Everyone who knows me well knows that one of my greatest weaknesses involves the calendar. I forget dates - birthdays, anniversaries, etc. You know, those days that I forget that end up hurting the feelings of those I love. Of late I have employed a "reminder service" (my sister) to make sure I don't miss the really important ones. But that's not really what I wanted to write about today. However, I do want us to think about a calendar, but not the one hanging on your wall or sitting on your desk.
The calendar that I want to discuss is the one that many in the body of Christ have followed for centuries. Being raised Baptist resulted in me not knowing a whole lot about something very familiar to many within the church - the Official Church Calendar. Now our church had a calendar with coming events and annual meetings written in but that's not one to which I'm referring. I'm referring to the "Liturgical Calendar." It wasn't until my seminary days that I was exposed to the rich history behind the Liturgical year observed by many within the body. The Liturgical cycle is actually a three year cycle in which worshipers are exposed to every major doctrinal teaching of the church. It's actually quite an involved and detailed strategy. Developed in a time when the church was rapidly growing in numbers and the potential for heresy was great, the church wanted to guard against the corruption of the content of its worship. The end result was a complete guide to the content of worship for each Sunday and special day of the year to so ensure that even the weakest of parish leaders would be on target with the rest of the body world-wide.
In our day there are many in the body who still follow the "Liturgy" each week and there are many who do not. Denominational affiliation generally drives this choice. Haven Baptist, of course, does not generally follow the "Liturgy" because most Baptists see this as "too Catholic." In fact, I thought that myself until I was exposed to the original design of the "Liturgy." But this is still not so much what I wanted to discuss.
Many within the body of Christ are and have been observing the season called "Advent." For many of us, we assume that since the season of Advent is observed the four Sundays prior to December 25 then it must be about the first Advent (coming) of Jesus Christ as a baby. False. The season of "Advent" actually has to do with the future coming of Jesus Christ. "Advent," at least in the Western tradition, marks the beginning of the Liturgical or calendar year for the church. That is why I titled today's entry "Beginning with the end." For those who follow the liturgy, Advent marks the time that they begin the year focusing all attention on that event that all Christians should be eagerly anticipating - the return of the King. Just think about the Christmas hymn Joy to the World. It's not about the first Advent. "Let earth receive her King!" It's about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as King.
This year I have intentionally focused on the second coming during these four Sundays prior to December 25. The first week of Advent we finished the short series "Life as it Should be" looking at the promise of Christ to return in John 14. The next week we looked at the Certainty of His Coming from 2 Peter 3:8-15. Last week we looked at the Good News of His Coming from Isaiah 61:1-4; 8-11 (those can all be heard online if you missed anything). This week, Lord willing, we will look at the Joy of His Coming from Luke 1:47-55.
How real is the return of Christ to you? I mean how does that fact impact your life, the choices and the plans that you make? We're not going to forget about His first coming. Not at all. In fact, I want to extend everyone an invitation to come and be with us on Christmas Eve at 7:00 PM to specifically remember His first Advent. But until then, let's join the millions of other believers world-wide by focusing on that great day that all believers should anticipate - His return!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
What about Evangelism, Prayer, Missions, etc.
Hopefully you've taken the time to read the last 5 posts beginning with "The Foundational Question" and working your way through the discipleship process anchor points that are "Worship, Connect, Serve & Grow."
A week or so ago I had a chance to talk to a person in the church who consistently encourages me. He brought up a great question. He said to me, "Kevin I'm confused as to why Evangelism is not the first step in the process that you've begun to introduce." GREAT QUESTION! I shared with this brother that I had obviously not done a good job explaining the things that we are to assume. I'll try to do a better job of that here.
Without question, sharing the gospel of Christ is the most foundational and primary objective of each and every believer. We are called as Christians to be always sharing our faith with those we meet. It is being assumed that every person associated with Haven Baptist Church is sharing their faith with their family, co-workers, neighbors, teammates and anyone else they may have in a circle of influence. Evangelism, therefore, is an assumed activity naturally taking place in the lives of every believing participant. Of course that is not to say that we will never have a Church-wide event or series of events that focuses on the unchurched. But, as a general rule, we are assuming that primarily people will come to Christ in your living room, at your kitchen table, in your garage, back yard, break room, on the golf course, basket-ball court and any other place where you might be when the Spirit of God is clearly opening the eyes of the unbeliever with whom you've take time to build a relationship. You would then have the privilege of introducing them to Christ and then bringing them with you to Haven to begin their journey of discipleship.
