Author: Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

March 1, 2024 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” …2 Chronicles 16:9

Way back deep in the Old Testament was a king that perhaps may have passed through time with very little notice except for how he ended his reign…in fact, how he ended his life.  Asa was king of Judah during a time when the whole of Israel was split in half. What made him stand out was that he began quite well, and in fact at one time found himself in the place of great blessing because he did what was “right in the eyes of the Lord” …in a time when few found the ‘mo’ to do so. (2 Chr 14:2) But Asa did not finish well! Many biblical characters as well as many modern folks have followed that same road…starting off with the best of intentions, but finishing with a crash.

Early in his rule, Asa experienced some awesome victories because He sought God and God alone to intervene on his behalf. In chapter 14, verse 11…he prayed “Lord…it is nothing for you to help…whether with many or those who have no power! We rest on you, and on you we go to battle…” He was a man committed! He was a winner because God made him one, and furthermore, he knew it. He subsequently watched God give him victory after victory.

But then something inexplicably happened. It happened just as strangely as it happens to so many of us today. After all the victories at the hand of God…after all Asa saw and experienced allowing God to control the field of play, he decided one day to take matters into his own hands. Was it fear? Or was in overconfidence? Did he somewhere along the way decide he actually had something to do with what was happening around him other than obedience and reverence? We may never know on this side of heaven. But something happened! For suddenly Asa decides that even though God had handled every enemy and provided for every need up until then, he (Asa) needed to now ‘step up’ and ‘grab the bull by the horns.’ So Asa at this juncture takes what belonged to God and His church, and moved to give it instead to a neighboring king…king Ben-Hadad of Syria, in attempt to build an alliance with him so that Asa could feel safe and could prosper even with greater conquests.

But there was one guy…a prophet by the name of Hanani, who came to Asa and gave it to him straight. There is always that ‘one guy’ who loves enough to ‘step into the breech.’ Nanani reminded Asa of all that God had done and how God had blessed him and had had his back every step of the way. But in typical style, Asa did not receive such council well at all, and in fact, he moved to shut this prophet down by throwing him ‘under the bus’ . Asa began…in his anger…a season of “venting” and persecuted all the people around him. Not because they had done anything, but because they were simply ‘there’ and therefore in the way of his spewing anger. He was mad and he didn’t care who he hurt. Someone was to blame for his unhappiness and failure and it sure wasn’t him, so everyone around him was a receiver of his frustrated emotions. Mad only because someone dared not support his actions…dared to go against his decisions!

Sadly, we are so very adept at repeating history. So many of us will begin well…experiencing the awe of God as He manifests His presence and power in our very own personal realm. We were amazed! We worshipped and gave Him glory! But eventually that day came where God asked that we go out in faith based on what He had already done for us. He, in essence, asks us to trust Him. And it is at that junction that we so often will fail him and turn instead to our own power, our own comforts, and our own abilities..to those things that we can see with our own two eyes. We frankly just tell God “no.”

The bottom line is that we in fact can grow to trust ourselves more than we trust God, and certainly more than we trust those advisors around us that we always used to lovingly look to for council and comfort. We, after all, “have a plan” of our own! And we don’t need anyone else getting up in our face! So we bite and devour those around us, and deal with those we once loved as if they are not only our enemy, but worse, like they are actually the cause of the fallout of our rebellion against God!

Asa now had ‘blazed a new trail’ for himself. One that he ultimately never returned from. Pride has that kind of power over us! It is the monster that will consume us when we grow afraid…or grow impatient…or grow jealous…or grow arrogant. God “will show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him.” But when our hearts become loyal only to ourselves, we consume those around us that we once professed love for, and close our ears to God’s guidance that He desires to give. After which, we end like Asa ended. Asa found it much easier after this ‘fork in the road’  to reject God first in his life and turned to his own strength and the worlds ways to answer the needs of his life. Some ‘crossings’ can be the path of no return when repentance and humility is rejected.

