Nowata Methodists Podcast

“And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was doing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” - The Book of Acts 8:6-8This week we start chapter 8 of the Book of Acts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“54 Now when they heard this, they became furious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. 58 And when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he fell asleep.” - Acts 7:54-60 (LSB)This week we made our way through chapter 7 of the Book of Acts. In this chapter we hear the sermons given by Stephen that caused him to becoming the first martyr of the Church. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“And the word of God kept on spreading, and the number of the disciples continued to multiply greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” - Acts 6:7 (LSB)This week we finish chapter 6 of the Book of Acts. This chapter starts with the appointment of what would become deacons in the church and ends with the accusations of blasphemy against Stephen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” - Acts 5:29-32 This week we go on to finish chapter 5 of the Book of Acts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” - Acts 5:9-11This week we start chapter 5 of the Book of Acts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.” - Acts 4:18-22This week we finish chapter 4 of the Book of Acts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man, as to how this man has been saved from his sickness, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:8-12 (LSB).This week we finish the first half of the 4th chapter of the book of Acts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they used to set down daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But when Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him, he said, “Look at us!” And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. And leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God;” - Acts 3:2-8 (LSB)This week we are in chapter 3 of the Book of Acts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all, as anyone might have need. 46 And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.” - Acts 2:43-47 (LSB)This week we continue our way through the Book of Acts with chapter 2. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

“21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.” - Acts 1:21-26 (LSB)This week we start with the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the second part of Luke’s writings (the first being the Gospel of Luke). In this chapter Jesus ascends to heaven with a promise to send the Holy Spirit and the Apostles gather to fill the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

The Rickman Family is Reading!Exciting times in the Rickman household lately. For much of my life, reading has been a great blessing. It is generally agreed in society that reading is a good thing to do, which is strange because from a certain point of view it is not at all practical. As Katie Oldham pointed out, it is the practice at looking at processed and marked slices of tree for hours, hallucinating vividly. It is engaging fully in the life of the mind. There are more- and less-worthy books to read, but the process of reading itself is of great benefit. Higher literacy correlates with higher income, better critical thinking skills, more social mobility, better health outcomes, crime reduction, and it has many other salutary benefits. If a man wants his children to do well in life, one of the best things he can do for his children is ensure that they can read and enjoy doing it. This wasn’t ever a problem for Susanna. Before she was two years old, she wanted to understand how those symbols corresponded with sounds. May I never forget when she drew the link between the ‘M’ on the Methodist Church sign outside this church building and the ‘m’ sound for “mama.” She put that together on her own and grew from there. Today she will disappear for a day at a time, fully invested in the world of a book.Jesse was a different creature entirely. He has been a genius with rocks and sticks and blocks. Abstract stuff hasn’t had as much immediate allure for him. In fact, when dealing directly with ideas, abstractions, the world of values and beliefs, he has largely been insecure and reluctant to engage. We realized early on that we couldn’t push him to read with the same aggressiveness that we used with Susie. It was a gentle and inconsistent approach that eventually led to him learning his letters, but he learned them.Clementine, for some reason, couldn’t even see the difference between the letters. She would gladly sit down to work with me on learning them, but she couldn’t retain anything. Anything. We would work on the same five letters for 15 minutes, and she wouldn’t know a single one of them. She would insist that she knew her letters, then we would sit down and start going through the flash cards. She would just guess. So confident, so clueless. Very sweet, but also quite sad. I worried that she was dyslexic. Then I just put it down. Sara Beth eventually picked it up with her, using a book that Melinda