No Time To Be Cool

Podcast Resources

2012-01-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

I listen to a lot of very wise men via podcast. I'll put a few links up here for your use. Remember, test all teaching, and do your own reading, as well. Someone else can teach you, but they can't be your faith. I think all of these are up on iTunes, as well, but these links will take you to their church so you can read up about the men and women who are preaching.

The Village Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area

Pastor Matt Chandler and his staff have impacted how I follow God. Pastor Chandler was the first pastor I regularly downloaded and listened to via podcast. His passion inspired me to dig deeper. His "Dwell Deep" men's Bible study is a quick crash course that covers a ton of ground.

Apostles Church in New York City

JR Vassar is a brilliant pastor. There is a power behind every sermon he preaches. I have learned so much from this man. He has so much knowledge, and mixes humor and grace into his preaching so well.

The Journey in St. Louis

Darrin Patrick is another one of these Acts 29 pastors that I admire. He gave a sermon this past summer called "Giving Your Summer to God" that came at the perfect time for me. I really enjoy his style.

Mars Hill in Seattle

Mark Driscoll has come a long way over the years. He and his wife are really doing some fantastic things when it comes to marriage ministry. He has moments of tenderness, but he's a MMA fan, and you can tell it in his preaching style. He will give people a verbal pounding when they need it. Awesome preacher.

Coral Ridge Church in Fort Lauderdale

Tullian Tchividjian wrote a book called Jesus + Nothing = Everything that I've heard is really good (It's on my list of books to buy). I've heard him give a sermon by this same title, so I'm assuming that some material may have overlapped. He's a passionate man that understands that all we really need is Jesus.

Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California

Most people may have know this as the church that Francis Chan used to pastor. The staff that's currently there is also very gifted. Todd Nighswonger is a phenomenal preacher and teacher.

There are a lot of other really good resources out there. I haven't even touched on some of the blogs out there, or books, or following these guys on Twitter, or Ravi Zacharias' podcast, which makes me feel so incredibly childish every time I listen to him teach (in a good way.)

Hopefully some of these resources can be of use for you as you dig deeper.

The Myth of Being a Good Person

2012-01-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

These are my notes from January 10's message. For the audio on that message, click here.

Over everything, remember the words of John 3:16-17:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Jesus came to free us. To save us. To redeem us. To reclaim us. All for God's glory. Not to condemn us.

Ephesians 2:1-10

We need to talk about God's greatness. Why? Because we forget about him.

Romans 3:10, Psalms 14:1-3, 53:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20 all tell us that no one is good on their own. Only God is good. We need to put God on the throne and ourselves in the proper perspective.

Romans 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

…God’s riches are beyond depth.

Ditto with his knowledge. Both are limitless. Everything there is to know, God knows. Every star, every cell, every animal, every grain of sand, every event, every language, every person, place, thing, every cause and effect, every result. God knows and is in control of everything…without strain.

I work with a six-year old who knows everything. “Hey Jeff, who knows more about this?….Nope, it’s me…” After a few hours of this in a row, it’s tempting to remind him that he doesn’t know the whole alphabet.

This what it's like for me towards God. Only the scale is more lopsided. God reveals things to us through his word and revelation, but we would be foolish to think we can advise God.

We are wise. Then someone wiser comes along. We are strong. Then someone stronger comes along. We are rich. Then someone with more comes along.

Deuteronomy 10:14
To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.

…Everything belongs to God
We’re limited by material and knowledge. I cannot buy a house. I am confined by lack of resources and money. I need stuff to build or buy stuff. Can you make something out of nothing? God creates from nothing. As much as he wants. Of anything. Whenever he wants. God is limitless. I am limited.

If everything is God’s, that means we have nothing. That means we can’t put God into our debt. That means he owes us nothing. That means we exist because of his grace. Every second of every day. Every bit of food we eat. Every laugh we share. We have nothing to bargain with. We can’t bribe or bargain or barter with God. Everything is his.

Acts 17:24-25.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else."

Colossians 1:15-22

It's essentially an echo of Ephesians 2:1-10. We were alienated from God by our own actions and choices. Jesus offers redemption. This passage also emphasizes that Jesus is over all of creation.

The story is about God. It’s not about us. Everything rolls up to God. It’s not about our salvation, it’s about God’s glory. He’s perfect and he’s worthy of that claim.

We need to talk about the cross. Why? Because we forget about it.
Psalm 42
Psalm 63

There is no indifference. There is no complacency. Most of us don’t completely walk away from God. We just ignore him or are indifferent.

Legend says John gets boiled in tar, we know he’s exiled. Paul gets imprisoned. All of the men who walked closest with Jesus get killed. All in, no indifference.

The first two chapters of the Bible are about man’s perfect walk with God. The rest of the book and everything that’s followed is trying to get that back and the restoration of that.

Jeremiah 2 tells us the universe is appalled by how we treat God.
Be appalled at this, you heavens,  
and shudder with great horror,”  
declares the LORD.
“My people have committed two sins:  They have forsaken me,  
the spring of living water,  and have dug their own cisterns,  
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

In the Hebrew, the concept being portrayed is that God is going to snap and tear everything to shreds.

We don’t feel bothered by our sin. Luke 18.
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Our definition of good and God’s differ. In Isaiah 6, “Woe is me!” In Luke 5, Simon Peter, “Get away from me!” Men who heard from God, who walked with God, realized how unfit they were on the scale of 1-to-God. Isaiah 64:6 says our good deeds look like filthy rags to him. Imagine what our sin and disobedience looks like.

Look at Paul. In Philippians he lists off all of his qualifications for why he should have confidence in himself….and then he proceeds to call it all rubbish in comparison to God, in comparison to knowing Jesus.

We justify ourselves. We look at others and compare: But I’m not that bad. I’m a good person. What about other good people? There’s no such thing as a good Muslim, a good Mormon, a good Hindu or a good Christian. We all fall short of the glory of God.

God has two responses to our treason:

One is Hell. The other is the cross. I’m going to focus on the cross.

Men can inspire, they can do some things, but they can’t transform hearts. That’s up to the power of God. That’s more than a show. This has got to be more than just trying to modify behavior. This is bigger than some of our New Year’s resolutions. We think changing what we’re doing is enough. But we need God to change who we are.

When we modify behavior, we don’t change the heart. We deal with the consequences of sin. Only the Holy Spirit can handle the cause of sin.

The cross was God’s wrath on our sin, put on his son. This is great news for us. When we accept that atoning sacrifice, it frees us. It allows us to shift the focus off of us doing anything to save ourselves. Instead, our lives change into a response to what God’s done for us through loving obedience. We should live our lives mindful of this. It frees us to live with joy.

We need to talk about the return of Jesus. Why? Because we often live like we forget he’s returning.

Matthew 24:36-39
Matthew 25

We don't know when Jesus is returning. It's critical to live like he is.

Are we doing anything with our lives right now? How are we preparing? Are we just digging holes, hiding our talents? Get what you can, can what you get, sit on the lid.

Will we make excuses to God? Will we not have any idea who our Master is? Most of us know God expects something from us, but we don’t live like he does.

Joppa Community (Notes)

2012-01-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

I had a request for my notes from my November 8th talk at Joppa. Here's my speaking notes.

There is a lot of hurt out there. There is a lot of misunderstanding out there. Especially our generation. This world looks nothing like it should. We should do something about that.

This is Joppa's mission statement:
Joppa is a young adult ministry committed to building healthy relationships with God and others by creating community and encouraging Christ-likedness through the teaching of biblical truth, prayer, discipleship, small groups and community involvement.

My question: Are we doing this to the best of our ability? Are we living in this world while thinking about the next?

If the Kingdom of God is really at hand, what are we waiting for? If the harvest is plentiful, what are the workers doing? What are you living for?

If the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, why don’t we see more change around us in society?

We are the body of Christ. We are the church. We have to be more than religious people who do religious things on religious days. We are the body of Christ. It’s not something we do. It’s something we are.

In reality, the church is a group of people who agree on the reality of Jesus: That he’s the righteous king that makes all things right with God again. That he’s the sacrifice that has dealt fully with our sins so that we can be secure with God for all eternity. We are to yield our lives for his purpose. This is the church. The church is the people. This is such a big deal, and we’re called to share this.

This world is broken. We are broken. The people around us are broken. I can identify with the end of the book of Jonah.

The leadership of a ministry is not just there to serve your needs. Ephesians 4:11-13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until 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.

Leadership of a ministry is to equip you to go out and apply. You are an active participant, not just a spectator who is consuming resources. You are called to grow up in Christ and be the church. The call goes on in Ephesians 4:14-16: Then 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 people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From 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.

Going to church or to YATEC or to Joppa isn’t the same as belonging to a community. Who do you DO LIFE with? Don’t mistake attendance for involvement and belonging. Events like YATEC or Sunday mornings are just pit stops to inspire you and others and check in…not to be the lone source of your Gospel growth. It’s not just come and hear…IT’S GO AND TELL! These meetings are supplemental, NOT primary!

We need to experience God’s love and then extend it.

We share life when we’re plugged in.
Who is teaching you about the Bible? Who are you trying to tell about Jesus? We should be actively pursuing a greater love for Jesus in each other. We should want to see Jesus use us, and we should want to see Jesus use others. We can’t just outsource this to pastors or paid clergy.

Are we doing this in our community? Acts 17

The church can walk beside us when we hurt. Can pick us up when we fall. Correct us when we stray. Advise us when we're lost. The church isn't God, but it is God's people. His people mess up. His people are prone to wander. His people are often his instruments to teach patience and forgiveness. As we love the community and the world around us, we show people that our God is a loving God.

Are we doing this in our household, in our churches, in our community? Are we after healing? Are we after God’s heart for us and for others? This our responsibility to give others the opportunity to respond to the Gospel of Jesus.

Is this easy? Is this costly?

Hebrews 10:23-25

Don’t do this alone. Grow together.

Is This Possible?

2012-01-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

So, I wrote this a little while ago.

There are too many young men who I have crossed paths with that are couch hopping and lack a consistent place to rest their head. They lack a home address. As a result of lacking a home address, employers are very hesitant to hire them. And the cycle keeps moving....

Take a look at the #2 item in that list:

2) I'd buy a big house in Willmar, Minnesota, and then make rooms available for some of the young men who come through the Joppa ministry. I really have a desire to help young men get roots planted in this community so they can be leaders and make a difference in the area.

What if this is a possibility? There are so many young people who are struggling to get on their feet in the West Central Minnesota area. What if they could get a place for cheap (or free) for a little bit, and then have a structured plan to provide housing for a set time period while they got employment and saved some money to get a more permanent housing solution?

There have been a few people that have had a similar thought, but there's never been a lot of legs to it. Here's what I was thinking as a possibility. What if some of God's people purchased that old motel, and got the rooms ready for people as a ministry that helped them get situated in our community?

Of course, there'd be some more structure, some contracts, etc., but what if we could do something like that in this community? Yeah, it'd cost. But what benefits would flow from this, as well?

I don't know the full scope of what all of it would cost. I don't know if there are any regulations in Willmar that may hinder this from taking place. BUT for now, what if it's possible? I want to build something here. I want to invest in people and put a dent in a growing problem in this community.

I think it's a sad statement on our culture (and our church, government, etc.) that there are so many houses and buildings sitting empty while we have an issue with homelessness.

So I'm going to put this out there as a dream and see if it goes anywhere.

Thank You Letter

2012-01-03T12:06:00.001-08:00

(I wrote this to my church at the end of the year. I'll post it here, as well.)

Thank you.

I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support this past year. It has been an amazing year of ministry at Joppa, Joppa North and YATEC MN. Your support allows me to chase after young adults.

Some of you may not be familiar with what Joppa is, so much of this letter is a refresher or introduction. Joppa was a bustling port city in the Bible, located about thirty-five miles west of Jerusalem on the vital International Coastal Highway that followed the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is referenced in Jonah, and in Acts 9 & 10. The significance of the name for our ministry is that the young adult is constantly having to make important choices that influence which direction they go. It is my hope that our ministry can help them make the right choices.

Right now Joppa is in the middle of its winter schedule. A typical Tuesday night sees young adults (post high school through early 30’s) from West Central Minnesota gather together at Epik, behind the Willmar Assembly of God church. Our Tuesday meetings involve fellowship, worship, a guest speaker who gives a brief message that ranges from specific portions of Scripture to other topics that are relevant in the lives of young adults, such as relationships, boundaries, self-image, community or any variety of important issues.

After the speaker is done, Joppa splits up into small groups and discusses what was presented. Leaders facilitate and try to answer questions or provide spiritual guidance to the small groups. After a little bit of extra discussion, the people of the group pray for one another.

Since I started coming to Joppa, we’ve grown from 12-15 people meeting weekly, to having up to 130 people in attendance on any given week. A typical week will see around 70 young adults attend. We celebrate what God has done with that growth. However, it’s also come to my attention that there are more than 70 young adults in the Willmar area. I have made it my commitment to pursue them. I do this because God pursued me first.

I’ve been doing this for over eight years now. My hands get dirty doing this. My heart gets broken. My sleep gets interrupted. My finances dwindle. My calendar is no longer my own. I celebrate. I laugh. I get frustrated. I get encouraged. I see progress. I see regression. I see God at work in a generation, impacting it through it all. I see new creations being formed.

I would like to thank you all for walking with me through all of this and supporting me on some level, whether financially or via prayer. If you’re praying for me, please don’t stop. I am swimming upstream on the mission I’ve been called to, and I covet your prayers. Thank you.

Gratefully,

Jeff Schmitz
Joppa Young Adult Ministry
JoppaOnline.org
No Time To Be Cool

Dreaming Out Load (...or Online)

2012-01-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I woke up with a thought:

What if I had one million dollars?

I continued thinking. What would I do with it? Here's what I came up with. My life really wouldn't change, but more of my dreams would get accomplished.

1) I'd pay off the rest of the money I owe on my car and my credit card.

2) I'd buy a big house in Willmar, Minnesota, and then make rooms available for some of the young men who come through the Joppa ministry. I really have a desire to help young men get roots planted in this community so they can be leaders and make a difference in the area.

I would charge little or no rent (to cover some cost and teach financial responsibility) and help people get on their feet and established. It's easier to help others when you're not struggling to stay afloat. The house would host studies and be an accountability house to disciple and teach (No alcohol, no drugs. Discipline and structure and rules to follow).

3) I would no longer take a monthly check from Joppa, but rather look at how we could expand on some long-term goals we've had as a ministry.

4) I'd do another album, exactly the way I want it to sound. There's a lot of music and ideas in this head, and a few more goals I have in that area, and I'd love to create something that touches people musically.

5) I would keep my job working as a PCA with a six-year old. I enjoy helping him.

6) I would probably take a trip. I've wanted to see Italy. The canals of Venice. The architecture and history in Rome. And I may stumble into a few other historic sites in Europe as long as I was across the pond.

There are some other ideas and thoughts that are floating through this head, too, but this is essentially what I came up with that morning when this first popped into my mind. The comforting thing is that I'm already doing most of this stuff (minus the travel and home ownership) on some level, with limited resources. I find comfort and joy in that, as I feel like I'm doing what God's calling me to do.

So, if you happen to have a million dollars just laying around that I could have....

Preparing Now for the Maybe Someday

2011-12-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

I was listening to JR Vassar preach on being a godly man in the home from a conference he spoke at a few years ago. It was really inspiring, but it also re-lit a little restlessness.

The purpose for marriage is to put the Gospel on display. I'd like that someday in my life. I would love to be blessed with a relationship that showed the goodness of God. Marriage is a parable. A living, breathing parable.

The relationship of a man leading a woman in a covenant relationship is the image of Christ leading the Church. Mutual, self-sacrificing submission for one another.

Someday, I would love to have people look at my relationship with my bride, and have people say, "So that's what it means for Christ to love the church."

I would love for my life to be a living, breathing metaphor like that. Maybe someday, so I'll continue preparing now.

Do Hard Things...Relationship Edition

2011-12-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

I set some goals in a previous post. Number 4 on my list was "Do hard things."

The current crop of young adults are often allergic to doing things that require extra effort. We avoid risking failure. We avoid anything that would tarnish our precious image we've carefully cultivated via Facebook, Twitter, etc. We avoid hard work.

This often extends to our faith walk and family lives. We're content with what people teach us without seeking it for ourselves. We may remember what is being taught to us and apply it, we may not. We wait for someone else to take the lead and do the work, and then, if they don't ask too much of us, we might join in the effort. It's easy to follow. It's easy to pitch in the bare minimum and not really sacrifice.

Let's bring this thought home: How do you work out the conflict in your life? We just got done with a season where there was a lot of awkward conversation around dinner tables, or even worse, complete avoidance of family. Do you know how to talk with your family? Are you going to be okay with settling for shallow relationships in your family? How about your friends? Are you okay with shallow relationships with your peers? Are you just going to coast through your life without attempting to build strong relations with family and friends? Are you going to represent Christ to those closest to you?

This is my personal challenge for this year. I'm a young adult. ADULT. It's time to grow up. I want to help others grow this year by not being okay with broken relationships, and then doing something about it. Maybe this goal can be yours, too.

Goals: 2012

2011-12-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

I'm setting goals for 2012 and beyond (and even a little prior). This is a start.

Seek God more.
Love him and his people as a response.
Listen more. Talk less.
Do hard things. Stretch my comfort zone.
Keep my room and my car clean(ish).
Drop a few pounds. (No soda in 2012)
Unplug more often. (Turn off the phone some nights)
Read those books that I just can't seem to pick up and finish.
Learn to say 'no' better from time to time.
Do less "fixing" and more walking as an example.
Show the Solution more rather than point out the problems.

Most of these are the things I've been working on for awhile, but I really want to focus more on just growing so I can help others grow.

Ear Candy (Good Music Edition II)

2011-12-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've done a few of these posts. Click here for the first post. Click here for the second.

I listen to a lot of music. Some of these people I've met or know. They're great people. They do some music I like. Some of it's free. If it has to be paid for, it's always worth it. Here's some handy links to some artists I enjoy. I'll probably be doing some more of these in the future, just so people are aware of what's out there, and can support good artistry. (Click the name to go to their websites)

Listener
This dude is versatile, and I have to give him a ton of credit. He's done a lot on the music scene. He's an artist. There's a ton of great video out there for this guy. I'm going to put a few of them below.

The guy started out as a rapper. Honestly, it feels like he outgrew that. Not knocking hip hop. Just saying he thinks differently and uses a different mode of getting his points and stories across now, and it works for him.

Bradley Hathaway
I enjoy how this young man thinks. He's creative. "The Thing That Poets Write About, The Thing That Singers Sing About" is one of my favorite albums I own.

"Look Up" is probably my favorite Hathaway song. Listen to it and you'll probably see why.

Icon For Hire
I ran into one these dudes while I was fishing, of all places. We swapped some stories and info, I caught him a delicious bass, and I went and looked them up. Here's what I found:

These guys go hard. Ariel is legit. It's cool to see them jump off with some success. They do quality music. Their album "Scripted" is a great listen.

Ear Candy (Good Music Edition I)

2011-12-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

I listen to a lot of music. A lot of it is available for free. If it has to be paid for, it's always worth it. Here's some handy links to some artists I enjoy. I'll probably be doing some more of these in the future, just so people are aware of what's out there, and can support good artistry. (Click the name to go to their websites)

John Mark McMillan

This dude writes some brilliant songs. I can't help but enjoy each album he's produced. It's smart and special.

Gungor

The "Beautiful Things" album is great. Pick it up.

Jimmy Needham

This dude's got that soul in his music.

Jon Foreman

If you don't know, this is the lead singer for Switchfoot. He did a solo project, too, though (as well as a few other things.) The "Limbs & Branches" EP he put out is amazing. I heard Jon Foreman once claim that he wrote up to 40 songs in a month. I have no doubt that all of them are amazing. The man's a genius.

All Sons and Daughters

Brilliant. Just brilliant music.

Ear Candy (Hip Hop Edition I)

2011-12-15T15:16:00.001-08:00

I listen to a lot of music. A lot of it is available for free. If it has to be paid for, it's always worth it. Here's some handy links to some artists I enjoy. I'll probably be doing some more of these in the future, just so people are aware of what's out there, and can support good artistry. (Click the name to go to their websites)

Shad

Probably my favorite song by S.K...my favorite line:
"Please, seeing my life like this, it made me think
I could state succinctly everything life is if you gave me ink."

Playdough

Playdough is a dude I've been a fan of for years, and have had the honor of doing some work with. Dude is sickly talented, and he has some great music for free right about here.

Heath McNease

Heath is another dude I've known for years, and he's super dang talented. He and Playdough did a project called "Wed, White & Wu" that's incredible (and free). Heath Daniel McNease also sings. Check out "The House Always Wins" for free.

NomiS

This dude is uber-talented and only getting better. Check out the music. I've been able to do two tracks with him in the past, and he crushes everything he steps on.

