The Vision and The Journey…

Not all journeys begin with a vision, but every vision is the beginning of a journey. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I am talking about something that originated from the heart of God, not the desires of man.  We have all felt strong desires and placing them in beautifully crafted words and called them a vision.  Church leaders are notorious for this , the proof being captured in many churches’ three part vision statements.  I’m not slamming on the desires of Godly men who want to do good things, but there is a big difference between the visions of men to do Godly things and the visions from God that only He can give and fulfill. 

“That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  John 3:6

God fulfills His visions through us and by the resources He supplies.  We cannot see or understand the full scope of this kind of vision.  If we did, we would run away from it like Jonah or run right out thinking we can fulfill God’s vision.  A true vision from God frightens you and captures you at the same time.  You don’t go looking for it, it finds you.

It was a typical Sunday service.  We were going through the same routine we go through every Sunday.  As we came to our time of worship, I was engaged as I usually am somewhere between sorting out the last thoughts of the sermon I am about to deliver and half listening for any last minute promptings from the Holy Spirit and trying to worship.  All of a sudden I am arrested by God with a vision.  I am engulfed by what I see in the Spirit as everything in the natural fades into the backdrop till I am only aware of God and what He’s showing me.  And, this is all I see…

I was taken outside of our Church building as I watched a storm appear.  It was sudden with no time to prepare.  You could not see the storm, only it’s effects.  It was like seeing one of those storm stories about a hurricane or tornado on the Discovery Channel.  The power of the wind began to tear the building apart starting with the shingles.  Piece by piece the building tore apart, shingles, plywood, timbers and bricks, til all that was left was the concrete slab foundation.  Then as quickly as the church was torn apart and stripped away, God began to build it back.  Suddenly, I found myself back standing in our sanctuary singing our last song if worship.

I tried quickly to compose myself.  What now?  I sensed in my spirit that God was about to do what I saw, but I had no idea what that meant.  As I said before, it frightened me and captured me.  I heard the Lord say, “surrender.”

I made my way up front and stood before the people God had been so gracious to bring together as our church.  I felt compelled to share what I saw and what God said to me.  When I was done sharing the vision, I said to the church that I sensed God telling us to surrender, that if He needed to strip anything away, we needed to surrender and let Him.  If I needed to go, the building needed to go, any programs, any people, finances, ideologies about ministry or personal issues, then we needed to surrender and let Him.   I asked everyone to pray with me a prayer of consecration.

What came next, I would not have expected.  And, so the journey began…

Come along with me.

Shared life…

Today I played golf for the first time in 1 1/2 years.   I was invited by someone in my church who loves golf and lives on the 6th fairway at Beau Rivage.  My Dad was home, so the three of us hit the links.  It was the most awesome weather; great temperature with a nice breeze.  Now I’m not going to give Tiger Woods a run for his money, so I don’t take things too serious.  But, I ain’t too bad; though I will admit being last today.  A bad day on the course is still a good day.  I think I lost 6 balls and my golf shoes obviously sat too many years in my garage, because on the 5th hole the soles of my shoes literally began to come apart.  By the 8th hole I was playing with one sole.  By the 9th I felt like I was walking in mockasins with no soles.  My back was killing me by the 10th green.  What an awesome day!

Why?  We may not always think about it, but everything that is worth anything is better when shared with people we love.  Think about it.  Just about everything in life is enhanced by the presence of others we can share the experience with.  A funny movie is funnier when you can laugh with someone.  Your favorite restaurant is better when sharing it with a friend.  Golf is even better when you can play with people you care about.  Even if you play badly.

All said, this journey with Jesus is enhanced by the community of intimate friend that I get to walk with.  Love if fuller if we can share it.  I am glad that God has me on the path I find myself.  Church has taken on new meaning and new life for me.  I am breaking free from lifeless religion and institutional spirituality into the beauty of organic church, oneness with Jesus and share community.  Life and life more abundantly. 

Does something in your spirit long for something more, something different that what you are experiencing?  Is there a longing for something deeper in Jesus and others?  Ask yourself, what is keeping you from experiencing it?

Run away church…

“…and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6

Maybe there is something to learn from this young generation about Church.  When I was a kid I didn’t like going to church but I did like seeing my friends there.  I remember the old man who used to give all us kids a stick of gum every Sunday.  Isn’t it funny the things that matter to us.  For me, the greatest memories of my childhood church experience had to do with the relationships I valued and the people who showed value to me.