Bellatti gifted us, which didn’t focus on the names of the letters at all, but only the sounds they made. The two sat down and did close to 50 lessons out of the 100 offered by the book. After those many weeks, Clementine eventually started being able to string these things together. We rejoiced. The lessons ended. Even after Jesse learned his letters, reading was still hard work. We got him started on the Dick and Jane books, which I also read when beginning. Rather than getting excited about being able to piece it together, the arduous work turned him off. We had to cajole him to engage. He insisted on reading, instead, the Bible. But that is at such a high reading level that he easily got tired and discouraged. Eventually we quit pushing for a season. Then a few months later, something changed. He picked up an easy book, read it midday, and finally enjoyed it. Now he is devouring the original Boxcar Children book series. He and his older sister ruminate together on developments in the storyline. The really fun development of late is that Clementine is now plodding through the Dick and Jane books. She isn’t the natural that Susanna was, and she’s not resisting the way Jesse did. She’s just slowly doing the work. I sit with her for a few minutes to help her, but then Josiah or someone else needs me, so I call on Susanna or Jesse to sit next to her and help her.Helping a child read isn’t as simple as just giving them the word they are struggling with. You can’t do that. They won’t learn. Rather, you are teaching them how to do it. How the letters generally behave in reference to one another. They have to sound it out. Then repeat and do it again. Put the words they have rendered in dialogue with the images shown on the page. Make sure they comprehend it. Finally, after several years, the Rickman family has a reading machine built in, where an increasing number of members of the family are able to educate the newer ones in the practice. Each one of us who knows how to read can patiently and lovingly come alongside the younger ones and lead them to the next step. As each reads more refined materials, the older ones of us have now established a culture in which we engage and encourage one another forward. May the Lord bless this effort and use it for his glory!The Household of GodThe household of God, the Church, is much like this. There is a skill that we are collectively pursuing, which also has salutary impacts on the lives of those who learn. Namely, the skill, lifestyle, worldview of salvation. Christ has sent us his Spirit to guide us in the ways of righteousness. It is much bigger and more beautiful than the practice of reading. Wonderfully, it includes reading the Bible as an invaluable facet of the larger project.Walking in the ways of Christ is very much like reading. It requires a large front-end investment. A great deal of time spent just familiarizing ourselves with very basic things. Stuff like prayer and fasting, stuff like learning what is in the Bible, how to talk about faith, how to practice hospitality, mindfulness, care of others. These are basic skills that are often quite boring and intimidating. But then, once one masters these different basic acts, one can then weave them together in a beautiful tapestry, a life of faith, that is a great love song to God. The task of sanctification before us was indeed accomplished in a single event on the cross in Christ, but in our lives it takes places gradually and continually until we die:The Rub: Refusal to WorkYet there have always been folks in the church who struggle to learn to practice the faith very well. From the beginning, the scriptures have warned us of the insufficiency of a stagnated spiritual life:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. - Hebrews 5:11-14The reality is that a person will never read Shakespeare, Moby Dick, the Odyssey, any of the classics, or any of the greatest thinkers, poets, writers of our day unless they first spend the time to learn their letters and then plod through simple and boring content like Dick and Jane. Paul wanted to write to his people about the life of faith, but he despaired that they just simply weren’t going to be able to go very far with him because they hadn’t put in the basic work.One cannot build a house unless he learns carpentry. One cannot make a meal until he learns how to cook. One cannot run a marathon unless she has trained. This concept applies in any worthy field. One doesn’t just magically pick something up and instantly know how to do it. It takes painstaking practice, much time and energy spent in the pursuit of excellence. Yet many don’t want to work. For many Christians today, it is like when Clementine would insist that she knew her letters, but we would sit down and get out the flashcards, and she knew nothing. She was surrounded by letters everywhere she went, but she didn’t know them for what they were. Similarly, many Christians come to the Christian place, they sing the Christian songs, they hear the hired Christian get up and talk, but they cannot really articulate much of anything serious about the faith. They know little more about it than someone who isn’t even a