This morning I find myself reflecting on how to both be a "better" disciple of Jesus and how to make disciples of Jesus. Every time I pray, I ask God to use me as a tool to accomplish His purpose and will. The only problem is that a dull blade is a very ineffective tool. It is frustrating to pick up a knife to cut a tomato only to have the knife shred the tomato instead of cutting smoothly through it's flesh. The knife is useless and goes back into the drawer. That is the kind of tool I feel like I am to God sometimes; a dull, useless blade.
I want to be a disciple that has a great impact on the Kingdom of God. I want to be a part of His plan and His work. I want to see victories and celebrations and life-change taking place and know that I got to be a part of it all! However, if I want to see all of that happen, I cannot be a useless, dull blade in God's hands. That thought drives me to a simple bit of wisdom found in the Bible - Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." This verse says a LOT in it's nine simple words.
RELATIONSHIPS - It strikes me that discipleship is not a one-way street. I cannot be an effective disciple-maker unless I am in relationships with other strong disciples at the same time. Notice the verse does not say "As cotton sharpens iron". If I try to be a blade that is constantly cutting without ever being sharpened, the ONLY possible result is for me to become dull and ineffective. To be a disciple-maker AND to be a stronger disciple in my own life, it must begin by having intentional sharpening relationships with other strong disciples. This is not only for my own good, but for theirs too! As a leader in the church I realize my direct influence has limits. There comes a point where others must also become disciple-makers if our influence as a church is to expand beyond my limits. If I can be in one relationship with another strong disciple where we are intentionally sharpening each other, each of us has doubled our influence. If I can be in three such relationships at the same time, we EACH are multiplying our influence four-fold!
This leads me to think about what needs to be a part of these intentional sharpening relationships...
First, we must agree on the nature and purpose of the relationship. Let's say there are three people I want to enter into this kind of iron sharpening relationship with. The four of us need to get together and talk about how we each want to be stronger disciples of Jesus, we want to become disciple-makers, and we need each other to be successful.
Second, we must recognize that iron is the same as iron. While we each have different strengths and weaknesses, we are all equals in the relationship. There is no teacher, no one person with greater authority, and no one person viewed as the leading or driving force. It isn't a "small group", it is a group of strong disciples intentionally getting together to sharpen one another.
Third, we must put EVERYTHING on the table and allow accountability and discipline to take place. We must be open about our failures, our weaknesses, and our vulnerabilities. We must be willing to say hard things to each other and ready to hear hard things from each other knowing it is all based on love and sharpening each other. Have you never noticed how sparks fly when iron strikes iron? That is because for iron to sharpen iron, there must be great impact and that can be painful.
Fourth, we must each be committed to the relationship. We need to make time to get together and share face-to-face on a regular basis. Not just for a meeting in a room, but getting together like any group of friends would, only with a greater purpose in mind.
What could God do with a sharper disciple to work with? What if I stopped trying to be an ineffective disciple-maker using a dull blade and multiplied my influence and the influence of a few other disciples by taking Proverbs 27:17 to heart and putting it into practice? I imagine the impact of such action would be profound and exciting.
You see what nine simple words can do? God's Word is amazing!
Portwood Family
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Value of Things...
As a "preacher", I find myself wrestling with finding balance between teaching the hard-core nature and truth of what it really means to be a disciple (follower) of Jesus and the reality of how that should look in each of our lives in today's world.
For example: I read Luke 14:25-27 and believe Jesus really does mean what He is saying here. To really follow Him, I must make being His disciple the most important thing and the driving force motivating all of my actions and decisions every day. Everything else in my life should pale in comparison. But there is a problem. I don't even come close to living up to this standard in my personal life!
I preach a lot about our "mission" as Christians and as the Church. Scripture is clear that we are aliens and strangers here on earth. Our home is in Heaven. Our lives are like a mist on the water, here one minute and gone the next. Our mission is to be Ambassadors of Christ and to share the Gospel with as many people as we can while we eagerly await the return of Christ. All great sermon lines and all are true, but how do we do it? How do I do it in my own life?
Is it OK that I "clock-out" of the mission for a while to watch a baseball game or a good movie? Is it OK that the mission gets put off until tomorrow so I can have a day off now and then? Is it OK that the spiritually lost and dying will still be lost and dying when I get back from vacation?
As I wrestle with these things and how to teach them to my congregation in an effective way, I am starting to see that it all comes down to the true value of things.
