New Cushion

Fad Resistance

2012-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

My daughter was telling me the other day how she was sick of Tim Tebow. It wasn’t him, so much, but the constant media blitz about him. For a while he was counter-cultural, the hope of the grass roots and the outsider. Now he was mainstream, overplayed, imitated, the spokesperson for companies trying to make a profit.

This is what happens when something becomes too common, too hyped, too much a part of the established cultural flow. People start to resist. New and alternative movements cause a buzz of excitement. A mainstream fad causes resistance.

The tendency to bash the church is moving into fad territory. I watched the popular YouTube video “Jesus>Religion.” While it reflects today’s prevalent anti-institutionalism and this generation’s movement toward deconstruction of established systems, its slick and commercial appearance, along with a its faux alternative tone, show that church/religion-bashing has gone mainstream. In other words, the church is trying to lure people in by bashing itself. This has become a fad. And people see through fads. They don’t like them. They resist them.

So, as the church resists itself so people who really resist it will be attracted, the resistors of the church will resist the resisting. Got that?

What’s the answer? Ephesians 3:10 says that God’s intent was that “now, through the church, [His] manifold wisdom should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” The answer is for the church to be the church. Not to resist itself or bash itself or destroy itself, but to BE itself. That, because of the very nature of the church, IS alternative. The answer is to go back to the Savior Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but shakes every generation from sin and complacency with His counter-cultural Word.

A church that has strayed from being the church need not jump on the bandwagon of bashing the church. There is no need to try to find self-righteousness in self-flagellation. On the other hand, a church that has strayed from being the church can’t sit tight in complacent inaction. Self-righteousness through self-satisfaction is off the mark, too. The church needs only to hear His call back to its first love, back to the Savior, back to being Christ’s church. The church is the always-new movement created by God to transform the world. It never was and never will be a fad.

The Stones Cry Out

2011-12-28T11:53:00.001-08:00

Are you noticing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ seems to be coming from sources that you would never expect?

Justin Bieber, American Idol, Survivor, Tim Tebow, The X-Factor, and even the Queen of England’s annual Christmas address. In his blog, Steve Addison commented that the Queen’s words voiced a more profound understanding of Jesus than the messages from England’s clerics (read it here: http://www.movements.net/2011/12/26/the-queens-christmas-message.html).

What’s going on?

I wonder if the stones are starting to cry out. Remember in Luke 19, as Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praise-filled shouts of the people, the church leaders tried to quiet the people down. Jesus replied to these representatives of chosen Israel, these holders of the keys to the Kingdom, these shepherds of the flock, these keepers of the Word: “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (vs. 40).

What happens when the church starts to suppress the Gospel? What happens when the actions of God’s people do a disservice to the sacred message? What happens when those who are appointed to represent Christ focus more on representing themselves? What happens when the church turns inward, removes itself from its role of being a city set on a hill, and busies itself with survival and control instead of sacrifice and outreach?

The stones cry out.

I get a little scared about this. God sent Israel into exile because they squelched the message and mission. He had people like Nebuchadnezzar and Darius proclaim the Savior to the world. The “stones” cried out when the church forsook its first love.

So, back to Justin Bieber, Survivor, and Tim Tebow. As the stones begin to cry out, shouldn’t we in the church be shaken enough to remember our first love, repent, and get back to risking it all for God’s mission? What will that look like for you?

You Do Make A Difference

2011-12-13T13:01:00.001-08:00

On the Friday night before Thanksgiving week, a friend of mine, his wife, and his mother were killed in a fiery crash when a semi tractor and trailer plowed into their car on the interstate. They were traveling home from his daughter’s wedding. He just walked her down the aisle and whispered “I love you” in her ear. The highway patrol had to find where the young couple was honeymooning in a mountain cabin to break the tragic news to the new bride and groom at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday.

These are the kinds of events that take your breath away and cause you to look up to the heavens and ask God, “What are you doing?” and “Where are you?”

My friend’s brother suddenly went from planning Thanksgiving dinner for the family to helping to plan three funerals. After I sent him a message of sympathy in which I could barely find the words to express my sorrow to him, he replied with steady words of faith and hope. He said:

“On Friday night, God said ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’ Jesus sacrificed everything so that we could have the promise of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. I KNOW that my redeemer lives!”

