One of my favorite blog writers noted that a few years ago, he heard of a crisis in Africa, and bought a plane ticket and simply "went there." He felt that the alternative, of doing nothing, was insufficient. I have to believe that he was following the Lord's leading in his heart when he did so.
Which brings me to today's news story that Kenya is opening a NEW refugee center for the starving people of Somalia that will house 150000 people. They have 4 centers that already house nearly 200,000 each. This boggles my mind. That is more than the population of Painesville, Madison, Ashtabula, and Mentor COMBINED. A sea of faces filled my mind's eye as I thought of the countless starving and hungry who would be open to hearing the Gospel.
I even checked the air-fares online.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Fires are burning
I had a dream just before awakening this morning that stirred me deeply. I have to tell the conclusion of the dream before I share the content. As the dream was ending, I was being approached by a number of young Christians who were saying, "I've never seen this happen before, have you?" To which I replied, "I have seen a match burning, and I have seen a fireplace burning, but I have never seen a house ablaze or a forest fire."
The context was a movement among Christians who were permeating their culture with the love and power of God. The dream centered around a massive community (of what looked like apartments) in which people were gathering in homes for bible study, discipleship and then reaching out to their neighbors.
I entered the dream about this time and was welcomed with hugs by people I knew from my past. There was an atmosphere of celebration and dining. Each person shared with me what they had seen God do recently, and I shared my perspective as well. Then, as we looked at the sea of people approaching us, someone said to me, "I have never seen this happen before...have you?"
----------
My answer seems to be the reply I would still give if asked about revival fire. I have seen a match burning...individual Christians on fire with the love of God. I have seen a fireplace burning...small groups passionately pursuing God and His purposes for this world. But I have not yet seen a house burning (church?) or a forest fire (region) on fire for Him. And I believe that this dream was a picture of us looking out and seeing the tinder of men and women ready for the fire of God. I pray that the Spirit of God in me and you be fire to this tinder!
The context was a movement among Christians who were permeating their culture with the love and power of God. The dream centered around a massive community (of what looked like apartments) in which people were gathering in homes for bible study, discipleship and then reaching out to their neighbors.
I entered the dream about this time and was welcomed with hugs by people I knew from my past. There was an atmosphere of celebration and dining. Each person shared with me what they had seen God do recently, and I shared my perspective as well. Then, as we looked at the sea of people approaching us, someone said to me, "I have never seen this happen before...have you?"
----------
My answer seems to be the reply I would still give if asked about revival fire. I have seen a match burning...individual Christians on fire with the love of God. I have seen a fireplace burning...small groups passionately pursuing God and His purposes for this world. But I have not yet seen a house burning (church?) or a forest fire (region) on fire for Him. And I believe that this dream was a picture of us looking out and seeing the tinder of men and women ready for the fire of God. I pray that the Spirit of God in me and you be fire to this tinder!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Growing as a Disciple
I am reading a highly recommended book by 3D Ministries that deals with creating a discipling culture in a church. Of course, to develop one in a church, one must also develop it in his or her life. Today, the author spoke how we look at our journey in life. We tend to look at our journey as linear. The author suggests that it is linear with circular "detours" along the way. Most of us, myself included, avoid the detours because of the pain or growth involved in them. But those "circles" are the stuff that being a disciple is made of. He describes them as moments when the Kingdom of God "happens."
My understanding of the Kingdom really matches up with his. He is so succinct in his description though, describing it as the intrusion of the perfect eternity of the Kingdom (God's reign) intruding into my imperfect time and space. A good example is when we pray for someone and they are instantaneously healed. The perfection of heaven just invaded the earth and restored someone to health "on earth as it is in heaven." Each one of these events is one of these circles he calls a "kairos moment."
The challenging part of the "detour circles" is that they are happening all the time. They are those moments when God is speaking to us and trying to get our attention, or when God arranges our circumstances to have us minister to someone. The author describes our response as "repentance" (Metanoia in the Greek) which actually means to change our minds. Have a paradigm shift. Change our way of thinking about something to God's perspective.