Mr. J. Medeiros

This guy made me change the way I create music. If you want a complete album, check out the "Saudade" album here. It's only $5.

The 'M' Word: Part II

2011-12-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

I wrote this piece earlier, and it earned some criticism from some people I really admire. Earned it. I also asked them to give feedback on it, and they did. Hopefully my iron is sharpened by theirs as a result.

I put a lot of heat on the 40-80 demographic. I also neglected to express how grateful I am to the people who came before us in the church. I didn't pay for the seat I sit in every Sunday. That came from previous generations. A lot of that group does a great job. A lot of that group deserves more credit and respect than the younger generation gives it.

When it comes to younger generations (20's and younger) and growth, there needs to be initiative taken from that side, as well. Younger people are often content with the station their in. Not the good kind of content. The complacent, settle-for-less, lazy kind of content. We're often cool with a lack of knowledge and effort when it comes to, well, anything. Especially faith.

They miss opportunities to grow and to learn. Most young men don't know how to be men, and it's not always because of a lack of examples (sometimes it is). A lot of times it's because they would rather take the easy way out. They'd rather be a hero in video games and not real life. They don't want to do anything that requires effort.

I often tell the young men I meet with that I almost view my relationship with them and trying to walk with them as a hostage negotiation: I need proof of life. It helps people who invest in you to see that you're willing to put in effort, too. Proof of life in your faith walk goes a long ways to strengthening the relationship of those who are pouring into you.

Too many young women don't know how their value. They treat Jesus like a consolation prize, secondary to a boyfriend or spouse. They settle for a worldly man to try and escape from loneliness. They often ignore wisdom from older women.

Our generation also thinks it knows better than anyone else (guilty), or that no one understands our issues. We have an exaggerated view of ourselves (guilty), from our accomplishments to our failures. We are a very hyperbolic generation. From extreme emotion to extreme apathy. We should be treated like gods, or our sins are too much for a cross to cover.

We're ridiculous.

There are issues in the church from old-to-young. It's a universal issue. It's called sin. The solution is Jesus and walking out an obedient life of faith.

I still maintain that it's up to the older to teach the younger (a majority of the time). Experience is a great teacher. Older people have that on their side.

This call to teach requires patience (I'm an example of why it does). It requires time. It requires a lot of effort. Here would be my challenge to the older generations: Are you living a life worth following and listening to? I don't think that's too harsh, but it is asking a lot. People do learn by example. The younger generation needs that example. There is a need.

My main point of the last post was to emphasize the need for older generations to show younger generations how to live in a godly manner. My main point of this post is to emphasize the need for younger generations to be willing to learn how to grow in a godly manner.

The 'M' Word

2011-12-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

There's an 'M' word out there: Mentoring. Or its twin brother that is adored by the church, the 'D' word: Discipleship. Every church or Christian organization wants it. They set up groups to set up programming, and almost always the programming never starts or just fizzles out. I've been part of the groups that try to set this stuff up.

The problem is never the lack of people who need mentoring. Often it isn't even that they're unwilling to meet or learn. If you're talking high school kids, they're often in a program and at church functions weekly. Availability often isn't the issue. During the week, yeah, we're all busy. I get that.

When it comes to mentoring/discipleship, here's the stance I'm going to take: Older generations have been either lazy or incompetent when it comes to being godly and passing it on.

It takes a lot of work. That's why a lot of people don't do it. Part of your job as a Christian is to lead other people to Christ and help them grow.

When the gospel is lived out with passion, it becomes an appeal to the goodness and glory of God. Where it is treated casually or ignored, then it is neutered and nearly powerless. Church becomes religion. And religion is largely unappealing.

I have begged for older generations to get involved with our Joppa young adult ministry. I have literally invited more than a thousand adults in their 40's through 80's to visit at least once to one of our meetings. The reality is that maybe a dozen of them have taken up that invitation. This is not blasting people for not taking part in my ministry, but rather a strong statement about the high percentage of people who consume church and treat it like a religious event on a religious day and don't want to get their hands dirty on their own time.

Too many people in their 40's through 80's have turned church into a product to be consumed and have put the responsibility on the "paid professionals" to teach the younger generations. The reality is, pastors are called to equip the people to be ministers. Parents are called to be ministers in their homes. This takes sacrifice, and takes time, and is costly. It could get messy.

People who only show up and consume church are consumers. Consumers will find it next to impossible to lead and to teach. They are largely incompetent in those areas, since they are involved in their faith walk in a shallow way that is to get from God or his church rather than to give back to God and his church.

When I was involved in a church group specifically recruiting mentors for high school kids, I'd follow up with the kids and ask how it went, and often it wasn't going at all. A lot of mentors never set up anything with them.

If you know God, you have to share him and his ways with younger people. If you don't do that, you're not only costing the following generation, but generations to follow. This problem doesn't just stop with the high school kids. Eventually those kids will grow up and be just as lazy because that's what was modeled for them by older generations.

Mentoring or discipleship is in-church evangelism. It's critical.

It's my hope that the men and women who love God well and live that out obediently and humbly will take it upon themselves to reach out to younger generations. Why? Because God reached out to them first. Now he's calling them to do the same for others. Younger generations often don't understand their need for mentoring/discipleship. It's up to those with knowledge to share knowledge.

Here's my qualifications to help out in the area of mentoring, at least in the church:

1) Love God and obey him.

2) Have ears (be able to listen)

Those are the biggest two, from my experience. It also helps to like food or coffee, so you can discuss things over a meal or a beverage without being hurried. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to love God and care about his people.

Relationship Discussion Notes

2011-12-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

These are my notes from the discussion about relationships at Ridgewater's Campus Ministry Center tonight. I'm heavily influenced by men like Mark Driscoll, JR Vassar, Darrin Patrick and Matt Chandler. All are married. All minister. All do both well.

Identity:

Where do you find your joy and contentment?

The Bible is counter-cultural. But we can expect that. The Bible is claiming to be the word of God (it is), and isn’t always practical in our lives, but it is wiser than or view of what’s practical.

Every heart is looking for joy. The drive of every heart is joy. Every joy has a shelf life. Other people are not big enough to uphold your ultimate joy.

The little boy and the little girl both need to sit down. The godly man and the godly woman need to stand up. Incompetence is not an invitation to avoid responsibility.

Perspective (1 Corinthians 7:28)
Marriage is not your hope for a better life. Marriage isn’t an easy commitment. It’s a gift, but it’s hard, and there will be conflict and friction at times. It’s beautiful, but it won’t save you from your insecurities, fears or loneliness. There’s added responsibilities: a spouse’s life, kids, more bills, etc.

Marriage is great. But it’s not a savior. We can’t make it an idol. It can’t give you your ultimate identity. If you look to a spouse for your significance, you will crush that person.

Religion Saves and 9 Other Misconceptions
“When Heaven is conceived of as a couple, and hell is conceived as being single, then a dating partner or spouse becomes the functional savior that’s worshiped to get us out of our hell and into our Heaven.” – Mark Driscoll

And singleness can be an idol, too.

“When Heaven is conceived of as independence and hell is conceived of as an interdependence, then singleness is worshiped as a functional savior”. – Mark Driscoll

We’re not to be defined by our relationship status.

Christ has purchased our identity. It’s not a cure for loneliness.

Singleness is not to be loved or loathed. It is to be leveraged for the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 7:32) Your devotion can be completely given to the Lord when you’re not divided with your affections. When you get married, you bind yourself to a spouse, and your devotion and your ministry changes. If you’re single, you can have the motto: Serve, give and go. Video games, shopping, etc? Where is your time and resources going?

Preparation
Some people have the gift of singleness. That’s a blessing. Most of us don’t have that gift. (And that's a hard thing to be content with.) Most of us will get married at some point. This takes preparation.

Focus on your character. Focus on your finances.

Men: Quit wasting your time and prepare yourself to lead a house. Purify your heart, guard your eyes. Become a trustworthy man. Be a one-woman kind of man who is faithful and responsible. Be a man after God’s heart who will be able to marry a godly woman. Get on the right trajectory. You don’t have to be perfect. Your role is the Christ-portraying figure. What’s your mission?

Women: Focus on your character. Ask God to give you the wisdom and the patience it takes to have a submissive heart. Not a doormat, but submission. Your role is the church in the relationship.

What is marriage? What’s our vision for marriage?

What’s God’s vision for marriage?

Mutual submission.

Marriage is a parable. Check Ephesians 5. The greater call is on the husband. The responsibility to bear the weight of accountability in the relationship. You are to serve and honor and lay down your life.

Women: Are you aware of the kind of man you want? Someone you can trust with your ultimate well-being?

We are not to put a person above Christ, but to put someone else above you, under Christ. Christ is our example in this. We are to serve.

What kind of man do you want? What kind of woman do you want? What is the purpose for marriage? What are the reasons for you get married? It’s not because you’ve fallen in love. The purpose is much bigger than that.

The purpose for marriage is to reflect the Gospel of Jesus to the person you’ve married and the world around you. Men are to display the love and loyalty of Jesus towards his wife. Women are to display the love and loyalty of the church towards their savior, Jesus. It’s to be a reflection of that unity. Marriage is a parable.

Genesis 2:18-25
No suitable helper was found for Adam, then woman was fashioned. And then we get poetry. Then we get the first marriage. They’ll be one flesh, which points towards exclusivity and permanence and intimacy.

Why it doesn’t work, or is really hard: Sin
Genesis 3:16
The word desire isn’t a passionate thing. It’s not a sex thing. That’s not a curse. It’s a control thing. It’s the same word in chapter four when God warns Cain.

Ephesians 5:22-33
Husband is the Christ-portraying figure. Wife is the church portraying figure. Marriage is a parable.

Pursuit
Single guys typically want the hot girl that loves Jesus. We are consumers by nature. We want perfection and low maintenance. That’s not the Gospel. That’s consumerism. How about we become more interested in their lives than their looks? How about we focus less on who they are now to who they will be? Find someone who will make you step your game up. Find someone who will make you want to be better.

Men are to be the pursuers. If God is preparing you to love and lead a wife, you are called to pursue a godly woman. Woman. Not women. Women: If a man can’t pursue you, and you alone, in a dating relationship, it’s going to be hard for him to pursue you, and you alone in a marriage relationship.

Women: If you have guys just hanging around, and you have no intention of marrying them, what are you really doing? Is it just so you feel valued? What's the motivation?

1 Corinthians 7:39: We are to engage in dating relationships with other Christians. Faith is more than preferences. This is a core issue that has to do with the course of our lives. Faith is important.

Seek out godly people for advice on this. Seek affirmation. You need friends, not fans. People who will be honest with you. I love Darrin Patrick's comment on this. If you're single, it's likely because there are areas where you're awkward and could use some help. Ask them: Where am I kinda weird?

Purity
Our culture has cheapened sex. It’s turned it into a common thing. It’s turned into a sort of test drive for a relationship to gage compatibility.

The reality is sex is a commitment strengthening action. Sex is the ultimate act of affection. Don’t make the ultimate investment where there is not ultimate commitment. There are acts that are appropriate for each relational context. Sex is for relationships of exclusivity and commitment.

If you seek to enjoy the pleasures of sex without seeking the purpose of sex, it loses its power as a covenant-strengthening activity. It’s like duct tape. If you use it over and over, on and off, on and off, then it loses its cohesive power.

One of the problems of our culture is too many people are having sex before marriage and not enough sex after marriage.

The major world religions don’t agree on much of anything. They do agree on the issue of sex before marriage.

Christ can cleanse us if we’ve messed this up or made mistakes. He can heal us. There’s still hope. Ask him to change your vision of sex and relationships.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn us, but to save us. So if we’ve already messed this up, we can be cleansed and forgiven. Do not call unclean what the Lord has called clean.

Contentment

2011-12-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

I spoke on contentment at Ridgewater's Campus Ministry Center last Thursday, here's my notes. A lot of influence from this material came from Beau Hughes from the Village Church in Dallas/Fort Worth. I think it's on point. (Check his message by clicking here)

Identity.
Where do you find your ultimate identity?

You may be a student. You may be single. You may have a job. These things are true about you, but they’re not ultimately who you are.

We often look at our circumstances through the lens of a reality that isn’t there. We believe lies. “The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.” – AW Tozer

What does your life show about what you believe about God?

You also can’t use the opposite gender to validate your manhood or womanhood. They are not your mirror for who you really are. Men or women are not your problem. You can’t derive your value from the opposite gender. You also can’t play a role, and act how you perceive is appealing to them.

Don’t shrink back in godliness just to pursue your worldly lusts.

What's the Bible say on contentment? Paul’s letter to the Philippians differs from a lot of his other letters. It’s the most encouraging and least rebuking.

Philippians 4:10-20
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

It’s not always easy being a young adult, a student, or single…or in a dating relationship.

The Bible is counter-cultural. But we can expect that. The Bible is claiming to be the word of God (and it is), and isn’t always practical in our lives, but it is wiser than or view of what’s practical.

Back to contentment...
We’re all looking for contentment, but many of us will struggle to ever find it. A lot of us are trying to escape the Willmar/small town areas we’re from.

Marriage is great. But it’s not a savior. We can’t make it an idol. It can’t give you your ultimate identity. If you look to a spouse for your significance, you will crush that person or frustrate yourself.

Jobs are great. But they’re not a savior. Houses and cars and games and anything else are great, but they’re not a savior.

A common theme in our lives is the theme of discontentment. It’s a universal issue. We struggle with contentment not primarily due to our circumstances, but rather because of our struggle to trust God.

We struggle with trusting that God is what is best for us and does what is best for us.

Two questions: What causes discontentment? What nurtures contentment?

Contentment: The only time Paul uses this specific word is in Philippians. But similar concepts are used elsewhere. 2 Corinthians 12: Paul talks about being content in hard circumstances. 1 Timothy: Paul says there’s great gain in godliness and being content with God. Hebrews 13: Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said I will never leave you or forsake you.

“Contentment is the direct fruit of having no higher ambition than to belong to the Lord at his disposal.” – Sinclair Ferguson

It’s trusting and submitting to God, out of love, in every condition.

In Genesis 2, we see man as intended. Fully walking with God. Fully content. And we could make the argument that the first sin and the fall of man came from discontentment with God. Peace and contentment got shattered in Genesis 3.

So what is discontentment? What’s at the source of it?

Ingratitude. Our grumbling shows how mindful we are of what we want and don’t have. It also shows our lack of thankfulness for what we do have. If you’re a believer in Christ, he has saved our souls and redeemed us. He has drawn us to him and loved us.

Thanks for Jesus

...but I’d rather have this, though.

Arrogance. We often believe we have a better plan for our lives than God does. We know better than God. We’re smarter than God. We can do a better job. We may never say that, but our actions scream it sometimes.

Lust and greed. I want more. God has provided for our deepest needs, but we want more. This can be devastating.

Entitlement. We actually believe that God owes us something. I’ve been obedient. I do good things. God hasn’t come through when I do this. God owes me.

Idolatry. The deepest reality for many of us, is that we want something more than we want God.

Can you be honest with God? Can you be open with him and admit that sometimes you try to “help” him with things you don’t think he can handle? Can you be honest enough in the areas you’re not content?

Why is discontentment devastating? It erodes our ability to worship. We can sing songs, but we won’t be worshiping. We won’t be able to receive fully from God. Often it makes us more aware of what we want but don’t have. We are incapable of being truly thankful. The discontented heart is a mess.

It’s hard to follow someone you don’t trust. It’s harder to follow someone when you’re angry at them. It hinders joyful obedience.

It robs your ability to celebrate with others. Especially when they get what we want. It makes us envious. We can’t be happy for someone else because we’re so self-absorbed. This is rooted in our own discontentment. This is toxic.

So what’s the state of your heart and how content are you right now?

What areas in your life are you discontent in? Job? Finances? Relationships?

What thing or person would make you content? If I could just have this, then I’d be content…

What are you afraid to be content about because you’re afraid that God will just leave you in that place?

Discontentment doesn’t just go away. It rolls forward if unchecked. If contentment isn’t nurtured, with help, discontentment will only follow us. Do we need to water and cultivate weeds to help them grow? How about the useful stuff in a garden? This must be our mindset with our faith and our contentment. Contentment has to be nurtured.

This happens only from the inside out. It starts with our hearts and then is acted out. Repent of our grumbling. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach us contentment. Contentment can be learned. God can teach us. There is hope. God is still at work in us. Be honest with your circle of friends so they can help you, and repent to God.

Contentment doesn’t come from a ring on a finger, or a house full of kids, or a six-figure job. If you’re discontent right now, if left unchecked, you’re almost surely going to be discontent moving forward.

The other course of action: Look to Jesus. Like Adam, Jesus was tempted. Like Adam, Jesus was in a garden, about to encounter a tree. Unlike Adam, or you and me, he doesn’t. He is our savior and our example. In that order. We see the truest contentment in the man of Jesus.

Matthew 22:36-38…Jesus quoting Deuteronomy 6 to answer people who KNEW Deuteronomy.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment...

Jesus is not a consolation prize.

It’s not a burden.

It’s supposed to be a delight.

Final Questions:

Where do you find your ultimate identity?

What does your life show about what you believe in God?

What is the underlying source for your discontentment?

How are you letting God nurture your contentment?

What are you afraid to be content about because you’re afraid that God will just leave you in that place?

Social

2011-12-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Wrote this today. It may get tweaked a little at some point.

I want to see pictures with more water than liquor
More peace signs from guys and less middle fingers,
More women showing beauty that’s more than their figures,
But the safety is off and the keyboard’s the trigger…
Free speech is a right, but right now we abuse it,
Creating more problems and hobbling solutions,
Producing pollution, it stems from that heart,
A heart that is broken, and mind that’s not smart,
So we think that we’re gods, but never would claim it,
And shoot off our mouths and claim to be blameless,
Tags make us famous, so public relations
Begins at the laptop, crop it and frame it…
Validate my existing by clicking you like me,
At least like my status, or I’ll assume that we’re fighting,
And I'll warn you now -- contradict with a comment,
I’ll simply unfriend you and respond with a blockage…

Thank You's and Story Times

2011-11-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sacrifice can be hard. If it wasn't, it may be labeled incorrectly as "sacrifice."

For the last eight-plus years, more or less, I have been pouring my life into ministry, specifically Joppa and YATEC MN. I have given physically, emotionally, financially and with my time. Almost literally everything.

A majority of the time, doing ministry for young adults in the Willmar area has been a blessing to my life, inspiring me and it's very evident that God is at work. It's a breeze. It feeds me. It fuels me. I don't wear out.

Buuuut.....It isn't always easy. Sometimes it's lonely. Sometimes there's negotiating with God. Sometimes there's doubt. Sometimes it's only his strength that gets me out of bed in the morning. There's a lot of burden. It weighs on my heart. It weighs on my mind when I'm trying to shut down at night. Being a broken person who is trying to minister to other broken people is hard.

This past Tuesday my Joppa ministry said thank you, and it blew me away. The last few months have been heavy and filled with some questions and a lot of late nights, especially financially.

The outpouring of love from those who attend and participate in Joppa overpowered me on Tuesday, November 22. I left with a blessing of finances, gift cards and enough food that I don't have to do much shopping in the next month or more. Even more importantly, I left more inspired by what God can do through his people.

For all of this, and so much more, I thank everyone.

But the story for me doesn't end there. That was a water station in my marathon.

Next chapter: A Challenge

It has come to my attention that even though Joppa's a growing ministry, there's more young adults out there that have no idea who Jesus really is and why that's an important issue to be more in tune with. That was true when we were 12-20 people meeting in a lobby every week, and it's still true now when we're occasionally passing that century mark in an auditorium.

Young adults are going to be getting married. Having kids. Raising families. If they aren't taught about God's love, they can't teach those families about God's love. They can't show their community God's love. There's so much more to be done in this generation.

My goal with this information in mind: To show the solution to this problem, and put forth a grace-driven effort that makes the last eight years look lazy.

December Schedule

2011-11-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday night: Joppa

Every Thursday at noon: Lunch at Jake's Pizza

December 1
Leading a session at Campus Ministry Center
Topic: Contentment (In singleness)

December 3
YATEC Regroup at Harvest Church

December 5
Tip Night at Pizza Ranch
(Money raised goes to Hope Pregnancy Center)

December 7
Speaking to Solid Rock Youth Group

at Willmar Community Reformed
Topic: Identity

December 8
Leading a session at Campus Ministry Center
Topic: Relationships (Preparing for godly marriage)

December 9
Joppa Friday: Whose Line Is It Anyway night

December 10
BAM Center in Benson

December 17
First Street Warehouse in Willmar

December 18
Speaking about Joppa at Peace Church

Help Wanted

2011-11-02T18:20:00.001-07:00

No matter where you're reading this from, this will apply to your community or circle of influence.

Guys need to step it up and help other guys grow in faith. I was thinking about my own walk lately, and basically, the main reason I ever came to get more involved was because of me chasing after a female and God ambushing me along the way. It doesn't always work that way.