However, we too know that it's not always that easy. Sometimes people don't let you into their lives far enough to build that kind of relationship. For this reason we want to be more than prepared for you to bring your unsaved friends with you to church where they will have an opportunity to see and hear what it looks like to be a member of the body of Christ and see first hand what being a Christian looks like. Most Sunday sermons are not generally designed as gospel presentations as they are primarily for the encouragement of the body. But that is not to say that the Holy Spirit cannot begin moving in the hearts of someone because of a song that is sung that clearly expresses the gospel or through a sermon point that focuses on an aspect of salvation or just by the study of God's Word in general. What we want to be able to provide are opportunities for visitors to have their questions answered or at the very least experience an environment that is non-threatening where they will be willing to return and possibly ask questions. But we don't want to stop there. We want to provide opportunities for believers to become skilled in sharing their faith as well as train them with tools that they can use when they bring an unsaved friend with them to a worship service. We want to equip them not only to answer their questions but also help them plan a strategy for bringing up the subject for them.
The same concept is true for Prayer, Missions, Biblical Accuracy, Sound Theology - all of these, along with evangelism, are assumed as the connecting fibers of our whole discipleship process. So basically what you have is this - Haven Baptist Church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ who are passionate about sharing their faith and partnering with others who are doing that locally and globally, who are committed to prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, who defend the essentials of orthodox Christianity and who are actively seeking to obey the call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples. We believe that maturing disciples are believers in Jesus Christ who begin and continue to Worship God, who begin and continue to Connect in the body, who begin and continue to Serve in the body and who begin and continue to Grow in their understanding of who God is as revealed in His Word. We are committed to pouring all our efforts and resources into making this happen using the most effective means possible.
Hopefully this better explains why such an important concept as Evangelism (and other very important concepts) is not identified as an anchor point in the discipleship process - it's assumed activity. But if this only makes the water more cloudy, please keep asking good questions.
More to come...
A week or so ago I had a chance to talk to a person in the church who consistently encourages me. He brought up a great question. He said to me, "Kevin I'm confused as to why Evangelism is not the first step in the process that you've begun to introduce." GREAT QUESTION! I shared with this brother that I had obviously not done a good job explaining the things that we are to assume. I'll try to do a better job of that here.
Without question, sharing the gospel of Christ is the most foundational and primary objective of each and every believer. We are called as Christians to be always sharing our faith with those we meet. It is being assumed that every person associated with Haven Baptist Church is sharing their faith with their family, co-workers, neighbors, teammates and anyone else they may have in a circle of influence. Evangelism, therefore, is an assumed activity naturally taking place in the lives of every believing participant. Of course that is not to say that we will never have a Church-wide event or series of events that focuses on the unchurched. But, as a general rule, we are assuming that primarily people will come to Christ in your living room, at your kitchen table, in your garage, back yard, break room, on the golf course, basket-ball court and any other place where you might be when the Spirit of God is clearly opening the eyes of the unbeliever with whom you've take time to build a relationship. You would then have the privilege of introducing them to Christ and then bringing them with you to Haven to begin their journey of discipleship.
However, we too know that it's not always that easy. Sometimes people don't let you into their lives far enough to build that kind of relationship. For this reason we want to be more than prepared for you to bring your unsaved friends with you to church where they will have an opportunity to see and hear what it looks like to be a member of the body of Christ and see first hand what being a Christian looks like. Most Sunday sermons are not generally designed as gospel presentations as they are primarily for the encouragement of the body. But that is not to say that the Holy Spirit cannot begin moving in the hearts of someone because of a song that is sung that clearly expresses the gospel or through a sermon point that focuses on an aspect of salvation or just by the study of God's Word in general. What we want to be able to provide are opportunities for visitors to have their questions answered or at the very least experience an environment that is non-threatening where they will be willing to return and possibly ask questions. But we don't want to stop there. We want to provide opportunities for believers to become skilled in sharing their faith as well as train them with tools that they can use when they bring an unsaved friend with them to a worship service. We want to equip them not only to answer their questions but also help them plan a strategy for bringing up the subject for them.
The same concept is true for Prayer, Missions, Biblical Accuracy, Sound Theology - all of these, along with evangelism, are assumed as the connecting fibers of our whole discipleship process. So basically what you have is this - Haven Baptist Church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ who are passionate about sharing their faith and partnering with others who are doing that locally and globally, who are committed to prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, who defend the essentials of orthodox Christianity and who are actively seeking to obey the call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples. We believe that maturing disciples are believers in Jesus Christ who begin and continue to Worship God, who begin and continue to Connect in the body, who begin and continue to Serve in the body and who begin and continue to Grow in their understanding of who God is as revealed in His Word. We are committed to pouring all our efforts and resources into making this happen using the most effective means possible.
Hopefully this better explains why such an important concept as Evangelism (and other very important concepts) is not identified as an anchor point in the discipleship process - it's assumed activity. But if this only makes the water more cloudy, please keep asking good questions.
More to come...
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Grow
The last step is Grow. Don't mistake my use of the word "last" to lead you to believe that this step is where the discipleship process ends. In stead you should understand the 4 steps this way: Step one is where you begin and continue to worship; Step two is where you begin and continue to connect; Step three is where you begin and continue to serve; and Step four is where you begin and continue to grow.
