Beautiful on the Mountains

“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.

² The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. ³ The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.’” Exodus 15:1-3

Freedom and song are sisters. When a people have been redeemed from bondage, when their chains of oppression are broken, their hearts break open with song. The Song of Moses and Miriam is latent with the passionate celebration of a people who have just been miraculously freed. 

In their song there is triumph: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea” (vs 4). The objects of oppression are now irrelevant and harmless. The people who once terrified are now the objects of scorn. The enemy has been defeated and our faith in God has been vindicated. 

In their song there is worship: “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders” (vs 11), and ““The Lord reigns for ever and ever” (vs 18). There is a humble recognition that it is God who delivered. There is only one object of our faith that can deliver. God delivered in a way that drew attention to his might and not Israel’s. They marched out in military formation, but the only weapon that mattered was God’s might.

In their singing there is celebration: Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. ²¹ Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.” There is a release of joy when one realizes that the source of tension and fear had been removed. Notice how Miriam’s joy is contagious. When we celebrate others want to join in. I remember living in PA a when the Eagles made their Super Bowl run. I’m not an Eagles fan but being around people that I loved who were in full-on celebration mode was intoxicating. When we give ourselves to celebrating what God has done, others want to join. 

Singing effects our emotions, but it also aids in our memory. I’m still thinking about the sermon’s reference to Les Misérables’ “Do You Hear the People Sing” days later. The children of Israel needed the memory aid of this song because they would easily forget the misery of their slavery, the deadliness of their enemy, and the awesome might of their God. When they would later face opposition, they were prone to romanticize the luxuries of Egypt. 

We too can be enticed to think longingly to the days of our slavery. The Apostle Paul compared our bondage to sin as a type of slavery. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14).” For Christians, our worship reminds us of our redemption from the slavery of sin, it causes us to celebrate our Lord who is a warrior for us, and it stirs our heart to keep going forward in the freedom for which Christ has made us free. 

Exodus 14 is a good reminder that even when the situation seems bleakest, God is still in control. God is the one who brought the Israelites out of bondage, and he is the one who brought them to that dangerous spot with a mountain behind them, the Red Sea in front of them, and Pharoah’s army blocking the logical path of escape. But God had greater things in store for them. He was going to provide a way that would change the course of history and be talked about for eternity. Robert J. Morgan’s The Red Sea Rules were an encouragement to me at a very difficult time, when I didn’t see a way out. I shared them on Sunday and I’m sharing them again here in the hope that you’ll be encouraged in whatever “hopeless” situation you may find yourself. 

Rule #1: Realize that God means for you to be where you are. (Exodus 14:1-2)

Rule #2: Be more concerned for God’s glory than your relief. (14:3-4)

Rule #3: Acknowledge the enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. (14:5-9)

Red Sea Rule #4: Pray! (14:10)

Red Sea Rule #5: Stay calm and confident—give God time to work. (14:13-14)

Red Sea Rule #6: When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith. (14:15)

Red Sea Rule #7: Envision God’s enveloping presence. (14:19-20)

Red Sea Rule #8: Trust God to deliver in His own unique way. (14:21-22)

Red Sea Rule #9: View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. (14:30-31)

Red Sea Rule #10: Don’t forget to praise him. (15:1-2)

Which of the 10 rules do you need most in your life right now? Would you take a moment to share that with me? How can I pray for you right now? 

Exodus 13:14-16 ¹⁴ “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ ¹⁶ And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

The Lord gave his people commemorations to help them remember what God had done, hope in God’s future faithfulness, instruct the next generation, and to focus their hearts and minds on following God. The consecration of the firstborn pointed back to God’s deliverance at the first Pentecost, but it also looked forward to a future firstborn who would be both offered and spared. 

The New Testament refers to Jesus as the firstborn, but what does the Bible mean by that? Jesus had two natures—divine and human. His divine nature took on humanity. As God, the Son of man had no beginning, but in his incarnation (coming to earth) he took on humanity. The Jesus that was born to Mary was both human and God. As a human Jewish child, Mary and his stepfather Joseph consecrated him as firstborn just as Exodus 13 commanded. 

