The other day, I was thinking about how to enjoy Christmas without presents. I know that saying this is almost trite these days. I guess lots of us have a love-hate relationship with the consumerism of Christmas. Many of us bemoan the over-commercialization of the holiday as we drink our lattes while walking from store to store looking for the best sales. But for some reason this year, I want to learn how to make the holiday about something other than gifts. But I have to confess that I am stumped by what to do.
Thanksgiving is centered on food and family, which seems to work great. But if Christmas is really all about the gift of God’s Son, how do we focus on this in non-consumerish ways? As I thought about it, something occurred to me. It is easier to share Thanksgiving with people outside of our nuclear families than it is to share Christmas.
Christmas morning for many of us tends to have a very narrow and intimate focus. We don’t invite friends or strangers to share it with us because somehow the intimacy of what we have come to know as Christmas would be lost. Plus, we would have to be prepared with gifts for these people and them for us. So the climate of Christmas has become strangely private. Because of this, it is difficult to imagine how to experience it without the exchange of gifts.
Maybe holding to Christmas without the consumer focus would require that we gather together as the church. After all, we are celebrating that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We don't have eternal life individually but in the context of the community of faith. So what would it look like if, on Christmas morning, we all gathered at church and sang Christmas carols and people shared how God was at work in their lives? We could pray for and cry with those who are hurting so they wouldn’t be alone, and we could celebrate with others who are experiencing blessings and joy. After singing and praying and praising God for His love, we could all enjoy some food. Then we could all go home and relax as families.
Why do I think this wouldn’t work at all--and that I should just head over to the mall to do some shopping?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Jesus + Nothing = Everything
I stopped into our wonderful Communication Director’s office the other day and noticed that written on her white board was the “formula” above. What do you think about this? I really love it! If we have Jesus--or, more accurately, if Jesus has us--we have everything.
The Bible says that God is the maker of all things and that nothing would exist unless God created it (1 Chronicles 29:11, Isaiah 44:24, Matthew 11:27, John 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-20). We know that Jesus is God in the flesh. So as we connect with Jesus, we gain all things since all things exist and have their being and purpose in Christ.
But the reverse is also true. Jesus + Anything = Nothing. When I try to make my life about Jesus + something else, I can end up negating the very gift of who Jesus is. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:8-9, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
So often we look to Jesus not to have Jesus but to have what we think we can get from or through Him. The danger is that we can miss Jesus altogether. When I try to “add” Jesus to my desires for success or fame or peace, I find that I end up losing both. People who marry for money often find that they gain neither love nor money, only heartache and trouble.
Some of us have come to the conclusion that we are in desperate need of God’s grace offered to us in Jesus, but once we find the righteousness that comes by grace through faith, we often try to live relationally with God through good works. We try to “add” something to Jesus. We are now and always will be at the mercy of grace, but once we grasp that, we are totally free.
The Bible says that God is the maker of all things and that nothing would exist unless God created it (1 Chronicles 29:11, Isaiah 44:24, Matthew 11:27, John 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-20). We know that Jesus is God in the flesh. So as we connect with Jesus, we gain all things since all things exist and have their being and purpose in Christ.
But the reverse is also true. Jesus + Anything = Nothing. When I try to make my life about Jesus + something else, I can end up negating the very gift of who Jesus is. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:8-9, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
So often we look to Jesus not to have Jesus but to have what we think we can get from or through Him. The danger is that we can miss Jesus altogether. When I try to “add” Jesus to my desires for success or fame or peace, I find that I end up losing both. People who marry for money often find that they gain neither love nor money, only heartache and trouble.
Some of us have come to the conclusion that we are in desperate need of God’s grace offered to us in Jesus, but once we find the righteousness that comes by grace through faith, we often try to live relationally with God through good works. We try to “add” something to Jesus. We are now and always will be at the mercy of grace, but once we grasp that, we are totally free.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Hitting the Right Target
I want to share with you a quote from a book I have been reading, titled, “Deepening Your Effectiveness: Restructuring the Local Church for Life Transformation.”