Then he went on to say that the main reason his faith is so strong is because of the pastor he had throughout his childhood and young adult years. He said that his pastor never wavered in his faith. This faithful pastor was a rock for him as he grew up. Through some of the toughest times, this pastor helped him. In fact, he said that he asks himself even today: “What would pastor think of this?” Besides his parents, his pastor continues to be one of the most influential people in his life--even though his pastor retired years ago and lives far away.

What does all this mean? Pastors, servants of Jesus, you who invest yourselves in the lives of others for the sake of Jesus Christ: YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. During this season of reflection, don’t give up. Keep going. Trust the Lord of the church. You do make a difference!

Reformation Rumblings

2011-11-28T14:26:00.001-08:00

Not long ago, I heard Felicity Dale, co-author of “The Rabbit and the Elephant,” make this comment: “During the Reformation God put the Bible into the hands of ordinary people. Today, God is putting the church into the hands of ordinary people.”

The content of the comment struck me as thought provoking. But the fact that she brought up the Reformation also struck me as very interesting. I’m hearing a lot of talk about the Reformation these days.

As a Lutheran, I observe that we tend to claim the Reformation as “our thing.” Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress,” “Here I stand, I can do no other,”--we celebrate, remember, and treasure the Reformation.

More and more, however, I am hearing Reformation talk from broader Christian circles. They’re making it more “their thing” too.

Why? What’s happening?

Let’s answer the question by looking at five key phenomena happening then and now:

1. Technological Innovation: 75 years after the invention of the printing press, the dissemination of information was at a new level. Today, immediate digital communication is in the palm of people’s hands. Something new is happening and the church is wondering how this might impact the mission of God.

2. Institutional Fatigue: As the Roman Catholic Church battled corruption and financial desperation for in-house projects, today’s mainline denominations continue to hurt financially and disintegrate theologically. The church is wondering what this might mean for a post-denominational and post-congregational mindset.

3. Personal Conviction: Luther was gripped by the Gospel. The message of salvation by grace through faith drove him to be a voice for God’s true Word. Today, many are being gripped by mission, the sentness of God’s people into a lost world. New voices are being raised to advocate outreach action and sentness versus inreach complacency and isolation.

4. A New Location: Rome was the epicenter of the church during the pre-Reformation era. Germany was on the fringe of where “it was happening.” But change happened from outside the institutional safe-zone. Today, Asia, Africa, and South America are demonstrating rapid movements of Kingdom expansion while the church in the west is, at best, trying to figure out the key to church multiplication and, at worst, distracted by its own inward thinking.

5. Transitional Times: The Reformation was a messy time of new communication modes, new ways of life, new thoughts, and re-developing theology. We live in a similar time--in-between conventional and new methods of communication, in-between the old analog and new digital, in-between store and online shopping, in-between church the way it was and church reinvented. It’s a messy time of transition, and we don’t know how it will end up.

The times are very similar to Reformation times. Do we realize it? Are we engaging in asking questions, lifting up our prayers to the Head of the Church, and listening for His guidance? Are we willing to be courageous as the ways of man are cast aside and the ways of God break through into our lives?

During these Reformation days, are we willing to be a part of it or will we resist it to preserve our comfort levels and control?

Accidental Pharisee, Part 2

2011-11-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

As we become weary with a culture that drifts farther away from Christ's ways, our own souls can become sour. At a recent conference, Larry Osborne gave a talk about becoming an “Accidental Pharisee,” stumbling into a critical and bitter life that becomes angry at unbelievers instead of showing compassion.

In part one of this article, I mentioned the trap of arrogance. Osborne highlighted five additional pitfalls for Kingdom workers:

1. You trust in your own righteousness, your work performance, your knowledge of doctrine, and your “give-it-all” attitude as you grow bitter at people who don’t perform like you. You may even take credit for God’s successes. The answer? Remember who you really are: a broken sinner who has received the precious gift of God’s grace in Jesus. This levels the playing field in a big way.