We need guys to show other guys how to be godly men. We need to be taught how to be accountable and responsible, how to love and work hard, how to be men.

Women: pray for the men/boys in your life. Men: get involved with your faith.

Want to see the national marriage situation get better?

Want to see children grow up with better values and respect?

Want to see countless other issues improve?

It's going to start with the fellas. God's calling men to step up and reach out to one another. Don't be ignorant to this call.

This is Huge

2011-10-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Consider how much love God has for us: How we did nothing to earn salvation, yet have it offered to us. That's beyond comprehension. If we truly understood that, our pride in ourselves would be non-existent.

Salvation belongs to the Lord through his son Jesus. He draws us near. He lifts us up for his glory and his purposes, and he's had limitless affection for us for all of eternity. That's crazy.

Be Somebody

2011-10-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Be somebody who invests in others. Be a person who allows people to invest in you, as well. And then don't waste that investment.

A majority of people who are involved in ministries, from running them to simply attending a Sunday service on a regular basis have an important thing in common: They were invited.

There is a give-and-take that is required in a healthy walk of faith. We have to accept the love of God first, love him back, then love his people, and receive love back. I'm pretty sure in that order, and the last one isn't always a requirement. There will be times of loneliness and despair when it comes to other people's lack of help/care/love, but when your primary source for that is God, it eases that burden.

It won't be easy sometimes. Sometimes it will be frustrating. Sometimes it will hurt. Sometimes it will be costly. But this is the cost of discipleship and the path is paved for you by Christ.

Prayer: Faith vs Lack of Faith

2011-10-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

I've written similar posts to this, but would love to read some feedback on this. It may ramble a bit, and it didn't go necessarily where I thought it would, but I'm going to lead with some questions, and write some thoughts.

What's the cause of unanswered prayer? Is it a lack of faith, God's will, or a combination of the two? When we pray for healing and it doesn't happen, is it on us, or is it by God's design? Or do we "credit" God with things that he allows but isn't behind?

JR Vassar gave a brilliant sermon on answered and unanswered prayer, you can click here to listen to it.

Time after time in scripture, God answers prayer. In the Bible, and in our lives right now. Everyone who asks in Jesus' name gets their prayers answered. None of us deserves to get our prayers answered on our own merit. God hears us through his son, Jesus, though.

Matthew 7:7-11

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Matthew 21:21-22

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

John 14:13-14

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

1 John 5:14-15

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

We need to pray in Jesus' name. We need to pray in alignment with his will. We need to pray with perseverance. We need to wear God out with our dialoguing with him. God answers prayer, but sometimes we just give up, or just blame ourselves for a lack of faith. There can be some truth to the lack of faith thing, but what if there's something else going on with prayer that's been told "No."

We're looking through a blurred lens at eternity. We see the short-term. We pray on perceived needs, but God knows our greatest needs. We need to understand that God's wisdom is infinitely high and his love is infinitely deep. We also need to know that we don't need all of the answers.

"We can't let the things we don't know keep us from finding comfort in the things we do know." - JR Vassar

God may not reveal all of his purposes are with your requests, fulfilled or unfulfilled. Sometimes God does things you need instead of the things you want. We just need to remember that he is always in control, and he is always loving, and that he is using us to advance his purposes.

Real vs Fake

2011-09-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

If you're faking the Holy Spirit in your life, please stop.

I listened to Mike Bickle, founder of IHOP address this recently (CLICK HERE to see and listen). He said that he'd estimate that about 80% of manifestations that he encounters at various events are fake, which means that 20% are still real. I wish he'd have addressed this sooner or more often.

Also, what's the appropriate response to that? I'd rather make a bigger deal out of the 20% and try to eliminate the fraudulent than just acknowledge it. But how?

He attributes a lot of this to people experiencing the Holy Spirit once, and then trying to manufacture the same experience again and again. The mindset is often brought about by peer pressure - others are apparently experiencing something, I need to look like it, too. Other times, it's just longing to feel the same thing that was felt previously, and doing really silly actions to "help" the Holy Spirit - if I start laughing or groaning, the ball will start rolling and the Holy Spirit will come, and then it will be legit.

I'm trying not to mock this. I really am trying. A lot of me understands this. I long for experiences that are mind-boggling and incredibly awesome. But I want the real. God's way better than I am. I've been a skeptic for years. A lot of it from my own experience. I've found in my own life, he appears in subtle ways that are significant, rather than spectacular ways that are flashy.

I remember people trying to "teach" me how to pray in tongues. That's silly, and I laugh at that. They meant well. But you can't teach gifts. God gives them to you. And there's more than prophecy, tongues and healing.

I've heard of people being told about God's plan to expand their family via childbirth, only to fight the urge to walk away from their faith after years of not being able to. That's reckless. That's irresponsible. That angers me.

I know people who were exploring their faith that have walked away from Christianity after seeing people faking the Holy Spirit. That makes my blood boil and causes me to have to repent about some things.

God doesn't need your help. He's not hurting in the PR department. He's not desperate for your skill set. He's asking you to participate in a divine relationship with him. He's asking you to love him and his people. He's asking you to learn about him and to be obedient. Authentically.

Outside the Lines

2011-09-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

I was watching a little ESPN today (Outside the Lines) and they were discussing Tim Tebow and his faith. His public faith, specifically. The discussion about freedom of speech was more interesting to me than the athlete who is a Christian. There are a lot of Christian athletes. A lot who aren't as high-profile, and that's okay and for a different day.

One of the people they brought in essentially made the point that everyone should get the same chance to promote their views (religious or otherwise) as equally as possible. That sounds like a nice idea, but does every idea need the same amount of fair consideration?

It's interesting to see where our culture takes us with how subjective even our morals are. We can spout off our own opinions via any social network under the cloak of free speech. We can use the foulest of language and explicit content on TV and radio and the Internet, but if someone else uses that same free speech to promote something we don't necessarily agree with, we become offended and cry foul. It's an interesting dynamic.

I fall into this myself, too. I'm personally a fan of free speech, but I don't think every opinion deserves the same platform to promote whatever. I don't think it's a black and white issue, either.

I guess when it comes down to it for me personally, I fall back onto this verse*:

"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive.

- 1 Corinthians 10:23

(*1 Corinthians 6:12 also references this line of thinking, as well)

The Importance of Church

2011-09-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

"The church is a whore,

but she is my mother."

- Attributed to Augustine

I'm passionate about being involved in a Gospel community. I've written about it a few times. I'm speaking about it at the YATEC retreat coming up in October. I've listened to brilliant teachings from men so much wiser than myself on this subject: Matt Chandler, JR Vassar, Darrin Patrick, etc... and through it all, I'm convinced that God is active, alive and using his people through the church.

"You can't obey multiple verses in the New Testament if you're not vitally connected to a local church. It's simply impossible."

- Darrin Patrick

Here are some numbers for you. In a study by George Barna, there are twelve million professing Christians in the US that do not attend church. Almost 40% of unchurched Americans don't attend church because of a bad experience with a church.

That's kind of a cop out. If you're involved with people, you're going to eventually have a bad experience. But that's still an issue. If you view things the way Patrick does (and I agree with him), and you can't obey verses, then you can't obey God. That's a big deal. It's not something we can just brush off as insignificant.

The church can walk beside us when we hurt. Can pick us up when we fall. Correct us when we stray. Advise us when we're lost. The church isn't God, but it is God's people. His people mess up. His people are prone to wander. His people are often his instruments to teach patience and forgiveness. Remember what Augustine said: We're whores. We're also the bride of Christ.

You can't love Jesus but hate his wife.

Honestly, I think the main reason people leave the church is mostly because the church has strayed from its true love. It's strayed from its husband. The reality is that people wanted entertainment or were going to church for the wrong reasons, and the church has tried to give them what they wanted. In that process, it has failed to give them what they needed. This has helped people justify their absence from a Gospel community.

Ephesians 5 shows us that the church is Christ's bride. The relationship between Christ and his church is what we're supposed to base our marriages off of. Christ died for his bride. Shouldn't we place more of an emphasis on what church should be and how we're involved in it?

Church is where the truth of God can be declared and taught corporately so we can apply it in our lives - at home and in the community. It's where we can gather together to support and inspire and rally together to glorify God. This is a bigger deal than we treat it most weeks.

That's all I'm going to post on this for now. I'm sure there's more coming in the future. As I said before, this is a passion of mine.

Haters Gon' Hate

2011-09-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

There's a few trendy little phrases that have been bouncing around the past few years, and they're linked to the word hate: "Don't be a hater," or "They're just hating on me," or anything similar. I'd like to address this a little now, fully realizing that it's probably not going to impact too many minds or eyes, but I just was thinking about this during the past week.

"Don't be a hater" is "You can't judge me's" little brother.

We live in the most narcissistic era known to man. Everyone has instant access to spew their thoughts to an audience within seconds via a tweet or a status update. There's no "Are You Sure?" button, and there's no filter. It's our right. It's our free speech. Blah, blah, blah.

We are so self-obsessed, so self-important, so self-righteous, that if anyone (even justifiably) dares to disagree with us, they become our personal perceived villain. They're a hater.

Here's the reality check: Not many people really care about your personal life. Almost none do more than you do. I promise. That's not saying that anyone's unimportant or lacks value. It's also not diminishing anyone who has some serious things going on in their life or are going through injustice.

That's not hating. That's reality.

We're not owed much from anybody. But we act like it. And when someone else refuses to act like it, too, they are obviously interrupting our little universe's attempt at glorifying it's king or queen. Then we passively aggressively post something about it on Twitter or Facebook.

That's not exactly Biggie or Pac (or Nas and Jay Z, for you younger folk) launching songs back and forth at each other, which somehow seems civilized.

Here's the main point of this little vent: (Probably) No one hates you. There's no conspiracy against your happiness. Maybe there's an issue where you're trying to find that happiness, but that's for another time and writing.

The Importance of Gospel Community

2011-09-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Darrin Patrick nailed this topic in his return to his congregation a few weeks ago. Click here to listen to his message. Matt Chandler and JR Vassar also have awesome sermons on this subject matter.

I've spoke on this so many times. I've probably written about it a few, as well. The importance of being engaged in a Gospel community is very close to my heart. It's where the most growth will occur in the individual's life. You can't grow nearly as well in solitude.

Being involved in a Gospel-driven church and community of friends gives you so many resources to help you in your faith and development. We need God's people to help us where we're weak and assist us with our needs.

So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed.

The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect.

- James 5:16

We need more than accomplices. We need friends who call us out when we need it and pick us up when we fall. We need community. You can't really change unless you're plugged into the local church. You can't really grow unless you're active in the Gospel community. God uses his people to help people. He uses crooked people in his straight path. God uses us in our weakness. He also uses others in their weakness. You don't need to suffer alone.

If you can't be vulnerable with people you can trust, maybe you should re-evaluate who you're hanging out with. Your first choice of who you should go to is God, but you need his church, too. You need their prayers. You need their resources. You need to be engaged with your prayers and resources, too. It has to be a two-way street there.

When you're hurting, will you go to the church? Will you admit you need help? The humility needed to do this with complete honesty is often a step few people are willing to take. It's because it's really hard. We don't want to take off our mask of invincibility.

Darrin Patrick makes a great point about confession in his message I linked to above. There is a freedom in honesty. There's a freedom in being able to explain our sin. There's also justification when we do, and other people can call that out in community. We don't need to justify our sin. We need to confess and repent of it. You don't repent to other people, you confess to other people. You repent to God. Other people can help you in this process. We all need this. We need biblical confrontation. We need friends, not fans.

This is real community.

If Only....

2011-09-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

"For I know the plans I have for you,”

declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

That's a familiar verse. But there's so much more to our plans for this life than what can fit on a refrigerator magnet. We often get caught up waiting for that "hope and a future" to be delivered to us with some great epiphany. We wait for the fanfare to blast and an angel to show up and hand us instructions without a trace of doubt.

Our present circumstances aren't an island that we need to escape from before we can go on to serving God. A lot of us wait until the conditions are 'right' for them so we can start out with what God's plans are in their lives:

If only I had a house, then I could....

If only I had a job, then I could....

If only I was married, then I could....

What about now? God's plans include our right now. Are you aware of the opportunities to show the love you've been shown to others? Are you going out of your way to extend the grace, mercy and sacrifice to your neighbor the way Jesus did for you? Do they know that you love God and that God loves them?

You're not banished to any hardship you're going through. Be well aware that God is actively involved right where your at, and is longing for you to long for him and lean into him. Darrin Patrick puts it this way (paraphrased): Do you lean into God so much, that if he moves, you fall?

His plans for you aren't always clear, but they aren't too hard to find, either. They're all around you. The job you're at. The people in your neighborhood. The family you have. That's a mission field that God is asking you to join into right now.

Here's some tips. Not exhaustive, but hopefully helpful.

So how do you know what God's plan and future are?

1. Pray. Keep praying.

2. Get into his word.

3. Pray some more.

4. Get involved in a Gospel community (A regular church, godly friends, older Christians who can lovingly teach and correct you...AND THEN LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY!)

5. Pray even more.

If you believe in Christ, your hope and future are already eternally secure. That relieves a lot of that pressure from you, so that you can focus on what God's up to right now.

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you,” declares the LORD...

- Jeremiah 29:12-14a

Despicable Me

2011-08-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

My Monday night was ruined by an 18th century Portuguese gold coin. Possibly coins. I don’t even know. But it’s still dumb. All I know is I don't care for John V, of Portugal. He's the reason we have that word.

Joannes. More commonly, johannes.

You see, “joannes” is an accepted word in the game of Scrabble. I play Scrabble. I’m pretty good at Scrabble. I’m also super-competitive and have a lot of pride and a huge ego.

Because of that awesome combination, when I lost at Scrabble (online, mind you) due mostly to my roommate playing that word at the end of the game (seven letters, on a triple word score, 93 points). I was “talk to myself” angry at that.

Then I was angry for being angry. I have issues.

I’m a thirty-year old man upset that I lost an online board game. There are probably more important things for me to spend my thoughts, time and energy on.

If I’m honest with you, the readers, I’m guilty of thinking I’m smarter than most people. I write "smarter," but sometimes, that should read “better.” And when the world dares to prove me absolutely wrong and humble me on that front, that’s when things in my little world crumble. I am so arrogant.

Often, if I’m not the smartest, the best, or just winning, then I’m thinking of ways to make it so I am the smartest, the best or can be winning. For the record, “shallow” is like thirteen points if it doesn’t fall on any bonus spaces in Scrabble.

It’s a good thing God is never done with us.

Now was this a crime? Nope. Was anyone hurt by it? Nope. But it's sin, so it was offensive to God, and it was a matter of the heart, which is a real important thing to be aware of. These are the things we let slide in our personal walks that subtly dull or even kill our relationship with God.

So here's a question: What's your Portuguese coin?

Islands in the Son

2011-08-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Being a pastor or leader in any ministry or organization often sets a person apart. It's often a lonely road. This is because of false perceptions of "being better" or "holier" than other people or some such nonsense.

The fact is, pastors and leaders sin. They are human. They need community and accountability and support just like the rest of their congregation or groups. But we often don't think about that. They have all the answers, right? Lies bounce off them. Life isn't hard for them, they know God has their back. They're set apart.

Unless your pastor is a robot, they're going to need your support.

Pray for your church leadership this week. They deal with a lot of stress when it comes to serving others -- from their own personal life to their church -- most of them walk through a deeper reality of life than "normal" society. They experience amazing Holy Spirit moments and things we all celebrate in life: weddings, baptisms, births, and so much more. BUT they also are there after a parent gets a phone call at some ungodly hour about their teenage kid, when an infant doesn't wake up from a nap, when cancer is diagnosed. They are there for when one life is horribly wronged by another. They are often in the middle of so much brokenness.

We have a tendency to put a cape on these leaders and expect them to be invincible and never to feel hurt or need our help or prayers. This couldn't be more distant from the truth. They need to know you're praying for them during the week. They need to know more than what your personal preferences are after they've given a sermon or made a choice in leading the church. They need your support and prayer and love.

Often, leadership feels like they're on an island. Often, they put themselves there (and that's a hard issue to guard against), but many times it's not by their choice.

Pray for your ministry leadership this week, and let them know. Edify your leaders.

Desperation

2011-08-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

To paraphrase Proverbs 3:5-6 and Darrin Patrick:

"Lean into the Lord and trust with your whole heart.

If he moves, you fall."

Within my ministry (Joppa, YATEC, music, life in general), I long to see God at work. I want to be more than someone who knows about God. I want to know him. And almost equally so, I want others to know him in the same manner. I want to see my generation selling out wholly and completely to the Lord of Heaven and earth.

I want to see an unyielding desperation of an entire generation that is only satiated by Jesus...and then demands more of him because they can't get enough.

I want to see my generation attending home churches...and staying there. I want to see them using their time, talents and resources for Kingdom purposes. Then I want them to pay it forward to the next generation. I want them to be inspired and then inspire others.

All of this comes back to those verses in Proverbs:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

An Idea and an Update

2011-08-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

This post will have two things going on with it. At the end, there will be a link for you to shoot an email to with your ideas, thoughts and input.

Thing Number One:

I help with a young adult ministry in Willmar called Joppa. We walk with young adults in the greater Willmar area, growing together in faith and community. Part of being involved in a faith community means taking that vision and purpose out to the communities we live in. This is where Thing Number One comes into play.

I have signed Joppa up to work with Pizza Ranch with their Tip Night program. On the first Monday of each month (starting in September and through the rest of the year as a trial run), Joppa people will clear tables and greet people at Pizza Ranch in Willmar. Joppa will receive a portion of the sales for the night (after a certain sales total has been reached), and any tips offered by the customers.

Rather than use that money solely for Joppa, we're looking at donating half of it to entities within the Willmar area. This could be anything. I have a few things in mind, but I'm open to suggestions that I probably haven't thought of yet.

This is where we get interactive. You can email me at jeffreyaschmitz@yahoo.com. If you have any suggestions, or are interested in helping, you can let me know. I will reply to each and every email I get.

Why do this? We want to make our community better. We are young adults who typically don't have a lot of financial resources, but we have some man power. We can utilize this to earn those tips at Pizza Ranch and then help financially within our community. It also gets some of our young adults interacting with the community on these nights at Pizza Ranch. It also is a chance for people to learn about our ministry and as a result, hopefully someone new will come to learn about Jesus Christ.

Thing Number Two:

I write a lot. There are a few reasons for this. The first is because it's what I believe and I'm called to share it. The second is that I need reminders about what I believe and why I believe it, and maybe anyone who reads this piece of Internet may need a reminder from time to time, too.

Marriage

2011-08-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:22-33

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body. And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ.

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, in order to present the church to himself in all its beautyâpure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. (None of us ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; for we are members of his body.)

As the scripture says,

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one. There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

What is the purpose for marriage? What are the reasons for you get married? It’s not because you’ve fallen in love. The purpose is much bigger than that.

“It is not the love that sustains the marriage,

but from now on, the marriage that sustains the love.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The marriage commitment is what sustains the love. Feelings are important, but they can change. Love is important, but there are days when that’s just not enough. The commitment, the covenant, is meant to be permanent.

You don’t get married just to have a family. If a marriage revolves primarily around children, what happens when the kids move out? Children are a part of it, but they can’t be the primary reason.

Guilt-free sex? Marriage isn’t for sex. Sex is for marriage. Sex is the ultimate act of affection. It’s entrusting yourself emotionally and physically with one another. That’s God’s vision for sex. It’s covenant-making and covenant-strengthening. When we make sex common before marriage and with casual partners, it diminishes the intended power it has to build relationship within a marriage.

The purpose for marriage is to reflect the Gospel of Jesus to the person you’ve married and the world around you. Men are to display the love and loyalty of Jesus towards his wife. Women are to display the love and loyalty of the church towards their savior, Jesus. It’s to be a reflection of that unity.

The Gospel is how marriages can thrive. Forgiveness, steadfastness, patience and love are all taught through the life and testimony of Jesus. This shows husbands how to forgive, bear with, and love their wives. This also shows wives how to do likewise for their husbands. Couples can love and forgive and serve each other selflessly because Christ first did so for us.

Husbands are called to love and lead. It’s a responsibility. If a marriage fails, it’s on the husband. Men are called to protect and provide. Men are to be the protectors and defenders of their wives emotional, physical and spiritual health. The husband is called to lead the spiritual formation of his family. They are called to create an environment of the home and relationship that causes their family to thrive.

For men, marriage isn’t having wives pick up where their moms left off.

Too many men are lazy and selfish, not really worthy to be followed. Men should be the first to apologize and the first to seek reconciliation. Instead of taking up that responsibility, they hide behind their incompetency. Too many men don’t know how to be men. They’ve never had an example of how to be a godly man, and that will often be passed on to the next generation. Men have responsibilities. They should fulfill them in a godly way.

Women are called to be the church figure in the relationship. The word used in Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18 and 1 Peter 3 is “submit,” or “submission.” That seems to be a stumbling block. It starts with submitting to Jesus. Then, in marriage, it means submitting to her husband.

