Blog - FBC Brownwood, Texas

Knowing the answer, and knowing the Answer

Do you ever get that feeling of gratification when you know the right answer? You get affirmed by a teacher when you say the correct answer in class. You know the right answer on Jeopardy when the contestants don’t, you get the daily wordle right in less than three tries, you know how to solve someone else’s problem with their car, refrigerator, computer, etc. My point is that we all have acquired knowledge on some things, even if we are deficient sometimes in others. It gives us a good feeling though when we know the correct thing. Peter must have felt the same way, except the question was coming from Jesus about who he was.

Matthew 16:13-20 tells us of a declaration or confession of Simon Peter where he knows the right answer. Jesus asks two questions “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you [disciples] say that I am?” In the first question the disciples respond that some say he is John the Baptist (since maybe they shared such similar area, time-frame, and message), Elijah (since maybe they also had a similar ministry healing and preaching), or Jeremiah (maybe since he opposes the religious leaders the way Jeremiah did). But Jesus turns the question to the disciples and Simon Peter hits it out of the park: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Can you imagine how Simon Peter must have felt? This is only the second time in Matthew’s account that the disciples have attributed this to Jesus (the first was Matt 14:33 when Jesus calms the storm). And Jesus confirms Simon Peter’s answer and says, however, that this was not something he would have known from any earthly knowledge, but it was revealed to him by the Father in heaven. And Jesus makes wordplay off Peter’s name (“Peter” = petros, derived from petra = rock) and says upon this rock I shall build my church.

Peter was right and knew the answer, only because it was revealed through the Father. He knows that Jesus is the Messiah, but he doesn’t yet get what all that means. In the next 3 verses, right after Peter’s great confession, he strikes out. Jesus began saying how he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer, die, and be raised from the dead.

“Oh no Lord, this will never happen to you” was Peter’s response. You most certainly know what comes next from Jesus “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter defends Jesus and Jesus rebukes him harshly.We should suspend what we know of the Messiah for a second so we can understand why Peter might say such a thing.

The Jews for years and years, since the time of exile, were looking for the Anointed One, the Christ, the Messiah. All these names mean the same thing. They were waiting for the one who would deliver the people of God out of their plight. Then, Jesus comes onto the scene and has divine powers, preaches against the oppressive Jewish leaders. He looks like he would make a great leader. Jews like Peter would jump at the chance to install this kind of superhero as a military and governing leader. Why not? Who better to rescue God’s people than this? He has all the qualities. Peter would think he is doing best to keep Jesus alive so he can restore God’s people (Israel at this time) to a nation, to a people of power, and to fulfill what he understood as the role of the messiah.

Peter’s declaration of who Jesus was, juxtaposed with his lack of understanding for the mission of Jesus, shows how much we need God to speak into our lives, even when we think we understand. We are humans with our own selfish desires even though they may be as noble as Peter’s desire to have Jesus remain alive. We need to know the one who is the Answer more than we need to know all the answers. Jesus was the messiah, but he was restoring God’s people to be more than a Jewish nation. He was establishing an eternal kingdom, built on the rock of the Church.

Lord, help me to see where I depend on my own understanding. Lead me into further trust of your Spirit. Let me not exchange my soul for knowledge, talent, wealth, acclaim, fame, power, skills, comfort, or anything this world has to offer. Nothing can benefit us more than knowing and trusting you.

Where’s the treasure?

It’s about this time of year that plans start being made for the next year (if they haven’t already been made). Open enrollment for healthcare plans, budgets for fiscal years, calendars start being purchased for 2023. It makes sense. If you want to head somewhere, you need to know where you are headed.

The same can be said for our church. We are led by the Holy Spirit as individuals. Christ is the head of The Church, but we also must take our own responsibility to make preparations for the upcoming year. You may have heard it said “if you want me to tell you what I value, look at my checkbook.” Where we spend our money and time will tell you what we value. In Matthew 6, in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses our possessions. He says “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” so that is why he also says to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.”

Think about this individually and as our collective body of the church. What have you done the last 10 months with your time, talent, and treasure? For some of us we need to reframe this. We must have a stewardship mind. The things I have are physical blessings: my house, my finances, my career, my hobby, my time, etc. If I take a stewardship approach instead of an ownership approach, my question is “did I steward or manage that the way the owner would want?” instead of “did I get everything I thought I wanted and do I feel satisfied with it?” The answer to the latter question, if that was our mentality, will always be “no” because if we view things as ownership, we will always want more or feel a desire to have more. But, as a steward, we are managing was has been entrusted to us.

So, how have you managed the last 10 months? -How many Sonic purchases do I have? Vs. How many times have I used my Sonic run to bless someone else? -How much time have I spent entertaining myself or my family? vs. How much time have we spent serving others with no agenda?

If our time, talent and treasures all belong to God, let us be reminded of how we should consult with him on how to use these things. And whether you are blessed with much or little, it all belongs to the King. Use it faithfully.

As we go into a strategic time of planning with our church’s blessings, please pray with us as we look over what God has done this past year, and plan for toward what God can do this next year if we open ourselves up to be used by him. Where are the church’s priorities according to our checkbook?

We can build a budget based on what building costs have been, energy costs have been, and how much we pay our staff. And all this should be taken into consideration. But, we must also ask the questions of eternal natures. How many lives do we want to see transformed by the gospel this next year? Does our budget reflect that? How are we investing in the mission of God to reconcile the world unto himself? Does our schedule reflect this? Are we building up the body of Christ for the glory of God? Is our talent being used accordingly?

