How does a person lose weight? Really, answer that question to yourself. Now you tell me why I can find 38,000 books on Amazon when I type in the words, "weight loss."
Isn't the way to lose weight to, burn more calories each day than what you take in? Which means, eat less and exercise more, right? Well, I have to ask the same question of our church's. Why do we over complicate our purpose and our mission?
I've seen hundreds and hundreds of different mission statements of church's and dozens and dozens of books written on how to write a church mission statement. I think that's stupid!
The first question is who or what is the church? If my church building burned to the ground today, my church is still there, unless the people were in it when it burned. The church is people! We are the church. As we look in Acts chapter 2, I don't see any talk about building a grand building or doing a capital campaign for 1.4 million dollars for a new education wing. It just wasn't the focus. So what was their focus? Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had."
What was their focus? EACH OTHER! Go figure, that the church would actually fulfill the greatest commandment by "loving God" and in this case "loving their neighbor."
So, if the church is the people, then what should our mission statement be. Well, let's look at Mark 16:15. Jesus is speaking to the disciples, i.e. the church, and tells them this. "Go into all the world and preach the Good news to everyone." Why? TO MAKE DISCIPLES! So, has our mission statement changed, or have I missed something? Some church's wonder why they aren't growing and why they have become stagnant. My suggestion is to look at your mission statement and see if it is Mark 16:15. If its not, you've missed the whole point of the church.
One last thought. Do you have your own personal mission statement? If we are the church, and we aren't fulfilling God's missions statement in Mark 16, the church will never be successful. Let's get to work!
Thoughts?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
the power of one
"As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, 'Let us cross to the other side of the lake.'" Mark 4:35
It will help if you have your Bible and read the rest of this story, but let me paraphrase what happened here. Just before this story we see Jesus had been teaching many parables to great crowds of people. Jesus was tired and told his disciples, to cross to the other side of the lake. As they were crossing, a huge storm came up and the disciples were very scared and afraid they were all going to drown.
While they were all freaking out, Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. So the disciples woke Jesus up and and said to Jesus, "Don't you care were going to drown." Jesus then rebukes the storm and says, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
Isn't it interesting that Jesus told the disciples to cross to the other side, thus sending them into a storm, that He knew was coming. I mean, this is Jesus, the all knowing God man, the creator and yet He led them straight into the storm. After reading this passage I have many questions. The first question is, why? Why would Jesus lead them straight into a storm?
In chapter 5 verse 1, we see that immediately after Jesus steps out of the boat, He meets a man who is demon possessed and He casts the demons from the man. Then immediately after touching the man, He gets back into the boat and goes back to the other side! Seems sort of crazy doesn't it? So why? Why cross the river, in a storm, to heal just one man?
After Jesus heals this man of demon possession he tells him to "go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he was." The man then went into the Ten Towns, telling of this man called Jesus and the miracle that he experienced. Jesus did not usually tell a person to speak about his healing but He did in this instance. But Jesus was in ‘Decapolis’. ‘Decapolis’ is a Greek word that means ‘Ten Towns’. This was an area full of Gentiles and an area where Jesus would not return. This man would be a witness among Gentiles to the saving power of Jesus. I also believe this mans own faith was strengthened because of telling his story over and over to others.
One man. This one man, Jesus knew had great potential to change the world he lived in. Just one man. Jesus needed a voice in this part of the world because He knew He would not return here. He needed a representative, he needed an ambassador, he needed just one man.
There will be times in your life when Jesus will lead you into a storm because He has a greater work for you. Jesus expects that we know and understand, as He did with the disciples, that we know He is with us daily. 24/7. He asked the disciples, where their faith was. Jesus expects that if we serve Him, then we will trust Him.
If Jesus promised to never leave us nor forsake us, I'm confident that as the storms of life come, that Jesus has a very specific role for me just on the other side of the lake, that just may change the world.
Looking back over the trials in your own life, what are some very specific reasons you can point to, as to why Jesus allowed you to go through a storm? Please share them today as encouragement to others.
It will help if you have your Bible and read the rest of this story, but let me paraphrase what happened here. Just before this story we see Jesus had been teaching many parables to great crowds of people. Jesus was tired and told his disciples, to cross to the other side of the lake. As they were crossing, a huge storm came up and the disciples were very scared and afraid they were all going to drown.
While they were all freaking out, Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. So the disciples woke Jesus up and and said to Jesus, "Don't you care were going to drown." Jesus then rebukes the storm and says, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
Isn't it interesting that Jesus told the disciples to cross to the other side, thus sending them into a storm, that He knew was coming. I mean, this is Jesus, the all knowing God man, the creator and yet He led them straight into the storm. After reading this passage I have many questions. The first question is, why? Why would Jesus lead them straight into a storm?