I have heard it said that something is only worth as much as you're willing to pay for it. I don't have a smart phone because I'm not willing to pay for the required data plan. Having internet access 24/7 is not worth $30 a month to me, therefore I'm not willing to pay the price. I don't like to go to meetings unless I have to because I usually don't find much value in them. I'd rather spend my time doing something of greater benefit.
My point here is that if I value something, I will pay the price required for it. The reason I find myself falling short of accomplishing the mission I am called to as a follower of Jesus is clearly due to the fact that I have not matured in my faith to the point of placing great value on that mission.
If I truly valued the truth of this life on earth just being a speck of sand in the vast desert of eternity, AND that God has given me a mission to tell as many people as I can about how Christ came to this earth so we could spend all of eternity with Him in Heaven...wouldn't I put Luke 14:25-27 into practice and live every minute of every day on a mission as an Ambassador for Christ?
Agreeing with what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3, I may have not reached that level of maturity yet...as a matter of fact, I'm not even close! But I am committed to pressing on in this mission to which I have been called so I might one day take hold of accomplishing it.
In the mean time, I will keep trying and I will keep preaching these truths. When it seems unrealistic, just remember...it all comes down to the value of things. If it is valuable and important to you, you will pay the price!
For example: I read Luke 14:25-27 and believe Jesus really does mean what He is saying here. To really follow Him, I must make being His disciple the most important thing and the driving force motivating all of my actions and decisions every day. Everything else in my life should pale in comparison. But there is a problem. I don't even come close to living up to this standard in my personal life!
I preach a lot about our "mission" as Christians and as the Church. Scripture is clear that we are aliens and strangers here on earth. Our home is in Heaven. Our lives are like a mist on the water, here one minute and gone the next. Our mission is to be Ambassadors of Christ and to share the Gospel with as many people as we can while we eagerly await the return of Christ. All great sermon lines and all are true, but how do we do it? How do I do it in my own life?
Is it OK that I "clock-out" of the mission for a while to watch a baseball game or a good movie? Is it OK that the mission gets put off until tomorrow so I can have a day off now and then? Is it OK that the spiritually lost and dying will still be lost and dying when I get back from vacation?
As I wrestle with these things and how to teach them to my congregation in an effective way, I am starting to see that it all comes down to the true value of things.
I have heard it said that something is only worth as much as you're willing to pay for it. I don't have a smart phone because I'm not willing to pay for the required data plan. Having internet access 24/7 is not worth $30 a month to me, therefore I'm not willing to pay the price. I don't like to go to meetings unless I have to because I usually don't find much value in them. I'd rather spend my time doing something of greater benefit.
My point here is that if I value something, I will pay the price required for it. The reason I find myself falling short of accomplishing the mission I am called to as a follower of Jesus is clearly due to the fact that I have not matured in my faith to the point of placing great value on that mission.
If I truly valued the truth of this life on earth just being a speck of sand in the vast desert of eternity, AND that God has given me a mission to tell as many people as I can about how Christ came to this earth so we could spend all of eternity with Him in Heaven...wouldn't I put Luke 14:25-27 into practice and live every minute of every day on a mission as an Ambassador for Christ?
Agreeing with what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3, I may have not reached that level of maturity yet...as a matter of fact, I'm not even close! But I am committed to pressing on in this mission to which I have been called so I might one day take hold of accomplishing it.
In the mean time, I will keep trying and I will keep preaching these truths. When it seems unrealistic, just remember...it all comes down to the value of things. If it is valuable and important to you, you will pay the price!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
3 Things I've Learned in a Year
I can't believe it has gone by this fast, but today marks the one year anniversary of my first day as a Senior Minister. Although I've been working in churches as a staff member for the past 18 years, what I have learned in the past year could only be learned through the experience of being in the Senior Minister position.
Although I've learned a TON about myself and about leadership, there are three things that stand out as being the most significant and important things I have learned in my first year in this position.
1) When I accepted this position a friend told me that my first 100 sermons would stink. He said It takes that long to learn how to prepare, study, and deliver good messages on a consistent basis. This Sunday, Nov. 4th, will be sermon #50 as a Senior Minister (sermons as a youth minister just don't count). I am finding my friend's assessment to be true. Coming in I thought I was a decent public speaker, but now I'm learning that preaching is MUCH more than being good at talking. I think after another year of doing this on a weekly basis, I will start to really preach well. Although I do record and post my messages, I'm afraid I will want to hide all evidence of these first 100. There are already a few for which I hope my congregation and God will grant me grace and mercy.
