" Now faith is being certain of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
Overwhelmed, in awe, speechless, humbled. These are just a few of the emotions I've felt over the past few months. Tonight, I'm once again amazed at the faithfulness of our God.
Hebrews 11:1 talks about being "certain of what we hope for." I am certain tonight once again that my God is in control! That my God is still moving mountains and that my God is faithful.
The Lord has sent us two wonderful couples from Olivet Nazarene University in the last few months. One is our youth pastor and his wife. They have jumped right in working to further the Kingdom. Just in the last couple of weeks they have started seeing students who are so hungry for Christ start to open up and share life's struggles. I am thankful for Travis and Stacey and their willingness to follow Christ's calling to Green Bay.
We've also met another couple of ONU graduates Christian and Kayla. These also are amazing young people who are sold out to the cause of Christ. Christian and Kayla have also felt a calling to Grace Harbor and to be part of what is happening across town at "the bar." Christian has also felt a pull from Christ to full time ministry in the future.
Anyway, I tell you this to say, I believe the Lord is assembling a team of people to take Green Bay by storm with the gospel of Christ! Both of these couples are an answer to prayer and Rebekah I count it a privilege to call them friends and co-workers in ministry.
I wanted to share that first because these two couples in the days ahead are going to be key to what the Lord is doing here in Green Bay.
This week also has been overwhelming because of a financial gift someone made to the new church plant of $3,000! I was blown away! I am so thankful for those who are answering the call and saying "Yes Lord, Ill be obedient."
In the process of purchasing this old bar we found out we were going to need plans from an architect to submit to the city for any remodel. I've got to tell you when I heard this, I was somewhat deflated. Hiring an architect can't be cheap. I also don't hang out with architects and had no connections. Well, the Lord had already worked this out.
Kayla, the wife of Christian who have started coming to Green Bay, just so happened to have parent who are architects...who live in Green Bay...and who love Jesus! Are you kidding me!!!???
Long story short, we met with these folks tonight at their office in De Pere. I want to just say...WOW!!! These are people who not only love Jesus, but want to help us reach lost people at our new location. We spent 2 hours tonight talking about objectives, goals, the church, etc before we ever even talked about the building. Keep in mind these aren't just architects who design buildings, but they look at the whole organization. On the way out the door tonight I noticed a large model on the floor and asked what it was. These folks are designing a facility for students in Georgia for the Kathy family who own Chik-fil-a!!! Are you kidding me!!!! God didn't just provide us with any old architects. He provided us with the best because that's what my God does!
I'm just so blown away at the people who are saying YES to what God is doing! I'm so blown away at the opportunity the Lord has given me to lead this endeavor. To be on the front line for the sake of the Kingdom. Hebrews 11 talks about being certain of the things we can't see. Tonight I am certain I serve a God who loves me and who cares about me. I'm certain I serve a God who knows every detail about this bar ministry. I'm certain He is sending just the right people at just the right time. I'm certain He is in control! Lastly, I'm certain in the days ahead, people are going to find hope in Christ at 1280 Reber St.
Continue to pray and ask the Lord how he might be leading you to help in this ministry. Financially? Sending a work team from your church? Prayer? Moving to Green Bay? Be obedient and watch God do some crazy stuff!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Pabst Blue Ribbon and Jesus
"By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going." Hebrews 11:8 The Message
This verse speaks so well to our current situation here at Grace Harbor Church of the Nazarene. For the last two year the church board at Grace has been talking about church planting. We were open and willing to do whatever the Lord asked us to do. Through much prayer and discussion we felt the Lord released us to plant a church earlier this year! Not a traditional church, but to buy a bus, make it a mobile clothes closet and go love people. It was a crazy idea, dare I say a stupid idea! But by faith, we said yes and drove out of the parking lot, having no idea where we were going.
We found ourselves in Eastman Park on the eastside of Green Bay. On September 8th we held our first official service in the park. It was a marvelous day! On this first Sunday we met 98 folks from the neighborhood. We had the opportunity to be the hands of Jesus. It was awesome! Since that first day, we've been able to develop a relationship with 55 families and well over 200 individuals!
Each time we had new families, I would take them a bakers dozen of donuts that next week and just tell them how great it was to meet them. On one of these visits I felt the Lord prompting me to take a family to lunch. I took Raul and his girlfriend to lunch and on the way back we passed an old building close to the park. I asked Raul what it was and he said it was an old bar called Sally's. I should have guessed this with the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer sign on the building, but I'm a little slow! I did though note the for sale sign out front and made a phone call after I dropped them off.