“The primary role of a senior pastor in every church of any size, whether a new church plant or an established congregation, is vision caster and culture changer.” (p. 107)
What do you think about that? It might surprise you to know that this book was written by two United Methodists, one of whom is a former United Methodist pastor! I have been reading this book at the request of our Annual Conference so I can teach the material to other pastors and leaders in the conference.
It’s surprising because the unwritten practice for so many years in our denominational leaders has been in many ways the exact opposite of this. We have developed a culture where the senior pastor was supposed to come and accommodate the existing church culture and find out what the church wanted to do and help them do it. We have some church members who have been so immersed in this practice that often when a pastor arrives who has a vision different than what they are used to, they merely dig in their heels and announce, “I have been here longer than they have and I will be here long after they are gone!” Ouch!
If the Church’s role is to make disciples for Jesus, then part of the role of the senior pastor and other leaders is to define what a mature “disciple” looks like. Then we must focus all of what we do around the intentional building of these characteristics into as many people as we can. I began this process with our staff some time ago and I would like to share these thoughts here. These characteristics are not new with me, nor is this an exhaustive list, but I believe it will help all of us to have the right target in our minds as we think about where our lives are heading and what we are “aiming” for.
A mature follower (disciple) of Jesus is a person who….
• Puts Jesus before self. (Mark 8:34-35)
• Puts Jesus before others. (Luke 14:26)
• Puts Jesus before possessions. (Luke 14:33)
• Prays effectively. (Matthew 6:9-13)
• Honors the Word of God through study and obedience. (John 8:31-32)
• Makes other disciples. (Matthew 28:18-20)
• Loves brothers and sisters in Christ. (John 13:34-35)
• Lives in unity with brothers and sisters in Christ. (John 17:21-23)
• Lives under the authority of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8)
• Spurs on brothers and sisters in Christ. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
This is a humbling list! But what if we began to look at everything we are doing individually and corporately through this lens? What if we purposefully began to ask ourselves the tough questions about where we are effective and growing as disciples and disciplers, and where we need to make changes? What if...?
“The primary role of a senior pastor in every church of any size, whether a new church plant or an established congregation, is vision caster and culture changer.” (p. 107)
What do you think about that? It might surprise you to know that this book was written by two United Methodists, one of whom is a former United Methodist pastor! I have been reading this book at the request of our Annual Conference so I can teach the material to other pastors and leaders in the conference.
It’s surprising because the unwritten practice for so many years in our denominational leaders has been in many ways the exact opposite of this. We have developed a culture where the senior pastor was supposed to come and accommodate the existing church culture and find out what the church wanted to do and help them do it. We have some church members who have been so immersed in this practice that often when a pastor arrives who has a vision different than what they are used to, they merely dig in their heels and announce, “I have been here longer than they have and I will be here long after they are gone!” Ouch!
If the Church’s role is to make disciples for Jesus, then part of the role of the senior pastor and other leaders is to define what a mature “disciple” looks like. Then we must focus all of what we do around the intentional building of these characteristics into as many people as we can. I began this process with our staff some time ago and I would like to share these thoughts here. These characteristics are not new with me, nor is this an exhaustive list, but I believe it will help all of us to have the right target in our minds as we think about where our lives are heading and what we are “aiming” for.
A mature follower (disciple) of Jesus is a person who….
• Puts Jesus before self. (Mark 8:34-35)
• Puts Jesus before others. (Luke 14:26)
• Puts Jesus before possessions. (Luke 14:33)
• Prays effectively. (Matthew 6:9-13)
• Honors the Word of God through study and obedience. (John 8:31-32)
• Makes other disciples. (Matthew 28:18-20)
• Loves brothers and sisters in Christ. (John 13:34-35)
• Lives in unity with brothers and sisters in Christ. (John 17:21-23)
• Lives under the authority of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8)
• Spurs on brothers and sisters in Christ. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
This is a humbling list! But what if we began to look at everything we are doing individually and corporately through this lens? What if we purposefully began to ask ourselves the tough questions about where we are effective and growing as disciples and disciplers, and where we need to make changes? What if...?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Doing All Right
Sometimes I feel stuck in my spiritual growth. I find I get to certain “plateaus” of comfort and just stay there. My sins aren’t too bad and my struggles aren’t too hard. I’m not growing, but I am “doing all right.” The effort or obedience needed to move to the next level is more than I am willing to pay or that I know how to give. The world around me doesn’t help much with this. In the area of spiritual growth, we tend to be far too easy on ourselves: “Well, not everyone can be Mother Teresa, you know!”