2) It is fairly easy to manage people. It is much more difficult to lead them. I started managing on day one. I'm still earning the right to lead. The transition from managment to leadership started when I realized the people in my church are not "members", they are not "numbers", and they are not "projects". The people in my church are my family. They each have a life of experiences to share. They each have a story that defines who they are. They each have concerns, hurts, doubts, struggles, and pain. They each have things that bring them joy, peace, and excitement. Each one has lost people they love and has been hurt by someone else along the way. As I am getting to know them, I am growing to truly love them. Even those who are difficult to love! The right to LEAD them comes when they see that I really do care. Management is a job. Leadership is when real ministry begins to take place. I have a long way to go with this, but I'm learning. The only way I can convince people that I love them is with my time and attention. I need to be with them. I must listen to them. I must care enough to hurt with them and understand them. I must be there with them in their moments of greatest need and comfort. I must be there in their moments of joy and celebration. When they see that I love them, they will allow me to lead them.
3) I've heard several ministers describe their influence in terms of "equity" or "capital". In other words, a new minister is given some freedom to make the changes they want to make, but there is a limit to how much freedom they get and how long it lasts. Once they have spent that "capital" it becomes much more difficult to initiate and lead people into and through change. I am learning this is not completely true! Your influence "capital" is spent quickly if you try to initiate change without a clear and compelling vision for why the change is needed or beneficial for the people who are impacted. It is also spent quickly when you don't give others a chance to capture the vision and make it their own vision. However, NO CAPITAL IS NEEDED when you begin with a clear and compelling vision; you communicate it well and allow other influencers in your church to have input and take ownership; and they become catalysts for the change instead of resistors. If my vision advances the Kingdom and our church's mission; if I can communicate that well to my key leaders and influencers; if they get it and get excited about it and begin sharing it in their circles within the church; and if the changes are clearly a step to accomplish that vision - there is NO LIMIT to what we can accomplish.
There you have it. Three of the most crucial things I have learned in my first year as a Senior Minister. I certainly don't have all of them mastered yet, but I'm learning and growing every day. I am certain there are other lessons my sophomore year will bring and I look foward to learning those as well.
Thank you, First Christian Church of Monroe, for being patient with me and helping me learn these lessons as we go and grow. I am more convinced than ever that we are becoming the church Christ has called us to be in Walton County, Georgia. It is truly an honor to serve with you as we advance in our mission to "make disciples who make disciples"!
Although I've learned a TON about myself and about leadership, there are three things that stand out as being the most significant and important things I have learned in my first year in this position.
1) When I accepted this position a friend told me that my first 100 sermons would stink. He said It takes that long to learn how to prepare, study, and deliver good messages on a consistent basis. This Sunday, Nov. 4th, will be sermon #50 as a Senior Minister (sermons as a youth minister just don't count). I am finding my friend's assessment to be true. Coming in I thought I was a decent public speaker, but now I'm learning that preaching is MUCH more than being good at talking. I think after another year of doing this on a weekly basis, I will start to really preach well. Although I do record and post my messages, I'm afraid I will want to hide all evidence of these first 100. There are already a few for which I hope my congregation and God will grant me grace and mercy.
2) It is fairly easy to manage people. It is much more difficult to lead them. I started managing on day one. I'm still earning the right to lead. The transition from managment to leadership started when I realized the people in my church are not "members", they are not "numbers", and they are not "projects". The people in my church are my family. They each have a life of experiences to share. They each have a story that defines who they are. They each have concerns, hurts, doubts, struggles, and pain. They each have things that bring them joy, peace, and excitement. Each one has lost people they love and has been hurt by someone else along the way. As I am getting to know them, I am growing to truly love them. Even those who are difficult to love! The right to LEAD them comes when they see that I really do care. Management is a job. Leadership is when real ministry begins to take place. I have a long way to go with this, but I'm learning. The only way I can convince people that I love them is with my time and attention. I need to be with them. I must listen to them. I must care enough to hurt with them and understand them. I must be there with them in their moments of greatest need and comfort. I must be there in their moments of joy and celebration. When they see that I love them, they will allow me to lead them.
