Life’s Biggest Moment (A Discussion of the ‘Last Things’)

Pastor Mike
The word koinonia that is on a picture

A major blessing of being a pastor is that I get to be present for many big moments in people’s lives. I appreciate the trust and honor people give to me when they ask for me to officiate their daughter’s quinceañera, to baptize their child, to perform their wedding. These joyful moments in people’s lives bring ample opportunity to give thanks to God and ask for his continued blessing through special devotions and services.


Funerals are the type of “big moment” that any pastor should expect to be called upon to officiate. Funerals seem to engender a different set of emotions. This was shown in our discussion during last Sunday’s Bible study hour. When asked to describe what the word “funeral” means to them, the participants’ responses indicated a complicated mixture of feelings of grief, loss, mourning, and somberness alongside feelings of celebration, love, remembrance and even worship. Participants discussed with me the complicated nature of holding both of these categories of feelings in our hearts when we have to say goodbye to a loved one. The circumstances of the loved one’s passing will change the intensity and nature of our grief, but the same core idea is there: we don’t want to have to say “goodbye,” but when forced to do so, we look for something to bring us some joy to answer our tears.


It is popular to shy away from the subject of death, and we can certainly see why. As a consequence of sin, death is the unwelcome intruder into God’s good creation (Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12). It burdens every relationship; every achievement; every endeavor with the looming threat of separation from this life (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7).


But if we continue the trend to avoid speaking about death, we will miss out on a lot of encouragement from Scripture. Yes, death has arrived as a consequence of sin, but by suffering the eternal, spiritual death we all deserve, Christ has removed its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Romans 6:8-10). Through faith in Christ, death has no power to stop us from experiencing the eternity of joy and bliss that await us in the life to come (John 11:25-26). When we pass away in Christ, our souls join believers throughout the ages in the unimaginable and eternal joy of being in Christ’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8, Revelation 21:3-4).


It would seem wise, then, to hear Scripture’s witness about what happens when we die, because doing so will equip us with the greatest comfort possible when faced with grief over the death of a loved one, or fear for our own death. At his crucifixion, Jesus spoke to the criminal being crucified next to him. Upon hearing this man’s confession that Jesus has a heavenly kingdom beyond this world, Jesus responds by assuring him that he will enjoy the presence of heaven through the gift of faith in the gospel “today,” that is, immediately upon his death (Luke 23:42-43). Consider also when Jesus taught about the rich man and poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), an account that describes Lazarus’ entrance into heaven after death, but the rich man’s sentencing to hell (Luke 16:22-23). The Bible teaches that the moment we die, our souls separate from our bodies and are taken to their eternal places: heaven for those who die in faith, hell for those who do not. This likely produces some questions in your mind, so hang on for a moment.


It could be supposed that because our souls and bodies separate upon death, our souls are what matter and our bodies do not. But that would miss the point of Scripture, and even more comfort. In the soaring “Resurrection Chapter” of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes the necessity for our bodies to join us in heaven. That’s what Jesus will accomplish on Judgment Day aka “The Last Day.” According to passages like 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 and Philippians 3:20-21, the final act of Jesus’ redemption is to raise and glorify our bodies, uniting them with our souls so that we enjoy a body-and-soul life of perfection with him in heaven’s bliss.


What will that look like, feel like, sound like when it happens? What will heaven be like? These questions are posed to me regularly, and I wonder if my response of “I can’t say for certain,” is disappointing. It shouldn’t be. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 show that our sin-darkened imagination can’t comprehend what eternal, perfect happiness heaven will be like. That’s the point – it is incomparable to any joy this world has to offer. We’ll just have to see when we get there.


Imagine standing by the graveside of a dead Christian, and these Scriptures are preached to you and your fellow mourners. What comfort there is to know that you will see your loved one again! What peace to hear that they are not suffering, nor did they simply stop existing, but they live on in the presence of their Redeemer!


We would never want to command people not to feel sad at their loved one’s passing, as if they aren’t supposed to miss them, or prevent them from meditating on the ways sin and its consequences have altered our world. But we can use grief and pain to drive us back to the cross. We don’t grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but that doesn’t mean we don’t grieve (Romans 12:15). We let Christ dry our tears with his gospel, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to cry (Psalm 6:6). Feel your feelings, brother or sister, and take them to Christ (1 Peter 5:7).


What about the time we have before our death or before Judgment Day? Far from telling us to sit around and wait for Jesus to come back, the fact that heaven awaits us after death is frequently used as a motivator for living out the lives of service that we are called to, and that demonstrate the gospel to the world (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 for example).