I considered running in the House of Hope 5k this weekend. My exercise schedule is erratic at best, but I had said that I wanted to run in a 10k before I turned 50 (which is rapidly approaching). When we talk about sports or physical fitness goals, very few of us discourage each other. We know how to “spur one another on” in these areas. In fact, many of us hire personal trainers to help us move along in our journey. We have nutrition consultants, financial advisers, insurance agents and even relationship experts to help us attain bigger and better things. But who do we turn to for encouragement in our spiritual life? In the area of spiritual growth, far too many of us are going it alone. We quietly struggle and eventually find a spiritual comfort zone that keeps us satisfied but is no longer productive.
I am convinced that this is where small groups and one-on-one relationships come in. We tend to see small groups as places to feed our minds. We learn in fairly academic ways more stuff about God and the Bible. But rarely do we “get in the room” together and talk about where we are growing, where are not growing and what we can do to spur one another on. I am going to tell you a secret: The reason far too many of us are stuck spiritually is a lack of intimacy. It takes intimacy with God and intimacy with other people to continue to grow spiritually. This is why Jesus said that all of the commandments are summed up in two simple relational statements: Love God with all you have and love each other as you want to be loved.
When two or more people learn to trust each other, intimacy can develop. Intimacy leads to vulnerability and vulnerability allows for loving accountability. The enemy of this is fear. Fear of being rejected. Fear of exposure. And fear of what it would look like to be more like Jesus. I guess if I want to get unstuck, I am going to have to face my fears and learn how to love. After all, love casts out fear.
I considered running in the House of Hope 5k this weekend. My exercise schedule is erratic at best, but I had said that I wanted to run in a 10k before I turned 50 (which is rapidly approaching). When we talk about sports or physical fitness goals, very few of us discourage each other. We know how to “spur one another on” in these areas. In fact, many of us hire personal trainers to help us move along in our journey. We have nutrition consultants, financial advisers, insurance agents and even relationship experts to help us attain bigger and better things. But who do we turn to for encouragement in our spiritual life? In the area of spiritual growth, far too many of us are going it alone. We quietly struggle and eventually find a spiritual comfort zone that keeps us satisfied but is no longer productive.
I am convinced that this is where small groups and one-on-one relationships come in. We tend to see small groups as places to feed our minds. We learn in fairly academic ways more stuff about God and the Bible. But rarely do we “get in the room” together and talk about where we are growing, where are not growing and what we can do to spur one another on. I am going to tell you a secret: The reason far too many of us are stuck spiritually is a lack of intimacy. It takes intimacy with God and intimacy with other people to continue to grow spiritually. This is why Jesus said that all of the commandments are summed up in two simple relational statements: Love God with all you have and love each other as you want to be loved.
When two or more people learn to trust each other, intimacy can develop. Intimacy leads to vulnerability and vulnerability allows for loving accountability. The enemy of this is fear. Fear of being rejected. Fear of exposure. And fear of what it would look like to be more like Jesus. I guess if I want to get unstuck, I am going to have to face my fears and learn how to love. After all, love casts out fear.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Which Is It: Fear Frustrating Faith or Fearless Faith?
