Well...I can finally talk about something that has been in the works for quite a while now. After months of prayer, soul searching, talking with trusted friends, more prayer, and more soul searching...I have accepted the Senior Ministry position at First Christian Church in Monroe, GA.
Last night, as I sat on a stool in front of my youth group at Crosspoint Christain Church and explained my decision to them, the thoughts and emotions running through my head were too many to describe with mere words. I have spent the past 14+ years of my life in full-time youth ministry and I still love working with teenagers. As a matter of fact, the group I have now is the most spiritually mature and committed group I have ever worked with. Leaving them is going to be hard.
As I made the announcement to them, I read the story from Matthew 9:9-13 where Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him and joins Matthew and his tax collector friends for dinner. The Pharisees couldn't understand why Jesus would want to hang out with these people, you know - the sinners, the non-religious types, the dispised people of their culture. Jesus' simple reply was, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Jesus made it clear that He was going to go to the greatest need. He wanted to be where He was needed most.
First Christian Church in Monroe has been through an amazingly difficult struggle in the past year or so. Many have left the church for a multitude of reasons. I have had several people try to discourage me from taking this ministry because of these "problems". I am fully aware that it is not an easy or coveted task that I am taking on.
The natural question to ask is, "WHY?". Why leave a healthy and growing youth ministry with a strong core group of kids who are thinking about going into ministry themselves one day? Why leave that behind to face an uncertain struggle with a church that has faced some serious problems in the very recent past?
To be honest, the only way I can explain it is to say that I truly sense the Spirit of God calling me to do something hard for His kingdom. I truly believe He is calling me to the greater need right now. We need a strong Christian Church in Monroe, GA. We need a church that is passionate about serving and loving that community. If I am the tool that God wants to use to make that happen, I am honored to answer that call. I truly believe that God wants this church to succeed and to carry out His mission no matter what struggles they have faced.
As I concluded my message to the youth group last night I saw the looks you would expect when you tell a group of kids that you are leaving them after six years of loving and mentoring them. There were tears and there were questions. But there was something else that I have never seen in a youth group before. Right after we dismissed with prayer, a couple of our student leaders called the core group together in our prayer room and asked me to join them. What I heard confirmed my decision. These kids were starting to plan how they were going to rise up and lead this youth ministry forward. They understood that I was following God's call and it was time for them to answer that call as well by making sure this youth ministry continues to reach students in its community. They understood that it was up to them to apply what we have been teaching and talking about for so long.
It is awesome thing to see the discipleship process at work. I can't wait to see how God uses the students at Crosspoint in ministry. I also can't wait to see how God is able to use me as I begin a new journey with FCC Monroe.
Portwood Family
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
We Have an Image Problem
This morning I started my day off meeting a friend at Chick-fil-a for breakfast. He was caught in traffic and running late so I grabbed the USA Today that was available and scanned through the Sports page. After seeing that the Braves lost AGAIN and the Falcons might as well forfeit this Sunday's game against the Eagles; I looked through the Front Page section and noticed an article on page 2 that really caught my attention.
"More Americans tailoring religion to fit their needs"
The article is based on comments and research done by George Barna that surveyed American adults in 1991 and again in 2011 on matters of religion and faith. The results are interesting...and sad.
The 2 most interesting results published are:
1) Those who have NOT attended church in the past 6 months rose from 24% in 1991 to 37% in 2011.
2) Those who HAVE accepted Jesus as their Savior and expect to go to Heaven rose from 35% in 1991 to 40% in 2011
Now, let me get this straight: The number of "unchurched" people in the US ROSE by 13% while those who claim Jesus and are Saved ROSE by 5%.
This information makes me ask a series of questions to which I am not sure I know the answer. Maybe you can help me out:
- How can more people be saved when fewer people are in the church?
- Why are fewer people being reached by the church while more people are accepting Christ as their Savior?
- If the church is irrelevant to 37% of our population, is it the fault of the American Church or is it a natural and expected cultural occurance?
- Should the church "try" to be more culturally relevant?
- Can people be followers of Jesus and "saved" if they are not part of the church?
