Personal Responsibility
This week will be the first time in over three months that we will worship together in person. I cannot believe it has been that long since I have seen many of you face to face, and I am beyond excited to be together again. Hopefully, the last three months have caused you to reflect on many things in life, including Christianity.
Consider Paul’s words in Philippians 2.12. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Work out your OWN salvation. The word church illustrates the significance of the community in Christianity. However, this verse and recent events have provided a clear reminder that we have personal responsibilities as well.
For the last three months we have been limited in what we could do together. But that does not mean that Christianity has been halted. God’s kingdom priorities continue. Have you remained connected to your heavenly Father in this time? Can you say that you have lived a Christian life over the past three months?
How about personal growth? I want to focus on this idea for the remainder of this article. Personal growth is a personal responsibility. Yes, it functions as a partnership in the way we are structured at Manchester, but the responsibility still falls on the individual. Biblically, our church leadership clearly has a responsibility to help members grow and mature in Christ. It is our responsibility to create lessons that teach, edify, and challenge our members. It is our responsibility to ensure that opportunities exist for service and practical ministry. However, we can only provide opportunities – it is your individual responsibility to utilize those tools in your growth process.
Right now, more than ever, responsibility to grow is in your hands. Our multi-service transitional setup does not allow convenient opportunities for interactive Sunday Bible classes. Instead of viewing this as problematic, I hope you see it as an opportunity. Many individual Christians and families have grown content to allow our weekly Bible classes to be the primary source for study. I hope we always view our Bible classes as supplemental education. God has placed primary responsibility for learning about Him in our homes. This requires regular interaction with Him and His word.
If you, like myself, sometimes neglect this pattern, allow this to be a chance for renewal. As previously mentioned, this is a partnership. This Sunday, since we cannot meet for our normally scheduled Zoom class, I will provide everything that you need for a guided class experience. I will have a video and further information that you can use for an individual or family study. There will be two options. One will be designed primarily for adults and the other will be primarily for families. The material will allow you to go beyond the video as well as promote opportunities for discussion. The video will be more guided than my normal recording to assist you in your Bible class. Since it is a recording, you are free to engage in this at a convenient time for you and your family.
Let’s move our primary Bible study back into our homes. It is necessary for the growth of individual Christians, parents, and children. As always, we will be here to help and supplement, but the responsibility is yours. Parents, if necessary, use this as an occasion to reconnect with your children about spiritual matters. I am always here to help if you need it individually. Please reach out to me anytime.
Rob Berghorst