Jesus in his humanity also stands as a representative for all of humanity. When the Epistle to the Romans refers to Jesus as the second Adam it is referring to both Adam and Jesus as representatives for all of humanity. Just as the Passover sacrifice and consecration sacrifice pointed to the need of a substitute for the whole family, the sparing of the firstborn due to sacrifice was symbolic of the consecration of all who were in the family. Jesus then by nature of his perfect sinless life and his status as Son of God and Son of Man, is able to be both the firstborn who takes the penalty for humanity’s sin, and the firstborn who is delivered from the penalty sin. 

As believers, Jesus is both our God and our older brother.  Colossians 1:15 says of Jesus, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Our salvation then is tied to the death and the resurrection of Jesus. See verse 18 “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” For those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, his death takes the place of our death. Likewise, his resurrection is the guarantee of our future resurrection. 

As Mary’s son, Jesus was the firstborn Son of Man, as the uncreated and eternal Son of God, Jesus was God’s appointed firstborn representative. That is why Hebrews 1:6 can say, “And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” It is why we who are in Christ can be called what Hebrews 12:23 calls us, “the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.”

Exodus points us back to what God did, but it also points us forward to what God was going to do. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is also the firstborn slain for the sin of his fathers. Jesus is finally, the firstborn delivered from death through his resurrection.  As you meditate on the Exodus this week, give thanks for what Christ has done for you.

Exodus 12:14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.”

My all-time favorite movie is Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I’ve seen it dozens of times and I still get choked up watching it. As much as I adore the devotion and dedication of George and Mary Bailey, I get equally frustrated with the forgetfulness of Uncle Billy. Uncle Billy is infamous in the movie for forgetting. He’s so forgetful he ties strings to his fingers as reminders of the tasks he’s supposed to complete. Throughout most of the movie his forgetfulness serves as comic relief, but at a crucial point even his memory tricks fail him, and his forgetfulness has devastating consequences for the people he loves. 

Perhaps the reason, I get so frustrated with Uncle Billy, is because of my own propensity to forget. It is amazing what trivial things I can remember in specific detail, and what crucial things I tend to forget. The hard truth is that we remember what we plan to remember. If someone gave me Super Bowl tickets, I wouldn’t forget about the game—I would definitely remember to go. Why is it then that I forget other important things? Why do I forget to pay an important bill, or remember a promise I made to my children, or remember that I promised my wife I’d do the dishes? 

What I work hard to remember shows what I value. When I forget a promise, or an important appointment there is a loss of trust. If I forget to pay a bill it may cost me money in late fees. But if I forget what God has done for me, the spiritual consequences for me and my family could be devastating. That is why God gave the Jewish nation and the Christian church the task of remembering. 

Eighteenth century English author, Dr. Samuel Johnson said, “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” God instructed the people about the Passover sacrifice, but he established a perpetual ceremony of remembrance so that that they would not forget what God done in delivering them from slavery and from death. But remembering also served a future oriented purpose. Remembering God’s work in the past, prepared them for the work he was preparing for them in the future. The lamb which was sacrificed on Passover would prepare the way for the Lamb of God who would come to take away the sin of the world. The firstborn spared would later remind them of the firstborn offered. A faithful remembering of God’s past grace prepares God’s people to look for his future grace. 

So what truths do you need to remember this week? What past blessings do you need to recount? What stories of God’s faithfulness do you need to recount to your children and grandchildren? What has God done in your life that might serve as a monument to future generations that they too can put their trust in God to sustain them through even the darkest of nights.

Exodus 9:16-21 “¹⁶ But I [Yahweh] have raised you [Pharoah] up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. ¹⁷ You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. ¹⁸ Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now… ²⁰ Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. ²¹ But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.”

Evangelism is a beautiful word. It comes from the Latin word evangelium which is a transliteration of the Greek word euangelion which translates to “gospel” or “good news.” Evangelism is simply declaring the good news of Jesus Christ. It can be discouraging to share the good news and have it rejected. Often for Christians, the fear of the message being rejected keeps us from sharing at all. By allowing fear instead of faith to direct us, we are depriving ourselves of one of the greatest privileges God gives his people. We get to be ambassadors for the King. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” As ambassadors we get the privilege of helping people end their war against God and enter his peace through Jesus Christ. 