In chapter 5 verse 1, we see that immediately after Jesus steps out of the boat, He meets a man who is demon possessed and He casts the demons from the man. Then immediately after touching the man, He gets back into the boat and goes back to the other side! Seems sort of crazy doesn't it? So why? Why cross the river, in a storm, to heal just one man?
After Jesus heals this man of demon possession he tells him to "go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he was." The man then went into the Ten Towns, telling of this man called Jesus and the miracle that he experienced. Jesus did not usually tell a person to speak about his healing but He did in this instance. But Jesus was in ‘Decapolis’. ‘Decapolis’ is a Greek word that means ‘Ten Towns’. This was an area full of Gentiles and an area where Jesus would not return. This man would be a witness among Gentiles to the saving power of Jesus. I also believe this mans own faith was strengthened because of telling his story over and over to others.
One man. This one man, Jesus knew had great potential to change the world he lived in. Just one man. Jesus needed a voice in this part of the world because He knew He would not return here. He needed a representative, he needed an ambassador, he needed just one man.
There will be times in your life when Jesus will lead you into a storm because He has a greater work for you. Jesus expects that we know and understand, as He did with the disciples, that we know He is with us daily. 24/7. He asked the disciples, where their faith was. Jesus expects that if we serve Him, then we will trust Him.
If Jesus promised to never leave us nor forsake us, I'm confident that as the storms of life come, that Jesus has a very specific role for me just on the other side of the lake, that just may change the world.
Looking back over the trials in your own life, what are some very specific reasons you can point to, as to why Jesus allowed you to go through a storm? Please share them today as encouragement to others.
Monday, January 24, 2011
what is love?
"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind. And Love your neighbor as your self." Luke 10:27
This scripture has become one of my favorites! We've had many fights in this country about the 10 commandments, yet Jesus says this is the most important commandment. Love God and Love people! This basically sums up the gospel, doesn't it?
There is a verse in 1 Corinthians that says God is Love. I've asked several people "how do we love our neighbor?" I get all kinds of good answers. Serve them, invite them to church, tell them you care, fix them supper and many other good answers. They all great answers but they aren't the correct one.
The Bible says we are to "love our neighbor." So we first have to answer, what is love? The answer is simple, GOD! God is love. So we may do all kinds of nice things for our neighbor, but if we aren't showing them Jesus, then we aren't really loving them are we?
I want to put this in a specific context today. How are you living out your faith around your friends and your family? Are you showing them love (Jesus), or are you showing them something else?
So often we realize we are doing sinful things and our relationship with Christ is awful, but we don't give too much thought about how that affects our neighbor. How do your sins affect your friends? Are you saying to them, "I love you and want to show you Jesus", or are you helping them spend eternity in hell?
I'm at the age where I have started having regrets in my life. My #1 regret in life is knowing there have been times in my life when I've pushed my friends closer to hell by my actions. I've had to ask for forgiveness from some of those friends and its a humbling experience.
Ask yourself today who you need to show Love (Jesus) to and also ask yourself who you need to ask forgiveness from because your actions have shown them the exact opposite of love.
Remember that God is Love and the only way we can love our friends, family and neighbors is to show them Jesus!
This scripture has become one of my favorites! We've had many fights in this country about the 10 commandments, yet Jesus says this is the most important commandment. Love God and Love people! This basically sums up the gospel, doesn't it?
There is a verse in 1 Corinthians that says God is Love. I've asked several people "how do we love our neighbor?" I get all kinds of good answers. Serve them, invite them to church, tell them you care, fix them supper and many other good answers. They all great answers but they aren't the correct one.
The Bible says we are to "love our neighbor." So we first have to answer, what is love? The answer is simple, GOD! God is love. So we may do all kinds of nice things for our neighbor, but if we aren't showing them Jesus, then we aren't really loving them are we?
I want to put this in a specific context today. How are you living out your faith around your friends and your family? Are you showing them love (Jesus), or are you showing them something else?
So often we realize we are doing sinful things and our relationship with Christ is awful, but we don't give too much thought about how that affects our neighbor. How do your sins affect your friends? Are you saying to them, "I love you and want to show you Jesus", or are you helping them spend eternity in hell?
I'm at the age where I have started having regrets in my life. My #1 regret in life is knowing there have been times in my life when I've pushed my friends closer to hell by my actions. I've had to ask for forgiveness from some of those friends and its a humbling experience.
