Journey to Relevance

Going Small

2011-03-01T14:11:00.002-06:00

I am the first person to admit that I tend to think big. I have always thought bigger was better, stronger, more better…to use a hick term from my childhood. I am having to rethink that notion now and it’s troubling.

Since we undertook to start Journey Fellowship Church almost seven years ago, we have organized some huge events. Neighborhood block parties, Halloween carnivals in front years, public movie showings, and Easter Eggstravaganza. We have seen as many as 800 people at a Journey event. Not bad for a church of less than 100.

But over the past few weeks, I have been forced to take a hard look at some things. I blame Haggai- a prophet in the Old Testament for some of it. I have been reading the 2 short chapters that make up his book in the Bible and the gist is clear- stop worrying about the big stuff and build the House of God.

As I have chewed on these thoughts the past few weeks, God started bringing people into my life with a similar message. He started reminding me of where His Kingdom has advanced in the ministry we call Journey Fellowship Church has not been in the big, epic event but the small, the diligent, and the focused. God began to draw my eyes to things like our faithful Women’s Bible Study, Man Night, Midrash at Louie’s Bar, Journey Student Ministries meeting in a Braum’s, and a football team made up of grade school boys.

I look at those small, seemingly insignificant things and I see life change. I see families and individuals changed and drawn nearer to God. I see men and women who would not give God a hearing now listening and being challenged not by our words but our lives. I see the strength of the small and the power of God working one life, one house at a time.

This is a real stretch for me. I struggle with the small. I excel at the big. Thankfully, my God is not dependent on my skill set but my willingness to be obedient to His calling. He is calling me, us, to go small.

I would covet your prayers in the coming days as we begin to preach and teach and reimagine what the church God has trusted to us will begin to look like and become. I am excited and expectant for the days ahead.

For His Glory…

A Thought Provoking Post From Dr. Moore

2010-11-19T13:07:00.000-06:00

I do not know Dr. Moore but I have been reading his writings fairly regularly over the past 6 months. I would suggest clicking on the link below and taking a careful read. If you've ever wondered how your faith influences your daily decision making, this post is going to make your head spin. It is the ethics final that Dr. Moore is giving in his ethics class. Enjoy!

Moore to the Point by Russell D. Moore

6 Years in the Making

2010-04-22T12:11:00.001-05:00

In just over one month, Journey Fellowship Church will celebrate it’s sixth anniversary. It was six years ago this coming Sunday that we revealed our plans to the world and began the process of leaving certainty and stepping out on faith. The past six years have been fun, scary, heartbreaking, uplifting, and all around crazy. In May, we will spend a few weeks remembering the heartbeat of who we are and what we are as a church.

On Sunday, May 2^nd we will tell the story of how the church came to be. There is a story behind the beginning of JFC, believe it or not and there are some verses that remind us of who we are and why we do what we do. I would encourage you to read Isaiah 61:1-4 in preparation for that Sunday.

Then on Sunday, May 9^th we are going to begin talking about our vision as a church. Those three words that you hear from us all the time- Jesus, Family, Community. Why is Jesus such a big deal at Journey Fellowship Church? Why does God call us to follow Jesus? This would be a great Sunday to bring a friend who does not know Jesus as their Savior, especially if they have questions about what Christians really believe about Jesus.

On May 16^th, we will talk about the Family. Why is family such a big deal to God and to the church? What can a family do that no other group of people can do? There is so much that has happened to families in America over the last 50 years. God is truly calling churches to return to the importance of the family and to partner with husbands and wives and children to build stronger families for the sake of the Kingdom.

On May 23^rd, we will talk about Community. We will talk about the community we live in and serve. We will talk about why community is so important and how God uniquely equips churches and individuals to have an impact on the communities He puts them in.

I am praying that through these four weeks, all of us, myself included, will gain a fresh sense of strength and purpose for the church God has called us to. We are together for a reason. We have lived for 6 years for a reason. We have a purpose and vision. Each of us is called to be a part of what God is doing here at Journey Fellowship Church. I pray that God will continue to move in your hearts and in the hearts of those who we are around so that men and women could be saved and the Kingdom could advance.

I love you guys and love being your pastor!

Ryan

What You Think About Jesus...

2010-02-03T13:41:00.002-06:00

I read extensively both books and online and occasionally I come across something that is too good not to share. Many people more intelligent than I have written recently about the rise of "new atheism" and its most vocal adherents- Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Both men are intelligent and well spoken and both are strongly opposed to the spread of Christianity or religion in general.

What is interesting is an article I came across recently in Portland Monthly Magazine. The piece was an interview between Hitchens and Marilyn Sewell, who is the recently retired pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Portland. In the article, Reverend Sewell takes issue with Hitchens' lumping together all Christians in his book God is Not Great. Reverend Sewell describes herself as a "liberal Christian" and states that she denies the doctrine of the atonement (that Jesus died for our sins) and that she does not take the stories in the Bible literally. Hitchens' response to her statements is incredibly telling.

"I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian." (to read the entire article click here)

What is amazing is that in his study of Scripture to refute Christianity, Hitchens has stumbled onto a truth that Reverend Sewell has missed in all her years of serving in the church. When you do not believe what Scripture tells us about Jesus, you cannot be a Christian. Period.

We can argue for days about how all of the rest of it works out, but we cannot argue about one thing. The person and work of Jesus is not up for debate. Even a "new atheist" knows that.

What do you believe about Jesus? How is it affecting your life today?

Measuring Spiritual Growth Part 2

2009-11-10T12:12:00.003-06:00

Okay so if awareness of sin is the first step n spiritual growth, what is step 2? Step 2 is realizing that we are helpless in our sin and are in need of a Savior. The spiritual condition of anyone who is apart from Jesus is not good. Some theologians use the term Total Depravity to describe this condition. In other words, incapable of doing ANYTHING to change their own spiritual condition. There are people who argue with this description, usually citing examples of people who are not followers of Christ, but are doing good things in their lives. I would argue in return, that Total Depravity has less to do with our day to day actions and more to do with the implications of those actions.

For example, a person who has not met the Savior feels guilty about their sin, and tries to do something, anything to make up for it. But there is nothing they can do to erase that sin and even their good works are tainted by selfishness- trying to make up for their sin- and further, denying their need for something outside of their lives to help them- in short, still their own God. If you really look at it, that is what we are trying to be apart from Jesus- our own god- with control over our lives and creating our version of heaven on earth.

In the middle of this struggle, God inserts Himself in the Person and Work of Jesus. We cannot undo our sins and God knows that. He has been aware of it from time eternal, and He has set in motion a plan to deal with it- a Savior. And He goes one step farther, realizing that in our condition we would never think of a Savior, He makes Him known to us. God reveals our need for a Savior from our sin and reveals to us that He is that Savior.

Ephesians 1 speaks of this reality so powerfully, especially in verse 9 where Paul writes that God "made known to us the mystery of His will." What is this mystery? The message of the Gospel, that Jesus came to save sinners.

That is the next movement in a journey to Spiritual Maturity- responding to God's revelation that you cannot save yourself from your sin and acknowledging that God has provided that Savior in Jesus. A person who is becoming spiritually mature realizes that their holiness and righteousness and standing before God are not dependent on them but on Christ and respond accordingly in humble repentance and awe that God would choose to save us from our sins.

Coolest Night of My Life....

2009-10-27T14:42:00.005-05:00

I will be returning to the subject of spiritual maturity later this week, but something else now commands my thoughts and I think I've digested enough of it to write about it.

Sunday, October 18th I spent about 10 hours on my feet volunteering for One.org and rocking out to the band that has done more to minister to me than just about anyone in the course of my life...U2.

Now before any of you naysayers come popping in here to be critical just shut up and listen for a minute. They may not be your favorite band and they may not be model "Churchianity" Christians but they are men of faith and it is their faith that does not just appeal to me, but it challenges me.

I became acquainted with the 4 lads from Dublin in high school with a video on MTV. "Where the Streets Have No Name" was filmed in downtown LA without a permit. It caused a massive traffic jam and was in the process of being shut down when it was filmed. In fact, the uncut version of the video has a police officer saying over the radio "Shut the g--d---- thing down, now!" Which is right when the band began to sing.

But it was in college, that my love of these guys became so pronounced. The album The Joshua Tree and the live album Rattle and Hum were deeply coated with Scriptural references. They spoke of faith in a way that was not so blatant and obvious like the CCM of my high school days, but was subversive and lived out- Bono calls it "drawing our fish in the sand" in a Rolling Stone interview.

I never lost my enjoyment of their music, but the advent of the internet put a ton of info about U2 at my fingertips. These guys were not just singing an occasional song about faith. They were living it. Embedded in it. To the point that it seemed to affect others who were looking for faith in something but having trouble finding it...including purportedly their own bassist Adam Clayton and one of the Gallagher boys from Oasis.

And it is their faith that challenges me and makes me a mega-fan. Bono in particular speaks eloguently of Scripture's call to minister to the poor and the emphasis in the life of Christ in serving the downtrodden. His organizations DATA and One.org are committed to making these commands into a reality.

Then there are the songs- Where the Streets Have No Name has always been my favorite and will always be. It is the one song guaranteed to make any bad day better. Add to that I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and With or Without You. Then songs like Bad, October, Yahweh, Grace, Wake Up Dead Man, Ultraviolet, Beautiful Day, and City of Blinding Lights...and I could go on. Songs of faith and liberation and a celebration of life like no other.

So with all that history and emotion I spent the day at Owen Field volunteering for One and waiting for the show. At just after 9pm we hit the Pit and for the next 2 hours it was literally like time stopped. For me, it was the first time to be at a live U2 show and the energy was amazing. But what was most awesome, was it was not just about 4 guys on a stage, it was about something Bigger, Someone bigger. And people around me could tell. The Gospel was not preached and an invitation was not offered but there was Someone there. And it came in the hearts of the guys on stage. When Bono sang Magnificent, if you were listening, it was obvious who he was singing about. And when the song One came to a close and the opening strains of Amazing Grace were played, you knew that there was more to this show than a rock band and its fans.

All of this has been whirling around in my head for over a week now. For U2, this is daily life. They perform and record. And their lives point to something greater- a God they serve. What if our lives, our daily boring, non-rock star lives were pointed to something else. What if everything we did was committed to making someone else known? Thanks again guys for reminding me as you did almost 20 years ago, that my life with Jesus is not meant to be lived in a bubble.

Measuring Spiritual Growth Part 1

2009-10-21T12:19:00.002-05:00

This topic is tough to write about. I have struggled for a long time with defining what spiritual growth really looks like. Every time I think I have my finger on it there is a slippery moment where I have to stop and evaluate...what just happened?

So that being said, here we go with part one. I think we can measure spiritual growth from the first moments of conversion with an awareness of and new reaction to sin. I meet lots of people who are aware of the effects of sin on a daily basis, but few who realize they are the problem, not their circumstances. Awareness of sin is a huge moment in any believer's life. The moment when we stop and realize...this is a problem that affects more than just me and my life. This has eternal consequences. And in that moment we see ourselves for who we really are- sinners.

I stayed away from that word for years. I could blame the books I was reading at the time, but that's really not the case. I was just bothered by the sound of the word. It sounded so condemning and judgmental. And it is. But it is also the truth. And like all hard truths it is important how it is communicated. It's one thing to point fingers at others and assume the posture of the self-righteous. It is a whole different thing to point the finger at yourself and join your fellow sinners in the mud and mire that we are all stuck in.

For a good example of this as a first step of spiritual growth look at Paul's conversion in Acts 9. The first thing Jesus does is make Paul aware of his sin. It is in this moment that Paul realizes what he is and that he is without hope apart from Jesus. For further evidence, look at 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Look at Paul's description of himself. Spiritual growth begins with recognizing sin.

Coming soon pt 2...

Random Updates...

2009-09-30T14:05:00.003-05:00

Been awhile since I hit the blog up. Life has been moving so fast the last couple of months it makes it tough to stop and process long enough to put down anything remotely coherent. Here's some random updates from life:

- Journey Fellowship is really getting some momentum. We have seen some amazing things happening over the last 3-4 months. People getting saved. Amazing testimonies about God's redemption and grace. And growth...we are seeing growth. I am very proud of our Elder Team and our membership as they step up to the plate to meet new needs and challenges- need nursery workers, set up team, etc we ask and people step up. If you live in the OKC area and don't have a church you are committed to come check us out www.jfokc.com

- My girls are awesome! Annalise is rocking 2nd grade. She reads like her daddy and does math like her mama. Plus, she's doing the ballet thing and looking to add swim team to her list of activities. (Thanks , Poppa, and Mamaw!) Mia is also doing amazing in her preschool and she is a fish! Annalise may get on a swim team, but Mia may one day be the female Michael Phelps (sans pot of course). Ella is walking and is definitely on her way to being the easiest going of the Abernathy children. And Amanda is organizaing and arranging it all around our crazy life schedules in addition to taking amazing photos and beginning to volunteer a bit for the Lankford campaign.