Being named an ambassador for your nation is a very high honor. As an ambassador you are sent on a diplomatic mission to represent your country at the highest levels of a foreign power. Your actions can change the course of history. But an ambassadorship can also be a very challenging mission. In 1979 the U.S. embassy in Iran was attacked and 52 diplomats and citizens were taken as hostage. They were attacked because of what they represented and the message they had to deliver. Ambassadors bear the image of what they represent, and they bear the message they are given to deliver. Their message is not their own. If you are the ambassador to a wealthy and friendly, paradise nation then the job is a dream, but if you are the ambassador in a hostile nation then the work is decidedly less delightful. Either way, the job is the same. 

Sometimes bearing the ambassadorship of Christ is delightful—the message we give from the King is received with joy and celebration, but often our good news is received with hostility. Does the mission change based on whether the message is received or rejected? No. The message is not ours—it’s the King’s. We fulfill our mission and allow the Holy Spirit to fulfill his. Evangelism in the face of rejection sometimes brings us face to face with our own idols. I know that sometimes I can make idols of acceptance and likeability. Facing rejection is hard for anyone. Moses was sent with a message that he knew would be rejected, but he stood and delivered. Yahweh was doing something even in the rejection. He was raising up Pharoah for a fall that would show the world exactly who Yahweh was. But there is more. Even in that hostile situation God was working in the hearts of people. There were Egyptians who were starting to fear the Lord and obey. Don’t despair when your message is not immediately received. It is not your message. It is a message entrusted to you. Be faithful. Be bold. Fulfill your diplomatic mission and leave the results to the King. 

Exodus 6:28-29 “Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, ²⁹ he said to him, “I am the Lord…”

The famous preacher A. W. Tozer once wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Our understanding of who God shapes our understanding of the world and our place in it. Modern individualism places the self at the center of existence. Phrases like, “my body, my choice” and “find your authentic self” reveal a philosophy that places all authority within the individual. This seems great when we are trying to justify our personal decisions, but it eventually fails us. It turns out we make for lousy gods. Our own desires run contrary to each other. We feel this when we are forced to deal today with consequences of decisions we made yesterday. 

Instead, the Bible reveals a God who is the maker of the world and the definer of reality. We either submit to reality or we kick against it. I have a short brick wall surrounding a tree on the parsonage patio. I can deny its existence all I want, but if I kick it I can expect one thing—a broken foot. If the Word of God is true and God is who he says he is, we should expect that when we rebel against him that there will be negative consequences. While we as Christians do not rejoice in the brokenness of this world, it does bear witness to the truth of the Bible’s claims. A humanity in rebellion against God bears the fruit of misery. This pain and misery is a cry from nature itself, calling us to repentance. This too is God’s mercy. 

Moses had to learn that what God said about him was far more important than what Moses thought about himself. While Moses was dominated by his own failures and weakness, the reality was that God had called him and redeemed him. Pharoah thought he was a god but was soon to learn that he was just as powerless as the meanest enslaved Israelite in his kingdom. God’s mercy is shown in that he does not let us persist in our sin. When we run into the force of reality, our pain should cause us to stop and adjust course. 

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us as Christians that although we were once “dead in our trespasses and sins” we have been saved by the grace of God and are now made alive. Our lives are living testimonies of the riches of God’s grace. It is God’s purpose to exalt us and to show off his awesome power and love through us. We should embrace the blessed reality of our redeemed situation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Like Moses we have a task. We have good works to do. As we submit to God and do his will, we show of the creative goodness of God through our lives. Believe who God says he is and live in the reality of your new status in Christ. Reject the twin lies of self-determination and self-condemnation and strive to live boldly in the grace of Christ. 

Exodus 6:26-27

²⁶ It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.” ²⁷ They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.

I was fourteen years old when I gave my first devotional from the Bible and it was horrible. I still don’t know why I did it. My family was involved in a nursing home ministry every Wednesday night, and usually my dad gave a short gospel message to the residents. For some reason, one evening he asked me to do it and I said yes. I think my “sermon” was from Hebrews 11 on the faith of Abraham. I had studied to the best of my ability, and thought I knew what I was going to say. When the time came, I went through my entire page of notes and was out of things to say after five minutes of speaking. Some of you might be reading this and wish I’d go back to my five-minute messages. My dad got up after me and salvaged the situation. I don’t remember much about that time, but I do remember how humiliated I felt at not being up to the task.