It is in this step that the church provides opportunities for a disciple to go deeper in their understanding of who God is as revealed in His Word and understood throughout history. This step involves intentional focused study on specific issues of Biblical truth, theology, Church history and various other areas. These opportunities will be intentionally planned and scattered throughout the calendar year with two goals in mind - (1) effectiveness and (2) flexibility.
By effectiveness we mean that if people are going to commit their time to these growth studies or classes then we need to make sure that they are getting a rich and deep learning experience. By flexibility we mean that it is important to think about the complex lives of modern disciples and go out of our way to accommodate as many busy schedules as possible. For instance, one of the very basic but highly fundamental and essential aspects of Christian theology is the doctrine of the Trinity. Though the Trinity can (and will) be taught at the sermon level it will never be handled in great depth due to the constraints on a sermon. But this does not mean that we can ignore our responsibility to teach the deep things of God to the body. How we accomplish this task is found in the fourth step of the discipleship process. We would offer a growth class on the specific doctrine of the Trinity (effective) that has a starting and ending date and is offered at different times of the day, week and year (flexible). This will allow people to be intentional about their spiritual growth. In fact, with a little bit of forethought and planning we could provide a five (or more) year schedule that lists when each growth class will be provided so that individual disciples and families of disciples can schedule the classes at the most convenient time for them. Effective & flexible. Other growth opportunities may be geared around subjects like; Creation vs. Evolution, Resolving conflict in your marriage, survey of world religions, survey of Christian denominations, etc. The goal, though, is to provide opportunities for disciples who are worshiping, connecting and serving to go deeper in their understanding of who God is as revealed in His Word and understood throughout history.
Step 1 - Worship (begin & continue)
Step 2 - Connect (begin & continue)
Step 3 - Serve (begin & continue)
Step 4 - Grow (begin and continue)
It is in this step that the church provides opportunities for a disciple to go deeper in their understanding of who God is as revealed in His Word and understood throughout history. This step involves intentional focused study on specific issues of Biblical truth, theology, Church history and various other areas. These opportunities will be intentionally planned and scattered throughout the calendar year with two goals in mind - (1) effectiveness and (2) flexibility.
By effectiveness we mean that if people are going to commit their time to these growth studies or classes then we need to make sure that they are getting a rich and deep learning experience. By flexibility we mean that it is important to think about the complex lives of modern disciples and go out of our way to accommodate as many busy schedules as possible. For instance, one of the very basic but highly fundamental and essential aspects of Christian theology is the doctrine of the Trinity. Though the Trinity can (and will) be taught at the sermon level it will never be handled in great depth due to the constraints on a sermon. But this does not mean that we can ignore our responsibility to teach the deep things of God to the body. How we accomplish this task is found in the fourth step of the discipleship process. We would offer a growth class on the specific doctrine of the Trinity (effective) that has a starting and ending date and is offered at different times of the day, week and year (flexible). This will allow people to be intentional about their spiritual growth. In fact, with a little bit of forethought and planning we could provide a five (or more) year schedule that lists when each growth class will be provided so that individual disciples and families of disciples can schedule the classes at the most convenient time for them. Effective & flexible. Other growth opportunities may be geared around subjects like; Creation vs. Evolution, Resolving conflict in your marriage, survey of world religions, survey of Christian denominations, etc. The goal, though, is to provide opportunities for disciples who are worshiping, connecting and serving to go deeper in their understanding of who God is as revealed in His Word and understood throughout history.
Step 1 - Worship (begin & continue)
Step 2 - Connect (begin & continue)
Step 3 - Serve (begin & continue)
Step 4 - Grow (begin and continue)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Serve
Step number three is Service. Once a believer is actively involved in corporate worship (step one) and small group connection (step two), then he or she is ready to be plugged in to some kind of service in the body. God has revealed in His word that He gifts all believers with what we refer to as "spiritual gifts." These spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up the body (see Eph. 4; Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12). God intends for the church to be made up of all kinds of different people who are each gifted (by Him) in different ways. In doing this He makes two very important points: (1) no one of us is capable of accomplishing all that God intends alone & (2) in light of point number one, we desperately need each other. Service, therefore, is not just about doing something for God but rather doing something that God had gifted you to do in the body for the benefit of the body. In the passages mentioned above, Paul uses the physical body to illustrate the point. We need ears to hear, fingers to pick our noses that smell (come on, don't be so sensitive), eyes to see, legs to walk, arms to lift and support and on and on. We wouldn't get much hearing done if we were all eyes. We wouldn't get much lifting done if we were all noses. The point is pretty simple - we're all important and we can't afford for anyone not to use the gifts God has given them for the body's benefit.
This, of course, begs the questions, "How do you know what gifts God has given you" or "How do you know what part of the body you are?" I'm glad you asked. Unfortunately, many Christians have never asked themselves that question and, even more unfortunate, their spiritual leaders have never asked them either. In stead they ask people to do things that they are not gifted for and people end up burned out and out of sorts. If I were to ask you identify your primary spiritual gift, could you tell me? If your answer is Yes, could you tell me why? Meaning, could you take me to the scripture and walk me through how you came to that conclusion? If you can - AWESOME! If you couldn't answer Yes to either one of my questions then don't be discouraged. You are not alone. At Haven we can have a strategy that is prepared not only to ask those kinds of questions but also to help people discover, develop and use their spiritual gifts to the glory of God and the benefit of the body.