The church I serve, Oakdale Emory, wants to build a $3 million expansion in the midst of a recession. Last November, at a special meeting of the congregation, 86% of the people present voted to move forward. Now, maybe everyone thought we would be out of this economic mess by now, and that is why they approved the plan. Then again, I say, why wouldn’t we vote that way—then or even today? After all, Phase 1, which was the only thing voted on, seeks to do three things: 1) Add a much-needed gathering space, a “family room” if you will, so that we can invite people in the community to “come and see” what Jesus is up to in us and through us. 2) Add much-needed flexible space for the many groups and ministries that use our buildings as tools for discipleship, and 3) Update and correct some of the technical difficulties (inadequate restroom facilities, for example) our buildings suffer from now.
But an interesting thing happens when I talk to people about this. An enormous number of them react with fear. They are afraid we will fail. They are afraid we won’t be able to raise the money. (This is different than failure, in my opinion, and I’ll explain why in a second.) They are afraid people won’t give. They are afraid we are wasting our time. Fear! Fear! Fear! The Bible tells us in Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Too often, our fears frustrate and stop our faith when God’s desire is for us to experience fearless faith.
There are many ways we could fail. We could do nothing and just expect that the money will magically will appear. We could run such a stupid Capital Campaign that no one even knows what they are giving to. But in my mind, going to the congregation with a plan, asking for their prayerful and sacrificial support, and then tallying up where we stand is our next step of obedience. If, after we do our own due diligence, we cannot afford to build right now, then we will wait until we can. How have we failed?
On the other hand, if in the midst of this economy, we canvass our family and God opens the gates of generosity and we receive what we need, then we have a story to tell of faith in action! Because we can announce to ourselves and to those in our community “come and see” what God has done! This may be just the witness God wants us to have. In a “good” economy, we might have been tempted to say, “Look what we did!” But who is going to say that if, over the next three years, we are able to raise $3 million in a down economy? God is looking for glory and praise. God wants a people who will live by faith. There are plenty of places where my fears want to stop my faith, but today I am choosing to turn fear away and live with a fearless faith!
But an interesting thing happens when I talk to people about this. An enormous number of them react with fear. They are afraid we will fail. They are afraid we won’t be able to raise the money. (This is different than failure, in my opinion, and I’ll explain why in a second.) They are afraid people won’t give. They are afraid we are wasting our time. Fear! Fear! Fear! The Bible tells us in Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Too often, our fears frustrate and stop our faith when God’s desire is for us to experience fearless faith.
There are many ways we could fail. We could do nothing and just expect that the money will magically will appear. We could run such a stupid Capital Campaign that no one even knows what they are giving to. But in my mind, going to the congregation with a plan, asking for their prayerful and sacrificial support, and then tallying up where we stand is our next step of obedience. If, after we do our own due diligence, we cannot afford to build right now, then we will wait until we can. How have we failed?
On the other hand, if in the midst of this economy, we canvass our family and God opens the gates of generosity and we receive what we need, then we have a story to tell of faith in action! Because we can announce to ourselves and to those in our community “come and see” what God has done! This may be just the witness God wants us to have. In a “good” economy, we might have been tempted to say, “Look what we did!” But who is going to say that if, over the next three years, we are able to raise $3 million in a down economy? God is looking for glory and praise. God wants a people who will live by faith. There are plenty of places where my fears want to stop my faith, but today I am choosing to turn fear away and live with a fearless faith!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Foward Is Our Only Option
“You cannot step twice into the same river; for other waters are continually flowing in.” --Heraclitus
It is human nature, especially as we get older, to idealize portions of our past. Some of us have fond memories about our childhoods, early days of school, lost moments of summer, our careers... These memories help form who we are and help guide our lives forward, but forward is our only option.
Churches, like the humans who comprise them, can often long for the past. Every member who has been around a particular church for a few years has some past story, ministry, activity or program that was wonderful and meant something special to them. These ministry memories make up the “ideal” that can, if we are not careful, capture our hearts and keep us looking in the wrong direction. We cannot return to the past no matter how intensely we long for it. Even if we could recreate all of the past’s details, things still wouldn’t be the same because we are not the same.