2. You raise the bar that Jesus came to lower. It’s so easy to become frustrated when people don’t take the church as seriously as you do. In fact, you can become downright angry, coercive, and rude. You may even start to despise “carnal Christians,” nominal believers on the fringes who don’t perform for the church. The answer? Jesus didn’t come to enhance our spiritual performance. He went to the cross to lower the bar! His yoke is easy and burden is light. It’s time to reflect that grace to the world and to bless the world, not curse it.

3. You demand from others what you fail to do yourself. This is the curse of hypocrisy. We can’t pretend to be what we aren't and teach people to do what we don't. The answer? Not perfection. Not expertise in every area of life. The answer is simple authenticity, acknowledging that you are a fellow struggler sitting at the feet of your Savior.

4. You idolize the past. This will cripple your ministry. The Pharisees loved everything the way it was. But God put us here right now. He wants us to live right now. The answer? Give God thanks for the past, but ask Him to give you wisdom and grace for this time and this generation.

5. You put sacrifice and rules above mercy. The Pharisees turned the gift of the Sabbath into a set of regulations. As we become more passionate about God’s gifts, we may also get more black and white about living out the Gospel. The answer? Remember what God requires: To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Mercy, not sacrifice. The Bible is not a rulebook. It is written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, we may have life in His name.

As the culture becomes less church-like and as you get more passionate about God’s work, be careful that you don’t wake up as an accidental Pharisee. If you find yourself getting angry about Kingdom work, you may need a good dose of the Living Word--leading you to repentance and the refreshing grace of God for us sinners.

Walking Sacraments

2011-11-03T05:07:00.001-07:00

Dr. Jack Preus gave an excellent presentation at the 2011 Professional Church Workers’ Conference in Houston. His talk about incarnational witness caused me to recall Luther’s entertaining the idea that confession and absolution could very well be a sacrament. The command from Jesus is there. The promise of forgiveness of sins is there. Luther wondered what might the visible means be. Perhaps the pastor. Luther ventured into the sacramental, incarnational work of Jesus through people!

God established His incarnational, sacramental presence immediately as He interacted with His precious creation. He walked with Adam in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall He continued to be present with His people. The burning bush, the pillars of fire and cloud, the smoke in both tabernacle and temple. This was God--present for the purpose of salvation.

Add to that sacramental presence the person of the prophet--his word and action. See the incarnational, sacramental presence of God reach a high point in the Word made flesh who made His dwelling among us, Jesus Himself. Note that instead of leaving us with no incarnational presence, Jesus instituted and gave the gift of the Lord’s Supper.

God is always present for the purpose of His salvation. Look at baptism. See the living Word of God.

And look at people--believers in Christ. Luther was on the right track. We are “walking sacraments.” We’ve been commanded to go. We’ve been “instituted” to forgive the sins of others. We’re visible and tangible. Believers are God’s sacramental, incarnational presence in the world.

Instead of merely sitting in church waiting for God to show up in the world, we’re called to get out into the world as walking sacraments, as the incarnational “showing up” of God where He is needed most. When God’s redeemed people show up, He shows up. His real presence is made manifest through us to bless the world, to give the world the hope it needs, and to send more “walking sacraments” to people who desperately need to see that God is truly with us!

Accidental Pharisee, Part 1

2011-09-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

At a recent conference, Larry Osborne gave a talk about becoming an “Accidental Pharisee.” He promised a book would be coming soon. When the book comes out, I would recommend reading it.

The subtitle of his talk was: “The hidden dangers of high-commitment Christianity.” In other words, what starts out as a very good thing can become toxic and harmful. As Osborne pointed out, the Pharisees excelled in the qualities of what a disciple of the true God should be. But they went from passionate, to becoming self-appointed defenders of God, to morphing into the enemies of God.

This can happen to us, too.

In his talk, Dr. Osborne highlighted six danger signs that indicate you might be in “Pharisee-land.” The first is:

A tendency to look down on everyone else.

This is the sin of arrogance. Dr. Osborne pointed out Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. He emphasized that it is a small step from being discerning to becoming critical. What are some symptoms that you might have stumbled into “Pharisee-land”?

1. No one matches up with you except those in your tribe--and, sometimes, just a subset of your tribe. If your overall attitude toward fellow believers is to test their doctrine as a first step, you may be in serious danger. If you feel like you can’t even trust your own tribe, arrogance may be a serious issue in your life.