3) I've heard several ministers describe their influence in terms of "equity" or "capital". In other words, a new minister is given some freedom to make the changes they want to make, but there is a limit to how much freedom they get and how long it lasts. Once they have spent that "capital" it becomes much more difficult to initiate and lead people into and through change. I am learning this is not completely true! Your influence "capital" is spent quickly if you try to initiate change without a clear and compelling vision for why the change is needed or beneficial for the people who are impacted. It is also spent quickly when you don't give others a chance to capture the vision and make it their own vision. However, NO CAPITAL IS NEEDED when you begin with a clear and compelling vision; you communicate it well and allow other influencers in your church to have input and take ownership; and they become catalysts for the change instead of resistors. If my vision advances the Kingdom and our church's mission; if I can communicate that well to my key leaders and influencers; if they get it and get excited about it and begin sharing it in their circles within the church; and if the changes are clearly a step to accomplish that vision - there is NO LIMIT to what we can accomplish.
There you have it. Three of the most crucial things I have learned in my first year as a Senior Minister. I certainly don't have all of them mastered yet, but I'm learning and growing every day. I am certain there are other lessons my sophomore year will bring and I look foward to learning those as well.
Thank you, First Christian Church of Monroe, for being patient with me and helping me learn these lessons as we go and grow. I am more convinced than ever that we are becoming the church Christ has called us to be in Walton County, Georgia. It is truly an honor to serve with you as we advance in our mission to "make disciples who make disciples"!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Jesus was NOT a Capitalist
To say, "Jesus was not a Capitalist", tends to raise a few eyebrows. Especially here in the good old southern Bible-belt of America. Guess what. He wasn't a member of the "Religious Right" either! As a matter of fact, Jesus had very little to say about the politics and economics of his day. He was not at all interested in discussing people's retirement plans. He didn't seem very interested in what political system was in control or who was pushing the buttons of executive, legislative, or judicial leadership. I doubt he cared anything at all about liberal versus conservative philosophies in a fiscal or a social sense.
Jesus was on a mission. He came to earth to save us from certain death apart from God. The rest just didn't seem to matter all that much to him.
Here are some things that Jesus and the early church did care about:
1) Making sure the poor and the widows were cared for. If the church were doing its job today, we wouldn't even need to worry about whether or not the government was practicing social redistribution through taxation. It wouldn't be needed. The church would be meeting the needs of people who genuinely needed help and love.
2) The Christian inherits everything in the end. Jesus told the rich young man to go and sell everything. Not exactly a financial planner's best advice for retirement, but Jesus didn't care about retirement. He cared about helping people see that eternity was a much more secure place to store up treasure. Work until the day you die and do it for God's glory. You can rest for all eternity after that!
3) Love people into a relationship with God instead of trying to legislate morality through politics. Boycotts, lobbists, and protests by the "religious right" have always bothered me. Didn't Jesus have some strong words for the Pharisees about forcing rules and religious morality on people without acutally loving them and helping them come to know a merciful and loving God. Shouldn't we guide people toward God with love and service, THEN allow the Holy Spirit and scripture to convict and guide them into the life God wants them to live? Isn't that the example Jesus sets for us in the New Testament?
4) Community was modeled over individualism by the early church. As Americans, we are taught that God gave us freedom in this country so we could pursue the "American Dream". Whatever we want, we can achieve. Capitalism and freedom are assumed to be granted and blessed by God. However, I see the early church focused on living together, sharing everything in common, and looking out for each other's needs. Not exactly the creed of the great capitalist, Alex P. Keaton! I'm not saying that Jesus is anti-capitalist. I'm just saying that he didn't CARE about our economic system. He just wanted to make sure we loved each other and took care of each other's needs. It isn't a political or economic system. It is just the way Jesus and the early church modeled life for us!
Being a disciple of Jesus is hard. It goes against our natural instincts of self-preservation and selfishness. It goes against much of what we are taught as red-blooded Americans. The more I study who Jesus was and what it means to be a disciple of his, the more I realize that I need to start living in a very counter-cultural way - ON PURPOSE! The deeper I get in my relationship with God, the LESS I find myself caring about "right" or "left", Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Liberal, Capitalist or Socialist. The world can have its lables and philosophies. As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. His mission was to save as many lost people as he could by loving them and helping them. His mission was to make disciples. I want that to be my mission too!
Jesus was on a mission. He came to earth to save us from certain death apart from God. The rest just didn't seem to matter all that much to him.
Here are some things that Jesus and the early church did care about:
1) Making sure the poor and the widows were cared for. If the church were doing its job today, we wouldn't even need to worry about whether or not the government was practicing social redistribution through taxation. It wouldn't be needed. The church would be meeting the needs of people who genuinely needed help and love.