God never intended for his children to live in the past or to fear the future. The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:13-15, "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have not yet reached the place of entire sanctification that God invites me to pursue. As a church, Oakdale Emory has not reached that place of entire sanctification, either. Neither my heart, nor in my opinion, the heart of Oakdale has become so filled with the love of God that all other desires and vices have been cast aside. We may even want to debate the possibility of this theological position. But what is certain is that God is calling all of us forward and we cannot move forward if we are clinging to the past or fearful of the future.
The grace of God is the answer to both sides of this struggle. My past and Oakdale Emory’s past is spattered with sins of commission and omission. These can only be put to rest through repentance and God’s grace. This is God’s desire for all of us. And we have no need to fear the future. God has already been there and is strong enough and good enough to be our covering and our guide. We cannot go back. We will not stay here. Forward in grace and truth is where and how we are heading. I hope you will come along into the reality God is creating for us, because such a journey is always better when it's lived out together.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Being a Change Agent in a Down Economy
A pastor's job often involves a series of long meetings dealing with difficult topics and struggling with tensions that can't be resolved. At the conclusion of such a meeting the other day, I was met with wonderful words of encouragement and focus. I am always amazed by the divine appointments that show up in my life at the most unexpected and unassuming moments.
However, times of change and difficulty have a way of bringing clarity for me—because I turn to what I absolutely know is true, which counters my fears:
- God is still on His throne and is actively at work.
- Nothing can stop or hinder the activity of the Church (notice capital “C”).
- God is good and is able to redeem and bless anything and everything that I surrender to Him.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Grace and the DMZ
I am back in my hotel in Seoul after an all-day trip to the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone. As I am sure you know, the Korean Peninsula is divided into two nations: North and South Korea. The DMZ is the “no man’s land” that stretches across the 150-mile width of the peninsula and serves as a “safe zone” between these two nations.
On the bus ride to the area, I kept thinking about my dad, who served in the Korean War and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while taking supplies to the front lines. In addition to being injured physically here, my father also suffered the loss of his mother while he was serving in Korea. By the time the Red Cross got the message to him and he arrived home, my grandmother had already died and been buried. It was hard not to feel a great deal of pride, about both my dad and my country, as our guide spoke about the significant role America played and continues to play in the freedom South Koreans experience.
I am here in another kind of fight for freedom. I have come to talk about the freedom we can have in Jesus. Isaiah 61:1-3 reads, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” These words were read by Jesus at his very first sermon. Jesus’ purpose in coming to Earth was to fulfill this promise.
There are many types of bondage in the world today. Some people are in bondage to wicked political systems, some are in bondage to sinful patterns and habits, some are in bondage to cycles of success and money, and some are even in bondage to religion. I have come halfway across the globe to preach a message of grace. I have come to declare that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
Earlier today, I stood under close military guard with one foot in South Korea and one in North Korea, but I was forbidden to have any contact with anyone from North Korea. However, I have been told that when I preach on Sunday, the message will be broadcast through the Far East Broadcasting Company into parts of North Korea. What amazing times we live in. Wouldn’t it just be like God to use an unknown pastor from Maryland as a voice of grace and set some more captives free here on this beautiful peninsula? Grace is truly amazing!
On the bus ride to the area, I kept thinking about my dad, who served in the Korean War and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while taking supplies to the front lines. In addition to being injured physically here, my father also suffered the loss of his mother while he was serving in Korea. By the time the Red Cross got the message to him and he arrived home, my grandmother had already died and been buried. It was hard not to feel a great deal of pride, about both my dad and my country, as our guide spoke about the significant role America played and continues to play in the freedom South Koreans experience.
I am here in another kind of fight for freedom. I have come to talk about the freedom we can have in Jesus. Isaiah 61:1-3 reads, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” These words were read by Jesus at his very first sermon. Jesus’ purpose in coming to Earth was to fulfill this promise.
There are many types of bondage in the world today. Some people are in bondage to wicked political systems, some are in bondage to sinful patterns and habits, some are in bondage to cycles of success and money, and some are even in bondage to religion. I have come halfway across the globe to preach a message of grace. I have come to declare that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
Earlier today, I stood under close military guard with one foot in South Korea and one in North Korea, but I was forbidden to have any contact with anyone from North Korea. However, I have been told that when I preach on Sunday, the message will be broadcast through the Far East Broadcasting Company into parts of North Korea. What amazing times we live in. Wouldn’t it just be like God to use an unknown pastor from Maryland as a voice of grace and set some more captives free here on this beautiful peninsula? Grace is truly amazing!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Where Is Your Auto-Pilot Taking You?