Asa wouldn’t hear it. And if you have ‘crossed over’ in that aspect before God, neither will you. But if you stand at the crossroads today, and you have yet to make that plunge, it is perhaps not too late for you. Remember what God has done in your life! Remember the “red sea partings” and the “miraculous rebirth” of a life that was dead. Remember those around you that are today telling you what you don’t want to hear, and how they have loved you and rained grace down on you as you grew up in Christ. Because God is looking around the world for those who are loyal to Him…around the world for those for whom He can “show Himself strong.”

Whose strength are you looking to?

December 22, 2021 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

Recently I saw a covenant member and elder leave his church and will not be returning. And it was beautiful…

Certainly, over the years we have seen and been on the receiving end of the mayhem of someone who said they were a part of us and loved us only to eventually wreak havoc as they firebombed the church spiritually speaking. We all individually and corporately have been stunned by what can only be seen as demonic behavior come forth from people who feigned unity and love and played on until they wanted a power position they did not get, wanted a sin they could not resist, wanted attention they were not getting, etc. The list of reasons is quite long and sordid, and not really the point of this article. The question we all were, and perhaps are left with is this: Can a person leave a church without having to roll a grenade into the room on their way out? I for one was beginning to doubt. The lies and evil behavior that I witnessed throughout 3 decades of ministry certainly would excuse my skepticism. I even remember one woman telling me that Satan told her and her husband to leave. And then she left. Ya,  creepy for sure…

Paul Simon sang a song back in 1975 called “50 Way to Leave Your Lover” that maybe we apply to this issue and put out as a church tri-fold:

You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don’t need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don’t need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free

Hmmm. Nice worldly mantra. It even rhymes. One is left wondering where Jesus…the Holy Spirit…yes even rudimentary Christianity is on all of this. But back to my initial remark about the beautiful departure…

While visiting a church in Louisiana during a recent missions trip down there, we happened to attend on Sunday when the church…especially their Covenant Body, was saying goodbye to a family who were Covenant members, active church participants, founding participants, and he was even a church elder and board member. Over what we understood to be a lengthy period of prayer… with the church fellowship, seeking counsel… with the church fellowship, they had come to the conclusion that God was directing the man to take a position as a federal law enforcement officer and would be moving to Washington DC. On that Sunday we were privileged as outsiders, to witness a deeply insider event. The family came upfront and the pastor and elders laid hands on them in prayer. There were emotional words of memories and thanks. There was embracing. There was weeping. There was unity and love and most of all, there was God.

I know that some might be uncomfortable exposing this dirty laundry that certainly is a quiet pain and an embarrassing reality within almost every church in America. But I am reminded that God seemed to never sweep such mud under the rugs of history. There we have it in black and white…in the most published book in history: David’s adultery and murder, Moses’ anger, and sin, Noah got drunk which led to some messy family issues, Peter’s fearful denials of Christ, etc, etc! The reality is that there will always be those who will find their way into a church fellowship with a lot of different reasons to be there and faithfully loving, serving, growing, discipling is not on their list. Perhaps we could say that being in a church doesn’t emphatically declare one’s salvation standing, but their departure certainly casts a bright light! (Not my judgment…that is the emphatic declaration of scripture itself!)

Truth be told, the way that people who call themselves Christians treat others who call themselves Christians is tainting the pool for sure. Really…if that’s the way it is inside, who would want it? The fact is, church people are notorious for bad behavior. Some church people are just downright mean. Why is this? In some recent surveys, it appears that most people in our culture believe that Christians are about as trustworthy as car salesmen and lawyers.

I myself am certainly far from a perfect man and many of the greater church people I know behave in far worse ways than many of the unbelievers I know. I am always amazed at the grace, love, support, and forgiveness that is found among the “unchurched” which is rarely found among those who go to church.

Sometimes our behavior is a result of our understanding of God’s grace and forgiveness. We feel that because God forgives us for all our sins, we can treat others in terrible ways, and God will still forgive us. It’s “pre-planned forgiveness.” We’ll just square it with God after we burn down the village. While it is true that God will forgive us for such behavior, we need to know that such is not a “get out of jail free card.”