There are many different takes on how we, as believers, are to understand the Biblical passages that deal with our God given, spiritual gifts. In fact, some of these passages deal with certain gifts that cause for great debate within the body. That's okay. We can have hearty debates and go home brothers and sisters every time. What every local body has to determine is how they understand the gifts passages and as long as their understanding is consistent with the rest of scripture then they need to move forward on that basis. The first step towards knowing your spiritual gift is to search and wrestle with the scripture. One of the best tools (and there are many) for helping believers get a clear, basic understanding of spiritual gifts is the DVD series "Your Divine Design" by Chip Ingram (President of Walk Through the Bible Ministries and regular teacher for the radio program Living On The Edge). In this series, Chip gives a basic overview of each of the gifts passages and helps learners understand how they can understand each passage and discover what God has primarily gifted them to do within the body. The second step towards knowing your spiritual gift is to filter what you think about yourself through the eyes and wisdom of godly members of the body who know you. You say to them, "Hey I went through the spiritual gifts class and I think my primary gift is either teaching or exhorting. What do you think?" What you do is open yourself up to your own blind spots. You might think you are an exhorter when in reality you're just rude and speak when you should stay silent. Or you might think you're gifted to teach when in reality you just like to hear yourself talk. You won't know these things without opening yourself up to the body who loves and observes you. So before you can effectively serve in the body, you need to know how God has gifted (wired) you to serve. Once you know what your gift (or gifts) is, then you can begin to develop your gift in the context of service & community (not in individual isolation but within the framework of the body).
When a disciple begins to understand what it means to worship then they are ready to be plugged in to a connection group. Once that person understands who they are in the connection group we can begin to encourage them to take the next step towards service by helping them discover and develop their spiritual gifts. We do this because we need what God has designed and gifted them to do. You need me, I need you, we need them, they need us!
Step 1 - Worship
Step 2 - Connect
Step 3 - Serve
This, of course, begs the questions, "How do you know what gifts God has given you" or "How do you know what part of the body you are?" I'm glad you asked. Unfortunately, many Christians have never asked themselves that question and, even more unfortunate, their spiritual leaders have never asked them either. In stead they ask people to do things that they are not gifted for and people end up burned out and out of sorts. If I were to ask you identify your primary spiritual gift, could you tell me? If your answer is Yes, could you tell me why? Meaning, could you take me to the scripture and walk me through how you came to that conclusion? If you can - AWESOME! If you couldn't answer Yes to either one of my questions then don't be discouraged. You are not alone. At Haven we can have a strategy that is prepared not only to ask those kinds of questions but also to help people discover, develop and use their spiritual gifts to the glory of God and the benefit of the body.
There are many different takes on how we, as believers, are to understand the Biblical passages that deal with our God given, spiritual gifts. In fact, some of these passages deal with certain gifts that cause for great debate within the body. That's okay. We can have hearty debates and go home brothers and sisters every time. What every local body has to determine is how they understand the gifts passages and as long as their understanding is consistent with the rest of scripture then they need to move forward on that basis. The first step towards knowing your spiritual gift is to search and wrestle with the scripture. One of the best tools (and there are many) for helping believers get a clear, basic understanding of spiritual gifts is the DVD series "Your Divine Design" by Chip Ingram (President of Walk Through the Bible Ministries and regular teacher for the radio program Living On The Edge). In this series, Chip gives a basic overview of each of the gifts passages and helps learners understand how they can understand each passage and discover what God has primarily gifted them to do within the body. The second step towards knowing your spiritual gift is to filter what you think about yourself through the eyes and wisdom of godly members of the body who know you. You say to them, "Hey I went through the spiritual gifts class and I think my primary gift is either teaching or exhorting. What do you think?" What you do is open yourself up to your own blind spots. You might think you are an exhorter when in reality you're just rude and speak when you should stay silent. Or you might think you're gifted to teach when in reality you just like to hear yourself talk. You won't know these things without opening yourself up to the body who loves and observes you. So before you can effectively serve in the body, you need to know how God has gifted (wired) you to serve. Once you know what your gift (or gifts) is, then you can begin to develop your gift in the context of service & community (not in individual isolation but within the framework of the body).
When a disciple begins to understand what it means to worship then they are ready to be plugged in to a connection group. Once that person understands who they are in the connection group we can begin to encourage them to take the next step towards service by helping them discover and develop their spiritual gifts. We do this because we need what God has designed and gifted them to do. You need me, I need you, we need them, they need us!
