You are here today because you have passion; you will be here tomorrow because you have vision.
Most often we read the Bible for comfort, assurance, and certainty, but not for courage-------at least not in the truest sense. We’re willing to engage in battle if we believe that God has promised ultimate victory. We have somehow convinced ourselves that God has signed a contract with us, promising that we will never fail. Implied in that is that we will never suffer, go through disappointment, or even be inconvenienced in the journey.
What does it really mean to live by faith? THE RESPONSE OF FAITH IS NOTHING MORE THAN OBEDIENCE. Faith begins with God speaking and materializes when we RESPOND. Somehow we’ve come to believe that faith removes ambiguity rather than calls us to live in it.
The starting point of living by faith is recognizing that God has revealed so much of His will that we have plenty to live by without ever hearing another word. Some things you simply do not need to pray about. When God has spoken and commanded His people, praying sometimes becomes a way of resisting God’s will rather than a way of responding to it.
A church doesn’t need to pray about whether it should pray. It doesn’t need to pray about whether it should serve. It doesn’t need to pray about whether it should evangelize. We somehow believe that God is more interested in our comfort and our prosperity than His purpose in human history.
What took faith yesterday is sight today. When we live by faith, we allow God to take us into new experiences of who He is and how He works. The church cannot live on the faith of the past. The church is called to be the living expression of faith.
A community with the servant heart of God knows no limit to sacrifice, and when its people are doing what God created them to do, there is no limit to impact.
Character transformation is more than the elimination of sin. God is about reclaiming the divine potential He has planted within each individual.
You are here today because you have passion; you will be here tomorrow because you have vision. Vision is birthed through relationship. Passion is kindled in relationship. Mission is accomplished through community. Relationship with God and relationship within the community of God.
Falling hopelessly in love with God and staying hopelessly in love with God are the keys to discovering His loving action flowing through you as it fosters passion and maintains vision. Love is central to the heart of God and the ethos of the New Testament church without it we have no claim to be the disciples of Jesus Christ. In the end love manifests itself in sacrifice. John 13:34: The world will know that we are His disciples because we have love one for another. The practical expression of love is servanthood, love begins to change everything about your relationships. The church erupted out of an act of love. Love produces servanthood. Servanthood sees sacrifice as a privilege.
Love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the culture of love established in the New Testament Church and in need of reclaiming in the contemporary church. Without loving, caring, serving and sacrificing relationships; the church ceases to exist.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Importance of vision casting
Well, It's true. I'm learning how important it truly is to continue to cast vision. Why are we here? I ask this almost daily. I wish I answered it daily. I am coming to learn that simply saying vision doesn't work. Vision, vision, vision, vision, vision, vision and VISION. Did that inspire you? Me neither. Too many church/missional authors are screaming vision without unpacking it. Stetzer, Hirch, Mancini, Stanley and Groeschel are helping us a lot. But,,,.....
Well, it comes down to this.....vision..jk..knowing Christ radically and serving Him the same. Stop critiquing the text (scripture) and allow it to critique you. Stop attempting to apply the Word to your life and allow the Word to apply you to life. (Wow I can't believe God just said that through me...sorry I get a little beside myself when I KNOW God is speaking!) My model of ministry has always been to apply the Word to my life and situation. Pray, plan, prepare and push the Word into my context. (Sounds familiar doesn't it). That's what our dad's have done, our schools and denominations have taught us. I believe the theological terminology is incarnational ministry. The contextualization of the Gospel. I believe these ideaologies fall short. I have attempted to create a hermenuetic for my culture, discern my culture and apply the Word with biblical integrity. All to feel as if I have fallen short. The result always pushes us to DO more. Learn more, study harder, etc. Truth is we can't do it. We can't make it happen. Pray harder...what are you going to agrue, beg or earn enough favor with God to get Him to do what you're asking? There is nothing I can do to make Him love me any more. There is nothing I can do to make Him love me any less. I truly believe the answer to clarifying our vision, casting our vision, remembering our vision, contextualizing the gospel is......Allowing the Word to apply us to life. Chew on that for a while and I'll unpack my thoughts on it later.