Scripture speaks much about our relationships and right standing with one another on matters such as this: Matthew 5:23-24, Luke 17:3-4; Ephesians 4:32; and Colossians 3:13 are just a few. We cannot argue that if our relationship with the Lord is right, then our relationships with other people will fall in line. Thus if relationships with other people fail to be Christ-like, then why should we think that He is indeed a part of us?

In the Jewish world, on Yom Kippur, Jews ask God for forgiveness, but “on the day before” Yom Kippur, called Erev Yom Kippur, Jews ask forgiveness from one another. It seems that there is something to the understanding that “you can’t ask forgiveness of God until you’ve asked forgiveness of people you sinned against.”

The events of that day in that Louisiana church were both sad and joyous. I felt their pain…all of them…but I also felt their love and unity. I felt Jesus in their midst and in their handling of all of it. And if I wasn’t a Christian and had stumbled into that service that day, I undoubtedly would be left thinking… “wow, these people have something different than the world.” And maybe, “I think I would like to have some of that please…”

August 17, 2021 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

In our day much emphasis is placed on keeping physically fit. I have often seen teams of very serious bicyclers climbing steep hills and mountains. They can be seen sweating, panting, and pushing along to the top.  Certainly some physical exercise is necessary and should be practiced on a regular basis for your health, but the Bible says that spiritual exercise should be pursued even more rigorously.

How is your “spiritual health?” Time spent in prayer, Bible study, quiet times of meditation with God can bring spiritual consistency to a life of erratic living. We read in 1 Timothy 4:8, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.’’

All of this is a relational aspect of our Christianity. You cannot expect to build and nurture a love relationship with anyone unless time and a focused commitment is made on behalf of that relationship. As the old saying goes, “No pain, No gain.” The only way we will ever successfully be able to “climb the mountain” to a consistent walk in Christ is through the practice and discipline of daily devotional exercise. The absence of personal daily devotions is perhaps the number one reason for backsliding among professing Christians.

The fact is, we all have a real need for daily “spiritual nourishment.” We read in the Bible that the heavyweights like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Job, and David—all met God early in the morning.

  • Genesis 19:27 says, “And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord.”
  • Genesis 28:18 says, “And Jacob rose up early in the morning” and prepared an altar before God.
  • Exodus 34:4 says, “And Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai” and the Lord descended and stood with him.”
  • Job 1:5 says, “Job . . . rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings” and prayed for his children.
  • Psalm 5:3 says, “Oh Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer to thee.”
  • Mark 1:35 says, “In the morning, rising up a great while before day, (Jesus) departed into a solitary place and . . . prayed.”

Man, if Jesus felt the need to rise early and pray, how is it that we think we do not need to do so?

Some of the most noted Christian leaders down through the centuries urged the practice of “the morning watch.”  Martin Luther said, “If I fail to spend time in devotions each morning, the devil seems to get the victory during the day.” John Wesley went to bed early, and then spent two hours in prayer and Bible study each morning, arising at 4:00 A.M. Oswald J. Smith said, “For over sixty years I have observed the morning watch. Because I meet God in the morning, I often solve problems before I come to them. Without the morning watch, my work would be many times more difficult.”

Going without breakfast is a poor habit, but so is failure to have a spiritual breakfast each day. To find quiet moments with God each morning requires discipline, but it is worth it as you begin to see success and consistency in your walk with Christ.

Some people prefer their devotional period in the evening, like Isaac, who “went out into the field to meditate at the evening” (Genesis 24:63). It depends a great deal on one’s personality and on the individual’s job or life schedule. You need to do your devotions when you are at your best…well awake and alert to hear the voice of God and to store away His words in your heart. The man who works on “an evening shift” will likely have his devotional time closer to noon each day. The important thing is to set a time, and then stick to that time every day. All of us need time to refuel, to collect our thoughts, and to set the pace for the day. God has promised to keep in perfect peace those whose minds are “stayed on” him (Isaiah 26:3).