Biblical submission in a marriage isn’t inferiority. It isn’t an issue of intellectual capacity. It’s about roles. It’s equality, yet functionally different. It’s like the trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all point to one another. Equal in essence, different in function. Submission in a marriage isn’t about inequality.

A wife’s allegiance is ultimately to Jesus. Men are sinful. God isn’t. If a husband’s leadership violates biblical principles, then the wife is called to help correct the husband in a respectful way.

For a wife to submit to a husband means a woman gives her husband her respect. It’s affirmation and honor. It’s a call to refrain from humiliating the husband, from commanding her husband, from slandering him. Respect is a great motivator for men. A de-motivated man has a harder time leading his home. This doesn’t mean to avoid all confrontation or correction, but it means to do so respectfully.

Submission means dependence. It’s a union within the marriage. The head needs the body, the body needs the head. They are to act in sync with one another. The body cannot act independently from the head. This means the husband’s leadership needs to be considered in decision-making. Once again, it’s not because of lack of capability. The dependence is a gift. Men need to treat it with importance, and women need to lay down their right of independence for the good of the union.

Submitting means the wife giving the husband the tie-breaking vote to the husband. She doesn’t forfeit her say. Men HAVE to listen to their wives. Most of the time, the two will agree. When there’s a stand-still, the husband is called to have the tie-breaking vote. This doesn’t mean that the man will make the right choice every time, or be correct all the time. Both are called to be humble when right. Both are called to apologize when wrong.

Marriage doesn’t grow a boy into a man, or a girl into a woman. All it does is bring out their real character for it to be refined. Make sure to choose wisely when looking for someone to play their role in your life. Choose someone who is cultivating qualities that have prepared them to be in a godly marriage.

All of this is done through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way it works.

"The most important day in marriage is not the first day. It’s the last day."

– Mark Driscoll.

Fun side notes:

As of writing this, I'm single. As of writing this, I'm 30 years old. I have not lived through the rigors of marriage. I have not experienced having children. But to dismiss what the Bible says on the matter of marriage because of my lack of experience is a poor excuse for willfully choosing to disobey God's design for how marriage is to work.

A lot of this post is based off of JR Vassar's sermon, "Marriage and Women." If you click on that link, you'll find the sermon audio and Pastor Vassar's personal notes.

I also get a lot of input that shapes my views on this stuff from Pastor Matt Chandler and Pastor Mark Driscoll, and how they interpret the Bible (along with my personal reading).

Pick and Choose

2011-08-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

I just had a conversation with a sixty-nine year old woman about divorce, ministry, marriage, roles of men and women and many other rabbit trails. I don't have all the answers. I'm a thirty year old man who has never been married. I'm trying to dig into the Bible and see how God intends for me to live. I pray that the Holy Spirit guides me. I know that Jesus has saved me.

The following is not a new problem, but it's what I war against frequently. I war against it in my own walk and in my own community.

During my conversation with this woman, who claims to be a believer (and I think she is, as she claims Christ as her savior), I was informed that the Bible is outdated and no longer authoritative (Jesus' atonement for our sins was, but apparently other things have an expiration date). That marriage isn't for a lifetime. That eternity potentially isn't as long as next week's struggles. That praying for healing isn't godly if that person might suffer in the future. That when the Bible says for women to "submit" to their husbands, it's wrong (despite what Ephesians 5 says). Then she disagreed with what the word "submit" actually meant when we actually looked it up online in a dictionary. And so many more things.

All of this leads me to this point: Churches need to be teaching soundly and following Jesus. Pastors have to be teaching and living in a biblical lifestyle (Please, check out 1 Timothy 3). When they neglect one of those two areas, there is a foothold for loose interpretations of what God intends for our lives to seep into our churches, and as a result, out into the world. They don't need to be perfect, but they have to be God-honoring.

We, as believers, are called to reflect Christ. If our leadership is distorting this reflection, we go out and distort it even further to the world around us. Suddenly marriage vows no longer matter, obeying some of the Bible's commands aren't necessary because "they're outdated and we're enlightened," lovingly calling out a person's sin is violating them personally because we're judging...and the sliding will go on and on.

The Bible is not an opinion. When we make it subjective and pick and choose the parts we like, we will go so far astray. Not only that, but we will then pass that on to the next generation. And the next. The deterioration will only continue. When leadership of churches lives out the "pick and choose" lifestyle, the congregation eventually follows.

We are called to a lifestyle of loving and serving God and one another. We are called to this lifestyle not because of any kind of brutal slavedriver/slave relationship, but out of a loving family relationship involving a loving Father and us as his children. When we follow God's word and his ways for us, it goes better. We get to experience God more fully. We are drawn closer. It's the result of his faithfulness. It's the result of his grace. It's the result of our submission to this and letting him lead.

God loves you. Enough that he sent his son to die just so you could know him. You did nothing to earn this, but you can accept that truth and enter into something that is truly miraculous. Start with that and grow.

Blessed to be a Blessing (part 2)

2011-07-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some quick hits from Logan Gentry’s sermon, “Blessed to Be a Blessing." I've actually already written a little about this message, but it was just so on point that I put another set of notes down. If you're a leader in a church or wanting to get more involved, you should probably listen through this message.

1 Peter 3:8-9
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

What’s the church supposed to look like?
The church is to be about the story of God, and the church’s current role should be the restoration and renewal of our community and society.

Don’t just let your church or ministry be a holy huddle.

Don’t become legalistic or bitter when seeing faults in the church. Be humble. Be helpful.

Why don’t we dream about God’s family more? Why do we tend to focus on our own personal family desires? Have we (or you) lost the vision for the church?

We have been given value through and by Christ in order to be a family of believers in order to bless God and others. How do we, as a church, seek the shalom of the community where God has placed us? How can we add value to our community in the name of Jesus?

If the church you serve in were to leave, would it be missed?

“Can you imagine serving the needs of the city, being so tuned to the common good for the sake of the Gospel, that your city would grieve if you picked up and left?”

- Matt Carter

Serving your city is more than social justice, or doing good things. We’ve been blessed by Christ, so we should bless others in his name. God’s blessings transform from the inside out, and as we pour that out into others, we will see it in our heart and in our relationship with Christ. That doesn’t mean comfort. It just means joy.

When serving others, you will experience hurt. When stepping into a broken environment, it’s important to know that it’s broken for a reason. You will experience suffering when you step in to serve. There will be hurt. Our response is to tap into God and reflect a light and the reason we have hope.

It’s not about if you suffer for doing good. It’s a matter of when.

Christianity is more than a hobby. It’s the Gospel shaping your entire life. Jesus has to be your motivation for doing things, otherwise you’re disobedient, or just a “good person.”

Evangelism is just explaining how the Gospel defines your life.

We should be seeking to make Jesus popular. Our lives as a community, and as individuals, should reflect the unifying love of Jesus.

God's Faithfulness

2011-07-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

I listened to a great sermon from Matt Moore from Cornerstone out in Simi Valley, California. He was talking about our faithful God. It was a great message having to do with God’s consistency in fulfilling his word, and our tendency to doubt.

I’m guilty as charged. I walk that fine line of GOD WILL COME THROUGH! (but what if he doesn’t?) My heart finds itself clawing its way out of this state, almost perpetually.

The good news for me is that the Bible is full of examples who are just like me. If you flip to Hebrews 11, commonly called “The Hall of Faith,” you will see stories of great faith. If we were to investigate most of the men who are in that chapter, we’d find they stack up to many of our walks: Fail, Fail, Doubt, Faith! Fail, Fail, Faith! Fail, Fail, Faith! etc.

If we look at their stories, we’re going to see more of God’s faithfulness than the faith of man. We, as men, fail often. God never fails. We get arrogant with our faith sometimes.

“Why do we arrogant about having faith in a God who’s never failed? You’re trusting in something that is 100% trustworthy. You’re trusting in a God that doesn’t have a good track record, he has a perfect track record.” - Matt Moore

The same God that was faithful to Abraham, Isaac and Joseph is the same God who is and will be faithful to us. We don’t have to take leaps of faith as if it’s risky or God’s unreliable. Faith can be costly, but it’s not risky.

Time after time God has come through. You can read all about it in the Bible. It's a dominant recurring theme, with the ultimate sing of God's faithfulness coming through his own son, Jesus. If you’re not reading about God’s faithfulness, you’re missing out.

Most people who go to church will say that God is faithful. But when the rubber meets the road, many of us try to do a lot of things on our own, without God, and only turn to God as a last resort. My track record is spotty, at best. God’s track record is perfect.

I have not always trusted in God’s faithfulness. Much of our faith walk is failing or doubt. As Moore says in his sermon, “We fail into his faithfulness.” We often let our circumstances overwhelm God’s reality. Anything is possible. What are you going to believe?

Regardless of what we face, God can grant us peace. Whether it’s through forgiveness, or healing, or perseverance, or whatever, God can grant us peace. God’s faithfulness is greater than our failures and sins. He is faithful to work all things together for the good of those who love him. God will not give up on you. If you have a pulse, you still have time to turn to his faithfulness.

Blessed to be a Blessing

2011-07-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Would people call you a blessing? Would God call you a blessing?

Do you contribute to your community?

Recently, I listened to a sermon from Logan Gentry from Apostles Church in NYC called "Blessed to be a Blessing," and I strongly suggest you check it out, too.

I have a burning desire to see the Willmar area explode with the reality of the Gospel. Could you imagine the body of Christ being such a blessing to the community that they were actually missed if they were to leave or shut down operations? Not for the sake of glorifying ourselves or our churches, or just doing good things, but to glorify Jesus and what he did for us.

So are you a blessing? Is your church a blessing?

I love the illustration used in Logan Gentry’s message. Let's say there's a party and you're invited. Are you like the single guy that comes to the party and only brings a bag of potato chips? His only intention is to avoid guilt while consuming all the good stuff that other people bring. Yeah, he brought something, but there was no intention of bringing anything that cost him anything, or to contribute to the bettering of the gathering. His intention, if he was honest, was to gain the most for himself, while at the same time not sacrificing anything of himself.

What are you bringing to your community's party?

Don’t bring your community spiritual potato chips. Don’t bring them potato chips when it comes to your efforts and attitudes. If you call yourself a Christian, you have an obligation to lovingly reflect the God you serve in all situations, whether it’s easy or not, or comfortable or not.

We have an example. Since Jesus stepped off of his throne in Heaven to save all of us, we are called to lay down our lives to bless others. The grace he extends to us we are to extend to others. Sacrificially and lovingly.

Strengths and Weaknesses

2011-07-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

Romans 3:23 tells us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Due to our sinful nature, and the ongoing process that is sanctification, it's part of the journey. However, God calls us to be holy, for he is holy (1 Peter 1:16, which is referencing Leviticus 20:26). How the heck do we do this?

First, the problem: We love the sin that so easily entangles. Yeah, we love God. But we also love to sin. Some of it's really fun. But God asks us not to. He sent his son to die for us, while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). There's the pesky guilt and consequences afterwards, but we just can't help ourselves. Why is that?

If we're honest, it's because we don't hate the sin. We love it. We place it as a temporary god, an idol, and then once we've taken the bait, we often are snapped back into reality. For many of us, this takes the form of shame and guilt. For others it's conviction. Many people will hit their heads on the same walls for decades. Who can save us from this?

Jesus. The answer is Jesus. It's simple, yet complex. It's easy, yet it's hard. Everything that's human in us screams for us to cling to our temporary saviors, our endorphin giving fixes, and the life we've come to know and be comfortable with, despite often being ashamed of it. Everything in God longs for us to look at his Son on the cross and the empty tomb three days later. Everything in God longs for us to take that reality, bury it in our hearts, allow it to take root, and to transform us from the inside out.

If you're struggling with sin and sick of it, maybe there are seeds of this starting to take root. Maybe there needs to be some care to what's trying to take root in your heart. Maybe there's some weeding that needs to be done, and some watering and nurturing that need to take place.

I'll give you some tips that I use, or try to use. This is more than behavior modification, so please don't just do this as a blind checklist. These are only helpers to hopefully grow you closer to your Savior, Jesus Christ.

1.) Pray. Slow down and pray. Ask Jesus into your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you more of who God is. Ask God to forgive you (repent). And listen. Don't be one-sided in your conversation with God. God's a great listener, he also will talk to his children, too.

2.) Get into the Bible. If you want to know what God is saying to you, you will need to know what he's always said. Study the life of Jesus. Study it on your own, writing down questions, highlighting passages that stand out to you, and memorizing it. Then study it with someone who is walking out their faith in an authentic, passionate way. They won't mind. This will help you to understand some of the trickier parts of Scripture and not get as many goofy applications.

3.) Get plugged into a church. Be an active member in a community of believers. Have people that you can have speak into your life, and contribute to theirs. Growth happens in a community, it often stunts or dies in isolation.

4.) Shed temptations. You know where you're weak. If alcohol is your vice, maybe you shouldn't go to that party or to the bar. If you've got a porn addiction, maybe you have some accountability software or a partner, or you only utilize the Internet in public places. If you find yourself grouchy because of a lack of sleep, maybe you skip the late night TV. Only you know where your weaknesses are (not completely true, as the enemy does, too), so set up some defenses to help you win your battles.

This last one is often the hardest. We often can get plugged in, at least temporarily. We can also pray and read, and discipline ourselves into a routine. But when we're asked to skip some things that we love, even if the result is growing closer to God, that's too much. My question would be this: What's greater than God?

God's calling us to love him first, and to be his image bearers on this Earth so that more people can know him and his glory can be proclaimed. Why wouldn't we want to do that? Shouldn't we be willing to do that, rather than fall victim to the same issues that we read about in Romans 1.

Your strength is Christ. Your weakness is you. The answer is Jesus. The problem is you. The solution is simple. You need to decrease and Christ needs to increase in your life. It's not going to be easy, it may cost you everything that you're familiar and comfortable with, but you gain so much more in the end.

What If?

2011-07-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Please have some grace while reading this, as I probably needed more grace than I tapped into while writing it. These are the thoughts that wake me up at 4:00AM. Then I pray and write about them. Welcome to a stream-of-consciousness writing that may or may be the wisest to share with the public, yet I don’t know any better, so here you go.

“These problems don’t take seconds to solve,

and getting mad ain’t the same thing as getting involved.”

– Shadrach Kabango

This may seem like foolishness, this may seem counter-cultural, this may seem too big or lofty. But if Christians claim to have been saved by the blood of Jesus, have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them, and serve the perfect God of the universe, walking in obedience to his commands and following him out of love….maybe it’s not too daunting to explore some of the following questions in actual life instead of blog format.

What if we, as the church, were honest with ourselves and took off our masks and make-believe images?

What if we, as the church, met people’s needs before they became critical and desperate? What if we, as the church, stopped faking ignorance to the problems in our own neighborhoods, acknowledged where we fell short, repented, and then stepped up with Holy Spirit-empowered solutions with our prayers, presence and resources? This would be far less dramatic and exciting, I know, but it would probably save on our stress levels and save lives, marriages, projects and programs, and in many cases, churches themselves.

What if we, as the church, talked less and did more? Not as an excuse to not be knowledgeable enough to defend why we do what we do (I’m looking at you, you “When necessary use words” people. There’s truth behind that statement, but not to the extent many Christians hide behind it.), but as a breath of fresh air that provides solutions instead of merely complaining about problems. The faith community needs more players in the game and less referees calling fouls. (This may be an ironic paragraph by the time I’m done writing this, but I’m going to let God handle that one, and anyone wise enough to rebuke me where I’m gonna need it.)

What if we, as the church, stopped buying into Fox News (or any group of talking heads promoting their own self-promoting, hateful/ignorant agendas, for that matter) and propaganda, but instead got ourselves informed about public policy and made educated choices to progress the nation in a positive manner on a local and national level? What if we honored our leaders instead of immediately undercutting them just because they have an “R” or a “D” by their name?

What if we, as the church, used this new found political awareness and participation and were actually aware and participated? Want to see an end to abortion? Want to see public schools improve? Want to see neighborhoods get better? Get informed. Step up. Use your talents. Use your resources. Inspire others to do the same. Grace-driven effort goes a long way.

What if the people who pound their chest and say things like, “This used to be a Christian nation,” actually acted like a Christian nation right now and had an influence in their own household, community and nation? What if those Christians showed more love and knowledge of Christ’s teachings and less of the Pharisees' legalism and stereotypical American laziness and apathy?

What if we, as the church, didn’t compromise and settle for our habitual sins, justifying them as a part of “who we are” while at the same time condemning others for “more serious sins?” What if the church did a full-out campaign against the areas they are most hypocritical? What if we, as the church, compared ourselves more to Jesus and his standards instead of our neighbors? What if we, as the church, looked more like the image we were created in and less about the image we wanted to portray to the Joneses? What if we, as the church, ran our race instead of someone else’s?

What if we, as the church, invited people to church? What if older generations didn’t fear younger generations, or more honestly, fear their own ineptitude to lead by example by not being capable of leading a godly lifestyle? What if younger generations showed more respect for the older generations and listened, rather than hide behind a banner called, “You can’t judge me?” What if younger generations didn't change the dress code on hypocrisy and legalism?

What if we, as the church, gave ‘til it hurt? You know, like sacrificially, or something. What if we, as the church, cared more about reaching the parents of the kids that attend our Vacation Bible Schools? What if we, as the church, equipped them to provide a VBS education during the rest of the year? What if we put the church into action in homes outside of a mere building that we've labeled a church?

What if we, as the church, didn’t have to do ridiculous fundraisers to fund projects? What if the people of the church just funded ministries?

What if we, as the church, helped feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and rescue the oppressed? What if we did more than pray for the victims of human trafficking and sex slavery? What if our response was similar to Liam Neeson’s character in Taken? What if more than half the church-going men didn’t have a porn addiction that is literally causing some of those sex slave situations? What if church-going women weren’t trending in the same direction?

What if we did more than pray? What if we got involved? What if we asked the hard, awkward questions? What if we, as the church, held each other accountable in ways such as, "Have you lusted after God this past week?" instead of the checklists of failures we usually do?

What if we, as the church, did more about widows and orphans and taking care of their needs? What if we, as the church in the United States, lived less extravagantly and more counter culturally? What if we lived more modest lives?

What if we, as the church’s men, cared less about professional sports teams and more about being Godly men? What if we taught other men how to be godly men? What if we got active in the teaching other men how to be more than just nice Christian guys? What if those godly men then led households lovingly, served faithfully, and worshipped God with a lifestyle unashamedly?

What if we, as the church’s men, stopped trying to build our own paradises here on earth that will perish, but focused our hard work towards building God’s eternal Kingdom? What if we honored the Sabbath? What if we taught our friends who are caught in that lie the better way to live by honoring God's command to take a break during the week?

What if the church’s women fully understood how awesome biblical submission is and what an impact that can have on a household and faith community? What if the older women didn’t pressure younger women into feeling inferior for being single, thus creating a generation of younger women who cling to some really stupid guys? What if young women found their identity in their faith instead of whether or not they were getting attention for having a man in their life?

What if the women of the church dressed in a way that honored God’s desires for them instead of trying to attract eyes of lustful men? What if women sought to be declared beautiful by God instead of men? What if we, as the church, taught women their worth as daughters of God?

What if there were more guys in the church that were worth submitting to in a godly manner? Seriously, men, we need to step it up so our women don’t have to settle.

What if we, as the church, taught about sex properly so that we wouldn’t have to ask ourselves where we went wrong when looking at unwed pregnancies and our young couples’ divorce rates?

What if we, as the church, taught the full Gospel, and not some watered down, incomplete version? What if we taught about Jesus like it was the most important one thing, one man, in history? What if our lives reflected that reality publicly? What if we, as the church, found our identity in Christ?

What if we, as the church, acted upon all of this (and so much more)?

Prayer (Answered and Unanswered)

2011-06-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Matthew 7:7-11

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

I love JR Vassar's teaching on Prayer. If you have a free hour, you should check it out. God answers prayer. We can ask anything in Jesus' name. Are you praying according to his will and not your own? Is it in step with him?

Do you ever give up on your prayers, thinking God is saying no? Do you pray for an hour and quit? A day and quit? Years and quit? If you're believing that what you're praying for is in line with God's will, you can't give up! You have no idea what time schedule God is on. Your job is to trust and lean into him in Jesus' name.

God doesn't always tell you what's going on. It's not always clear. But our job is not to know everything, its to walk in faith and obedience to our Lord. God's painting on a grand canvas, we're focused on the little scale. We can't let the things we don't know overrule the things we do know. We know that the cross covered our sins, we know that God loves us, we know that he's trustworthy. We know his wisdom is infinitely high, and his love is infinitely deep.

We don't know the outcomes of what we're asking for. God does. We are the mad scientist with a great vision of something that will only end up destroying us. Sometimes God denies our requests to protect us. Or maybe he's denying our wants in order to supply our needs.