By the way, our vision is coming together. I have been praying and thinking and studying (yes, some of the things I said didn't necessarily matter...they do help though :) ) Roughly.. Empowering people to become what God has planned for them to BE. Let me know your thoughts.
Well, it comes down to this.....vision..jk..knowing Christ radically and serving Him the same. Stop critiquing the text (scripture) and allow it to critique you. Stop attempting to apply the Word to your life and allow the Word to apply you to life. (Wow I can't believe God just said that through me...sorry I get a little beside myself when I KNOW God is speaking!) My model of ministry has always been to apply the Word to my life and situation. Pray, plan, prepare and push the Word into my context. (Sounds familiar doesn't it). That's what our dad's have done, our schools and denominations have taught us. I believe the theological terminology is incarnational ministry. The contextualization of the Gospel. I believe these ideaologies fall short. I have attempted to create a hermenuetic for my culture, discern my culture and apply the Word with biblical integrity. All to feel as if I have fallen short. The result always pushes us to DO more. Learn more, study harder, etc. Truth is we can't do it. We can't make it happen. Pray harder...what are you going to agrue, beg or earn enough favor with God to get Him to do what you're asking? There is nothing I can do to make Him love me any more. There is nothing I can do to make Him love me any less. I truly believe the answer to clarifying our vision, casting our vision, remembering our vision, contextualizing the gospel is......Allowing the Word to apply us to life. Chew on that for a while and I'll unpack my thoughts on it later.
By the way, our vision is coming together. I have been praying and thinking and studying (yes, some of the things I said didn't necessarily matter...they do help though :) ) Roughly.. Empowering people to become what God has planned for them to BE. Let me know your thoughts.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Its been a while since I posted anything....just haven't really thought much about the blog. Maybe needed to clear my head a little bit. I am still here. I am still moving forward with God's plan and call. Wanting to truly be who He sees me being. What is He calling you to do? Who is He calling you to be? You know, He's called you from the foundation of the world. He formed you in your mother's womb. God does things right. He does them big. Way bigger than we can imagine ask or think about. He has plans to prosper you and give you a secure hope. I hope these don't just seem like words. I pray the Spirit of the living God quickens them to your spirit and rocks your world. Get fanatical about His plan. Die to the junk of mediocrity. Jump into your destiny. Quit living in the margins of hope and life. It may simply be stepping up as the parent/spouse that God has called you to be. Or it may involve selling everything and moving around the world to give your life for the Great Commission. I don't know. But the bugging voice won't go away. It keeps moving from "life could be like...." toward "life should be....." toward "life must be.....". God's chazown--vision, dream, revelation, plan---always burns deep beneath the surface of our daily lives. Looming greater than all our insecurities. Pushing us to examine our fears and shortcomings. God's voice speaks piercing through our can'ts, won'ts and never could's. Those fears that paralyze us, those doubts that stop us in our tracks, those past failures that confirm our greatest fears. God's chazown always permeates those very fearful and real failures. Why? Why God must You speak so confidently through the pain of my past? The discouragement of my failures? The disappointments of my intentions? Why does Your calm voice call through the chaos of my dreams? Simply because, His voice, His plan is always God-sized. It is never based on our abilities. He doesn't take inventory of the gifts and talents you bring to the table; yes even the ones He gave you. He doesn't need to look over your performance review. Your sucesses and failures don't deter His plan and will for you. He glares into His image within you, His likeness, His Son and Spirit placed upon you. He sees what He placed at birth. Not simply potential but PROMISE. His promise, His Word that does not return void. What will it take? What length must He go to? How does He get through to us that He believes in us and WANTS to accomplish the eternal and significant through us? The answer scares me. God says, "I will spare no expense, I will hold no power back, I will spare no means to convince you of your divine destiny. Your calling is more important than your comfort. I will shape and hone your character to prepare you for the call I have placed on you." Wow, can you believe that God cares that much about you and I fulfilling His calling? Can you imagine how serious He is about us rising past mediocrity? Can you fathom how He loves you and pains to see you floundering around and squandering His resources? Let us arise, take serious His words and pray and obey His Word. I want to see it come about it my life. How about you?
