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!!!
Portwood Family
Saturday, December 31, 2011
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!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Core Value #1
Together with the Leadership Team at First Christian Church in Monroe, I am working to clarify our mission and our core values so our entire church family can be unified around what it is we are trying to do and how we are going to do it. The process isn't finished yet, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I am convinced that we will align the activity of OUR church with the mission Christ gave to HIS church.
Over the next few days, I am going to post a series of four short blogs, each one centered around one of the core values that will define the activity of our church and help us accomplish our mission.
For a community of believers to accomplish what God has called them to do, they must first determine their mission. They all need to clearly understand that Christ commissioned his church to MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8). To accomplish this mission, the leadership of FCC is narrowing its focus down to a set of "core values" that will clearly define what we believe are the keys to success. There are a lot of "good" things a church can do, but we are focused on these four things.
CORE VALUE #1 - "Teaching God's Word"
Seems pretty obvious, right? What else can be more important when trying to make disciples than to teach God's Word? Sadly, this isn't quite as obvious as you might think. Sure, churches spend A LOT of time talking about God's Word. They present passages and concepts from scripture each Sunday morning. They talk about the Bible as the "guide" to their lives and teach the kids to treat the book with respect. But I see a level of Biblical illiteracy in most church-goers that is frightening. Church leaders are TALKING about God's Word, but many people simply are not digging in to God's Word with a hunger and thirst that defines their daily life.
Hebrews 4:12 (one of my favorites) says..."For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." In other words, scripture changes everything! It has a transforming power that cannot be explained. God's Word comes with a companion called the Holy Spirit. Each time you dig into scripture, the very Spirit of God speaks directly into your heart. It is powerful and it changes you fundamentally forever!
For many church-goers, allowing the Pastor to share what the Spirit of God has said to him once a week is enough. They are content with a challenging, or at least entertaining message each Sunday. They simply do not realize that the Holy Spirit of God has a specific and direct message for them if they will dig into God's Word on their own. Hearing a good message on Sunday is a good thing, but it can never replace what God wants to say to you directly!
Once a person has experienced the transforming power of scripture in their own personal life, it changes everything. Bible study turns from being a mundane and confusing exercise in futility into an exciting and life-changing mystery. They simply cannot wait until they get to do it again. It becomes a part of their daily life and they would never want to go through a day without it.
At FCC, our Leadership Team wants to see TEACHING GOD'S WORD become more than something we talk about and preach about. We want to teach every person we come in contact with just how powerful and amazing God's Word really is. We want to teach them how to study the Bible and how to understand it. We want to give them tools for developing daily Bible Study habits. We want to give people arenas where they can discuss what they are studying with other believers and share what God's Spirit is saying to them through scripture.
If we want to make disciples, it MUST begin with teaching God's Word. When a person is confronted with the truth and the power of scripture, transformation is the only possible result.
Core Value #2 flows from the first one. It is also a critical key to our church accomplishing its mission to make disciples. But you will have to wait until my next post to see what that is all about!
Over the next few days, I am going to post a series of four short blogs, each one centered around one of the core values that will define the activity of our church and help us accomplish our mission.
For a community of believers to accomplish what God has called them to do, they must first determine their mission. They all need to clearly understand that Christ commissioned his church to MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8). To accomplish this mission, the leadership of FCC is narrowing its focus down to a set of "core values" that will clearly define what we believe are the keys to success. There are a lot of "good" things a church can do, but we are focused on these four things.
CORE VALUE #1 - "Teaching God's Word"
Seems pretty obvious, right? What else can be more important when trying to make disciples than to teach God's Word? Sadly, this isn't quite as obvious as you might think. Sure, churches spend A LOT of time talking about God's Word. They present passages and concepts from scripture each Sunday morning. They talk about the Bible as the "guide" to their lives and teach the kids to treat the book with respect. But I see a level of Biblical illiteracy in most church-goers that is frightening. Church leaders are TALKING about God's Word, but many people simply are not digging in to God's Word with a hunger and thirst that defines their daily life.
Hebrews 4:12 (one of my favorites) says..."For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." In other words, scripture changes everything! It has a transforming power that cannot be explained. God's Word comes with a companion called the Holy Spirit. Each time you dig into scripture, the very Spirit of God speaks directly into your heart. It is powerful and it changes you fundamentally forever!
For many church-goers, allowing the Pastor to share what the Spirit of God has said to him once a week is enough. They are content with a challenging, or at least entertaining message each Sunday. They simply do not realize that the Holy Spirit of God has a specific and direct message for them if they will dig into God's Word on their own. Hearing a good message on Sunday is a good thing, but it can never replace what God wants to say to you directly!
Once a person has experienced the transforming power of scripture in their own personal life, it changes everything. Bible study turns from being a mundane and confusing exercise in futility into an exciting and life-changing mystery. They simply cannot wait until they get to do it again. It becomes a part of their daily life and they would never want to go through a day without it.
At FCC, our Leadership Team wants to see TEACHING GOD'S WORD become more than something we talk about and preach about. We want to teach every person we come in contact with just how powerful and amazing God's Word really is. We want to teach them how to study the Bible and how to understand it. We want to give them tools for developing daily Bible Study habits. We want to give people arenas where they can discuss what they are studying with other believers and share what God's Spirit is saying to them through scripture.
If we want to make disciples, it MUST begin with teaching God's Word. When a person is confronted with the truth and the power of scripture, transformation is the only possible result.
Core Value #2 flows from the first one. It is also a critical key to our church accomplishing its mission to make disciples. But you will have to wait until my next post to see what that is all about!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Cat is Out of the Bag...
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.
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.
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!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)