Alone or Together

I like to watch the TV series “Alone” from the History Channel. Here’s the premise: “Equipped with just ten items of their choosing, the survivalists are dropped into a remote wilderness [varied destination each season]. While documenting their experiences, each participant must survive in total isolation, with hopes of outlasting everyone else to claim the $500,000 prize.”

I’m fascinated by the ingenuity, survival skills, instincts, will to survive, and creativity that these contestants have. Most of the contestants I have watched, said something along the lines of “I knew I would be tested physically (some contestants lose 20-30% of their body weight from lack of food), but I was not prepared to be without my loved ones for so long.”

What does this have to do with us?

We often take for granted the nature of living in community. Until something is taken from us, we take it for granted. When many people isolated during a pandemic, that became a reality.

When we are in community though, we have an obligation to one another. We lift each other up. We spur each other on to good deeds. We mourn with the mourners. We rejoice with the rejoicers. We are beholden to one another. And when we disagree, we find a place of unity under Christ because his banner over us is love. When Paul wrote to the people in Corinth, he heard they were arguing over leadership. In his first letter to them, one of the first things he tells them is “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” – 1 Cor. 1:10.

Does this mean we will never disagree? Certainly not. But I am glad to be walking alongside each of you to find unity in Christ as we seek to share the love of Christ and the Good News of Christ with the world around us. Thank you for being a community who cares to journey together.

Be Real

I recently discovered a new app the other day. It’s called “Be Real”. The premise is simply to connect people with real moments in life, messy or not. There’s already platforms out there that people pose for, edit for, add filters to, and simply “produce” to make it look like something beyond reality. This app notifies you on your device and then you have 2 minutes to take a picture of whatever you are doing, promoting the fact that you are “being real”. No filters, no staging, no production. Just, what are you doing in a candid moment of your life at this moment.

I think this is resonating with people because they are tired of the lack of authenticity we see on social media. We might enjoy posting and seeing people post pictures of the great moments in life: your kids’/grandkids’ championship game, that dream vacation, the renovation you got around to doing, the birthday party you threw, etc. All these are good, but it leaves people who scroll through their feed feeling as though everyone else has their lives all together, and maybe I’m missing out.

Where do we fit?

Life is not meant to be lived through a filter. We don’t need to be instagram perfect. There is a call for people to “be real” because people crave authenticity. It’s what we are created for. We live in community with one another; we work with one another; we worship with one another; we need to be real with one another. The world doesn’t need more people acting like they have their lives together. Our world needs believers who have removed the veil/filter over their faces to reveal the glory of God.

The word says

In 2 Cor. 3:7-18, Paul reminds us that Moses came down from the mountain and needed to be covered with a veil because he shone with the glory of God. Moses shone brightly because he was in the presence of God. We too, get to be in God’s presence. The world needs the presence of God. When we are authentic with people, sharing our troubles, our ugly days and good days, they see us clearly.

Paul tells us in verse 16 that when a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed from their face. The gaze on the glory of the Lord without a filter. The world needs that glory to be reflected like verse 18 says. “We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

If I am transformed to the image of Jesus, from glory to glory, I should reflect that into the world. Is my life messy? Yes, but people can handle messy. Since my life is messy, that just reveals God’s grace even more. The world needs Jesus. You and I can show them. We don’t need to feel as though we must filter our lives. They are eager for something real. Reveal Jesus to them.

A Word to the Wise

It came to my attention this week that there has been some email and texting scam going around that is disguised as though it were from our church. The message usually goes something like this “Hi _____________. I pray you and your family are safe and well. Do you have a moment? I have a request I need you to handle discreetly. I am currently busy in a prayer session, no calls so just reply to my text/email. -Pastor Paul Armes (or Pastor Mark previously).” THIS IS NOT FROM OUR CHURCH. Upon careful scrutiny these messages don’t come from our church’s email address, or even personal ones. They are from someone who is cleverly creating emails to appear as though they are from our church staff.

I want to warn you of a few things in this message.

These messages are not from our church and we will not ask something like this. Our church email should end in @fbcbwd.com with the exception of Dr. Armes who uses his personal email. And if you do not have our phone number, please feel free to check in our directory any time you have a question.
This scam will eventually try to get you to purchase some kind of gift cards and send the paper printout of the cards back to the number or email address (they say they want to give it to staff or church members). They are preying on the kindness of church members, but only intend to be after selfish gain.
Being confronted with something like this can leave us feeling extra guarded, jaded, hyper-vigilant, or even defeated. There are always people who want something for nothing. There are always people who want to take advantage of people’s good will and kindness.

What do we do?

Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” This is true. You and I have an enemy. That enemy is doing whatever it can to thwart the ministry of God. But that enemy is not the person who sent this message. It is the ruler of evil. And this is only a symptom of that evil. The person who sent this can be redeemed, turn from the sin of selfishness and repent. I pray they do. But as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.”

So, be aware of these types of schemes. If you think something looks suspicious, it’s ok to check with us. Let us know if you get anything like the above message sent to you. And remember that we have the Lord’s wisdom, all we need to do is ask for it. Continue to let your grace reflect that of God’s grace shown to you and don’t let something like this keep you from having a spirit of love and generosity.

Grace and peace,

Keith (AP)