In this sermon, Vassar tells a story of one of his friends not wanting waste his terminal cancer. I found that incredible. The man used the attention he was receiving in his journey towards death to draw people into a life of prayer and reading their Bibles again. People had an awakened relationship with God as a result of one man's cancer.

God is more than your personal God. He is not an errand boy or a bell hop. His passions are greater than our own desires and comforts. How about this: What if leaving you in your suffering or unfulfilled desires leads to someone else being saved by God's love? What if that becomes a means for a life to be changed for eternity? (Biblical example: Paul writing letters from prison, converting prisoners and guards, encouraging churches and fellow believers. Paul's suffering brought about God's greater good. Paul's imprisonment was used to inspire God's people.)

The love of God encompasses more than just you or me.

Even God's own son, Jesus, was told no in the midst of his prayers. When he was praying for the cup pass before him before his crucifixion, God said that the death of Jesus was what was needed to complete the most important event in history. God's love encompasses the world.

Arrogance (I Want My Way)

2011-06-24T16:28:00.001-07:00

I think our default setting is to think we know better. Better than anyone. Better than God. The moment someone brings up a statement or thought process that disagrees with our current comfort zones, our defenses go up and we immediately look for any flaws in that person in order to discredit them.

And we can find flaws. It's not hard, since no one is perfect. The economy may be at a low, but hypocrisy is almost always in an abundant supply.

This way of thinking and acting is very easy. It's also very ignorant. If you want to find flaws and hypocrisy in humans, you will find them 100% of the time, but if you roll that standard up to God, that's where your sand shifts and your foundation crumbles.

I wrote about this before when listening to Paul David Tripp sermon, but this how it plays out in our real life:

We're okay that our boyfriend doesn't lead us closer to God.

We're okay with porn because it's "not hurting someone else."

We're okay with only having the Bible read to us by paid professionals.

We’re okay with marriages that are a little better that a war zone.

We’re okay with a little bit of debt.

We’re okay with greed as long as we’re not stealing.

We’re okay with checking out women at the mall, as long as we look but don’t touch.

We’re okay because we are deceiving ourselves.

We're okay with compromise.

And if churches were really honest with themselves, a lot of pastors and church leaders are, too. If Jesus is the groom and the church is supposed to be his bride, shouldn't our walk be different? If Jesus is Lord, and we are to be in love with him and obedient, shouldn't our walk be different? And if Jesus is returning and the Kingdom is near, shouldn't we have a sense of urgency?

The fact is, most of us fine church-going folk don't. We take the easy way out. We allow people to be stolen right in front of us, all the while claiming ignorance (or a million other excuses). We allow ourselves indulgences and justify our sin by comparing it to someone who is "worse than us." Our American culture has dulled us into an "At least I'm not that guy" syndrome. It lessens our guilt, insults our God, diminishes the cross he sent is son to die on, and makes sin an inconvenience instead of a disgusting act of disobedience that mocks a holy and perfect God.

We justify because it's easy.

We take the easy way out because it's what we want, and that's comfortable. And it's wrong. And we've let that permeate into every area of our lives and relationships, and that includes our Christian (or almost-Christian) circles.

Someone told me that the church was too concerned with its image. I told them they weren't concerned enough with it when we stop and consider the image we were made in.

I'm well aware that this post is sort of a "referee" post, where I blow the whistle and call some fouls. But this is where my thought process is as I take inventory on my life and walk, and it's what I'm observing in the world around me.

I love the world around me. I love it enough that I want to see it change. I love it enough to say something instead of being a silent young man, too scared to rock the boat.

I'm just trying to shift my end of the deal towards being part of the solution and no longer part of the problem.

Making the Most of Your Mission

2011-06-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

This sermon fired me up. Like blatant, William Wallace-style, no holds barred, reckless abandonment, charge the gates of hell with water pistols, fired up. Adam Thomason crushed it. These are my notes, written from a male perspective, mostly for a male to read, but this crosses gender lines when it comes to godly input, I think. I hope, at least.

First question: If the Kingdom of God truly is at hand, then what are you waiting for?

Sub-question: Does your life really testify that you believe that?

If you are not all in, why not? If the Holy Spirit truly is within you, then is the circle of influence around you not being impacted? Church, what are we doing? We testify to a risen Savior, and testify that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, yet we are complacent. The church needs to take a closer look at its own image. We were made in an image, we should start reflecting it.

Many of us live from one frivolous event to the next. One vacation, one sporting event, one house, one vehicle, one video game to the next. I can no longer accept that. Those things aren’t bad things, they’re just not as important as proclaiming the name of Jesus. We were made to glorify him and make him known.

Where God has us stationed is not a banishment. If you’re single, it’s not a deserted island that you need to escape from before you can serve him (read through 1 Corinthians 7 to see Paul's Holy Spirit-inspired take on it). If you’re in a tough job, or a tough neighborhood, it’s not a death sentence to your serving the Lord (Acts 17). Serving God is not a season. It's not a fad. It's not easy.

Take a read through Romans 8:5-17…Are you living by the flesh or by the Spirit? What are you anxious about—the things of the flesh or the things that God has on your heart?

Moving from singleness to married life doesn’t necessarily slow down what you can do for God, but it can. Staying single doesn’t necessarily make you an all star evangelist, either. When it comes to mission, you need to seek God with your heart. And if you’re pursuing a woman, you better be aware what you’re inviting her to join you in. As a man, you need to know your mission.

If you don’t know what you’re on mission for God about, then you’re probably chasing after a woman just to fulfill some worldly lusts. If you don’t know what your mission is, what are you inviting a woman into?

That may sound overwhelming, harsh, or crazy, but the Christian walk needs more godly men instead of good boys. As godly men, it should be known we will experience the ups and downs and joys and struggles of living a life of mission. Often we consider comfort and joys and fairy tales and not the hardships and joining together in a godly pursuit. This is an invitation to join in the experiences of the Lord and how he is showing up in your life.

We were redeemed to proclaim his excellencies (1 Peter 2:9-10). Where are we proclaiming them? Where’s our spiritual muscle? Are we training it? Are we seeking discernment? Are you a man who can lead a woman? Are you a woman who is seeking a man who can lead you?

To use an example, a great athlete doesn’t just go out in an arena and wing it. He trains. He develops muscle. He practices his craft. It doesn’t happen by accident. Neither does a faith walk. This is part of a healthy sanctification process.

When we train spiritually, and we put in the work, and the grace-driven effort, and all that comes with it, it’s not arrogance—it’s confidence in the Lord. We are capable of leading and trustworthy to follow.

We all sin. We all need to repent. Repeatedly. Job 42:5 points out our current Christian culture where we can quote sermons and what we’ve been told, but where have we seen the Lord in our lives?

Rapid fire question time.

When do you see God in your life? Have you seen him in your life? Or are you just playing games and posing?

Do you pursue yourself or do you pursue God? Do you have pride? What don’t you want to give up because of how it affects your social status?

How does each aspect of your life get leveraged for the Kingdom of God? From how you take care of your body to how you spend your time and money…how do you utilize your life? Nothing can terminate on us. It always has to glorify God.

Seems radical? If you’re a Christian, maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe that should be the norm.

The only guy that the Lord calls a fool to his face in the Bible is in the parable of the rich young man in Luke. The successful young man decides to build bigger barns and eat, drink and be merry. God calls him a fool. Not because he’s a hard worker, it was not because he had foresight, not because he was successful. It was because his success terminated on himself. He was not ignorant. He was a fool. He knew what he should do, but willfully disregarded it. That’s the height of foolishness.

There are three things we are called to do: Preach the Kingdom, sacrifice for the Kingdom and multiply the Kingdom. We are called to do this locally and globally. If you’re not doing this, you’re just building your own kingdom for yourself.

If you are aware of what God is asking of you, then what are you doing with your resources and talents? The Kingdom is at hand. The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few. Are you so concerned about your own comfort that you miss your calling?

There are lives and souls at stake. They are literally dying. There are people blinded by the world and the darkness of it, but there is a Holy Spirit working in believers that can cut through all the darkness with the Light that can set people free.

Either we don’t know, or we don’t care. If you’ve read this, then you know. Hopefully you care. What are you waiting on? A wife? A husband? A car? Another job? A house? Once you have those, then you can focus on God and following what he’s asking you to do…really?

Quit trying to create your own paradise here when there is a paradise to come for those who believe. The prize is at the end of the race! The pace should not slow down while you wait for your temporary comforter. Seek first the Kingdom of God.

The time is now.

Growing in Christ

2011-06-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

This won’t touch on complacency. It’s more or less addressing things from a ministry point of view and people who actually are taking some active steps towards growth. To rip apart the idol of complacency is for another post. I'll probably also write about assumed knowledge at some point, too.

If you’re in ministry, the goal is to get people to know the Lord. If a ministry is growing, the width cannot topple the depth. Questions need to be answered about how to keep the focus on getting people to know the Lord, but also, once they do, putting down some roots and growing in the depth of their faith.

That’s tricky.

What’s growing in Christ look like? Is it memorizing the Bible? Is it reading a book? Is it speaking in tongues , or prophecy or healings, or a baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is it taking part in missions? Is it discipleship? Is it something different?

The truth is, the focus can’t just be on one or two components. Matt Chandler compares what goes on in many churches to the guy who hits the gym and only works his biceps and the bench press. He may look good in a tight shirt or at the beach, but if the wind blows, he’s gonna tip over. He has neglected his legs and his core. He has no sturdy base. He has not been complete with his workouts.

Ministries need to focus on the bigger picture and the complete message of the Gospel and its implications. And that takes the Holy Spirit. And it takes faith. And it takes obedience. And it takes a grace-driven effort. And it takes time.

Ministry needs to do more than master information. It needs to move into practice. The church’s divorce rates, spending habits, lifestyles should all look radically different than the patterns of this world. There needs to be a transformation., a conforming to the image of Christ.

The truth is, this is sorely lacking in most ministries. Jesus doesn’t care what you know if you have no intention of practicing it. You cannot build a ministry on information alone, while lacking transformation, spiritual growth and accountability.

It also takes more than actions. It takes more than relationships. Growth needs biblical backing and knowledge to explain why this is important and what’s going on. It takes some time in some scripture and studying, individually and as a group.

None of this takes seconds to implement. The struggles and sin and the nature we fight against as individuals and corporately aren’t connected to a light switch. If you’ve struggled for years, it’s probably not gonna end over night. There’s got to be some flexibility in how growth is nurtured. We can’t just acknowledge the victories, but we have to address the struggles.

It will take perseverance, partnership, and time… and a whole lot of God.

The impatience of our culture often discourages us during this process, as you don’t see growth immediately (most of the time, once again, unless something miraculous happens). It’s like literally trying to watch a child grow. You can watch them twenty-four hours a day and you won’t be able to tell the difference from one day to the next. Over time, though, you will see the changes and results, IF they are growing. Ministry is pretty similar.

If you haven’t seen growth (numerically, but mainly spiritually) and change in your walk or your ministry, then maybe something needs to be re-evaluated or changed.

Most people want to grow, they just may not know how. If you’re running a ministry, there needs to be an awareness about what’s available to help the people who are struggling with sin or their past. There has to be a willingness to walk through brokenness with them. While a relationship with Christ is personal, it is not meant to be private. We all need help, and we also need to help others.

We’re going to be held accountable for this, especially if we’re in a leadership position. This is far too important to treat passively. Through it all, the cross of Christ has to be central.

Prompting

2011-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen someone respond to the Holy Spirit, even if it meant sacrificing a personal goal they had for their own life? This post won't do it justice, but I saw something happen today.

Today I watched an elderly man hand over a check in order to help save a Bible Camp in the area. The Bible Camp was going to start a pledge drive, and the man wanted to help. He got on the microphone, read a letter that explained the problem, and the hopeful (yet probably long shot) solution.

The man quietly spoke with passion and resolve to do more than pledge money to help the camp. He explained how he had been saving up money for a car, but that would have to wait. His shaky hand pulled out a check for $3,000 and handed it over to the camp director, telling her that it wasn't a pledge, but a guarantee.

I was wrecked for the rest of the day. Watching a man sacrifice what many of us wouldn't, all in response to the Holy Spirit and his obedience to it, was inspiring. What if the whole church did this? What if we traded in comfort zones for obedience?

I watched a man lovingly hand over a check that would hinder his personal goals in an effort to win souls for God's Kingdom. He did so quietly, and I highly doubt any buildings will be named after him or movies made about his life.

Recently, I've also talked with wealthy men who couldn't part with $50 dollars complain about how hard times were financially while building multi-million dollar monuments to themselves and clinging to their wealth and comfort.

Both of these examples have got me exploring more about what the church should be and how we as a people should behave and utilize our resources. Rather than cling to our idols, maybe we should readily lay them down at the feet of Jesus and simply say, "Here it is. It's yours. Use them and me."

It's got me thinking about my resources. It's got me thinking about my time usage. It's got me thinking about how I minister.

Leaving

2011-06-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how faithful the men of the Village Church are. A few of the staff down there are literally staring death in the face, and yet they are clinging to the cross and living out the hope that our God is mighty to save, is capable of healing, and is sovereign and fully in control. At the end of the day, God will be glorified. Matt Chandler and Bill Seal are role models (Click on that link for an update explaining what's going on. Pray for them to be healed. Pray for God’s glorious plan to be revealed in their circumstances. Check out this sermon to have more of an update.

I am greatly encouraged when they preach about suffering and death and God’s role of being King over those things that typically scare humanity. I am very thankful for men like Matt Chandler and Bill Seal.

Genesis 3:17-19 shows the consequences of the fall of man. It tells us of our mortality when it comes to the earthly life we know. The struggle and the result of our sin.

Death entered the world when sin entered the world.

Ezekiel 18:4 reinforces this, saying: "For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die."

Romans 5:12 also reinforces this idea. Sin entered the world through one man, and we are all sharing in the results of that sinful action. We all share it. This all appears to be bad news.

We should be doomed. But we have hope. We have Jesus.

Click here and check out Hebrews 2:14-18. God himself entered the world in flesh and blood in the form of Jesus to destroy death and safe us all. Through the death of Jesus, we have victory over the slavery of death and Satan.

God changed what death is for those who love his son Jesus. His death on the cross absorbs God’s wrath and should change our perspective on how we view death. It solves a huge problem for humanity.

How should a Christian view death?
Simply God pulling back to himself what he had given to us.
(Psalm 104:29, Ecclesiastes 12:7)
You’re not alive because God owes you anything. You did nothing to be breathing on this planet. A life was given to you. The Christian understanding of life is that it is a gift from God. We didn't earn anything.

We are finished with our work.

Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 that he’s done with his race. Being obedient is work. There’s a day where it won’t be work anymore. It won’t be a fight any more. In Philippians, Paul lets us know to live is Christ, to die is gain. Nobody dies early. God is in control. This reality has consumed Paul.

It's not easy. Especially in young deaths, in infants and children, we have to trust and hope that God knows best and that one day it all makes sense.

It’s okay to mourn. It’s okay to cry. In John 11 when Lazarus died, Jesus was well aware that he would heal his friend, but he still engaged in mourning. He wasn’t just a minor player in the grief, he was fully involved with it. He didn’t have to, but he chose to participate in the fullness of humanity that he was. Fully God, fully man. God understands the hurt of loss. Jesus is the empathetic high priest that is mentioned in Hebrews.

Nothing comes into our lives that doesn’t pass through the hands of God. He knows what will happen in your life, and He loves you and has the best plan for you. He knows the plans he has for you, and they are perfect, even if sometimes it stinks. Those struggles and temporary sufferings are light and momentary when it comes to the glory of Jesus.

That sorrow will last for awhile, and that’s ok. If we believe and trust and put our hope in Jesus, we will not see the ultimate death, but rather the ultimate victory over death. We can have confidence in all of this because of an empty tomb. We can trust in the Word and his resurrection. We share in that by claiming the name Christian and following a savior named Jesus Christ.

There will be a day when death will be mocked openly and will no longer exist.

Explosion and Weight

2011-06-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever listened to someone preach, heck, even talk, and just know there was something different about them? I experience this from time to time, and it's a great joy. I love it when I get to listen to, or exchange thoughts and conversation with someone who has had the Holy Spirit wreck their hearts beyond what they can imagine.

I've also experienced the discouragement of hearing people read the Bible as if it was the want ads in their local paper. They have all the facts right when they read it, but there is an absence of weight behind it. There is no power. There is no authority. There are a few guests missing from their message. Those guests are the Holy Spirit and a love of what they're talking about.

You can tell when someone is in love with what they're talking about. When someone is fired up about what they're talking about, their eyes light up, their voice is passionate, and they have a hard time shutting up.

This doesn't mean that they're more entertaining, or more flashy, but just more powerful. The words could be the same as someone else's, only they have love and weight behind it. The Holy Spirit has grabbed their heart in an unrelenting grip and that individual has succumbed to it, abandoning themselves in order to share what their truest love is.

I want more of that complete selling out in my life and coming out of the pulpit on Sundays. And from everyone's pulpit during the week. It shows up in the way we work, play, interact. The climate of a room should change (for the positive) when you enter in.

Jesus is the most important aspect in anyone's life. That should be apparent in every activity we take part in, from private time to preaching time, to family time to friend time. There should be some weight behind everything you do.

Are You Silent?

2011-05-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

If your life has been changed by God, does your life reflect it? In your house, in your circle of influence, in your daily walk…is the grace of God evident in your life to those around you?

If you know Jesus, is that reflected by anything more than singing about him on a Sunday, or maybe just discussing some theological hot points with your safer, Christian friends?

Is your life exploding due to the reality of Jesus’ impact in your life? What are you doing with that?

First off, I write this with the understanding that I have some work to do, as well. I also write this from a perspective of a young man in the middle of an age group that is increasingly drifting from a culture where being plugged in to a church community is no longer the norm, and social media has replaced actual interaction and relationships, only masquerading as something meaningful.

It didn’t start with my generation. And it won’t end there, either. And it won't get better unless YOU step up and do what you were called to do.

God is chasing after our hearts. Not because of anything we’ve done, but because of who he is. He is a loving father, longing to have relationship with his children.

In Ephesians 2 it says we were dead in our transgressions. Dead people don’t do anything. If you’ve been to a funeral, the dead person doesn’t have much of a role in the service other than to be dead. They have no power to change a thing say a thing or choose a thing.

This is our life without God. Left to ourselves, we would not choose God.

Please understand this: We don’t melt God’s resistance to us. He melts our resistance to him. He is not cold. He is not distant. He loves you. He wants you.

Knowing that God is choosing you and pursuing you, shouldn’t you be overwhelmed? 1 John 4:19 tells us that we love because he first loved us.

So, do you love? Would other people say that you do? And even more importantly, would God say that you do?

This is not a cry for you to work harder, simply walk out in a faithful obedience what God has called you to do. This isn’t earning your righteousness by your works, but rather responding to what God has done in your life so that others may see it and come to know God, too.

In the following weeks, I plan on hitting on some topics around my faith walk that have been eating at me. This was the first one. I’ll leave you with this video to slam the point home.

History and Hope

2011-05-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Check this sermon by JR Vassar to see where this came from.

As Christians we are called to love the world, while at the same time going against it.

Our lives are to differ from the host culture, as we are visitors. We are supposed to a resident-alien. Not hostile to the culture, but to provoke, contradict, counter it, and still love on it. We are to show the world what it is not.

We are called to live as the people of God, who embrace the mission of God, with the suffering love of God. It means sacrifice, persecution, marginalization. There is a cost. It’s not going to be easy.

Facts are the things that govern the world, and everyone has to accept them whether they like it or not. Facts are right or wrong. True or false.

When the people wrote about Jesus and his resurrection in the Bible, they were writing about the events as historical events. They were eyewitnesses. They named names. We live in a culture that separates facts and values. Science and math live in the world of facts. Matters of faith seem to get delegated to the world of values for each individual’s beliefs. They tend to be each person’s choice or perception.

That’s our culture’s pluralistic nature. Facts don’t get touched there. Values do.

Our culture claims ultimate, absolute reality is unknowable. Which is kind of ironic, since that’s an absolute statement about a belief system in its own right. Christians cannot take this mindset. The claims of Christianity cannot just be “right for me” and wrong for someone else.

The Gospel is to be viewed as fact. In the pre-Christian culture that the New Testament was written, they weren’t writing about an ideal, they were proclaiming what they had either witnessed or been told about by witnesses. They were announcing a historic event.

Jesus is the ultimate fact.

The claim of absolute truth has often been exploited by people to gain power and the results of power gained have been oppression. True Christianity is different. The church has screwed this up in the past. But the Christian claim is different in this way: The One who was with ultimate power came in weakness and suffering to serve. He came to set everyone free, not to oppress.

Jesus set aside his power to die for our sin. The One who was absolute was humble, full of mercy, full of love, full of justice.

