in our culture and has served to make people in general opposition to the redefinition of family appear to be public enemies, narrow-minded, not progressive and judgmental.

To put it another way, purchasing a house and updating it for your personal wants is expected in order to make it your home. However, entering into an ancient and revered public cathedral and deciding what walls should be torn down to make the building more inclusive, might be a topic of conversation, but should most definitely be challenged. This is especially true if we are talking of moving a load bearing wall, foundational for the structure of society, like the family. Instead, those that challenge this change are met with accusations. Many people find themselves figuratively sitting in wait for the structure to fall down.

There is a reason why the Lord made it clear for us to communicate God’s expectations in our homes regularly, as it serves to anchor the family firmly to the foundations found in scripture. We will find that the scriptural principles for the family are just as relevant, true and unchanging today as they have always been.

Love ya,
Chris

Greetings,

I want to bring you some encouragement today. I think that each of you are doing a remarkable job of enduring and persevering in the midst of this odd time that we are in. I am truly blessed to call you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Bible uses many terms to describe positions of leadership in the church--elder, overseer, bishop, pastor, shepherd. In 1 Timothy 3:1, Paul calls such a position, "a noble task." Today I excited to announce that Matt Smith, along with his bride Kristina, has answered the call to this noble task and become an elder at Way of Life Fellowship. This was a decision that they prayed over deeply during the past year as they worked closely with our elder team to understand all that the position entails. Matt and Kristina do a fantastic job shepherding our youth already, and they have amazing hearts for the Lord and for the people in our fellowship. I am excited to serve along with them. Please join me in welcoming Matt and Kristina into this position of leadership.

Our church values elders as the highest level of human authority in the local church. We are a church that believes in the plurality of leadership. As the vocational pastor at Way of Life, I am accountable to the elders and I represent them. I am an elder just as Craig, Sergio, Steve, Tim and now Matt Smith are, and just as Paul Paquin and Matt Jones have been in the past. You will hear from these men often as they preach and teach and lead, sometimes from the front and often behind the scenes, making all of the significant decisions that move our church forward toward maturity. We have the great responsibility of shepherding Way of Life and we work to do that with godly wisdom directed by the Word of God, godly counsel and the great wisdom of the Holy Spirit. We also deeply value the “one flesh” relationship in marriage and we acknowledge the great wisdom of our wives. This is why our elders and wives gather together many times throughout the year to pray and discuss the shepherding of all of you. Each family in our fellowship has been thoughtfully placed under the care of an elder and his wife to ensure that we are paying close attention to the spiritual and felt needs of every soul in our congregation.

We have had some tremendous elders in our fellowship. Men that depend on the Lord, lead their families well and look out for the concerns of our body of believers. Please understand that although we do the “business of the church,” we are not businessmen. Although we take good care of the finances, we are not in the work of financial investments--we are stewards of God’s ministry work. Our basic calling as elders is to shepherd and lead in spiritual matters. We petition to the Lord along with you and for you, praying for the Lord to lead and guide us all toward maturity in Christ.

It is often a position over-looked, underappreciated, and can at times be very daunting. Having been an elder from the very conception of Way of Life, I can say it is a great honor and joy to serve along with such great men and their wives. It is a very special thing to become an elder of a local church. I am so thankful for the wise shepherds that the Lord has guided to lead at Way of Life. Our desire is that we will be a congregation that produces mature men and women of God and that they would shepherd well Christ’s Church, generation after generation.

Another bit of great news I want to share with you is that over the past couple of weeks, Matt Smith and I have been ministering to the administration at South Salem High School by shopping for their food pantry and giving them resources to help needy families. The principal of the school told us how being able to help people in need with these resources has been the thing that keeps her going right now. She loves seeing the faces as they bless them with gift cards or the meals that we have purchased. She told us of grown men with tears of appreciation in their eyes as they receive a gift from the school. One man said that his cupboards were bare and he had lost his job and was just wondering where help would come from. Another administrator wrote me to tell how much the school appreciates the generosity of our fellowship.

It is through obedience to the Lord and the leading of our elders and leaders that we can make a great difference in the lives of people around us. I want to encourage you to give regularly to the work of the Lord as an act of worship. Participate with us in blessing the community by giving regularly. It allows us the capacity to do the work of the Lord in many wonderful ways.

Love ya,
Chris

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