2) The Christian inherits everything in the end. Jesus told the rich young man to go and sell everything. Not exactly a financial planner's best advice for retirement, but Jesus didn't care about retirement. He cared about helping people see that eternity was a much more secure place to store up treasure. Work until the day you die and do it for God's glory. You can rest for all eternity after that!
3) Love people into a relationship with God instead of trying to legislate morality through politics. Boycotts, lobbists, and protests by the "religious right" have always bothered me. Didn't Jesus have some strong words for the Pharisees about forcing rules and religious morality on people without acutally loving them and helping them come to know a merciful and loving God. Shouldn't we guide people toward God with love and service, THEN allow the Holy Spirit and scripture to convict and guide them into the life God wants them to live? Isn't that the example Jesus sets for us in the New Testament?
4) Community was modeled over individualism by the early church. As Americans, we are taught that God gave us freedom in this country so we could pursue the "American Dream". Whatever we want, we can achieve. Capitalism and freedom are assumed to be granted and blessed by God. However, I see the early church focused on living together, sharing everything in common, and looking out for each other's needs. Not exactly the creed of the great capitalist, Alex P. Keaton! I'm not saying that Jesus is anti-capitalist. I'm just saying that he didn't CARE about our economic system. He just wanted to make sure we loved each other and took care of each other's needs. It isn't a political or economic system. It is just the way Jesus and the early church modeled life for us!
Being a disciple of Jesus is hard. It goes against our natural instincts of self-preservation and selfishness. It goes against much of what we are taught as red-blooded Americans. The more I study who Jesus was and what it means to be a disciple of his, the more I realize that I need to start living in a very counter-cultural way - ON PURPOSE! The deeper I get in my relationship with God, the LESS I find myself caring about "right" or "left", Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Liberal, Capitalist or Socialist. The world can have its lables and philosophies. As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. His mission was to save as many lost people as he could by loving them and helping them. His mission was to make disciples. I want that to be my mission too!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Core Value #4
The world is a pretty big place. With more than 7 billion people sharing this planet with us, it is hard to imagine how any of us can really have any kind of significant or lasting impact on it. At some point in our idealistic youth we had dreams of how we might leave our mark in a lasting way, but reality has a way of subduing the passion of youth and causing us to settle for doing the best we can at improving our small corner of the world while the rest of the world becomes an unreachable mess beyond our control.
Let's face it, the vast majority of our energy and thoughts go into the world outside our doorstep that we see everyday. The rest of the world is merely made up of images on Fox News that are quickly forgotten. We are satisified with living life inside our bubble until some young preacher stands up in front of the church and insists that The Great Commission really does mean that we should make disciples OF ALL NATIONS. He might even go further to say that Christ may be delaying his return until we accomplish our mission of making disciples of all nations.
The first three core values I have written about are all reasonable and acceptable. It makes sense to TEACH GOD'S WORD, TRAIN GOD'S PEOPLE, and LOVE OUR COMMUNITY. But to leave it there falls well short of accomplishing our mission as a church. There is one more step we must take. It must be an equally important core value of our church. To neglect this fourth core value would mean we have failed in our mission to make disciples.
CORE VALUE #4: "Impacting Our World"
The question that first comes to mind when looking at that phrase is "HOW"? How can I have an impact on my world? How can my church and its limited resources have any real impact on this world of 7 billion people?
Then only way I can answer this question is like this:
1) You can't do it alone. Jesus gave the command to make disciples of all nations to his apostles as a collective group. He gave this command to the CHURCH. Without the church your efforts will be weak and ineffective. Christ gave us the church to be the means through which His work would be accomplished. We, collectively, are the body of Christ. If you think you can accomplish anything significant for Christ outside of the church, you are ignoring the truth of scripture and you are wrong.
2) The super-natural power of the Holy Spirit will empower you to accomplish things you could never do with your own natural power. This is precisely why Jesus told the apostles to wait on the Holy Spirit to come before trying to start the church. Read Acts 1 & 2 to see how this happened.
3) It can be accomplished by using simple math. If you take a small group of true disciples who are serious about their mission and each of them succeeds in making new disciples. It does not take long before a small group has impacted thousands or millions of lives. Jesus knew this mathematical truth. That is why he spent his earthly ministry focused on just 12 men. He knew if he made 12 true disciples, they could truly impact the world. And they did!
At First Christian Church in Monroe, we want to make disciples who are passionate about LOVING OUR COMMUNITY and IMPACTING OUR WORLD. We want to find ways to send people to all corners of the world to address needs and to spread the gospel of Christ. We want to support those who are already on the ground doing this work by praying for them and helping them out with financial resources. We want to be a part of planting churches where the gospel of Christ is not currently being spread.