- In about 18 days I will be the happiest guy this side of heaven because I will be at Owen Field for U2! These guys are my favorite band of all time and I have never seen them live. Going to be an awesome show...too bad the Blackeyed Peas are opening for them.

- That same weekend I'll be in Burkburnett, TX doing a citywide Dnow. Speaking on Perceptions. Should be a fun weekend.

- Been reading some really good books lately. Largely playing catch up on some books I should have read last year- The Reason for God by Tim Keller and Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Also, reading Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years which has affected me in some ways I did not expect. Definitely his best book since Blue Like Jazz.

- Last of all let me pass on my Top 10 Songs so far this year (only criteria I like them and am listening to them!):

In no particular order...

Moment of Surrender- U2
Jina and Jimmy- Derek Webb
Love Story- Taylor Swift (I have daughters so sue me!)
Swagga Like Us- TI, Jay Z, and Kanye the Jerk
The Train- King James II
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight- U2
Radio Nowhere- Bruce Springsteen
Rescue- Jared Anderson
Let It Rock- Kevin Rudolf
How He Loves- David Crowder Band

Plus...the whole 21st Century Breakdown album by Green Day which is by far the album of the year!

Upcoming Topics as I have time: How do we measure spiritual growth? Are we using the wrong criteria? Also, where do pastors go to get fed? (I have some ideas...) Plus...things I have learned about conflict...

Celebrating 12 Years

2009-08-10T08:23:00.002-05:00

Amanda and I are with our kids and good friends in paradise this week. Yesterday we celebrated 12 years of marriage. It's hard to believe i has been that long. It seems like only yesterday we were newlyweds starting our lives together in a little triplex in Shawnee, OK. We've been through some amazing times together and some sad ones as well. We have seen three beautiful girls born into this world. They are amazing reminders of God's grace to us. We have built two ministries together. Shocwave Youth Ministries at FBC-Bethany, OK and Journey Fellowship Church in NW OKC. We continue to labor together to serve Jesus and bring Him glory. We have built some amazing friendships along the way.

When you get married they have you promise for better or worse. There hve been both along our journey together. The truth is that there are moments that are really tough where that promise really means something. I am so thankful that I married an amazing woman who keeps her promises. We are not rich. We are not famous. We are however still madly in love with each other.

Thanks for saying yes Princess! The best is yet to come!

The Legacy

2009-07-21T12:37:00.002-05:00

Everyone wants to be remembered for something. This month at Journey Fellowship we are studying the book of 2 Timothy. It's a book with some big theological meaning but overarching those truths is the idea of legacy, specifically Paul's legacy.

In this emotional letter to his beloved protege Timothy, Paul commends the message of the Gospel to his spiritual son. He encourages Timothy to guard the "good deposit" and to not be led astray by false teachers and heretics. He cautions Timothy that distractions and problems are going to come and he commends to Timothy the scriptures as his guide and the Savior as his hope.

These are the things Paul wants to be remembered for. These are the things he wants to pass on even after he is gone. What are you passing on? What will people remember you for? Is it time for a change so that your legacy is different?

News and Notes:

Awesome few weeks at JFC...Big Chris baptized three students 2 Sundays ago..very cool!

Great time at MASH VBS for kids...thanks to all the volunteers!

If you don't have one yet get yourself a new JFC t-shirt...only $9

Midrash..a monthly community discussion forum launches on September 8th @ Louie's on NW Expressway..great place to connect with friends and discuss the latest goings on in NW OKC!

See you at JFC this Sunday at 10:45 am for the third part of the Last Words series...

In Preparation for July 4th

2009-06-29T20:55:00.004-05:00

Every year I prepare an Itunes playlist for July 4th. I love this holiday. For me it's a time for family and friends, the parade and carnival, grilling out, and enjoying the fireworks. It's also a time to be thankful for all the guys and ladies who have served in the name of freedom. I know a ton of them and meet more every day, so to Charlie Barnett, Toby Prince, Ron Duke, Bob Boyer, Morrell Willaims, Robert Wadley, Nathan Bowen, Virgil Hughes, Ron Abernathy, James Porter, the Moser men, Greg Bellah, and the tons of other guys and ladies who I know and love these are your songs for the Fourth...songs about war and loss and protest and freedom and sacrifice and the summertime freedom we enjoy because of your service...feel free to add others...and thank you...

America- Neil Diamond
Born in the USA- The Boss
The Hands that Built America- U2
American Pie- Don Mclean
Star Spangled Banner- Jimi Hendrix
8th of November- Big and Rich
The Way It Is- Bruce Hornsby
American Girl- Tom Petty
Fortunate Son- CCR
Boys of Summer- Don Henley
Pink House and R.O.C.K. in the USA- John Mellencamp
Summertime- Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
American Land- The Boss

Coming Out Swinging...

2009-06-27T21:04:00.003-05:00

Passivity kills the soul. Have you ever thought about that? When we are passive we sit idly and wait for something to happen TO us so we can react. I am thankful I do not serve a passive God. If God was passive, He would have sit idly by and waited for a reason to create the universe. He would have waited for eternity because He is complete and sufficient in Himself, with no need of others. So God creates. He is active. And when sin enters the world, God once again goes on the offensive. He sets in motion, guides, and works in a plan for our redemption. And when the plan is complete, and Jesus is resurrected, God still does not sit idly by. He continues to work to reveal His love and grace to hearts of sinful, fallen children of wrath. God always comes out swinging.

What does your life look like? Do you sit idly by and wait for things to happen, to react, to counterpunch? Or do you come out swinging? This week at Journey Fellowship Church we take a fresh look at what life looks like when we have a Vision to come out of our bunkers and head into the community to make an impact. We are taking a fresh look at what it means to be the church rather than to meet as the church. I am excited to have Phill Larsen join me in teaching this week. Phill has a passion for ministry outside the walls of the church. He will bring the Word hardcore on Sunday.

So what's your life look like right now? Are you passive waiting to react or are you coming out swinging? My prayer is that we will begin to punch some holes in enemy territory with a passion for action like our amazing God.

May His Kingdom Advance...

Quick Personal Notes:

Just spent 2 amazing weeks at Falls Creek speaking to students from FBC-Allen and FBC-Elk City...awesome times

My wife and kids blessed my socks off on Dad's Day...steaks, pictures, and good family time

Still counting the days to U2 in October

Check out Journey's reworked website at jfokc.com

Pray for JFC students going to camp on Monday and their sponsors Big Chris and Tabitha

Let the Vision grab you!

Father's Day Playlist

2009-06-20T16:06:00.002-05:00

Music is a huge part of my life. I love escaping into a good song to either echo or improve my mood. I have a playlist in my ipod for almost every occasion: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Summer Kickoff, lake playlists for accountability retreat, date night, going to school songs for Annalise, and on and on. I even have the official Father's Day playlist. Here it is:

Takin' Care of Business- Bachman Turner Overdrive
Gory Days- Bruce Springsteen
American Man- Velvet Revolver
Jesus Walks (Remix)- Kanye with Common and Ma$e
Ain't Nothin' Wring With That- Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Freedom Fighter- Creed
Fortunate Son- CCR
Stand By Me- Ben E. King
Lord Give Me a Sign- DMX
Worker's Song- Dropkick Murphys
Ruin Me- Jeff Johnson
Who Says You Can't Go Home- Bon Jovi
Father Let Me Dedicate- Matt Redman

What songs would you add? Here's my criteria: It does not have to be directly about being a dad. It has to be a man song (Cinderella and Butterfly Kisses need not apply). It has to be sung by a guy (Whatta Man by Salt n Pepa does not make the cut). Give me some suggestions or post your own playlist for Dad's Day.

Happy Father's Day to all my bros out there who know how tough it is to be a dad. Watch some golf, cook a steak, do something "mannish," and pray with your family this weekend. There's nothing more manly than a dad who can get on his knees with his family and ask God for His blessing on them. Be the man!

Betrayal...

2009-06-18T12:19:00.001-05:00

The only thing more confusing than betrayal by a close friend is when it is done with silence beforehand and after...when you are left wondering what the heck you did to invite such a heinous violation of loyalty and friendship. Needless to say the final decision on the "sacrament" drama did not go the way I thought it would...more to come later...

5 Years Ago...

2009-06-01T21:10:00.002-05:00

5 Years Ago yesterday was my first day as the pastor of Journey Fellowship Church. I do not remember what I did that day. To be honest, if I had known how challenging and draining these last few years would be, I don't know that I would have done it. It would have been easier, more stable, and far more financially lucrative to have simply left the church I was serving and gone on down the food chain to the next big thing. There were offers and there was opportunity, but in the end Amanda and I decided to do something hard and scary, we decided to follow God's leadership and forge something new.

There are times when it makes me a little bitter. Every friend I had then is driving a nice car, has savings and retirement, and is largely living debt free and happy. They have big youth groups, interns, paid vacations, and lots of older people in their churches who shower them with gifts and perks and "bonuses." And it would be nice to have all of those things.

But...and there is a but...I would be living a lie. I was not meant for those things. I was meant and called for something different, not greater, just different. And that's why I am writing this tonight, because 5 years ago I did something that I am so thankful that I was asked to do...I planted a church. And it's not just any church, through the past 5 years it has begun to become the place that God dreamed it to be...a place where anyone can walk in, be accepted for who they are, and meet Jesus.

See that's what God dreamed in me for years, even before I knew it. From the time I was young, I was given the ability to be friends with anyone. Amanda says I can talk to a brick wall. And because of that, God has given me a heart for people, especially people who do not know Jesus. And that is who JFC was built for.

A church like this does not get started without a ton of people. And I want to take a few minutes to say Thank you to those who have walked with us along the way (and those who have inspired us):

- to James Lankford who made the mistake of telling me about guys who were planting churches because their churches were broken and they could not bear the thought of people going to hell because of it

- to Ted Lam and Bo Holland and the CBA who believed enough in the dream to give money and training

- to FBC Bethany and Charlie Womack- who let us go even though it was at a difficult time and who gave even when there was not much to give

- to the Kerrs, the Perrines, and the Hopkins who believed enough to come and help us get started and then stuck around

- to the Koonces and the Busserts who prayed and supported and gave even when it hurt

- to Mammaw and Grandaddy who bought groceries, gave money, prayed and supported even though it did not make sense

- to Fila Phill who led worship and set up and slept on my crappy couch just to be a part

- to all the people who came and stayed a season to help us get started Reg and Judy, Big Mike, Gina G, Lynz, Regina and Cody, the Blooms...and the list could go on

- to the Hungerfords who led us in worship for many years

- to the Dynamo folks who rented us space even though we could not guarantee we could make rent

- to Mark Driscoll, Donald Miller, Mike Yacconelli, Tim Keller, and Ed Stetzer who have provided inspiration and illumination along the way

- to Mike Janssen and Zac Workun who have been friends along the way who have encouraged and fought and served along with me

- to Tommy Haines who would not let me throw in the towel and who every week provides me with a place to vent, celebrate and laugh

- to guys like Craig Smith who have booked me to speak so that I could make some extra cash and always managed to call at just the right time with encouragement and insight

- to Brad and April and Jay and the crew at FBC-Sulphur who have put their money where their hearts are and have invested in this church

- to the Huffs who loaned me a car when I had no car and no dollars to buy one and to Merle and Shirley who gave one away that they could have sold

- to Dan and Patty VZ who gave me a job and helped me to feed my family and make the house payment by keeping me on for 5 years...you have no idea how awesome you guys are

- to the Abernathy and Curtis families for love and support

- to my brothers Lok, Young, and Bull- I would have never made it this far without you...

- to my 3 beautiful girls, daddies angels- I am building a church for you girls- follow Jesus

- to the only love of my life, my Princess- thank you for saying yes, thank you for being the best mom and wife in the world, and thank you for never losing faith in this journey even when I wanted to

- most of all to my Jesus- You are the only One I would do this for, and You are the only One who makes this all worth it, thank You for saving a wretch like me and for giving me the chance to play a part in Your kingdom...may the Kingdom advance

- last of all to the families of Journey Fellowship Church- the crazy band of brothers and sisters who love Jesus more than themselves and who are committed to going where He goes...keep pushing...do not quit...we have only just begun

5 years is not a long time and yet it is like a lifetime. If you are looking for a place to serve Jesus and leave religion behind, we invite you to come and experience Journey Fellowship Church. We exist to connect people with Jesus, to build strong Families, and to transform a Community. Come and join us on the journey of lifetime with Jesus.

May His Kingdom Advance...