On the first call I found out a few things about the property:
So, we started praying and fasting!
I'll cut to the chase!
Last week Grace Harbor made an offer to the bank for $5,000! I literally had to argue with the broker to send our offer to the bank. There actually came a point where I asked him if I needed to find another broker to do it!!! He finally decided he would send it over. ;)
The next day we received a counter offer for...wait for it.......$10,000!!! $10,000 for a property they started at $79,000 on and the property itself is worth $30,000! THATS GOD!
So we still didn't have $10k and needed to talk to our district advisory board before accepting a counter offer. In the meantime, well, God had other plans!
Nazarenes: Did you know that we use some alabaster funds here in the USA? Well, I never had thought about it before. After a call from my DS and a few calls to and from the Global Ministry Center (Nazarene Headquarters) my DS calls me back at the end of the day and says this...The denomination, because this is a multi-cultural church plant and most of the folks you are building relationships with are diverse...we are going to give you....wait for it....$20,000 alabaster funds!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? THATS GOD!!!
Tomorrow morning I head to the broker with a signed acceptance of the counter offer. God said, if you'll step out in faith and obedience and you are willing to travel into a unknown destination, I'll take care of you! Not only that but Ill show you how AWESOME I am!
I say a hardy PRAISE THE LORD!!! I hate to beat a dead horse, but is God calling you????? Is he calling you to invest in the lives of lost people here in Green Bay? Is he asking you to step out in faith and be willing to travel to a foreign land having no idea what you are doing? We anticipate a bountiful harvest in the days ahead and we need workers! I can't be more serious.
I'm overcome with joy tonight! I'm speechless. All I can say is THATS GOD!!!
This verse speaks so well to our current situation here at Grace Harbor Church of the Nazarene. For the last two year the church board at Grace has been talking about church planting. We were open and willing to do whatever the Lord asked us to do. Through much prayer and discussion we felt the Lord released us to plant a church earlier this year! Not a traditional church, but to buy a bus, make it a mobile clothes closet and go love people. It was a crazy idea, dare I say a stupid idea! But by faith, we said yes and drove out of the parking lot, having no idea where we were going.
We found ourselves in Eastman Park on the eastside of Green Bay. On September 8th we held our first official service in the park. It was a marvelous day! On this first Sunday we met 98 folks from the neighborhood. We had the opportunity to be the hands of Jesus. It was awesome! Since that first day, we've been able to develop a relationship with 55 families and well over 200 individuals!
Each time we had new families, I would take them a bakers dozen of donuts that next week and just tell them how great it was to meet them. On one of these visits I felt the Lord prompting me to take a family to lunch. I took Raul and his girlfriend to lunch and on the way back we passed an old building close to the park. I asked Raul what it was and he said it was an old bar called Sally's. I should have guessed this with the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer sign on the building, but I'm a little slow! I did though note the for sale sign out front and made a phone call after I dropped them off.
On the first call I found out a few things about the property:
- asking prices $79,000
- 6,000 sq feet
- bank owned
- on the market for 8 months
So, we started praying and fasting!
I'll cut to the chase!
Last week Grace Harbor made an offer to the bank for $5,000! I literally had to argue with the broker to send our offer to the bank. There actually came a point where I asked him if I needed to find another broker to do it!!! He finally decided he would send it over. ;)
The next day we received a counter offer for...wait for it.......$10,000!!! $10,000 for a property they started at $79,000 on and the property itself is worth $30,000! THATS GOD!
So we still didn't have $10k and needed to talk to our district advisory board before accepting a counter offer. In the meantime, well, God had other plans!
Nazarenes: Did you know that we use some alabaster funds here in the USA? Well, I never had thought about it before. After a call from my DS and a few calls to and from the Global Ministry Center (Nazarene Headquarters) my DS calls me back at the end of the day and says this...The denomination, because this is a multi-cultural church plant and most of the folks you are building relationships with are diverse...we are going to give you....wait for it....$20,000 alabaster funds!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? THATS GOD!!!
Tomorrow morning I head to the broker with a signed acceptance of the counter offer. God said, if you'll step out in faith and obedience and you are willing to travel into a unknown destination, I'll take care of you! Not only that but Ill show you how AWESOME I am!
I say a hardy PRAISE THE LORD!!! I hate to beat a dead horse, but is God calling you????? Is he calling you to invest in the lives of lost people here in Green Bay? Is he asking you to step out in faith and be willing to travel to a foreign land having no idea what you are doing? We anticipate a bountiful harvest in the days ahead and we need workers! I can't be more serious.