Step 1 - Worship
Step 2 - Connect
Step 3 - Serve
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Connect
The next step in the discipleship process is Connection. Connection, in my opinion, is where the modern church has failed most. Connection is that dynamic where individuals move from the basic level of commitment, where they simply worship together with other believers, to where they begin to invest in the lives of specific believers in the community. Connection is community!
I am a football fan. there is a difference between going to a packed stadium of 90,000 people all wearing the same colors and cheering for the same team and sitting together with some friends to watch the game in someone's living room. I like both venues but they are not the same. In the living room we a bonding whether we mean to be or not. In the living room we are interested in the game and each other. In the stadium we are interested in the game and the excitement. Living room = intimate. Stadium = excitement.
Scripture has much to say about community. The entire OT is the story of how God worked not necessarily through individuals but through a people - Israel. The gospels, though they are the story of one man - Jesus Christ, are about how he ministered in the company of twelve men in whom he had chosen to invest. The remainder of the NT is both history and instruction on how God worked and wants to work through another group - the Church. If you read almost every NT epistle you will find instructions on how we are to live with a focus on "one another." It's almost never about "me" and almost always about "us." Why is that? Because God values community.
God designed humanity to function within the context of community. In fact, God is the embodiment of community - the Trinity. The Christian life is to be lived in the context of authentic Christian community. When we are intentional about creating environments where authentic Christian community can happen and couple with that the study of God's Word we will find ourselves in an environment where we grow with and from one another. Step two in the discipleship process is getting people plugged into a small group of believers with whom they can invest and from whom they will be invested.
Step 1 - Worship
Step 2 - Connect
I am a football fan. there is a difference between going to a packed stadium of 90,000 people all wearing the same colors and cheering for the same team and sitting together with some friends to watch the game in someone's living room. I like both venues but they are not the same. In the living room we a bonding whether we mean to be or not. In the living room we are interested in the game and each other. In the stadium we are interested in the game and the excitement. Living room = intimate. Stadium = excitement.
Scripture has much to say about community. The entire OT is the story of how God worked not necessarily through individuals but through a people - Israel. The gospels, though they are the story of one man - Jesus Christ, are about how he ministered in the company of twelve men in whom he had chosen to invest. The remainder of the NT is both history and instruction on how God worked and wants to work through another group - the Church. If you read almost every NT epistle you will find instructions on how we are to live with a focus on "one another." It's almost never about "me" and almost always about "us." Why is that? Because God values community.
God designed humanity to function within the context of community. In fact, God is the embodiment of community - the Trinity. The Christian life is to be lived in the context of authentic Christian community. When we are intentional about creating environments where authentic Christian community can happen and couple with that the study of God's Word we will find ourselves in an environment where we grow with and from one another. Step two in the discipleship process is getting people plugged into a small group of believers with whom they can invest and from whom they will be invested.
Step 1 - Worship
Step 2 - Connect
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Worship
The first thing I want to do is simply state what our discipleship process will look like and then I will come back and defend each one later as needed. I believe that in keeping with what God wants (Matthew 28:19-20 – making disciples) that we must structure the ministry in such a way that this happens – a mature disciple assembly line if you will.
The first step in the process is Worship. When someone comes into our fellowship as a believer or as just a curious observer we plug them into our weekly worship service. Our weekly worship service is a focused event each week where the body gathers corporately to celebrate their relationship with God and each other as believers and to be encouraged by the preaching of God’s word. New believers and non-believers can be introduced to life in the body in the most non threatening environment available and begin their discipleship journey with something they can actually handle.
Before we go to the next step, I think it is important to address how the worship service will benefit a non believer. Even though the weekly worship service is designed for believers of all levels of spiritual maturity, it also gives the curious observer an opportunity to see that Christians are really not the weirdoes that the world makes us out to be. They will come curious and they will be presented with opportunities to have their questions answered. Our goal is to share Christ’s love with them while they are here and point them towards a relationship with Him. Hopefully the unchurched that visit with us are here because you have invited them from a circle in which you have come to know them. You would then also be a tool to be used of God to answer the questions they might have.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Foundational Question - What do you want?
I said a couple of weeks ago that I would begin talking about what I believe the discipleship process looks like at Haven. I already introduced you to what, I believe, are 4 major life characteristics of a maturing disciple of Jesus Christ - someone who worships God, is connected to the body, serves in the body and is growing in their faith. Worship, Connect, Serve & Grow. I believe that all 4 of these characteristics are clearly articulated in the Bible and we'll discover that together real soon. I also want to talk about what each of these 4 stages might look like practically or in the context of life in 2008 and beyond (but mainly in 2008). Before I do that, though, I believe it is important that each one answer the foundational question - "What do you want?"
To answer this question might seem easy and we might give the Sunday school answer; "I want what Jesus wants." But I wonder if we really mean that or not. For instance, we might think we want what Jesus wants but we prove otherwise when we consistently treat others unkindly or gossip about a brother or sister which is totally contrary to what Jesus wants as revealed in the Bible. We may even go so far as to justify our sin or minimize it in our minds. Think about it this way, what if you have decided to go out to eat and you are trying to determine where to go. Someone says that they don't care where they eat but turn their nose up at every suggestion. They might even agree to go to a certain place but complain the whole time they are there. Did they really "not care" where they ate? Of course they cared. They took advantage of every opportunity to display that what they said they didn't really mean.