Christian. They cannot navigate their Bibles or tell you what they say. They cannot pray in their personal lives much less train others to do so. They cannot comprehend fasting, self-denial, self-control, or any practices that significantly depart from the culture around us in a profound way. They believe they are Christians every bit as much as Clementine believed she knew her letters, but they do not show basic competency with the fundamental units of the life. There are churches filled with people like this. And it isn’t just newer members, people recently converted. Sometimes adults go their entire lives, into old age, without mastering these basic skills and learning to build a life around them. I would actually say that this sort of dissonance is the norm in American churches today. Paul expressed this frustration more than once. Not just in Hebrews, but also in his letters to Corinth, he is regularly frustrated at their reluctance to grow in maturity:1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. - 1 Corinthians 3:1-3aDiscerning MaturityThat last phrase there is pretty key in distinguishing whether or not a person you’re dealing with is a mature Christian or not: Can they distinguish in any way a difference between the ways of the world and the way of Christ? They are not the same. They are opposed to one another. Fine, a person can sit in a pew and attend worship somewhat regularly. All that means is that they can be somewhat punctual and they can endure an hour or so of Christian sights

"And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you prepared?’ So is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” - Luke 12:16-21 (LSB)The readings this week were from Hosea 11:1-11, Psalm 107, Colossians 3:1-11, & Luke 12:13-21. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

And Yahweh said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.”Yet the number of the sons of IsraelWill be like the sand of the sea,Which cannot be measured or numbered;And it will be that in the placeWhere it is said to them,“You are not My people,”It will be said to them,“You are the sons of the living God.”- Hosea 1:9-10 (LSB)This week we went back to the revised common lectionary. The readings were Hosea 1:1-10, Psalm 85, Colossians 2:6-19, & Luke 11:1-13. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

Sometimes it helps to reexamine something that is taken for granted. The word ‘grace’ is used frequently in Christian circles. Even so, do we all have a shared understanding of what it means? How does the concept correspond to, say, justice? Or mercy? How should we speak about grace in light of judgment, or rather, what is the relationship between grace and judgment?These are things that believers are expected to understand. Indeed, if one doesn’t understand what grace is, then how exactly are we to receive it? Can we even receive it if we don’t understand what it is in a basic sense?This isn’t a heady sermon. It is practical and immediate to our daily lives, how we understand ourselves, how we engage in right relationship with God and others. Nowhere in this message is any new doctrine. It should reflect exactly what is found throughout the Bible, as well as the wellspring of doctrinal heritage on which we can and should draw.May this be a blessing to you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

This sermon deals with the various considerations involved in how we reflect on ourselves as believers. Hebrews speaks to us regarding how it is that we should reflect upon the Old Testament, our covenant with Jesus, and the way we live today. This includes how we live together, the kinds of relationships we have with one another, the kind of relationship we have with our church.The sermon consults the thoughts of luminaries like G.K. Chesterton, Paul Washer, Martin Lloyd-Jones, and other heavyweights. May it be an encouragement to you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

I didn’t write this one out. You should be able to read the text by accessing the ‘transcript’ for this one. If you need help doing that, you’re welcome to contact me directly at pastor.rickman@gmail.com.There is actually a ton of scripture on this topic. I read directly from 1 Corinthians, Philippians, and 1 Peter, but I paraphrase several more scriptures. This is one of those subjects that is so firmly established as to be pretty solid in talking about. Please, for your own sake, consider my words. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com