I'm overcome with joy tonight! I'm speechless. All I can say is THATS GOD!!!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
A Grace Harbor Thanksgiving
What a year! What a change! What a church! What a God!!!
Don't you love this time of year? I grew up loving this time of the year and still do! Traditions, changing leaves, family. All reason to love the change in season. I'm sure you could add to that list. Today I want to add to my list. As thankful as I am for traditions, my family, and a beautiful place to live, today I am thankful for what God is doing in His church!
Today my heart is rejoicing over what is happening in the life of the church I serve. When we moved to Green Bay last August, I remember thinking, "well we are coming to a church of 40 people, I'll bet its a dying church, but lets see what God can do." When we walked in for our interview, the church was full of life! It was full of welcoming people and it was full of people who were ready to move forward in reaching people for the Kingdom! I was excited!
And guess what? A year later, I'm even more excited! As I sit here excited though, I'm thankful! Extremely thankful.
I'm thankful for for a loving church family. I'm thankful for new families who I consider to be friends. I'm thankful for 5 people accepting Christ in the last three weeks for the first time! I'm thankful for the folks who have been at Grace Harbor during the last 10 years. I'm thankful for people who are starting to step out of their comfort areas to reach and disciple people. I'm thankful that our church is meeting every night of the week but one! I'm thankful for a clothes closet which has reached dozen of families with a basic need. I'm thankful for a leadership team who is willing to take risks for the sake of the Kingdom. I'm thankful for a God who has given us the privilege of being on the front lines of a church that He is growing.
And I'm also thankful for YOU!
For your willingness to get involved. For you commitment to Christ. I'm thankful you are getting involved in ministries of the church. I'm thankful for your faithful giving. I'm thankful you are forgiving and willing to put up with a pastor and family who are not perfect. I'm thankful the days ahead are extremely bright!
These are wonderful days to be part of Grace Harbor Church of Nazarene.
Lord today we thank you for what you are doing in our lives. We are thankful you sent your Son Jesus to die for me. Lord, thank you for loving us when we were unlovable and thank you for allowing us to be part of your work here in Green Bay. We continue to look ahead at what we will be thankful for tomorrow as you add to our number, it seems daily! Lord give us the wisdom and the discernment to be good stewards of your generosity. Help us to always give you the glory and credit for all that takes place within the life of the church. In Jesus name...Amen!
Don't you love this time of year? I grew up loving this time of the year and still do! Traditions, changing leaves, family. All reason to love the change in season. I'm sure you could add to that list. Today I want to add to my list. As thankful as I am for traditions, my family, and a beautiful place to live, today I am thankful for what God is doing in His church!
Today my heart is rejoicing over what is happening in the life of the church I serve. When we moved to Green Bay last August, I remember thinking, "well we are coming to a church of 40 people, I'll bet its a dying church, but lets see what God can do." When we walked in for our interview, the church was full of life! It was full of welcoming people and it was full of people who were ready to move forward in reaching people for the Kingdom! I was excited!
And guess what? A year later, I'm even more excited! As I sit here excited though, I'm thankful! Extremely thankful.
I'm thankful for for a loving church family. I'm thankful for new families who I consider to be friends. I'm thankful for 5 people accepting Christ in the last three weeks for the first time! I'm thankful for the folks who have been at Grace Harbor during the last 10 years. I'm thankful for people who are starting to step out of their comfort areas to reach and disciple people. I'm thankful that our church is meeting every night of the week but one! I'm thankful for a clothes closet which has reached dozen of families with a basic need. I'm thankful for a leadership team who is willing to take risks for the sake of the Kingdom. I'm thankful for a God who has given us the privilege of being on the front lines of a church that He is growing.
And I'm also thankful for YOU!
For your willingness to get involved. For you commitment to Christ. I'm thankful you are getting involved in ministries of the church. I'm thankful for your faithful giving. I'm thankful you are forgiving and willing to put up with a pastor and family who are not perfect. I'm thankful the days ahead are extremely bright!
These are wonderful days to be part of Grace Harbor Church of Nazarene.
Lord today we thank you for what you are doing in our lives. We are thankful you sent your Son Jesus to die for me. Lord, thank you for loving us when we were unlovable and thank you for allowing us to be part of your work here in Green Bay. We continue to look ahead at what we will be thankful for tomorrow as you add to our number, it seems daily! Lord give us the wisdom and the discernment to be good stewards of your generosity. Help us to always give you the glory and credit for all that takes place within the life of the church. In Jesus name...Amen!