I have come to believe that I am a spiritual creature living temporarily in a physical body. But I have noticed something: when I am tired, I default to the physical. Wouldn’t it be great if, when we were exhausted, we defaulted to the spiritual? Wouldn’t it be great if, when we get overtaxed, we just naturally saw our prayer life and worship life come alive? When I start feeling drained, I tend to start running on “auto-pilot” and my auto-pilot seems to be more “flesh” than “spirit.”
Apparently it takes energy to live a spiritually connected life. Like any relationship, our connection with God quickly atrophies from a lack of time and attention. How about you? How are you doing? Have you noticed that you are losing more and more battles with sin? How tired are you? When we get running too fast for too long, we find ourselves drained of the very life-giving energy that God intended for us to live by. In Galatians 5:16, the Lord speaking through the Apostle Paul says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
When I am tired, I struggle even more to live by the Spirit. God created us for rest, for Sabbath. It is idolatry to think we can live without the God-given mandate of both work and rest. Instead of living as creatures that were designed for some rest, we have started to believe our own press—that we can do anything, and that we can continue to “push through.” It’s Friday. Take a break this weekend. Give yourself an hour or so to spend reading God’s Word, talking with God and listening to what He is saying to you and doing around you. Rest! It’s what God wants you to do.
Friday, July 16, 2010
When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong
Have you ever had the experience of seeing something new in something very familiar? You wonder: “How did I not see that before?” I noticed something new yesterday in Acts 1, which relates how Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days following His death and resurrection—but before He ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit arrived on the scene. The Bible says that one day, while Jesus was eating with them, He gave an order: “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before” (Acts 1:4, NLT).
Shortly thereafter, He commanded them to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8). It suddenly struck me for the first time that the Disciples could easily have done this without the power of the Holy Spirit. After all, we're not talking about doing something supernatural, such as healing the lame or raising the dead. How much “power” does it take to tell another person what you have seen with your own two eyes?
This morning at 5:04, I woke up to a minor earthquake. Facebook is now filled with people in the region asking the same question, “Did you feel the earthquake?” So far, no one has responded, “I can’t answer that question yet. I have not received power from on high!” Why do we need power just to tell other people what we have seen and heard and experienced?” That was when I saw it. We tend to focus so much on having our part in life right—making sure our “testimonies” and our ministries are in order. But the best preaching, programs, actions, etc. in the world are inadequate unless they are energized, timed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in them, they will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). I don’t think Jesus meant we are incapable of doing anything without Him. Rather, Jesus is saying that we are powerless to produce spiritual fruit on our own. The best sermon, without the influence of the Holy Spirit, is devoid of spiritual power. However, a simple witness empowered by the Holy Spirit can be transformational.
You and I have been invited by God to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. At its core, the Kingdom of Heaven is the place where God is at the center and His commands are obeyed. I believe God wants us to experience this right here and now. The presence of the Holy Spirit is what makes this possible. Doing the right things in our power won’t build God’s Kingdom. The best churches are not the ones with the best people doing the best programs and raising the most money. The best church (dare I say, the only real church) is where ordinary people are waiting on, filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Shortly thereafter, He commanded them to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8). It suddenly struck me for the first time that the Disciples could easily have done this without the power of the Holy Spirit. After all, we're not talking about doing something supernatural, such as healing the lame or raising the dead. How much “power” does it take to tell another person what you have seen with your own two eyes?