This brings me back to the foundational question - "What do you want?" When it comes to how your church approaches ministry from a discipleship standpoint; "What do you want?" The answer to that question (the real answer) will effect how you see the process as I begin to lay it out for you as best I can. I would be lying to say that I didn't have things that I liked and disliked. Everyone does. What I can't do is allow my likes and dislikes to be the filter through which I see things when it comes to ministry and discipleship. So I go back to the question; "What do you want?"
What I hope to share with you is what I believe the Bible has to say about how God would answer our question to Him; "What do You want?" I believe that he has called the church to "go & make disciples." Simple right? It certainly demands a process - a discipleship process - a clear and measurable discipleship process - a clear, measurable and flexible discipleship process that is always asking the question; "Is what You want still being effectively accomplished by the tools we are using" and if the answer is "No," we change it. We change it and we're excited to change it because we want what He wants and we discover that what He wants is not being accomplished by what we're doing. Maybe it did (or maybe it never did) but we recognize that it (the tool) is not working now, so the decision is easy because it's not about the tool but about the process. It's about holding tightly to what we're trying to do (make mature disciples) but holding very loosely how we do it (the tools we employ). "What do you want?"
I believe that deep down every believer really does want what He wants. I think that deep down every believer wants to know that they are contributing what God has gifted to them to do what God has called the body to do. The problem is that many believers are confused about what to hold tightly and what to hold loosely. My desire and goal in these posts is to help everyone (at least the dozen that read this blog) understand that what God wants from a church is to be passionate and intentional about making a place where people (red, yellow black, white, ugly, pretty, fat, skinny, smart, not-so-smart, tattooed, not tattooed, pierced, not pierced, etc, etc) can get plugged in to becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ - someone who worships God, is connected to the body, serves in the body and grows in their faith. That's what He wants. "What do you want?"
Next up to bat...Worship.
To answer this question might seem easy and we might give the Sunday school answer; "I want what Jesus wants." But I wonder if we really mean that or not. For instance, we might think we want what Jesus wants but we prove otherwise when we consistently treat others unkindly or gossip about a brother or sister which is totally contrary to what Jesus wants as revealed in the Bible. We may even go so far as to justify our sin or minimize it in our minds. Think about it this way, what if you have decided to go out to eat and you are trying to determine where to go. Someone says that they don't care where they eat but turn their nose up at every suggestion. They might even agree to go to a certain place but complain the whole time they are there. Did they really "not care" where they ate? Of course they cared. They took advantage of every opportunity to display that what they said they didn't really mean.
This brings me back to the foundational question - "What do you want?" When it comes to how your church approaches ministry from a discipleship standpoint; "What do you want?" The answer to that question (the real answer) will effect how you see the process as I begin to lay it out for you as best I can. I would be lying to say that I didn't have things that I liked and disliked. Everyone does. What I can't do is allow my likes and dislikes to be the filter through which I see things when it comes to ministry and discipleship. So I go back to the question; "What do you want?"
What I hope to share with you is what I believe the Bible has to say about how God would answer our question to Him; "What do You want?" I believe that he has called the church to "go & make disciples." Simple right? It certainly demands a process - a discipleship process - a clear and measurable discipleship process - a clear, measurable and flexible discipleship process that is always asking the question; "Is what You want still being effectively accomplished by the tools we are using" and if the answer is "No," we change it. We change it and we're excited to change it because we want what He wants and we discover that what He wants is not being accomplished by what we're doing. Maybe it did (or maybe it never did) but we recognize that it (the tool) is not working now, so the decision is easy because it's not about the tool but about the process. It's about holding tightly to what we're trying to do (make mature disciples) but holding very loosely how we do it (the tools we employ). "What do you want?"
I believe that deep down every believer really does want what He wants. I think that deep down every believer wants to know that they are contributing what God has gifted to them to do what God has called the body to do. The problem is that many believers are confused about what to hold tightly and what to hold loosely. My desire and goal in these posts is to help everyone (at least the dozen that read this blog) understand that what God wants from a church is to be passionate and intentional about making a place where people (red, yellow black, white, ugly, pretty, fat, skinny, smart, not-so-smart, tattooed, not tattooed, pierced, not pierced, etc, etc) can get plugged in to becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ - someone who worships God, is connected to the body, serves in the body and grows in their faith. That's what He wants. "What do you want?"
Next up to bat...Worship.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
BEWARE the "Cyber-beast"
First, especially if you attend Haven Baptist and weren't at last Sunday's AM worship service, go to the sermon page and listen to it (if it's already posted). This will make more sense if you do.