One organization I know of publishes a small booklet entitled “How to Plan a Daily Morning Watch.” They call it “A Daily 7-Up”—suggesting that, a good place to start would be 7 minutes each morning. Are you willing to take even 7 minutes every morning for God?

This is how you might spend those 7 minutes: After getting out of bed, find a quiet place and with your Bible enjoy God for 7 minutes. The first 30 seconds: Prepare your heart. Thank Him for the good night of sleep and the opportunities that lay in the day ahead. The next 4 minutes: Read your Bible. Your greatest need is to hear some word from God. Start somewhere that will give you words that you can begin applying to your life immediately. One of the gospels like Mark, or Ephesians, Colossians, 1-2 Peter, etc.  Read for the pure joy of reading and allowing God to speak—perhaps just 20 verses…The next 2 ½ minutes: He spoke to you; you now speak to him.

It is important to develop a systematic plan for reading the Bible. A ‘plan of attack.’ At least a few times in life it is good to try and read the entire Bible through from cover to cover. One method is to read one chapter every day, which is a pace that all of us can handle. There are other “reading guides” that are not as demanding, and yet are still helpful in developing a pattern of Bible reading. Often it is more meaningful to read the Bible more slowly and very thoroughly, jotting down notes as you read. The daily quiet-time is not to be a mere mechanical reading of the Bible; not some duty or obligation.  It is concentrating on meaning and seeking to absorb spiritual truth. It is a relational time spent with God.

If you can get them, it is very helpful to have a few good Bible study tools—a Bible dictionary, a concordance or a commentary, or a Bible handbook. These are available in Christian bookstores and are sometimes available online. We can send you a simple but quite complete digital commentary in .pdf if you would like…just let the office know. There are many online plans available…some even will email you devotions every day!

Remember: The quiet time also includes simple quiet meditation. The word “meditation” comes from a Latin word which means “to ponder” and “to weigh.” Meditation requires reflection, thoughtfulness and study.  To meditate means “to give careful thought to” a particular issue. Meditation has always been considered a central part of Christian devotion and worship. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, thinking things over, and “dwelling on” focused concepts.

To meditate effectively, quiet is very important. And quiet in this noisy world is more and more difficult to find! Road traffic, animals, children, construction…they are all noisy. Have you ever tried to have a phone conversation in a place where it is very loud? Many of us try to have our conversations with God in the same manner. We need to get someplace quiet to hear His voice…Many people seem to always have some kind of noise—a radio or a television playing just about all the time—but those things are not helpful when one is trying to concentrate and focus of communicating with God.

Meditation is continuous reflection on the goodness of God. Meditation, in a sense, is like a hen sitting on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. Meditation is focusing on thinking about God’s love…about his saving us…about His guidance in our lives and His care over us. It is easy to go to church and hear preaching, to participate in Bible study groups, to attend teaching seminars…and then promptly forget about what we have studied. We can go to church and listen to the pastor speak and then rush off to something else and immediately forget what we were taught. We say we love Jesus, but no human relationship of love would survive if we treated it as we treat our relationship with Jesus! Whether we like it or not—it takes time to be holy; it takes time to digest the Word of God.

(PART 2 NEXT TIME!)

March 1, 2021 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

We’ve recently received these encouraging words in the mail from those viewing our Sunday Service and Living as Free TV broadcasts.

Dear Pastor Tim,

… I am currently incarcerated in New Lisbon, Wisconsin. I’m actually from Menomonie, though. In 2008, I actually visited Jesus Fellowship of Believers a couple of times… I’d called myself a Christian for years, but really wasn’t living it. I liked the idea of Jesus but was clinging tightly to my secret sins. I was very convicted by your preaching, but I wasn’t ready to give up myself for the truth. I found a church that delivered a feel-good message and I continued to live my life trying to be a Christian and chase after strange flesh and indulge in an addiction to pornography. Your words on the days I visited JFB stuck with me for years. You said, “Going to church makes you as much a Christian as going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger.” I was really good at going to church, but I was a terrible Christian if one at all…

…Recently, our institution upgraded our TV antennae and I found your service on the CW on Sunday morning. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing you preach again, be “fed” by the JFB service, and get a little taste of home. I just wanted to give you my brief testimony and thank you for making the service available on TV. It’s a joy to be a part of the JFB congregation, even if it’s just through the TV. If Menomonie winds up being my home again after my release, I intend to make JFB my permanent church home. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy the service on TV; at least for the next 3 years while I’m still in Wisconsin.