These questions really make me want to examine the way we traditionally function and behave as The Church. As I mentioned in my previous post, I STRONGLY believe that the church is STILL the body of Christ and the way He has and aways will intend to reach the world with the message of Salvation. I read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and see that we are all called to be a part of the body and were created to fit into the body with our own talents and gifts to make it stronger. The problem is that from the outside, so many people don't see the church as "the body". They see it as a dysfunctional family that fights and tears each other apart then looks into the rest of the world and calls them things like "lost" and "sinners". They see a group of people who have created their own "church language" and project an image that says "I might have problems, but I'll never let anyone here see them!" The world sees things like this, but it just isn't how Jesus intended "His body" to work (I know, more church language!).
All of these questions and thoughts are things I am wrestling with on a personal level. I want to show people who are not in the church that we really do have something special here. We are not perfect people and we don't want to act like we are. You don't have to talk a certain way and use certain words to fit in here. You don't have to dress a certain way to be accepted. You can ask tough questions without being told to "just have faith". You can have major problems in your life and receive love instead of judgement (and maybe a little help too!). You can have doubts about God and even get angry with Him. That is part of who we are!
Don't get me wrong...I don't think for a second that churches project these images to the world on purpose. I think it just gets easy for us to transform from being the body of Christ into a social club of common beliefs and it doesn't take long until we expect everyone to conform to our ways or else they just won't fit in.
Look...I'm not trying to "bash" the church. I just want to see us open our eyes to the facts. In 20 years, 13% fewer people go to church yet 5% more say they have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Whether we want to admit it our not, we have an image problem. We have to quit blaming the culture and figure out how to reach the culture. We need to put our traditions and practices on the line and examine whether they are keeping us from the real mission or not.
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I sure am willing to ask the questions and see where that leads me!!!
"More Americans tailoring religion to fit their needs"
The article is based on comments and research done by George Barna that surveyed American adults in 1991 and again in 2011 on matters of religion and faith. The results are interesting...and sad.
The 2 most interesting results published are:
1) Those who have NOT attended church in the past 6 months rose from 24% in 1991 to 37% in 2011.
2) Those who HAVE accepted Jesus as their Savior and expect to go to Heaven rose from 35% in 1991 to 40% in 2011
Now, let me get this straight: The number of "unchurched" people in the US ROSE by 13% while those who claim Jesus and are Saved ROSE by 5%.
This information makes me ask a series of questions to which I am not sure I know the answer. Maybe you can help me out:
- How can more people be saved when fewer people are in the church?
- Why are fewer people being reached by the church while more people are accepting Christ as their Savior?
- If the church is irrelevant to 37% of our population, is it the fault of the American Church or is it a natural and expected cultural occurance?
- Should the church "try" to be more culturally relevant?
- Can people be followers of Jesus and "saved" if they are not part of the church?
These questions really make me want to examine the way we traditionally function and behave as The Church. As I mentioned in my previous post, I STRONGLY believe that the church is STILL the body of Christ and the way He has and aways will intend to reach the world with the message of Salvation. I read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and see that we are all called to be a part of the body and were created to fit into the body with our own talents and gifts to make it stronger. The problem is that from the outside, so many people don't see the church as "the body". They see it as a dysfunctional family that fights and tears each other apart then looks into the rest of the world and calls them things like "lost" and "sinners". They see a group of people who have created their own "church language" and project an image that says "I might have problems, but I'll never let anyone here see them!" The world sees things like this, but it just isn't how Jesus intended "His body" to work (I know, more church language!).
All of these questions and thoughts are things I am wrestling with on a personal level. I want to show people who are not in the church that we really do have something special here. We are not perfect people and we don't want to act like we are. You don't have to talk a certain way and use certain words to fit in here. You don't have to dress a certain way to be accepted. You can ask tough questions without being told to "just have faith". You can have major problems in your life and receive love instead of judgement (and maybe a little help too!). You can have doubts about God and even get angry with Him. That is part of who we are!
Don't get me wrong...I don't think for a second that churches project these images to the world on purpose. I think it just gets easy for us to transform from being the body of Christ into a social club of common beliefs and it doesn't take long until we expect everyone to conform to our ways or else they just won't fit in.
Look...I'm not trying to "bash" the church. I just want to see us open our eyes to the facts. In 20 years, 13% fewer people go to church yet 5% more say they have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Whether we want to admit it our not, we have an image problem. We have to quit blaming the culture and figure out how to reach the culture. We need to put our traditions and practices on the line and examine whether they are keeping us from the real mission or not.
