Love God, Love Others, & Serve the World

Joy In Trials

2011-06-21T13:55:00.001-07:00

This week we concluded our Living a Legacy series. Suffering, trouble, and affliction are part of living in this world marked by sin. Finding joy in the midst of suffering, however, is a concept that is foreign in our culture. Even within Christian circles we end up not sure what this looks like. We know we are supposed to be filled with joy, so we put on a happy face while our hearts are hurting and pretend that everything is okay. We end up attempting to fake out others or maybe even try to fake out ourselves. We have the mistaken idea that we can’t allow other people to know our fear, disappointment, anger, or hurt because after all, if we love Jesus we are supposed to be filled with joy.

God uses adversity from external circumstances to shape us to look more like Jesus. This is one of the reasons that beginning with humility before God is so important. If we start with recognizing who God is and willingly submit ourselves under his authority, we are then able to embrace God’s process for spiritual formation. When we realize that we don’t have to prove ourselves to him, we can honestly open ourselves up to be transformed at the very core of who we are. This requires us to be people who find our joy in Christ, being now people who are at peace with God.

Legacy Principles #4: Live with joy in trials.

Ask these types of questions:

What is joy? How can we know that God really loves us? What kind of freedom do we have because God has given us the Holy Spirit? What kind of disappointments, hurts, frustrations, or problems are you suffering from right now? How does approaching our adversity knowing we are at peace with God and he has our best interest at heart encourage us to rejoice while still experiencing discomfort or even pain?

Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ Romans 5:1, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

Romans 5:1-5

Ephesians 1:11-14

May God bless you as you embraced his love for you through the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Loving Others

2011-06-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we learned that the purpose for all people is to love God the most. We also learned that loving God through a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus is inseparable from loving other people. This week we learned how we are supposed to love other people with God's love. Loving Jesus deeply is going to directly impact the people I love. Loving Jesus deeply is also going to directly impact the people I can’t stand.

Jesus directly links loving God to loving other people. Leviticus 19:9-18 is a portion of the Law that focuses on how the children of Israel were to interact with one another. This portion of the law reveals God’s heart for his children interacting in loving relationship. Loving people like Jesus is at the heart of all of God’s loving instruction to us as people who love him. If we are going to Live a Legacy, we must love others like Jesus.

Legacy Principle #3: Love others like Jesus.

Ask these types of questions:

How does loving God affect our love for other people? Who is our “neighbor”? What does it mean to walk by the Holy Spirit? What are the indications that we are living life under our own power? What are the indications of a Spirit empowered life?

Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

~ Galatians 5:14, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

Galatians 5:13-15

Galatians 5:16-24

Romans 8:1-11

Luke 10:25-37

We demonstrate our love for our children and others that we influence by having frequent and simple conversations about Jesus. It may be uncomfortable and awkward at first, but the more you invest in your relationship with Jesus the easier it will get.

May God bless you as you choose to listen to the Holy Spirit as he empowers you to love God and love other people like Jesus.

Elder Nominations

2011-06-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

The time has come once again for elder nominations as a church family. I want to take a few moments of your time to present the role of elder in the local church and the process we use in adding elders to our leadership team.

Trinity Church is an elder led local church. The congregation must approve each elder by a congregational vote during our annual meeting each year at the end of August. Each elders term is three years and they may serve two consecutive terms. The elder chairman is an exception, his term is for one year and he may serve four consecutive terms. As leaders we believe it is good to have a rotation of new men as part of our elder team and yet still recognize the value of having consistency in leadership. We believe this system provides for both.

The qualifications for elder in the local church are addressed in both 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. These descriptions go to the character of the individual who assumes the role of elder in the local church. Biblical qualifications have less to do with age, and more to do with Christ-like character. The role of elders in the New Testament is focused on oversight, leadership within the church and movingthe church in the mission of Jesus. At Trinity Church, we ask our elders to provide direction and oversight while entrusting ministry teams to accomplish the tasks of ministry. It is the elders who hold one another, the staff, and ministry teams accountable and focused in helping our church head in a unified direction of making disciples.

The name, “elder” itself can sometimes be misleading. In our culture, in order to be considered an “elderly” person one must be well advanced in years (for lack of a more politically correct way to say it). The New Testament uses multiple terms, “pastors” or “bishops” or “overseers” to indicate the role and function of elders in the local church. As you look to people you know to nominate think more of character than age.

One new thing that we have implemented over the last year is inviting a prospective elder to sit with our board. This experience has proven to be a valuable process for both the elder team and the individual observing the board. Due to the value added in this process, our plan for this next ministry year is to invite up to two potential elders to sit with the board for a year before asking them to become elders.

You can click here if you would like to view our current elder team or contact any of them. We look forward to answering any questions you may have about our elder team, the elder selection process, or anything else you might be wondering about.

Loving God

2011-06-06T15:19:00.001-07:00

This week we learned our second of four legacy principles we should apply to our lives and teach those we influence if we desire to Live a Legacy for God’s glory. We talk a lot about loving God as a church family. We do so because Jesus says that loving God and loving people are the most important aspects of everything God has commanded. That makes them pretty important.

As followers of Christ we are supposed to invest our lives in growing in depth of love for God and others. It seems so simple, yet this is exactly where spiritual depth is found. We can know all kinds of biblical facts, teach great lessons, share our prophetic gifting, and pray fancy prayers, even in King James English, but without love it is all meaningless (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Therefore, if we are going to Live a Legacy for God’s glory we must allow God to transform our humility into a great love for Christ.

Legacy Principle #2: Love God the most.

Ask these types of questions:

What is biblical love? How does biblical love differ from worldly love? How can we demonstrate that we love God? What are some things we need to cut out of our lives because we do love God? What are some things that we need to add to our lives because we love God? What does it mean to be controlled by the love of Christ?

Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

~ Mark 12:30, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

Mark 12:28-34

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Remember to keep it simple and frequent, applying the Moses model for spiritual growth. It is likely that you will get tired and frustrated as you attempt to lead those you love toward loving Jesus deeply. Pray and seek the leading of Jesus instead of trusting your method. As you get tired and frustrated keep asking and seeking, so that you and those you love might be transformed by the love of Christ.

May God bless you as you choose to grow deeper in your love for him in your life this week.

Choose Humility

2011-05-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

Over the next four weeks we are going to learn the practical principles to live and teach if we are going to be people whom Live a Legacy. So over the next four weeks I will post some practical suggestions on implementing four Legacy Principles. These principles are foundational to being people who are dependent upon Christ to live a life that honors and glorifies him.

Instead of trying to get this into one solid time block and becoming frustrated, work it in throughout your week. Begin the discussion today and carry it through this week each day. Follow Moses’ Model: Simple and frequent conversations about Jesus. This week’s theme, the first legacy principle, is “Humble Yourself.”

Legacy Principle #1: Humble Yourself.

Ask these types of questions:

What is humility? What is pride? How can we choose humility personally? As a family? In what ways have we chosen pride in the past? Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

~James 4:10, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

James 4:1-10

Philippians 2:1-11

Keeping it simple does not mean that it will not have a profound effect on you and your family. Keep your conversations short and frequent. Use examples of people who display pride or humility while you live life together. Whether that is at a sporting event, watching television, or eating together. Christ at the center means we bring him into every area of our lives. Living a Legacy begins with the intentional choice to be a person who submits himself or herself to God. May God bless you as you choose humility in your life this week.

Where do I start?

2011-05-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Many people find themselves in a place of desiring to Live a Legacy, but they are not sure how. In our current series we have discovered the “why” we should Live a Legacy, but over the next few weeks we will learn four principles that we can build our lives upon teaching them to those we are called to influence.

This past week we learned a basic principle from Moses on training our children in following Christ from Deuteronomy 6:7. We observed Moses’ Model for spiritual development in the lives of those we influence. Moses’ model: Simple and frequent conversations about Jesus. While having regular times of prayer, Bible reading, and devotional discussions are all important, the heart of Living a Legacy requires frequent simple conversations about Jesus.

The first part of Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “You shall teach them diligently...” To teach with diligence requires constant attention but it is not complicated. We see that spiritual training is supposed to be ongoing; it is continuous throughout our lives, in every area of lives. We are to have continual spiritual conversations with our children. We are to remind them of everything that God has taught us and of God’s rescue from being people trapped in death as slaves to sin.

So often we think that we can’t lead our children spiritually because we don’t have all the answers. But God does not require us to have all the answers. God’s plan is to make spiritual development part of every day life. We are supposed to see every area of life as an opportunity to talk about Jesus, who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, how much he loves us, and why we follow him. The model that Moses talks about is taking the spiritual formation of those we influence into every day life, in every area of life. It is talking about how Jesus affects our children as students, as athletes, in the school band, and on the playground. It is allowing Jesus to influence every area of our lives.

Living a Legacy

2011-05-05T07:21:00.001-07:00

There are 168 hours in a week. As followers of Jesus, we have all the same demands that the world places on unbelievers plus the need to guide our own hearts along with the hearts of others we influence. So how do we do it? How do we ensure that we are influencing our children and the other people in our lives in the direction of Christ?

We start a new series this week about living lives that leave behind a legacy of humility, love, and joy reflecting the heart of Jesus. This series isn’t just for parents because we are all called to influence the people that God has placed into our lives for his glory. It is, however, essential for parents to understand their vital role in Living a Legacy as they seek to guide their children’s hearts toward Christ.

I am excited about this series because I have so much to learn in this area personally. That may seem weird, but even as a pastor I struggle with what it means to be the primary spiritual influence in my family. So I want to encourage you to not miss a week over the next seven, as we go from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day discovering what it means for us to be people who are Living a Legacy.

Celebrating Jesus’ Victory

2011-04-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

This week we conclude our series titled Rescue. Hopefully it has been an encouragement to you that God’s rescue is available not just once as we are born to new life in Christ, but an ongoing rescue from everyday life circumstances that leave us feeling defeated. We finish this series by talking about Christus Victor, Latin for “Jesus the winner.”

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. ” (Colossians 2:13–15, ESV)

We must live in a place of constantly preaching the gospel (good news) to ourselves. Jesus is the winner, the only true winner in all of history. Not just once a year on Easter Sunday, but every day. Our role is to live our lives in the reality of his victory.

Today Is the Day

2011-03-30T12:56:00.001-07:00

This Sunday we celebrate the work of Jesus as he has called us, as a church, to follow him in a new direction. For over a year and a half we have talked about being a church that would assemble in multiple locations throughout the rural region where we live. The reason we are headed in this new direction is because Jesus asked us to.

So often when we speak of God and his timing in our lives we think of a day in the far distant future. Like someday, in the future, is always the day that God will ask us to do something new. But there comes a time when God says, “today is the day” as he did with Joshua. As God chose Joshua to lead the children on Israel into the Promised Land he told them to make preparation because in three days he was sending them to take the land (Joshua 1:10-11).