I am seriously and prayerfully considering enrolling in the 3D Ministries Pastors conference which is actually a "taster conference" in December. It is free except for the cost of hotel and travel. http://www.3dministries.com/pages/page.asp?page_id=133904 This really seems to me to be one of those "detours" toward more growth personally and for the people in my care.
My understanding of the Kingdom really matches up with his. He is so succinct in his description though, describing it as the intrusion of the perfect eternity of the Kingdom (God's reign) intruding into my imperfect time and space. A good example is when we pray for someone and they are instantaneously healed. The perfection of heaven just invaded the earth and restored someone to health "on earth as it is in heaven." Each one of these events is one of these circles he calls a "kairos moment."
The challenging part of the "detour circles" is that they are happening all the time. They are those moments when God is speaking to us and trying to get our attention, or when God arranges our circumstances to have us minister to someone. The author describes our response as "repentance" (Metanoia in the Greek) which actually means to change our minds. Have a paradigm shift. Change our way of thinking about something to God's perspective.
I am seriously and prayerfully considering enrolling in the 3D Ministries Pastors conference which is actually a "taster conference" in December. It is free except for the cost of hotel and travel. http://www.3dministries.com/pages/page.asp?page_id=133904 This really seems to me to be one of those "detours" toward more growth personally and for the people in my care.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Building in Vain
For years I have attempted to practice what I was taught in seminary and by other church leaders I have served under. That is, how to "build the church." The methodology included a good new members class, indoctrination to the beliefs of the church, inclusion into the life of the body and get them into service quickly so that they can form relationships and get "connected." In addition, I regularly contacted visitors to invite them to become a part of our growing fellowship, had small groups or classes to connect folks to, and even produced "wow" marketing pieces to grab people's attention. I scheduled "events" that made us an attractional church - VBS, Sports Camps, Concerts, etc. to draw in the community. And as good as all of these things were/are, they didn't really build the church.
About a year ago, I heard a quote that said, "Jesus never commanded us to build the church (that's his job) but rather to make disciples." Something about that quotation really resonated with me. I began to study what "making disciples" should look like, taught a sermon series on discipling, and even began to attempt to relationally disciple several members of our church. I found much more success at my feeble attempts to disciple than I had in all my efforts to "build the church." Today, while picking strawberries in my garden (yes, that is my place of revelation) I got a download...If I am making disciples, that will organically build the church. But building a church won't produce disciples, and certainly programs and events do neither.
Now before I get too far along in this post, let me say that I have been a part of a growing church - a very large church by northern standards...of about 600 attenders in Massachusetts. They were highly attractional, ran excellent programs and hired the best staff. The problem? I saw first hand how they also "fired" the staff to move to the next level of the church growth. In hindsight, I see this as a mindset of "growing the church" instead of "disciples." The growth of the organization was the goal, not the personal growth of every component (person). I saw some folks have broken hearts at the way they were let go. I heard elders say, "it isn't personal, its just business." And my own heart broke when I was one of those to be let go.
But over the next nine years, I was still tempted to imitate these actions as I tried to model my leadership on the leadership I had served under. And the Lord said clearly to me, "a person doesn't hold you back from growth, they are the goal, not the obstacle." If a leader isn't fully functioning, then it is my job to invest more in them, to invite and to challenge them to move deeper and grow more.
I pondered over some of the folks in my church and wondered who else I could invest in...and names came up, I wondered, "Gee, they don't have much of a walk with God" and had previously written them off. I now see that if they are in the body, then they are an object of growth, they are a disciple even if they haven't yet seen it themselves. It is my job to help them to see that wonderful truth! Through invitation and challenge, I am to make disciples. That is my job description as a pastor.
Yes, the daily programs, responsibilities and conflicts will still tug at me. But I can make a shift in my priorities and agendas to focus upon individuals. God will grow the church in His time.