We can have public confidence of our faith that Jesus Christ is Lord. It’s more than personal values and private conviction. It’s public events with eternal ramifications. Our faith is based on a historical fact, we can walk that out in love. That knowledge can allow us to hope.

Gospel Clarity

2011-05-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

The following are thoughts and notes while listening to a sermon entitled "Gospel Clarity" by Matt Chandler. Check it out. I liked it. Chandler does a great job explaining why and what Christians celebrate on Easter.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And 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."

Christianity is not a group of people who are like Ned Flanders. We are not morally perfect. We all fall short, whether behind closed doors in our own hearts, or blatantly and publicly. For the most part, we’re more like Homer Simpson, in reality.

We duff it constantly. Don’t try to discredit Christianity because of the trip-ups of people claiming to be Christian. You wouldn’t judge Shakespeare by a junior high production of Romeo and Juliet.

A person cannot hold on to their intellectual integrity without doing something with Jesus Christ. There are a ton of songs written about him. There are a ton of Christian churches. Entire governments are based on him. Even Islam recognizes Jesus, even if they don’t fully understand who he was as Messiah. They even believe he's returning. (Sidenote point from Chandler’s sermon that I agree with: The Muslim is not your enemy. There are spiritual warfare aspects. However, we are to love, serve and extend mercy to our Muslim brothers and sisters.)

Often when we look at our own morality and spiritual walk, we often compare ourselves to others. We get out our checklists and see where we’ve fallen short, but not as badly as others. (I’ve only violated a few of the things from 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, but my neighbor is like all of them!)

It also isn’t just being better: I used to do this, but now I don’t. It’s not overcoming things by human efforts. That’s moralistic deism.
If life was a sprint, I would dominate morality. – Matt Chandler
A Christian walk is more than simply what can be permanently, or temporarily, overcome. There will be struggle. You cannot overcome your own sin by your own will. That only results in frustration, shame, or self-righteousness. A lot of us white knuckle moral behavior with our struggles after a mountain top experience, and then get frustrated when eventually cave in.

1 Corinthians 6:11
And 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.

You were. Something washes you when you become a follower of Jesus. Something sanctifies you. Something justifies you. You don’t do it yourself. The grace and mercy of Christ sets you free. You can’t become more holy than what Christ can make you. Jesus does it all for you.

Before this becomes our reality, we have declared an unwinnable war with a perfect God. We will never win that war. We will only lose. Fortunately God had a rescue plan from the start in the form of his son Jesus.

The result when we accept God’s plan for us is that Jesus’ righteousness and blamelessness is given to us because our treason and sin has been given to him. That’s what God sees when he looks at us: The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his perfection.

You don’t have to earn what’s been freely given to you. And you can’t give up because you haven’t tried it. You have to rely on the Holy Spirit to activate this inside of you.

We can be transformed by this. We can have a confidence in this. We can rejoice in this.

So what are you going to do with Jesus?

Church: The People

2011-04-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

How do you see the church? Do you see it as a place or as a people?

In our society, we view church/ministry leadership mostly as vendors and the people who attend as customers. We may not say it, but we act it out that way. There’s such a heavy dependency on one or two people, and if they don’t do what we think they should do, we have every right to complain and demand customer service. In many instances, we’ve changed the mission of the church from following Jesus to pleasing the customer.

This consumeristic mindset raises itself up in complaints of music preferences, length of services, peripheral things, and the ever trendy, “I’m not being fed anymore.” Requests are made based off of personal preferences instead of gospel obedience.

In reality, the church is a group of people who agree on the reality of Jesus: That he’s the righteous king that makes all things right with God again. That he’s the sacrifice that has dealt fully with our sins so that we can be secure with God for all eternity. We are to yield our lives for his purpose. This is the church. The church is the people.

JR Vassar says it this way: You can view the church as a hotel, or you can view it as a household.

When you view the church as a hotel, you have paid professionals that do a bulk of the work and clean up messes and you stick with the people you came there with. You’re not invested in most of the people’s lives. You’re sharing space, not life.

The church is the household of God. Everyone has a part to play, everyone has a job. The church is to share life with one another. We’re a family. God is our father, Christ is our older brother. We are called to invest in one another. Everyone is a player, and there are no spectators. We are called to participate and contribute.

The leadership of a ministry is not just there to serve your needs. Ephesians 4:11-13:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until 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.

Leadership of a ministry is to equip you to go out and apply. You are an active participant, not just a spectator who is consuming resources. You are called to grow up in Christ and be the church. The call goes on in Ephesians 4:14-16:

Then 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 people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From 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.

Every member of the church is a minister and messenger. Not just the pastor. Not just the leadership. Everyone claiming to be Christian has this calling.

Are you speaking truth to people to spur them on in their faith? Hebrews 3:12-14:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

The church should be a people who are learning about God together so that they can practice what is important in faithful obedience. The important thing is living out and spreading the gospel with loving obedience to a conquering Savior.

Church is not a place you attend, it’s belonging to a people. It’s not an event or activity. It’s a people to whom you belong. We have enough activities. It’s not something you “fit in to your schedule.” When you view church as a family you belong to, you arrange your life to demonstrate that you belong to the people of God and its local demonstration of it.

When we switch this dynamic in our thinking, we put our church family first over even our own comfort. We make life decisions with our family in mind. We ask them for advisement and help. We step out of our individualism and we trust our fellow believers to spur us on with our own walks.

The church is a people filled with the Holy Spirit. We let God move in so he can push things out. We let the Holy Spirit grow our love and peace and patience and self-control, and allow him to transform us to look more like Christ.

In Luke 24 the Holy Spirit is promised to us to clothe us with power so that we can go out in the world and spread the word of God. This is the job of the people of God. The mission is not community, but to be a community on mission. This is the church.

The Christian community is a vital part of this mission. We get to interact with one another to see examples of Christ. We get inspired by fellow believers. Even more, non-Christians get inspired by this, too. We all get inspired by people who live in a loving, unselfish, godly way. We need to introduce people to this lifestyle.

This is the church: The people, not just a place. The people, not just an event.

Run the Race

2011-04-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

The following are notes from a sermon by JR Vassar. Click here to hear the sermon and see JR's notes that accompany the audio. It's a great resource. The following are my notes while listening to the message.

You may want to read Hebrews 12 before you go through these notes.

We are called to run the race. In Hebrews 11, we see that there is a cloud of witnesses to encourage us in our progress of this race. They’ve run it already. They’ve finished it. They not only encourage us, but they should inspire us. They have shown us what a radical obedience and deep trust looks like. They had faith.

We can trust God and his promise that all he has in his heart for us is good. When we have a suspicion that God doesn’t desire the best for us, that suspicion can be quenched at the cross of Jesus Christ.

It’s one race. We’re all running it. We need each other. Chapter 10 tells us to encourage one another: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

You cannot run this race on your own. We all have the same race, but we may have different courses. This doesn’t change the fact that we can’t run in isolation. It’s not about you and your God; it’s about us and our God.

One of the temptations we face is to compare our course to the course of another. Hebrews 11 gives us many examples of the contrast of courses yet the consistency of a race run by faith. That temptation can lead to bitterness, envy, pride, or false assumptions. We are called to run our race. We’re called to live our story, not someone else’s. We’re called to follow Jesus, not another person.

We are called to run with endurance. The Greek word for race is “agona,” where we get our word “agony” from. Jesus is not a fad or a phase. It’s an unbroken course that you run for the rest of your life. This is what you leverage all of your life for. This is what your run with endurance for. This is a long obedience in the same direction. Don’t give up.

Hebrews 10:39 tells us to persevere. There are rewards for persevering in Christ, and there are consequences for giving up on your race. This race needs focus and intentionality.

Jesus wants us to start the race, but even more importantly, he wants us to finish the race. How do we do this? We need to strip away everything that hinders us. We need to strip away the sin that entangles our soul. It’s an active and intentional pursuit. It’s a call to eradicate things from your life before they trip you in your race.

Small things can trip you up. The things that keep you from living an intentional life have to be limited or trimmed away. The little things that distract us from God need to be managed better or done away with. Things like “free time” often flow to the area of our weakness. A few examples: men and pornography, an alcoholic and drinking, an addict and gambling.

The question is not whether something is permissible, but whether if it is helpful. What are things that need to be moved to the margins so that Jesus can be your center? What weights do you need to shed to run better?
The simplicity of the Christian faith is really this: God didn’t give us a list of rules and regulations. He gave us Jesus. The Christian life is about loving a person. Emulating a person. Following a person.
He has run the race and blazed a trail for us to follow. He has given us hope and an example. He is our hope and our hero. He is who we should want to be like. Jesus is our standard to how we are to respond to life’s stimuli. That’s the kind of person we’re supposed to be.

Problem: We can’t really be that. We sin. We fall short. We are impatient.

Solution: Because of Jesus, we can’t be content with our sin. He came for us to die and save us from ourselves and our sin. He is our hero to pursue and to be like. He gives us freedom.

He shows us what radical obedience looks like. He was the perfect example of someone who wanted God’s will done above everything else. It was radical and costly. It was perfect and it was true.

Jesus’ race shows us that the most important part of our race is following what God lays out and wants for us.

Why do we run? Jesus is our ultimate example of why. He ran for the joy set before him. He was exalted to the highest place and freed his Father’s creation to be reunited with their Creator. Because of this joy he despised the shame of the cross.

The word “despise” doesn’t necessarily mean “hate.” It means to consider something not important enough to be an object of concern when compared to something else. The gain of the cross and the joy that followed outweighed the pain and shame of the cross by too much to consider the suffering significant.

The reward at the end of the race is so much better than the pain and trials of the race course. The reward is God himself. The world to come. The full life. Where all wrongs are made right. Where all sad things are untrue. This is at the end of the race.

Our culture exalts the visible and the immediate. That kills the things that are in the future and unseen. That blurs out some of God’s promises. We are often incapable of grasping the greatest of the end of a well-run race.

We will not be disappointed with the prize. There’s a gain that makes all the losses seem insignificant. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Why is it gain? Because the prize is so great.

The things that are seen are transient. The things that are unseen are eternal. All that God is for you in the race and after the race will make all the hardships and sufferings during the race seem light and momentary.

Run well.

Comfort

2011-04-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Where do you go for your comfort? When you need to feel better? When you just want the pain to go away?

My community has recently gone through some tragedy. The responses I got from people about what they would do when they got home varied from eating ice cream to working out to sleeping.

Where do you go for your comfort?

Matthew 11:25-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Romans 8:31-39
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: " For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here's a site that has a lot of good Bible verses that may encourage you in times of trouble or sadness. They're even better than ice cream.

May you feel peace.

David and Goliath

2011-03-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'd strongly urge you to check out the sermon "A Zealous Heart," by JR Vassar. It's a great unpacking of the story of David and Goliath.

David and Goliath is found in 1 Samuel 17.

First some background.

The Israelite army posted up on one hill. The Philistine army on the other. Between them was a valley. Goliath taunted the army of Israel daily for 40 days, challenging someone to take him on, one-on-one, winner takes all for his army.

Goliath is credited for being “six cubits and a span,” which equates to 9’9” tall or 3 meters. Some manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls say he’s 6’9” tall. Either way, this is a large man. A fearsome man. The description of Goliath goes on to give the impressive measurements of his armor and weaponry. This was a bad man.

David was anointed to be king around the age of 12 by the prophet Samuel, and the spirit of the Lord was on him. When the story of David and Goliath occurs, David would have been 18 or 19 or so. He was a teenager.

David’s father Jesse gave David ephah and ten loaves of bread to bring to his brothers on the front lines. David wasn’t sent to war, but rather was asked to stay home and tend to the sheep and run these kinds of errands. When David arrives on at the camp, he hears Goliath taunting his army. Even more, he hears the giant man taunting his God. This is unacceptable to David. No one belittles God.

David begins asking what people are going to do about this blasphemy. The response may be sort of surprising. David’s brother Eliab chastises David’s motives for sticking around and asking questions and making presumptions.

Israel’s king, Saul, is terrified and desperate. He’s supposed to be the warrior fighting for his nation. He’s supposed to be a leader. This teenager named David has more heart than him. David pleads his case over Saul’s protests against sending him to fight Goliath.

Saul essentially says that Goliath has forgotten more about fighting than David will ever know. David convinces Saul after explaining his history of killing lions and bears that threatened his flock. He tells Saul to take heart and to let him fight Goliath.

Saul tries to dress David up in his own armor, but it didn’t fit David well. David instead chose to go with how he was trained and how God had gifted him. David chose to grab five smooth stones and a slingshot.

Goliath’s response to seeing David respond to his challenge was one of contempt. He cursed David and taunted him with shameful threats. Not only did Goliath want to kill David, but to leave his body out for animals to feed on. David’s reply is to proclaim God’s power and match Goliath’s threat, and raised the stakes, trash talk-wise.

We know how the story goes once the battle takes place. David kills Goliath with the first rock. He then beheads the giant. The results led to huge consequences. The Philistine army turned and ran. The Israelite army chased after and plundered the Philistine camp. David presented Goliath’s head to Saul.

Goliath was a giant, veteran warrior. David was a boy and inexperienced in war. David knew that God was going to save the day. The result was David running into a battle that he knew God would win.

David risked everything for something he desired more than anything else. His greatest desire was to see God honored and glorified. Nothing was greater than God’s glory and fame. David’s zeal from God was rewarded by God. He knew God was faithful. He knew God’s history in his life.

Application
Maybe this story is about more than facing our giants. Maybe this story is more than God helping us. Maybe this story is about more than taking risks in the name of God.

Check Luke 24.

Jesus took the entire Old Testament and says it’s about him. Everything points to him. It points to his coming, suffering, dying, rising and winning his people back to God by conquering sin and death. The whole thing’s about Jesus.

So how does David point us to Jesus?

The story of David and Goliath is a story about an anointed king using humble means to decisively conquer a huge enemy on the behalf of his people without them having to lift a finger.

Jesus is the true and better king, rescuing us decisively from our enemies sin and death without us having to earn it. We are set free because of Jesus taking the cross for us. He died and rose so that when we believe in him, we are rescued. Jesus came so we could be changed from the inside out.

The point of the story is not that David is a hero. The point is that there’s a greater hero coming. When we understand who Jesus is, we know that God is for us. In the story of David and Goliath, we’re not David. We are Israel, in need of a saving king.

The good news is that we have a God that is for us. That should give us hope and courage. We have a victorious king who is for us.

How do we respond to this?

The Heart God Wants

2011-03-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

Notes from the sermon: The Heart God Wants
by JR Vassar of Apostles Church in NYC
1 Samuel 16:1-13

David is mentioned 1,082 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, and another 59 times in the New Testament. He was Israel’s second king. His story points us towards a better king named Jesus.

Israel wanted a king, so God gave them a manly man named Saul. The intention was that this king would rule Israel as God wanted him to rule. He was to submit himself to God’s word and his prophets. This started well, but did not end well, as Saul didn’t obey God. It deteriorated quickly, and the Holy Spirit left Saul. His rule was a disaster.

God wanted a man after his own heart. When God's prophet Samuel went to visit a man named Jesse and see Jesse’s sons, Samuel needed to be reminded of this. He needed to be reminded not to look merely on the outside appearance, but rather the heart. Not much has changed in our present culture. We focus so much on the external and outward appearance and outward beauty.

We're not all that different or enlightened today. In the USA, there were 12 million cosmetic procedures performed in 2008. In 2007 $12.4 billion was spent on cosmetic enhancements, up 59% since 2000 (according to Vassar’s sermon).

When the Scriptures talk about the heart, it’s referring to the totality of the person, not the organ. It’s talking about the center of who we are, what moves us and what drives us. Out of the heart comes either good or bad treasure, good fruit or bad fruit. The results are based on the status of our heart. What do we love? What do we desire? This is the most important thing about us. It’s what God is most concerned about.

How much time do you spend each day talking to God about your heart?

In David, God found the heart he was looking for. Samuel was a prophet of God, and everyone knew this. It was a big deal when he came to town. David’s father, Jesse, wanted to impress Samuel, but didn’t think highly enough of David (who was around 12 at the time) to include him. But God wanted him included in a very big way.

So what was so different between David and Saul?

God wants a loyal love for him over a religious ritual. God wants a heart that will place a loyal love to him over mere rituals. Saul tries to use religious actions to compensate for disobedience. He neglected what God delights in. God uses Samuel to rebuke Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22.

God’s not into performances and shows. He’s into the heart. He’s not into routines. He’s into the heart. He’s not into offerings and sacrifices. He’s into the heart.

Check the following passages:

Psalm 40.

Hosea 6:6.

Amos 5.

Isaiah 1.

God wants us to know him. He wants the worship of your life more than the worship of your lips. He wants our selves more than our songs. He wants us to love what he loves and to hate what he hates. He wants us to love and obey him.

How do we get that kind of heart? Grace. Grace, and only grace.

Grace is God’s free pardon through his son Jesus Christ. Grace opposes earning. It’s not about our record, it’s about Jesus’ record. Check out 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

Our sin does two things: It separates us from God and sentences us to a life away from God. But God removes this separation and sin through Jesus. The God of the universe chooses to not count our sins against us.

How can God do this and still be just? Because the sin that should have been counted to us was counted to Jesus. He knew no sin became sin on our behalf so that we could be with God. He got our sin and was crushed, we got his righteousness and God’s embrace. When we grab hold to this sacrifice, something happens in our heart.

We’re not saved by our sacrifices for God. We’re saved by God’s sacrifice for us. When we understand that, something erupts in our heart. The law can’t do that. If it’s just following rules, that affection won’t stir up. The law produces fear and uncertainty that we can’t earn God’s acceptance. Grace tells us that we can’t do it, but God still loves us and accepts us. It turns us into sons and daughters of God.

David understood this.

To have a heart after God doesn’t mean you’re perfect and don’t sin. It means you can be corrected by God and repent. It means you’re responsive to God’s correction and that you return to God and his mercy. It means that you’re in love with God’s grace. This is the heart that God’s after.

The message of the Gospel isn’t to try, but to trust in Jesus. It’s not what you earn, but what’s been earned for you through a savior.

Whatever captures your heart has the most authority. Only grace can break the chains. God is for you. What’s your heart’s response? Where’s your heart at?

Resources

2011-02-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

I listen to a lot of sermon/seminar audio. A few hours per week. There are some phenomenal speakers and teachers out there. There is information and teaching available at a few clicks. This is a great blessing of technology.

That being said, we cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent with our own efforts to grow in knowledge of what the Bible is telling us. Our faith cannot simply be a mimicry of someone else's. I'm attaching a few links here to some resources that have helped me in my growth over the past two years. Weigh them and test them. Wrestle with them. Hopefully there are some materials that will be of use to you.

JR Vassar's sermons from Apostles Church in New York.
JR Vassar is the founding and lead pastor of Apostles Church in New York City. As the Lead Pastor, JR oversees the leadership community of Apostles and is responsible for the strategic vision of the Church, leadership development and the majority of the teaching.

Before launching Apostles, JR co-founded iWitness Ministries, spoke at the popular Dallas singles Bible Study Metro, and was the teaching Pastor at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, TX. JR has been a sought after speaker for years through youth summer camps, Song of Solomon Conferences, and various young adult gatherings, but recently has devoted the majority of his ministry time to growing Apostles Church.

Matt Chandler's sermons from The Village Church in the DFW area.
Matt Chandler serves as Lead Pastor of The Village Church in Highland Village, TX. He has seen rapid growth in his congregation, and has surrounded himself with other very gifted teachers. His life reflects the trust he has in God, as he has had a part of his right frontal lobe removed due to a tumor. Despite that scare and setback, he relentlessly preaches the grace of Christ from his stage.

These two sites should be enough to keep some of you busy for awhile. I'll probably put a few more links out there for some more resources. I already have a Ministry Links page, but it's good to provide some refresher links from time to time to make sure people know what's available.

Once again, none of this replaces daily time in the Bible or in prayer. They are merely intended to accent any routine that's already in place.

Doubts

2011-02-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

What Should I Do With My Doubt?
Notes from a sermon by David Bisgrove of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. Click here to listen to it.

John 20:1-18

There are periods of time in your Christian walk where you are full of joy, full of peace, and full of hope. But what about those times where there are shaky periods in your faith.

Unmask our doubt. Examine our faith. Fuel our hope.

Verses 1 and 2: Jesus has been crucified. He has been buried. The tomb is empty. Mary has been presented with evidence initially concludes: grave robbing. John comes through in verse 8, and his response is belief. Same evidence, two different initial responses.

If we’re coming to the tomb, and it’s empty, what do we think? Someone stole the body? Or resurrection? Do we think that resurrection is real, or can’t really happen? This isn’t an argument of supernatural versus natural. It’s an argument of faith versus faith, or belief versus belief.

If you are a Christian, you are putting your life on the line that the resurrection happened and is real. It’s a leap of faith, and you’re betting that what you believe is true.

Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) is living his life based on the assumption that God isn’t real. He’s categorized as a de facto atheist, quoted as saying, "I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there."