After those three days of preparation, the day to cross over the river came. When the priests entered the water, the water parted and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground (Joshua 3:14-17). In Joshua 5 we read of how the people celebrated their first Passover in the new land and from that time forth there was no more manna as there had been in the wilderness. It was a new day.

Over seven months ago we called a campus pastor and put a launch date for our first campus on the calendar, Easter 2011. At the time we had no idea where that campus would be. The past seven months have been ones that have tried the faith of our leaders and church family. We knew there would be pressure as we sought to make an impact against the darkness that surrounds us but that still did not make the journey easy. We find ourselves at the point of “crossing the river,” to take the next step on the journey that God has called us to.

Following lunch together Sunday, we will commission a pastor and core team that are being sent to do something new. We will also pray for those who have been called to stay in Watseka and invest in the lives of people there. It will be a time for tears and cheers. A time where one chapter in the life of our church comes to a close while a new chapter begins. A time of being sad and joy filled all at the same time. Most of all a time to celebrate that Jesus has called all of us to be on mission with him.

The Blessing of Pruning

2011-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

I love the way God works through themes in my life. Well, I don’t always love what the theme is but I love the way that God uses multiple forms of input to guide me along life’s journey. Lately the theme has been pruning. John 15:1-2 says,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ” (John 15:1–2, ESV)

When I moved to Illinois three years ago, I started a garden for the first time in my life. Growing up my father had always had a garden but I was really not very interested. Up until starting my own garden, I had read in the pages of Scripture about pruning but I had never experienced the abundance of fruit that comes from loving care through cutting a plant deeply.

I recently watched a message from pastor James MacDonald and he shared some observations of God’s work in pruning. His point was the Christian life has seasons based upon a cycle; God sets the pattern. First comes pruning then comes fruit bearing. If we don’t give up pruning happens again. The life of a follower of Jesus is defined by, as James MacDonald says, “Seasons of fruit bearing, followed by seasons of pruning, followed by greater fruit bearing.”

As we follow Jesus in life’s journey, we must be people who willingly embrace God’s pruning in light of the promise of fruit bearing on the other side. Not people who simply endure but people who flourish in the midst of the pruning because we have our joy in Jesus not our circumstances. We must be people who find joy in the midst of the toil of it all, knowing that he who began a good work will complete it in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). We must be people who embrace God’s pruning as the blessing that it really is, in order that we might be people who bear much fruit for his glory.

Joy In The Trial

2011-03-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

I tend to be a slow learner. Over the last seven years of my life as I have faced adversity or trials my focus has most often been on escape. The adversity I have faced has been great at times and sometimes it’s just a little annoyance because things don’t go my way. In the end, I find myself asking God to deliver me from my adversity. But lately, I have learned that I have been seeking the wrong thing. Instead of being delivered from the trial, I am to find my complete joy in Jesus while in the middle of the fire.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were three Hebrew men who faced the fiery furnace because of their great love for God and refusal to worship King Nebuchadnezzar. When the king looked into the fire he was confused by what he saw...

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” ” (Daniel 3:24–25, ESV)

In the midst of the fire, the God of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah was with them. As they emerged from the fire they did not even have the smell of smoke on their clothing. Anyone who has ever been around a fire knows that you can’t keep the smell of smoke out of anything. For those after a house fire, getting rid of the smell is the biggest obstacle of all. As the men emerged from the fiery furnace, the King’s response was pure amazement. He praised God because he recognized no one had the power to rescue the way their God had rescued them.

James 1:2-4 is clear that followers of Jesus are to be joy filled even in the midst of trials. Trials come in all different shapes and sizes. But one thing they all have in common is their ability to shape us for God’s glory. We often want to flee and find a way out. When we are facing adversity, we often just want to find the path of least resistance to alleviate our discomfort. Instead, we are to find our joy in Jesus while allowing him to work his plan through the adversity. No matter what it is that you face look to Jesus as your joy instead of simply for a solution.

Stepping Out in Faith

2011-02-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

This past week I was having a conversation with a friend and he made a good observation. When comfort and familiarity guide our decisions in our spiritual lives it says a lot about our theology. If the greatest good in our church experience is familiarity and feelings we end up missing out on the place where Jesus wants to lead us.

The book of Exodus tells the story of the journey of God’s children as they left slavery in Egypt and headed into the wilderness in pursuit of something better that God has promised them. The children of Israel had cried out to God in their desperate situation in Egypt. Exodus 3:24 says that “God heard their groaning.” God’s response was to send Moses as a leader to deliver them from their captivity.

The children of Israel watched God do amazing things as he sent them into the wilderness. Yet, while they were in the wilderness they continually longed to return to the comfort of their slavery in Egypt. The wilderness was different, difficult, and scary. The wilderness required them to depend on God alone. The wilderness was preparation for what was to come.

In our minds, we think about how crazy it was for the Israelites to desire the slavery of Egypt over the Promised Land where God desired to lead them. Then in our own lives we seek out the comfort of what we have known in the past. We stick to the familiar as the greatest good in our lives. When God asks us to step forward in faith and it starts to get uncomfortable we start to look for our own way “back to Egypt.” Jesus has not called us to pursue the way things used to be for our comfort and a sense of peace and contentment. Scripture is clear that as we follow in faith we will face adversity but we are to cast our anxiety upon Jesus allowing him to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:4-7). May God bless you as you follow him by stepping forward in faith.

Ashkum Campus... Awesome!

2011-02-17T14:29:00.001-08:00

The first meeting of our Ashkum campus happened this past Sunday. Our church had more than 100 people upstairs and more than 90 people downstairs worshiping simultaneously. Over the next two months we will be preparing for our Easter official launch day as one church meeting in two different locations. There are lots of things to be done but it is great to see our core team forming. This was a great first Sunday and a huge reminder that the location doesn’t make us one church. It is the mission of Jesus that makes us one church.

It is exciting to see people who have embraced the mission to go into the world and make an impact for Jesus. Throughout this journey we have witnessed God open doors and the fact that we are on track at this point to launch this Easter is only because God continues to open doors. I am thankful for everyone who has given up the comfort of church as usual to make an eternal impact for the Kingdom.

Thank you for your continued prayers in seeing this campus take the good news of Jesus to the communities in the Western portion of Iroquois County.

Equipped

2011-02-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for our first ONE Conference tomorrow I am reminded of just how important people partnering together in ministry is. This conference is one way that we will equip our church family even though we will be meeting together in two separate locations.

The Bible provides a model for ministry that exists for the church to be united and growing in maturity so that it builds itself up in love (Eph. 4:13-16). As a church we have embraced something we call an Ephesians 4 ministry model. The focus of this ministry model is not in doing ministry for people, but instead equipping people for the work of ministry. As a church family made up of people from many different denominational backgrounds it is important that we all fully understand and embrace this biblical concept. This model is based upon what the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus:

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ” (Ephesians 4:11–13, ESV)

We talk about equipping people for ministry a lot as a church staff because it is the driving motivation behind everything we do. My heart for each of you is to grow in depth and love for Christ (Eph. 2:19). Our part in growing in Christ is to actively engage in the ministry he has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

By actively engaging the gifts God has given to each of us we grow both individually and as a church body. While there is nothing we can do to gain more of God’s love or favor, there is a need for us to grow up (Col. 1:28). The goal of participating in ministry is that we would be people who look more and more like Jesus. Serving in ministry both inside and outside the local church is the practical way that we love others.

When we are focused on investing our lives in loving others we have little time to be overwhelmed or discouraged by our personal circumstance or failed expectations of others. When we engage our lives in loving others in ministry we grow, looking more and more like Jesus.

Thankful For You

2011-01-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

Trinity Church family I am thankful for you. The growth that I see in you becoming the church is encouraging to me. Groups are being intentional about loving people inside and outside of the body of Christ. Individuals are growing in their faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to know that I thank God for you.

Paul wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ” (1 Thes. 1:2–3, ESV)

As we prepare this week for a Celebration Sunday and our first ONE Conference next Saturday, I am reminded of just how grateful I am for people who have chosen to partner together in ministry. We currently have more than 280 people serving in ministry in various capacities as a church family. We have more than 45 adults who have committed to being part of the launch team for our Ashkum campus. Each and every Sunday we have more than 50 people serving in some type of ministry at our Watseka campus. (It takes a lot of people and effort for the church to assemble in corporate worship.)

I want you to know that our staff and elder teams are praying for you. As part of the body we call Trinity Church I want you to know that I am thankful for you and will be praying 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 for you this week; “remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ”

One Church Meeting in 2 Locations

2011-01-05T15:50:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday we announced the location of our first multi-site campus. The Ashkum Grade School will be the other facility where our church meets together beginning this Easter. It is still a need in prayer as we work through signing an official agreement, but it looks like this will be a great opportunity for our church family to be a blessing to the people of Western Iroquois County.

If you missed last week’s message, I encourage you to watch it. As God’s people placed on this earth to represent Jesus to all people, the church is truly the hope of the world. The church is always people, never a building or facility. That means that it isn’t where we meet that makes us one church, but instead joining in the mission of Jesus. This understanding makes the multi-site vision much easier to understand and fully embrace with excitement.

I ask for your partnership in praying our way through the battle that lies ahead. We cannot expect to launch a new thing without pushback from the forces of darkness in accordance with Ephesians 6:12. But our encouragement is that the Light wins! Join me in praying Psalm 85:6, 7 asking that God will revitalize his church in rural America. My prayer is for God to do a new thing in rural communities as he breathes life into his church once again.

11 things to know for 2011...

2010-12-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Trinity Church! As we head into 2011, there are the eleven things that I want each of you to know.

1. Prayer is the foundation. Join us New Year’s Eve for a time of prayer as we start 2011 by intentionally seeking God’s presence. This worship based prayer time will be from 10 pm until midnight. We also need your help filling prayer slots for the 24/7 prayer event. If you are able to fill a slot please call the church office. Prayer is the work of God’s people, moving the church in the mission of bringing God glory.

2. Focused on being the church. This Sunday, January 2^nd, we will celebrate and clarify our direction as a church family. The Elder Board believes God is asking Trinity Church to be a prayer driven, kingdom multiplying church that makes disciples who love God, love others, and serve the world. We will be talking about being the church instead of going to church. Too often church is viewed as an event, activity, or location. But, the church is God’s people fulfilling God’s mission here on this earth. Being the church means we are people focused on God’s glory and this is revealed by changed lives. You won’t want to miss this Sunday, and if you must, check it out online.

3. Groups are essential to following Jesus. We encourage everyone to get in a group and engage in the lives of others on a personal level. The investment we make in Christ-centered relationships matters for eternity. Groups that are focused on discussing what God says and then living it out produce changed lives. Being connected to other followers of Jesus is how we grow in our ability to love God, love others, and serve the world at a deeper level. Group sign-up is going on now.

