More Than Words...

The events of Acts 2, though seemingly insignificant to the average Roman citizen at the time, marked the launch of the beginnings of God’s promised Kingdom. On that day of Pentecost, the risen King, Jesus Christ, sent His Spirit to empower His disciples and set in motion His grand strategy for bringing blessing to all the families of the earth just as he promised to Abraham. When the Spirit came, the Spirit empowered the disciples not only to speak in many languages but also to forge a new family—a community bound together in love and devotion to Jesus and one another. Acts 2:42-47 describes this family’s radical practices: Devotion to the Apostles' Teaching:  Believers wholeheartedly committed themselves to learning and living out the good news of Jesus and his kingdom, reordering their lives to align with all Jesus’ commands that were now made clear by the Spirit.   The Spirit filled them with a love for God and his ways. Devotion to Fellowship:  Far more tha...

  If you’ve spent any time in leadership—especially within the church—you know about ‘the weight’.  It’s the invisible burden carried by leaders who feel that, ultimately, "the buck stops here." I've felt this weight acutely in my years serving as a pastor at Don Valley Bible Chapel (DVBC), particularly as we navigated a series of intense, community-shaking trials. My tenure at this small North Toronto church has included the profound tragedy of an eight-year-old girl’s murder, a wound that cut to the soul of our community and tested our faith to its core.  We then faced a devastating fire that displaced us for many months, forcing us to redefine what "church" looked like without a physical home.  And, of course, the communal challenge of COVID-19 that forced us to rethink church gatherings and demanded constant, high-stakes decisions with no clear playbook. In moments like these, leadership scrutiny is immense.  Every decision is analyzed; every word is weighed...

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ ministry is often described as being centered around meals. As Robert Karris famously put it, "In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal." This simple observation uncovers a profound truth: Jesus chose the table as a primary context for kingdom ministry. His mission strategy wasn’t built around events, buildings, or platforms. It was built around meals. Jesus spent a lot of his time eating and drinking with people. His evangelism and discipleship were built around long conversations over grilled fish, loaves of bread, and wine. The rhythm of his ministry was deeply relational, immersive, and hospitable.  It was a strategy of presence, not performance. Consider the stories in Luke alone: Luke 5: Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Levi. Luke 7: Jesus is anointed at the home of Simon the Pharisee during a meal. Luke 9: Jesus feeds the five thousand. Luke 10: Jesus eats in the home of M...

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.    -   Ephesians 5:15–21 ESV What is the big purpose of your earthly life now that you belong to Jesus Christ?  The New Testament reveals that God's explicit will for your life involves serving Christ by pursuing his way of life and joining him in making disciples.  All of which brings glory to his name. (Col 2:6-8, 5:17, Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:6-8) How are you going to do this? Well, that's the million-dollar questi...

Dear Lucifer, I know you want me to be worried about what's happening in our country.  I know you want me to join in the protest but quite frankly, vaccines and mandates do not threaten my freedom because my freedom is not dependent on hanging on to my personal rights.  I know you want me to feel like I'm losing control of my life but even under pandemic mandates I never lost control of my life.  The truth is I  gave it over to Jesus a long time ago so that it wouldn't be about me being in control anymore.  My sinful nature and stubborn independence are my worst enemies.  I know you want me to be afraid but I have no fear of dying from COVID nor of taking vaccines.  I'm not afraid over where things are going in our country either because    my God is way bigger than COVID and way better than the political agendas of both the left and the right.   The God I serve gave up his rights to hang with sinners and show them the way.  My...

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul,  and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own,  but they had everything in common.   - Acts 4:32 (ESV) While many Christians miss getting together in a church service the ‘church service fellowship’ we miss and enjoy is barely a taste of what true fellowship in the Gospel really is.    It only scratches the surface of the depth, blessing, and power of what God really desires for us.   Many Christians today attend church services week in and week out but never experience the fellowship and unity God wants for us.   God, in His sovereignty, has allowed the church service to be taken away for a while.  Ironically it is during this time we are seeing some Christians enter into fellowship more than when they met regularly for church services!    Some have gone out of their way to make phone calls, to offer assistance, to share r...

As we rethink church in light of this pandemic, God is giving us an opportunity to take a fresh look at the scriptures and get back to the heart of being his church.   The New Testament scriptures do not teach anywhere that we must meet in a special building and hold a church service to have real church!  The early church didn’t meet in front of a pulpit, they met around the table.  So what according to the bible constitutes a real church meeting? So far we know the following…   Hebrews 10:23-25 - A church meeting is for encouraging us to be a true family, God's people in this world.   We meet to hold on to the Gospel and spur one another on to love and good works.    There is no mention of how often or any specific location only that we should meet regularly. 1Cor 11:23-26  - A church meeting remembers and proclaims Jesus. It is centred on Jesus and shaped by the Gospel.  Using the Lord’s Supper as a framework for g...

The purpose of meeting together as a church is not to ‘perform a service’, but to encourage and challenge one another to stay true to the faith and to be his family in a world that challenges our faith at every turn (see part 1). This global pandemic is forcing us to rethink church.  I believe this is an opportunity to take a fresh look at the scriptures and rethink church in light of New Testament principles.   As restrictions change many are beginning to talk about going back to church.   But I wonder... if all we had was the New Testament, no church tradition or experience to follow but just the New Testament teaching, what would our gatherings be like?    The modern church often overlooks the significance of the instructions Jesus left us before his death and resurrection about meeting together as a church.  "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread...

It is pretty clear now that the impact of the 2020 global pandemic will be felt for a long time.  As restrictions change we are beginning to think about going back to meeting in person but things will still be quite different for some time.   We need to ask what is God teaching us through all of this? For months now, God has allowed church buildings and services to be shut down, forcing us to find different ways to gather and minister.   I believe God is giving us an opportunity to take a fresh look at the scriptures and rethink church in light of New Testament principles. If all we had was the New Testament, no church tradition or experience, what would our gatherings be like?  How would we go about being the church? The writer of Hebrews gives us the reasoning behind the church gathering together regularly:  "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to s...