-

Personal vs. Private

2009-05-25T21:18:00.002-05:00

I hear a lot these days about a personal relationship with Jesus. And I want to affirm the sentiment, in as much as, it refers to each person needing to come to a God led moment of commitment to following Jesus- whether you call it justification, being saved, moment of decision, or when I was saved by God- every person must ultimately, individually make a decision to follow Jesus. You cannot be born into it by family connection. Baptized into it by church affiliation. Or be accepted into it by association either through joining a church or participating in religious activities. As Jesus told Nicodemus- "...no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." John 3:3.

In this, I think we can all agree there is a personal relationship with Jesus. But in our day and time, personal has come to be private. As in, it's between me and God. Stay out of it and I'll leave you alone. In no way, is that what Jesus intended or the church practiced. But in our churched, religified society we have made this the norm. There is no room for accountability or question. We have gone off and remade Jesus in our image instead of being made to look like Him. And that's on both sides of the debate. Some condone things that are condemned in scripture- greed, gluttony, selfishness, lustful actions. And come condemn things that scripture says are acceptable- unity in the Body of believers, church discipline, disagreements over secondary and tertiary issues like tobacco, alcohol, and birth control.

There is a two fold disaster that occurs when a personal faith becomes private and we are seeing the effects of both in the church in American today. First, a private faith is not shared. We are seeing fewer and fewer people beginning to follow Jesus in America today. While the Gospel is exploding in other nations, it is imploding in the most churched country in the world. And part of that is because of our commitment to private faith. Why share something that is between us and God and is just for our personal benefit? We will see this change when we realize that just as Jesus offered Himself for the world, so He calls us to offer ourselves as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1) giving our lives both literally and figuratively to make the Gospel known- (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Second, our "private" faith means anyone who calls us to account for our sins or struggles is "judging us" and should butt out. This is a huge problem in the church and one we cannot ignore anymore. We are told very bluntly in 1 Corinthians 5 that we are not to be judgmental of people who are not followers of Christ. In fact, we should expect them to act like people who do not know Jesus, because they do not! But we are to judge, call to account, and challenge in loving fashion those who claim to know Jesus. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."" When someone thinks their faith is "private" this is impossible to do. But are called to be a body- all united together0 and what hurts the arm is the business of the shoulder and the feet as well, because it affects them as well.

I pray that we can move on from private faith. Be accountable to one another. Listen to those who ask yo0u questions. Learn from those you disagree with. Be teachable and humble and remember your faith affects far more than just you.

The Messiness of Relationship...Why Some People Like Rules

2009-05-18T16:58:00.002-05:00

¹For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. ²Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
⁶in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
⁷Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'"

⁸When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), ⁹then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.- Hebrews 10- ESV

From the time we are teenagers, relationships are a very scary thing. I still remember making the phone call for my first date, and getting shot down. It's that innate fear of rejection of not being chosen, or affirmed, or good enough that powers so many of us to rule based religion, instead of relationship. And it's pretty much everywhere you go in the Christian church today. We sell books and curriculum about it. We fill conferences with it. And we preach it at church because it's easy and measurable. The problem is it's wrong.

Now before you quit reading in disgust, I do believe a person who follows Jesus looks different, acts different, works different, and is completely, wholly, and utterly changed. (2 Corinthians 5:17- new creation) The problem is we want to decide what the changes are, how fast they should happen, and most of all determine which ones are the most important. So we quantify, analyze, methodize, and harmonize a relationship with Jesus into a religion of rules and policies- all lifted straight from the Bible of course- to land at the brass ring- "holiness."

The problem is the Bible has a lot to say about our pathetic attempts at holiness. It calls them rags- filthy rags as a matter of fact- and the level of filth is pretty nasty- I'll leave it to your imagination. So why all of the focus on creating holiness? Because we are scared of a relationship with God.

See a relationship is messy. There is a level of loss of control. We do not always know quite how we are doing in a relationship. There can be surprises. And there is a level of fear that is associated with a relationship. Most of us have messed one up by doing something stupid in the past. And I'm convinced, that many of us, think we're going to screw this one up as well. That somehow or another we will have to demonstrate to God how good we have been and how He has to take us back. But that's not the story Jesus tells.

The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is often told as a story of justification (the moment of salvation) but there is a problem with that telling- the prodigal is already a son. He is in the family. He just leaves. He seemingly messes up the relationship. He does the unthinkable and goes off on his own leaving his Father behind. But it's when he comes back, that we see how relationship with God is going to work. He is welcomed, celebrated, restored.

See, when we have a relationship with Jesus things get messy. We make mistakes, but we do not stay in them. God calls us back and out of them to Him- where we belong. That's the reason why rules based religion- and NP (see previous post)- are so dangerous. It's not just that reducing following Jesus to a check list is bad- it's also that you can keep the rules and never be in the family- and fit right in. In fact, the only way to find these poor misguided people is to question there special rules in light of scripture and watch their reaction or to watch how they treat people who do not follow their rules. That's what Jesus did to the Pharisees and He revealed their hearts- they loved their rules not God.

Now I know some of you are asking, "So does that mean I can do anything I want?" I would say, that's the wrong question. If you are a follower of Jesus, the question you ask is "Can the thing I am doing please God? Is this permissible for me? Does this violate Scripture?" The freedom of a relationship is not a freedom to do harm, but to do good. To nurture and build the relationship- not to do everything you can to tear it apart. Let me leave you with this passage from Paul on the liberty we have in our relationship with Jesus from Galatians 5:

¹³You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under

¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The New Pharisee-ism

2009-05-13T16:12:00.005-05:00

"Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.' "Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. (The Message- Matthew 23:4-8a)

I'm using the Message to start this off for two reasons. First, so that my friend Mike Kerr will get off my back about a comment I made about the Message 3 years ago (I used it. I'm not all that smart. You happy now bro!) Second, because Peterson captures the essence of the passage so well, that I think it fits today's subject matter.

For those of you who grew up not going to church, or who still don't go, the Pharisees are the ultra-religious, judgmental, fundamentalist, pains in the can who are (they think anyhow) instrumental in getting Jesus crucified. (For the record, His death was not an accident, it was the plan since Genesis 3. It was God's response graceful to our sin. No one person or select group of people are responsible for the death of Jesus. So anti-Semites head to another blog, please.) Back on track, they are probably like the caricatures of Christians, that most of you do not like.

I'm talking about a New Pharisee-ism today, not because I think it's new, in fact the term was coined long before my time, but because of some issues I have read about recently that remind me that this problem is alive and well.

This New Pharisee-ism (NP from now on) is the practice of adding new laws, rules, and standards to Scripture. In short, it questions the sufficiency of Scripture to be our guide as wel follow Jesus. Amazingly, the people most guilty of this NP are most often people who extol their beliefs in the sufficiency of Scripture. Sound crazy? Read on...

Example #1:
Christian school to teen: Skip prom
The Associated Press

FINDLAY, Ohio - A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

Example #2:

True Lips Wait? Sexual Abstinence, Romantic Longing, and Monogamous Lips

www.almohler.com

"In a culture where casual sex is the norm, some Tennesseans have taken the purity pledge to a whole new level, through a practice that some teens refer to as the 'Virgin Lips Movement.'"

There is no explicit biblical ban on premarital kissing, but any honest person knows that there are kisses that can only be considered sexual, naturally leading to the sex act itself. These young Christians are not afraid of their bodies, they are afraid of sinning against God and losing something precious to themselves as well.

In a world that has made monogamy an embarrassment, these young Christians want to offer their future spouse the gift of monogamous lips. In an age of instant sexual gratification, these young believers believe that true lips wait. This is what a counter-revolution looks like.

End examples...on to opinion...and hopefully the Bible...

This type of nonsense really bugs me. Here's why. In the city, state, and part of America where I pastor the Bible never seems to be enough with the religious establishment. So many religious leaders feel the need, the almost compulsion, to add to Scripture. For example, Scripture explicitly says not to be drunk. On example, Romans 13:13- "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy." That's pretty clear. Being drunk. Not an option. Having a drink in American and being under 21- not an option. We are to obey governmental authorities. (1 Peter 2:13). But to some people, being over 21 and choosing to have a drink is sin. This is not an area of personal freedom. That my friends is NP. Adding to Scripture.

The two examples above only serve to further highlight my concern. So many of us are afraid of the freedom we have in Jesus. We run from it. So scared to make a mistake. My friends, that is not what grace is about. Far from it! Grace is freedom to fail, freedom to make a mistake, so that we no longer live in fear. 1 John 4:13-18 makes it clear that those who are "in Christ" (saved, following Jesus, Christians, whatever label you like for a Redeemed person) are on longer walking around afraid. If this is so, why are we so busy making extra rules to keep us away from sin? Even adding to the Bible- which is sufficient to guide us- because it does not go far enough.

The answer, I think, is that we are scared of what will happen in a relationship with God. We are a lot more deeply invested in a relationship than we are in a rule. That's why it is easier to follow a rule than to live in a relationship. We can blame the rule- "I can't kiss you because it will make me sin against God." Rather than have to explain our relationship- which is messy, especially if not everyone is doing it. So, "I do not drink alcohol because God has not given me that freedom" becomes "It is a sin to drink." How confusing it all becomes, especially when we have to try to explain those made up rules to new believers or those who do not know our Jesus.

So I leave you with this passage from Romans 14. Think about it.

¹As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ² One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹for it is written,

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God."

¹²So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Next blog will be about the Messiness of Following Jesus.

Bits of Wisdom

2009-05-04T15:46:00.002-05:00

Pastoring is not my only job. When we planted Journey Fellowship, there was not enough financial support to make ends meet so I started working for a company run by a man who I had known casually for several years. Over the past 5 years, Dan has become a friend and a mentor to me in several areas, in addition to being my boss. We spent some time together today hashing through a bunch of stuff, not the least of which were some big questions about the place of faith in life.

Dan is a man who daily integrates his faith with his life. He is honest and a man of high integrity, not to mention a man who knows his Bible. We were talking today about essentials. What do we have to agree on to agree to work together. Dan mentioned that he felt there were many things he could overlook, but the one essential was the person and work of Jesus. Who do you believe Jesus to be and what do you believe He accomplished in His death, burial and resurrection? That's why I like Dan so much. He gets it.

That set of essentials is what we are all about at JFC. We know the most important thing is what the Bible says about Jesus, where He came from, what He did, and what that means for us as people- humanity, sinners to use a tough term. Because we choose to only separate over these closed hand matters, we have freedom to invite people from all walks of life to come and meet Jesus. And as a result, we see people meet Jesus on a regular basis. Our church is made up of people from Nazarene, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and completely pagan backgrounds- just to name a few. Some of us grew up in church and some of us only made it to church for the first time last month, but we are all learning to chase after one thing- Jesus.

Is that a messy way to do church? You bet. Does that mean we have conflicts and discussions over some things? Sure we do. But it also means we have a standard for settling those conflicts that is not rooted in tradition or opinion. We simply go to Scripture, and what it says we do. That means we leave a lot of debatable matters to an individuals conscience as scripture has told us to do. So we can focus on the main thing, making Jesus known and helping those who know Him to follow Him more closely. I like to think that's changing a community one person, one family, one neighborhood at a time. Last time I checked that is what we are supposed to be about. Thanks Dan for reminding me of that today.

Moving Past the Negative...

2009-04-29T18:29:00.004-05:00

Meeting was...

I'll leave it at that for now. Will probably blog it this weekend when I have more time to digest.

One of the things I have missed about blogging is being able to share what God is doing at JFC. It's been amazing! Over the past six months we have seen God's hand at work. First, we are seeing people saved and people restored to the church. A large part of the ministry God has given us in this season of time is a real ability to reach people who have been angry with God, or Christians, or church or who had never given any thought to Jesus at all. It is so exciting to see folks getting it and then to see those people become some of our front line evangelists and bridge builders. Of course, a lot of these people are young, in age and faith, but their passion and enthusiasm make them excellent community connection points.

Further, we have seen our small group ministry begin to take shape. Now it's not perfect yet, far from it, but we have people who are making an effort to meet and when they do meet they are accomplishing some things. Of course, it helps that they are guided by some phenomenal curriculum produced by Song of Solomon ministries. Vintage Jesus is 12 lessons on who Jesus is and what He came to do. Great stuff! And yes for all you haters, it is taught by Mark Driscoll- God forbid we use good Bible teaching from Mark- it might make us think! :)

We are also seeing new leaders rising to the fore, not the least of these are the elders. But beyond the elders, we have a good team of leaders falling nicely into place- small group leaders, a ministry assistant, an older children teaching team, and a lady who has a passion for women's ministry who is awesome. This is such a huge change from several years ago and I am so amazed at what God is doing.

Finally, personally, I am enjoying a personal spiritual renaissance. It's not just a return to blogging, but a return to a passion for Scripture, reading for personal edification, enjoying times of slowness and solitude to hear God's voice, and rediscovering a passionate love for Jesus and what He's doing. All of this gives me an amazing sense of peace and excitement for the coming days.

May His kingdom advance...