““You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:13-16“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-11Retracing Our StepsTwo weeks ago, I preached on how it is that you should rightly understand your lives in relation to money. Briefly, all that you have is God’s, and he has designated you as a steward of those things in your realm. Your right relationship with God depends upon submitting all you are and have to him. Or, as Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The Lord has entrusted each of our members with differing amounts of wealth and potential. If the church is rightly proclaiming Christ and him crucified, and if we have true disciples in our midst, then we will overflow with financial and other resources despite our small size. This all depends upon your right understanding of yourselves and of the nature of the church. If you do not see yourselves as Christ’s peculiar people, and if you do not see the church as the bride of Christ, then you will not feel as though the way you share your money with this church matters. It is my role as pastor to continue making the case for your discipleship and right participation in the church.Last week, I preached on the context of Nowata. After ten years of ministry here, I cannot help but feel like I understand a good deal of the different forces at play here. I worked to describe our mission field here in ways that you could understand and share with me. As was made clear last week, we are living and called to work in a context of great spiritual darkness and decay. There is much working against us. Even so, the Holy Spirit is stronger than any worldly force. If we are submitting to his guidance and lordship, then we will prosper and succeed. Indeed, we do not have any other choice. It was for such a time as this that God has raised us up. We should not be dismayed or intimidated by our enemies. We must trust that God will prevail through us.If we rightly understand ourselves, the church, and the Holy Spirit, then we should be committed to a shared way of life aimed at the salvation of the world immediately around us. To rehearse some basic realities of our ministry context that I laid out last week:* Addiction is very common, tearing people and families apart.* The destruction of the family and normalization of “alternative” family arrangements is increasingly common, such that our children are increasingly damaged.* Folks are retreating into their homes, withdrawing from voluntary associations, getting narcissistic and warped.* People commonly spend their money and worship in other counties, neglecting Nowata businesses and churches.* The community of Nowata fills itself with diversions and distractions so that it doesn’t have to ask bigger questions and seek bigger answers that only the church has to offer.Majority Religion in Nowata: Moralistic Therapeutic DeismSomething I didn’t have time to talk about last week is the local religious orientation. At least half of the town is not tied at all to a covenant Christian community, otherwise known as a local church. Many are openly hostile to Christianity, or at least the institution of the local church. Some of these have been hurt by church in the past, but many of them have never been close to a church and carry many unfortunate stereotypes about Christ’s people.As I talked about last week, a good number go to large churches in other towns. Most of these are large churches where they can attend irregularly and anonymously. Nowata has at least fourteen churches within city limits. A couple country churches exist. Perhaps three of these churches see more than 100 people in worship per week. On any given Sunday, I estimate that maybe only 20% of our town participates in worship in any capacity, including online, which doesn’t really come close to approximating what Christ has ordained for us to do. The majority religion of this town is not actually Christianity. It is something called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It is a broad awareness of the fact that there is a God and he wants us to be moral and happy. A majority of people in this town will confess their belief in God, and maybe even in Jesus. Yet most of these will also eagerly confess that they think pretty much everyone who believes in God will go to heaven, and they see no problem whatsoever with the fact that they haven’t read their bibles, they are not an active part of a covenant community, and their lives aren’t any different from those around them. Most have no notion of holiness. That is the majority religion. It is the faith of demons: confessing that there is a God while living in ways that spurn him (James 2:19). Local churches have largely been pressured into accommodating such a culture. A good deal of public outrage and offense is reserved for any churches that preach the exclusivity of Christ, the call to holiness, the reality of damnation and sin, or the requirement to be born again. In the age of social media, people who speak clearly on these things are routinely derided and scandalized online. Clergy and regular churchgoers have learned that they should not be too vocal about a high standards faith out in public, lest angry voices take exception to them.The Attractional Model of Evangelism: A Dry WellFor that reason, our churches have largely adopted what would be called an “attractional” model of evangelism. They build programs that are attractive to consumers to get them through the doors. Youth groups, daycares, festivals and block parties, holiday meals, fundraisers, concerts, plays, addiction recovery groups—all these things are done to attract people. The hope is that people will come with a worldly hunger that can be fed, and in the meantime Jesus can be offered. A hypothetically successful church that does this will be able to do a sort of bait-and-switch for