Tag: Gospel

A change of focus

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I’ve read frequently how the best leaders focus on their strengths. Focus on their weaknesses actually inhibit growth. Could the same be true for churches? I’m beginning to wonder if we’re so focused on what we’re not doing right/well that we’re missing what is our strengths. Let me suggest a few strengths we should focus on.

1) Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin & death, and sits at the right hand of the father.

2) Jesus keeps his own, is in the process of purifying his own, and one day will return to be with his own forever.

3) Jesus states he will build his church, and it will be continued to the day of completion.

4) Jesus maps out a plan for his church that in the end results in her being pure and without blemish.

5) Jesus modeled humility & love while also showing holiness & doctrinal correctness.

6) Jesus told jokes and, after all, uses people like you and I.

7) Jesus gave us a helper, the Spirit, who also helps in our weakness, seals us, keeps us and empowers our ministry.

I could be wrong. But my hunch is the church needs to start focusing on its strengths.

Equality, Hate and the Gospel

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Labeling people as haters removes your influence in any civil discussion. Pastor Rick Warren suffered a tragic loss and I cannot imagine the pain he is going through. Given Pastor Rick’s stance on homosexuality, the vitriol for his family’s tragic loss is disgusting. In the larger cultural context of marriage, anyone holding to a man and woman together for life meaning of marriage is labeled as a hater or against equality. The biblical stance is then labeled as old and not understanding of the times.

The Gospel
In the Gospel we see the brokenness of humanity and creation. Pain is a result of how sin permeates the whole universe. The muscle disconnection in my right eye is a result of the sin filled world we live in. Was it because someone sinned? No. All creation groans waiting for the day of redemption, according to Romans 8. We all struggle with something it is a matter of what we struggle with. Some struggle with same-sex attraction.

In the Gospel we see the consequences of sin. Pain is also a result of sinful actions we take. If I abuse my body, if I steal, if I don’t treat my wife with the respect and love the Bible calls for, I sin and there are consequences to my actions. The greatest consequence is that Jesus had to die on the cross for my sin. Sexual expression outside of marriage, which Jesus defines as one man with one woman for a lifetime, is sin. Does Jesus show compassion on those with sin? Yes!

Hate
Told hold something as a result of brokenness or to hold something as sin does not mean I hate them.
Cancer is a result of brokenness, but I do not hate those who struggle with cancer.
Physical deformities are a result of brokenness, but I do not hate them- or myself for that matter.
Mental illness is a result of brokenness, but I do not hate those who struggle with that.
The Bible calls lying a sin, but I don’t hate liars.
The Bible says divorce is because of sin, but I do not hate divorced people.
The Bible says to do things without complaining, but I don’t hate grumpy people.
The Bible says it is sin to dishonor your parents, but I don’t hate kids who do that.
The Bible says it is wrong to neglect one’s wife, but I don’t hate those that do.
The Bible says it is wrong to be arrogant, but I don’t hate arrogant people.
The Bible says it is wrong to have an affair, but I don’t hate people who have done that.
The Bible says its wrong to over or under eat, but I don’t hate gluttons or those who struggle with eating disorders.
To all of these I point to the hope we have in Jesus. I have or had friends who walked through all of these.

Equality
I believe for theological, civic and biological reasons that marriage is one man with one woman for a lifetime. I think bullying for any reason is wrong. Some things in life prevent us for doing certain things. Does that make us unequal? No, it’s part of life. Ultimate equality is found in the Gospel. Before God we are all broken and it’s not a matter of if we struggle but what we struggle with. It’s not a matter of being perfect, but of being broken and waiting for Jesus who makes all things new. Regardless of struggle, regardless of sin, Jesus opens the door to all who trust that he rose again for them and that he is Lord.

Equality, Hate and the Gospel
Jesus spoke against many things and he is friends with those he spoke against. To be against something doesn’t mean to hate the person. The vitriol against Rick Warren because of his stance on marriage is uncivil. If one must label someone as a hater or a bigot because they don’t agree with you, then please look in the mirror. Our hope is not in the behavior of humanity, but in the humility of Jesus. In teaching the Gospel there are things that no doubt will offend, but it doesn’t make one a hater. The cross demonstrates God’s love for us and that’s the level of love we should have.

Prayer Mentoring: Jesus

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IMG_3319Jesus
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ~John 15:5-7

Jesus is key to our prayer life. Our identity, our power and our effectiveness is Jesus. Often if our prayers seem to hit the ceiling if we feel overwhelmed or if we think we’re bigger than we are, it is time to go back to basics: Jesus.

In Christ
The greatest weapon we have in the spiritual warfare of life is Jesus. Too often we think it is about us. It isn’t. It never is. When we remember who we are in Christ, ministry is tremendous, prayers powerful and God moves. Why? God acts to glorify his name.