What about those who don’t believe? Often this question is posed to me as a request for information, which is completely appropriate. We should talk about the need for saving faith. But isn’t this question also a “marching order”? It’s true that amazing things await those who are in the Lord when we die or when Jesus comes back. Isn’t it terrible to think that there are others who won’t experience that? While we can’t cause the gospel to take root in the hearts of others (1 Corinthians 3:5-7), God will use our witness to bring others to this saving faith. I realize that some churches have used the fear of hell to motivate their members to evangelize their friends and neighbors, but instead of going that route, simply think of this: after meditating on the beauty of the message of Christ’s victory over our sin and death, the promise of greater things after this life and of purpose and meaning in this one, after receiving the gift of being able to grieve as one who has hope, don’t we want that for others? If there are others who have not tasted of that joy found in God’s eternal goodness, don’t we want them to? As you share the goodness of this eternal hope, who knows?, maybe you will get to be present for one of life’s biggest moments in someone’s life: the moment they realize that God loves them and that they’re going to heaven.


There are so many parts of Scripture that use what we’ve discussed today for comfort and encouragement. I’ve only referred to a handful of them. Please consider joining us for the larger discussion of these things throughout our Sunday Morning Bible Classes at 9am and worship at 10:15am!


God bless you!

- Pastor Mike Cherney

The Art of Giving: Conclusion

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
There! Now that we’ve cleared up all the misunderstandings above giving an offering, we are all ready to worship God in this way with regularity and joy! I’m just kidding. We’ve only touched on a few of the false conceptions that are possible. Because giving is an act of sanctification – a fruit of faith, thankfully offered to God in response to the gospel – it is something to “grow into.” There may still be misgivings, questions, and reluctance. Some readers may have been seriously hurt by church leaders who prevailed too strongly upon their debit cards and bank accounts. To those, one blog post will not be sufficient to restore the act of giving to its Scriptural, rightful place. For others, giving was never properly explained as a fruit of faith, not an act that earns goodness from God. To those, I pray this discussion has been helpful. I write this post as one who is himself growing in the act of giving. May God continue to shape our understanding of how to use our gifts to his glory. Giving to God is not a science. The act of giving looks differently among Christians, just as their acts of service and fruits of faith look differently. There are no hard-and-fast equations. We can’t say that giving an offering ensures that you’ll get rich in return (maybe God will choose to bless you in this way, maybe not). We can’t say that giving will come easy once you have a more stable income (your sinful nature will likely resist no matter how much income you have). We can’t say that you should never feel concerned or self-critical over your giving (is there ever an amount that will properly express your thankfulness to God?). So, I would say that giving is much more of an art. After taking in all of Scripture’s guidance about how to approach the act of giving, we proceed using our best judgment. We start with the gospel, meditating on what wonderful things God has done for us through Jesus Christ. We then look at the gifts God has given to us: our finances, our time, our personality gifts. We envision how to respond to God’s goodness with these gifts. While there are some acts of giving that will look very similar among various Christians (for example, we all give of our time when we attend worship and Bible study together), each one of us goes through our own process of deciding how best to respond to the gospel with our gifts. We submit our hearts to God for audit, recognizing that there are often mixed motives within them (Psalm 139:23-24). We rely on God to work within us and through us even as we thank him (Philippians 2:13). After all, this is about our relationship with God – not about securing it for ourselves with offerings, because it is already secure in Christ. Rather, it is about living out a relationship of worship with God, expressing to him and to the world what he means to us. To that end, let’s close with these verses from Hebrews: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16) God bless you as you find joy in God’s pleasure over you for Christ’s sake, and as you respond to this gospel with thanksgiving! Pastor Mike Cherney 

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #5 – We live under the Tithe Law (giving one tenth of one’s gifts).