folks, where they will eventually come, not to have their worldly hungers filled, but God will develop within them a spiritual desire that is then met by the church. This is a model that our own church has also been inclined to use. Yet the problems with this approach are twofold: 1) Other churches are much better positioned to do this sort of stuff than we are, and they are ahead of us, and 2) This approach doesn’t seem to work very well, anyway. The churches in town that utilize this strategy see lots of turnover. Moreover, these strategies are less and less effective. It gives the sense that churches are fighting for scraps. Moreover, just like government assistance breeds a generation of people who feel entitled to free money, churches that continually seek to attract and entertain worldly folks breed a generation of people who feel entitled to the church on their terms. Not good.The Plan/StrategyIt is at this point that I will now finally deliver what was promised a couple of weeks ago: an answer to the question of how it is that our church can and should do ministry in this town. The reality is that we have already built out a strong foundation upon which to do the hard work required. The strategy, going forward, is: to remain firm in our witness in a town that largely has its ears stopped. We need to do hard labor, backbreaking work, removing stones from the Lord’s field and planting seeds of faith that lead to a future harvest.I think the first thing to insist upon is that we will do faithful ministry in this town by requiring basic truths of the faith to be taught and believed: Sin defaces the image of God in us, separates us from him, and guarantees our damnation. The only source of hope for us is the person and work of Christ Jesus, who took our punishment as a substitute for us on the cross. He has sent us his Spirit to give us the new birth and teach and empower us in matters of holiness. The purpose of all of our lives is to love and serve God and one another continually. The church has been established by Christ to call sinners to repentance, to serve as a mission outpost for Christ, to collectively walk in newness of life and equip the saints for ministry. We need to insist on that way of life, that unique call, at the front, middle, and end of everything, refusing to capitulate to the spirit of the age or the felt consumer desires of worldly people. We aren’t here for worldly people. We are here for those whom Christ is calling out of the world. I need to continue to make the case for that. You need to continue submitting to that.Secondly, we have to get a mindset for the long term and

“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 29:4-9This passage was written by the prophet Jeremiah, who was ministering to the Jewish people in exile in Babylon. Rather than teaching separation from the world, he was teaching them how to bless the world that they didn’t belong in. This is a model for us today, we poor wayfaring strangers, citizens of the Kingdom of God while living on earth. For a time, we, too, have suffered false prophets and diviners, who have led us to ineffective witness in the world. As Jeremiah and other biblical authors make clear, it is important to have pastors in place who speak the truth to the people, lest they stumble.A Pastor’s Function - PhysicianThere are many metaphors for what a pastor is like. He is like a coach that is training his spiritual athletes to win in the team sport of the church. He is like a general, leading the troops against the forces of the evil one. He is like a CEO, heading up the various projects under the umbrella of the corporation. Of course, the very word pastor in the Greek (poimen), is a metaphor meaning literally ‘shepherd,’ the notion being that he leads the flock of Christ to green pastures and still waters. Today, I would like to use the metaphor of a physician.A physician is a person who treats sick people. In order to do that, any decent physician is going to start with a diagnosis. A diagnosis is the ascertaining and pronouncing of the malady plaguing the patient. A diagnosis is followed by a prognosis and treatment. As I often remind you, Jesus, whose name means ‘savior,’ came to save us from our sins. He is often called the ‘Great Physician.’ He compares himself to a physician, as a physician only comes for those who are ill. He makes the point that the only people he is going to help are those who can admit that they have a problem. In a general sense, every human has a sin problem that is going to kill us. The Great Physician, Jesus, is the only one who can correctly diagnose and treat our malady. It is true that I cannot treat you in the sense that Jesus can. He is Christ; I am not. Yet it is a similar concept to the ‘Good Shepherd.’ There is only one and his name is Jesus. We are all his sheep, of his flock, following his voice. Yet the structure of the church requires that a shepherd, or pastor, be in place. I am not the Good Shepherd. I am just a shepherd. I am not the Great Physician. I’m just a spiritual physician. I am in place to properly diagnose and then to treat the particular maladies in this context. Basic Concepts & DoctrineThe sickness in any cultural context is sin. But what about this particular context? How does sin effectively capture the hearts of the people around us, dragging them to hell? That is where my function lies. In order to apply the balm of the gospel, it is helpful, and often essential, to know the nature of the wound or sickness. Just as medical misdiagnosis often results in the wrong treatment, and the wrong treatment can easily lead to more harm, so a misdiagnosis or misunderstanding of the problems of our time and place can easily result in more harm being done than good. Indeed, I think most churches today are misdiagnosing the problems of our society, and that is why we continue to see the church on the decline across the post-Christian West.My interest in giving this sermon today is not out of any desire to tear down or degrade the culture I serve. It is rather to create a shared understanding of the work that Christ has called all of us to. We are not going to have a shared understanding of anything unless it is first articulated and then we all choose to adopt it together. It is my hope that you see the truth in what I say today and adopt it as your own understanding of our context.This requires on the front end that you confess the doctrine of Total Depravity and the Imago Dei. The Imago Dei is the notion that all humans and cultures equally carry the image of God. The Lord made us in his image, and that means we are all of sacred worth. This is where the notion of human rights comes from, a notion that is still foreign to any culture that is not Judeo-Christian in its orientation. Total Depravity is the doctrine that all of us, and all worldly cultures, are conceived in wickedness, and that the untouched human heart is inclined to sin all the time. We are, by nature, sinful and estranged from God. Holiness is a supernatural act that God works in us. That is what we are doing here.God loves and condemns the world. His love of the world does not cancel out his righteous anger towards sin. We are similarly called to love the world, to serve the world, to pour ourselves out for the world, even as we pronounce God’s judgment against the world and warn people about sin and death. That means our church here in Nowata is called to love our town, our state, and our country, even as we warn them about the things in our culture that seek to condemn us. We do this because people are naturally self-justifying. The human heart is deceptive.“A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.” - Proverbs 21:2“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” - Jeremiah 17:9My Perspective - Granular & BirdseyeIn Nowata, yes, this begins with sin. After ten years living and working here, ministering to these people, praying over this town daily—I think I have some insights as to the nature of the various maladies plaguing the people we are tasked with saving. Yes, it is Christ who saves, but he has ordained that we should do the work of bringing these sick people to the great physician of their souls. We need to do this work well. That means correctly diagnosing the problem. As a reminder, in my ten years here, I have visited you and hundreds of other people at their homes. I have frequented the hospital, the nursing homes, the schools, the jail. I have sat in the county court. I have been a part of civic and local government work groups, sat on nonprofit boards. I also think it helpful to remind you that I accurately predicted what would happen in our former denomination many years before it happened. For years, from this pulpit, I prepared you for the decision that needed to be made. Church leadership eventually confirmed that I had been right, and they led the church to an almost-uniform vote to leave. Thousands of other local churches did not have the clarity to leave the United Methodist Church, and they are very upset. I know this because I started a podcast aimed at speaking to them, which now has a presence on a dozen media platforms and an annual viewership of a million people and a regular audience of at least 8K. I understand much of the world around us, such that 350 people daily consult a daily briefing I do on every weekday. I read books aimed at understanding larger cultural trends, interviewing authors and distilling information for you and thousands of others on a regular basis. All this to say that I have done about as much homework as one can do, both locally and more broadly, to know what I’m talking about. I can still be wrong about things, but my assessments should be received as informed.Perhaps most importantly, I have met with the Ministerial Alliance for ten years, praying over this town, talking about the challenges of this mission field. And that’s what this is: a mission field. For the rest of today’s message, I’ll talk about this mission field. In order to hear me, you’re going to have to make room for me to speak in generalizations. Yes, there will be exceptions to things I talk about here. That doesn’t change the fact that what I’m asserting here is generally true, and that general truth has a larger impact we need to reckon with.Next week, we will talk about how to do mission here.Key Numbers to Understand NowataNowata, Oklahoma is a town of 3,575 people, projected from the last census. Nowata County probably has about 9,463 people living it is, again projecting from the 2020 Census. The median value of owner-occupied homes is $121,900, this being figured from the total of 4,383 total household units in the county. The largest age group is 50–59 years old, making up 13.9% of the population, indicating a significant middle-aged and retiree presence. 