I was going down the road last night talking about how people are often willing to say things in email or other means of communication that they might not say in person and it hit me what this week's post needed to address - the "Cyber-beast." This Sunday we looked at James 3:1-12 and dealt with his strong warning about the "Beast in our mouth" - the tongue. The tongue wants to control. The tongue will destroy. The tongue is unfaithful. We've got to be intentional about controlling the beast. One thing that I forgot to say on Sunday is that James tells us that all birds and beasts can be tamed but the beast in our mouth cannot. That means that our tongue will never be house broken. There will never be a time, prior to Christ's return, when we can let our tongue of the chain to roam free because it will ultimately control, destroy and act unfaithfully. Unfortunately, most Christian's tongues are absolutely off the chain and wreaking havoc everywhere they go. However, the Christian who controls his or her tongue, James tells us, is someone who is maturing in his or her faith.
So this brings me to the web, to your in and out box. How do you communicate, non-verbally speaking? What you say with your fingers on the keyboard is as much a product of "the Beast in your mouth" as would be the spoken word. It might even be worse. Spoken words can, at least, be blamed on the heat of the moment (though not at all excused or minimized). Electronic words, on the other hand, tend to be premeditated and calculated. Now, I realize they can be banged out on the keyboard during the height of a childish temper tantrum but they are certainly much more intentional than words spoken in haste.
The proposition for this past week's sermon was Bite your tongue before it controls, destroys or acts unfaithfully. I guess the call here is to Bite your fingers or whatever it takes. Before you bang out that nasty, hurtful, un-Christlike email or web post, deal with the beast - the one in your mouth with outlets in your fingers. Don't excuse your behavior that God's word clearly forbids. I know it feels better to be able to say all you "want" to say but it would be better to ask yourself "What does God want (or not want) said before you hit the "send" button. Beware the Cyber-beast!
I was going down the road last night talking about how people are often willing to say things in email or other means of communication that they might not say in person and it hit me what this week's post needed to address - the "Cyber-beast." This Sunday we looked at James 3:1-12 and dealt with his strong warning about the "Beast in our mouth" - the tongue. The tongue wants to control. The tongue will destroy. The tongue is unfaithful. We've got to be intentional about controlling the beast. One thing that I forgot to say on Sunday is that James tells us that all birds and beasts can be tamed but the beast in our mouth cannot. That means that our tongue will never be house broken. There will never be a time, prior to Christ's return, when we can let our tongue of the chain to roam free because it will ultimately control, destroy and act unfaithfully. Unfortunately, most Christian's tongues are absolutely off the chain and wreaking havoc everywhere they go. However, the Christian who controls his or her tongue, James tells us, is someone who is maturing in his or her faith.
So this brings me to the web, to your in and out box. How do you communicate, non-verbally speaking? What you say with your fingers on the keyboard is as much a product of "the Beast in your mouth" as would be the spoken word. It might even be worse. Spoken words can, at least, be blamed on the heat of the moment (though not at all excused or minimized). Electronic words, on the other hand, tend to be premeditated and calculated. Now, I realize they can be banged out on the keyboard during the height of a childish temper tantrum but they are certainly much more intentional than words spoken in haste.
The proposition for this past week's sermon was Bite your tongue before it controls, destroys or acts unfaithfully. I guess the call here is to Bite your fingers or whatever it takes. Before you bang out that nasty, hurtful, un-Christlike email or web post, deal with the beast - the one in your mouth with outlets in your fingers. Don't excuse your behavior that God's word clearly forbids. I know it feels better to be able to say all you "want" to say but it would be better to ask yourself "What does God want (or not want) said before you hit the "send" button. Beware the Cyber-beast!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuxedos and Wetsuits
Have you ever stopped to think about what a mature disciple of Jesus Christ looks like? Have you ever really stopped to think about what God expects from the church, the body of Christ on earth? Jesus made it very clear what the body is to be doing as we await His promised return - it's about making disciples. The evangelist Matthew records Jesus words for us at the end of his gospel. Jesus said, "go and make disciples of all nations." Unfortunately, much of the church, especially in recent history, has poured unbelievable amounts of time and resources into things or programs that don't really fit into any kind of strategy for making mature disciples. That does not mean that those "things" are necessarily bad, they're just out of place. It's kind of like scuba gear at a wedding. Nothing wrong with scuba gear - it's great for diving but probably not the best choice of attire for a wedding. In the same way, one would fail to achieve the maximum diving experience in a tuxedo or a dress.
Let's take it another step. In the area of scuba gear, think back to early days of underwater exploration. The suits were huge canvas coveralls, with weighted boots and a big, goofy helmet with an air hose connected to the compressor on the boat. What do divers use today? Slick wetsuits with plastic goggles, a small container of air connected to their suit and flippers (not weights) that allow them maximum mobility under the water. I would dare say that you could not find a diving school that would give you the option of using the old canvas suit and boots. The same kind of thinking needs to happen at church too. At church we need to ask ourselves the ever-important question, "What are we trying to do?" Then we need to ask ourselves the second important question, "What's the best possible method available to do it?" The answer to the first question, "What are we trying to do," is simple - make disciples. It's simple because it's what Jesus told us to do. We'll deal with the question about method in a later post. For now let's stay with "making disciples" and my very first question - what does a mature disciple of Jesus Christ look like? I believe that a mature disciple is one who:
If you are interested in seeing the foundation of my thoughts I would encourage you to read Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger.