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
This is a very common conception of the offering, and up to this point it might appear that we also teach the tithe – the practice of giving one tenth of one’s goods as a matter of the law, and not to deviate from that percentage. This is commanded to the Old Testament Israelites in passages such as Leviticus 27:30. But Christ has set us free from the letter of the law (Colossians 2:14, Colossians 2:16-17, Galatians 4:4-5). When the New Testament commands the act of giving, percentages are not mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is that giving be proportionate (1 Corinthians 16:2), generous (2 Corinthians 9:6), done with joy (2 Corinthians 9:7), and a good work sprung from trust in the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:8-11). This is not as specific as the tithe rule. It requires one to spend time reasoning out what a manageable and reasonable gift looks like for them, while still reflecting the thanksgiving and generosity that they wish to communicate in response to the gospel. In many households, ten percent remains a useful benchmark for giving, but must not be treated as a law. Some households will not be able to afford that amount. For others, “proportionate” giving means giving much more than ten percent. It is a lot easier for church leaders to make hard-and-fast rules to “keep people in line,” rather than offer these general encouragements. However, if we remember that giving is an act of worship in response to the gospel, we will avoid strictly laying down ground rules that Scripture no longer enforces. Instead, we will focus on sharing the beautiful gospel with our members, friends, and community, and allow the Holy Spirit to create and nurture the gospel joy that inspires acts of thanksgiving. Likewise, if someone’s giving is “off-kilter,” we don’t want to address their giving with the desire that they “get those numbers up.” That would convey that our worth in God’s family comes from our works. Instead, we express concern over their connection to the gospel, and nurture their relationship with Jesus through Word and Sacrament. Then, and only then, can we discuss what a proper response to the gospel looks like in our giving. Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #4 – We give ONLY to keep the church running.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
This misunderstanding is based partly on truth, but becomes misguided when it is treated as the main issue. Like millions of churches across the world, our church is a not-for-profit organization. We rely solely on the offerings of members to keep the doors open and the air conditioner running. It would stand to reason, then, that we should encourage giving so that the work of the church can continue, don’t you think? After all, the Levites (ministers in the tabernacle and temple worship of the Old Testament) were to rely on the offerings of the rest of the tribes of Israel for their livelihood (Numbers 18:21). The Apostle Paul encouraged offerings so that Christians in dire financial need could be provided for (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). There is a practical side to giving an offering. However, this should not be divorced from the attitude of thankful worship described above. Above all, giving an offering is a fruit of faith inspired by thankfulness in response to the infinite grace of God. It is an act of worship. The opportunity to praise God in this way does not cease when the church’s bills are paid off any more than your need to come to worship services ceases when church attendance is up. Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving Misunderstanding #3 – Giving an offering if optional.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
In Romans 12:4-8, Paul lists generous giving as but one example of service that God equips people to render within the church. This could lead to the thought that giving is optional for Christians. That would be misguided. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” Wealth takes many forms. For the Old Testament believer, their material blessings primarily took the forms of crops, flocks, and herds. For most modern Americans, God bestows wealth in the form of finances and material blessings. The directives in both Old and New Testaments to praise God by bringing an offering from our wealth are so thorough that one can hardly ignore or side-step the issue at hand. It is true that our whole lives are to be offered to God as thank offerings for what he’s done (Romans 12:1). It is also true that God is more concerned with the attitude of the heart than with the dollar amount given (see passages above as well as Mark 12:41-44). But it is also true that God’s design for showering us with material gifts is that we honor him in front of others by giving a portion back through this act of worship we have been calling “an offering.” As Psalm 50:23 says, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me.” Not all Christians are capable of giving the same amount, or even the same proportion of what they have (we’ll talk about this more in a second), but God’s Word is so full of directives about giving that it is hard for any one of us to exempt ourselves. To put it another way, God seems to be completely comfortable telling us what to do with our money. After all, we only have it in the first place because he gave it to us (see the response to Misunderstanding #1). Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #2 – God doesn’t care about your offerings.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
If the discussion is about how we’re saved, how we know that we have a good relationship with God, then offerings have no place in that discussion, nor any work that we do. But it does not follow that offerings have no significance whatsoever. Placing a financial gift into the collection plate or box, or donating through our online service, is a work. We are saved purely by God’s grace through faith, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). God loved and saved you apart from anything to do with your potential to “pay him back” with a weekly offering. Jesus gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for your sins without consideration of your cash flow or income bracket. But when the conversation shifts from “how we are saved” to “how do we thank God for our salvation” or “how do we live out our identity as God’s people,” offerings do have a part in that discussion. Offerings do not provide God with anything he needs, but they are expressions of our heart’s orientation toward him. In both Malachi 3:8-10 and Psalm 51:17-19, giving a sacrificial gift is presented as a way of demonstrating one’s repentance (sorrow over sin and seeking salvation only from God). Giving of what we have is also a communication of our confident trust that God will continue to provide for us. He may supply our needs extravagantly, far above what is necessary. He may only give us our daily bread (Luke 11:3). That’s for him to decide. What’s always true is that God will always provide in some way, shape, or form (Psalm 145:15-16). We have previously defined faith as a trust relationship with God. What better way to say, “I trust you, Lord, and I thank you,” than to give? Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #1 – God needs our offerings.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
Psalm 50:9-13 says, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” What did offerings look like before money was invented? The Israelites in the Old Testament worshipped God by giving of their crops, herds, and flocks. In these verses, God makes it clear that the purpose of these offerings was not because he gets hungry and needs to be fed. He is the immortal, eternal, completely self-sufficient God. Sometimes I really think of myself as an asset to God, as if I provide him with something to him that he otherwise would not have had. Or that God relies on my gifts and service to be able to “do his thing.” These thoughts are delusions that come from my (our) selfish pride. There is a part of our hearts (the sinful nature) that would love to assure ourselves of God’s love because of what we do. But to believe this would amount to believing that God’s love is for those who are worthy – who give enough, serve enough, and are generally good enough. The person who gives millions of dollars to their church no more deserves God’s love than the one who gives fifty cents. It is God’s grace (his decision to unconditionally love sinners) that has saved you, not your actions (Ephesians 2:8-9). Whenever we fall prey to these delusions in the equation of God’s salvation, we should remember David’s words. When his eyes feasted on the beautiful offerings the Israelites brought for the construction of the temple, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). As the hymn goes, “We give Thee but Thine own.” Go to next post in this series
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