Monday, February 20, 2012
"And the green flags out!"
“Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” Heb. 12:1 (LB)
“Love does not envy.” 1 Cor. 13:4b (NIV)
Growing up, Sunday afternoon Nascar racing was a tradition at my house. We would order Pizza King and gather around the TV to watch 42 cars go 500 miles, usually on an oval track. If you watch racing at all you know there is a particular groove on the race track that each car works the best in. If you were a Harry Gant fan in the 80's you knew he was going to run his car next to the wall all 500 miles. If you were a Rusty Wallace fan you would most likely see his car go the fastest on the bottom of the track.
Usually at the end of the race you would always see a few car switching lanes and trying to gt up to the front faster. Almost always, those cars would fall back because they weren't being patient running their car in the line where it worked best. They would get the idea to run a different line by looking at what other cars had been doing all day. They thought well if their car works good up high, then maybe mine will too.
We do this so often as followers of Christ. Have you ever looked at another person and said, "I wish I had what they had?" Or have you ever just wanted to be someone else because you liked their lifestyle better. God created each of us as unique individuals with a particular race to run. It may not seem like a glamorous race at times, but its a race uniquely designed for me. A God given race designed for me before I was born.
I encourage you this week to run the particular race the Lord has for you. Keep your eyes on the prize. We will all see the same finish line if we love God and love people.
Those races I grew up watching...I was always waiting for the guy who envied another guys car and switched grooves on the track because I knew what was coming...CRASH!
“Love does not envy.” 1 Cor. 13:4b (NIV)
Growing up, Sunday afternoon Nascar racing was a tradition at my house. We would order Pizza King and gather around the TV to watch 42 cars go 500 miles, usually on an oval track. If you watch racing at all you know there is a particular groove on the race track that each car works the best in. If you were a Harry Gant fan in the 80's you knew he was going to run his car next to the wall all 500 miles. If you were a Rusty Wallace fan you would most likely see his car go the fastest on the bottom of the track.
Usually at the end of the race you would always see a few car switching lanes and trying to gt up to the front faster. Almost always, those cars would fall back because they weren't being patient running their car in the line where it worked best. They would get the idea to run a different line by looking at what other cars had been doing all day. They thought well if their car works good up high, then maybe mine will too.
We do this so often as followers of Christ. Have you ever looked at another person and said, "I wish I had what they had?" Or have you ever just wanted to be someone else because you liked their lifestyle better. God created each of us as unique individuals with a particular race to run. It may not seem like a glamorous race at times, but its a race uniquely designed for me. A God given race designed for me before I was born.
I encourage you this week to run the particular race the Lord has for you. Keep your eyes on the prize. We will all see the same finish line if we love God and love people.
Those races I grew up watching...I was always waiting for the guy who envied another guys car and switched grooves on the track because I knew what was coming...CRASH!
Monday, February 6, 2012
What matters most?
“Keep company with God and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Eph. 5:2 (Mes)
“In this life we have three lasting qualities: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love!” 1 Cor 13:13 (Ph)
How do you learn a life of deep love? The answer is found in the scripture above from Ephesians. The author says to “Observe how Christ loved us.” In the weeks ahead we will do just that. We will see how Christ loved us while here on earth. I want to give you a few things to think about this week as we start to understand how to love. Remember that without love, we will live a life with no purpose. The following will help us get on the road to becoming truly great lovers, a truly great person of love.
1. Learn how mature love acts and responds.
Personal change always begins with a change in perspective. It involves getting God’s perspective on what love is really like. Remember what is God? God is love.
2. Start your day with a daily reminder to love.
The first 10 minutes of your day sets your entire mood for the rest of the day. If you’ll get up in the morning and say, “God, I just want to remind myself that the most important thing is love. Loving You and loving other people. What matters more than accomplishments are relationships.”
3. Memorize what God says about love.
The Bible is filled with advice, inspiration, truths, principles on how to become a great lover, a great loving person. The problem is, you don’t have any of these in your mind. When you’re in a situation when you’re tempted to be unloving, to be jealous or envious or angry or impatient or judgmental or critical or any of the other unloving acts we’re all tempted to do on a daily basis – when those situations occur, because you don’t have any of those verses in your mind, your Bible is usually at home on a shelf and it’s no good in that situation. But if you will memorize a few verses of what God says about love and put them in your mind, then when you’re in a situation where you need them, God can bring them to remembrance – “Remember what I said…”
Some of you have never memorized anything out of the Bible. So when you get discouraged or when you’re depressed or when you’re angry or when you’re worried or when you’re fearful, there’s nothing for God to bring to mind. So you don’t have anything that God can use because your Bible is setting at home on a shelf. You need to memorize God’s word. The Bible says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.”