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I sure am willing to ask the questions and see where that leads me!!!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
When God Calls
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1)
I have been asked on many occasions: "When did you receive your "calling" into the ministry?" To be honest, I have no idea how to answer that question. In my earlier ministry days a question like this would make me feel like maybe I was a fake because I never had this crystal clear moment like Saul on the road to Damascus where God "CALLED" me into the ministry. Questions like this would make me doubt: "Maybe I'm not called into the ministry"..."Maybe I'm doing this job for the wrong reasons"..."Maybe I just wasn't listening well when God did call".
To be honest, in my earlier ministry days, it really was more of a career choice than a calling. I had talents/gifts that helped me be reasonably successful in youth ministry without much help from God. Let's face it...a lively personality, a creative flare, and some musical ability can attract a crowd of teenagers - even when the power of the Holy Spirit is being ignored or neglected.
If you have read my testimony posts from earlier this year, you already know that my true calling into ministry didn't come until about a year and a half ago. Again, it wasn't a blinding light and a big voice from Heaven that got my attention, it was simply my submission to the power of scripture and the Holy Spirit. Reading the book of Acts rocked me and opened my eyes to God's true calling on my life.
There was a time when I would have tried to teach from Ephesians 4:1 and stopped at saying that our "calling" is simply to be Christians, and to be worthy means that we "act" like good Christains. Unfortunately, to stop there neglects the true context of this verse. To get a better understanding of what verse one means we must read AT LEAST through verse 16, and it would be even better to go all the way into chapter 5 through verse 21.
The bottom line here is that it is becoming more and more clear to me that we are not merely called to "be Christian". We are called to become part of the BODY that is called THE CHURCH. To be a part of the body means we MUST serve a purpose and be active. It means we are joining the army and accepting the mission. It means we are unified with this body, even if we don't like or understand all of the actions those leading or guiding the body are taking.
Am I called into ministry? ABSOLUTELY! Guess what, you are too!!! I received my calling into the ministry the day I chose to follow Christ and was obedient to Him in baptism. The problem is that I didn't really understand my calling until recently.
This doesn't mean you have to be employed by a church, but you can't ignore the fact that you ARE commanded to be a part of the church and its ministry to the community and the world. There are a lot of "Christians" out there who are not a part of the church. Maybe they were hurt by a particular church, maybe they feel the church is flawed or compromised, or maybe they just feel that they can follow Jesus just as well independent of the church. Allow me to be so bold as to say, if you are not part of the church, you have missed your calling!!! If you think you can be a disciple of Jesus and obedient to his leadership outside of the church, you are wrong!
I know some will not like or agree with my strong words here, but I urge you to take it up with scripture instead of arguing with me about this. Spend some time really studying Ephesians 4:1 - 5:21. Spend some time studying the book of Acts. Spend some time studying the gospels and how Jesus works with his disciples.
Jesus chose the church as the means for spreading the Gospel story of salvation to the world. His Holy Spirit works in the context of the church as it unifies us together as one body. Nobody is capable of living out The Great Commission on their own. It just isn't possible. The Great Commission is for the church, not for individual efforts.
Now, I will speak just as strongly about those who are sitting in churches, but doing nothing to advance the Kingdom. Sitting in a church auditorium each week does not automatically make you a part of the body. The parts of the body have a job to do and are working. If you are just taking up pew space in some church building each week, you have missed your calling too!
When Ephesians 4:1 says to live a life worthy of the calling you have received, please understand this is a BIG DEAL. You have been called to join the church body and to impact the world for Christ. Living a life worthy of that calling requires commitment to unity, sacrifice, and discipleship.
God has called. It is time to answer that call!
(I will be going deeper into these thoughts as I preach at the First Christain Church of Monroe, GA this coming Sunday - 9/11/11 at 10:30am. Feel free to join us if you want!)
I have been asked on many occasions: "When did you receive your "calling" into the ministry?" To be honest, I have no idea how to answer that question. In my earlier ministry days a question like this would make me feel like maybe I was a fake because I never had this crystal clear moment like Saul on the road to Damascus where God "CALLED" me into the ministry. Questions like this would make me doubt: "Maybe I'm not called into the ministry"..."Maybe I'm doing this job for the wrong reasons"..."Maybe I just wasn't listening well when God did call".