4. Multi-site launch. We are on the verge of announcing our first multi-site location. This is a huge praise! We continue to seek God as he works out the details to impact communities throughout Western Iroquois County with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is exciting to be on track for an Easter 2011 campus launch!

5. Ministry teams. Ministry teams are the foundation of our church’s ministry areas. As we have transitioned to the “team” format, we have experienced changes in how we do ministry. This is healthy, and will continue as we put people in positions to use their gifts to lead ministry areas for God’s glory.

The worship ministry is an area that I would like to address specifically. This past fall it underwent a time of transition. With the impending launch of our first multi-site campus, we transitioned from an individual team approach to an overall worship ministry team approach. This has caused some confusion in our church family and I take responsibility for that. Our worship ministry team has done an excellent job in the transition and deserves our full support. They do an excellent job in seeking to lead us into God’s presence with heartfelt and thoughtfully designed worship services every weekend.

6. God’s provision continues. We began this fiscal year with an aggressive budget goal, as we looked to the launch of our first multi-site campus. As of this communication, we are ahead of our budget need for the fiscal year. This should be an encouragement to each of us. It also serves as financial confirmation that we are on track with the vision God has given us as a church.

7. Online giving. Another way to facilitate faithful giving, is a secure online option. A current user commented, “Online giving helps me be consistent in my giving. I never miss a week!” This year, consider online giving. You can check it out at www.mytrinity.tv.

8. Decisions to follow Jesus. This past weekend we saw God do amazing things at our Christmas services... 12 people made decisions to follow Jesus, and more than 50 people recommitted their lives to following him. This is a huge praise! As we head into 2011, join me in praying that God would continue to move in the lives of people and that they would follow Jesus. What a blessing it would be as a church family to see at least one person a week come to know Christ personally.

9. Intern on staff. We have an intern joining our church staff. Ashley Wolf is a senior from Lincoln Christian University who will be working with the Community Life and Missions ministry areas. This is an unpaid position. She will be looking for work in the local community to offset her expenses and will be with us from the beginning of January until the first part of May 2011.

10. Serving people. A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the amazing volunteers that step up week after week to make sure all of our services and events happen. Your willingness to do what you do makes an eternal difference in God’s kingdom.

11. A spiritual battle. These are exciting days for Trinity Church. While there is much to celebrate, there is also a real spiritual battle underway. Ephesians 6:12 is clear that if we are in Christ, we are never battling one another. I ask for your partnership in praying at a whole new level as we head into the next year. Prayer is the beginning and end of this list for a reason.

My prayer for every one of you is that you would love Jesus more at the end of this coming year than you do today. I am so grateful to be the Lead Pastor here and part of the team that God has assembled to lead Trinity Church in the pursuit of him and his heart for our church.

May God bless and keep each of you as we head into the New Year!

“Missional” Communities

2010-12-14T08:45:00.000-08:00

In my last post I talked about being the church instead of simply going to church. The best way for us to live as the church is to be part of a smaller community of followers of Jesus that meet regularly to live life together being connected to each other and to God’s Word. This smaller community is where growth actually happens. Andy Stanley is known for saying, “things happen in circles that never happen in rows.” When we step out of the classroom mentality to the active partner in living in God’s presence mentality, everything changes.

Acts 2:42-47 describes the church as the first mega-church was launched almost 2,000 years ago. Over time that relational community has turned into something far different from the biblical description of Christ centered community.

A healthy group will move past simply talking about what the Bible says to actively doing what Jesus says. When we do that we can really focus on the mission of being the church instead of attending church activities. That is what “Love God, Love Others, Serve the World” is all about. Our mission as followers of Jesus is to actively pursue being part of God’s disciple making mission, not to keep busy with inward focused activity.

As a church family we ought to be praying that we would each be connected to a group of fellow followers of Jesus. We should also pray that those groups would become fully functioning, healthy “missional” communities. The life-changing power of God is displayed when people get serious about living out what God says in community. What an amazing way for people to see exactly who Jesus is.

Being the Church

2010-12-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is a special time for many people for all kinds of different reasons. You don’t even need to believe in Jesus to have the Christmas holiday be a significant event in your life. But as the church, Christmas for us should be different. Christmas offers us a great opportunity to be the church.

The word “church” in our culture has a few different meanings. To some it is a building set apart to practice religion; to others it is a religious activity to attend. But neither of those views aligns with how the Bible uses the word “church.” In the New Testament the word translated as church always refers to a group of people never to an activity or a place. The church is the community of followers of Jesus. That means being part of a church has to do with who I am not an activity I attend.

Christmas time offers the community of believers a special opportunity to impact the lives of people who are far from God. Few of us need more activity in our lives but many of us need true community. People were created to be in right relationship with God and one another. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, where God came to earth as a living and breathing person. The birth of Jesus represents the beginning of our opportunity to be joined with God and other people in real community.

For followers of Jesus that means, Christmas is time to invest in other people by being the church. What are some ways you can be the church this Christmas?

Willing Givers

2010-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

As a parent I love to give gifts to my children. The joy and excitement as they open and are surprised by a gift always bring a smile to my face. But there are times, when I wish that I had never given the gift to them in the first place. That time is when they are reluctant to share their gifts with someone else. When they are greedy and poor managers of the gifts they receive it makes me reluctant to give them more gifts.

As a father, I want my children to be willing to share their Nintendo DSi. For followers of Jesus, our heavenly Father wants us to be willing to share everything we own. But how do we do that? How do we train ourselves to be willing givers?

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ” (2 Cor. 9:7, ESV)

One of the simplest steps we can take in learning to become willing givers is to choose to give 10% (called a tithe) as a starting point instead of a finish line when it comes to our kingdom investment. In a previous post, I stated there is no requirement to tithe in the New Testament. I want to take the opportunity to clarify what I mean by that statement. In other words, Jesus did not come a say if you are a follower of mine you must give 10% of all your gross income to me. But Jesus also does not do away with the idea of the tithe rendering it as no longer relevant.

In Matthew 23, as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy he says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ” (Matt. 23:23, ESV) Note Jesus doesn’t tell them not to worry about the tithe and instead focus on justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Instead he instructs them to not forget the tithe while they also practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Former pastor and author Randy Alcorn writes; “Tithing is the toddler’s first steps toward stewardship. It’s the training wheels on the bicycle of giving. It’s not a homerun – but it gets you on base – which is a lot farther than many Christians ever get.” (Randy Alcorn; Money, Possessions, and Eternity; p. 194)

Consider what impact it might have on your life to start viewing bringing the full 10% of your income to God as a starting point instead of a finish line. Do you think the Father might want to bless you with more gifts?

Thinking Biblically

2010-11-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

Below is a portion of the message Francis Chan delivered at Catalyst 2010. In this clip, he challenges us to what it means to really think biblically and how our lives would read if they were on the pages of Scripture. What an interesting thought for followers of Jesus...

Catalyst East 2010: Francis Chan from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Ownership Is Everything

2010-11-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of a series at Trinity Church titled Money Matters. The premise of this series is that money should matter to followers of Jesus because money matters to God. What the Bible says about money and possessions is often challenging, seeming even radical to how we approach money in our world.

The stereotype of some people who reject the church is that the church is only after their money. This stereotype can make us fearful of talking about money as followers of Jesus for fear that people will be turned off. Jesus, however, never shied away from talking about money and possessions. How we handle our money is critical as followers of Jesus, so we should make sure we have conversations about it.

The word “stewardship” communicates an important biblical concept. Being a “steward” is simply being a manager. The concept of people being managers of what God owns is found throughout Scripture beginning with the first man God created and placed in a garden to “work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). The key to being a steward or a manager is to fully comprehend that you are not the owner. A steward is someone who is placed in charge of the resources owned by someone else.

As followers of Jesus that is exactly what we are. We are owners of nothing. Instead we are managers of the many resources that God has entrusted to us. This includes how we spend our time, how we utilize our talents, and how we invest our money. When it comes to money, ownership is everything. Settling the ownership issue is the single most important key to finding joy and freedom in managing money.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, ” (Psalm 24:1, ESV)

Declaring God’s ownership of everything, including our money allows us to experience joy in areas we never knew was possible. When we recognize God’s ownership of everything, including our very lives we are free to finally invest in his kingdom in a way that demonstrates our love for him. Maybe, that is why money matters so much.

Do I need to tithe?

2010-11-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

The issue of money as a follower of Jesus is important. So important that Jesus spoke about money and possessions frequently in Scripture. But even with everything Jesus had to say we might still find ourselves with questions about giving. Our questions revolve mostly around how much we should give. A question we might find ourselves asking is, “As followers of Jesus are we required to tithe?”

If we have grown up around church, we have likely heard that as followers of Jesus we need to tithe. But is that what the Bible says? Or is something more required of us as people who love Jesus?

The word tithe means ten percent. More precisely it is the first 10 percent of all we receive that is devoted to God. The teachers of the Law during the New Testament era (called rabbis) taught that the Law required three separate tithes. The tithes went to support the priests, the celebrations in Jerusalem, and to charity. You may have heard a pastor teach that you are required to tithe, but he likely never told you to give thirty percent of your income to the local church.

In the New Testament we see no requirement to tithe, but that does not mean the requirement to give to God’s kingdom purposes is eliminated. Jesus never lowered the standards as he taught about the true meaning of the Law. He simply provided greater clarity. When it comes to money, it’s all about who is in control. It’s all about demonstrating what or whom we love.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, ESV)

This past Sunday we learned that giving is simple heart issue. Money is a great revealer of the heart. It functions like a spiritual life EKG. God measures what we give and he alone determines the value of the gift. We can tithe and have hearts that are far from God. But the reverse is not true. We simply can’t say that our hearts are in love with Jesus but then turn around and give nothing.

As people we like things neatly defined. Just tell me how much I have to give and I’ll meet that and feel good about myself in the process. Jesus didn’t do that. He did not give a specific amount that we could give so we would feel good. Without this specific guidance we must learn to be people who listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in our giving. We must learn to be people who are dependent upon Jesus in every area of our lives. That includes our money and how much we give.

Church Discipline

2010-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

In light of God’s loving discipline that I talked about in my last post, as a church family we must be open to what it is that God wants to do in the area of discipline. The topic of church discipline is one that many people within the local church find confusing at best. How is it that a church that is all about the love of Christ being displayed in the lives of people, could then turn around and go through a process of discipline in the life of one of their members?

First of all, church discipline is simply a broadly defined set of intentional steps designed to restore a member who is walking outside of God’s loving instruction. The most commonly referenced Scripture for this practice is Matthew 18:15-17. The sequence described in this passage has two steps that we follow relatively easily. Approaching the individual first privately and then with the help of others. The third and final step of taking the matter to the church is a different story.