32.6% of births are to unmarried mothers, with 39% of these mothers having less than a high school education. More than a quarter (25.5%) of Nowata County households consist of individuals living alone (13.3% of whom are 65 or older). The median household income for 2023 was $52,679, up 3.37% from $50,960 in 2022. 16.4% of individuals (1,516 people) live below the poverty line, higher than the Oklahoma average of 15.3%. 88% of Nowata County residents have a high school diploma or higher, slightly below the county average of 90%. 3,820 people are employed, down 4.29% from 3,990 in 2022. Our top industries are Health Care & Social Ass

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:19-21“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-7“Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” - 1 Timothy 6:9-10PrologueLike everything else that is of this world, money seeks to corrupt the hearts of Christians. In our culture today, money is one of the main idols worshiped, around which the church is often expected to operate. People get particularly sensitive about any talk of money from the pulpit. Many are eager to be uncharitable with any message indicating that one should be expected to be particularly holy in how they spend their money, or that the church is in any sense entitled to the wealth of its constituent members. Many are prone to respond defensively rather than truly considering themselves. That is why many preachers experience great anxiety about speaking with any kind of clarity or boldness on this topic. People will leave. People will stop giving. These fears have caused more than a few pastors to shrink away from preaching faithfully on this part of the faith.In this sermon I’m going to address a lot of the wrong thinking that tries to gain entry and power in the church around money. I’m going to paint a clear picture of a right relationship with money, especially as it is concerned with the church, such that none of you will be able to show up to the judgment seat of Christ and say that you hadn’t ever heard this message.I am obligated to give this sermon, first and foremost, because I am an ordained elder, entrusted with instructing you in true doctrine, to the end that you might walk in newness of life. I am under no obligation to kowtow to whatever worldly norms are dominant in the corporate or civic world. Rather, I am compelled by Almighty God to warn you about those alternative worldviews so that you are not so easily snared by the evil one. Speaking on these things faithfully requires breaking a number of cultural taboos. This should not shock you. Christianity is, after all, not of this world.My WitnessThe Lord has blessed me in many respects, including that of money. Sara Beth and I own a rental property in Tennessee, and we are building another one. We have paid off education debt and have good habits of saving and investing. Rather than using these things for our own comfort and glory (you see the vehicles we have, we don’t go on fancy vacations, we don’t wear fancy clothes), we render what we are able to the church. We tithe over 10% of our income to the church annually, while also giving to the poor and persecuted through other organizations. Our family has endowment funds with over $40K invested that pays out to this church in perpetuity. We continue to add to these funds regularly. In the event that we die, our trust stipulates that 51% of our liquidated net worth will go to the church, including a $1 million life insurance policy. I keep my annual income here below minimum standards for the conference. I have no intention of asking for a raise, even if income goes way up, for reasons I’ll plan on explaining next week. I went down to 3/4 time employment in the last year so that the church would not have to pay an expensive mandatory health insurance bill for me and my family every month. My podcast and writings bring in more than $1K monthly. All of that goes to the church. The Rickmans put our treasure where our hearts are: with the covenant community of Christ. We consider it pure joy to be able to do so.I have a master’s degree from an esteemed seminary. I am not a bad preacher and could rather easily climb the corporate ladder, so to speak, serving larger, richer churches that would want to pay me a lot more money. I have gotten other job offers in recent years. I choose to stay here, to live humbly, to pour my life into this community out of hopes that many of you will likewise be moved to give of yourself to the cause of Christ here in Nowata. Like St. Paul, I model what Christ requires and encourage you to follow in my example. I talk about living this way, not because I’m so great, but because Jesus is. He is worthy of this. He