Thanks again and God bless! New Lisbon Correctional Institution

My little Bible study group and I watch your service every Sunday morning at 10:00 A.M. on “the CW”—we love it!

Thanks and God bless! Stanley Correctional Inst.

I was intrigued by your sermons while I was battling a horrendous addiction to drugs back in 2009 or so. I am intrigued by them 8 years into a prison sentence. Strange thing is, I’m not a Christian. Maybe it’s your killer style, or beard, or amazing skullet. Maybe it’s ‘cause your commercial says you don’t care who I was yesterday, only who I am today.

Sincerely, Prairie du Chien Correctional

To Whom it May Concern,

 I am a man on a mission to change my life for the better….Most of my troubles in life stem from a 25-year addiction to drugs. While I was in Dunn County waiting for court I happened to come across Issue 73 Feb-April 2018 of Word on the Street. The stories and art inside helped me a lot as reading and art are a big part of my life.

I am going through a difficult time in life but I know that with diligence and strength thru prayer and my personal relationship with the Lord I will achieve the goals I have set for myself.

Thanks…Chippewa County Jail

Dear Pastor Tim,

… I am an inmate of Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution. This morning I watched your TV service JF Believers on channel 19.2 the CW. Normally I do not watch “church on TV.” I have been a sorry excuse for a believer for most of my life. I watched your sermon and it resonated with me. You talked about escaping the traps of spiritual childhood. And I was convicted when you stated that many people accept the free gift of salvation but they didn’t want to accept the work and responsibility of their sanctification, their growth as a Christian. I have been that person. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he died and rose again to atone for my sin but I’ve never gone much beyond that, and because of that my life has been kind of a train wreck. I’m tired of that. Recently I have been taking a more active role in my relationship with God. Setting aside time for prayer and time to read my Bible. I believe I am seeing more depth and more of a sense of God’s presence. I’m trying to be more obedient, to be a “doer of the word not just a hearer”…

…I don’t know what the point of this letter was but I wanted to say thank you for encouraging me to be more than a “Peter-Pan” Christian and to take an active role in my sanctification as a grateful loving response to God’s gift of salvation. I would ask that you pray for me and I think that I will continue to watch your Sunday program. Thank you again for your program. I wanted you to know it impacted me. Thank you for your time and prayers.

Yours In Christ, Prairie du Chien Correctional

Pastor Tim and JF Believers Church,

…I am an inmate and have been incarcerated for, well, it will be five years February 18th and I happened across your service one Sunday morning and the services have become a bright spot in this dark place. And to my surprise, I am not the only one who looks forward to your services. The unapologetic way you preach the word is so refreshing. The hard-hitting truths of the Bible are what I need in my life and what all followers of Christ need. For far too long I have been lulled to a place of complacency. Well really I have been lulled to sleep and have been sleepwalking for 36 years of my life and it wasn’t till October 4th, 2020 which beautifully is my mother’s birthday she is a woman who loves God with all her heart and has been praying for me my whole life. But that Sunday morning you were preaching about Peter being called out of the boat and onto the water and you said, “Sadly, Christian, this is where most Christians will bow out” and those words cut me deep and I said to God, “Please don’t ever let that be me” and to give me the courage to step out of the safety of my boat and onto the raging waves. And I can’t explain what happened next and I know I don’t need to but shook me to my core and I knew what I had to do. …And just so you know, the light of Christ you are shining is reaching into this dark place and is reaching the dark and cold hearts of this prison so thank you for your obedience to our father and I pray God blesses you, your family, and your church.

With love, Stanley Correctional Institution.