Church discipline is one of the most difficult areas of church life to put into practice. The Scriptures are clear that those who are walking outside of the fellowship of the local church are to be approached with loving discipline. R. C. Sproul writes, “The church is called not only to a ministry of reconciliation, but a ministry of nurture to those within her gates. Part of that nurture includes church discipline...”

As a church leadership team committed to being Word dependent, practicing church discipline is not optional. It is in fact, the most loving thing we can do in the life of those who are walking outside of the fellowship. Church discipline is not punishment or retribution. It is instead loving discipline intended to train and restore those who are walking their own path to return to God’s loving instruction.

In the end, a church family that refuses to practice loving discipline within their church family ends up robbing God of an opportunity for his glory to be more fully revealed. When those who are in the discipline process turn in repentance to following the path of Jesus, God’s glory is on display. That is why we exist as a church, for God’s glory to be revealed in us and through us.

God loves enough to discipline...

2010-10-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and we started talking about God’s discipline in our lives. Our conversation made me start thinking that there might be other people with questions about God’s discipline in the lives of his children. After all, the idea of love and discipline being connected can be difficult for us to reconcile as we may have encountered unloving discipline in our lives.

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. ” (Proverbs 3:11–12, ESV)

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews (12:3-17) references this Proverb as he encourages us as followers of Jesus to not grow weary as we face adversity in our lives. Ultimately God’s discipline exists to encourage us in our growth as his children. God will do whatever it takes for us to be formed into the image of his Son. The painful tests and trials in life require our response in faith trusting our loving Father’s discipline.

In light of Proverbs 3:12, we ought to be encouraged when we face the discipline of God because his discipline indicates we are his children. James 1:2-4 say, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ”(James 1:2–4, ESV) The thought of God’s discipline in our life being viewed positively is important for every follower of Jesus. God is not looking to get us or to get even with us but instead to love us. God loves us enough to bring loving discipline to shape us into who he desires us to be.

Created to work?

2010-10-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

As followers of Jesus we love the idea that God created us for a purpose. We love the idea that we were created for the glory of God and for a meaningful and significant relationship with him. But we don’t often celebrate God’s intention of creating people to work. We often simply view work as a necessary evil to be managed and even avoided if possible.

But that is not the view of work that is presented in Scripture. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15 ESV)

Before sin entered the picture, God created people to work. The problem we face is that we have the wrong view of work and it’s purpose in our lives. When we think that work’s purpose is simply to make money to allow us to do other things and buy stuff we miss the point altogether. God created us to work for his glory. That opportunity exists in every work place in America.

In his book, The Me I Want To Be, John Ortberg writes, “Your work is a huge part of God’s plan for your life, and God intends the Spirit to fill and energize workplaces.” (p. 219) With the right perspective God can transform the workplace into a place where the Spirit’s presence is revealed. As followers of Jesus we should not feel guilty about desiring to accomplish, to dream, and to work when we are listening to God’s leading in our work.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24 ESV) God’s glory can be revealed each and every day as we work for his glory.

Dreaming With God

2010-10-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

What is the one thing that you dream about accomplishing in your life? That’s not a question that is often encouraged in the church. We often don’t relate the things of God and our dreams. But what if God has made you to accomplish the dream that he has placed within your heart? What if the dream that you have stopped dreaming was God’s dream for your life?

God has made us to join in his work. In that process God has given us passions and desires from his heart to ours. As followers of Jesus we must allow God’s dreams for us to become our dreams. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4 ESV)

As we connect with God in prayer we begin to trade our dreams for his. As we learn to dream with God in prayer, God transforms the desires of our heart. What happens then is we begin to dream large dreams; God sized dreams. We dream those dreams until we decide to come back to “reality.”

Instead of focusing on what we think is possible we should be focused on God’s dream for us. As we spend quantity time with God, he shapes our dreams. Yes, you read that correctly, not simply quality time but we must also spend quantity time with God. So often we think we can make up for the quantity of time we spend with God in some other way. However, there is no way around our need to spend time with our King.

As we spend time with God, he shapes our passions to come in alignment with his purposes. The problem we often face is we don’t spend enough time with God to recognize his voice in shaping our dreams.

Take the time to ask yourself hard questions. What is your God given dream and how are you joining with God in it? Then make the choice to allow God to drive your passions toward seeing his dream for you become reality.

Beyond Being Good

2010-10-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I gave a message that encouraged followers of Jesus to move past trying to “be good” to being people who rely totally on the “goodness” of Jesus Christ. In this message, I especially encouraged moms and dads to stop trying to get their children to simply be good and moral people, and instead point them toward looking like and walking with Jesus. As followers of Jesus our hope is in the transformation that he brings, not in our ability to act and talk right. This is a message that God has been working out for some time in my life.

When we stop recognizing Jesus as our righteousness and start thinking we are pretty good, we end up expecting people who are far from God to simply live up to our moral standards. The good news of Jesus loses when we expect people to clean themselves up apart from his grace. The kingdom of God is not about our ability to live as decent people, but instead to live transformed lives by his presence. As followers of Jesus we should not bemoan what is wrong with the world, but instead be people with hope in the midst of hopelessness.

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, encourages the church to be “ambassadors” for the “ministry of reconciliation” that has been entrusted to us as followers of Jesus. As ambassadors of Christ our message is not to place our hope in our ability to do good and act right. The message is one that those who are far from God, with no hope of bringing themselves near, can be brought near through Jesus alone as their righteousness.

The hope we bring to the world is that, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV) It’s time for us to live that way.

Change

2010-09-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Change happens. It is a simple truth of life. Everything changes. We do not have any choice in whether or not change will happen. We do, however, have a choice on how we choose to embrace change. We can attempt to fight it, being frustrated by it, or we can get in front of change influencing the process.

We live in the middle of a rural agricultural area that has many farmers who have embraced change. Over the last twenty years the nature of farming has changed considerably. So much so, that those who refused to embrace change are likely no longer farming at all.

God is in the business of change. While God is eternal and unchanging in nature, he is in the business of changing people. It is called transformation. God himself actually changed, without compromising his eternal nature, as he was born in a real human body. As God became a man, God embraced a new manifestation of his presence while not changing the essence of who he is. Jesus is the perfect representation of God. God is in the business of transforming people to look more and more like Jesus. So the hard question is, if we are adverse to change are we actually adverse to what God wants from us?

Growth brings change. It is simply a fact. We cannot grow in maturity in Christ and not change. So why would we expect that the things of God should not change? We should be surprised when things of God are not changing. When churches remain the same as everything else in the world is changing, is that possibly an indication that the church is not listening to God? I suggest that is exactly what is happening.

Community Prayer

2010-09-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

The idea of praying with other followers of Jesus can be intimidating. In fact, the closest that many people come to praying with others is in listening to a pastor pray during a Sunday morning service. The reluctance of God’s people to join in community prayer is foreign to the New Testament. Throughout the New Testament we observe God’s people engaged in and encouraged in community prayer.

Prayer is simply communication with God. Prayer in community is simply communication with God together. In his book, Together in Prayer, Andrew Wheeler writes, “Consistent, ongoing prayer for life-change is simply not a part of the experience of most small groups; and yet, such prayer may be the single most empowering thing that a small group could do to develop Christlike character in its members.” (p. 18)

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul instructed that God’s will for them was to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...” (1 Thes. 5:16-18). We have so individualized our spiritual lives that we lose site of the fact that this command was written to the Christian community called the church. God’s heart for us is that we would seek him with others as well as on our own.

We become frustrated with the lack of life-change in our lives. The struggle we face with guilt, and trying, and more guilt, and more trying until we finally decide to give up all together is very real. We get together in a group with fellow followers of Jesus and we talk about our problem in trying and failing, and then we go home and try it again. We never think of bringing God into our conversation, allowing what he might have to say guide our transformation.

Authentic prayer that is based in Scripture prayed in the context of Christian community leads to life transformation. Prayer in community was a normal part of life for the church described in the New Testament. It should be normal for our lives as well.

Why Multi-site?

2010-09-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

As we begin a new chapter in the life of Trinity Church it is important that we have clarity in our direction as a church family. We have begun a journey that will transform our church from meeting together in one location to meeting together in many locations throughout the rural region in which we live.

One of the most important things that leaders do is ask questions. As a leadership team, it is really important that we not only ask questions but that we ask the right questions.

The question we used to ask as leaders was, “How many people can we reach from here?” As a leadership team we believe we needed to add one letter to that question that ends up changing the answer radically. The question that we are asking now, as a church leadership team is, “How many people can we reach from there?” This question switches the focus from us to those who are far from God. This question is about going to where people are instead of expecting them to come to us.

Communities of people in need of life-giving churches surround us. So what if we switch from expecting people to come to us to going to them? The goal is to be the church in the communities in which we live not to have people come to a church building.

The vision is that we would be in more locations, so that God can use us to make more disciples, seeing an area transformed by God’s presence. The reason? For God’s glory, that there would be more people transformed by Jesus Christ for God’s glory.

Unself... moving from me to we in community

2010-09-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

God is in the business of bringing change to the world in which we live. The question many of us face is, how can we really change? We try and strive but end up on a merry-go-round of effort and failure. I believe real change happens when we learn to pray God’s Word. That is why our next series is not only going to focus on what God’s Word says but on praying it into our lives so it becomes who we are.

Our society is consumed with self. We are self-preoccupied people. The life that Jesus calls us to is the exact opposite of the "self-life" of our culture. As followers of Jesus instead of being consumed with self, we are supposed to be consumed with a love for God and a love for others that moves us toward being servants to the world around us.

This series will look at seven Psalms from the nation of Israel that are totally relevant to transforming our lives. We will see how we can overcome such "self-problems" as self-centeredness, self-assertiveness, self-righteousness, self-pity, self-service, self-sufficiency, and self-love by praying these Psalms together. God wants us to make a difference in this world for his glory but it requires that we Unself.

Why Groups?

2010-09-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

The foundation of Christian community described in Acts 2, was the foundation of the local church. The mission of the local church has always been to carry out God’s instruction to love him and love people and then to go to the world with the good news of Christ. To be on mission with God requires a connection with God’s people.

One of my previous ministry positions was as a group’s pastor. In that role, I spent a lot of time telling people to get into groups so that they could grow. But what I have discovered is I was wrong. The motivation for every follower of Jesus to be connected in a group is because it is the best place to love others and serve the world. The description of Christian community in the Bible is not as much about personal growth as it is about God’s glory being revealed in God’s disciple making mission. Don’t get me wrong, growth will be the result, but it is not the motivation.

Groups are simply people joined together in relationship through being partnered together in God’s mission of making disciples. Groups come in all different shapes and sizes, but the goal is the same; partnering with God in his mission of life transformation. Groups that are active in that mission, flourish. Groups that join together for only part of that mission, such as friendships alone, tend to flounder.