Thankfully I didn’t give up and I think my teaching has gotten, better over the years. It certainly has gotten longer. But that wasn’t the last time I felt inadequate for the ministry God had put before me. Have you ever felt unqualified or unprepared for what God has put in front of you? If so, you probably identify with Moses. Moses did not feel equipped for the task ahead of him, but he had heard the clear command of the Lord. 

There were many reasons why Moses was qualified for the task, but Moses couldn’t help but focus on his inadequacies. Moses had failure in his past, the people didn’t believe in him, the task was humanly impossible, and Moses was uncomfortable speaking. When God called him, he responded by objecting, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” And yet Scripture records, “It was this Aaron and Moses…this same Moses and Aaron,” who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. 

Ministry effectiveness is not about your ability, but about your obedience to God’s command. God is faithful. The genealogies speak to God’s faithfulness to keep his covenant promises. Moses learned humility, and he learned just how powerful God is to accomplish his purposes. This is a lesson that each of us needs to learn. Do you have failures in your past? Are you inadequate for the jobs God has placed before you? You are in good company. The good news is that God is powerful enough to use you even with your deficiencies. Step out in obedience and leave the results to God. You may fail, but God will never fail you. 

“Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.” Exodus 8:10

One of the most loving things that God can do in our lives, is destroy the idols that keep us from undivided worship of him. There are religious people that pray to physical idols and there are irreligious people who worship figurative idols without even knowing it. The key word there is worship. Humans worship because it is in our nature to worship. We are made to be worship. Nature abhors a vacuum and always seeks to fill it. Blaise Pascal compared this to the human heart and its need for worship, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every [person] which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” Idolatry is any attempt to fill that vacuum with something other than God. 

Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth was filled with reminders to Christians to beware of the pull of idolatry. This idolatry can take many forms, in 1 Cor 10:6-10, Paul explicitly connects idolatry to sexual immorality. In Colossians 3:5-6 Paul connects it to the sin of greed, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

We don’t often think of things like lust and greed as worshiping a false god, but the Bible is making the connection that lust and greed, “[represent] a strong movement of desire toward something out of God’s will at the time.”^[1] Breaking the tenth commandment (Do not covet) comes from the same heart as breaking the first commandment (Do not worship other gods). Whatever it is that we desire more than we desire God is an idol for us. Sins like greed and lust reflect our old selves outside of Christ and a failure to trust God that his way and his timing are best. We become devoted to the object of our greed and lust in a way that is very much like worship. 

Pharoah clung to his idols despite all the displays of Yahweh’s transcendent power and mercy. He clung to his idols because at the end of the day, Pharoah wanted control—he wanted to be the god of his own life. The best thing that God can give us is himself. His destruction of our idols is good, because they are keeping us from what is best. What are the idols you need to give over the Lord? What discipline is the Lord bringing into your life to call you repentance? What is it that you fear losing more than you fear (are in awe of) God? Don’t harden your heart like Pharoah. Hear God’s Word, respond in faith, and go after Jesus Christ with a whole heart. 

^[1] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 290.

2 Corinthians 9: 11-12, 15 “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. 

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God…¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love everything about it. I love the smell (and taste) of my wife’s turkey. I love pumpkin pie. I love the relaxed enjoyment of friends and family, dozing lazily after the meal. I especially love the focused time to think about and recount all the incredible blessings of the past year. Last year at this time I was sick and in quarantine with Covid, but I still had so many things for which to be thankful. As the Apostle Paul attested, I have been enriched in every way. God’s generosity and yours has led to an overflowing of thanksgiving in my life. This week’s midweek meditation is naturally about thanksgiving, so I’d like to take the opportunity to recount just some of God’s kindnesses to our church. 

