Why we are called the LITE Church
Since
1997, multiple thousands of Web Surfers have wondered why our Church is
called the LITE Church. First and foremost Lite is a word that
means something simple. It is often referred to as a short cut. The
word "Light" is also called "Lite" in today's English
language. To be sure the Lite Church is aware of
that humorous story on the Internet which makes fun
about "the lite church" that misses the mark of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. The moral of that story is don't be a lazy
Christian. We are NOT that Lite Church. If you are seeking
it here your are out of luck!
Our LITE (aka "Light") Church is taken from the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 11, Verses 28 thru 30:
"28Come unto me , all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
In order to understand how Lite is used in Verse 30 you have to go back to verse 28 and 29. In these three verses you also have to know who Jesus was talking to. Jesus was talking to people who were trying their best to find God. They tried being good to others, forced themselves to help people and searched high and low for God's truth. In the end they experienced despair and weariness. Jesus answer to those people is found, beginning in verse 28; Come unto me , all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Those who were trying to find God by doing things and following religious laws would eventually discover that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life.
Jesus continued , Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. When our Lord talked about a YOKE He was taking about entering into some kind of submission . To his Jewish audience a yoke could mean being under a law,or the commandments, or the kingdom and even the Yoke of God.
Jesus then made His point when he said, For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And it is that statement where we came up with the name of the Lite Church.
William Barclay, the world-renowned Scottish New Testament interpreter said this about verse 30. "The word "easy" is in Greek chrestos, which can mean well-fitting. As you know Jesus was a Carpenter therefore he may have been thinking about ox-yokes. They were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on".
"The yoke was carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well, and not gall the neck of the patient beast. The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox. Jesus says, "My yoke fits well". What he means is "The life I give you is not a burden to gall you; your task is made to measure to fit you . Whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly".
Last but not least our Lord says His burden is Lite (aka Light). Barclay concludes, " As a Rabbi had it; "My burden has become my song." It is not because the burden is easy to carry ; but is laid on us in love; it is meant to be carried in love; and love makes even the heaviest burden lite. When we remember the love of God , when we know our burden is to love God and to love people. then the burden becomes a song. The burden which is given in love and carried in love is always lite". (Special Thanks to the Westminster Press)
Epilog: The members of the LITE CHURCH , like all Christians, are called to be like Jesus. To be under God's submission by the example of Jesus, to know that the life we are given has a purpose and that God has equipped us for this purpose. Because God is Love the tasks we are called to are always LITE.
If you can't go to Church and the Church will not go to you become a member of the Lite Church. We are a mission of Chaplaincy Services, a Chartered ministry of the American Evangelical Christian Churches .
God Love you.
Pastor Steven
Our LITE (aka "Light") Church is taken from the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 11, Verses 28 thru 30:
"28Come unto me , all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
In order to understand how Lite is used in Verse 30 you have to go back to verse 28 and 29. In these three verses you also have to know who Jesus was talking to. Jesus was talking to people who were trying their best to find God. They tried being good to others, forced themselves to help people and searched high and low for God's truth. In the end they experienced despair and weariness. Jesus answer to those people is found, beginning in verse 28; Come unto me , all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Those who were trying to find God by doing things and following religious laws would eventually discover that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life.
Jesus continued , Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. When our Lord talked about a YOKE He was taking about entering into some kind of submission . To his Jewish audience a yoke could mean being under a law,or the commandments, or the kingdom and even the Yoke of God.
Jesus then made His point when he said, For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And it is that statement where we came up with the name of the Lite Church.
William Barclay, the world-renowned Scottish New Testament interpreter said this about verse 30. "The word "easy" is in Greek chrestos, which can mean well-fitting. As you know Jesus was a Carpenter therefore he may have been thinking about ox-yokes. They were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on".
"The yoke was carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well, and not gall the neck of the patient beast. The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox. Jesus says, "My yoke fits well". What he means is "The life I give you is not a burden to gall you; your task is made to measure to fit you . Whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly".
Last but not least our Lord says His burden is Lite (aka Light). Barclay concludes, " As a Rabbi had it; "My burden has become my song." It is not because the burden is easy to carry ; but is laid on us in love; it is meant to be carried in love; and love makes even the heaviest burden lite. When we remember the love of God , when we know our burden is to love God and to love people. then the burden becomes a song. The burden which is given in love and carried in love is always lite". (Special Thanks to the Westminster Press)
Epilog: The members of the LITE CHURCH , like all Christians, are called to be like Jesus. To be under God's submission by the example of Jesus, to know that the life we are given has a purpose and that God has equipped us for this purpose. Because God is Love the tasks we are called to are always LITE.
If you can't go to Church and the Church will not go to you become a member of the Lite Church. We are a mission of Chaplaincy Services, a Chartered ministry of the American Evangelical Christian Churches .
God Love you.
Pastor Steven