Ask yourself today who you need to show Love (Jesus) to and also ask yourself who you need to ask forgiveness from because your actions have shown them the exact opposite of love.
Remember that God is Love and the only way we can love our friends, family and neighbors is to show them Jesus!
where are you?
A friend if mine wrote this of his blog and it was so good, I thought I would use it today!
These past few weeks Satan has really been successfully putting me down, and hitting me with some pretty strong temptations. I always notice the more that I give in to temptations, the less I ask for Christ's help. I just seem to try to hide myself from Him, because I am so ashamed of some of the things that I do.
My mind tells me that God doesn't want to see my face or hear my voice, because I have sinned against him, but that is exactly the opposite of what God wants. Everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve. They ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and thus sin was born. The part of the story that intrigues me though is what happens next.
"When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. so they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" Gen. 3:8 (NLT)
The point of that verse is this: no matter where you are, who you are, or what you do, the Lord our God wants to be with you. He wants to walk with you. He wants to talk to you. He wants to be the one who you go to when you fail, not the one you run away from.
People these days have a twisted idea of how our God works. When you fall into sin, He doesn't sit there on his throne with a stone face, saying "whenever you're ready to love me I'll love you." No when you sin, He calls out to you saying "where are you?" You are His child. His love for you is beyond human ideas and human words. When you do good He loves you. When you sin He loves you. Even if you wanted Him not to love you, you could never make Him not love you. The question is not if He loves you. That's a given. The question is if you love Him, and if you're willing to give Him your sin, your pain, and ultimately yourself. Where are you today?
These past few weeks Satan has really been successfully putting me down, and hitting me with some pretty strong temptations. I always notice the more that I give in to temptations, the less I ask for Christ's help. I just seem to try to hide myself from Him, because I am so ashamed of some of the things that I do.
My mind tells me that God doesn't want to see my face or hear my voice, because I have sinned against him, but that is exactly the opposite of what God wants. Everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve. They ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and thus sin was born. The part of the story that intrigues me though is what happens next.
"When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. so they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" Gen. 3:8 (NLT)
The point of that verse is this: no matter where you are, who you are, or what you do, the Lord our God wants to be with you. He wants to walk with you. He wants to talk to you. He wants to be the one who you go to when you fail, not the one you run away from.
People these days have a twisted idea of how our God works. When you fall into sin, He doesn't sit there on his throne with a stone face, saying "whenever you're ready to love me I'll love you." No when you sin, He calls out to you saying "where are you?" You are His child. His love for you is beyond human ideas and human words. When you do good He loves you. When you sin He loves you. Even if you wanted Him not to love you, you could never make Him not love you. The question is not if He loves you. That's a given. The question is if you love Him, and if you're willing to give Him your sin, your pain, and ultimately yourself. Where are you today?
Friday, January 21, 2011
open the door
"Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Philippians 4:13 (the message)
Before reading on, read the verse again. What word stands out to you? For me its the word "in." For most people the Word that stands out is the word "anything," and that word stands out for me as well. But today I would like to look at the word "in."
There was a very specific time in my life when I decided I didn't want to live "in" Christ. I wanted to live, "in" me. It really was a satisfying feeling for a short period of time. You know, just living for yourself and only worrying about your desires and wants. Up front it seemed like a good plan, but soon after I walked that path, something changed. I came to a place in my life where I no longer knew who Christ was and I was no longer "in" Christ.
Let me put it this way. In the book of Revelation there is a scripture where Jesus says, "I stand at the door and knock." Have you ever answered the door for the UPS man or the Fed Ex man? They usually have a package of some kind to deliver to you. Before opening the door to them, the natural question to ask is "who is it." So we know its the UPS man, but unless we open the door, we can't receive whatever they have for us.
It works the same way with Jesus. If we never open the door to Him, we may know that he is there and know He is on the other side, but we can never be "in" him or able to accept what He has for us, unless we open the door to him.
Are you living in Christ today? Jesus promised that we can make it through anything, but we have to be "in" Christ and to be in Christ, we must have opened the door to Him. Have you accepted Christ? If so, His promise is an amazing one. If you haven't accepted Christ, why?
Before reading on, read the verse again. What word stands out to you? For me its the word "in." For most people the Word that stands out is the word "anything," and that word stands out for me as well. But today I would like to look at the word "in."
There was a very specific time in my life when I decided I didn't want to live "in" Christ. I wanted to live, "in" me. It really was a satisfying feeling for a short period of time. You know, just living for yourself and only worrying about your desires and wants. Up front it seemed like a good plan, but soon after I walked that path, something changed. I came to a place in my life where I no longer knew who Christ was and I was no longer "in" Christ.