Let's take it another step. In the area of scuba gear, think back to early days of underwater exploration. The suits were huge canvas coveralls, with weighted boots and a big, goofy helmet with an air hose connected to the compressor on the boat. What do divers use today? Slick wetsuits with plastic goggles, a small container of air connected to their suit and flippers (not weights) that allow them maximum mobility under the water. I would dare say that you could not find a diving school that would give you the option of using the old canvas suit and boots. The same kind of thinking needs to happen at church too. At church we need to ask ourselves the ever-important question, "What are we trying to do?" Then we need to ask ourselves the second important question, "What's the best possible method available to do it?" The answer to the first question, "What are we trying to do," is simple - make disciples. It's simple because it's what Jesus told us to do. We'll deal with the question about method in a later post. For now let's stay with "making disciples" and my very first question - what does a mature disciple of Jesus Christ look like? I believe that a mature disciple is one who:
- Worships God
- Is connected to the body
- Is serving in the body
- Is growing in their faith
If you are interested in seeing the foundation of my thoughts I would encourage you to read Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Beijing 2008
I haven't watched as much of the Olympics this summer as I have in past years but I have watched a little. As a citizen of the United States I've had the opportunity to root for Michael Phelps in his run towards the history books, watch the men's basketball team attempt to reestablish our reputation as a power-house on the court and last night I witnessed little Shawn Johnson perform an almost perfect gold medal performance on the balance beam. I love being an American and I'm thankful for all privileges that being an American affords. What I was again reminded of last night was the grand international stage that the Olymipics always brings into view. I love seeing the athletes from different nations congratulate each other and communicate good will and fair competition on such a public stage. So many countries, so many languages, so many colors and cultures - One God, creator of all. It caused me to reflect on the fact that God does not prefer Americans over people from other nations. We are not special to God because we're Americans. Most American Christians would agree with that statement but few of us live that way. It's almost like we think that as Americans we get to fly first class on God's airline and everyone else is flying coach. We feel a sense of intitlement to the first portion of God's blessings. We would do well to see the world like God sees it. God values all of humanity and they are for whom Christ died. Regardless of the colors on the flag or the language spoken, God loves people and we have been called to do the same.
The first of many...
Good morning all. Or good evening, depending on when you do your reading. This is the first installment of many to come. I titled this blog "Life in the Process" for a few reasons. For those who attend Haven Baptist Church here in Winter Haven you will recognize that this is the title of the first series of sermons that I began preaching since coming here as pastor. The idea of "life in the process" came from a message that I preached from Jeremiah 18 where we looked at Potter working with the clay in order to make something both beautiful and useful to Him. The idea that we walked away with that morning was that we, as believers, can yield to the Potter because of (1) His person, because of (2) His process and because of (3) the product that He intends to make of us. This message was the springboard into the series "Life in the Process" which is a study of the book of James. In James we find the most practical instruction in all of the New Testament. James' letter gives us many lessons that we must learn in order to successfully yield to the Potter as we live our lives in His process.
The process begins for a person when they first yield to God Father through the person of Jesus Christ, God the Son. When we confess Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation by His death and resurrection, we begin our life in the process. God the Holy Spirit takes us and "baptizes" us into the resurrected life of Jesus and we become followers of Christ. God the Father then begins to mold us, like clay, into the product of his choosing for his glory. The process is not easy. The process is not fast. The process is full of pain and suffering and has little, if anything, to do with earthly comfort and pleasure. The process is life here on earth; God making me more like Jesus while we anxiously await His return to earth.
Though the sermon series will soon be over, the process continues. These posts will consist of the things that God is dealing with me about as I live my life in the process. My hope and prayer is that by sharing my thoughts and struggles with you, you will come to know me more but ultimately that you might know God more.
The process begins for a person when they first yield to God Father through the person of Jesus Christ, God the Son. When we confess Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation by His death and resurrection, we begin our life in the process. God the Holy Spirit takes us and "baptizes" us into the resurrected life of Jesus and we become followers of Christ. God the Father then begins to mold us, like clay, into the product of his choosing for his glory. The process is not easy. The process is not fast. The process is full of pain and suffering and has little, if anything, to do with earthly comfort and pleasure. The process is life here on earth; God making me more like Jesus while we anxiously await His return to earth.
Though the sermon series will soon be over, the process continues. These posts will consist of the things that God is dealing with me about as I live my life in the process. My hope and prayer is that by sharing my thoughts and struggles with you, you will come to know me more but ultimately that you might know God more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