About a year ago, I heard a quote that said, "Jesus never commanded us to build the church (that's his job) but rather to make disciples." Something about that quotation really resonated with me. I began to study what "making disciples" should look like, taught a sermon series on discipling, and even began to attempt to relationally disciple several members of our church. I found much more success at my feeble attempts to disciple than I had in all my efforts to "build the church." Today, while picking strawberries in my garden (yes, that is my place of revelation) I got a download...If I am making disciples, that will organically build the church. But building a church won't produce disciples, and certainly programs and events do neither.
Now before I get too far along in this post, let me say that I have been a part of a growing church - a very large church by northern standards...of about 600 attenders in Massachusetts. They were highly attractional, ran excellent programs and hired the best staff. The problem? I saw first hand how they also "fired" the staff to move to the next level of the church growth. In hindsight, I see this as a mindset of "growing the church" instead of "disciples." The growth of the organization was the goal, not the personal growth of every component (person). I saw some folks have broken hearts at the way they were let go. I heard elders say, "it isn't personal, its just business." And my own heart broke when I was one of those to be let go.
But over the next nine years, I was still tempted to imitate these actions as I tried to model my leadership on the leadership I had served under. And the Lord said clearly to me, "a person doesn't hold you back from growth, they are the goal, not the obstacle." If a leader isn't fully functioning, then it is my job to invest more in them, to invite and to challenge them to move deeper and grow more.
I pondered over some of the folks in my church and wondered who else I could invest in...and names came up, I wondered, "Gee, they don't have much of a walk with God" and had previously written them off. I now see that if they are in the body, then they are an object of growth, they are a disciple even if they haven't yet seen it themselves. It is my job to help them to see that wonderful truth! Through invitation and challenge, I am to make disciples. That is my job description as a pastor.
Yes, the daily programs, responsibilities and conflicts will still tug at me. But I can make a shift in my priorities and agendas to focus upon individuals. God will grow the church in His time.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Applying Grace
A year or two ago I did a sermon series on "embracing grace." At the time, my understanding of grace was mostly about with my relationship with God, regarding morality, obedience, spiritual disciplines, etc. I have had quite an epiphany this past week while riding in an enclosed space (a car) with two family members for 5 days straight.
Let me share how it all happened:
I spoke harshly to my daughter while she was driving and she said I was being "derogatory"...which I really didn't understand. But as I mulled that over, I realized that I was talking down to her. So with hours of driving ahead and behind me, I did some more mulling and praying. Where did that "talking down" originate? What was at the root of my attitude? Why did I do such a thing? Then as I pondered, I realized that my loving wife had told me that I was harsh with her sometimes. I thought some more, I had also been very harsh with my oldest daughter all through out her childhood, coming especially down on her when she didn't meet my expectations or did something wrong. In fact, I recalled becoming angry when someone spilled something or made a mess.
As I prayed about it, I realized that I had very little tolerance for errors in my own life. I would get "down" on myself when making mistakes at volleyball, or golf (which is why I only played golf once). I hated failure. But worse than that, I hated MYSELF when I failed.
Then, as we were driving back to Jennifer's old home today, I picked the wrong lane and grumbled. Jennifer made a statement, along the line of "it's okay to be wrong." And the revelation clobbered me. I had applied grace only to my "spiritual life" (as if it could be separated from the rest)...but never to my expectations of myself. I refused God's grace in the areas of my daily "performance." It was so obvious, it was painful.
Later, I tearfully asked Jennifer for forgiveness for all the years of my grace-less living. It seems that we treat others the way we treat ourselves. I hated my own mistakes and failures, and I reacted very harshly to others' failures and shortcomings (not so much moral but rather their performance issues). I had refused grace and therefore had little or none to offer to anyone else.
So today, my prayer was to ask God to apply His grace to every area of my life, every performance issue, every failure, every expectation, and to RECEIVE that grace instead of rejecting it. Perhaps God will help me understand the source of my rejection of His grace in this area of my life...but until then, I want to swim in His grace and apply it to every area of my life!