So a group that is on mission together in pursuing God’s disciple making mission will experience Christian community the way God designed.

The Heart Matters

2010-03-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

Throughout the Bible, God is clear that what He cares about most is our hearts. When our hearts are right our actions will follow. But the reverse is not true. Our actions may appear to be right, but our hearts may be far from God. That was the problem with the religious establishment in Jesus’ day (Matthew 23:25-28). Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.” (Crazy Love, p. 79)

God sent Samuel to anoint David as the new king of Israel. In that process, Samuel considered David’s brother Eliab because he looked the part. As Samuel thought he had surely found the future king, God said, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV)

Religious people are comfortable living with surface level transformation. They like to look right to those who are looking from the outside but have not considered what God is observing on the inside. When we are in love with Jesus, we care more about our heart, knowing that our actions will always follow our heart. God is looking for people who are willing to undergo a heart change, not those who are looking to simply act a little bit better than the next guy or gal. As you examine your heart what does God say?

Rock or Sand?

2010-03-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

The majority of people in America today will say that they believe in God when asked. So why then do so many people act like God does not exist? The same can be said in the church. Many people will say they love Jesus but then live each day of their lives like Jesus does not exist. God is not calling us to believe in Jesus but to believe Jesus. That means we will move past surface level religion to a deep, loving relationship with the God who made us through a personal relationship with Jesus.

In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a ‘Christian nation.’” (Crazy Love, p. 78)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that we simply need to believe Him. In Matthew 7:21-27 we observe Jesus emphasize the necessity of hearing the Word and then living it out in practice. The ones who hear what Jesus says and apply it to their lives allowing it to transform their lives are called wise. They are the ones who are building upon the Rock.

The ones who build their lives upon hearing what Jesus says but not living it out are equated with the foolish man who built his house in the sand. If we build our lives upon trusting our church attendance, or the faith of our parents, or even the label of being a “Christian,” we are building our lives upon the sand. When you consider what you are building your life upon, do you see it as being the Rock or are you playing in the sand?

Comfortable

2010-03-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

When it comes to answering the questions raised in these posts, it can be easy to make excuses for our inability to measure up. While we would all like to be people who can be totally in love with Jesus, we have a practical reason why it just is not possible for us. I know that because I have been there, and still find myself returning there. The goal of every one of these posts is for it to lead to reflection that leads to action.

The bottom line is that we need help in looking in the mirror and seeing the reality of how lukewarm our love for Jesus has become. That is why Jesus wrote to the seven churches found in Revelation 2-3. These people needed help looking in the mirror to see the accuracy of their condition.

Using the descriptions in Crazy Love is meant to help us look in the mirror as well. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, ‘Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor.” (Crazy Love, p. 75)

It can be easy to love those who are like us and invest in those who already have. After all, that is easy. It gets a lot harder to love people and invest in them when they are not like us or they are in need. Throughout Scripture, it is clear that God’s heart is for the poor. (Isaiah 58:6-7) As people who are in love with Jesus, the same thing that moves Him should move us. Jesus is moved by people who are hungry, thirsty, and without. What moves you?

Thinking of Heaven

2010-03-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Living with our thoughts on Heaven is not something most of us do. We are either simply too busy trying to keep up with what is going on to give it a thought, or consider the thought of dying to be too depressing to consider. Have you ever considered that maybe one of the biggest problems you have, as a follower of Jesus, is that you don’t think about Heaven enough? Chan writes,

“Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis writes, ‘If you read history you will find the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’” (Crazy Love, p. 75)

Hebrews chapter 11 presents people used as examples of faith. We could even call them heroes of faith. The thing that each of these heroes of faith have in common is that they did not live for an earthly promise. Instead they looked forward to the better promise that God had given. The better promise is that all of those who have faith will one day be able to exalt the name of Jesus together, glorifying God throughout eternity. In order to be a person of faith, we simply can’t be consumed by thinking about this world.

Colossians 3:2, is clear that our thoughts ought to be set upon heavenly things. That means that while we live each and every day here on earth, we do not need to be consumed by earthly things. When we have a biblical view that Heaven is a real place that we will live as real people in the presence of a real God, we can begin to live for the day that we will finally be there. We can exchange the temporary pleasures of this world for the eternal glory of the next.

One thing that I have observed about people who are really in love with Jesus is that they simply can’t wait to be with Him in a real place we call Heaven. They allow the thoughts of being with Jesus someday drive them today. What is it that you find yourself thinking about?

Serving the World

2010-03-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

The life of Jesus was defined by love demonstrated by being a servant. When it came to being a servant to the Father and to people, Jesus showed no limits. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.” (Crazy Love, p. 74)

It is easy to end up justifying the limits we place on how much time, talent, money, and energy we expend in serving God and other people. We can even try to attempt to sound spiritual in the process. We do not think of ourselves as being lukewarm, we simply see ourselves as normal Christians living in the real world. The only problem is that is not the Bible’s description of normal.

In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John asks Jesus for a place of honor for her sons. When the other disciples end up hearing of the request they are angry with the two brothers. Jesus responds by defining greatness in the kingdom as being a servant. This definition of greatness flies in the face of everything our culture teaches us. We simply don’t aspire toward being a servant. We don’t encourage our children to grow up and become servants.

Every follower of Jesus ought to aspire toward greatness. Jesus defines greatness by our willingness to serve others. No limits, no ulterior motives, simply loving people with the love of Christ enough to serve them like Jesus. When it comes to serving others for the kingdom of God where are your limits?

Loving Others

2010-03-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Today we look at the essential follow-up to loving God, which is loving others. At Trinity Church, we talk about loving others almost as much as we talk about loving God. We can summarize the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 22:37-40 in four words: Love God, Love Others. All of Scripture is based upon these two foundational loves. Francis Chan writes,

“Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.” (Crazy Love, p. 73)

When it comes to loving others we really try to keep our distance because loving people is messy. Our lives are filled with mess and we do our best to try and minimize the mess. Loving people is difficult and so we end up doing our best to love others from a distance, all the while making excuses about why we can’t be more involved.

The example of love that we are to emulate toward others is the love that Christ has given to us. We are to love others because it is the defining characteristic of someone who is in love with Jesus. In John 13:35, Jesus says love is the identifying characteristic of His disciples. As we live out our lives using the gifting that God has given us, if our motive is not love, it is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Loving God and loving others is not a motto but the identity of those who are in love with Jesus.

Loving God

2010-03-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

At Trinity Church we talk a lot about loving God. The reason we talk about loving God so much is that it is the primary thing we were created for. The first and great commandment is to love God above everything else. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.” (Crazy Love, p. 73)

In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus emphasizes the primacy of loving God originally given to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Loving God is easy in theory, but becomes much more difficult in practice. After all, we are people with busy lives. We have families and jobs that we must make sure that we attend to. We end up justifying our lukewarm behavior by trading away the best things of God for the good things we choose for ourselves.

When it comes to priorities of love in our lives, we must be vigilant in assessing our own hearts in how much we really love God. When was the last time we made a choice to do something God asked us to do over something or someone else? When was the last time you took an hour to just get away and spend it with Jesus? We can say we are in love with God all we want but do our actions provide evidence that we actually do?

Content at Lukewarm

2010-03-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

As followers of Christ we need to admit that it is quite easy for us to be content with lukewarm Christianity. We never have to be inconvenienced, or stray too far from what it is that we want. Often we allow Jesus access to the areas of our life that we desire to be cleaned up so they are more appealing to others and ourselves. But when it comes to allowing God access to every area of life, we quickly put on the brakes. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 72)

Jesus’ encounter with the rich man described in Matthew 19:16-22 should serve as a stunning wake up call to those who see Jesus as something to believe in rather than a person to be believed. The rich man appeared on the surface to have everything it took to be a follower of Jesus. The one area that he could not turn over, was the one that made all the difference. When Jesus asked the man to turn over control of his wealth the man went away “sorrowful,” because he had lots of stuff. He simply didn't want to lose control of his stuff.

The call of following Christ is a call to relinquish control. Not just control over the areas of morality that we ascribe to, but control over every area of our lives. When we are in love, we don’t mind sharing everything we have with the one we are in love with. If we truly love God, giving control over every area of our lives should be our response. Taking inventory of whom or what controls our time, money, and thoughts is a good indicator of our love for God. What does your inventory reveal about how in love with God you are?

Moving Beyond Good Behavior

2010-03-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

When it comes to living life as a follower of Christ, we make a mistake if we think it is all about being good and moral people on the surface. The goal of following Jesus is not appropriate and civil behavior. Instead we should long to see God change who we are from the inside out. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.” (Crazy Love, p. 72)

When we compare ourselves and the level of our moral goodness to the secular world, we make a drastic mistake. The Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12 thanked God that he was not like the sinning tax collector while pointing to his perfectly religious behavior. In Luke 18:13 the sinful tax collector beat his chest begging God for His mercy in light of his sinfulness as a person. Jesus makes it clear that it is the second man who has the right perspective (Luke 18:14).

We must constantly remember that we are rebels at heart. Rebels against the God of the universe deserve punishment. That means that we are all deserving of punishment from God, but instead, we have encountered God’s incredible mercy and amazing grace. In light of that, we should never attempt to compare whom we are to a world that does not know Jesus in a real way.

Are you content with being a little bit more moral than the guy and gal down the street? Or are you so grateful that God has had mercy on you, a sinner?

Sharing Our Story

2010-03-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

If we have a relationship with Jesus we all have a story. Often times we forget that, settling into the normal daily routines. We forget that we were once blind, but now we see. We were once dead, but now we are alive. So we stop talking about how our story intersected with God’s story. When this happens it is a good indication that our relationship with Christ is lukewarm at best.

Over the past week we have been looking at some excerpts from Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love. Today, we look at what happens to our witness for Christ when we lose our passion for Him. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.” (Crazy Love, p. 71)

I have to admit that one of the things that I miss the most about no longer working in the secular work place is the constant opportunity to interact with people who do not know Christ personally. The opportunity to share what God has done, and is doing, should be one of the most joyous things we get to do as followers of Christ. It can also be one of the most difficult things to do if we let our pride get in the way of the Spirit’s guidance.

The bottom line is that when we are in love we talk about the one we are in love with. When we are crazy, head over heels in love, we can’t stop talking about the one we are in love with. We definitely do not avoid talking about the ones we love like we are ashamed of Him. In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus makes it clear that if we are in love with Him, we must ensure we are not ashamed of Him. Do you talk about Jesus as if you are in love with Him?

Radical or normal?