This morning at 5:04, I woke up to a minor earthquake. Facebook is now filled with people in the region asking the same question, “Did you feel the earthquake?” So far, no one has responded, “I can’t answer that question yet. I have not received power from on high!” Why do we need power just to tell other people what we have seen and heard and experienced?” That was when I saw it. We tend to focus so much on having our part in life right—making sure our “testimonies” and our ministries are in order. But the best preaching, programs, actions, etc. in the world are inadequate unless they are energized, timed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in them, they will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). I don’t think Jesus meant we are incapable of doing anything without Him. Rather, Jesus is saying that we are powerless to produce spiritual fruit on our own. The best sermon, without the influence of the Holy Spirit, is devoid of spiritual power. However, a simple witness empowered by the Holy Spirit can be transformational.
You and I have been invited by God to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. At its core, the Kingdom of Heaven is the place where God is at the center and His commands are obeyed. I believe God wants us to experience this right here and now. The presence of the Holy Spirit is what makes this possible. Doing the right things in our power won’t build God’s Kingdom. The best churches are not the ones with the best people doing the best programs and raising the most money. The best church (dare I say, the only real church) is where ordinary people are waiting on, filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Shepherds and Ranchers
Since I believe everyone wants to feel connected to and know more about the pastor who preaches on Sunday mornings, I have decided to begin writing a weekly blog. I don’t read blogs regularly and I have never blogged before now, but I am anxious to see if this use of interactive technology can help us grow closer together and partner to build the Kingdom on earth where Jesus reigns. I have named my blog “Heart Matters” because I want to share with you more of what is in my heart. So here goes…
There are two kinds of churches, shepherd churches and rancher churches. These distinctions are made primarily on the size of the church. Shepherd churches are usually under 200 in worship attendance, have only one or two generations that are active and the senior pastor (most likely the only pastor) provides all of the pastoral care for the congregation. In a rancher church, there are usually three to four active generations, the church’s focus is as much on the needs in the community as it is on internal church needs, and the senior pastor primarily “shepherds” 10-15 leaders who then shepherd people in their own area of responsibility.
Don’t get me wrong, everyone needs the care of a shepherd; the question is how many people one person can effectively care for. With 500 to 600 people in worship on Sundays, Oakdale Emory is in a difficult place in some respects. We are too large to be a shepherd church, but many people in our congregation still feel that the senior pastor should be their “primary” shepherd. If Oakdale were a church with 1,500 or 2,000 people active each week, there would be little expectation that the senior pastor could be in touch with that size congregation on a personal level. The truth is shepherding people has great rewards. There is no better feeling than to know that you have been used by God to bless someone. There are few greater privileges than standing by the bedside singing hymns and praying as someone eases from this life to the next. Pastors, like me, who have the privilege of being a part of “rancher” churches, are forced to give some of that up and to train others to share in that privilege.
Thanks for reading my first entry. I believe you will agree that “heart matters” and hope you will let me know what you think by posting your comments below.
There are two kinds of churches, shepherd churches and rancher churches. These distinctions are made primarily on the size of the church. Shepherd churches are usually under 200 in worship attendance, have only one or two generations that are active and the senior pastor (most likely the only pastor) provides all of the pastoral care for the congregation. In a rancher church, there are usually three to four active generations, the church’s focus is as much on the needs in the community as it is on internal church needs, and the senior pastor primarily “shepherds” 10-15 leaders who then shepherd people in their own area of responsibility.
Don’t get me wrong, everyone needs the care of a shepherd; the question is how many people one person can effectively care for. With 500 to 600 people in worship on Sundays, Oakdale Emory is in a difficult place in some respects. We are too large to be a shepherd church, but many people in our congregation still feel that the senior pastor should be their “primary” shepherd. If Oakdale were a church with 1,500 or 2,000 people active each week, there would be little expectation that the senior pastor could be in touch with that size congregation on a personal level. The truth is shepherding people has great rewards. There is no better feeling than to know that you have been used by God to bless someone. There are few greater privileges than standing by the bedside singing hymns and praying as someone eases from this life to the next. Pastors, like me, who have the privilege of being a part of “rancher” churches, are forced to give some of that up and to train others to share in that privilege.
Thanks for reading my first entry. I believe you will agree that “heart matters” and hope you will let me know what you think by posting your comments below.
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