It’s all about the relationships.  God living in us, us living in relationship with Him, us living in relationship with each other revealing the relationship with Him.  So as I tell the church I have the privilege of leading and loving, “when we leave the building, the church has left the building because we are the church, not the building.”

Risky Buisness…

We have been teaching a series called “Going Deep” over the last few weeks and it has been an awesome experience for me because it has been shaping me as I teach it. 

The thing I have been pondering is how we mostly present Christianity as a belief system instead of a way of life.  Our faith was intended to be a way of life.  God models this for us.  We know 1 John 4:8 says “God is love.”  This is our belief.  But, in Romans 5:8 God Gives us His way of life, “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   We know the bible says God is kind and we believe it but Romans 2:4 says “the kindness of God leads you to repentance.”  Our belief system has to always be fleshed out.  It has to become for us a way of life.

In our series about “Going Deep”,we looked at Acts 2:42-47 where the believer (system) devoted themselves (way of life).  They devoted themselvesto fellowship and breaking of bread which requires a great deal of humility and vulnerability.  Let’s just say this is RISKY BUSINESS.  I shared in our series how we will have fellowship to the degree that we are known.  This means the risk of exposing ourselves, being real.  It questions “If I let people know this about me, what will they think, what will they do?”

That said, I was privileged this week to be invited to lunch by a new friend.  When we settled down to eat he said the reason he wanted to have lunch with me was to expose himself.  He said he wanted to tell me about his life so we could know each other deeper.  WOW!!!  The courage it takes to let it all hang out.  My experience has been, you never know how people will react when you open up to be known.  I am so blessed, both as this persons friend and as a pastor.  I am blessed to go deeper as a friend and like most pastors, we are blessed when people “get it.”  It takes a great deal of faith to live the kind of life, but is is our reward, our inheritance in the saints.

Hang in there with me, I need to catch up the last two weeks of this series here on the blog. (Breaking Bread & Prayer)

Here are the links for the first 3 parts of this series “GOING DEEP.”

Pt. 1 GOING DEEP

Pt. 2 GOING DEEP

Pt.3 GOING DEEP

Going Deep – Pt.2 The Word

In our second week of this series we looked at Going Deep in God’s Word.

“And they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching…”   Acts2:42

In Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, he says “One evidence of conversion is a desire to be instructed in the doctrines and duties of religion, and a willingness to attend on the preaching of the gospel.”  When we come to Jesus there is a desire stirred to know Him and our new life in a deeper way, both in knowledge and experience. 

God, from before time has been a God who reveals Himself and wants to be known, not out of His need but ours.  In this He has not left us without a way to know Him.  He has done so in His Word, both written and incarnate.

“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness of me…”  John 5:39

In the scriptures we find the revelation of Jesus.  As we behold Him we are transformed. (2 Corinthians 3:18)  For God’s plan has always been to conform us to the image of His Son. (Romans 8:29)  

The new believers in Acts 2 were responding to this desire by devoting themselves to the Apostle to be taught.  And as a result they were experiencing the change of this new life in Christ.  They were going deeper in the Word through the Apostles’ teaching.  The word for teaching here is also the word doctrine, which is not meant to be a systematic order if information.  It is deeper than just knowledge.  Referring again to Albert Barnes Notes, Barnes says it was not to just hold or believe the doctrine of the Apostles, but to adhere to or attend on those teachings.  This was a new and deepening life in God’s Word.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”   2 Timothy 3:16-17

To understand why and how going deeper in the Word and devoting ourselves to it’s teaching changes us, we can look at 2nd Timothy.  It says “All scripture is breathed out by God…”  In the Greek it literally means by the breath of God the Scriptures were formed.  Peter says it this way:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”   2 Peter 1:16-21

The Greek “carried along” actually means “borne” from the root “to bear.”  Benjamine Warfield says:

“What is “borne” is taken up by the “bearer,” and conveyed by the “bearer’s” power, not its own, to the “bearer’s” goal, not its own.  The men who spoke from God are here declared, therefore, to have been taken up by the Holy Spirit and brought by His power to the goal of His choosing.  The things which they spoke under this operation of the Holy Spirit were, therefore, His things, not theirs.”  Benjamine Warfield

This is why our human words only have power to the degree of our own limited ability and authority, but when we are borne of the Holy Spirit, we are taken up by Him andwhat we then do in Him is by Him through us.  This kindof power is supernatural.  This is the power of the Word given by these men borne of the Spirit.  This makes the Word of God powerful and as we go deeper into it, it works in us powerfully to the end and goal of the Spirit to which the Word belongs.

