Simplicity...

Throughout the 36 plus years of our ministry together, my wife Piper and I spent the far majority of our time working in the realms of Music and Student Ministries, many times with those 2 areas combined or going on at the same time.  I don’t think that I could accurately recall all the times over the years where we would lead the Sunday morning praise and worship service with the church and then file out the side entrance with the kids in tow for Children’s church in the Children’s Center.  And yes, while it made for a long and sometimes exhausting day, we enjoyed just about every minute of it!

So, whether it was working with the church’s Youth Group or Children’s Ministry or even the College Career/Singles, we always tried our best to assure that the message we delivered was brought forth in the simplest and most understandable way for the age group.  As I have most likely mentioned in other blogs, we also tried to make it FUN and exciting for our students, which meant that we were always looking for new and innovative ways to share the gospel.

Now I have to admit right up front, that Piper was much better at simplifying her Children’s Church messages than I was!  I would usually get too descriptive or involved in my lessons and tend to lose the kids!  But I am also very thankful that those kids in our first few years of Children’s Ministry were very patient with me, as was my wife who would many times walk to the back of the classroom to help direct my presentations!  I think that my one saving grace was my sense of humor and the intermixing of games, multimedia clips, activities, snacks and other surprises which helped to keep the kids connected!

I did much better with the Youth, but at first, still tended to be a little long winded!  But again, I learned and got to the point where I could hone and fine tune the important parts of my message into a ten or fifteen minute delivery. 

My point being, that even out of the classroom and into the daily activities of life, both Piper and I tended to share the gospel message in the simplest of terms… with lots of practical examples.  I think that this is one reason that Piper was so good at homeschooling.  She could turn just about any life event into an interesting, most times funny, and always meaningful, educational lesson!  While some families got burned out with homeschooling after a few years, Piper got more and more excited about it!

I guess that is one of the main reasons that I enjoy studying the Bible with the use of many translations.  I am always looking for the real meaning behind a verse, or maybe better said, the simplest interpretation of what the writer was trying to convey to their readers… without a lot of added description… or as I like to say… without a lot of added fluff!

For instance, I was reading from the Sermon on the Mount this morning where Jesus shared,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  (Matthew 5:6 NASB)

And as is my normal protocol, I looked up many of what I considered to be the most important words in the verse in the original Greek.  I’ve learned over the years that the original Greek in which the New Testament was written, was much more descriptive and definitive than the English language and the full concepts of the writer were sometimes lost when translated.  That said… one can also get so lost in the theological content of religious terms, that it is easy to lose the simplicity of the true point!

I remember years ago when in a casual conversation with a group of youth who were getting hung up on the idea of being “righteous” before God.  After a lot of interaction, I finally told the group that to me, “righteousness” simply means “being able to stand right there (in His presence) next to God.”  I explained that God is holy and pure and if you are comfortable with your life decisions and feel that you can stand right alongside Him without any condemnation, fear or doubt… then you’ve probably attained a level of righteousness in your life.

Simple, concise and easy to practically apply in your daily life.  I firmly believe that this is the way that our heavenly Father wants us to understand Him and live His ways and thereby enjoy the satisfaction and/or joy that comes with a life that is dedicated to Him.

What do you think?

We are halfway through the week and I am excited about it!  Have a great rest of your week… and as you do… keep EXPECTING and living God’s best in your life!