At FCC we might not be able to send people or resources to every single corner of the world, but we can try. We can pray. We can pay attention to the needs. We can care.
What if the 100 or so people at our church became passionate about Impacting Our World? What if every church in Monroe started doing the same? What if all the churches in the Atlanta, GA area started working together to Impact Our World? What if churches all across the United States started passionately working together to Impact the World for Christ?
The fact is...we could reach every nation on earth with the gospel and address every social injustice that comes to light. We could truly impact our world if the church would just do its job and accomplish its mission.
If we did this and accomplished our mission, I believe there would be nothing else holding the King of kings back from returning and defeating the enemy for eternity. I want to see this happen. I want to be a part of the army of God. That is why IMPACTING OUR WORLD is a core value at FCC in Monroe.
TEACHING GOD'S WORD
TRAINING GOD'S PEOPLE
LOVING OUR COMMUNITY
IMPACTING OUR WORLD
Let's quit talking about it. Let's get it done!!!
Let's face it, the vast majority of our energy and thoughts go into the world outside our doorstep that we see everyday. The rest of the world is merely made up of images on Fox News that are quickly forgotten. We are satisified with living life inside our bubble until some young preacher stands up in front of the church and insists that The Great Commission really does mean that we should make disciples OF ALL NATIONS. He might even go further to say that Christ may be delaying his return until we accomplish our mission of making disciples of all nations.
The first three core values I have written about are all reasonable and acceptable. It makes sense to TEACH GOD'S WORD, TRAIN GOD'S PEOPLE, and LOVE OUR COMMUNITY. But to leave it there falls well short of accomplishing our mission as a church. There is one more step we must take. It must be an equally important core value of our church. To neglect this fourth core value would mean we have failed in our mission to make disciples.
CORE VALUE #4: "Impacting Our World"
The question that first comes to mind when looking at that phrase is "HOW"? How can I have an impact on my world? How can my church and its limited resources have any real impact on this world of 7 billion people?
Then only way I can answer this question is like this:
1) You can't do it alone. Jesus gave the command to make disciples of all nations to his apostles as a collective group. He gave this command to the CHURCH. Without the church your efforts will be weak and ineffective. Christ gave us the church to be the means through which His work would be accomplished. We, collectively, are the body of Christ. If you think you can accomplish anything significant for Christ outside of the church, you are ignoring the truth of scripture and you are wrong.
2) The super-natural power of the Holy Spirit will empower you to accomplish things you could never do with your own natural power. This is precisely why Jesus told the apostles to wait on the Holy Spirit to come before trying to start the church. Read Acts 1 & 2 to see how this happened.
3) It can be accomplished by using simple math. If you take a small group of true disciples who are serious about their mission and each of them succeeds in making new disciples. It does not take long before a small group has impacted thousands or millions of lives. Jesus knew this mathematical truth. That is why he spent his earthly ministry focused on just 12 men. He knew if he made 12 true disciples, they could truly impact the world. And they did!
At First Christian Church in Monroe, we want to make disciples who are passionate about LOVING OUR COMMUNITY and IMPACTING OUR WORLD. We want to find ways to send people to all corners of the world to address needs and to spread the gospel of Christ. We want to support those who are already on the ground doing this work by praying for them and helping them out with financial resources. We want to be a part of planting churches where the gospel of Christ is not currently being spread.
At FCC we might not be able to send people or resources to every single corner of the world, but we can try. We can pray. We can pay attention to the needs. We can care.
What if the 100 or so people at our church became passionate about Impacting Our World? What if every church in Monroe started doing the same? What if all the churches in the Atlanta, GA area started working together to Impact Our World? What if churches all across the United States started passionately working together to Impact the World for Christ?
The fact is...we could reach every nation on earth with the gospel and address every social injustice that comes to light. We could truly impact our world if the church would just do its job and accomplish its mission.
If we did this and accomplished our mission, I believe there would be nothing else holding the King of kings back from returning and defeating the enemy for eternity. I want to see this happen. I want to be a part of the army of God. That is why IMPACTING OUR WORLD is a core value at FCC in Monroe.
TEACHING GOD'S WORD
TRAINING GOD'S PEOPLE
LOVING OUR COMMUNITY
IMPACTING OUR WORLD
Let's quit talking about it. Let's get it done!!!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Core Value #3
As I mentioned earlier, the way I present these core values for FCC is not quite a finished product, but certainly captures the spirit and essence of how we hope to accomplish our mission as a church.