2010-03-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

The call to follow Jesus is not a call to the easy life or a life of comfort. It is a call to “radical followership.” While we might say this is true, we must ask ourselves if our lives demonstrate this is true. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people are moved by the stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for ‘extreme’ Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all His followers.” (Crazy Love, p. 70-71)

I remember listening to the story of a woman who gave up her job as a captain on a heavy jet for a major airline, and instead, travelled with a group of evangelists for a year. My thought as she shared her story was, “she’s crazy!” The more I read the pages of Scripture, the better I understand her choice. Now I would simply call her decision normal by New Testament standards. Giving up everything and following Jesus is something required of a normal follower of Christ. We have come to the point in our comfortable lives where the normal actions of someone who has given their life to Christ are seen as being radical.

What is the radical call for followers of Christ? Doing what it is that Jesus wants us to do, when He wants us to do it. In other words, living out the Word in practice, not simply agreeing in theory. It means that when God says we must love our enemies, we actually do. When God says that we cannot love God and money, we ensure we have actually chosen God over money. It means we do not simply listen to the Word of God and fool ourselves, but we actually live it out (James 1:22). It means when God says go we go and when God says stay we stay.

If we are in love with Jesus we begin to see what is considered radical by the lukewarm, as being completely normal for a follower of Jesus. Would you ever be accused as doing something radical because God asked you to?

Grieved by Sin

2010-03-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you have taken the time to ask yourself the hard question each day so far. If we desire to see God do something extraordinary in our midst, we must ensure that we are seeking Him. Not simply a surface level, happy interaction to make us feel better, but a true encounter with the Living God that requires us to reveal the very core of who we are.

As we continue on this journey of self-examination, the questions get harder. Today we look at what lukewarm people think about sin. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.” (Crazy Love, p. 70) I told you it gets harder!

As you examine yourself, can you say that you genuinely hate sin? That is a tough question when we dig past the surface. As a parent, I frequently have to help my children understand that it is not “getting in trouble” that should motivate their actions, but instead a longing to glorify God by making right choices. As followers of Chris,t we must hate sin because by His very nature He hates sin. We cannot be conformed to the image of Christ and hold on to those things that are in direct opposition to His nature.

There was a time in my life when this description fit me perfectly. And I would have to say that my relationship with Jesus was lukewarm at best. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1–2 ESV) We must move past simply being sorry for the consequences of sin to being grieved by the sin itself. The new life that God has for us is better by far than the bondage of sin. Do you believe this is true?

Consistency

2010-03-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today we look at Francis Chan’s third indication that our life is lukewarm. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Attempting to be like the people you are with is a natural human response. As followers of Christ, we are not called to live in the natural but instead to be transformed in the image of Jesus.

The major flaw of the religious elite of Jesus’ day was that they cared more about what other people thought of them than encountering the living God. The same can be true for us. When we care about being like our church friends when we are around them, but being like our non-church friends when we are around them, we are showing that our heart is not first and foremost after Jesus.

Jesus was not impressed by the religious efforts of the scribes and Pharisees, so we should not think that He might be pleased with our divided attention either. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces judgment on the conduct of the religious elite in His culture for their outward conduct, while they remain full of “hypocrisy and lawlessness” on the inside (Matthew 23:28).

As you examine yourself, where is it that you find inconsistency in your actions and attitudes in the different areas of your life? Would people describe you as loving Jesus no matter what area of life in which you encounter them? If we desire for God to bring revival in our lives, we must be ready for the necessity of allowing Him authority over every area in our lives. There can be no areas that we hold back.

Where is your heart?

2010-03-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for the Summit, it is important for us to remember that self-examination is key to the process of renewal or revival. The process of looking into the mirror and examining ourselves is often times painful at best. When we look at our devotion to Christ, often times we can be disappointed feeling as if we simply do not measure up. There are people who seem far more spiritual than we do. The question is not how spiritual we seem on the outside, but where our heart is.

Today we look at another heart-probing statement from Francis Chan’s, Crazy Love. The second description of someone who is lukewarm is; “Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church... as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Now this is starting to get personal!

When it comes to checking on where our heart is, there is no better indicator than our money. Jesus taught about money and wealth frequently. That means it must be a pretty important subject. What we do with our resources is a good indicator of our spiritual condition. If we are wise, we will use money as a spiritual EKG. What is your money saying about the condition of your heart?

As we look to Christ, asking for a fresh touch of His presence in our lives, we must do so from a position of full surrender. We cannot hold back anything in our life and expect the Holy Spirit to do something extraordinary in our midst. It is a matter of devotion. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24 ESV)

God shows up when His people demonstrate their heart is for Him. When they humble themselves, pray, seek, and turn. We must turn from our way of self-reliance in every area of our lives. That includes our money.

Are you lukewarm?

2010-03-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus makes it clear that the church in Laodicea’s “lukewarm” approach to following Him, does not please Him. In our culture it is very easy for this to happen. With so many options in our daily lives of things to give our attention and time to, it is easy for our relationship with Christ to slowly fade toward lukewarm.

In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan lists a series of descriptive statements that describe a person who is halfhearted or lukewarm in their relationship with Jesus. Chan writes, “Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?” (Crazy Love, p. 68) This is not a question that anyone can answer for you. The matter of being in love with Jesus is a totally personal matter.

Over the next three weeks, I am going to present some of the indications Chan gives of a lukewarm, halfhearted, or partially committed person. The goal is for you to examine yourself in a real and personal sort of way. 2 Corinthians 13:5 makes it clear that self-examination of our relationship with Christ is healthy.

The first description Chan presents of someone who is lukewarm in their faith is; “Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go.” (Crazy Love, p. 68)

What is your motive when it comes to going to church? Is it something you do because it is expected, or is it motivated out of a heart to worship the King of kings? Throughout the Old Testament prophets, God makes it explicitly clear that He is after our hearts. Is your heart after Him?

Revival Prayer

2010-03-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I presented 2 Chronicles 7:14 as the model for revival praying.

“If my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

As we pray together for the Holy Spirit to do something extraordinary in the days ahead, we must take seriously the principles we observe in Scripture. While God does not follow formulas there are principles we can learn here that can help us to put ourselves in God’s way.

Our part in the process is to humble ourselves, pray, seek, and turn. This is not a surface level engagement with God. We must allow the deep part of who we are to be totally transparent before Him. Then it is up to God. We are not responsible for the results. The results are up to God. We must ensure, however, that we are faithful in our part. When we are, I believe then God will hear, forgive and heal.

In order for us to see God do something extraordinary in our lives and in the life of our church family, we must first of all see the need. If we are comfortable with mediocre relationships with God and with each other, we will not be diligent in being humble, praying, seeking, and turning. But if we long for God’s presence and power to be made real in our lives we will persevere in seeking Him. That means we will follow the principles of the process outlined in this model for revival prayer.

Revival?

2010-03-03T07:41:00.001-08:00

Over the next three weeks, Trinity Church is preparing to host Life Action Ministries and participate with one of their ministry teams in a revival summit. Revival is an old school term that carries some pretty heavy baggage with it. So over the next three weeks, I am going to be making postings here on my blog to talk about what revival is and why we might need it in our lives.

I want to start by describing what revival is, by describing what revival is not. First of all, revival is not a meeting or an event. Many people with church backgrounds grew up going to “revival meetings.” While those events were likely significant, they may or may not have brought a fresh touch from God.

Revival is also not a mass evangelistic event. Revival is for God’s people. To “revive” means to “come back to life” or “full strength.” In order to return to life, there must have been life to begin with. There comes a time in our lives where we simply get comfortable with the status quo. We get comfortable living from day to day, seeing little power and little kingdom impact.We get so used to it that we end up thinking that it is normal. We lower our expectations of what it means to follow Jesus in a loving, devoted relationship.

I personally ascribe to Richard Owen Roberts’ view of what revival is. Roberts’ writes, “…revival is an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extra ordinary results.” (Roberts, Revival! p. 16) Revival is an extraordinary movement of God whereby we should be able to observe extraordinary results. Revival is something that God does. We cannot schedule it on our calendar. What we can do is seek God for it.

When it comes to praying for revival, we must follow the model of prayer found in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “…if my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Revival is all about falling in love with the Reviver all over again. Falling in love to the point that all we long for is His presence to be made real in our lives.

Over the next few weeks we are going to take a look at some indications that show we need to fall in love with Jesus again…. that we need the Spirit to come and wash over us anew so that we can give Him the glory He is due.

Missions

2009-12-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

At Trinity, we are in the middle of a series entitled Missions. The title is far from original but it is an accurate and straightforward description of the series. We often think of missions as something that other people do. There are those people who have given their lives to traveling to foreign lands to spread the good news of Jesus Christ we call “missionaries”, and then there is us. Missions, however, is not only overseas it is all around us. If we are followers of Jesus we are commanded that we should be joining God in making other followers of Jesus. It’s called the Great Commission. Missions is here, it is our school, our neighborhood, our work, and even our home.

Missions is all about joining God in brining people who do not yet know Jesus Christ personally into relationship with Him. It is what every follower of Jesus Christ has in common. We are all part of God’s mission of missions. It is time that each of us viewed ourselves as the missionaries that God has asked us to be.

One of the downsides to vocational ministry is not being in the mission field of the workplace. I discovered way too late in my secular work experience the joy of being used by God in missions in the work environment. Those of you who have the opportunity to invest in God’s kingdom in your workplace do not overlook the mission field where God has placed you. Be encouraged that God is looking to use you in every area of your life, particularly at work, to make a difference for His kingdom.

Communication

2009-11-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

I have taken a little break from posting on this blog and I am not totally sure why. I think the major thing is busyness. I have been working in my life on how not to be busy. The bottom line is I don’t want to be busy because it leads to a lack of depth in every relationship I have. I know this for sure, that busyness is the enemy of spiritual growth. I also know that attempting to keep the lines of communication open is a constant battle.

This is true in every area of life. Keeping the lines of communication open in relationships and in organizations requires diligence. I know this is true in my relationship with Jesus, my relationships with my wife and children, in my relationships with friends. It is also true in my relationships with those I work with closely as well as those who are part of the Trinity Church family.

When I get busy, I stop communicating. Over the past few months I have had to make choices about what I will and will not do. I have had to choose what it is that I am committed to. Through this time I have set some goals as far as communication. I am committed to communicating the Word of God with clarity. I am committed to communicating with those who attend a weekend service and take the time to respond with a communication card. I am committed to communicating with those that I pray for. I am committed to communicating with my wife and children. Most importantly I am committed to communicating with Jesus.

This past weekend I taught on Matthew 7:1-12. In my preparation the fresh insight that God opened my eyes to was in the part of the passage that I thought I knew the best. In verse 7, Jesus tells his disciples that they are to ask, seek, and knock. I believe he is teaching us to be persistent in our relationship with him; that when we desire his righteousness above all else, we will be seekers of his presence in our lives. We will be people who long for communication with the King, who are then empowered by his presence to live out the life he has for us. This is the best gift we could ever receive. The best gift is Jesus' presence giving us joy, peace, and contentment in order for us to live lives that reflect this incredible Sermon.