2. You begin to lose grace for blind spots people might have. Even God forgave people’s blind spots and weaknesses. Some of His most effective servants had blind spots. If everyone else is unworthy and flawed in your view, you may be falling to the sin of arrogance.

3. You lose your mercy for the struggling. Pride is really a big deal. Osborne made a dramatic point by saying: "Jesus would rather have you struggle with porn than pride. Why? Because he says he hates pride. This is what caused Lucifer to be cast out from the presence of God.” Neither sin is acceptable, but pride is more destructive than we realize.

Dear friends, be on guard against becoming and accidental Pharisee! Take refuge humbly and repentantly in living Word of God. Let the Good Shepherd restore your heart and soul.

Next Installment: Danger Sign #2: You Trust in Your Own Righteousness.

Casual Church

2011-09-07T13:56:00.003-07:00

A Christian in India said to Francis Chan: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”

This Christian was asked why his faith in Christ spilled over into every area of his life and conversation.

In China, Chan described a uniquely Western phenomenon: “Where I come from people go to services in buildings and switch if they want a better speaker or better childcare or better music.”

The underground church participants laughed hysterically. Impossible, they thought.

In our Western bubble, we sometimes believe that the United States’ expression of the Christian Church is the norm around the world. We think that because of the freedom of Christian development, we represent what the world should conform and aspire to. Organization, education, strategy, you name it: we can begin to believe that we’re doing everything the way it should be done.

But the facts are much different. The United States comprises only 4% of the world’s population. The way “we” do it is, in fact, a minority expression of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Of course, Biblical principles are to remain consistent in the body of Christ. But a number of non-biblical attitudes and practices have taken hold in the cultural development of Western Christianity. These attitudes and practices are not necessarily all bad, but they may skew Western Christianity’s congruence with what the Scriptures show the Church is to be.

One skewed reality is casual and compartmentalized Christianity. As one Asian believer stated: “To have people come into a room who do not want to be disciple-makers doesn't make sense.”

Will we as Western believers defend all we’re doing and vehemently declare that in the area of Church we have no sin? Or will we humbly and repentantly consider the question we started with: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”

This is Hard

2011-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

I received a note from a friend of mine who has served as a missionary in Burkina Faso, West Africa for twenty years. He shared the news that for the very first time in history, the local people who are now believers will be praying for their people. Most of the Koromba people are either animist or Muslim. A small band of about 30 believers in an area of over 100,000 people will be lifting them up in prayer that all may know Jesus and the life He gives.

This is a big deal. It’s taken decades to get to this point. It’s been a challenging, stretching, high-effort, persistent, relational outreach. Little by little fruit is being borne.

When we in the U.S. hear about the growth of Christianity in Africa or Asia, we rejoice, but we also may veer off in two directions.

First, we may think it’s easy. We think the Western cultural barriers don’t lend themselves to a movement of Kingdom expansion. We imagine that our lives are much more complex, fragmented, technical and advanced. People in our culture, we conjecture, aren’t as amenable to the Gospel. But in Asia and Africa--well, life is simpler, more networked and, therefore, “easy pickings” for the spread of the Gospel.

Second, we may miss the point. Instead of marveling at the work of the Holy Spirit in the Southern Hemisphere, we may start to worship the movement. We may become enamored with the numbers and lust after the phenomenon as an idol. Crying out “We want a movement, too!” may be more about possessing success than seeing God succeed in people’s hearts and souls.

Two truths need reinforcement among us in the West. First, the movement of the Gospel in Africa and Asia is hard work. It’s a difficult journey. The blood of many believers cries out from the ground of those nations and forms a foundation for what is happening today. The living Word continues to pound against spiritual and cultural barriers that we can’t even imagine.

Second, a primary weakness in our lives is the production of idols. The book of Deuteronomy opens with a dissection of our souls, making us aware of the fact that we always lean toward idol development and worship. As the Church expands around the world, we need to keep our eye on the ball--the cause of the Gospel, and not lapse into competing for the best world mission movement.

Around the world, every believer in the East, West, South or North has been called by Jesus to deny himself and take up his cross and follow. It’s hard. And it’s all about Jesus, not about us.