Let me put it this way. In the book of Revelation there is a scripture where Jesus says, "I stand at the door and knock." Have you ever answered the door for the UPS man or the Fed Ex man? They usually have a package of some kind to deliver to you. Before opening the door to them, the natural question to ask is "who is it." So we know its the UPS man, but unless we open the door, we can't receive whatever they have for us.
It works the same way with Jesus. If we never open the door to Him, we may know that he is there and know He is on the other side, but we can never be "in" him or able to accept what He has for us, unless we open the door to him.
Are you living in Christ today? Jesus promised that we can make it through anything, but we have to be "in" Christ and to be in Christ, we must have opened the door to Him. Have you accepted Christ? If so, His promise is an amazing one. If you haven't accepted Christ, why?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
check yourself
"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have - Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 3:11
About a year ago I got back from my fifth team missions trip to Changuinola Panama. We've had teams going to Changuinola for 6 years to work on building a church. When the first team went to Panama 6 years ago, they encountered a ditch full of sewage, and this they were told, was where the church was to be built. Are you kidding me! The task of the first team was to literally dig sewage out of the ditch and prepare the area where the foundation was to be laid.
After digging out sewage, dirt had to be brought in and then the concrete was poured. It took time and it took, literally, blood, sweat and tears to prepare the foundation. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary. If you've ever been involved with a building project, you understand the importance of the foundation. Why is the foundation so important? Because there will eventually be a building sitting on top of it! If the walls of the church were not properly supported by the foundation, they would be subject to collapse, and the whole building could come down during storms or would eventually break apart over time.
Paul realized very quickly, the church in Corinth was immature and spiritual babies. He realized their foundation was not always a foundation of Christ and they were in danger of collapsing. When our foundation is Jesus Christ and the storms and the trials come our way, we can sustain them. Not only will we sustain them but we will come through them with confidence because we know who our foundation is.
Just as in Panama, laying the foundation is not always easy, but its imperative for success.
Have you built your house on a shaky foundation. Money, people, pride, works or maybe__________.
If your foundation is not built on Jesus Christ, the question is not if your house will come crashing down, but when? Check your foundation today.
1 Corinthians 3:11
About a year ago I got back from my fifth team missions trip to Changuinola Panama. We've had teams going to Changuinola for 6 years to work on building a church. When the first team went to Panama 6 years ago, they encountered a ditch full of sewage, and this they were told, was where the church was to be built. Are you kidding me! The task of the first team was to literally dig sewage out of the ditch and prepare the area where the foundation was to be laid.
After digging out sewage, dirt had to be brought in and then the concrete was poured. It took time and it took, literally, blood, sweat and tears to prepare the foundation. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary. If you've ever been involved with a building project, you understand the importance of the foundation. Why is the foundation so important? Because there will eventually be a building sitting on top of it! If the walls of the church were not properly supported by the foundation, they would be subject to collapse, and the whole building could come down during storms or would eventually break apart over time.
Paul realized very quickly, the church in Corinth was immature and spiritual babies. He realized their foundation was not always a foundation of Christ and they were in danger of collapsing. When our foundation is Jesus Christ and the storms and the trials come our way, we can sustain them. Not only will we sustain them but we will come through them with confidence because we know who our foundation is.
Just as in Panama, laying the foundation is not always easy, but its imperative for success.
Have you built your house on a shaky foundation. Money, people, pride, works or maybe__________.
If your foundation is not built on Jesus Christ, the question is not if your house will come crashing down, but when? Check your foundation today.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
run baby run!
"Run from sexual sin! No other sin clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18
My wife Rebekah and I really like the show Biggest Loser. In the first episode every year they ask the contestants to run on a treadmill. Most of the time they either fall off the treadmill or start puking or just can't do it. Its actually kinda funny. I've also been faced with the same problem when I've tried to run on a treadmill during my own workouts. I'll get to about the 3 minute mark and I just can't go any further. (Not Funny!)
For many of us that have tried to run from sexual sin, we've failed miserably. Actually for many people they fail over and over and over again and the question is why? Why do people continue to fail against sexual temptation? The answer is a simple one and its because they aren't physically able run! They can't run because they are out of shape. They don't spend time with God, they aren't in the Bible, they don't exercise their faith, basically they are so out of shape spiritually, they can't run. Its because they can't run, that they keep failing to defeat sexual sin. Putting distance quickly between you and the enemy is key to defeating sexual sin, and walking won't do. In these verses Paul was speaking very clearly to the Corinthians. Today, just as around 55 a.d., sexual sin was not only rampant, but was encouraged by many. I believe Paul is still speaking very clearly to us today and his message is a simple one. Get into shape and run!