Who is it that you need to renew your commitment to communication with? May God bless you as you take the time to slow down so you might ask, seek, and knock.

Experience Grace

2009-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

As Easter fast approaches, I am studying what it means to actually experience grace. God’s grace is something that people around the church talk about quite a bit. But I wonder how many of us actually experience God’s grace in our lives beyond an intellectual level?

God’s grace means that God has chosen to love us despite of us not because of us. When we think of that kind of love it is really beyond human understanding. We can’t love like that on our own. God’s grace is a place where we can find security and comfort. But often times we end up thinking we need to find our peace, contentment, and security elsewhere. God is clear however that His grace is enough… “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9, ESV)

When we think we have to be right, be strong, be confident, and be able – we end up missing out on God’s grace. We can live as joyful and secure people because we can know for sure that despite how often we screw up, God will meet us and help us move forward. God’s grace allows me to meet people where they are and love them. God’s grace allows me to be me instead of attempting to be what I think people want me to be. God’s grace allows me to die to me and live for Jesus.

This weekend I am going to be talking about how people can experience God’s grace and not simply the idea of it. One of the ways that we can experience God’s grace is by intentionally spending time in His presence. This week we have another 24/7 prayer event going on. My prayer for those who are spending time in the prayer space is that they would experience God’s grace in their lives.

As I prepare this week pray for me… that I will correctly and clearly communicate what it means to Experience Grace.

Creative Prayer

2009-03-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

I recently read a book called Creative Prayer by Chris Tiegreen. If you read my blog you may have seen that name before. I have been using devotionals written by Chris Tiegreen over the past two years. His inspirational and convicting writing in his devotionals motivated me to pick up and read Creative Prayer.

The premise of the book is that many of us have an unbalanced relationship with God because we limit our prayer lives to words alone. In my journey to understand more of what it means to truly pray, to communicate intimately with the Creator of heaven and earth this book has made a significant impact in my thinking. As I look at my life I would have to say that my prayer life was pretty much confined to words prior to the new prayer space at Trinity Church. I have engaged in more creative forms of prayer in using that space, but I am not sure that I have fully engaged God beyond words. I know experientially that prayer through song is a powerful expression that can lead to an intimate encounter with God. That is one of the reasons I am such a big advocate for corporate worship based prayer, but what about other creative expressions in prayer?

In Creative Prayer Tiegreen points to the many examples in Scripture where people interact with God beyond simply using words. One of the examples of prayer that goes beyond words is found in Elisha’s interaction with the Shunammite Woman in 2 Kings 4:4-36. Tiegreen makes the argument that Elisha’s prayer was acted out in raising the woman’s son from the dead instead of merely spoken. He says, “It was a tangible prayer, a physical petition for God to repeat the miracle of first life.” So Elisha lay on the boy and breathed into him, the same way God hovered over Adam and breathed life into him.

Tiegreen says that creative prayer is prayer with our whole being – using all the gifts God has given us to express ourselves. The God who has given you the ability to dance, or sing, or draw, or paint, or act, or write, or any other gift God has given to you – is the God who desires for you to use that ability in your relationship with Him. This concept is one of those revolutionary concepts of prayer that I believe will take my prayer life to another level. I look forward to what God will teach me as I engage Him in creative prayer.

What do you do when it just doesn’t make sense?

2009-03-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago in our staff meeting we had a discussion about the sovereignty of God. God is all-powerful (omnipotent), able to do all His holy will. God’s sovereignty is His exercise of His power or rule over His creation. In our discussion we talked about God’s ability to stop events from happening and alter events at His will. When we come to life events that seemingly make no sense we can be left with questions about God’s activity or inactivity depending on our view.

The most recent event that seemingly makes no sense is the shooting of the pastor from Maryville, IL. Dr. Fred Winters, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Maryville was shot to death while delivering a sermon yesterday morning. What a horrific event that leaves followers of Jesus around the world wondering why.

As a pastor I frequently come across events in people’s lives that seemingly make no sense. In my own life, I experience events that simply make no sense. The thing is when those events in my life are positive I am quick to praise God and I don’t seem to question God at all. But when the events are negative in my eyes, then a stream of questions flows instead of a river of praise.

What is truly amazing about God is that He is able to work through evil. We can observe throughout Scripture God working through the evil actions and hearts of people. Joseph is one very clear example. Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:28 ESV). Through the evil actions and heart attitudes of Joseph’s brothers God’s plan was being worked out. Joseph was sent ahead of his brothers to Egypt and was eventually able to say to them, “… God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5 ESV). Later in Genesis 50:20 Joseph gave his brothers these words of encouragement, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Another great example of God working through the evil hearts of people is God’s interaction with Pharaoh in Exodus chapters 4-14.

I want to encourage you to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance on how you can pray for Dr. Winter’s family, First Baptist Church, Maryville, as well as the gunman and his family and friends. And then pray for someone else that you know personally that is struggling with circumstances that seemingly make no sense. Then take time to praise God that we can trust Him even when it appears that things don’t make sense.

What does it mean to pray?

2009-02-18T12:57:00.001-08:00

Have you ever considered what it means to truly pray? Does prayer actually convince God to do things that he was not planning or the means by which He carries out His plans? Our understanding of prayer is important because it impacts how and how much we pray. If we believe our prayers are not that important because God already has everything figured out, I believe the result will be to a life that never experiences the powerful and dynamic prayer life God desires every follower of Jesus to experience. If we think that God is waiting to meet our every desire then we will end up praying what we want instead of what God wants.

In Exodus 32:14 we observe the Lord relent from disaster in response to the prayer of Moses for the people of Israel. Moses prays and the Lord responds. It is important that we see how God is looking to work through people to carry out His purpose if we want to truly join God in seeing His kingdom come and will be done.

I have been reading a short little book on prayer by Watchman Nee titled, Let Us Pray. In this book he writes, “… the first step in our doing God’s will is for us to utter His will in prayer. … There is no work more important than prayer because the latter accomplishes as well as expresses the will of God. Hence all prayer which comes our of self-will is useless.” The problem the majority of Christians find in prayer is that they are never able to move beyond their wants and desires as the focus of their prayers.

Watchman Nee continues, “…our prayer should never be asking the Lord to do what He has no desire to do or trying to change His will. It is simply a praying out of His will, thus enabling Him to do what He desires to do.” For whatever reason God has chosen to partner with praying people in carrying out His will on earth. God is looking for people willing to join Him in carrying out His will. Are you that kind of Christian?

Praying for an hour?

2009-02-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

Psalm 92:1-4, speaks of the wonder of praising God. This past weekend our worship service was focused entirely on praying. The whole service was one long prayer. We did not pray how we as people normally end up praying... you know, “God bless the missionaries” “God bless the sick people” kind of praying. Instead our prayer was focused on God’s presence, we were praying from our hearts in response to who God is. We were seeking God’s face and not just His hand.

That is the kind of prayer that is exciting. I may be a little biased, but I had an awesome time. It is not often that you hear people talking about the incredible time they had in prayer. But that is exactly what prayer can be, completely and totally exciting. God is incredible and spending time in His presence can be incredible if we move past our needs.

When we base our prayers in our needs it doesn’t take long for prayer to become boring and monotonous. After all, how many times can I say the same thing the same way before I get bored with hearing myself? Discovering God focused worship based prayer allows for prayer to become an exciting and dynamic encounter with God. My heart for every person at Trinity Church is that they would experience a relationship with God that is exciting and dynamic. Joining together in corporate worship based prayer is powerful. I can’t wait to do it again…

Looking forward to your thoughts and comments on corporate worship based prayer.

The Potter

2009-01-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

This year is my third year using a devotional written by Chris Tiegreen editor for indeed magazine at Walk Thru the Bible. (If you are looking for a devotional resource to use in addition to a systematic Bible reading plan, I highly recommend his stuff.) This week he has been in Jeremiah 18:1-10 talking about Jeremiah’s experience at the potter’s house.

Today’s devotion focused on the way God speaks to us through experience. As Jeremiah is sent to the potter’s house to observe the potter in action the illustration is much more powerful than if it had simply been presented in words. God speaks to us and shapes us by showing us His nature through our experiences. God also uses people to demonstrate who He is.

Someone once shared with me something that I did not want to be the case but I found out was true. While going through a season of adversity in my life this person said, “Dave, you are going to have to live it before you can preach it.” As much as I did not want to admit it, that was the case. Through that experience the Potter shaped me. While I would never want to experience it again, it has shaped me to be able to better do what God has called me to do.

God speaks to us through images not just words. The ultimate picture is Jesus Christ. God is looking to bring glory to Himself by redeeming a world that does not know or acknowledge Him. God is looking for people who will take the journey to the Potter’s house and then allow Him to shape them for His purpose. The ultimate purpose is that the world might know Him. God uses people to display who He is. And ultimately He is a God who refashions a lump of clay into beautiful, functional pottery. Will you allow the Potter to shape you so people can see Him?

Pray For Our President

2009-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today was a historic day, as Barak Obama became our 44^th president. No matter your political preferences we must all agree that today is significant in the life of our nation. The question for followers of Jesus is now, “How do we pray for our new president and his team?”

1 Timothy 2:1-2, is clear that we should be praying for those in leadership not only in our churches but also in our government. This should be done on a local, state, and national level. For those of you with access to the prayer space at Trinity I encourage you to stop in and pick up the prayer card entitled “30 Ways to Pray for People in Authority.” It offers some practical suggestions for ways that you can pray for leaders in our nation. No matter our view of his politics we must pray for our president.

Our hope is not in government. We should make sure that we are clear on that principle. Our hope is for people to experience the grace and truth brought only by Jesus Christ. But we need to pray for our new president and his cabinet. The Bible is full of prayers waiting to be prayed for them…

Share your story...

2009-01-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

We are just a couple of hours away from the end of Trinity Church’s first venture into 24/7 prayer. It has been an exciting time. I have heard many people talk about their experience(s) in the prayer space over the past 12 days. I would like to encourage you to share your experience here. We can encourage one another through our stories of how God has impacted our life. What has God shown you?

The only way to learn how to pray is to pray. You can read books on prayer go to prayer seminars and conferences and listen to all kinds sermons about prayer and still the only way to truly learn how to pray is to pray. That is what makes the prayer space such a powerful tool in helping people learn how to pray.