The third core value for our community of Christ-followers flows directly from what happens when a person or group of people begin pursuing a relationship with God on a daily basis. It relates to how the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the "helpless and harrassed" people surrounding us where we live. Matthew 9 begins and ends with how Jesus expected his church to connect with those we see everyday in our community.
CORE VALUE #3: "Serving Our Community" OR "Loving Our Community"
(We haven't settled on which word works better as a core value; "serving" or "loving")
There are those people who are naturally compassionate and automatically see the needs and hurts of the people around them and they are often moved to take action. But lets be honest, most of us are oblivious to the needs of those around us. We need the Spirit of God to open our eyes and to put a burden on our heart to reach out to these people and to love them. These people are those in our community we see everyday in the stores, in the restaurants, standing in their yards, walking down the street, and looking for answers about why life is the way it is. They are lost and they don't even know it. They are hurting and they aren't sure why.
At FCC, we are located fairly close to the center of town. I can take a one mile walk around the block and pass the homes of well over a thousand families. A sad truth is that poverty is epidemic in our community and it completely surrounds our church's property on all sides. Another sad truth is that most of us drive right by this poverty every Sunday morning so we can gather together for worship and never even give the slightest thought to how we might actually serve and love the community surrounding us.
As I see the example of Jesus unfold in scripture, I can't help but think about how he might respond to those in our community. I doubt he would spend much time at all hanging out in the church building with the other believers. To be a true disciple of Jesus, I need to start walking in his footsteps. Our church needs to start walking in his footsteps. It is time for us to stop DRIVING BY our community each Sunday and to start SERVING and LOVING our community.
A super-natural result of "TEACHING GOD'S WORD" and "TRAINING GOD'S PEOPLE" is that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to see that our mission to make disciples must start with "LOVING OUR COMMUNITY".
It is easy to "go to church" each Sunday for worship. It requires very little effort and time for most church-goers. Loving Our Community is MUCH more difficult and requires considerable time and effort and sacrifice. Let's face it...most of us would never take this step on our own. This is not a natural core value for most believers. But for true disciples who have been transformed by the Spirit of God, this becomes a super-natural core value that cannot be ignored.
The leadership of FCC has a passionate desire to let our community know we love them and want to serve them in any way we can. We want this because it is the only way we can bring glory to God in Monroe. It is the only way we can ever hope to make new disciples - and THAT is our mission.
The forth and final core value we are working toward at FCC is how we complete the Great Commission. This final core value is what I believe Christ is waiting on his church to accomplish before he returns. I will discuss it further in my next post.
The third core value for our community of Christ-followers flows directly from what happens when a person or group of people begin pursuing a relationship with God on a daily basis. It relates to how the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the "helpless and harrassed" people surrounding us where we live. Matthew 9 begins and ends with how Jesus expected his church to connect with those we see everyday in our community.
CORE VALUE #3: "Serving Our Community" OR "Loving Our Community"
(We haven't settled on which word works better as a core value; "serving" or "loving")
There are those people who are naturally compassionate and automatically see the needs and hurts of the people around them and they are often moved to take action. But lets be honest, most of us are oblivious to the needs of those around us. We need the Spirit of God to open our eyes and to put a burden on our heart to reach out to these people and to love them. These people are those in our community we see everyday in the stores, in the restaurants, standing in their yards, walking down the street, and looking for answers about why life is the way it is. They are lost and they don't even know it. They are hurting and they aren't sure why.
At FCC, we are located fairly close to the center of town. I can take a one mile walk around the block and pass the homes of well over a thousand families. A sad truth is that poverty is epidemic in our community and it completely surrounds our church's property on all sides. Another sad truth is that most of us drive right by this poverty every Sunday morning so we can gather together for worship and never even give the slightest thought to how we might actually serve and love the community surrounding us.
As I see the example of Jesus unfold in scripture, I can't help but think about how he might respond to those in our community. I doubt he would spend much time at all hanging out in the church building with the other believers. To be a true disciple of Jesus, I need to start walking in his footsteps. Our church needs to start walking in his footsteps. It is time for us to stop DRIVING BY our community each Sunday and to start SERVING and LOVING our community.
A super-natural result of "TEACHING GOD'S WORD" and "TRAINING GOD'S PEOPLE" is that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to see that our mission to make disciples must start with "LOVING OUR COMMUNITY".