Dear Living as Free Chaplaincy,

I’ve been watching your ministry on television for a few months now (it’s moved me spiritually I must say). I’m not sure what the minister’s name is (light brown hair and beard and slightly bald) but his message is so good and powerful. I just want to thank him and Chaplain Ryan’s message to explain further. Awesome. I’m from Minnesota, 59 years old. In my twenties, I tried to be a good Christian. Circumstances were bad. …Sunday’s message February 8, 2021, moved me enough to write you. Because I am not only for myself in Christ-like you say it’s we go and give of ourselves…I just want you to know I’ve been watching church on T.V. a lot since the pandemic. And for many, many years. And your message is the most powerful and able for young to learn as old that I’ve ever known. Thank you, thank you…

 I love your ministry. Utica, Minnesota

January 1, 2021 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

2 Ch 15:15 “… they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.”

Many of us…yes even those who claim the mantle of faith, are “restless” today. We are unsettled and jittery. We have the attitude, “If I could do this, then I would find rest. If I could get this, then I’d have rest. If I could just manage this level, then I’ll be rested.” Yet we never get there, and we never know what it really means to be at rest in Christ.

Hebrews 4:7 says, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice’…” It doesn’t say “If you will do this thing or that thing.” It’s clear that He actually wants us to hear His voice! Israel saw the hand of God for 40 years in that wilderness, but they never came to a point where they actually knew God. They just kept looking …kept wandering. They “always went astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways. So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”Ironically, that peace was, for 40 years, literally within their reach, and yet they never laid hold of it. It was right before them the whole time and yet they died out there, just as so many of us will.

Coming out of Egypt’s slavery, the people moved forward just far enough to come right up to the Promised Land, that place of promise. God said, “I’ve got this land of milk and honey. I’ve got this land of wealth, this land of rest, this land of safety, and I want to give it to you.” The people got right up to the river’s edge…they could literally see it from where they stood, but because of fear, because they didn’t really believe God despite all He had already done, they respond with, “Oh, I don’t think so….there is giants and battles over there. I think I will stay here where it’s ‘safe.’”  They were so close, but still missed it by a mile…

And so God answered, “Ok, …alright… fine. No rest then. Wander.” Yet even after His people rejected His invitation into the rest…after they choose rather to wander around the desert year after year, God, on some level, still blessed them. The scriptures say that He led them through the wilderness by a cloud during the day to shade them and by His fire at night to show them the way.  He provided food to eat every day and gave them shoes that never wore out.

But year after year, the offer remained: “Come to my house. Know that peace that I created you for.” And yet, as they wandered—by the hand of their own doing, remember—they actually had the incredible audacity to start complaining! They grew bitter and angry, and pretty soon, they were all up in Moses’ face and each other’s too. Sound familiar? It ought to. It’s happened here in front of you enough times that this should be a familiar story. And what happened to them? What happened to those that we have witnessed on that road? The same thing that happened to the Israelites. They died out there. They lived their lives and died out there in the wilderness.

Oh yes…God loved them! But they never really knew Him! They ate that same bland manna every day and grumbled about it, even though God didn’t want them eating manna any more than they wanted to eat it. But that was the result of the decisions they had made and were still making! He wanted them to have big chocolate chip cookies and pudding at His house, but no, they wanted to wander around in the wilderness instead and then grumble about it! 

“Today, if you hear His voice…” Do you? Are you even in a place to hear Him today? He’s trying to talk to you, but where are you? Angry? Bitter? Harboring ill feelings toward Him? How many of us are in the wilderness and yet still want to insinuate that it is somehow His fault or the fault of other believers that we are there. Yet those individuals made it a second career to try to wave you off and coax you over to God’s house for pie and coffee, or in this case, “milk and honey,” but you wouldn’t go. CS Lewis once commented “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

God is still calling you, even if you are like so many out there in the wilderness today. You can turn around and come home. Turn around and find that peace, that rest for your soul that God wants to give you. Go back to that place where you told God “no” and ask for another chance. Step across the river and find rest for your soul. Ps 116:7-9 “Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me… He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth!”