As we close out the first 12 days of prayer it is not an end but a beginning, a beginning of Trinity becoming a praying church. Be bold and share with others what God has shown you…

24/7 Prayer

2009-01-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Psalm 27:8 is one of my favorite verses. The Psalmist writes of how his heart longs to seek the Lord’s face. Seeking God’s face in prayer is an all too often overlooked part of being a follower of Christ. When it comes to prayer, how often do we pray simply because we want to be in God’s presence as opposed to wanting Him to act in some fashion for our benefit? The concept that prayer is about relationship is new for many people, but we must move toward becoming people who demonstrate that we love God by seeking His face and not only His hand.

Trinity Church has started 2009 by praying 24/7 for the first 12 days of the year. We are now 5 days into this prayer time. During our prayer time we are interceding for people, but our primary purpose is to simply seek God’s presence. It is great to hear from people who have been part of this event and their experiences. I am looking forward to hearing about your experience during the hour you spend in our new prayer space.

We pray expecting that God will show up and when God shows up amazing things happen, but that is not why we pray. We pray because we simply do not want to do anything, even good things without the presence of God (Exodus 33:14-15). We pray because we serve a God who loves us deeply and desires for us to love Him deeply as well. We pray because we have been given the opportunity in Christ(Matthew 7:7-8).

Trinity Church has begun a journey toward discovering what it means to be a church of prayer. There are sure to be many highs and lows along the way, but I look forward to the journey.

Truly Thankful

2008-11-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a truly great American holiday. No not because there is pumpkin pie, and I really love pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is special because it is a time for followers of Christ to be truly grateful to God for the grace that He extends to us. The first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621 was a celebration of God’s answer to the prayers of His children. The previous summer the pilgrims faced a severe drought and so they called for a time of fasting and prayer. God answered with an abundant harvest and so they celebrated.

Psalm 105:1 says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!” (ESV) As followers of Christ we have more to be thankful for than we could ever possibly list. Because of Jesus we should be people marked by thanksgiving. The next few weeks as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas should be time where we are filled with reminders of Christ’s great love for us. Often, however, these weeks become dreadful as we fill them with too many activities to mention.

Let me encourage you to follow your time of Thanksgiving this year with what follows in Psalm 105:3, 4; “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (ESV) Don’t get so wrapped up in the festivities that you miss the Savior. During this time more than ever we should rejoice in Christ and pursue His presence. Have a super Thanksgiving!

Time to pray

2008-11-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

I am preparing this week for a series on prayer. I am totally excited about this series. I believe there is nothing more important for us to do in the Church than to seek the heart of God by engaging in fervent personal and corporate prayer.

For me this series could not be any timelier. I see the world trying to figure out what to do. The requests for bailouts due to a sagging economy are on the rise. People never cease to be looking for solutions to their problems.

We even do this in the church. We look for worldly solutions to our problems. Even in the last election many Christians were visibly stressed over the results coming out contrary to what they believed would be best. Like God really needed the vote to turn out a particular direction for His plans to work out.

In his book With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray writes: “In true worship the Father must be first, must be all. The sooner I learn to forget myself in the desire that He may be glorified, the richer will blessing be that prayer will bring to myself. No one ever loses by what he sacrifices for the Father. …Christ has opened the school of prayer especially to train intercessors for the great work of bringing down, by their faith and prayer, the blessings of His work and love on the world. There can be no deep growth in prayer unless this be our aim.”

As followers of Jesus I think we must look hard at how and what we are praying for. Do we simply want life to be easier for us or are we looking to join in the work of prayer for God’s kingdom? It is time for us to join Christ in seeing the name of Jesus glorified on the earth. That is why we are going to usher in the next year with prayer. Not praying for any particular program or for God to meet a particular need. No, just praying that God would use us for His glory, that His name would be honored here on this earth.

Reflecting truth

2008-10-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

What is it that helps a person become a fully devoted follower of Christ? That is the question Trinity Church is looking at with our current spiritual life survey. According to the results from other churches that have already participated in this survey, the Word of God is central to that process. This fact should not catch us by surprise.

Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (ESV) As followers of Jesus Chris it is absolutely essential that we become people who not only read the Bible, but take the time to meditate on Scripture and what God is saying to us. We must internalize the truth in order to be transformed by it. The Bible is all about transformation not simply more information.

The centrality of Scripture in the transformation process is the reason I believe every follower of Christ should be able to verbalize a recent truth from Scripture that God has revealed to them. The question that I ask is what is God teaching me?

So as you consider all the things that you could do with your time, why not consider what God might have to show you in His Word? Ask yourself what God is showing you. Allow the truth of Scripture to transform your thoughts, attitudes, and opinions. Spending time reflecting on Scripture is critically important to growing in Christ likeness.

Consumer prayers

2008-10-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am attending the Great Lakes District conference this week. The theme of the conference this year is “The Prayers of Jesus.” I have been attending breakout sessions focused on the prayer ministry of the local church. The break out sessions have been led by a former missionary to India who has a great heart for prayer and a retired seminary president. The former missionary is a true inspiration in seeking God through prayer. The seminary president has had some great teaching about prayer and good questions about prayer in the church today.

In the breakout session we discussed an interesting observation of prayer in the church today. Well, it was interesting to me at least. We were discussing the idea of American consumerism invading our prayer life. So what do you think? Has the idea of having things our way right away influenced how you pray and what you pray for?

Another topic that surfaced during our discussion is faith. What does it mean to pray with faith?

The discussion we had was interesting and I am interested in your feedback on these issues. What do you think?

The Right Path

2008-10-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

My thought in starting this blog was to give people an opportunity to engage in an exchange of ideas around spiritual issues. So I would like to encourage you to respond to any of the posts I make.

This past Sunday I read the following verse in my quiet time, “The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.” (Proverbs 15:19) As I read that verse it struck me that often the opposite seems to be more the case. It appears in the world in which we live that those who choose the path of least resistance often seem to have it easier than those who choose the right way.

But we must step back and look at the big picture of the choices we make. God does not call us to take the easy path. God calls us to walk in the path of the upright. That means when there is a choice to make which might include discomfort but is right, we have to choose what is right. Being a follower of Jesus often means living counter to the culture that surrounds us.

The author of two of my favorite collections of personal devotions Chris Tiegreen writes, “God calls for diligence. Laziness and discipleship do not mix. He doesn’t mean for us to obsess about every minor choice, but He expects us to draw a line in the sand and refuse to let the culture dictate our lives.”

We must not only pledge allegiance to Christ with our words but also demonstrate that allegiance through our choices and actions. At times this can be incredibly difficult and it requires that we are not lazy in our choices.

What do we trust?

2008-10-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

As I stated in my previous post, I have been reading through the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. While the prophecies that are written there are to a specific people at a specific time and place, the principles we observe speak clearly to our nation.

In God we trust and God bless America have simply become slogans in American culture. The slogans are thrown about loosely, by many Americans and especially by those who hold political office. Have you ever thought what it will take for God to bless America? It will take America to actually start trusting God.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5 ESV) The pivotal question for God seems to be what we trust. In God we trust is more than a slogan, it the very essence of what God desires from each one of us.

Have you ever thought about what it is that you trust? Notice that God is not condemning the person who commits horrible crimes against humanity, although that person would be included, instead he says the one who is trusting in people and their ideas is cursed. I observe this characteristic throughout our culture. If I get real honest I see it in me too.

As Christians in tumultuous times we must ensure we are trusting Christ. That not only includes with our health but also with the political and economic future of the nation in which we live.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7 ESV) The one who places their trust in Christ is the one who will be blessed. That should serve as an encouragement and motivation for every follower of Christ. Trust Christ, not the economic, educational, and political systems of the country in which we live. Then we can ask God to bless America because we trust Him.

Tolerance or Truth

2008-10-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

I never cease to be amazed at the way God lines things up when He is trying to teach us something. I use a daily devotional as well as a systematic Bible reading plan for my personal prayer/worship time each day. It is amazing how often what I am reading in one has to do with the other when the two are not related at all. This week my Scripture reading, daily devotion, and a segment I saw on TV news all met at the same subject - tolerance.

This week I have been reading through Jeremiah. Jeremiah was addressing the shortcomings of the religious leaders, the prophets and priests, when he wrote, “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jer. 6:14 ESV)

One of the most popular messages of our day is that of tolerance. In the news is the story of a first grade teacher in San Francisco who had her class attend her lesbian wedding at city hall. This was part of a class field trip. The guest commentator on the news program made a comment that this trip was a good thing because it taught the students about being tolerant.

Have you ever noticed that those who who proclaim the gospel of tolerance seem to be the most intolerant of the message of Jesus Christ being the only way to God? Is tolerance really a goal that a follower of Jesus should aspire to? Those who claim to be tolerant vehemently attack the exclusivity of the claim of Jesus Christ being the only way to God. There can never be peace between the world's system and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just as the prophet Jeremiah we face a choice. We can either embrace the claims of tolerance declaring peace, or we can proclaim the truth. The truth is that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” That message is not popular, or tolerant – it is simply true. As followers of Christ we need not be afraid of the truth.

Does God really mean every need?

2008-10-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

With the economic woes of the Unites States influencing markets across the world it has become apparent the economic problems we face are significant. The U.S. Congress passes a giant rescue package to attempt to free credit markets and the stock market reacts by dropping more than 14% in a week. Peoples investments have taken a hard hit and many people are developing a fear for what lies ahead. The people who are supposed to know what to do do not seem to know what to do, so what should we do? Difficult days remind us of what we should know but so often forget. We are in control of nothing. Instead of looking to the best economists, analysts, and government officials we should look to Christ.

Philippians 4:19 says, "... my God will meet every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (ESV) Could God actually mean that he will meet all of our needs? Do we not need to help ourselves out even just a little? That is a real temptation for all of us. When God seems to be too slow or too silent, our impatience says we should act so we do. What our impatience ends up demonstrating is our belief that God might not have our best interest at heart so we need to make sure we take care of ourselves.

Use these days of uncertainty to grow in your relationship with Jesus. Do not waste this experience with fear, worry, or grumbling. This is a great opportunity to grow in faith that God is who He says He is and cares deeply for you.

Trying to get with it...

2008-10-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

One of my new adventure in ministry is to launch into the world of facebook with the intent of having it make a positive impact on ministry. For a former computer information systems major, it seems like I have a ways to go to be with it. It was just a couple of months ago that I sent my one and only text message of all time. But I have decided that I need to at least try to get with it.

I recently attended a conference which I thought was going to be about building church buildings. It turns out that it was more than that. I have known for some time the need for pastors to be able to communicate between Sundays. It seems that blogging is one of the tools that others have found to be effective. I look forward to being able to have the ability to communicate about various subjects and topics that simply might never come up on Sunday. So I have decided to launch into the blogosphere. I will attempt to post often and have those posts be relevant to what is going on in your life.

It is not easy to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ in the days in which we live. We need constant encouragement to press on. I look forward to interacting with those who might happen by the blog and be an encouragement to live each and every day for the glory of God. May God bless and keep you as you seek Him...