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”  1 Thessalonians 2:13

In the life of the “borne” again believer, the Word performs powerful and life changing things for those who go deeper into it and put it to practice – obey it.  This is why it says in Ephesians:

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”   Ephesians 4:11-16

No one is going to do it for us.  Our new life is a journey and the change we must experience is a process.  It is a process that is hindered if we do not go deeper in God’s Word.  It is amazing that as much as  we (believers) hold the Apostle Paul up on a pedestal, that we would fine this in his writings:

“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:10-11

Let me invite you to GO DEEPinto God’s Word.  Take advantage of the opportunities you have to devote yourself to Apostolic teaching.  Your pastors and spiritual leaders humbly labor to lead you into a deep and rich encounter the the Word of the Word, Jesus.  God is faithful to bring favor in your life from devotion to the teaching of His Word.

“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who bear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”  Mark 4:20

Going Deep Pt. 1

Last week I started a new teaching series at The Dwelling Place entitled “Going Deep.”  It was prompted by something I posted a few days back where I said “Going Deep is our part, going Big is God’s part.”  As I was reflecting on Acts 2 I noticed something that jerked me back like a dog on a leash.

We have a tendency as church pastors and church planter to give in to the pressure to produce.  Much of our insecurities can be manipulated by the pressure of perceived expectation, that we must make it grow.  Since we are the experts, we must do something to make that thing get bigger.  After all it is the consumers measure for success.  If it’s not succeeding then we are not succeeding.  Let me say to all of you in ministry, “What a load of CRAP!”  Success?  I remember what my Father said to His firstborn, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  This is it.  I am my Daddy’s son and He loves me.

Moving on.  After finishing a previous series where we looked at what our mission was, I was tempted to work up a mission statement, package it well, capture it in a clever statement and then….jerrrrrk.  I saw it.  

“And they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers……praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”   Acts 2:42,47

The new believers devoted themselves……it produced favor and the Lord added to their number.

Devoted in the Greek means “to be earnest towards.”  It is a compound word for “forward” indicating a direction and movement towards; and to be strong, steadfast or endure.   In the context of verse 42 it means these new believers were moving forward in a stronger and more earnest relationship with Jesus, their leaders (Apostles) and each other.  In other word they were GOING DEEPER in Scripture and teaching of the Apostles, deeper in fellowship, deeper in the practice of faith and deeper in prayer together.

When we enter into this deeper devotion and a missional, incarnational focus on those around us, it will produce favor.  Going deeper in relationship and love with God and people is an attractive thing.  When you find something you really love, don’t you want to tell someone or share it with someone.  “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  If you don’t want to share the experience of what you have, you might want to check and see if you had it in the first place. 

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”      1 John 4:8

God cannot be contained.  When we try to put God in a box and contain Him, it becomes something other than God.  It just becomes religion and not good religion at that.  Life has to have room to grow or you kill it.    “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7

Next Teaching Series: Going Deep

I’m excited about what is ahead of us at The Dwelling Place.  This is our next Teaching Series:

 

 

 

So, if you are visiting in town or looking for a gathering of God’s church to connect with, come worship and fellowship with us this Sunday 10:30 am.

Born to die…

We always share communion on Christmas Sunday in our worship gathering.  I was pondering this in light of the celebration of Christ’s birth.  Why do we combine the crucifixion with the birth of Jesus?  What is its significance and implication?  As many of you will share the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist) this Sunday let me give you something to meditate on.

There is something wrapped in the mystery and miracle of Christ’s birth.  We are overwhelmed by the beauty of His birth and celebrate His coming, but His coming was for what or whom?  Like a seed potent with life and full of a greater destiny, Jesus birth is only the beginning of a journey to the cross.  And like a seed He must die to fulfill His mission.