1. I am most thankful for God’s indescribable gift in the person of Jesus Christ. If the grace of Christ was the only blessing we ever received that would be enough to fill eternity with thanksgivings. 
2. I am thankful for the freedom to worship Christ openly and in accordance with our consciences. Millions of believers around the world must worship in secret or worship under the threat of political or physical violence. I pray that we would be faithful under such persecution, but I am thankful for the privilege of worshiping our Lord without fear or restriction. 
3. I am thankful faithfulness of our covenant members. You show up with your presence, you show up in your generosity, and you show up in your service. We may be a small church, but we have a bigger impact in ministry because of your faithfulness. 
4. I am thankful for our partners in mission. I am thankful for our own ministry of Bayseed which is planting and helping to revitalize churches in the Bay. I’m thankful for James and Desiree Westbrook who are planting Realm Church in Oakland, Real Options Pregnancy Center serving new parents in crisis, the Compassion Network—a ministry of the churches of the Tri-Cities that has ministered to over 21,000 people in need. I’m thankful for the International Mission Board which allows us to partner with over 3,500 missionaries serving the least reached people in the world with the gospel. I’m thankful for our family of churches in the CSBC. I’m thankful for unofficial partners like Donna Bixby and the ministry of Jonathan’s House in the Central African Republic and the families and churches that are impacted through her ministry. 
5.  I am thankful spiritual gifts that God has given our church. We have people who practice their gifts of service behind the scenes that make our church function. We have people with the gift of giving who generously give financial support to the ministry of the church. We have people with teaching gifts that serve our children, our congregation, and other churches in the area. We have people with gifts of administration that help us minister with order and integrity. We have people with gifts of encouragement, mercy, and faith that build up our people and challenge us to go forward in boldness. We have people with gifts in evangelism that share the gospel with joy. I’m thankful for the musical gifts God has blessed us with. God has given us all the gifts we need for the mission he has for us here.
6. I am thankful for the incredible spirit of unity we show as a church. We are a diverse church and yet we are one family. Your testimony of coming together as one church family, united in faith, mission and doctrine, has been an example to churches all across the Bay Area. This has required faith and sacrifice from so many of you, but your labor has not been in vain in the Lord. 
7. I am thankful that we have been called to be a light and a witness in the most unchurched place in America. It is a privilege to serve as ambassadors for the King of Kings in the Bay Area. The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light shines. Every day we bear the responsibility of carrying the Good News that Jesus is Lord to people who would never know, if it wasn’t for your presence in their lives. We have only begun to fulfill God’s purpose for us in this place. May we be faithful to complete it until he returns or calls us home. 

I speak for all the elders when I say that we are thankful to be called your pastors. It is not only a great privilege, but you make it a joyful and not a burdensome one. We are thankful for you. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

What are you thankful for? Take a moment to thank God and then reply to this email and let us know. 

If I were to ask you all what you think our church values based on what you have observed about our lives and ministry, I wonder what responses I would receive. Some values are aspirational. These are things that we aspire to become. For instance, we aspire to be an evangelistic church. We would love to see our baptism full of people who were saved because people from our church shared the gospel with them and led them to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Right now, that is aspirational, because most of the people in our church were saved at some other time in some other place than Redeemer. 

We were challenged last week to see the example of Christ in John 4 to cross the room and engage with people who do not yet know Christ. It is possible that we could look at Christ and deeply admire the way that he engages people and draws them to himself, but not see any possible way that we could follow his example. And yet, this is part of the purpose that God has saved each of us to live out. As believers we are called God’s ambassadors commissioned with a message for all the world. What is that message? That message is the good news that God wants all men to be reconciled to himself through Jesus. Paul in his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

Do you see yourself as an ambassador of the Kingdom of Christ? Ambassadors have a unique responsibility to deliver the message that they are given. They are the mouthpiece of the one who sent them. Their authority is not based on their own power or wisdom, but on the One they are sent to represent.  Paul goes on, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

While the church value of evangelism may be aspirational, it is not optional for us. This isn’t a value that we are free to take or leave. The church (you and me) is God’s plan for reaching the world. Will you be faithful to deliver this message to those around you? Will you cross the room, cross the street, cross the living room to share God’s love with those who need to hear it? Who has God put in your proximity that needs to hear this message? 

What other values do you think we have or ought to have as a church?