He’s putting his faith in the assumption that God doesn’t exist.

Where are you putting your faith? What are you trusting in?

Bisgrove says that it doesn’t matter how bold your faith is, it just matters where your faith is. I’d say that’s probably initially true, but at some point you had better push all of your chips to the center of the table. This is why we should examine our faith and what we’re putting it in.

Verse 13:
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

She labels Jesus “my Lord,” indicating her hopes, trust and dreams were wrapped up in Jesus. It was more than “my teacher” or “my friend.” Her past three years were spent investing in the hope that Jesus was her hope. She thought she had bet on the wrong horse.

We all have something we have put our hope into for our ultimate purpose. If the Bible’s right, any other place we’ve put our hope will crumble. Jesus is the one choice that won’t crash and burn. The claim the Bible is making is this: The weakest faith in Jesus is far more liberating than the strongest faith in anything else.

Faith isn’t some abstract thing. It’s guiding your soul.

In Hebrews 11:1, faith is the “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

What do we do when our hope is shaking? Doubt your doubts and look at an empty tomb.

In Matthew 14, Jesus is walking on the water and Peter joins him, only to see the wind and start to sink. He believed in the reality of the storm more than the reality of Jesus. Here’s how Jesus replied to this sequence in Matthew 14:31: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

When the wind hits us, we need to doubt the doubts.

Is your relationship with Jesus more intellectual than personal? If it’s just an intellectual thing and not in your heart, the storms will take you down. When we let our temporary feelings and thoughts guide us more than the knowledge (in your head and heart) of Jesus, we will give into the storms of our temptations and other temporary saviors.

We need people, fellow believers, community, to encourage us to believe and help us overcome doubt and discouragement. We all need people in our lives to speak truth into our lives and to challenge us. If those are strong, it helps us stay strong through the storms.

We have to gaze at the empty tomb.

Verse 16: Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

One of the major reasons we doubt the resurrection is that it seems to good to be true. This is a broken world and we are always reminded of it. It’s hard to resist that brokenness in our own beliefs and how we live.

Saul Bellow, (Herzog):
This generation thinks – and this is its thought of thoughts – that nothing faithful, vulnerable, fragile can be durable or have any true power. Death waits for these things as a cement floor waits for a dropping light bulb.

In this world, it’s hard not to think that death always wins. In the real world, the frog is just a frog, Cinderella never makes it to the ball, and the beauty never wakes up.

When Jesus speaks to Mary, everything Mary had thought she lost becomes true. The reason the tomb was empty is because Jesus was alive. It is true. There is hope. The story has a happy ending.

We know how the ending of this story goes. It’s time to live like we do. Do you know that Jesus left the tomb and is calling your name? Are you telling people the best news you’ve ever heard?

Radar

2011-02-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

The following are my notes from listening to an Adam Thomason sermon entitled "What's On Your Radar?" I thought it was one of the better sermons I've heard in awhile, and it highlighted a definite shortcoming in the lives of many believers today: We don't understand the power of God, his love for us, and how he's asking us to partner with him.

Genesis 1:27
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

What happens when an improper awareness leads to oppression? Who needs help that we constantly pass by? What and who is on your radar?

We walk with an unawareness of who we are in Christ. We have no idea the power we have on our side and the identity we have. We have no grasp of our capabilities and the fullness of life that is possible. This lack of awareness allows us to be wounded by the enemy, by others, and by ourselves.

Isaiah 6:1-8
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

The powerful thing about Isaiah 6 is that Isaiah sees the triumphant Christ in his vision. He sees the holiest of holiness. He sees the power and glory. He sees the God with the utmost name of holiness. He acknowledges this and submits.

Luke 4:18-19, Jesus quoting Isaiah 61:1-2
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me.” It’s not a spirit, it’s the Spirit. Not only is it on him, it goes before, and stands by. Jesus is modeling the power of the Lord for the disciples.

This is for us, too. We have access through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 6:40
“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”

You won’t be him, but you will be like him. It’s your turn to teach and to share the gift with the leading of the perfect teacher.

2 Corinthians 5:20
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

We are ambassadors. When people see a believer, they should see the power of Christ flushed out.

2 Corinthians 3:7-13
Even in Moses’ sin, he was able to conduct miracles. God still used him, and Moses walked with authority, even if imperfect. Even in his sin, God used him. Moses walked in the glory of God, so much so that he had to veil his face. This passage says that our glory surpasses the glory of Moses.

It doesn’t say we have to have more resources. If you have a voice, you have the capability to walk in that power. You’re called to walk in a power to glorify Jesus. When people see you, they should see Jesus. You should be a herald and your voice should be heard.

Where there’s comfort and people appear fine on the outside, do you ever bring up the subject of Jesus? Or do you just assume knowledge? Do you ever check to see if there’s people who are poor spiritually around you? Are you around poor people who need help?

In America, we live in a financially prosperous nation. Adam Thomason says that being born in America alone gives us a ten-talent existence. What are you doing with those talents and those gifts that the Lord has blessed you with?

What are you doing with the fact that a lot of people don’t have the same resources that you might? Do your gifts end with only your own gratification? Do you ignore the spiritually poor next door? Are you limiting yourself to whom you’re “called” to? Are you limiting your calling and what Jesus modeled?

This whole world, without Christ, is poor. What are you going to do about it? The fact is that if you live and you die without Christ, then you will suffer eternal separation. Are you aware of those around you?

In Luke 4:1 it says that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when he went to be tempted. In 4:14 when he returned to Galilee, he returned in the power of the Spirit. Are you walking in the power of that which you are filled with? Are you stirring the gift that’s been giving you? Are you practicing?

Most of the time, the problem is not the lack of knowledge and access to information. The problem is a lack of action, a lack of utilizing that knowledge and information. The problem is that we often refuse to tap into God’s power to further his Kingdom and refuse to be a witness. You cannot separate power and witnessing. People should know where you stand, regardless of where they stand.

Do your neighbors know where you stand? Can your servers at the restaurants tell that you’re a Christian? Do you walk with any kind of boldness or power? Are you prepared to share your witness? Do you care enough about the people around you to share your good news?

You don’t have to share with everybody, but you should be prepared for the Holy Spirit to work with you when an opportunity is there. Are you looking for opportunities?

These opportunities won’t always be easy. Or completely successful. You will fail in the eyes of man, but succeed in the eyes of the Lord. People aren’t projects. They have souls and value that needs to be recognized and nurtured. Do you see them?

The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is the same Spirit that is in you. That same Spirit that free Christ from the grave frees you! We have all the power we need. We have all the connections. Are you aware of the power that you can walk in, and what’s on your radar? Are you settling for immature fruit over mature fruit? Are you making a cheap exchange? Why raise the bar for pastors, and lower it for yourself?

2 Corinthians 6:10
⁶ He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
⁷ Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? ⁹ If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! ¹⁰ For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

Identity

2011-02-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

The following are my notes from when I spoke at Joppa on February 1st. It may not be the smoothest read, but they're what I used to speak from.

Identity
In the beginning of creation, man’s existence was defined by their relationship with God. They walked with him daily. They dialogued with him all the time. When sin entered the world, there was a change in where man found his identity. No longer were we defined by our relationship with God, but rather we defined ourselves by trying to become God and worshipping what God created. Sometimes it is ourselves, sometimes it’s material things.

As a result, we let the world try to make us add to our identity. We let temporary labels own us.

You’re a student until you graduate.
You’re a spouse until one of you passes away.
You’re an athlete until you can’t physically perform anymore.

None of these are bad labels or identities. They're just temporary and secondary.

Marketers in our culture prey upon the hollowness in our souls. They assault your identity. Marketers will tell you that you’re not good enough, but will offer you false promises of what will make you complete. In a few months or years, those will no longer be good enough.

Drive this car. Drink this beverage. Buy this for your girlfriend or wife.

You’re not good enough. This will give you meaning. This will complete you.

Image
Hyper Reality is an embellished, exaggerated version of life. We are bombarded by symbols that are exaggerated and presented as reality, it’s presented as normal, and now we’re leaving reality for what will be a frustrating chase after a false ideal. Hyper Reality doesn’t care about things like sin and redemption and eternity. It stays on the surface and the superficial.

We constantly compare ourselves to others. Usually it’s behind the scenes in our homes. It’s called Facebook.

Women tend to really try to compete with the images they’re shown in the media. Men do it, too, but often we just say, “Not a chance.”

What’s flawless? What’s beautiful? Who gets to define what beauty is? Who ascribes value?

Look at artwork, especially abstract artwork.

No. 5, by Jackson Pollock
If unconfirmed reports are correct, Mexican financier David Martinez paid $140 million for this signature work by Jackson Pollock, making it the world's most expensive painting ever. Art critics say this demonstrates the increasing appetite for abstract art, and the eclipse of Impressionism as the most valuable arts movement, but other factors may be involved most notably the relative rarity of Pollock's works and his American nationality. Even so, paying $140 million for an abstract work is crazy to me. But that's just my taste. And my budget.

Police Gazette
Another fantastically high-priced work of abstract art by the Dutch/ American Expressionist de Kooning. Executed in oils, enamel, and charcoal on canvas, it is considered by critics to be one of his most complex landscapes. It was purchased from the artist Sidney Janis and eventually found its way to auction in 1973 where it attracted a record bid of $180,000 from the European dealer Ernst Beyeler. Given its present reported price of $63.5 million, it has appreciated in value 352 times, over 35 years. Not bad for a painting which (I'd hope) few people would claim to understand, far less appreciate. Especially for $63.5 million.

Fine. That’s art. What about me?

The standards for beauty are essentially the same.

Wanna know what’s beautiful? Pick up a magazine. Turn on the TV. They’ll tell you.

How long does that last? Trends come and trends go.

Baggy jeans? Skinny jeans?

Remember these guys? (CLICK HERE) That didn't last long, did it?

Truth Number One:

You are God’s creation. He made you on purpose. With intent. Not by mistake.

Job 10:11-12
Did you not….clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.

Psalm 100:3
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 139:13 and on...
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,  I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together…Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The culture can define beautiful however they want. God is saying, “I made you wonderful.” He didn’t mess up with you. You are his when you’re clinging to the cross. When you realize that, you’re free to live and dress how you want. You’re not defined by material things. Your identity is wrapped up in Christ.

When you realize that when your identity is Christ, you know that when God looks at you, all he sees is perfection. His creation. His love. His son. When that is how you see things, and when you know that, you’re free!

Ownership
God doesn’t give you wealth so you can be wealthy. To paraphrase JR Vassar: He doesn’t increase your standard of living. He wants to increase your standard of giving.

I love my car. When it starts to break down, I will think it’s stupid. I promise you. I'm a whiner.

We don’t need to destroy some of the things that define us. We just need to demote some of them to where they properly belong, and cling to Jesus and promote him to the place in which he belongs in your life.

Anything you love will enslave you. You have to decide who will be the better master.

Truth number two.

Ownership is a myth. Everything you have is given to you by a holy God with the expectation that you would steward it well. You are not what you own. Your possessions will decay over time, or else you will die and they become someone else’s possessions.

"We are to a large degree, the sum of our loves. And we will, of moral necessity, grow into the image of what we love most." – AW Tozer

Relationships
Today's Christian society has slipped into young women acting content being single when they aren't really content. It's caused many to lie, or else face judgment like "Why aren't you happy with what God's given you?" It has conned young men into the mindset of "I'm just going to wait until the right one comes along." (Note: Dudes, if you want food, sometimes you gotta get up and cook it in order to eat. I'm not saying hunt down a spouse with trickery or some sort of snare, but I am saying initiation should be up to you.)

It's okay to be content with where God has you if you are single. BUT, there's also nothing wrong with desiring a spouse. Somehow, in some circles, this desire has been demonized. God has made us to desire community, and that's including a godly marriage.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18 (feel free to read the rest of that chapter, too)
It's built into us to desire relationships! From the beginning, God's wired us that way.

"The yearning to attach and connect, to love and be loved, is the fiercest longing of the soul." - John Ortberg, Everybody's Normal Till You Get To Know Them

Men are called to value and nourish and feed their relationships. We are called to demonstrate church with the other person in our lives. We can't feed someone else until we're fed ourselves. If I'm starving, how can I properly feed another person? I need to allow God to work on me, and work on my own submission. Initiative. Men can not be lazy. Men can not be selfish.

Too many men live in a lonely fantasy world. Women were not merely made for sex and play.

In relationships, our interaction should look like Christ and the church. The bride didn't initiate that relationship. That means men get to initiate the fight for wholeness and healing and everything else. Christ didn't serve the church because the church asked for it. He didn't serve the church because what it could do for him. He served the church because he loved it!

A lot of men do not love the women they're with. They love themselves, or what the woman can give. We're not asked to love women because they... We're simply called to love. No strings. Intimacy.

Ephesians 5:25-29
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church — for we are members of his body.

Another Truth
It's good to have a desire for intimacy with another person. Just make sure you're focus is fixed on the Lord while you pursue it.

Deep down inside, we’re all broken, wrecked and ruined. But we’re also deeply loved by God. As long as you’re alive, he has a glorious purpose for you: to know him and to experience his love.

What do you let define your identity? Are you clinging to fragile temporary saviors, or are you seeking something more permanent? Are you living on secondary things or are you looking for primary sources of satisfaction and identity?

Joppa

2011-01-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

I've been speaking for various churches and audiences about the young adult ministry I help run. It's been a lot of fun to share in the pursuit of young adults for the Kingdom of God. Here's our website. If you want to email me with any questions, feel free to do so by clicking here.

The following is based on an excerpt from Souls in Transition by Christian Smith: The common theme in young adults is frequent and varied transition. They experience multiple-layered and big instances of transition. Many of them are unexpected. They move out. They go to school. They drop out. They move back again. They switch schools. They meet new friends. They switch majors. They graduate (maybe). They move to a new apartment. They get new roommates. Their parents separate. Their parents get back together. Their parents get divorced. They get a job. They get promoted. They move. They leave their job. They get a new job. They buy insurance. They wreck their car. They find their “soul mate.” They get involved. They break up. They’re crushed. They look for meaningful relationships. They start smoking. They quit smoking. They start again. They quit again. Maybe they get married. They’re responsible for someone else now. They have kids. More lives to worry about. They search.

That's a short list that doesn't include a number of other issues that are common with young adults: various addictions such as pornography or chemical, a horrible economy and job market, inflated prices of gas/food/anything, etc...You get the point. There are a lot of options tugging at the post-high school to early 30's age group.

Young adults are looking for something to pledge their allegiance to. Often times, it’s whatever brings them comfort or pleasure or personal advancement. They become individuals, isolated, and drift from true Gospel community.

GK Chesterton said it this way: When we cease to worship God, we do not worship nothing, we worship anything.

Romans 1:25: They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator….

There are many choices out there for young adults, and most of those choices are searching for them. Joppa needs your help in our search. God's people need to get there first.

The beauty of the Gospel is that God is taking imperfect people and making them like his son, Jesus Christ. He’s doing the incredible in our lives! The Gospel takes failure and grows us into Jesus. Miraculous.

We’re involved in something huge. Something bigger than us. Jesus has us right where he wants us, and for me, that seems to be reaching out to young adults in the west central Minnesota area. Just as God is sought us out, we’re seeking out others for God. We get to be included in something special. What God does for us, we get to present and do for others. God has used Joppa to teach me how to share myself, my possessions, and my time with other young adults just like me.

Deep down inside, we’re all broken, wrecked and ruined, no matter how well we try to hide it. But we’re also deeply loved by God. That’s the message we’re bringing to young adults.

Get involved. Prayerfully. Financially. Physically.

Joppa is a non-profit organization under the Youth For Christ umbrella of ministry. If you would like to send a contribution, make the check out to Joppa, and mail it to: PO Box 625, Willmar, MN 56201. It's tax-deductable, and you'll get a receipt in the mail.

The Faithful Servants

2011-01-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

These are my notes and thoughts from a 11/21/2010 sermon given by Todd Nighswonger from Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. Click here to listen to the sermon (Right click and save as to download).

I’ve written about this parable before (click here for that), but I heard Pastor Nighswonger preach on this after I posted the previous blog, and felt that his take added a few good pieces of food for thought.

At the time Jesus shared this parable, he was getting ready to die. The disciples knew he was leaving, and wanted some explanation on if and when he was coming back. Jesus’ answer didn’t tell them when, but he did tell them to be prepared.

To set up chapter 25 of Matthew, chapter 24 gives us multiple instances of advisement to be ready and to be vigilant for whatever may come our way, including a returning Savior.

And then the parable of the ten virgins and the lamps earlier in chapter 25. In that culture, the weddings typically happened in the nighttime. The people involved with the wedding would prepare their lamps so that they’d have enough oil for the wedding celebration.

The ones that had oil couldn’t share because theirs had to last. The ones who didn’t have enough ended up missing the feast.

We see a lot of division of non-believers from believers in passages like these. And as a result, some people may see God as cruel, but Jesus is showing us what to expect and how to prepare ourselves for that great and terrible day. He’s laying out a detailed map and explanation for how to live. In the end, are we vigilant and ready for the return of Jesus?

In the parable of the talents, the servants spoken of are bond servants. They likely had skills and education and may have been working for this master by choice. Any time the master would go away, they’d essentially have the power of attorney, and have rights to make decisions on behalf of the master. He’s entrusting his property and responsibilities with his servants. He’s leaving his mission with his servants.

Another thing to consider is that what the master is handing off can’t be paid back by the servants on their own. The amount of currency he trusted with those servants was more than what they’d ever be able to repay in their entire lifetime. It’s the idea of the Gospel. We can’t earn what Jesus gives us.

The master also hands off talents according to each servant’s ability. He doesn’t give any of them more than they could handle. It’s still the same for us. He’s trusting us with our talents, our time, our possessions…exactly what we can handle.

The one who got five talents immediately went out and did what he was supposed to do…without being told. Ditto for the one who received two talents. They both heard, “Well done.” They may have earned different amounts for their master, but that didn’t matter. What mattered is they were faithful. In other words, their heart was right and aligned with their master’s heart.

The third took his and didn’t do anything with it right away. But instead, he buried it. The reason he didn’t put it in a bank is because the banks were typically in temples to various gods, where often times criminals sought refuge and asylum. Money next to criminals usually is a poor combo.

So instead, he dug a hole and hid it where he could find it later. He wanted it to be safe. He may have done this just in case his master didn’t come back so that he may have it to himself later. The third servant was being lazy and greedy.

After a long time (not immediately), the master returned and settled accounts with his servants.

We already know that the first two servants heard, “Well done.” The third immediately comes up with an excuse, and blames the master. He knew that the master was going to expect something from him. He also knew that the master expected others to do his work. The third servant skewed the reality of the master.

The master was not hard, but generous. He was not unfair, but joyously shared with those who shared his mission. He rewarded his servants.

The third servant was only looking at advancing his own kingdom, not his master’s. The master had taken care of him, had taken him in, and what the servant repaid him with was laziness and leeching off of his master.

We see this today with people who attend church every Sunday or religiously do good deeds, but lack the heart and correct motives behind their actions. We live in a world today that sees common grace on both the person who loves God and the person who doesn’t. But there will be a day where there is going to be an eternal separation of those two factions.

Questions:
Do I consistently make excuses? With God, with friends, with loved ones, with bosses?
Do I play it safe?

Am I not only doing right things, but right things for Jesus’ kingdom? Is your life spent doing right things to advance the greatest thing ever?

Am I the lazy servant?

The beauty of parables and teachings like these is having the opportunity to investigate ourselves to see if we are the lazy servant. We get to explore our hearts to see if we are good and faithful to our Savior.

The very thing we are to be about is to make sure that everything we do gravitates toward that day where we can hear, “Well done.” Everything we do on this earth is worth it. The compelling factor of knowing God is not to work hard, but rather to know him and share in his mission.

Talents

2011-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14-30
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

I’ve heard two separate teachings on this parable in the past couple of weeks (one by Matt Chandler and the other by JR Vassar...and later, a great additional commentary from Todd Nighswonger, which merits its own additional post), and I’m just intrigued by the brilliance we can see in the short story that Jesus uses to illustrate who God really is. Time after time I’m blown away by how consistent and how intelligent Jesus is when he teaches. My savior is brilliant.

In the beginning of the story, we see a master (God, Jesus) going on a journey, calling his servants in to entrust him with his property. It’s important to understand a few things here. First, the talents are the master’s property. It’s not given to the servants to keep forever, but it’s intended to be given back to the master the entire time. Second, we should understand that he’s giving these three servants money, and a lot of it. I’ve heard that amount is worth more than a thousand dollars, and up to twenty years of wages.

The point is that it’s a lot of money, and all of it belongs to the master, who is expecting the servants to do something with what he’s entrusting them with. The master has some deep pockets. He just gave out 180 years of wages. Another key point: The master is returning some day in the future to settle accounts.