Five Challenges for the American Church

2011-08-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

In a recent presentation, David Olson, author of “The American Church in Crisis,” highlighted five outreach challenges facing the American church today. Below are the five challenges along with five questions for your planning process as you enter a new season of ministry:

1. The Population challenge - America is the only highly developed country that is seeing population growth. Over the past twenty years, the population grew by over 56 million people. The church's net gain during the same time period was 400,000. How is your church planning to reach the growing population with the Good News?

2. The Regional challenge - In a study of some key Texas Roman Catholic diocese, it was found that only 8.7% of Hispanics attend Mass on a given weekend. If you think Texas’ Community churches gather mass amounts of the population, the fact is that only 10.5% of people attend an Evangelical Church in Texas on a given weekend. The harvest is plentiful. How will you reach the ever-growing number of non-churchgoers and disenfranchised Hispanic Roman Catholics with the Gospel?

3. The Vitality Challenge - On the average, all churches over 40 years of age are declining. The 40-year mark is the break point. The only ways for the church to make progress is to get younger people or plant new churches. When and where will your next church plant be?

4. The Multi-ethnic and class challenge - The American church is becoming more suburban, more affluent, more educated, and more Anglo. The greater the poverty in the community, the worse the church is doing (this seems backwards). Monoethnicity can warp the gospel. The church's ability to really see the Scriptures is impaired when there is not a presence of the many cultural and class voices. What plan do you have for reaching “the least of these” during this new ministry season?

5. The Generational Challenge - Traditional American Christianity is feeling the "quakes" from secularization and new expressions of Christianity. Half of each new generation has the potential to connect with established churches, the other half will need new church plants--new expressions of Christianity. What new expression of Christianity will your new church plant focus on?

What progress can you make in answering these questions as you plan ministry this year and for the next five years?

Believers are sons of...

2011-08-18T13:10:00.001-07:00

I was reading Matthew 16 this week and noticed how Jesus responded to Peter’s confession. Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” (vs. 17).

Most attention in Jesus’ response revolves around Simon’s name change to Peter and to Jesus’ proclamation that “on this rock” (“Peter” is related to the Greek word for “rock”) He will build His church.

But, as I read the entire chapter, I noticed that Jesus told the crowd that no sign would be given to the generation except the sign of Jonah (vs. 4). That got me thinking about Jesus’ strategic reference to Peter as a “son of Jonah.”

It appears that Jesus was priming Peter and all believers for God’s mission to reach the world--all nations. Peter, with a newly minted Greek name standing out conspicuously in a Jewish crowd, was a son of Jonah. You know, the guy sent to pagan Ninevah. Yep, that guy who had a very hard time swallowing the fact that he had to proclaim the name of the Lord to a bunch of rotten outsiders who didn’t deserve the time of day let alone the time of God. But after Jonah got swallowed by God’s facts, the reluctant prophet went and spoke up. The result? More than 120,000 people confessed their sin and were saved.

Peter was now in the Jonah family business. As evidenced by the Cornelius episode in Acts 10, Peter finally realized that “God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (vss. 34-35). Peter was a son of Jonah, confessing the Christ to the whole world. The gates of hell would never hold up against that onslaught.

Perhaps we need to remember that we’re all sons of Jonah. Yes, we’re stubborn. Yes, we don’t understand God’s ways and plan. Yes, we rebel and try to foul it up. But, still, we are called. We are sent. We are given the Word of the Lord to voice--even in places and situations and ways we would never design or choose. We are God’s redeemed people meant to be in a mission bigger than we can imagine, sent to bring the light of Jesus into every corner of the culture and society that our abundantly loving God dreams up.

So, you--Jonah’s kid, remember the family business!

Reaching the Uncomfortable

2011-08-11T11:41:00.001-07:00

What if 80% of the population had claustrophobia? You know, complete fear and discomfort of small spaces.

What if you were head of a WiFi company and decided to build tiny cubicles in which the public could access the WiFi connection it needed in a fast, affordable, and convenient way? But in a very tiny space.

20% of the population would amble into your miniature WiFi cubicles and rejoice. At last! Cheap, affordable and convenient WiFi access, with charging stations for all my gizmos, to boot!

80% of the population would sweat, shuffle, hesitate, think long and hard--and head to a spacious Starbucks. There is no way they would step into that cubicle no matter how pretty it was, no matter how nicely they were invited, and no matter how badly they needed WiFi. It just wouldn’t happen.