is also offended if I withhold of myself.On the RichI am not down on the rich. It is not a sin to be rich. Jesus did indeed warn very explicitly about how difficult it is to maintain one’s righteousness as a rich person, but he also accepted the presence and assistance of rich men and women throughout his ministry. The scriptures are clear that the rich are to be exhorted to be humble and gracious about their money, accepting that God shows no partiality, and that much is expected of those to whom much has been entrusted. The rich are made in God’s image no more and no less than everyone else. They have a place in the church no more or less than anyone else. StewardshipFundamental to understanding right relationship with money is to know, firstly, that the money in your bank account, your wallet, your assets—isn’t actually yours. You do not own anything you have, including your money. God does. You are not an owner, but rather a steward, managing the Lord’s assets for him. That is why, when the church was inaugurated in Acts 2, believers did not carry forward the tradition of the tithe from the old covenant, but rather liquidated all of their assets and gave everything to the church. This ethic was so pervasive that, when two early believers chose to lie and withhold some of their money, the Holy Spirit killed them. From the beginning, the church was not meant to be just another beggarly social club with membership dues, but rather an extended family that is collectively stewarding God’s resources for the sake of his glory and for the good of the world. That has not changed. So I don’t preach that we should tithe. I preach that we should spend every dollar entrusted to us for God’s glory and the good of the world. If the church isn’t a big part of that, to your mind, that makes me sad.Scarcity and NeedAnother fundamental doctrinal truth is that God does not need your money, nor does his church. Worldly people will look at the local church as just another worldly institution that needs money in order to pay bills. This is not right at all. This notion demeans and profanes the church. Just like God did not need the sacrifices of the Hebrews (Psalm 50:9-13), he does not need our money. He is just fine without it. Churches that beg, that act like everything is desperate and people need to give or else the church is going to die…these churches are misrepresenting the faith. The true faith doesn’t worry about money. Money will come if God wants us to have money. If the church is making true disciples, then those disciples will joyfully and graciously give. If the church has to cajole its people into giving, then there isn’t anything good to say about that. That is a shame.The Lord is just fine without us. He doesn’t need us, our money, our prayers, our worship attendance. At all. God is Sovereign. There is nothing we can do to frustrate him or his plans. He offers us salvation, not because he needs us, but because he loves us. He allows us to participate in our salvation because he loves us. So everything we do in the life of faith is in response to his love. We render all that we have to him, not because he needs it, but because he deserves it. He is worthy. Moreover, it is we who need to give. God has given us these spiritual practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for OUR sakes. Satan is pleased when we operate from a mindset of scarcity and fear. He is pleased whenever churches wring their hands at the prospect of not being able to pay the bills, when they hoard tons of money and refuse to be bold in ministry. If the evil one can keep us paranoid about worldly notions of fiscal solvency and healthy longevity, then we can talk a good game about the gospel, but our witness lacks power. Here’s a truth: A person and a church’s true faith is exposed by their posture towards money. If you love it too much, such that it compromises how faithful you’re willing to be, then it is an idol that will drag you to hell. In our church we struggle with this. Our church has plenty of money to stay afloat doing what we are doing just fine for many years. It is true that, on a monthly basis, we are generally not taking in as much as we are spending. That is, in the offering plate. Yet our net worth as a church has gone up $46K since the beginning of the year. We have some great outside help that is buttressing our church, such that we have a healthy endowment and investment fund. So any anxiety folks convey about money issues in this church is not appropriate. I need to be more precise. If it is the case that we have members who could give more to God’s mission through the church, but they are choosing not to, then we should be worried. But the thing we should worry about is not making ends meet. It should be that we are not moving members to be disciples. But if

“And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues like fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” - Acts 2: 1-4Pentecost Sunday was this last Sunday so we visited the Book of Acts to retell the story of how The Holy Spirit fell on those gathered in the upper room. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowatamethodists.substack.com