WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
I have been following our Veritas Bible Reading Plan, and there have been several chapters that have popped up lately that were hard for me to process. Let’s be honest - we have all been there. I want to share a few things that I remind myself of when this happens. What do we do when we don’t like what the bible says?
Take inventory with yourself. Admit that you didn’t love that particular passage and commit to digging into it
It is good and right for you to desire to spend time in the inspired word of God - spending any amount of time reading Scripture is beneficial to your walk with God! When you come across a difficult passage, it helps to remember that investing the time into understanding the text fully is always worth the return. It is also helpful to assume that the problem is with our understanding of the scripture rather than with the scripture itself.Pray for the Spirit to illuminate this passage for you
We get to be in relationship with an approachable, knowable God. What a miracle! If you are wrestling with something in His word, you can ask Him for help. Pray for clarity, understanding, and to walk away from your time of study with a deeper love and understanding for the heart of God.Investigate
What is the context of this passage? Who is talking? What is happening in this part of the world during this timeframe? Who is the audience? What did the chapters before/after this passage talk about? How does this particular passage fit in with the rest of scripture? You don’t have to be a bible scholar to be able to answer these questions easily - google it! The Bible Project is a free resource that provides many of the answers to the questions above for every single book of the Bible. Check them out! If you have the answers to those questions but still think it would be beneficial to read someone else’s commentary, check out Matthew Henry’s Commentary or John Calvin’s Commentary (both are free) for another perspective to help grow in your understanding.Remember 1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Remember that we may never get to fully understand every passage during our time on earth. This can be a hard reality to come to terms with when we are struggling through a difficult section of Scripture. Let your heart be encouraged by the truth that we will have answers to our questions when we meet our Savior face-to-face!
Every time I commit to digging in to a deeper understanding of part of the bible that I don’t like, I walk away from my time with more love and affection for the Lord than I had previously. God really does meet us where we are. I pray that this is also true for you today!
Sincerely,
Samantha Metheny
Executive Administrator
samantha@veritasfayetteville.com
LEADERSHIP ONRAMP FAQs
Are you looking for ways to grow as a leader at Veritas but don't know where to start? Leadership Onramp is an opportunity for you to come and share a meal with us and our leaders in order to learn more about leadership at Veritas and get plugged into one of our leadership development processes. I'm sure that you have more questions about this event, so let's dig into them!
What motivated you to plan a leadership onramp?
By the grace of God, our church is growing in a healthy way, but it will not continue growing in health unless there are structures to support that new growth. Have you ever seen an overgrown plant before? Vines need a trellis, tomato plants need support, and churches need easy ways to onboard potential leaders and provide clarity on what development opportunities would look like for them.Who is invited to attend?
Literally everyone. Because Jesus has commissioned all followers of Jesus (men, women, young, and old alike) to make disciples, we are all called to first lead ourselves and bear a responsibility to help lead others to Jesus. Leadership expresses itself practically in the church in the form of elders serving the church by leading, deacons leading the church by serving, and all kinds of ministry leaders leading their teams and groups.What will we learn if we attend the leadership onramp?
We will focus on discussing four main things:
1 - Why leadership development is important to us as a church
2 - The distinctives of leadership development at Veritas
3 - The practicals of how we do leadership development as a church
4 - How you can take the next step toward a development process that you are interested inAm I committed to leadership if I attend?
No, this is not a bait and switch where we surprise you with a list of things you’re now responsible for once you attend. This is an opportunity for us to put our cards on the table and lay out the many opportunities for being developed and invited into leadership at Veritas.What are you most excited about sharing with us?
That you are made for this. God has designed you, equipped you, and given you a story that gives you unique utility and gifting to serve his church. We are committed to equipping you even if you aren’t going to be here for long. We know that every investment we make in you as a leader we see as a missional investment, either in the future of Veritas or your leadership elsewhere. For most of us, there will never be a “more convenient time” to be developed as a leader.
Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to be developed to love God, love people, and advance the gospel together!