“…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  Whoever loves his life loses it, nd whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also.  If anyone serves me, the father will honor him.  Now My soul is troubled.  And what shall I say?  ‘Father save Me from this hour’?  But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”  John 12:24-27

I am reminded that as Jesus shared the Eucharist with His disciples, He told them to “share it with each other”.  (Luke 22:17)  As it was His mission to be sent into the world to die, we too are to follow Him and be Broken Bread and Poured Out Wine to a hungry and thirsty world looking for life in a wasteland.  Within us is the incredible fragrance of Christ waiting to be sacrificed, broken and poured out like the bottle of perfume’ that Mary broke open and poured out on Jesus feet and hair. (John 12:3)

This Christmas, when you receive the Eucharist, which is not only Jesus Himself but also His Mission, find yourself in Him and your mission to be broken and poured out.  Take it and share it among yourselves.   We are not His unless we follow Him in like manner. 

Let Christ be poured out into your hearts and go this Christmas giving your life to someone who needs Jesus.

What are we looking for?

“As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”  John 6:66

I met an African Pastor about 15 years ago who said to me, “If someone says they want to be a Pastor then God is probably not calling them or they are out of their mind.  If you can do anything else then do that.”  What a gift of encouragement.  Fifteen years later I can say I truly understand what this Pastor was trying to say to me.  To deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus is all too real.  I had no idea 15 years ago that it would mean denying everything about myself for what every other person would want of me. 

This verse in John’s Gospel as well as the context it is taken from reveal so much about ministry in today’s church.  Those going into ministry would do well to learn these things up front.  But, like me, they would not believe it and because we didn’t yet know what Jesus knew, “there is no life,no resurrection without death, without crucifixion.”  You only learn this by loving the Father and those whom He loves so much that you will allow them to crucify you in order to show them life and love at the risk of them maybe not ever seeing it.

By human standards and much of our standard related to church success today, Jesus was a failure.  But Jesus knew it was what His Father said that mattered.  In John 6:66  all of Jesus’ disciples except the 12 looked at Him and said this is too tough, we cannot follow you anymore.  Jesus was so secure in His Father’s business that He didn’t go chasing after them to change their minds.  He simply obeyed His mission.

The context is interesting.  Jesus has fed the 5000+ people by the sea of Galilee and then later the disciples went ahead of Him to the other side in a boat.  Jesus came walking out to them on the water and then they miraculously found themselves on the other side.  That next day when the people realized Jesus and the disciples were gone, they went and found them.  Jesus makes an accusation toward them.  “I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”  John 6:26

Jesus was saying, “you are not following Me because you believe in Me but because I fed you.”  These are the people who turned and left Him.  In the same manner we find these same people or the like, praising Him on Palm Sunday and crucifying Him on Good Friday.

We have to be careful that in all our searching to find the Church and a place to be fed, that we not miss the church all together.  We can totally miss the point.  And if I were judging by appearance the success of Jesus’ church at this point, I would say by a 5000+/- drop in attendance by His disciple would be an utter failure.  And, 50 days after they had crucified Him only 120 could be found.

What really is the point?  The enemy of the Church loves for us to miss the point.  When we get our eyes on ourselves we miss the point that it’s about others and our relationship with them and our relationship with the Father.  The enemy wants us to blame our Pastors who sacrifice for them in ways they will never realize.  Our Pastors cannot take up the responsibility of every christian to build each other up in love and do their part so the church grows.  (Ephesians 4:11-16)  We can only teach and encourage the body to do so.  The enemy loves to instill fear and division in the Church.  It renders us ineffective and many times his instrument.

The enemy wants us to think like the world when we look at the Church.  He tempts us to believe that God is not in something if it’s declining and not growing the way we believe.  Tell that to Job. And for most of us that would make our personal lives utter failures. 

We must rise above these things and be the glorious Church that Christ died and lives for.  The Church grows based on what the body does to build each other up in love.  Bless those who serve you, reach out to those far from you.  Judge not on the outward appearance.  Love never fails when we love like Jesus.

NOW.  Let me be personal and for those who may read this and are of another congregation be encouraged where God has you.  We have been going through difficult and painful times as a Church.  No one knows that more that me, my family and our leaders.  It has been an incredible test for us all.  But, God showed me He was going to do this, of which I have shared on several occasions.  And, He also showed what He was going to do when this painful part was complete.  I have no alternative as a believer and a Pastor but to trust and follow Him even if many people leave.  To obey is better than sacrifice.   In this case, “the sacrifice.”  Some have not and will not take this journey.  This I understand. 

But, I don’t want to be just another Church;  I want to be a different kind of Church.  One that will lay it’s life down for it’s neighbor.  One that will seek to save that which is lost.  One that is willing to go wherever the lost is not waiting for them to come to us.  A Church that is intentional about building relationships with lost people in order to know them and love them not just in our Church but where they are.  One that will love the way the Bible say.  One that loves God by serving and ministering to others. 