My wife Rebekah and I really like the show Biggest Loser. In the first episode every year they ask the contestants to run on a treadmill. Most of the time they either fall off the treadmill or start puking or just can't do it. Its actually kinda funny. I've also been faced with the same problem when I've tried to run on a treadmill during my own workouts. I'll get to about the 3 minute mark and I just can't go any further. (Not Funny!)
For many of us that have tried to run from sexual sin, we've failed miserably. Actually for many people they fail over and over and over again and the question is why? Why do people continue to fail against sexual temptation? The answer is a simple one and its because they aren't physically able run! They can't run because they are out of shape. They don't spend time with God, they aren't in the Bible, they don't exercise their faith, basically they are so out of shape spiritually, they can't run. Its because they can't run, that they keep failing to defeat sexual sin. Putting distance quickly between you and the enemy is key to defeating sexual sin, and walking won't do. In these verses Paul was speaking very clearly to the Corinthians. Today, just as around 55 a.d., sexual sin was not only rampant, but was encouraged by many. I believe Paul is still speaking very clearly to us today and his message is a simple one. Get into shape and run!
walking the path
“I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12
As a child one of my favorite places to go with my parents was Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There were several parts of the cave tour that I liked, such as “fat man’s misery” and “stalagmite alley“, but my favorite part of the tour was when the lights went out! I can remember when the tour guide would warn us to hold onto something or someone and get ready for complete darkness. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been underground with no lights, but when the lights go out, it gets dark! After a few minutes in the dark the tour guide would light one little oil lamp he was carrying and he would use it to light the way for the next part of the tour. It was amazing to see just how much light one little oil lamp could make in lighting our path. As we walked by the light of the oil lamp, the guide would explain to us the cliffs and drop offs that were just feet away from where we were walking.
Have you ever been off the path? There have been times in my life when I decided not to follow Jesus and totally ignored the light. I stumbled, I fell and basically walked blindly through life. After continuously getting up bruised and banged up, I decided to follow the light. How is your path today? Is it well lit or are you still falling and stumbling through the darkness.
As a child one of my favorite places to go with my parents was Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There were several parts of the cave tour that I liked, such as “fat man’s misery” and “stalagmite alley“, but my favorite part of the tour was when the lights went out! I can remember when the tour guide would warn us to hold onto something or someone and get ready for complete darkness. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been underground with no lights, but when the lights go out, it gets dark! After a few minutes in the dark the tour guide would light one little oil lamp he was carrying and he would use it to light the way for the next part of the tour. It was amazing to see just how much light one little oil lamp could make in lighting our path. As we walked by the light of the oil lamp, the guide would explain to us the cliffs and drop offs that were just feet away from where we were walking.
Have you ever been off the path? There have been times in my life when I decided not to follow Jesus and totally ignored the light. I stumbled, I fell and basically walked blindly through life. After continuously getting up bruised and banged up, I decided to follow the light. How is your path today? Is it well lit or are you still falling and stumbling through the darkness.
Monday, January 17, 2011
"Pray that I will proclaim the message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone." Colossians 4:4-6
Last week I had to go to the emergency room with kidney stones. When I walked in to the ER I was glad to see it was fairly quiet and not many people. I took a seat and waited my turn. As I was reading a book, a couple ladies came and sat down just a few seats away. It didn't take long to turn my rated G ER experience into a rated R one. The language these two women were using were sure signs they didn't have a relationship with Jesus. I know, I know, some of you are saying I shouldn't judge, and your right. But looking at their fruit, in this case, hearing it, was at least an indication their fruit was bad!
Ask yourself today if you have gracious and attractive conversation that would be an indication that your a follower of Christ? The first part of these verses talk about proclaiming a clear message. What kind of message will others say you proclaim?
Last week I had to go to the emergency room with kidney stones. When I walked in to the ER I was glad to see it was fairly quiet and not many people. I took a seat and waited my turn. As I was reading a book, a couple ladies came and sat down just a few seats away. It didn't take long to turn my rated G ER experience into a rated R one. The language these two women were using were sure signs they didn't have a relationship with Jesus. I know, I know, some of you are saying I shouldn't judge, and your right. But looking at their fruit, in this case, hearing it, was at least an indication their fruit was bad!
Ask yourself today if you have gracious and attractive conversation that would be an indication that your a follower of Christ? The first part of these verses talk about proclaiming a clear message. What kind of message will others say you proclaim?
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