Jesus is present
When Jesus gave the church it’s mission to make disciples of him, he promised his presence. Jesus didn’t die and raise again and then that’s it. Jesus is still involved in leading and building his church. Jesus is the boss and CEO of the church. Elders, deacons, trustees, etc work for Jesus. He rescued us and enables us to serve.

The word
Sam Wolfe in his book “Building the House of Prayer” states this: Christ in us – Presence. His word in us- Power. Jesus said If my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Living out the Word of God is key to an effective prayer life. It means being so in tune with God’s wishes that it’s a no brainer for him to act on our request.

Jesus saves, Jesus sends
Getting our focus back on Jesus isn’t just about Jesus saving us; It’s about Jesus sending us! God sent the son to reach us. Jesus sends us to reach others that belong to him. You cannot separate the mission from the savior. If our hearts are not about the mission, we’re not letting the words of Christ abide in us. Jesus saves us and then he sends us to proclaim what saved us.

In Jesus’ name
We close our prayers in Jesus name because Jesus is our great high priest who went and goes before the father on our behalf. Our fruit, success, power, effectiveness is in Jesus and the finished work on the cross. Because of Jesus we have a relationship with God, access to God and are able to effectively serve God. Abiding in Jesus is central to a great prayer life.

Prayer Mentoring: The majesty of casual prayer

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DSC_0044The majesty of a solid prayer life is hidden in being casual. For some you’re thinking cool, others sacrilege. We think being casual isn’t godly because we view prayer as religious exercise not communication within a relationship. Prayer at it’s central core is communication with an all powerful God who is not just separate from creation, but also intricately involved in creation.

Casual as godly
Deep down in the recesses of our soul we struggle with the idea that a relationship with God is completely free. We think that there is still something we must do to merit our salvation. This is why preaching he Gospel to ourselves is important. Jesus died once for all sin. This concept that we struggle with in our soul shows up in how we prayer. We think that if we pray using the language and idioms of our day that we’re sacrilegious, undeserving of a relationship with God. Casual is godly because religiosity doesn’t save.

Godly as casual
Deep down in the recesses of our soul we struggle with the idea that God loves us as we are. So, in our prayer we mention God’s name… a lot. Some pray in what is thought of as King James English. A person’s godliness is often marked by the casualness of their prayer. Why? John tells us that perfect love casts out fear. The Bible tells us to boldly approach the throne of Grace. Godliness as casual means we understand who we are in Christ and the security we have in Christ.

CLEAR!
By now some may be having a pious heart attack. Let me get a spiritual AED for you. Humility, faith and servanthood are the keys to a dynamic prayer life, not the radiance (or what some think is radiant) of our prayers! Religious leaders of Jesus’ day pontificate in their prayers. Humble people approached God simply. Religious leaders of Jesus’ day worried about “purity.” Servant minded people sought to help their friends see Jesus. Religious leaders of Jesus’ day put him on a cross. A faith filled criminal understood who Jesus was.

Casual is not flippant
People who pray casually take serious grace and their relationship with God. It’s not a matter of being flippant, arrogant, or any other ‘ant’ word one can think of. What is central to such prayers is a relationship with a real God who loves us. Now, in fairness, some people are just brilliantly eloquent and classy in how they talk, and it shows up in their prayers. That’s awesome. Why? Because they’re approaching God in the way that he artistically designed them. If you’re a farmer then pray like a farmer. A poet, then pray like a poet.

Christmas Wars: Return of theology

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My bottom line is this: The focus of the First Advent should be on Jesus humbly being born in the likeness of human flesh and that at second advent is in the near future when Jesus returns to make all things new. Rather, this season is marked by what I call the Christmas Wars.

Xmas controversy
Christian_Chi_RhoAs a child I remember being scolded out of the blue because I wrote ‘xmas’ on my paper. I was following in the evil pathway of removing Christ from Christmas. Being the reader (nerd) that I was, I looked it up. (Note, this was before the advent of wikipedia, so I had to use this thing called a card catalog and books.) What I found was this: The X was from the greek letter Xsi which is the first initial of Christ’s name, Xristos in Greek. X marked with another letter or part of the word was an appropriate abbreviation for Christ. There is no grand conspiracy to remove Christ from Christmas.

Mas controversy
Jesus died once for all sin. In doing research I found another interesting aspect: I don’t celebrate Mass. Mass is the liturgy surrounding the celebration of the Eucharist. The Eucharist views communion as becoming wholly the blood and body of Jesus. It’s a perpetual sacrifice. Hence, the symbol of the crucifix. While the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, it is through the resurrection that we’re saved. The Bible doesn’t teach a perpetual sacrifice but a single sacrifice at one point in time whereby the barrier between God and man is forever destroyed through the resurrection of Jesus. Communion then is a symbol where we proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns.