Cooperation...A Long Story and A Simple Idea

2009-04-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

I have a meeting tomorrow that I'm not really looking forward to. It's with some good friends and that's usually a good thing, but not tomorrow. I have been invited to this meeting because of a word. A word that is used my church's statement of beliefs. That's right a word. I'll tell you the word here in a minute.

How did I get into this? Well, the elders at JFC have been working on an official statement of beliefs. Simple stuff, basic orthodoxy. Nothing controversial. Nothing that anyone would hear and go, O man, I can't believe you guys believe that. Journey Fellowship is a pretty simple place. We believe the Bible is true, Jesus died and was raised, God reveals Himself in three distinct ways, salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, Jesus is coming back. We are not theological trailblazers. We are orthodox, largely evangelical, and very much crazy about Jesus.

The word that got us in so much trouble is how we refer to baptism and Communion. Many of our evangelical friends use the term "ordinances." I used that term for years myself. I never really thought about it or what it meant. I just grew up with it and never questioned it. Then I got into this church starting/pastoring thing and words and practices became really important. They are important to me now for 2 reasons:

1. because I grew up and learned to think for myself and
2. because I am now reaching people who ask questions about everything and I want to have a reason for what we do and say.

So we wanted to define what we believe baptism and communion are in our faith, this following of Jesus, Christianity. And initially we went with the term "ordinance" because it was what we had always known. Then we made the mistake of reading some books, a dictionary, and some old dusty theology. We rediscovered a word. That word is "sacrament." We thought we found something really cool. A word that described what we felt about, and what we felt like the Bible described the practice of baptism and Communion- "sacrament- an outward action that reflects an inward reality." Sounds simple enough, right? That's what I thought. Especially when ordinance means a rule or law, especially one enacted by a community.

(Side note: When I think of Communion or baptism I think of obedience, like a rule or law, but not is the sense I think of a law- more out of a sense of doing something out of love. I obey the speed limit because it's the law, I clean the kitchen for my wife out of love. I was baptized because I love Jesus and want to obey Him, not because I was afraid He would reach down and smack me. Getting the picture?)

Unfortunately, we have discovered that for some people. these friends of mine, "sacrament" has some cultural baggage in some evangelical circles. These circles think by saying baptism and Communion are "sacraments" we are saying they are necessary for salvation, or "aids to grace" in the theological parlance of the day. The rest of our statement of beliefs makes it clear that this is not our position, but the schism remains, at least on their side.

I write all this to plead with my friends who follow Jesus, particularly those who pastor or work in networks of churches, please, please, please think about how to cooperate with one another, instead of how to create division. There is a complete and total lack of willingness to listen and to look for areas of agreement in our churches, especially in our state (Oklahoma). Let's make it simple. Do you believe that Jesus came, died and rose again? Do you believe that His death was a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of mankind? Do you believe that in order to be forgiven and to enter into a relationship with God a person must trust Jesus for salvation? Can we agree on these basic things? If so, then what can keep us from cooperating? I'm sure I am overlooking something and it will be pointed out. That's cool. I will bet I am not overlooking much.

I'm not excited about my meeting tomorrow. I hope it ends well and we can part as friends or unite as partners in reaching people for the Kingdom. May His Kingdom advance...

Reboot

2009-04-22T20:53:00.000-05:00

I have laid off of blogging except for the occasional facebook note for the past year or so. There has been so much going on with Journey, family, other job, etc that it's been hard to make the time to really blog. But with the advent of elders at Journey, and with a renewed interest in reading for learning I'm thinking through a lot of things and I think blogging is a good way to walk through some of them.

One of the big ideas I'm chewing on right now is the idea of partnership. What is the purpose of partnering with others? On a personal level, as a Jesus guy, I know that relationships are important because God did not create us to be alone. We are made to exist in community- in marriage, friendship, discipleship, etc- just as God exists in relationship- the Trinity.

But what about as churches? What does partnership look like? I have been walking this road for the past few weeks with a group we would like to partner with. We believe what they believe about Jesus, but the discussion of entering into partnership has been awkward. We speak a different language in some ways, even though we mean some of the same things. It is frustrating to not be able to blast through something that seems so simple, because of semantics.

That leads me to this thought...for me I am committed to work with and partner with anyone or any group that meets the following criteria- they believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for sin, and that a relationship with Him is the key to knowing, understanding, and experiencing God as we were created to do. Beyond that, I will leave the fighting to the other guys.

Personal Thoughts and Notes:

Got U2 tickets for the Norman show! This will be my first time to see the boys from Dublin live. I can't wait! We are in section 22 row 57. Have no idea how good those are and don't care. Now does anyone have a backstage pass they want to share so I can finally meet Bono?

Do you twitter? Follow me @absonjourney There is nothing more fun than 140 characters about nothing!

Best food I've had in awhile was at Mama E's with Mike Kerr a couple of weeks ago. Try the Soul Food Special!

My wife dared me to read the Twilight series. I am reading it because they are the only books she has ever finished. They are ok, a little too girly for my tastes. Give me more blood.

Also, slowly reading Vintage Church by Driscoll and Brashears. Yes I still like Driscoll. Great book, probably the best one sense Confessions.

Last but not least pic of the fam from Easter:

please see...

2008-04-21T16:45:00.000-05:00

Ryan's new blog at www.jfokc.com/blog

Catalyst

2006-05-16T18:40:00.000-05:00

Continuing the series...

Catalyst Something that initiates or causes an important event to happen and is not consumed in the process

Catalyst for Change in the Church
Colossians 3
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
When people live their lives in close proximity to one another, share their lives, and spend time growing to know each other change is inevitable. Now many of us dont like change. In fact, we fear change. However, the Bible teaches us that change is good. We are changed forever upon entering into a relationship with Jesus, and we can be further changed by the catalyst of His people and His instruction coming into our lives through His people.

Why do we need to be changed?

On the inside

Perfected?
First, we are not perfect. Now all you need is an honest friend or a spouse to point out your faults. In verses 5-9 we have what is referred to in the study of scripture as a vice list. This is a list of things people fall into apart from Christ. We all still have some rough edges. No one has completely mastered their sin nature. In fact, Paul has already conferred earlier in this letter that he still wrestles with the flesh (Romans 7). So we need to continue the war against the wrong things we fall into.

Prepared
Second, we are being prepared. God is working in us to use us to accomplish His purpose. Weve spoken on many occasions about how we are not accidents. We are creations of God for His good works (2 Timothy 2:20-21). 20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. As God cleanses us He also uses us.

Bring on the change

Catalyst Something that initiates or causes an important event to happen and is not consumed in the process

So how does this change occur?

Changes are brought about by a catalyst. Ordinary things are made extraordinary by the introduction of something that changes them at their base nature. The church was sprung from the mind of God with the idea that we would challenge one another, build one another up into a reflection of Christ by the changes in our lives, the teaching we have heard, and the actions we undertake. Look at verse 16. We must be a part of one anothers lives so that change occurs.

Let me say this today. There are many of you here this morning who have been believers for a long time. You have the benefit of being discipled from an early age. Yet you have never discipled anyone else. Your faith and the teaching you have received molds inside of you. You are like a sponge that has been soaked and never squished.

Others this morning are relatively new to faith. But you are slow to learn. You resist wise instruction and you allow the frustrations of your life to keep you from godly counsel. You say you want to grow in faith, but it is not a priority for your life.

Both things must change this morning. We need to begin to grow in depth as well as in width. We need to begin to disciple one another as well as support one another. Why you might ask? Because the Gospel is not just for us, it is for the world, and we need to be prepared to take it there.

Catalyst for Change Outside the Church
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
On the outside

What can be accomplished by a church of transformed believers? The real question is what cannot be? Stop and think about the possibilities. How about the restoration of families? How about the repair of a neighborhood? How about freedom from hunger and homelessness? How about the economic condition of a country? (Tony Camplo story) How about a corrupt government? (Bob Roberts story- )

See the Gospel is about all of these things. It is about a relationship with Jesus and being set free from sin, but it is also about being a catalyst for change in the world. It is about serving people who do not even believe as we do and doing so in a way that they glorify God, not us. (1 Peter 2:12)

The Gospel is the Good News, as the angel said on the night of Jesus birth for all people. We are catalysts for change by taking our faith to work with us and living it in our cubicles, our work stations, behind the counter, and at every door we come to. We are catalysts for change by volunteering our time with the less fortunate, helping our neighbors, and serving those who dont even know us.

Catalyst Something that initiates or causes an important event to happen and is not consumed in the process

And we are not just called to be catalysts for local change but for global change. We are called to be nation builders through service to those in other parts of the world. And we help build nations not just by sending money, but by going ourselves, and welcoming international people into our homes and lives. We build nations by planting churches of influence in other lands and by serving the governments of other lands in building their infrastructure and helping them to leave behind corruption and embrace the Gospel.

Community

2006-05-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

Preached on community this morning- the need for people to participate in a church community and for people to serve the community around them. Check it out.
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Community- Journey Fellowship seeks to bless the community surrounding us as well as the community of believers who call our church home
Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is deadShow me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. James 2:17-18 (NIV)

Romans 12:9-21

Community of Believers
When we start talking about the community and taking care of people, my first thoughts often go to what goes on in this church. I have never been a part of a group who is more thoroughly devoted to serving one another. I see this in so many ways. People come here with needs and people meet them, and not with a pious Ill pray for you. But in real tangible ways as well as spiritual ways.

Over the past 2 years we have seen people give of their time to help marriages in trouble, people visit the hospital after a serious car accident, house warming showers, baby showers, celebrations of life and death. Its a beautiful thing to see the Body of Christ be like this.

9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

We have fulfilled these commands of Christ in many ways. Now we are far from perfect. We have failed in some ways. We struggle with honoring one another above ourselves. We have conflicts and disagreements from time to time. I want you to know this morning that those things you have against others in this room this morning need to be dealt with. There needs to be forgiveness and putting the past in the past this morning- from the simple slight to the very real broken relationships, it all needs to be dealt with. This morning we need to come together as the Body.

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Listen to these words- live at peace, do what is right, bless, live in harmony, overcome evil with good. These commands not only set you free from bitterness and anger, and hate, but they set the church free to be the best it can be. Holding back your gifts, and talents, and resources because you are angry at someone or feel you were slighted is not only hurting you, but hurting others who might depend on you and who you might serve with.

This morning I think God is calling us to repentance and recommitment as a church community. We are the Body. We have a responsibility to live at peace with and love one another.

What if

What if the community came to the church first?
What if the church welcomed the community inside the walls first, and asked them to believe later?
What if the meeting of physical needs led to the meeting of spiritual needs?
What if the church did not exist in this community?
Would anyone notice except those who are already here?

Matthew 25:31-46- sheep and goats

A few weeks ago I was asked the following question by a book I was reading and it has not left me alone sense. If your church shut down, who would miss you besides the people who go to your church? For the past few weeks, that question has kept me up at night, been the forefront of my prayers, and has vexed everyone I have asked, both from our church and others. It leads me to a conclusion I do not like. We have missed something vital.

When Jesus is preparing the disciples for His crucifixion, He spends an extended amount of time telling them to be looking for Him, to be prepared to encounter Him. And then He tells them of His return. How He will come with His angels, on a throne, and that He will have all of humanity gathered before Him and then He will separate them on His left and right. It will be a glorious day. And then He will speak to both groups, sending one to eternal glory and one to eternal punishment. The criteria is interesting.

The group going to eternal glory will be those who served then needy, the broken, the imprisoned, the sick, the hungry. Those going to eternal punishment will have failed to do so. Thats when I started to get a little queasy.

See we started Journey Fellowship with the idea of doing these things. Helping those in need, serving the poor, being a refuge for the hurting. We still pay lip service to those ideas. Somewhere along the way it was the work that got lost. We talk about it, but fail to do it. Or, we do it when it comes to us. But that is not what we are called to do or be.

Believers in Community

The church is supposed to be a vital part of the community, not another optional activity. We have ceded our influence to politics, social services, and private agencies. We say, They are better equipped. They know the system better. They have specialized training and manpower. But they do not have Jesus.

See the church was the original source of all of these ministries. We took in the hurting and needy. We helped people get back on their feet. We fed people who were hungry. We sheltered the homeless. We visited those who were in prison. We provided educational opportunities.

The task of rebuilding this influence seems overwhelming. It is easy to do nothing. It will require work to do something. And were small right now. But we must do something. This passage has three themes of provision- hunger, hope, and home.

Providing for the Hungry- we need to build an emergency food closet for needy families
Providing Home- we need to provide the means for people to build a home for themselves by going to work- SS cards and state IDs
Providing Hope- we need to provide a way for the many struggling families in our area to have a source of pride for their community- children are a parents greatest source of pride and enjoyment- PCO football team

Back from a Long Absence...