To be honest, in my earlier ministry days, it really was more of a career choice than a calling. I had talents/gifts that helped me be reasonably successful in youth ministry without much help from God. Let's face it...a lively personality, a creative flare, and some musical ability can attract a crowd of teenagers - even when the power of the Holy Spirit is being ignored or neglected.
If you have read my testimony posts from earlier this year, you already know that my true calling into ministry didn't come until about a year and a half ago. Again, it wasn't a blinding light and a big voice from Heaven that got my attention, it was simply my submission to the power of scripture and the Holy Spirit. Reading the book of Acts rocked me and opened my eyes to God's true calling on my life.
There was a time when I would have tried to teach from Ephesians 4:1 and stopped at saying that our "calling" is simply to be Christians, and to be worthy means that we "act" like good Christains. Unfortunately, to stop there neglects the true context of this verse. To get a better understanding of what verse one means we must read AT LEAST through verse 16, and it would be even better to go all the way into chapter 5 through verse 21.
The bottom line here is that it is becoming more and more clear to me that we are not merely called to "be Christian". We are called to become part of the BODY that is called THE CHURCH. To be a part of the body means we MUST serve a purpose and be active. It means we are joining the army and accepting the mission. It means we are unified with this body, even if we don't like or understand all of the actions those leading or guiding the body are taking.
Am I called into ministry? ABSOLUTELY! Guess what, you are too!!! I received my calling into the ministry the day I chose to follow Christ and was obedient to Him in baptism. The problem is that I didn't really understand my calling until recently.
This doesn't mean you have to be employed by a church, but you can't ignore the fact that you ARE commanded to be a part of the church and its ministry to the community and the world. There are a lot of "Christians" out there who are not a part of the church. Maybe they were hurt by a particular church, maybe they feel the church is flawed or compromised, or maybe they just feel that they can follow Jesus just as well independent of the church. Allow me to be so bold as to say, if you are not part of the church, you have missed your calling!!! If you think you can be a disciple of Jesus and obedient to his leadership outside of the church, you are wrong!
I know some will not like or agree with my strong words here, but I urge you to take it up with scripture instead of arguing with me about this. Spend some time really studying Ephesians 4:1 - 5:21. Spend some time studying the book of Acts. Spend some time studying the gospels and how Jesus works with his disciples.
Jesus chose the church as the means for spreading the Gospel story of salvation to the world. His Holy Spirit works in the context of the church as it unifies us together as one body. Nobody is capable of living out The Great Commission on their own. It just isn't possible. The Great Commission is for the church, not for individual efforts.
Now, I will speak just as strongly about those who are sitting in churches, but doing nothing to advance the Kingdom. Sitting in a church auditorium each week does not automatically make you a part of the body. The parts of the body have a job to do and are working. If you are just taking up pew space in some church building each week, you have missed your calling too!
When Ephesians 4:1 says to live a life worthy of the calling you have received, please understand this is a BIG DEAL. You have been called to join the church body and to impact the world for Christ. Living a life worthy of that calling requires commitment to unity, sacrifice, and discipleship.
God has called. It is time to answer that call!
(I will be going deeper into these thoughts as I preach at the First Christain Church of Monroe, GA this coming Sunday - 9/11/11 at 10:30am. Feel free to join us if you want!)
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Bonhoeffer...
I don't know how or why, but somehow I made it through 37 years of life and 18 years in ministry before learning anything about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. My ignorance about this man was finally corrected by a good friend this summer when he gave me biography entitled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. What an amazing story and life!
Without giving a review or summary of the book itself, I just simply want to reflect upon how the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has inspired me to try and become a faithful and true disciple of Jesus.
It is interesting to me that so many people think of themselves as disciples of Jesus. To be a true disciple, one must commit his or her life to following in the footsteps of the teacher. It requires intense discipline, complete commitment, and a passionate desire to become as much like the teacher as possible. To be like the teacher, one must spend every minute possible with the teacher. To be a disciple of the teacher, one must fully submit themselves to being obedient to the teacher's commands.