The Bible tells us that God’s kind of love Never Fails.  If it fails, it’s wasn’t love.  My commitment as a Pastor endures.  I believe in God and His plan for us as a Church more than the darkness that seems to surround and makes seeing where I’m going difficult.  I trust Him more than what I see in man.  God will not fail us.  He is true to His Word and what He says is more important than what we want.  What He says will not return empty but will accomplish what He desires.

I would ask you to be more committed to each other than ever before.   I would also ask you to support those who have sacrificed to serve you for many years with no expectation but obedience to God’s Word your friendship and your love.  I would ask you to not give up hope.

Please, take the time to read this article, (We can’t do megachurch anymore.) CLICK HERE

I know this is long but I believe it is important.

Jam on it.

Amy’s 20th reunion is coming up soon and she is helping plan the event.  My sister sent us her collection of 80’s music and we happened to be listening to some last night when our son (Nathan) came into the kitchen.   Nathan constantly cracks us up.  Here is a spontaneous dance by Nathan – a lip-sinc, robot, gangsta, hip-hop thing.  Jam on it!

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

So what goes on at your house that no one would expect?

Do Your Thing…

Good day.  Up early – cast my vote.  A little time with Jesus, myself, a good cup of coffee and some great music on iTunes.  Proverbs3:3-4  Love and faithfulness brings success and favor in the sight of God and man.

I get to spend some time with some cool people.  Today I got to have lunch with this guy.  I love to be around people who “know their thing and do their thing.”  Nobody can “do your thing” better than you.  You were created for it. Find it, pursue it, love it, do it!

Do you know what your thing is?

What’s your thing?

Are you pursuing it?

Why we do this…

This is the kind of stuff that makes it worth it. 

Today I performed a wedding ceremony for a couple who came to me and said they finally realized that they could not walk in God’s full blessing unless they quit living together and got married.  They realized God could not bless disobedience.  But that was not the best thing.  They both wanted to commit their lives to Christ and be baptized.  So we had a sea shore wedding and then got baptized. Dude.

That Rocks!!!!  God is so good.

This makes up for so much religious junk that you have to deal with in church.  It’s about relationships.

Congrats to Utah and Kim.  God bless you.  It was my honor.

A Sure Footing…

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”  Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)

Amy and I just got back from a week in San Antonio, Texas where we were invited to speak at a retreat by a great friend and his wife.  The time we spent with Robbie and Annie made me think of the first part of the verse above.  Robbie is a Youth Pastor with 412 Youth Ministry at Trinity Church.  and was a part of the camp ministry we were involved in over the last 15 years.  We have had the pleasure of watching Robbie grow into a man of God and one of the best Youth Pastors I know.  Over the last week I felt like a proud parent as I watched Robbie handle very trying issues with the utmost integrity. 

Integrity is a most precious commodity.  It is Kingdom currency.  While others around you compromise and operated dishonestly, men and women of the Kingdom of righteousness must walk in integrity.  Integrity enjoys the favor of God.  It sustains you in the pleasure of the Father.  It keeps you on a sure footing.

A lack of integrity robs your security and any attempt to hide dishonest or compromising ways will be short lived.  God’s plan for our lives is too important to the Kingdom for Him to leave us living lives that lack integrity.  He will allow us to go in the wrong direction in order to deal with what is lacking or needed in our lives in order to make us more effective for the kingdom.

Christmas Message Series…

Presence  

If you could ask for one life changing thing, what would it be? 

This could be just another year of Christmas as usual – visiting relatives, eating too much and spending the rest of the year paying off the credit cards, or it could be a year God’s presence transforms your life, your relationships, and your community. 

Join us over the next three weeks as we experience the Presence.  Invite a friend or co-worker to this Life Transforming time in God’s Presence.

Presence >>> Current Series: December 9, 16 & 23 @ 10:30 am  (also on the 23rd @ 7:00 pm)

Becoming The Dwelling Place…

Someone asked me the other day, “Are you double blogging?”  The answer is yes.  How crazy is that?  Like I have time?

Anyway, I just wanted you to check out this other site.  It is directly related to our Church and what God is doing with us and developing through us.  I hope you will check it out, pray for us and leave your thoughts and encouraging comments.

www.becomingthedwellingplace.wordpress.comEphesians 2:22