God bless
God bless
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Convicting video preaching from a Baptist missionary..
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=19fd9c84c942a08316e0
Hopefully this link works. I tried to embed it (sounds technical doesn't it) and link it otherwise, but failed. Obviously, I am not that tech savvy. This guy, Paul Waters--I think. Is an incredible preacher. He hits it really hard but worth. It's long but worth it. I don't want to be a cultural Christian. I want to do the will of the Father who is in Heaven. I want to live in the truth. Live the style of life that pleases the Father. Not 85% of the nation claiming to be Christian. I want to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, living in His image.
Watch this when you have 48 minutes to watch and another 15-20 to repent and receive the overflow love of God washing through you.
Hopefully this link works. I tried to embed it (sounds technical doesn't it) and link it otherwise, but failed. Obviously, I am not that tech savvy. This guy, Paul Waters--I think. Is an incredible preacher. He hits it really hard but worth. It's long but worth it. I don't want to be a cultural Christian. I want to do the will of the Father who is in Heaven. I want to live in the truth. Live the style of life that pleases the Father. Not 85% of the nation claiming to be Christian. I want to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, living in His image.
Watch this when you have 48 minutes to watch and another 15-20 to repent and receive the overflow love of God washing through you.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Awesome faith...
The following was emailed to me by Pastor Josh. It originally came from John Piper's website. It's convicting and amazing. Lord let us have this faith and conviction.
On July 18, 1738, two months after his conversion, Charles Wesley did an amazing thing. He had spent the week witnessing to inmates at the Newgate prison with a friend named "Bray," who he described as "a poor ignorant mechanic." One of the men they spoke to was "a black slave that had robbed his master." He was sick with a fever and was condemned to die.
Wesley and Bray asked if they could be locked in overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day. That night they spoke the gospel. They told the men that "one came down from heaven to save lost sinners." They described the sufferings of the Son of God, his sorrows, agony, and death.
The next day, the men were loaded onto a cart and taken to Tyburn. Charles went with them. Ropes were fastened around their necks so that the cart could be driven off and leave them swinging in the air to choke to death.
The fruit of Wesley's and Bray's night-long labor was astonishing. Here's what Wesley wrote:
They were all cheerful; full of comfort, peace, and triumph; assuredly persuaded Christ had died for them, and waited to receive them into paradise. . . . The black . . . saluted me with his looks. As often as his eyes met mine, he smiled with the most composed, delightful countenance I ever saw.
We left them going to meet their Lord, ready for the bridegroom. When the cart drove off, not one stirred, or struggled for life, but meekly gave up their spirits. Exactly at twelve they were turned off. I spoke a few suitable words to the crowd; and returned, full of peace and confidence in our friends' happiness. That hour under the gallows was the most blessed hour of my life.
Two things amaze and inspire me in this story. One is the astonishing power of Wesley's message about the truth and love of Christ. All the condemned prisoners were converted. And they were so deeply converted in one night that they could look death in the face (without any long period of "follow-up" or "discipling") and give up their spirits with confidence that Christ would receive them. O, for such power and witness!
The other thing that amazes me is the sheer fact that Wesley went to the prison and asked to be locked up all night with condemned criminals. It was a huge risk. These men had nothing more to lose if they killed another person. Wesley had no supervisor telling him that this was his job. He was not a professional prison minister. It would have been comfortable and pleasant to spend the evening at home conversing with friends. Why did he go?