Let me share how it all happened:
I spoke harshly to my daughter while she was driving and she said I was being "derogatory"...which I really didn't understand. But as I mulled that over, I realized that I was talking down to her. So with hours of driving ahead and behind me, I did some more mulling and praying. Where did that "talking down" originate? What was at the root of my attitude? Why did I do such a thing? Then as I pondered, I realized that my loving wife had told me that I was harsh with her sometimes. I thought some more, I had also been very harsh with my oldest daughter all through out her childhood, coming especially down on her when she didn't meet my expectations or did something wrong. In fact, I recalled becoming angry when someone spilled something or made a mess.
As I prayed about it, I realized that I had very little tolerance for errors in my own life. I would get "down" on myself when making mistakes at volleyball, or golf (which is why I only played golf once). I hated failure. But worse than that, I hated MYSELF when I failed.
Then, as we were driving back to Jennifer's old home today, I picked the wrong lane and grumbled. Jennifer made a statement, along the line of "it's okay to be wrong." And the revelation clobbered me. I had applied grace only to my "spiritual life" (as if it could be separated from the rest)...but never to my expectations of myself. I refused God's grace in the areas of my daily "performance." It was so obvious, it was painful.
Later, I tearfully asked Jennifer for forgiveness for all the years of my grace-less living. It seems that we treat others the way we treat ourselves. I hated my own mistakes and failures, and I reacted very harshly to others' failures and shortcomings (not so much moral but rather their performance issues). I had refused grace and therefore had little or none to offer to anyone else.
So today, my prayer was to ask God to apply His grace to every area of my life, every performance issue, every failure, every expectation, and to RECEIVE that grace instead of rejecting it. Perhaps God will help me understand the source of my rejection of His grace in this area of my life...but until then, I want to swim in His grace and apply it to every area of my life!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
False Teachers
Hardly a week goes by without me getting an email from someone about "false teachers." It seems that being the standard bearer for truth and "being right" is a badge of honor among Christians. The logic goes this way, "God is always right...so I want to be right too." But the truth of the matter reveals an insecurity in our trust in God's grace. The false teaching exposers aren't aiming at the "core" truths of the Christian faith, but peripheral beliefs such as healing, the realm of the Kingdom of God, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit's power. I have some thoughts about those too.
1. Healing - The deniers of "healing is for today, and God desires healthy people" infer that God sends illnesses to make us stronger and that those who heal are "of the devil." Isn't that backwards? I thought the devil came to "steal, kill and destroy" and keep people in bondage to sickness and illness and infirmity. My bible says that Jesus came to set captives free and to bring healing to the nations.
2. The Kingdom of God - Last week I preached on the "the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...grows to be the biggest of all garden plants that the birds of the air can find shade in its branches." (Mark 4). Got an email from a Scofield follower who complained that birds are code for the devil, and leaven is code for sin. Therefore, according to his view, the Kingdom of Heaven would be filled with false teachers and filled with sin and apostasy. Jesus didn't talk in code. In fact, Jesus was referring to the prophecy in Ezekiel that spoke of the coming Kingdom that would be from a branch that would come off of Israel. There were no "codes" to be deciphered. He spoke in the plain language of the day. The Kingdom of God I know is victorious, never ending, always expanding and full of God's grace...literally, the manifestation of God's presence upon the earth wherever it is proclaimed and displayed.
3. Manifestations of the Holy Spirit - This was from a recent email that criticized the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit in revival services of uncontrollable laughing, rolling on the floor, "trancelike" falling out in the Spirit, etc. Their complaint was justified by this statement, "I don't see any of the apostles falling out in the Spirit, or laughing etc. If it isn't in the bible it isn't real." I had to think about that one for a moment. Didn't John say that if all the things Jesus said and did were written down, there wouldn't be enough books in the world to contain them? I perceive that means that God is always doing new things, things we haven't seen before. If God can only do what He has done before, doesn't that limit His sovereignty? And speaking to the "falling out in the Spirit" ...I wonder how we would react to someone stripping of his clothes and lying naked for three days in the field under the power of the Holy Spirit? It happened to King Saul of Israel. How is that for embarrassing us!