2006-04-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been awhile. Let's just say Easter season for a pastor is like summer for a youth pastor...only with more variables. Notes from the Easter series were not really blog friendly, but I thought folks might enjoy this take on the Great Commission. Also, I want to thank Rex Miller who has commented a couple of times for writing a great book The Millennium Matrix. Still working on the application, but I loved the questions and observations in the book. Also just finished Transformation by Bob Roberts. A highly recommended read. Now for the notes.

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16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

“The measure of a church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity.”-

The Church- God’s Idea
When you get right down to it, the church was God’s idea. When Jesus prepared to leave the disciples, He left them with a plan, a mission, that resulted in the formation of the Church. Now that’s Church with a capital C. See the church was God’s idea from the beginning. He never intended for men and women who followed Jesus to do so isolated from one another. Following Jesus was a community call. And the church was God’s plan to unite people.

The Church had a singular purpose, to take the Gospel to all nations. And the church had a singular goal, the salvation of mankind. That is the command given to the disciples in Matthew 28- go and help people to become disciples, welcome them into the community of the church, and teach them to do the same thing. What a mission!

Today some churches focus on simply teaching. They are interested in correct doctrine alone. There is nothing bad about knowing what you believe and why you believe it, but alone it produces an asceticism that is unhealthy and unbiblical (James 2:14-26)

Other churches focus solely on actions. People are encouraged to conform to a certain lifestyle alone- be it celibacy, serving the poor, building up large amounts of possessions, not using medicines, etc. This social gospel focuses on how men can make one another’s lives better and leaves God out of the equation.

The church is called to be both. We are called to share the Gospel and teach one another what we are learning from Scripture. All methods are open to us- lecturing, music, the arts, film, books, classroom settings, etc. But the church is also called to put that teaching into practice outside the walls. It is this two pronged approach that Jesus lays out in the Great Commission- make disciples- model for people what they are to do, teach
them- explain to them the reasons for the changes in your and their life.

So what is our motivation for doing this work?

1. Our own relationship with Jesus- if you are in a relationship that is good you can’t help but talk about it- sharing our faith flows naturally out of our own faith

2. The command of Jesus- being a Christ follower means giving up your own agenda and adopting Christ’s agenda- and taking the Gospel to the nations is the agenda!

3. The reality of hell- knowledge that without knowing Christ men, women, and children will spend an eternity separated from God in hell- this adds urgency to the need for evangelism
So here’s the question for the ages, why are we not seeing more people coming to Jesus and becoming a part of our church or any church for that matter?

Danger Signs

Comfort- we have enough people here already- the more people we reach the more complicated gathering together becomes- how will we take care of the kids- we don’t have enough room- if we grow I won’t know everyone- OR- everyone I know is already a Christian- it’s hard to make friends with people who have little in common with me- people know I am a Christian and they don’t like me-
Both of these issues are problems of comfort. We like to be comfortable just as much as anyone else. But we are not called to be comfortable, but to be faithful.

Familiarity- the brother danger to comfort- we know how it’s done- we think because we have shared our faith once or twice we have it mastered in method and are just waiting for the right opportunity- that’s backwards- the Gospel is relevant in lots of areas of life- we need to be looking for creative ways to inject faith into the conversation- Kori’s Da Vinci Code story- we need to get it out of our heads that there is some secret method to sharing the Gospel- there’s not- we also fall into the trap of familiarity when we only associate with Christians- we forget there are people going to hell and living lives apart from Christ- we become comfortable in our American world with our American conveniences and we shudder at the thought of going somewhere else without all of these familiar things

Apathy- it’s someone else’s job- the era of paid ministers at churches has bred this- we think someone else is responsible for doing our evangelism- it’s not like your job where you can delegate- evangelism is everyone’s job and each of us will answer to God for how we spread His message, or failed to-

Reckless Evangelism- The Sea Doo story

We need to shake off the dangers and focus on the end result. Our church, all churches, need to have a greater focus on reaching those who Jesus misses most- both at home and abroad. We need to shake off this passivity and get active. The greatest thrills, the biggest feelings of being alive are found at the moment of greatest risk.

Risk #1- New people- it’s time to get uncomfortable- We need to make an intentional commitment to making new friends, encountering our co-workers, and committing to seek out internationals who come here for school or work so that we can see the Gospel expand beyond our borders- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Risk #2- New places- it’s time to go adventuring- whether it’s getting involved in a sports league, becoming involved in a neighborhood pastime, or working with the homeless- we need to see some new places- further, we need to turn our eyes outward to beyond our borders to people who have not heard the Gospel and will not until someone pushes their fear to the side and comes with the message of the Good News- Romans 10:14-15 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Risk #3- New priorities- to shake off apathy we must have a cause, something we believe in and seek to see ahead of all else- our priority must become the Gospel- not building a big church, not being comfortable, not having conveniences- the Gospel- Jesus needs to come first- Romans 15:17-21 17Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. 21Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand

Consumed Pt 2

2006-03-29T13:18:00.000-06:00

Got a week behind. Here's pt 2 with pt 3 coming later in the week.
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Consumed Pt 2
Worship Lifestyle

Leave It at the Door

There’s a song we sing sometimes here at Journey Fellowship called Madly. It’s a song about how much we love Jesus and how we are offering our lives to Him. It has a curious line in it that says “Let what we do in here fill the streets out there, let us dance for you, we will dance for you.” When we sing that song I often wonder, “Does anyone know what that means.” What does it mean? I want us to take a few minutes from Matthew our worship pastor about why he uses this song in our worship gatherings and what he thinks this song is calling us to.

Why would someone write a song about this subject? I think because we have a problem understanding what God is calling us to when He calls us to worship. What causes us to leave worship at the door? What are we really saying about God when we limit Him to one place? What has to happen for us to become people who do in the streets what we do here?

Worship Life or Worship Lite?

The real problem starts with how many of us have been trained. Our mindset is wrong. My daughter is four and we are learning about training and mindsets right now. I can teach her how to do something and to her it’s right no matter what, because she has no previous experience to compare it to. For example, Annalise can tell you how to pack her lunch for school. She knows the order, the ingredients, and the proper utensils. Try to make it in a different way or order, even if it comes out the same, and you’re in big trouble because she has a mindset but no experience to compare it to. Worship for many of us is for Sundays. We grew up hearing we’re going to church to worship God today. We’re going to a worship service or gathering. We were told we are going to God’s house. All of those phrases are not bad, but they are incomplete based on scripture. According to the NT God does not live in a house anymore- He lives in us. Space is no longer sacred- we are! Further, we do not worship God just on Sundays or just at certain times. We have left behind the dull rituals of “religion” and been taken captive by a vibrant faith in a living unbounded God who desires to be a part of every aspect of our lives. Don’t believe me? That’s ok, look in Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Now let’s look at the first verse to get a grip on worship life vs. worship lite.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy
First, worship life has a view of God’s mercy. Worship lite usually focuses on God’s requirements. Remember, worship lite has to do with a specific day, time, or activity. Do you remember growing up and hearing people telling you or other kids- don’t do that or God will be mad. Or, we don’t run in God’s house. Or, my personal favorite, you better act right at church or God’s going to get you. Now that’s a threat. Worship lite ends at the doors of the church house. It limits God’s power to an area. Worship life has to celebrate God’s mercy because it means God is with us and in us all the time- even when we are failing Him. Worship life reminds us that we are constantly dependant on God’s grace, revealed in Jesus.

to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship
Second, worship life views our whole lives as part of worship. Worship lite involves only our mouths and our endurance. Worship lite focuses on singing when we are told to, shutting up when we are told to, and not leaving early. Worship life involves every part of us. Our jobs become sacred spaces where spiritual things happen- where we are learning from God and where God is using us to build His kingdom. Our families become places where grace and mercy come to life. We become more spiritual people because we no longer view our spiritual lives as locked up in a building and pulled out for use once a week.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
So this is where worship life gets complicated. Worship lite has few demands beyond Sunday. There is nothing else to do unless you are a part of one of those weird churches that has small groups that meet during the week or encourage you to read the bible for 5 minutes a day on your own. Worship life is much more.

Worship life, remember, is about your whole body and life. It’s about what you do all the time. So worship life calls you to a life of difference. Now this is not a life of LAW- it’s a life of obedience. Obedience to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in your life as it is informed by scripture, wise teaching, and God’s truth. Some people are very uncomfortable with this idea. They want conformity, but God did not design the church to produce people that all look and think alike. That’s why we have a variety of gifts and talents that come from God and balance the church. Think for a second about a church filled with prophets and teachers- they would never get anything done and they would be too busy condemning one another, the world, etc to have any mercy on those who Jesus misses the most. N the flip side, a church with no prophets and filled with merciful people becomes a place where there is no right and wrong and everyone is accepted with no push to be more like Jesus.

So what does this renewal look like? What patterns are we breaking? Let’s look at Ephesians 5 for a minute. The first part of this section talks about what we touched on last week, being obsessed with things instead of God. Remember, the old way was making idols out of stuff. We were consumed with getting and keeping. After Paul finishes that description in vs.7 by calling is to avoid close association or binding relationships with people who are controlled by idols, he begins to explain to us how to live in a worshipful way.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So what are the instructions that we are given in this passage?
Live to please God- we don’t just live haphazardly and make it up as we go along. We have a goal, an objective and that is to please God. Paul further reiterates this in 1 Cor 9:24-27 when he tells the Corinthians to run their lives pursuing the prize of following God.
Do not participate in evil, and protect others by not allowing evil to do it’s work unknown – As Christ followers we are not simply called to criticize those things God calls evil, but to actively work to defeat evil and to see God triumph- that is Kingdom expansion!
Live wisely- apply the knowledge God gives you to life- form the best plans and use the best means for their execution
Use every relationship, position of authority, and moment to make God known – this is the very definition of worship life- our lives are an extension of God into the world- we are His representatives everywhere not just at a certain place on a certain day at a certain time- when we are firing an employee, when we are disciplining a student, when we are calling a creditor, when we are dealing with our insurance company, when we are disagreeing with our spouse

Results of Worship Life

In both Ephesians 5 and Romans 12 a phrase is used that reveals for us a huge benefit of worship life.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Vs 2- Romans

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. vs 17- Ephesians

Knowledge of God’s will. Why do we so often find it hard to know what God wants for our lives? We only encounter Him, hear Him, seek Him once a week. We do not listen for God’s voice in the voices of our kids, our coworkers, our books and music, our conversations, our times of scriptural meditation. We think God only speaks at church. We have lived with worship lite for so long we have no clue that there is Life out there and we’re missing it. God wants our lives to be echoes of our gatherings here. For our lives to dance before Him in worship as we go about our lives. Your life is meant to be a life of worship. God is calling you to turn off the “lite” and embrace the Life. And as your life becomes a life of worship you will begin to see and sense God’s will, God’s purpose, God’s promise for your life.

Consumed Pt 1

2006-03-13T18:57:00.000-06:00

Here's the first part of a new series on worship called Consumed. This week we're taking a look at the things that we replace God with.
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Consumed Pt 1
Worship Objects

Probably the most frustrating thing for many of us is the crowd that exists in our lives. Now I’m not talking about people this morning, I’m talking about stuff. I walked into Panera this morning with two bags containing 4 books, an ipod, 2 notebooks, numerous pens and papers, a laptop, and a thumb drive. I had to put it all down before I could even order. It’s crazy how stuffed with stuff, and the stuff we use to get that stuff, our lives can become. I’ve often wondered what God thinks of our stuff. Does it really hold no value to Him at all? Can our stuff be useful to God or is it just there to crowd Him out? For the next three weeks we are going to take a look at our lives from God’s persective. What is in our lives that keeps us close to God? What consumes us to the point that it damages our relationship with Jesus? How do we maintain balance in our lives? What does that balance look like?

Luke 12:13-34
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

I WANT

In a land rife with consumers willing to spend, demographics matter even to farmers. That’s the message retail analyst Kenneth Gassman brought to the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s 78th Annual Convention on Dec. 1 in Williamsburg.
“We are a nation of consumers,” Gassman said in an afternoon educational session titled “Who’s Pushing the Shopping Cart.” Consumer spending reflects two-thirds of the U.S. gross national product, which is significantly higher than those of other industrialized nations.
- http://www.vafb.com/conv/2003/news_gassman.htm

Possessions, the driving force behind so much of what we do. We work so we can pay the bills, but what are the bills that are piling up around us? When 2/3 of the GNP in America is produced by consumer spending, I would say buying stuff is important to us. Negative savings- a people who want it now When savings in America was at -.5%- in other words spending more than we make- and according to CBS News- Consumer debt has more than doubled in the past 10 years to record levels, making it hard for many families to cope. Consumer debt hit a record $1.98 trillion in October 2003, according to the most recent figures from the Federal Reserve. That debt — which includes credit cards and car loans, but not mortgages — translates to some $18,700 per U.S. household.- We know we are a nation that wants our stuff and sooner rather than later.

So what is the effect of all this stuff?