When we look at the three servants, we notice differences in their understanding of who the master is and what they’re being asked. The first servant who received five talents immediately went out to double what he received. The second servant who received two talents also doubled what he was given. The third servant who received one talent went and buried it and returned it to the master with no extra earnings.

After a long time, the master returned to settle accounts with the servants. The first servant, who understood who his master was, proudly presented his efforts to his master. The master replies with a “Well done, good and faithful servant!” And after this, he invites the servant to share in the master’s happiness.

The same with the second servant. The master lets him know that he has done well, and invites him to share in the master’s happiness. He also indicates, as he did with the first, that since they were faithful with the little amount (which, if it’s twenty years of wages, doesn’t seem so little to me), that they’d be entrusted with even more.

Then we have the third servant. He doesn’t understand his master at all. He sees the master as a hard man, taking what doesn’t belong to him. He uses this misunderstanding and combines it with his own laziness to not put the proper effort into serving his master. He didn’t lose any of what the master gave him, but he didn’t do anything with it, either.

The third guy either should have gone first, or done something with what the master gave him. The latter is the more accurate thought.

The master’s response should cause us to re-evaluate how we use our gifts, our talents and our possessions. The master refers to the third servant as wicked and lazy, and then questions the servant’s understanding. He then strips the third servant of what little he had been entrusted with and orders him to be thrown into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The first two loved their master. What mattered to the master, mattered to them. They loved what he loved. They wanted to please him. And they were rewarded for their faithfulness during his absence, and when he became present, they got to share in the joy.

The third is exposed. He doesn’t share the master’s desires. He lives a life of fear and comfort. He’s lazy and clings to safety. He is not faithful.

Wow. We see how seriously God takes our short time on this planet and what he’s entrusting us with. I think it’s also important to understand that God doesn’t give us the same amount of talents, but it is crucial to be good stewards with what we do get from our master. None of it’s ours, and it’s all going back to him, and Jesus is coming back to collect what’s rightfully his.

How do you see Jesus? Do you see him as relevant? Do you see him as concerned and interested in your life? Do you see him as a joyful savior who wants to share his victory with you?

What are you doing while your master is away? Are you faithful? Are you confident? Are you excited for his return? Are you prepared?

Are You Prepared?

2011-01-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Are You Prepared?

Matthew 25:1-13
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

The point of the parable is NOT this: Don’t share.

This is the point: You can’t be relying on the readiness of others. You will be personally responsible for when Jesus returns. When the day comes when Jesus returns, you will be held accountable for how you responded to Jesus.

You don’t know how much time you have on this planet. Either when your time is up, or if/when Jesus returns. This parable is a call to action and to prepare for his return.

We need to take Jesus seriously in who he claims to be.

Amazement vs Faith

2010-12-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

The following are notes from a great sermon by Paul David Tripp entitled "The Difference Between Amazement and Faith."

There is a difference between amazement and faith.

Most of us resist change because we’re okay with where we’re at…even if where we’re at is inadequate to what God has called us to be. We are only deceiving ourselves.

We’re okay with marriages that are a little better that a warzone.

We’re okay with a little bit of debt.

We’re okay with greed as long as we’re not stealing.

We’re okay with checking out women at the mall, as long as we look but don’t touch.

We’re okay because we are deceiving ourselves.

We're okay with compromise.

No one’s more influential in your life than you are, because you talk to yourself the most. No one talks to you more than you do.

When you’re a believer, and you do something wrong, you’ll do one of two things: You’ll turn and repent and cling to the cross and Christ’s mercy, or you’ll justify your actions and make what you’re doing acceptable.

It’s not lust. It’s enjoying beauty.

It’s not gossip. It’s an extended prayer request.

It’s not anger. It’s mimicking God’s prophets.

It’s not an ugly power hunt. It’s exercising leadership gifts.

These arguments make us feel okay about things that are not okay. We tell ourselves plausible lies. We convince ourselves that our biggest problems are external and not internal. We ignore God’s transforming grace.

You don’t need to become a better you. You need to be rescued from you. We are not to wallow in shame. In all of our brokenness, in all of our fickleness, we can always turn around and run back to Jesus and his redeeming grace.

We cannot ignore that transforming grace. It’s the greatest, most beautiful, perfect gift of all.

Surrender

2010-12-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

This is an entry that could be longer, but it's a subject that had me thinking in the past 24 hours. "Surrender" is more than a buzzword or cliche. Maybe I'll write something more thorough later, but for now, here are my thoughts.

sur·ren·der
[suh-ren-der]
–verb (used with object)
to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.

–verb (used without object)
to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.

–noun
the act or an instance of surrendering.

Have you ever wondered why people surrender?

What about their timing when they do?

Almost always it's a last resort. No other options. A last ditch effort to save one's self.

How about the Christian worldview of surrendering...why do we still often think of it in worldly terms? Why do a lot of people need to try everything else, a la the prodigal son, sow their wild oats, and then come home running? Is it possible for a person to come to the position of surrender without all of the heartache and hardship?

I think it is possible to do this, but there's an asterisk. There are definitely instances of people coming into the Christian faith and surrendering their life without any instances of "rock bottom" or tragedy or anything that resembles turbulence in their life.

The asterisk is this: We have no leverage to begin with. We never will have leverage. We were out of bullets while going into war, the whole time. We have no bargaining power with God and we never had anything to offer, as if he needed anything.

Submission also often comes hand in hand with a clarifying of who God really is. He's not a vengeful father, he's a loving father. He's not a distant fairy tale, he's a deeper reality. He's not neutral, he's involved and interested and in control. He is trustworthy.

This clarification of who God is allows us to submit to him and see clearer who we are. We are made in God's image. We are nothing on our own, but in our weakness, we discover his strength. This surrender allows us to trust more fully.

Joseph Smith vs. The Bible

2010-12-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

I recently watched a fascinating DVD comparing the prophets and Joseph Smith's teachings of Mormonism to Christian beliefs and the Bible. I took some notes, and I'll post them here.

The test of a prophet:
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 reads:

"You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed."

If even one prophecy doesn’t come to pass, that person is not a prophet. The intro to the Book of Mormon says that the book was written by many prophets, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation.

In the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13 says that the Bible will lose parts or is missing parts after Jesus. 1 Nephi predicts from 600-592 BC that the Bible would be corrupted. However, there is no manuscript from ancient times from Nephi or the Book of Mormon. Nothing predates Joseph Smith.

As a result, Mormons believe that a singular manuscript of the Bible was corrupted over time and as that copy wore out, it would be re-recorded and further corrupted. However, there were thousands of copies of the Bible from ancient times. There are over 40,000 ancient manuscripts of the Bible that have been found.

There are manuscripts from Isaiah that were written before Jesus (and before Nephi supposedly prophesied), and there’s nothing different from the old copy and a copy from modern times. Same with any New Testament writings: There are antique copies in Greek that match up with what we read today. The Mormon prophet Nephi was wrong.

Micah prophesied around 700 BC that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Fragments from Micah can be found in some of the findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating to 100 BC. The book of Matthew makes note of this prophecy in chapter 2.

Alma 7:10 prophesied that Jesus would born in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is six miles north from Bethlehem. Alma fails the test of a prophet.

In Isaiah, it is prophesied that Jesus would come from the line of David. The oldest copy of this prophecy dates to 125 BC. The New Testament repeatedly refers to Jesus is from the line of David. Eusebius, a source outside of the Bible, also acknowledges that Jesus was in the line of David. Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy.

In Psalm 22, David prophesied about Jesus’ death. A fragment of this text was found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating prior to 100 BC. Josephus Flavius, an extra-biblical source, also referenced crucifixion and the death of Jesus. Obviously the New Testament and the eyewitnesses who wrote of the crucifixion also support the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Daniel 9 predicts the death of Jesus and then the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem from around 538 BC. They both happened, and in that order. First, Jesus dying around 33 AD, and the temple around 70 AD.

In Psalm 16, David prophesied Jesus’ resurrection. The Gospels, written by eyewitnesses, confirm this prophecy’s fulfillment. They were willing to die for it. Josephus Flavius wrote of this in his independent writings.

No Mormon prophets appeared in any source until the 1830s when Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. No ancient texts contain any reference to any of them. Joseph Smith insisted that the Bible was incorrectly translated. In his translation, he inserted himself into the Bible and prophecies, calling it “inspired.”

Isaiah 29 is an example of major changes, many of which come word for word from the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith added prophecies to Isaiah about himself. There are complete scrolls of Isaiah that are in existence found with the Dead Sea Scrolls that have no mention of Joseph Smith. (I'm looking for side-by-side comparison links to show you the depth of the changes that Smith made. I find this to be an interesting site.)

John 1:1 reads entirely different between the Bible and Joseph Smith’s version. Papyrus 66, an artifact containing the oldest copy of John, dating to around 150 AD, doesn’t resemble anything close to what Joseph Smith wrote.

The NIV translation of John 1:1:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

The Joseph Smith translation of John 1:1:

"In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God."

There's a huge difference there. One ascribes Jesus authority and deity. The other strips him of it.

In Romans, Paul says we are saved by grace. In Joseph Smith’s version, “and works” is added. Joseph Smith says these works enable men to become gods. Paul preached that by grace, God became man. Smith says that by works, men become gods.

Joseph Smith prophesied in his book Doctrine and Covenants, written in 1832 that a temple would be built in Missouri by the end of his generation. A year later, the Mormons were kicked out of Missouri. Today, the temple lot still sits empty.

Joseph Smith failed the test of a prophet from Deuteronomy 18.

Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed. In fact he said that the temple would be destroyed to the point that no stone would be left on another. Today, if you visit that site, you can see the place where it exists and where the blocks and stones are strewn about.

If we’re following the Bible and what it says, we’re to put those false prophets to death. It’s the people’s responsibility to do so. As in, we’re to separate ourselves from their teachings and what they’re preaching. In this case, we’re to distance ourselves from the teachings of Joseph Smith and all of his writings, teachings and prophecy.

Jesus and Anxiety

2010-12-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

The following are my notes from a Mark Driscoll sermon entitled "Jesus and Anxiety" from November 14th. To hear the sermon, click here.

What does your mind fear?
Who or what are you afraid of?

Luke 12:22-32

²² Then 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. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider 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! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If 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—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But 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.³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The first five books of the Bible have 613 commands.
In the total Bible, 66 books, the command repeated most frequently is “fear not.”

This indicates it’s not just a temporary issue limited to one area or time. The Bible was written in multiple countries over a thousand years. Fear, and how to handle it, is a recurring topic.

Trust God with what only God can do. Be ready for the future and trust God in it.

Fear is our response to danger that is real or perceived. Everyone fears. Heights, death, speaking in public, being lonely, paying the bills, unemployment, opinions…everyone has fear.

God’s a loving father. He loves his kids. You start with his love. You don’t have to earn it. You start with the love. It’s not based on performance.

“Fear not” can be a command or an invitation. It’s a command, but it’s also an invitation to be free. It’s not scolding you not to be afraid. It’s more than that because God loves you.

Fear begins in the mind. Fear is vision without optimism. You know where something is going. You have an idea. But you lack optimism. It seems reasonable, even when irrational.

Fear is about not getting what we want:

I want to get married. What if it never happens?
I want to get a job. What if I can’t find one?
I have a job. What if I get let laid off?
I want to own a house. What if I never have the money?
I want to be free from addiction. What if that never happens?
I got cancer. I didn’t want this.
My spouse left me. I want this to work.

This isn’t what I wanted.

Fear reveals our values, our loves, our priorities, our longings. We only fear losing what we love. We only fear getting what we hate. It reveals what is primary for us.

Fear turns us into false prophets. Fear causes us to predict the future wrongly. We freak out about things that don’t or won’t happen.

Fear isn’t always sinful. A child goes off to war. A hurricane is coming. A woman is pregnant and wants a child but has had miscarriages. You did lose your job. Fear is an opportunity to run to or from God.

Fear is an enormous issue that manifests itself in the form of anxiety. Anti-depressants are the number one category of prescription drugs in the U.S. Sleeplessness is one of the greatest issues. People are taking less of their vacation time than ever. People take phones and laptops wherever they go because they need control and can’t take a break.

Where does your body manifest anxiety? Stress and anxiety shorten your life. Fear in the mind leads to anxiety in the body. God designed our body to give us clues in regards to our mental state.

Luke 12:25
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?"

When Jesus is talking about fear and anxiety, he understands because he lived a human life. He knows he’s going to the cross. He sweats drop of blood while awaiting his own execution. He understands stress and anxiety. He understands betrayal. He knows what it’s like to be single. He knows what it’s like to be alone. He knows what it’s like to be homeless. He knows what it’s like to have friends die. He’s leading by example when he says, “Fear not.”

Jesus is not a rich man living a comfortable life giving you self-help tips.

If you’re always focused on yourself, it’s harder to escape the grip of fear. When you live a life that mirrors that of Jesus, it’s not about you. You need to be a good steward, but Jesus is trying to get you to think about someone other than yourself.

If you worship yourself, and you are trying to worship yourself better, anxiety and stress will only grow. Where is your treasure? Jesus isn’t attacking your stuff. He’s attacking your stress. And a lot of your stress is connected to your stuff.

In Jesus’ time, the issue was starvation. In our western culture, it’s obesity. When we’re happy, we reward ourselves with food. When we’re stressed, we comfort ourselves with food.

How much of our time is spent on our image or clothes? We want to look fine on the outside when on the inside we’re not. Often times our money and time go towards our fears or preventing them from arising. It’s often a futile struggle.

It is not a sin to anticipate the future and prepare for it. It is wrong to try to control it. You cannot be God. That position is filled. Some things are beyond our control.

Generally, when the Bible tells us, “Fear not,” it goes on to tell us who God is.

Accept the freedom of Jesus' invitation.

Jeffrey Alan...The Music and Whatnot

2010-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

I do some Christian hip hop and speaking, and I desire to do more. If you have a youth group, a venue, a living room and some friends, or anything that resembles a population base...let me know by clicking here and sending an email.

Replacing Passions

2010-11-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

These are some of my notes from a Blake Chilton sermon. To hear the entire sermon, click here.

2 Timothy 2:22-26
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

You don’t just outgrow youthful passions. You have to kill them.

Where do you find your pleasure? When something goes wrong, what’s your comforter, what’s your outlet? Is it sex? Is it porn? Is it food? Is it shopping? Maybe we pursue power and money and possessions. But the most wealthy and powerful men aren’t really that wealthy or powerful when it comes to God. God is all-powerful.

If it’s other than God, it’s simply self-gratification. God wants us to run to him when things are tough. God should be who we run to for our pleasure and our joy. In Psalm 73, it tells us that there is nothing more desirable than God.

We can’t buy into the lie that we’re going to outgrow our sins and temptations. They don’t just fall away. We’ve got to kill our sin. The point of that sin is not to lure you in for a season, but it’s to kill you.

Sin often starts off as something that appears manageable. Over time, when left unchecked, that sin spirals into something that’s unmanageable and will destroy you.

Often times, these are the sins that “don’t hurt anybody,” or no one needs to know about, or “aren’t that big of a deal.” But before you know it, this sin has consumed your life for forty years or have destroyed a marriage or a career.

The following clip is from this sermon, and I thought was incredibly powerful. Take five minutes to listen to it.

God’s not impressed with how strong you are. The main reason for that is that you’re not that strong. In your weakness is where you’re truly strong. When you lay it at the foot of the cross and let God be the strength. God wants to use you to flex His muscles.

This isn’t just a one time deal. It’s daily. It’s multiple times per day. Whenever temptation knocks. Galatians 5:24 tells us to crucify our flesh. We are to die to our worldly passions.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Now is the time.

That’s how God gets glory in the midst of temptation. God wants to help you. When you go to Him, it glorifies His holiness and His strength.

So not only are we to flee youthful passions, we’re asked to pursue righteousness. Righteousness is a right relationship with the Lord. That’s a constant dialogue that takes effort.

We’re asked to pursue faith. That’s asking for more belief in God. Where are you trying to grow in your faith? What’s your action plan to make this happen?

Have you ever asked God to teach you to love like He does? Are you loving your neighbor and obeying God’s commands and not just viewing them as suggestions?

The Lord’s servant is about the Gospel because their heart has been penetrated by the Gospel. We are to hate sin because Jesus hates sin. Jesus died because he loved us and hated sin so much. So the Lord’s servant is to honor and imitate and pursue that mindset.

Freedom from the Fear of Man

2010-11-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

This past October, I spoke at Joppa about "Fear" and a lot of the material was taken from a wonderful sermon entitled, "Freedom from the Fear of Man," by JR Vassar, which can be found by clicking here. The following are my notes from the presentation I gave. If you want more in-depth thoughts on it, check that audio, and check out this sermon from Mark Driscoll, who also addresses the subject.

John 12:42-43

Some questions:
Which glory do you crave? The glory that comes from God, or the glory that comes from man? Does your answer to this shock you?

Where do you put your faith and your trust? What shakes your faith and your trust?

Do you want to be invited in and included? Do you fear rejection or excluded?

This isn’t bad, these desires can help us lead a life that’s healthy, but where is the line? When they become controlling desires and when we’re consumed by them. When we need the approval of man to get by.

We are enslaved by the way we perceive people’s perceptions of us.

Do you need something from others so that you’re dependent upon them?

Do you crave compliments? Do you ever fish for compliments?

Are you ever afraid that you’ll be exposed as an imposter? Do you wear masks? Do you compromise your morals to earn the approval of others? Have you gone into debt to build on your status?

Are you overly concerned about weight, what you wear, etc? Do you find yourself looking in the mirror a lot?

Do you constantly feel under-appreciated?

Do you ever justify your mistakes or shift blame?

Do you over-extend yourself and find yourself unable to say no when people ask you to do something? Is your life so incredibly busy because you want to belong?

Are you easily embarrassed? Do you take a vice and clothe it in virtue?

Do you compare yourself to others and feel good when you win, or envy when you lose?

This is fear of man, and it is bondage. Why do we struggle with this? We’re glory hungry. We want approval. We want to belong. We were made to be significant. And we were made for this.

What kind of glory do you aim for? Beauty? Wealth? Power? Fame? Family? What’s your fig leaf that covers your sin and shame? We go from Genesis 1-2 and everything is good, to man’s sin, and it’s been a struggle to cover up ever since.

We struggle so much to show we do count. To quote Rocky Balboa: "If I could just go 15 rounds with the champ, then I could prove I’m not a bum." Who are you trying to impress?

Broken people can’t fix broken people. Broken people cannot make broken people whole. You’re asking them to satisfy you with the very thing that they lack. It’s futile. It’s a dead end.

How do you get freedom from the fear of man?

God is ready to give you the glory you’re hungry for. He’s giving you Christ.

The only commendable one has taken our sin and condemned himself in order that we may become commendable, as well. All that we were was laid on Christ and he took it away. He was treated like an enemy so that while we were enemies we could be made new and clean and transformed into sons and daughters of God.

God treated Jesus like he lived our lives so that we could be treated like we lived Jesus’ life. All so that God could say that you are okay. So that you could be approved. So that you could be accepted. So that God could say that “This is my son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
You are an ingredient in the Divine Happiness. When this becomes the deepest awareness of yourself, that you realize that you’re a son or daughter of God, it displaces all other ways that you’ve tried to define yourself: abuse victim, addict, unemployed, etc.

John 12:23-28

Jesus had to die to save your life. In HIS hour, he glorifies his Father.

Jesus is our savior first. Then he’s our model.

The reason Jesus died the death he died is because you can’t live the life he lived. If you don’t believe this, ask anyone who knows you. You’re not perfect, you need him.

Once you grasp this, you are working from God’s acceptance, not for it. As you yield yourself to him, he’ll transform you. It’s grace. Grace is opposed to earning. It requires effort, but you can’t earn it.

Falsely condemned. Ridiculed. Abused. Killed. But all to glorify his Father.

Be consumed for a greater desire for God to be glorified and honored.

The Bible is not your high school yearbook. It’s not about you. Your yearbook wasn’t even about you. The purpose of the Bible isn’t to make you feel important. It’s about God telling you about himself. When we read, we should become occupied with thoughts of God and lose the thoughts of ourselves. That’s freedom.

Realize that you have approval of the ultimate power of the universe. This will free you from using people to serving people. From being a consumer of people to loving them freely.

This is awesome. You cannot love people that you use.

If you want to be free from the fear of man, you’re going to start to lay your life down for their good, instead of asking them to be your good. You can actually sacrifice yourself. Instead of seeking glory from them, you seek glory for them.

There is so much freedom to be free from the obsessive thoughts of what people think about you. You can speak the truth. You can be yourself. You can be free.

This probably won’t happen over night. It takes some time and effort.

Intentional

2010-11-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Why do you do what you do?

Your work? Your school? The food you choose to eat? Where you eat at? Why do you make those choices?

The shows you choose to watch? The music you listen to? Why do you make those choices?

Why do you go to church? Why do you not go to church?

It's important to not drift through life or just go through the motions. I ask them of myself. Just wondering if anyone else asks themselves the same ones.