For the fame of Jesus,
Jacob Warren | Lead Pastor
Jacob@veritasfayetteville.com
MASKS ARE OPTIONAL
Church, this is a season to celebrate. Last week the CDC issued new guidance that people who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks indoors. In light of this recent news, masks will be optional in all of the gatherings of Veritas Church.
This has been made possible by teams of doctors and scientists and experts who have worked tirelessly to finally bring an end to this crazy season we’ve been living in this past year. In a very real way we all have played a part in loving our neighbor by keeping each other safe in this past season. God tells us in Isaiah 43 that he alone is our savior. We celebrate this news but not without acknowledging that this has been God’s doing, and we want give him the credit he is due.
I hope that these next few Sundays feel like a bit of a homecoming for those of you who have been waiting on gathering with us in person again. If that’s you, we are excited to welcome you back (quite literally) with open arms and smiling faces.
Now for some, this good news might create a bit of tension because you may not be comfortable gathering without a mask yet. We want to assure you that although wearing a mask at Veritas is optional, treating each other like the family that we already are in Jesus isn't. If you still want to wear a mask, we are for you and we respect you.
Personally, although I’m comfortable not wearing a mask I’m going to have a mask in my back pocket to put on if I’m approached by one of you still choosing to mask up. It is important that as followers of Jesus, we never put barriers in between others hearing about Jesus. If having a mask in my back pocket means more people hear the good news about Jesus, that is an easy decision.
On Sundays we will still continue to clean, sanitize before our gatherings, and our VeritasKids teachers will still be masking due to the current recommendations.
Beyond that, we are so excited to get back our normal rhythms of gathering and scattering to advance the gospel, being for the city, for the military, and all for the fame of Jesus.
For the fame of Jesus,
Jacob Warren
Lead Pastor | Veritas Church
WHY DOES PARTNERSHIP MATTER?
I was reading a book this past week called A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and the Great War about the friendship that developed between the prolific writers C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Both of these men had served in the British military during the first Word War. The writer of the book points out how deeply marked these men had been by experiencing the unique bond that forms between those that endure hardship in pursuit of a common mission.
As I read about the fast (and unlikely) friends of The Fellowship of the Ring or the instant family of the Beavers and the children in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we can see how deeply concerned these men were in confirming that deep desire in us for friendship, camaraderie, shared mission, and community.
Within our church this depth of relational community is expressed in becoming a Partner at Veritas. Partnership isn’t a club to join or a status to achieve, it’s a family to be welcomed into. At its core, our welcoming you into Partnership is only contingent on one thing: our affirming that you are a follower of Jesus.
Followers of Jesus are going to care about their sin, service, money, relationships, and fulfilling the mission that Jesus has given them. That is why we as partners covenant together to live a life of mission, generosity, holiness, service, and in community with each other. These things aren’t radical, in fact they are boringly normal in the life of a Jesus follower. But just because they are usually normal doesn’t mean that we can’t fall out of the habit of these things.
I want to encourage you if you are a Partner at Veritas to ask yourself these questions:
Am I living a life of holiness? Am I confessing my sin and trusting in Jesus?
Am I living a life in community? Am I consistent and known in my Community Group?
Am I living a life of generosity? Am I being faithful in my giving to God and generosity toward others
Am I living a life of service? Am I actively serving on a Service Team and serving the city so that others can hear about Jesus?
Am I living a life of mission? Am I consciously pursuing relationships with others who haven’t heard the good news of the gospel?
Jesus’ disciples along with Tolkien's Fellowship and Lewis’ Narnian friendships were an unlikely bunch held together with little more than their common aim and a deep resolve; may our Partners realize that we will be very much the same. My hope is that, as we hold on tightly to Jesus through the thick and thin of ministry alongside one another, deep friendships will be formed, trust will grow, and our willingness to take ownership of the mission that Jesus has given us will solidify.
Let’s do this together as partners in Jesus' mission.
For the fame of Jesus,
Jacob Warren | Lead Pastor
jacob@veritasfayetteville.com