The First Advent
It is good to celebrate the First Advent. Why? Jesus demonstrated humility and a focus on people. My fear isn’t removing Christ from Christmas. My fear is not seeing Christ in Christians. Let’s be humble, friends. It’s what Jesus did.

The light of the World
It is good to celebrate Jesus as the light of the world. The real issue is whether we’ll accept by faith that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. Jesus died once for all sin, the just for the unjust. My concern isn’t removing Christ from Christmas. It’s removing Mass from Christ. Theology matters. We do not need to continually dip into a pool of grace to merit salvation. We need to simply accept God’s gift in Jesus whereby God lavishes his grace upon us! We don’t celebrate Mass, we celebrate a risen savior.

The bottom line:
As the Christmas wars heat up, again, let’s remember our theology. Ignorance is no excuse anymore as information is freely available and easier to access. The focus of the first advent should be on Jesus humbly being born in the likeness of human flesh and that at second advent is in the near future when Jesus returns to make all things new. Let us pray for and look to the Second Advent as we celebrate the humbleness of the first.

Prayer Mentoring: Elections

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We should pray and keep the Gospel first. The success of the church is not determined by who wins elections. It’s success is determined by the work of God in the people of God. It starts with, held up with and ended with prayer.

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying ) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

~ 1 Timothy 2:1-8 NASB

Voting process

  1. Pray
  2. Be informed of things voting on
  3. Pray and search the Scriptures
  4. Vote your conscience
  5. Pray

Prayer Mentoring: Reach

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…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. ~Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV

Pray
The key to a successful prayer life is to pray. Paul instructs us to pray at all times. This means we need to be in continual contact with God. Communication is important to any relationship. Paul gives this instruction in the context of spiritual warfare

In the spirit
The Holy Spirit is critical. Paul states in Galatians and Romans how those in Christ are lead by the Spirit. This is also a reflection of the filling of the Spirit within us. There is a real and mysterious interplay between the Spirit and ourselves when it comes to prayer.

Ask and ask a lot
Prayer means to ask, supplication means to beg. It’s the idea of a child jumping up and down asking for something. Paul tells us we need to go before God and plead our case.

 Be alert
The Bible frequently discusses the need to be alert. Christians must be aware of those around them. Specifically, Christians should be aware of the ministry of their church family. We have a responsibility to uphold one another’s ministry in prayer.

The Gospel
The point is the Gospel. Our care and prayer for one another is the foundation and platform to share the Gospel. Caring and praying for one another isn’t the point, it’s the platform. The point is to engage and engage boldly with a lost and dying world.

The First Step
The first step to REACH people is to be praying and have others praying for you! There is a spiritual battle going on. Prayer is key and it’s the platform to point people to Jesus.

Clean water

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There is a shift in our church culture towards social justice. This is a welcomed change as for too long social justice was divorced for the Gospel. It’s hard to say we love Jesus if we don’t love our neighbor both here and abroad. I also love it when people use their God-given abilities to make something happen. Here is an opportunity that came across desk recently that I’m praying over. To my ministry friends, what are your thoughts?

Water Sunday
Video – https://vimeo.com/47960626

Water Sunday is an initiative of Water Missions International, inspiring a movement within the Church to respond to the global water crisis. Together, we can be the solution. Water Sunday is the start.

Every day 1 in 8 people in the world lack their most basic need – safe water to drink. We’re tired of hearing about the problem, so we’re solving it. As the Church we’ve been specifically called to do something.

What would happen if the American Church came together and said ‘We want to end the global water crisis?’
Water Missions International is asking churches across the country to give one Sunday between January and April 2013 to transform lives through safe water. All the resources are available to make sure your church is fully equipped for a Sunday that is as transformational and hassle-free as possible. (You’re going to LOVE the resources – check them out here!) Our desire is that the members of your church would move from being ‘transactional givers’ to passionate people who have been transformed through engaging in the call to care for the thirsty (Isaiah 58).

By combining the efforts of many churches, we are able to make a HUGE impact around the world. In the months that follow Water Sunday, everyone will celebrate together, as photos and stories of transformation pour in from the projects funded through Water Sunday. Your church community will be able to see the faces of those impacted, and the JOY made possible through their efforts. 

Water Missions International’s goal is to see lives changed through the transformative power of safe water and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

By partnering through Water Sunday, your church will be part of the active body of Christ responding to urgent physical needs with safe water that will flow forever. In addition, your church will be part of providing the Living Water Jesus talks about in John 4:14 for those who thirst spiritually. Engage your church to join the Body and end the global water crisis.