4. Practice acting in unselfish, loving ways.
Love is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it develops. Practice makes perfect. How many of you were expert drivers the first time you sat behind a wheel? None of you. In fact the first time you got in a car to drive, it felt quite awkward. You didn’t know how much to push on the accelerator. You didn’t know how much to push on the brake. You didn’t even know how to adjust your seat probably, adjust the mirrors. When you had to make a major turn, you thought, “How do I do this? How do my hands go?” It felt very awkward and unnatural. So you began to practice driving. The more you practiced, the better you got at it. Now it’s second nature. You don’t even think about it. You drive and talk on the cell phone or answer e-mail or put on your makeup or a dozen other things. It’s second nature. You don’t even think about it any more.
When you want to become a great lover, a truly loving person, you have to intentionally do some things that seem awkward at first. They don’t fit. They don’t seem natural. But if you’ll practice, the more you practice, the more it becomes second nature and you become a genuinely loving person. By the way, there are no natural lovers. It’s all learned through practice.
5. Get support from other loving people.
You only learn it in connection to others, in the context of community, in the environment of relationships. Get involved in a LifeGroup at Grace Harbor!
“In this life we have three lasting qualities: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love!” 1 Cor 13:13 (Ph)
How do you learn a life of deep love? The answer is found in the scripture above from Ephesians. The author says to “Observe how Christ loved us.” In the weeks ahead we will do just that. We will see how Christ loved us while here on earth. I want to give you a few things to think about this week as we start to understand how to love. Remember that without love, we will live a life with no purpose. The following will help us get on the road to becoming truly great lovers, a truly great person of love.
1. Learn how mature love acts and responds.
Personal change always begins with a change in perspective. It involves getting God’s perspective on what love is really like. Remember what is God? God is love.
2. Start your day with a daily reminder to love.
The first 10 minutes of your day sets your entire mood for the rest of the day. If you’ll get up in the morning and say, “God, I just want to remind myself that the most important thing is love. Loving You and loving other people. What matters more than accomplishments are relationships.”
3. Memorize what God says about love.
The Bible is filled with advice, inspiration, truths, principles on how to become a great lover, a great loving person. The problem is, you don’t have any of these in your mind. When you’re in a situation when you’re tempted to be unloving, to be jealous or envious or angry or impatient or judgmental or critical or any of the other unloving acts we’re all tempted to do on a daily basis – when those situations occur, because you don’t have any of those verses in your mind, your Bible is usually at home on a shelf and it’s no good in that situation. But if you will memorize a few verses of what God says about love and put them in your mind, then when you’re in a situation where you need them, God can bring them to remembrance – “Remember what I said…”
Some of you have never memorized anything out of the Bible. So when you get discouraged or when you’re depressed or when you’re angry or when you’re worried or when you’re fearful, there’s nothing for God to bring to mind. So you don’t have anything that God can use because your Bible is setting at home on a shelf. You need to memorize God’s word. The Bible says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.”
4. Practice acting in unselfish, loving ways.
Love is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it develops. Practice makes perfect. How many of you were expert drivers the first time you sat behind a wheel? None of you. In fact the first time you got in a car to drive, it felt quite awkward. You didn’t know how much to push on the accelerator. You didn’t know how much to push on the brake. You didn’t even know how to adjust your seat probably, adjust the mirrors. When you had to make a major turn, you thought, “How do I do this? How do my hands go?” It felt very awkward and unnatural. So you began to practice driving. The more you practiced, the better you got at it. Now it’s second nature. You don’t even think about it. You drive and talk on the cell phone or answer e-mail or put on your makeup or a dozen other things. It’s second nature. You don’t even think about it any more.
When you want to become a great lover, a truly loving person, you have to intentionally do some things that seem awkward at first. They don’t fit. They don’t seem natural. But if you’ll practice, the more you practice, the more it becomes second nature and you become a genuinely loving person. By the way, there are no natural lovers. It’s all learned through practice.
5. Get support from other loving people.
You only learn it in connection to others, in the context of community, in the environment of relationships. Get involved in a LifeGroup at Grace Harbor!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
i think thats stupid
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?
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?
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.
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