It has some pretty chilling effects on our national morals and habits. We have become a nation of 2 income families- which means we are a nation of day cares, nannies, and latch key kids. This breeds a generation that is growing up without the benefit of nurture and care from anyone they are blood related to. And this is a problem.

It’s a problem for our marriages as well. In fact, in the church as well as outside the church, debt, financial stress, and 2 people working, is negatively affecting marriages. The “mythical 50% divorce rate” as it was called at the end of the last century, is not a myth. And divorce is as prevalent in the church as it is in those who never darken the door of the church.

All this tracks back to a principle, a truth, that Jesus himself spoke to. We have taken to defining ourselves by what we have or do not have. It’s not “keeping up with the Jones’” anymore. It’s feeding our own wants and desires. Jesus once told a crowd- “A man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions.” When did He say it and why? What does it mean for us today? Let’s take a look in Luke 12.

Getting Mine

13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
So this guy comes to Jesus, a rabbi well versed in the law, and demands justice. I’m sure he has all his data together and I’m sure he’s not trying to steal. He just wants what is his. Sound familiar? We work hard and we play by the rules, so what’s the problem in getting ours? What does having things have to do with God anyhow? Notice, this guy is not coming with a spiritual question. This is a straight business deal, a legal matter, but Jesus turns it into a spiritual matter.

That’s the first thing I want you to hear this morning- Everything is a spiritual matter. Whether it’s a financial decision, a parenting decision, a relationship decision- it’s all a spiritual matter. Every decision has spiritual ramifications- that’s why Paul tells us to pray continually (1 Thess 5:17) - b/c God has an interest in our lives.

So when this guy comes up to Jesus and wants his rightful inheritance Jesus asks the questions- What is the reason behind the request? He does not ask this out loud but in His warning- be on your guard against all kinds of greed- I other words “why do you need the money?”

I know nothing about this guy, but I’m going to assume something for a moment- based on Jesus’ ministry and reaction to the poor and downtrodden and His commands to love mercy and justice- I’m going to assume the guy asking for his portion was not hurting. He wasn’t in need- just in want. I think this is even more justified when Jesus follows up with the phrase “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Now maybe I’m selling this guy short. Maybe he needed the cash- but his attitude is a lot like ours- I want mine.
Now remember earlier when we talked about having stuff and how much we have? Well Jesus goes even further in discussing this by telling a story- a parable- following His warning. 16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Ouch, spiritual truth #2- having stuff does not indicate God’s favor any more than not having stuff indicates God’s disfavor. We are not followers of the great ATM in the sky. God’s desire is not for us to get a bunch of stuff and keep it for ourselves. In fact, it sounds from the story as if stuff can get in the way of God.

How can this happen? Well think about it for a minute. Stuff requires our attention. The car requires a wash and wax, the ipod requires new music and a charge, the computer needs updates, the toys must be played with, the monster must be fed. The more stuff you have the more time it takes to deal with all of it- and there is one thing you cannot earn, buy or make more of- TIME. And since you have a limited amount of time- God’s time gets less and less and storing up stuff lowers the amount of space for things of God.

And God needs space in your life- because everything is a spiritual issue- remember truth #1? So here’s the deal- if something is going to further cut into your time do you really need it? It’s an economic decision- will I have to work more to have this. A time management decision- how much more time will come out of my day to use this item? And ultimately a spiritual decision- how will the greater need for finances and time impact my spiritual life- my time with God. And I’m not just talking about a personal devotional life- I’m talking about time to listen to, learn from, serve, be loved and touched by- God. Jesus seems to be saying- the more we clutter up our lives with earthly treasure the less space we have to be given spiritual treasures that will last.

Fighting the I Want

In order to overcome this desire to consume- to our own spiritual detriment- we must go to war. In a war, there are objectives- we are fighting for something. In this case we are fighting to rid our lives of things that prevent us from pursuing and receiving God’s best. When Jesus discusses this battle following this parable He seems to take a scorched earth policy towards stuff. Listen to this…
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus gets right to the heart of the battle with stuff. We want stuff because we do not trust God to give us what is best. God is going to provide for you. So you do not need to store up a bunch of stuff to get you through when God fails. We often accumulate stuff to comfort us as life takes a nosedive- who has ever gone shopping- for a new dress or a new toy- when feeling depressed or upset at life? Instead, Jesus tells us to trust God, not our ability to provide when it seems things are going bad.

Going further, Jesus tells us to overcome our love of stuff by putting it to use for the kingdom. Notice He does not say throw it away. He tells us to sell it and give what we receive to those who do not have. Now the question is, what do we sell? The answer is whatever has taken you hostage. And my friends, you are not the best judge of this answer. Ask someone who loves God and loves you what has taken you hostage. What is keeping you from doing the things God asks you to do? Start with the basics and work outward. What keeps you from being a part of the gathering of God’s people? What keeps you from being with your family? What keeps you from spending time with God? What creates the inability to tithe? What prevents you from serving others? What keeps you from being able to give freely to others? As you work through, you will find many things that are not necessary. Sell them. Give the proceeds away. As your life becomes simplified, you will be more free than you have ever realized.

Covenant Community

2006-02-27T20:13:00.000-06:00

I've continued to read and finish Millennium Matrix over the past few weeks. I've still got to get to answering the questions I posted on a couple of weeks ago. The delay in those answers...just the birth of my second daughter...Mia Kate was born on February 16th at 12:10p and weighed in at 8lbs 7oz with 19" in length. She looks a lot like big sister...

So in thinking about community I ran across some ideas in Matrix...the idea of covenant. It's a lot deeper commitment than most other relationships. It implies a level of dependence most are by nature uncomfortable with. We really value independence and self reliance in America and Christianity, as expressed in the Bible not the burbs, is very much antithetical to those ideas. Being a Christ follower is all about being dependant and reliant. We rely on Jesus to pay for our sins, we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our steps, we rely on God to be true to His word, and we should rely on one another to walk with us on this journey. This is what I have been preaching about the last few weeks, the interweaving of our lives as a part of the Body of Christ. A friend of mine asked me "Is such-and-such church like that?" I asked him why that thought entered his mind and he told me "I always had this sense that I never really belonged, I was always outide the group." What breaks these barriers? How do we build covenant communities?

Matrix seems to suggest transparency is a large part of this building process. It is not the only element discussed, but it is one I want to champion for a moment. Transparency in relationships is crucial because it levels the playing field. Everyone is themselves and is able to be met at the point where they are- just the way Christ first meets us. When we are transparent we are able to "spur one another on toward good works" because we know where one another need to grow. We are able to "pray for one another that we might be healed" because we know where we need to be made whole.

As a pastor, I want everyone at my church to experience commuinty. I want everyone to feel they can be transparent. I want our church to be a place where reality is more important than personality. I want to see a church that is a covenant community.

Abs

Love Me Love My Luggage

2006-02-26T16:41:00.000-06:00

UKnow Series pt 3-
Last of the series. What is our respose to the pasts of others?

Romans 15:1-13, Eph 4:1-6, 2 Cor 5:16-19

Love Me Love My Luggage

“Accept one another…”

In a world of division this is a tough command. A definition of tolerance that has overtaken our world has made churches and Christ followers very leery with using this term. This is the intent of the passage in Romans 14 and 15. The church at Rome is a real mixed bag. There are diaspora Jews and pagan Gentiles trying to co-exist in the same place. The customs, acceptable practices, and lifestyles were as varied as we face today. You had Jews who had lived in accordance to the laws of God given through Moses and Roman Gentiles who had given themselves to every god they could create. You had Jews who had betrayed their countrymen and their heritage by serving the roman government and others of no religion whatsoever. All these people were trying to be the church in a place hostile to the Gospel. In the midst of all of this comes the Gospel. A Gospel open to everyone that asks not for the following of rules but for the following of a Messiah. It has no idols to bow to, no cleansing rituals, and no barriers to direct communion with Diety. Needless to say, there was some confusion.

So let’s get back to tolerance for a minute. I’m not talking about “tolerance” as in everything is equal and if it’s okay for me then it’s okay. I’m talking about acceptance. I’m talking about meeting people where they are in life and accepting where they have been. See the problem we suffer from today is not so much a diversity of creed and religion as it is a diversity of background. And many people who are hurting feel very hesitant to be open about their pasts and their own struggles because we as the church have such a hard time dealing with sin in our own pasts. We have this trouble because we are still caught in an old mindset. We are still competing to see who is the best. Yet it is clear in scripture that there is no competition. We are all failures. We all fall short. Just because you fell short by lying and I fell short by lusting does not mean that you win God’s favor more than me. Nor does it mean that you have any right to place yourself in a position of superiority over me in church, in Christ, or in life. Yet we fall into this trap, mostly subconsciously, when we turn our backs on people who do not meet our standards of holiness. We have failed to remember how we came to Christ in the first place.

“…just as Christ accepted you,…”

So how does Jesus accept us? Let’s take a look at some of the people Jesus met and accepted.

Levi and Zacchaeus the tax collectors- men who were traitors to their people and thieves to boot

Woman at the well and woman caught in adultery- people in the midst of sexual sin

The Centurion- a person of authority who was part of a corrupt political system
Demon possessed men and children- people who were afflicted and in bondage to the forces of darkness

The man being executed with Him- a thief whose crimes were so heinous that he is being killed by the state

Peter- who denies even knowing Jesus in His moment of greatest need

Do you see? Jesus accepted anyone willing to put their faith in Him and at that moment before they had done anything other than express willingness. This is where we struggle and it’s why we have a hard time being honest about sin. We fear, and often rightly so, that our sins will ruin us at church the way they would ruin us in our workplaces, our social settings, or our families. This is what the Enemy uses to keep us in prison. We don’t open up about our sin struggles because the church acts just like the world. We judge, we mock, we reject and then we try to cover it up in God language to make justify our actions. There is a difference between holding someone accountable and putting someone on spiritual probation. When believers are honest about their struggles and failures it is our calling to meet them where they are and to partner with the Holy Spirit to help them to overcome sin. This is why so few people experience the freedom from sin, guilt, and heartache that Christ came to offer because there can be no healing until the wound is cleansed and the past put to death.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

This is what Paul is calling for in Ephesians 4. We can accept one another and our past failures if we can fulfill the call of verse 2. Humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance are the marks of a church that values unity. These are things we must embrace as a church as we seek to reach the people we know, love and work with and as we seek to come to know one another better as a community.

Now this raises the inevitable question, but what about sin? What do we say about sin? Well first we say that those who are in Christ are no longer slaves to sin. We have been separated from our pasts as we talked about last week. Therefore, we no longer spend time comparing resumes of righteousness and iniquity trying to prove whose more committed to God. That’s the way the world works, but not us. Look at 2 Cor. 5 in the NLT:

16 So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now! 17 What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

Second, we say that those who struggle with sin have a safe place to confess and be prayed over and held accountable without fear of being trashed either publicly or privately. (James 5:16)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

“…in order to bring praise to God.”

A better translation of praise is glory. What does it mean to bring glory to God? It means to raise His reputation, to make others’ opinions about Him grow, or to cause people to view Him in a better light. Stop a moment and think about the people in your world. How do they view God? What opinion do they have of Him? How would your treatment of other believers influence that one way or another? Are you in a “holiness competition?” Do you secretly or obviously discriminate against other believers because of what you know about them? Are you preventing openness, effective prayer, and healing from happening because of your judgment?

The church should be the one place in the world where it is safe to be real. The support and acceptance of the Body is illustrated over and over again in the New Testament. It’s not an attitude of do whatever you want and it’s okay, but an attitude of whatever you have done does not keep you from the grace of God and therefore does not keep us from being a part of the same community.

This morning I want to ask you, Do your relationships with other believers move men and women to praise God? If someone saw how you related to the believers around you would they want to be a part of the God’s kingdom? Do your words about others build up or tear down? Do you spread the pasts of others in order to enhance your own standing? Who do you desire to glorify, God or yourself?

Cleaning Out My Closet- UKnown pt2

2006-02-14T18:21:00.000-06:00

Here is last Sunday's talk. What's in your closet?

1 Cor 6:9-11
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Cleaning Out My Closet

The Sins of the Past

This letter from Paul to the people of Corinth is very personal. Paul loved the Corinthians very much even though he knew what they had been like. He had lived there for 18 months, far longer than he stayed in most cities. He knew well the excesses of Corinth. The city of Corinth was as hedonistic and pagan as any city in our world today. The Temple of Aphrodite housed over 1000 sacred prostitutes. It was the capital of Rome in Greece. Money was plentiful. The city was home to over 300,000 people as well as 450,000 slaves at the time Paul wrote to the church. As you imagine, a city of a thousand vices produced a city with thousands of people with pasts. You’ll notice in the first two verses of our passage this morning that many of the sins listed were of a sexual nature. In fact, much of what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians concerns sexual sin because it was such a problem in Corinth.