This description of a disciple leads me to a big question: "Can a person be a Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus?" (Sorry, but I had to ask it)
From what I can tell from history and the biography on Bonhoeffer, it looks like this guy was the real deal. His commitment to scripture and to being a disciple of Jesus is humbling and amazing. In the face of intense persecution, Dietrich Bonhoeffer not only passed the test - he proved that a true disciple of Jesus can have an amazing impact on the world.
It is easy to get the idea that there are two types of Christians in the world:
- The first type is the normal, everyday people who believe and follow the plan. They are moral, they go to church, they give, they read their Bibles and pray, and Christianity is a significant part of who they are.
- The second type is that rare individual who we might think of as a SuperChristian. They basically fit the definition of a true disciple I described earlier.
However, I'm starting to realize that there is only one type of Christian - a disciple of Jesus. The difference is in how far down the road each of us are in our personal relationship with Him.
Sadly, many people never get deep enough into God's Word to see what Jesus really meant when He said, "Come, follow me". Jesus didn't mean, "follow me to church" or "follow me to a good and moral life". Jesus was calling people to become true disciples and to follow Him with complete submission to Him, abandoning their own way of life.
Don't misunderstand my words here. I am NOT saying that you have to be the "SuperChristian" to be saved. We cannot save ourselves through our commitment to God and our goodness - otherwise we would not have even needed a Savior. What I AM saying is that a person who decides to follow Christ and accept His salvation will come to understand that there is nothing else in life more important than being a true disciple of Jesus.
I look at the life of a man like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and I realize that he was a true disciple of Christ. I am way short of Bonhoeffer's standard in my own life, but his example makes me want to become the disciple Jesus has called me to be.
In my opinion, the answer to the earlier question: "Can a person be a Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus?" is a resounding NO! Either I want to follow Him, or I want to keep doing life on my own terms. I can't have it both ways. Thank you, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for displaying this in your life. Now, I have some following to do!!!
Without giving a review or summary of the book itself, I just simply want to reflect upon how the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has inspired me to try and become a faithful and true disciple of Jesus.
It is interesting to me that so many people think of themselves as disciples of Jesus. To be a true disciple, one must commit his or her life to following in the footsteps of the teacher. It requires intense discipline, complete commitment, and a passionate desire to become as much like the teacher as possible. To be like the teacher, one must spend every minute possible with the teacher. To be a disciple of the teacher, one must fully submit themselves to being obedient to the teacher's commands.
This description of a disciple leads me to a big question: "Can a person be a Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus?" (Sorry, but I had to ask it)
From what I can tell from history and the biography on Bonhoeffer, it looks like this guy was the real deal. His commitment to scripture and to being a disciple of Jesus is humbling and amazing. In the face of intense persecution, Dietrich Bonhoeffer not only passed the test - he proved that a true disciple of Jesus can have an amazing impact on the world.
It is easy to get the idea that there are two types of Christians in the world:
- The first type is the normal, everyday people who believe and follow the plan. They are moral, they go to church, they give, they read their Bibles and pray, and Christianity is a significant part of who they are.
- The second type is that rare individual who we might think of as a SuperChristian. They basically fit the definition of a true disciple I described earlier.
However, I'm starting to realize that there is only one type of Christian - a disciple of Jesus. The difference is in how far down the road each of us are in our personal relationship with Him.
Sadly, many people never get deep enough into God's Word to see what Jesus really meant when He said, "Come, follow me". Jesus didn't mean, "follow me to church" or "follow me to a good and moral life". Jesus was calling people to become true disciples and to follow Him with complete submission to Him, abandoning their own way of life.
Don't misunderstand my words here. I am NOT saying that you have to be the "SuperChristian" to be saved. We cannot save ourselves through our commitment to God and our goodness - otherwise we would not have even needed a Savior. What I AM saying is that a person who decides to follow Christ and accept His salvation will come to understand that there is nothing else in life more important than being a true disciple of Jesus.
I look at the life of a man like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and I realize that he was a true disciple of Christ. I am way short of Bonhoeffer's standard in my own life, but his example makes me want to become the disciple Jesus has called me to be.
In my opinion, the answer to the earlier question: "Can a person be a Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus?" is a resounding NO! Either I want to follow Him, or I want to keep doing life on my own terms. I can't have it both ways. Thank you, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for displaying this in your life. Now, I have some following to do!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)