God put is it in his heart to go. And Wesley yielded. Wesley believed in hell and heaven. He believed that what these prisoners believed from their hearts on that night would determine forever their eternal destiny. It was worth risking his life for. O that I might discern the leading of God when something outside my usual path is called for.
Amazing, isn't it? Let us respond so boldly and passionately.
On July 18, 1738, two months after his conversion, Charles Wesley did an amazing thing. He had spent the week witnessing to inmates at the Newgate prison with a friend named "Bray," who he described as "a poor ignorant mechanic." One of the men they spoke to was "a black slave that had robbed his master." He was sick with a fever and was condemned to die.
Wesley and Bray asked if they could be locked in overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day. That night they spoke the gospel. They told the men that "one came down from heaven to save lost sinners." They described the sufferings of the Son of God, his sorrows, agony, and death.
The next day, the men were loaded onto a cart and taken to Tyburn. Charles went with them. Ropes were fastened around their necks so that the cart could be driven off and leave them swinging in the air to choke to death.
The fruit of Wesley's and Bray's night-long labor was astonishing. Here's what Wesley wrote:
They were all cheerful; full of comfort, peace, and triumph; assuredly persuaded Christ had died for them, and waited to receive them into paradise. . . . The black . . . saluted me with his looks. As often as his eyes met mine, he smiled with the most composed, delightful countenance I ever saw.
We left them going to meet their Lord, ready for the bridegroom. When the cart drove off, not one stirred, or struggled for life, but meekly gave up their spirits. Exactly at twelve they were turned off. I spoke a few suitable words to the crowd; and returned, full of peace and confidence in our friends' happiness. That hour under the gallows was the most blessed hour of my life.
Two things amaze and inspire me in this story. One is the astonishing power of Wesley's message about the truth and love of Christ. All the condemned prisoners were converted. And they were so deeply converted in one night that they could look death in the face (without any long period of "follow-up" or "discipling") and give up their spirits with confidence that Christ would receive them. O, for such power and witness!
The other thing that amazes me is the sheer fact that Wesley went to the prison and asked to be locked up all night with condemned criminals. It was a huge risk. These men had nothing more to lose if they killed another person. Wesley had no supervisor telling him that this was his job. He was not a professional prison minister. It would have been comfortable and pleasant to spend the evening at home conversing with friends. Why did he go?
God put is it in his heart to go. And Wesley yielded. Wesley believed in hell and heaven. He believed that what these prisoners believed from their hearts on that night would determine forever their eternal destiny. It was worth risking his life for. O that I might discern the leading of God when something outside my usual path is called for.
Amazing, isn't it? Let us respond so boldly and passionately.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
OnePrayer...
OnePrayer is finally here! This Sunday we will join with nearly 1400 churches and close to 800,000 believers around the world to pray Lord Make Us One. I am so excited that the church (outside of denominations) can unite and pray and fast and GIVE to see the local church truly advance the Kingdom of God.
I was honored to meet with three other local churches participating in Oneprayer. (New Hope in Oak Ridge, Real Life in Ktown, Knox Life-downtown) Building team work instead of competition is great. I challenge everyone reader to pray weekly for these churches, fast weekly for THE CHURCH and OnePrayer and find a micro-mission (maybe Lost Sheep, or KICKO) and minister by serving with other organizations. I know of an single elderly lady in need of yard work. God wants us to serve and thrive in this world. Join with me as I lead our congregation in OnePrayer.
I was honored to meet with three other local churches participating in Oneprayer. (New Hope in Oak Ridge, Real Life in Ktown, Knox Life-downtown) Building team work instead of competition is great. I challenge everyone reader to pray weekly for these churches, fast weekly for THE CHURCH and OnePrayer and find a micro-mission (maybe Lost Sheep, or KICKO) and minister by serving with other organizations. I know of an single elderly lady in need of yard work. God wants us to serve and thrive in this world. Join with me as I lead our congregation in OnePrayer.
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