1st Time Guests and Cancer Centers

Back in February I read an article by Charles Arn, President of Church Growth, Inc. which studies trends in church growth. Dr. Arn tells the story of having been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He titled his article “Should you treat your church newcomers like cancer patients”. With a title like that how could I not at least scan the article? What I found were some great insights I wanted to share with you. He tells his story; the shock of hearing the word “cancer” in relation to his health, then the surgery 3 months later at the City of hope Medical Center in Duarte, Ca. Here is where he begins to connect what City of hope was like and how we should treat church guests the same way.

1.      They anticipated his uncertainty – They greeted him in the parking lot, when he entered the building someone escorted him to the welcome desk, where he was then introduced to another man who had fought and won the same battle 11 years prior. This man Bill took Charles exactly where he needed to go.

2.      “We are Family Here” – He said he heard this multiple times in multiple venues. From their lips to their literature this message of “family here” was understood.

3.      Someone to hold your hand – on his 2^nd visit he met someone they referred to as a “patient navigator”. This man gave Charles his name, phone number, and email address. He was told if he had any questions to contact this man and if he didn’t know the answer he’d find out and get right back with him.

4.      A connection center – In this large open area there was information available on the various support groups there at the hospital. They gave away free DVD’s of doctors lecturing on various topics.

5.      Great signage all over campus – There was signage everywhere helping people navigate the halls.

6.      His wife loved the creative and tasteful interior design – The appearance of a building, both inside and out, makes a statement about those who work there.

7.      The floors, windows, and walls were spotless – see #6

8.      They had literature available in multiple locations – He said down almost every hallway there was an opportunity to look for ‘information’ that might be helpful both while at the City of hope as well as in-between visits.  

9.      They had a website full of helpful information

10.  They communicated what they were about – There was a billboard near his house that read: “At City of Hope, we live to cure prostate cancer.” 

There are lessons here for us as a church. We need to anticipate that the 1^st Sunday someone comes to Eastwood they will be a little anxious. Many are new to the community and many are just new to church life. Some are bringing the pieces of a broken life looking for hope. Who can blame them for being a little anxious? A repeated theme in the article was the need to have adequate volunteers and greeters as well as signage and literature. We need to continually evaluate, from the perspective of someone new, how we greet, where we take, and how we help first time attendees. I think our campus both inside and out speaks well of who we are as a church family and I am confident the new campus building in Alvaton will as well. We must keep our website fresh, technologically up to date, with relevant pertinent information about who we are as a church. Whether at home, work, the mall, or wherever we need to be walking billboards communicating what it means to be a Christ-follower.

Good Friday, Hallelujah what a Savior!

Good Friday - You have probably heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is usually true when one person has a stronger affection for something than someone else does. But when it comes to the day we refer to as “Good Friday”, both parties, man and God, can agree that this is a ‘good’ day in the course of human history. 

In announcing judgment after the ‘fall of man’ in Genesis 3, God gives the good news before the bad news. The bad news would be that man would toil hard in the ground, and the ground would in turn bring forth thorns and thistles (verses 17-19). For the woman she would be subject to her husband, and there would be great pain in childbirth (verse 16). But the good news from that passage is directly tied to this day we call ‘Good Friday’. In announcing judgment on Satan the serpent (verse 15), God decreed “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” 

Consider the teachings of Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” and 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 which states, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” They both teach that sin entered the world and since the “Fall” is passed through the seed of man starting with Adam. This is significant because Jesus is the only person to have walked the earth not born from the seed of man. Had He been from man’s seed, He would have inherited a sin nature, would have been a sinner, and been incapable of being our Savior. But since He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, He had a biological mother but not a biological earthly father. Thus not inheriting the sin nature, He was not born a sinner as we were, and was able to live perfectly in our fallen world. 

I know this is easy to understand but now back to our text in Genesis 3. Do you see it in my 2nd paragraph above? In announcing judgment on the serpent, God said there would be enmity between the serpent’s seed and “her Seed”. Remember, who is the only Person to have ever walked the earth coming from the seed of woman; the only One the bible says this about? Of course it is Jesus. So when Genesis 3:15 refers to the serpent bruising “His” (the only One born from the seed of woman, Jesus) heel, this happened on Good Friday 2000 years ago. The serpent only bruised the Lord through the cross of Calvary, but the Lord would end up crushing his (the serpents) head through the event of the resurrection. For 3 days Satan thought he had won, when the reality was all he did was temporarily wound the Lord. But before dawn on that 3rd day, as the hymn writer says, 

“Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Maybe now you can appreciate a little more why this is called “Good Friday”. Lest you think it was only good for mankind, look at Hebrews 12:2. “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” What or really who is that joy? It’s you and I, the redeemed of all ages. Jesus took a look at the cross, knowing the pain and shame that awaited, then because He is God He was able to look into the future at the great host of the redeemed, and so He endured the cross, despising the shame, all for you and me.