June 17, 2020 Pastor Tim Dodson | Menomonie

By Pastor Tim Dodson

For those of you that are Covenant Members here at Believers Church, you probably know firsthand about the blessings as well as the burden of committing to a Christ-modeled-love for your brethren. It doesn’t take long to experience both the joy and the pain, both the relief and the weight of that commitment. This is the scriptural Christ-modeled-living within the dynamic of the church which scripture tells us in the “bride of Christ.” Certainly, there is a measure of safety within the church family, for therein the biblical community rules are adhered to, and the dynamics of honesty, transparency, and communion are ‘front and center’ to prevent the behaviors and interactions that are so readily found in the world…things done in back alleys and in the shadows. By practicing that honesty and openness we seek to embrace the warning and truth of Luke 12:3:  “Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.”

However, we understand that many people do not want their secrets to “go public” and thus will stay out of the Covenant Community and that there will be others within the community who will make a break for it when their sins are on the verge of “going public.” The history of the church as well as this church specifically is full of “runners.”  John 3:19-21 “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

In the Covenant Agreement that is signed with the church body and witnessed by God Himself is the following clause:

 “I will make an appointment with two or more church elders and my service position leader(s) prior to departure (from my Covenant Relationship). I understand that emails, texts, or phone calls are not sufficient to fulfill such. I also herein acknowledge the magnitude of this commitment…that it is a promise before this church body and God Himself so that if I should break this covenant in any unrighteous manner I would, therefore, stand in sin against God and my brothers and sisters in this church. Our hope upon departure will be that you seek another church with which you can carry out your biblical responsibilities as a believer.”

Why would such a practice be promised and required?

In the day in which we live, the absence of truth, integrity and faithfulness is starkly absent in the secular world. Lying is so rampant that it is today simply an acceptable social dynamic. But such should not be…must not be so in the church of God. We are called to “be holy, as Christ is holy.” And in the “Things that God Hates” list of Proverbs 6 we clearly find the lowly and quiet practice of lying.

When someone decides to leave the Covenant Community it invariably means they are leaving the church. Now that situation of course would elicit all sorts of questions within those who remain, the greatest of those being… “where does that leave me then in my standing with this individual?” Yes indeed, and that is why the clause was established! You see, we want to continue to have a brother/sister relationship with people whether they go to this church or not. But unless there is honest dialogue and Christ-centered accounting of our lives, how will we know the truth concerning that individual? Certainly, the Bible is full of warnings concerning attempted relationships with people who say they are Christian but are in fact not. So, as a member of the church who is remaining, how do I know where I stand with this person?

Because of this ambiguity, we applied 1 John 3:10 to our Covenant Agreement:   “So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.” Because we know that lying is a sin…a “not-living-righteously”…and loving other believers naturally requires truth and faithfulness, we simply promise to be accountable to our actions and to not act “in the dark.”  If someone refuses to come in and fulfill the promise of accountability and truth, we can easily then see that they are not living righteously…and not loving their brothers. For to not do so is simply lying, and I cannot lie to a brother and honestly BE his brother! Furthermore, the “icing” in this is the purposeful and continual stance on that matter. Meaning they did not just “make a momentary mistake” but are rather holding onto that sin indefinitely. Thus remaining in the practice of sin they prove that they are not of God at all. Therefore “not of God” …then easily “not a brother,” but rather a false confession and a deceitful individual. And not someone I can continue to have a relationship with according to scripture. 

It used to be quite hard to ascertain where we were stood with such individuals and often their deceit caused even greater pain and anguish later. This was a problem until we presented the opportunity for these individuals to prove their righteousness as well as the opportunity for them to effectively “hang themselves.” This we deserve and are righteous in asking. Both the Bible and the Covenant agreement provides for such! No passive judgment call then has to be made on our part, but rather we simply adhere to the manifest that they present.

While such situations are always uncomfortable and often even painful. This is what we are called to when it comes to the care of and the participation in our church community. We are the “bride of Christ.”  We must always remember that God expects the church to be kept pure. The apostle Paul said, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:27)