Here’s what you can do:

  • If you’re not:  Tweet Your Pastor (or email them this post) Example Tweet: (@YOURPASTORSTWITTERHANDLE), let’s end the global water crisis. Sign up your church NOW.@watermissions#WaterSunday”

The vision is for more than 100 churches to participate in Water Sunday this year and provide access to safe water to more than 33,000 people.

Join Water Sunday. Be The Solution.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/watermissions

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/WaterMissions

Prayer Mentoring: God says yes

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Too often we forget that God does say yes to prayers. He sometimes says wait, no, I have something better, etc. Sometimes he just says yes. People criticized the move “Facing the Giants” because in the ends all the prayers were answered with a yes. Sometimes life does happen that way.

Word of Life Island
I loved hearing the story of how Harry Bollback and Jack Wyrtzen took a rowboat to see an island and then said they’d take it. They had no clue how it was going to be paid for. God said yes, and the Gospel impacted thousands to this day. Sometimes God says yes.

Partly cloudy
At a camping event when I was a kid rain was in order. A leader simply went to his knees and asked God for dry weather so we could go through the day’s events. Immediately the clouds parted around the camp and returned after the day was done and we headed home. Sometimes God says yes.

I can talk
At a national missions conference a speaker couldn’t talk. His voice got worse and worse until he was unable to speak. So, people stopped him, they prayed and his voice came back with a vengeance. He was talking about suffering in ministry. It was one of the most impactful meetings of the night. Sometimes God says yes.

Lights on
One summer the easter seaboard lost power. The phone rang off the hook asking if there would be VBS that night. Of course there would! The lights were on. We prayed that God would do some neat things, and a couple of kids accepted Jesus as their savior that night. When we said amen to close out the evening, the lights went off. The church was the only place with power that night until VBS was done. Sometimes God says yes.

All heart
One Christmas when things were really tight it was time to find a present for my wife. I told God whatever he provides, that’ll be Kelly’s gift. If a quarter, then I’d wrap up a 25 cent ring. God told a friend to turn his car around and drop of a Christmas card early. When shopping a heart necklace caught my eye that perfectly summed up the year, but it was too much. The store keeper grabbed me as I walked away and mention that a sale had just started. Sometimes God says yes.

I’m yours
The most important yes God says is when we ask Jesus to save us. There God says yes. In all reality, it’s the one yes that matters most. Jesus said yes to God even when he didn’t want to. Jesus died and rose for us so God could say yes to every person who goes to him and says ‘I’m yours.’ When it comes to asking Jesus to be a part of your life, the answer is always yes.

The bottom line:
Sometimes God does say yes. We need to record and remember those moments. God planned to the detail our lives. Sometimes his plans are different and the way he answers prayer is different, no or wait. But, don’t forget there are those times that God says yes.

Civility, freedom and Christian discourse

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After the ‘feast of chickens’ I’m seeing much discussion on whether the church should have engaged in the activity. One statement I read on the matter said this: “What if all those people took a day to serve in soup kitchens instead.” The statement has merit, but it misses something as well. Silence is not always king.

Civility
There is a grave lack of civility in our culture. It is completely civil to state one’s beliefs in a matter that is humble and gracious. Current rhetoric about most matters in our country lack civility. To express one’s view of marriage being one man with one women for a lifetime does not mean one is automatically homophobic and discriminatory. On the flip side, one being homosexual doesn’t mean God gave up on them and immediately sentenced them to Hell. God saves all people.

Freedom
Baptists in Virginia strongly pushed for freedom of religion. The reason: many Baptist preachers were thrown into prison for preaching without a license. From this the first amendment was born. The founders also viewed the importance of religion to speak to the conscience of a society, while at the same time understanding the state should not run the ‘church.’ This lead the amendment’s specific wording. The intent of the amendment was to prevent exactly what certain mayors did.

Christian discourse
While the Gospel is first and central, we must also faithfully teach and uphold God’s Word. Culture does not decide what is sin or not, the Bible does. Yes, the act of homosexuality is a sin. That does not make the church homophobic. Jesus saves all, desires to redeem all, and will make all things new. Homosexuals are welcome to church. Why? We’re all broken. It’s not if we struggle with sin, rather it’s what sin do we struggle with? Truth and love must be tied together, and in the Gospel they are.

The bottom line:
If I had the opportunity, I’d bought chicken too. Freedom is too precious to let people trample on it. A line was crossed that should have never been crossed. I agree with the statement above, what if we all served in soup kitchens. But, I also believe a stance for freedom is vital. Both are important. So, church, let’s do both. We must keep the Gospel first and central. Standing for a biblical view of marriage doesn’t mean we hate homosexuals. (If because of this you do, you need to repent and have the same attitude as Jesus.) Standing for a biblical view of marriage means we strive to live according to God’s plan. There is a difference.