Back to my first point about being right. I have to believe that God's power to keep us from error (the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth) is greater than the devil's power to deceive us. I also have to believe, that other than being saved by grace alone through faith in the atoning finished work of Jesus, that any other beliefs are forgivable if wrong. Isn't the grace of God, the cross of Christ and the blood of our Savior sufficient to save us when we aren't perfect? We certainly aren't perfect in our all practices, much less all our beliefs. If I must keep the law in one area, I must keep it in all (see Galatians) and grace is of no effect.
1. Healing - The deniers of "healing is for today, and God desires healthy people" infer that God sends illnesses to make us stronger and that those who heal are "of the devil." Isn't that backwards? I thought the devil came to "steal, kill and destroy" and keep people in bondage to sickness and illness and infirmity. My bible says that Jesus came to set captives free and to bring healing to the nations.
2. The Kingdom of God - Last week I preached on the "the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...grows to be the biggest of all garden plants that the birds of the air can find shade in its branches." (Mark 4). Got an email from a Scofield follower who complained that birds are code for the devil, and leaven is code for sin. Therefore, according to his view, the Kingdom of Heaven would be filled with false teachers and filled with sin and apostasy. Jesus didn't talk in code. In fact, Jesus was referring to the prophecy in Ezekiel that spoke of the coming Kingdom that would be from a branch that would come off of Israel. There were no "codes" to be deciphered. He spoke in the plain language of the day. The Kingdom of God I know is victorious, never ending, always expanding and full of God's grace...literally, the manifestation of God's presence upon the earth wherever it is proclaimed and displayed.
3. Manifestations of the Holy Spirit - This was from a recent email that criticized the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit in revival services of uncontrollable laughing, rolling on the floor, "trancelike" falling out in the Spirit, etc. Their complaint was justified by this statement, "I don't see any of the apostles falling out in the Spirit, or laughing etc. If it isn't in the bible it isn't real." I had to think about that one for a moment. Didn't John say that if all the things Jesus said and did were written down, there wouldn't be enough books in the world to contain them? I perceive that means that God is always doing new things, things we haven't seen before. If God can only do what He has done before, doesn't that limit His sovereignty? And speaking to the "falling out in the Spirit" ...I wonder how we would react to someone stripping of his clothes and lying naked for three days in the field under the power of the Holy Spirit? It happened to King Saul of Israel. How is that for embarrassing us!
Back to my first point about being right. I have to believe that God's power to keep us from error (the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth) is greater than the devil's power to deceive us. I also have to believe, that other than being saved by grace alone through faith in the atoning finished work of Jesus, that any other beliefs are forgivable if wrong. Isn't the grace of God, the cross of Christ and the blood of our Savior sufficient to save us when we aren't perfect? We certainly aren't perfect in our all practices, much less all our beliefs. If I must keep the law in one area, I must keep it in all (see Galatians) and grace is of no effect.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Sermon on the Weeds
No, Jesus didn't give a sermon on the weeds, but I did this past Sunday. And as I was preaching the Word, I was amazed at the "instant insight" God allowed me to experience. It was as if I was "hearing" the word as I spoke it, and it took on fresh meaning and insight. I was preaching from Mark 4:18-19, about the weeds and the thorns that choke off the life of the word and make it unfruitful. As I listed the "things" we do that choke off the word, (the cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches, desires for other things) the Greek word for riches struck a chord with me. The root of the word Ploutos (rich) means "to be full." As I began to ponder the implications of this, God reminded me that 75% of the people in the world we live NEVER know the feeling of fullness. And yet, we experience it two or three times a day.
Jesus was reminding us that fulness leads to a false sense that "everything is okay" with my life. But the truth is, my hunger for God is often silenced by the fact I am "full" of so much else. That is why times of fasting are so valuable. When we fast, we deny ourselves food and fulness, and experience hunger that can be a reminder of Who we belong to and of our dependence upon Him.
All of this brings me full circle to the idea of weeds. If you don't keep them pulled up they will take over, and deny you the fruit your garden (heart) was designed to produce. As I have learned from my gardening hobby, you cannot let up for even a short period of time, as weeds have an innate way of taking over!
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