I imagine the people of the church in Corinth ducked their heads as this letter was read aloud in the gathering of believers. Yes, that’s right, this letter was read out loud. Just so you know, this letter called out a situation of incest in the church, called the people of the church infants, and exposed factions in the church based on who certain people allied themselves to apart from Christ. This was not a happy letter. The reminder of the past had to be painful.

This morning I am sure as we read these first two verses many of you are inwardly cringing remembering things you have done in the past. Things you wish had never happened. Things you wish you could undo. Some of you looked in the mirror this morning and thought to yourself, “I should just stay home. One day I am going to say too much or hear too much and what I have done is going to come spilling out.” The past keeps you in fear and guilt keeps you from committing yourself to the one person who can set you free from the past.

See Paul reminds the Corinthians of the past so that they can also remember their current condition. Paul did not go to Corinth, talk about Jesus, and leave before anyone believed. In fact, he left behind a group of people who had been redeemed, set free, transformed by Jesus. This was not a change of philosophy or of action, this was a supernatural occurrence that literally moved people from a life of death into a life of life.

New Beginning

2 Corinthians 5:16-19
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

In fact, in his next letter to the Corinthians Paul expands on this subject. He talks about being a new creation. Now we’ll be looking at this passage next week as well as we talk about how we relate to one another as believers’ with pasts, but for this week we’ll look at that one verse that says we are a new creation. You may ask how does that happen?

Well Paul spells that out in the last verse of our passage this morning. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified (separated), you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
First he says we are washed. Now when I think about washing I think about taking a shower after a hard day working in the yard. Now my yard may not look like I work in it very much, cause I don’t, so when I do it’s an all day, disgusting job. I wind up covered with dirt, dog, and debris. I do not look like much when I’m done. Now we don’t look like much covered with our pasts either. We have scars, and debris, and junk hanging all over us. This is part of entering into a relationship with Jesus. He cleans us from our pasts. He literally puts the past to death. It no longer counts in His eyes. Now you may say, “Well it matters to other people.” And that may be true, but in the eyes of God it’s like starting over. And the good news is, starting over with God provides the strength, the love, the endurance to start over with other people. So part of being a new creation is getting clean, being washed with God’s shower.

Now not only does God clean you up, but He separates you from that old life. That is what the word sanctify means, to be separated from the profane. Now the word profane is not a word we like to think about in our day and time, but it is a good word to describe a lot of our pasts. We have given ourselves over to a lot of things that were less than good or holy. God’s best, other people’s best was not on our minds. In fact the definition of profane, contempt, irreverence, vulgar, coarse, degrading is a good description of a lot of our activity- sometimes out of ignorance but sometimes out of intent. God separates us from our past. He drives a void between us and our sin that no one can cross. The past literally has no hold on our future. God has seen it, dealt with it, and dismissed it.

Finally, Paul says we have been justified. Now this bothers a lot of people, because we live in a world where we have a criminal justice system where you “do the crime you do the time.” That is not the way God works. He operates in grace and mercy. So God, as Christ becomes a part of your life, declares you righteous. What does it mean to be righteous? It means you are right with God. It means you are clean. It means you are free. Last week we talked about a person who is either a slave to sin or a slave to God. Well, these people Paul is writing to know about this first hand. They used to be slaves of sin in the city of sin, but now they are free.

What Now?

This information is all well and good for the Corinthians, because they had been cleansed from their pasts. What about you? What’s in your past? Do you crack the door open to past years and cringe? Do you hide, lie, and justify to get through life? Let me remind you, this letter was written to a group of people, but the truth is universal. God is still mending lives. You can still be cleansed, you can still have your past broken off from your life, and you can still be called a righteous friend of God. You do not have to be bound to the past. In fact, Jesus death and resurrection was for you and your past.

A few weeks ago Carl talked about inviting people to a relationship with Jesus. I know people who go to church talk about this a lot without giving a lot of explanation. It seems strange to talk about having a relationship with someone you can’t see and who you learn from in some crazy ways. So I want to take a few moments in closing this morning to try to explain what it means to begin a relationship with Jesus and how this changes a person’s life. First, it means you ask God to count Jesus’ death for you. It’s a leap of faith to go from believing you are responsible for fixing your past to allowing God to deal with it in His way. The Bible tells us that is why Christ died, so that we would not have to be held responsible for our pasts. All our punishment, judgment, wrath was put on Him so that we would not have to face it. (Romans 5- particularly vs 6-9)
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. (NLT)

Second, it means choosing to follow Christ. This is not paying Him lip or hip service- not saying you go to church or giving money to a church. This is a lifestyle change. It means you allow God to guide your life through the Bible, learning to make decisions based upon God’s wisdom and principle rather than using the standards of everyone else to make judgments, through living in community with other Christ followers, and through listening for and heeding the voice of God in your life.

What story are we telling?

2006-02-07T18:43:00.000-06:00

Maybe I should call this post what story do we want to tell. I think every church tells a story. Most tell the Gospel story in one way or another. But what does the Bible say a church should be a story of? I think it's a wedding story. When I think about the church and look at Revelation I see a story about a wedding- people being joined together in a covenant with God the Father who gives His Son for the bride. How do we tell this story?

First, I think we focus on the sacrifice of the Son. Jesus gave up so much to come and get us. He left the glory, the worship, the perfection of heaven to be wrapped in weak flesh and to be reviled by man. Everything we do should point to this. I was really on board with the seeker movement years ago. I was for less religious icons in the building, fewer mystical experiences, and somehow I think that I was wrong. I think those images and features put into words what happened 2000 years ago at a location called Place of the Skull.

Second, I think we focus on unconditional love- agape if you will. God's love for us in my mind reminds me of that old couple in the interview parts of When Harry Met Sally. The couple who've been married forever and seem to understand one another's weaknesses and strengths to a depth I cannot imagine. This is just the begining of how God knows us, but it is an intimacy we can strive for as parts of the bride.

Finally, I think the wedding picture gives us a story of unity. Paul talks about us all working together. We read in the NT about being united with Christ. We hear the phrase "what God has put together let no man put asunder" at a wedding. We are God's when we enter into a covenant with His Son.

So the church story is a wedding. What does the picture album look like right now? How can we become a wedding story that invites others into the relationship?

Thoughts for another day.
On His Journey,
Abs

Who R U?- UKNOWN Series Part 1

2006-02-06T19:55:00.000-06:00

Who R U?

First off- a Creation of God-
The Bible begins with the story of creation. There are a lot of debates about why. In some ways, I think Scripture begins with creation so that we can know that we are not accidents. There is a strain of thought in our world that attributes everything to chance and circumstance. Let me ask you a question this morning. How would it feel to simply be an accident of biology? Some of us may be here as the surprise kid, the last in a line of births. You may have once been told “You were an accident.” The unplanned kid. The fly in the ointment. Human beings are not the flies in the cosmic ointment. We were created by God.
In fact, the Bible calls us “the crown of creation.” (Psalm 8)
A king wrote that he was knit together by God in his mother’s womb. (Psalm 139) You were no mistake or chance occurrence. You were made by God.

You are also fallen- a person who misses the mark v 1-8

As Paul begins to write in Ch 8 we see that all is not right in creation. Humans are not perfect. They are capable of some pretty awful things. In both small and large cases, humans do not act as God acts. We are like a funhouse mirror. We are a distorted reflection of God. We are capable of great things, but we cheapen our greatness, our crown, our creator with our actions. We are guilty of violating God’s standards, rules, laws. These violations, failures are what the Bible calls sin. Now the word for sin is hamartano and it literally means to miss the mark or to stray from the path.

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Paul says a person is controlled by one of 2 natures or mindsets- either the mindset of the Spirit or the mindset of sin. We know we are controlled by this nature when live for our own self pleasure no matter what the consequences to others, when we think that our own righteousness and goodness is good enough for God, and when we are hostile to God’s truth as He reveals it to us.
8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
The worst part of this entire state is the last statement in verse 8. We cannot please God. What an awful position. I know many of us are thinking that we can live our lives in such a way to make up for the past and secure the future. But Paul writes that this is impossible. That’s a huge obstacle to overcome. We cannot undo our time of serving our sinful nature as we realize what we have done is wrong.
Thankfully you are also redeemable. V9-27

Now when the Bible talks about redemption it is not talking about a coupon or a rain check. It’s another kind of redeemed. It’s the prisoner locked in a tower who is in desperate need of rescue. Redemption is the act of God’s Son replacing you in the midst of your imprisonment. Jesus takes the punishment for the sins of your past.

Look at the picture that Paul paints of redemption. First we are under a different kind of control. We seek to serve a new master and follow a new way.
V9- You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Second, we become awakened to a new life. We realize there is more to life than survival. V10-11- But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Third we have a new parentage. We can call God our Father. We are not an accident. We know the history of our lives begins and ends with God. V12-16- 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Fourth, we have a place to go to have a hearing (17), to get relief(19), and to be healed and cleansed (20-21). V17-27- 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Finally more than anything we realize we are loved. V28-39 (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together* for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.[1]
31 What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? 36 (Even the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”*) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. 39 Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[2]

g Or adoption
*
Romans 8:28
Some manuscripts read And we know that everything works together.
[1]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 . Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill.
*
Romans 8:36
Ps 44:22.
[2]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 . Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill.

Why I am a Bono fan

2006-02-05T22:26:00.000-06:00

Read this and you will begin to understand- Abs-

The National Prayer Breakfast is normally a time for reaffirming spiritual truths and testifying to the power of faith in people's individual lives, but not so much a moment for prophetic and controversial social utterances. There have been exceptions - when Sen. Mark Hatfield spoke courageously about the moral "shame" of the Vietnam War in the presence of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger (I know a lot about that prayer breakfast speech because I helped write it when I was a seminarian in Chicago); when Mother Theresa spoke about the sacredness of life and raised the issue of abortion with the Clintons on hand; and yesterday, when Bono spoke like a modern-day prophet about extreme global poverty and pandemic disease and called upon the American government, with George Bush and Congressional leaders present, to do much more.
The speech, published below, was the most explicit about religion and the role of faith that I had ever heard Bono deliver, and his insistence on the biblical requirements of justice and not just charity was reiterated over and over again. In a small session with religious editors afterward, Bono spoke about how the churches had led on the issue of debt cancellation with the Jubilee 2000 campaign, on HIV/AIDS, and now on global poverty reduction. "You're the bigger crowd," he said, "much more than my stadium audiences." He said the church will just hear "fanfare" from musicians.
But Bono is offering far more than fanfare, as his talk below demonstrates. To the religious editors he stressed how the justice issue is "really it," and said that the churches had to figure out how to make that clear to people and that "movement is the way" we will finally succeed. Bono said he believed that something is moving now and we have to create the momentum to accomplish our goals. On the way to the car afterward, we spoke together about how really crucial that movement building is, how nothing else will suffice to make the changes in our world that are so vitally and morally necessary, and how the strategy in the religious community is so key. We also talked about the Isaiah 58 passage he had quoted in his speech - that when we respond to the poor as the prophet instructs, "God will cover your back." This is one speech you will want to read and pass on to your friends.
- Jim Wallis
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RELIGION AND POLITICS
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Bono's best sermon yet: Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast

[RUSH TRANSCRIPT: CHECK AGAINST DELIVERED REMARKS]
If you're wondering what I'm doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well, so am I. I'm certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is leather. It's certainly not because I'm a rock star. Which leaves one possible explanation: I'm here because I've got a messianic complex.
Yes, it's true. And for anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.
Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural...something unseemly...about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, and then disappearing to their villas in the south of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough when Jesse Helms showed up at a U2 concert...but this is really weird, isn't it?
You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind.
Mr. President, are you sure about this?
It's very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned - I'm Irish.
I'd like to talk about the laws of man, here in this city where those laws are written. And I'd like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that the one serves the other; that the laws of man serve these higher laws...but of course, they don't always. And I presume that, in a sense, is why you're here.
I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us here - Muslims, Jews, Christians - all are searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God.
I know I am. Searching, I mean. And that, I suppose, is what led me here, too.
Yes, it's odd, having a rock star here - but maybe it's odder for me than for you. You see, I avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it had something to do with having a father who was Protestant and a mother who was Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, a battle line. Where the line between church and state was...well, a little blurry, and hard to see.
I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays... and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.
For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land...and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash...in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment...
I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.
Even though I was a believer.
Perhaps because I was a believer.
I was cynical...not about God, but about God's politics. (There you are, Jim.)
Then, in 1997, a couple of eccentric, septuagenarian British Christians went and ruined my shtick - my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year, as an opportunity to cancel the chronic debts of the world's poorest people. They had the audacity to renew the Lord's call - and were joined by Pope John Paul II, who, from an Irish half-Catholic's point of view, may have had a more direct line to the Almighty.
'Jubilee' - why 'Jubilee'?
What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lord's favor?
I'd always read the scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus (25:35)...
'If your brother becomes poor,' the scriptures say, 'and cannot maintain himself...you shall maintain him.... You shall not lend him your money at interest, not give him your food for profit.'
It is such an important idea, Jubilee, that Jesus begins his ministry with this. Jesus is a young man, he's met with the rabbis, impressed everyone, people are talking. The elders say, he's a clever guy, this Jesus, but he hasn't done much...yet. He hasn't spoken in public before...
When he does, is first words are from Isaiah: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,' he says, 'because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.' And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord's favour, the year of Jubilee (Luke 4:18).
What he was really talking about was an era of grace - and we're still in it.
So fast-forward 2,000 years. That same thought, grace, was made incarnate - in a movement of all kinds of people. It wasn't a bless-me club... it wasn't a holy huddle. These religious guys were willing to get out in the streets, get their boots dirty, wave the placards, follow their convictions with actions...making it really hard for people like me to keep their distance. It was amazing. I almost started to like these church people.
But then my cynicism got another helping hand.
It was what Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. of them all: a tiny little virus called AIDS. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. The ones that didn't miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behaviour. Even on children...even [though the] fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.
Aha, there they go again! I thought to myself judgmentalism is back!
But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age.
Love was on the move.
Mercy was on the move.
God was on the move.
Moving people of all kinds to work with others they had never met, never would have cared to meet...conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen for the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS...soccer moms and quarterbacks...hip-hop stars and country stars. This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy stuff happens!
Popes were seen wearing sunglasses!
Jesse Helms was seen with a ghetto blaster!
Crazy stuff. Evidence of the spirit.
It was breathtaking. Literally. It stopped the world in its tracks.
When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened - and acted. When churches starting organising, petitioning, and even - that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying...on AIDS and global health, governments listened - and acted.
I'm here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world.
Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.
Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.
I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill. I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff. Maybe, maybe not. But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. "If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places."
It's not a coincidence that in the scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. (You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.) 'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.
Here's some good news for the president. After 9/11 we were told America would have no time for the world's poor. America would be taken up with its own problems of safety. And it's true these are dangerous times, but America has not drawn the blinds and double-locked the doors.
In fact, you have doubled aid to Africa. You have tripled funding for global health. Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support for the Global Fund - you and Congress - have put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided 8 million bed nets to protect children from malaria.
Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive. Historic. Be very, very proud.
But here's the bad news. From charity to justice, the good news is yet to come. There is much more to do. There's a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response.
And finally, it's not about charity after all, is it? It's about justice.
Let me repeat that: It's not about charity, it's about justice.
And that's too bad.
Because you're good at charity. Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it.
But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.
Sixty-five hundred Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity, this is about justice and equality.
Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us. Anywhere else in the world, we wouldn't accept it. Look at what happened in South East Asia with the tsunami. 150,000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, "mother nature." In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month. A tsunami every month. And it's a completely avoidable catastrophe.
It's annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.
You know, think of those Jewish sheep-herders going to meet the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh says, "Equal?" A preposterous idea: rich and poor are equal? And they say, "Yeah, 'equal,' that's what it says here in this book. We're all made in the image of God."
And eventually the Pharaoh says, "OK, I can accept that. I can accept the Jews - but not the blacks."
"Not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way, man."
So on we go with our journey of equality.
On we go in the pursuit of justice.
We hear that call in the ONE Campaign, a growing movement of more than 2 million Americans...Left and Right together... united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live.
We hear that call even more powerfully today, as we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King - mother of a movement for equality, one that changed the world but is only just getting started. These issues are as alive as they ever were; they just change shape and cross the seas.
Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market...that's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents...that's a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents...that's a justice issue.
And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.
That's why I say there's the law of the land…. And then there is a higher standard. There's the law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it's OK to protect our agriculture but it's not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?
As the laws of man are written, that's what they say.
God will not accept that.
Mine won't, at least. Will yours?
[ pause]
I close this morning on...very...thin...ice.
This is a dangerous idea I've put on the table: my God vs. your God, their God vs. our God...vs. no God. It is very easy, in these times, to see religion as a force for division rather than unity.
And this is a town - Washington - that knows something of division.
But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the scriptures call the least of these.
This is not a Republican idea. It is not a Democratic idea. It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea. Nor it is unique to any one faith.
'Do to others as you would have them do to you' (Luke 6:30). Jesus says that.
'Righteousness is this: that one should...give away wealth out of love for him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.' The Koran says that (2.177).
Thus sayeth the Lord: 'Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth, then your Lord will be your rear guard.' The Jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.
That is a powerful incentive: 'The Lord will watch your back.' Sounds like a good deal to me, right now.
A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord's blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it…. I have a family, please look after them…. I have this crazy idea...
And this wise man said: stop.
He said, stop asking God to bless what you're doing.
Get involved in what God is doing - because it's already blessed.
Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.
And that is what he's calling us to do.
I was amazed when I first got to this country and I learned how much some churchgoers tithe. Up to 10% of the family budget. Well, how does that compare with the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Less than 1%.
Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America:
I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing.... Which, to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional 1% of the federal budget tithed to the poor.
What is 1%?
1% is not merely a number on a balance sheet.
1% is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you. 1% is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you. 1% is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you. 1% is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole. This 1% is digging waterholes to provide clean water.
1% is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism toward Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from boondoggles and white elephants of every description.
America gives less than 1% now. We're asking for an extra 1% to change the world. to transform millions of lives - but not just that and I say this to the military men now - to transform the way that they see us.
1% is national security, enlightened economic self-interest, and a better, safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in this town of deals and compromises, 1% is the best bargain around.
These goals - clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty - these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a globalised world.
Now, I'm very lucky. I don't have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don't have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don't have to make the tough choices.
But I can tell you this:
To give 1% more is right. It's smart. And it's blessed.
There is a continent - Africa - being consumed by flames.
I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did - or did not to - to put the fire out in Africa.
History, like God, is watching what we do.
Thank you. Thank you, America, and God bless you all.

2006-02-02T18:54:00.001-06:00

The brotherhood

So I was reading yesterday...

2006-02-02T18:26:00.000-06:00

at Chili's. That's right Chilis. I needed to get out of the office for a while to stir up the creative juices. There's nothing like being around people to get me thinking. So the book I'm reading is "Millennium Matrix." It's a book that examines the expression of faith and belief as influenced by the culture of the day. Interesting read. But anyhow, it got me thinking about my church and how we express our faith. Here's the question that's rattling around in my head. "What is our community narrative?" In other words, what story are we telling? What identity are we forming? What are we promising the people around us by our presence?

I'm not sure of the answer to all of those questions. In fact, many might disagree. But I know what I want it to be. Over the next few days I'm going to answer those questions. Feel free to offer your own thoughts and opinions.

Abs

Talk- Invest- Conclusion of the I-Witness Series

2006-01-31T20:12:00.000-06:00

Here is the last of I-Witness. It's a talk on the need for discipleship in the church. We need to be people who bring others along. Enjoy!
Abs

When Jesus Arrives

I think sometimes we paint the wrong picture of Jesus in the Gospels. We want Him to be this hermit, this odd little gypsy that no one paid any attention to other than a select few. The “odd for God” fellow like the guy on the corner who calls down fire and brimstone with the sandwich board. It’s easier that way. But early on, Jesus was anything but off by Himself. Far from a hermit, or odd for God, He was the man to be seen with. Think Bono filming a video in NYC or George Clooney or Julia Roberts on the red carpet. You couldn’t get close enough and the paparazzi were always asking for “just one more.” When Jesus went somewhere early on, everyone was there. So when Jesus showed up at your house, it was packed to the roof and people got there early and stayed late. And if it was a return engagement, then the crowd was double because last time it was healing a blind man and we heard He did this somewhere else, and what’s next bringing a dead guy back to life or killing the Roman governor with a word?

In Mark 2, Jesus enters Capernaum with a crowd of folks. He is staying in a house there and people pack it out to hear Him teach. Now imagine for a second, that you are someone who is in need in this town. You are poor, or sick, or crippled and you hear the miracle man is on His way. What would you do? Most likely you would be out of luck. Everyone wants to see Jesus and the needy take a back seat to celebrity then just like now. Well in this town is a paralyzed man. But this man has something going for Him most needy folks in the first century did not have. He has friends.

Total Dedication

Now most of you in this room have friends. There may be a few of you who are here and friendless. I want you to know if that’s you, that you weren’t meant to be that way. And if you are a part of a church and no one there is nice to you or likes you, if they are not friendly to you, then they are the ones who are screwed up not you. Jesus is pretty clear that if you are a Christ follower then you are to love everyone, even your enemies, and we are to be kind and friendly and hospitable. So hear this, if you have turned your church into your own personal clique of who’s in and who’s out then you are not just messing up a ministry, you are messing with God’s plan for the church. I would suggest to you that you get with the program, quit being a jerk, and start loving people for who they are like Jesus did before God decides to get personally involved in fixing the problem. Got it.

Now here’s the deal. The question for most of you isn’t do you have friends it’s where are you taking the friends you have? So many of us let our friends go where they will. When it gets serious, we leave them on the side of the road and head to where Jesus is and never help them to get there. How messed up is that? We have somehow convinced ourselves that they will find Jesus in some other way at some other time. It’s not our responsibility. That is not true and it’s keeping a lot of people we know away from Jesus.

Look at these guys. They had a ton of obstacles to overcome. First, they had to get a paralyzed guy to a house. There wasn’t an ambulance. No stretcher with rollers. Just 4 guys, a pallet, and some muscle. For how far? We have no idea. Next, they get there and everyone else is there. It’s the crowd that keeps us from getting so many of our friends to Jesus. We fear what everyone else will say or do when we start trying to get serious about our faith. Will they turn on us? Will they hold our friend back? These guys are so desperate to get this guy to Jesus, they climb up on the roof, haul the guy up there, and dig a hole. Then they lower him down right in front of Jesus. They were desperate to get there friend to Jesus because they were convinced that He was this guy’s only hope.

The Moment

This is where we have to get to. We have to become convinced that Jesus is the only hope for our friends. We have put faith for far to long in “go to church, act nice, tithe” as a way to a forgiven, transformed life. Your friends don’t have hope in some broken old legalism. Jesus is there only hope. Drug addiction, can’t stop having sex with everything that moves, can’t stop trying to earn approval with grades, or athletic success, or being the life of the party. Only Jesus can bring those things to an end. Only He can set you free from bondage, because only He can forgive the sins that are the root causes of all those, and every other problem.(v5)

When we become convinced of this truth, that Jesus is the only hope for people, then we will be willing to do anything to get people to Jesus. What had to happen for these people to become amazed- they had to witness Jesus’ power. That is what has to happen for you as well. You have to witness God’s power. You need to see what a miracle you are. If you are a Christ follower, your life is an amazing miracle. You are a new creation. (2 Cor 5:17) God has done something as amazing in you as He has done in this paralyzed man. Now take that amazement and let the story of your miracle move you to share the Gospel.

The Long Haul- Investment

This is where it really gets difficult for many of us. When a friend begins a journey with Jesus and we do not know what to do. This happens because few of us were discipled or invested in as we became believers. Scripture indicates that this is not an optional relationship for us. We are commanded to build up our brothers and sisters. They are a part of our body. Look at Paul’s writing in Ephesians 4.
Ephesians 4
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."[b] 9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
God’s plan is not for you to have a series of one stop relationships with people but to have ongoing, investments in life with those who join the journey. This is hard to do with the business of many of our lives. We have a million excuses, but the bottom line is we have a spiritual obligation to other believers, the church, and our Savior to bring new believers along in their faith.

We have a real problem in the church today. We have individualized faith to the point that I can have church by myself. I am weak if I need anyone to help me spiritually. That is so far from the Bible it’s not even in the book. We need each other. And we need unique experiences of faith and perspectives to keep us strong and to help us to be a complete body. And we need to take responsibility for one another. We need to see each person as a vital part of the body who we can teach but also who we can learn from.

How would you feel if you trusted someone with important, private things about yourself and then all of a sudden they no longer spent any time with you. How nervous wold that make you? Hoe uncomfortable? When we have the privilege of helping someone come to know Christ we are not done with the relationship. In fact, it’s just beginning. That’s why as people who you know and love and have a friendship with come to know Christ you will have the opportunity to baptize them. You are a part of where their spiritual journey will take them.

This morning I want to ask you: who are you building up? Who are you sharing your insights into God with? Who is pouring into you?

Welcome to the New

2006-01-31T19:47:00.000-06:00

Sorry folks, but I've had enough xanga. I felt it was time to create something new and hopefully allow people from TJF as well as others in the blogosphere to check out what's rattling around in my head as well as what we're preaching and teaching at Journey Fellowship. So whether you've linked here from journeyfellowshipokc.com or got an invite to check out the new site...welcome to the inside of my head. Try not to get lost.

Abs