It is easy to "go to church" each Sunday for worship. It requires very little effort and time for most church-goers. Loving Our Community is MUCH more difficult and requires considerable time and effort and sacrifice. Let's face it...most of us would never take this step on our own. This is not a natural core value for most believers. But for true disciples who have been transformed by the Spirit of God, this becomes a super-natural core value that cannot be ignored.
The leadership of FCC has a passionate desire to let our community know we love them and want to serve them in any way we can. We want this because it is the only way we can bring glory to God in Monroe. It is the only way we can ever hope to make new disciples - and THAT is our mission.
The forth and final core value we are working toward at FCC is how we complete the Great Commission. This final core value is what I believe Christ is waiting on his church to accomplish before he returns. I will discuss it further in my next post.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Core Value #2
Make sure to read "Core Value #1" prior to reading this post.
The second core value we want to put in the center of all we do at First Christian in Monroe focuses on taking people from being "believers" into being true disciples of Jesus. To be a disciple of someone, you can't just hear about them and acknowledge how great they are. You must commit your life to following in their footsteps. You must commit to trying to become just like them in every way possible. Being a believer is easy. Being a disciple is not! It is demanding and it is difficult (see Luke 14:25-35). To be a disciple of Jesus, you have to be prepared for more than just going to church. You must be ready to do whatever it takes to become like Him.
CORE VALUE #2: "Training God's People"
At FCC, once we have introduced people to God's Word, we want to begin training them to become true disciples of Jesus. I love using the term "SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE". A Spiritual Discipline is an activity that enhances a person's personal relationship with God and obedience to what He has commanded. A person must practice these disciplines over and over until they become a natural part of their life.
A few common examples of Spiritual Disciplines a person might practice are: BIBLE STUDY, PRAYER, GIVING, SERVING OTHERS, WORSHIP, FASTING, and MEDITATION/SOLITUDE. Doing these activities does not define or determine one's salvation, but ARE part of a true disciple's life. These are some of the things we do that draw us nearer to God in our relationship with Him. These are the things we do to hear the Holy Spirit speak to us and to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's leadership.
At FCC, we don't just want to make believers. We want to make disciples. We what to show people how Jesus lived and what he commanded. We want to show people how to become true disciples of Jesus and to do these things in their lives too.
TEACHING GOD'S WORD and TRAINING GOD'S PEOPLE are the first two core values we are passionate about at FCC. If we do these two things well, the next two core values will be much easier to accomplish. Our mission is to MAKE DISCIPLES. That means we never stop and we never are satisfied. Once we help someone become a disciple, they join us on our mission to make disciples of others. That leads us to Core Value #3. I will write about that later!
The second core value we want to put in the center of all we do at First Christian in Monroe focuses on taking people from being "believers" into being true disciples of Jesus. To be a disciple of someone, you can't just hear about them and acknowledge how great they are. You must commit your life to following in their footsteps. You must commit to trying to become just like them in every way possible. Being a believer is easy. Being a disciple is not! It is demanding and it is difficult (see Luke 14:25-35). To be a disciple of Jesus, you have to be prepared for more than just going to church. You must be ready to do whatever it takes to become like Him.
CORE VALUE #2: "Training God's People"
At FCC, once we have introduced people to God's Word, we want to begin training them to become true disciples of Jesus. I love using the term "SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE". A Spiritual Discipline is an activity that enhances a person's personal relationship with God and obedience to what He has commanded. A person must practice these disciplines over and over until they become a natural part of their life.
A few common examples of Spiritual Disciplines a person might practice are: BIBLE STUDY, PRAYER, GIVING, SERVING OTHERS, WORSHIP, FASTING, and MEDITATION/SOLITUDE. Doing these activities does not define or determine one's salvation, but ARE part of a true disciple's life. These are some of the things we do that draw us nearer to God in our relationship with Him. These are the things we do to hear the Holy Spirit speak to us and to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's leadership.
At FCC, we don't just want to make believers. We want to make disciples. We what to show people how Jesus lived and what he commanded. We want to show people how to become true disciples of Jesus and to do these things in their lives too.
TEACHING GOD'S WORD and TRAINING GOD'S PEOPLE are the first two core values we are passionate about at FCC. If we do these two things well, the next two core values will be much easier to accomplish. Our mission is to MAKE DISCIPLES. That means we never stop and we never are satisfied. Once we help someone become a disciple, they join us on our mission to make disciples of others. That leads us to Core Value #3. I will write about that later!
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