The church faces this issue today. 20% of the population is comfortable stepping into church. They feel it is important and they follow through. 80% of the population thinks the roof would cave in on them if they walked through the church doors. They hesitate, sweat, or write off the need for what the church provides. They’re not coming inside.

How do we reach people with the Gospel who have written the church off? How do we communicate the Good News so it looks and sounds like good news to them?

Some churches are going to the uncomfortable. Moving outside of claustrophobic cubicles, believers are thinking creatively about what the church looks like in the community. They are inviting the uncomfortable into the wide and open spaces of serving others in the name of Jesus. They are entering into relationships with the 80% and are praying and watching for Jesus to show up.

Believers need to remember that inviting people to church, while very worthy and important, will only resonate with two out ten people. But inviting people to make a difference in the lives of others, to dedicate their lives to a worthy pursuit, will resonate with nine out of ten people. Statistics show that, while only 20% of the population wakes up in the morning with a desire to attend a church service, 90% of the population wants desperately to make a difference in the world. Isn’t Christ’s Church the biggest difference maker in history?

What if the uncomfortable became gripped with Jesus’ grace while participating in a Gospel act? What if that new blessing led them to worship the One who shows such love?

How are you rethinking your company strategy so that 100% of the people have access to eternal life?

Recalibration, Part 3

2011-08-08T13:30:00.001-07:00

Resistance vs. Repentance.

“It was very hard for me to see clearly, and though I never spoke about hell or only jokingly so, I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term ‘burnout’ was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death” (Henri Nouwen, “In the Name of Jesus,” p. 11).

The Apostle John said, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1:8). But as Henri Nouwen commented above, there are times in life when it is very hard for us to see clearly. Sometimes we work so hard to get good at what we’re doing, to accomplish all the tasks before us, and to justify our existence and worthiness, we do not see where we are faltering. In our efforts to please God, others, and ourselves, we may end up living a life without genuine repentance.

This can happen to me personally when I become so occupied with tending to other people’s lives that I can no longer see myself accurately or confess my own failings with accuracy and sincerity. This can happen to the church when it becomes focused on its own agenda so completely that it never asks the questions, “Of what do we need to repent? How are we failing?”

If we ever think we have everything completely right, we are, in effect, saying we have no sin. That means we’re in serious trouble. The truth is not in us. We have lost the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

This, as Nouwen said, is a very dark place.

When Peter decided to go off on his own and rebuke Jesus for talking about the cross, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). “Get behind me” means to get in line, to follow behind Jesus (opiso mou). Instead of running on ahead by ourselves with our own twisted GPS, we are called to follow in the steps of the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Instead of resisting the Truth, we submit ourselves to Him and follow where He leads--even if it does not square with our agenda.

In Revelation 11:3, the Church is portrayed as a prophetic body, always wearing the sackcloth of repentance. How do you need to stop and examine your own failings? How can we as a church face in an honest way where we fall short and, instead, follow in the footsteps of Jesus for the answers?

Will we resist the redeeming call of Christ and end up as spiritual wreckage or will we live a life of repentance?

Recalibration, Part 2

2011-08-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

In his book, “In the Name of Jesus,” Henri Nouwen did some self-assessment as he entered the second half of his life and ministry. One area he highlighted was the tension between coasting and character development. Nouwen commented:

“Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my own success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed” (p.10).

Sometimes what everyone says is completely inaccurate. Typically, “everyone” will let you coast. They will not insist on accountability. They will not sharpen you as a servant of God. They will not thoughtfully speak the truth to you with love. It is very difficult to get genuine feedback as you progress in years. If you accept what “everyone” says and coast easily down the path of no recalibration, you may end up in a place where the Spirit is being suppressed.

If you are caught up in the flow of hurried prayer, an isolated life, and constantly shifting urgency, you may need to pause and be attentive to Jesus’ words, “Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Is there margin in your life for stillness and authentic conversation with God? Do you have someone in your life who can speak hard truths to you? Are you growing into new and fresh learning from God’s Spirit or are you recycling the old standbys of your past?

Summer is a time to recalibrate. Your Savior leads you to paths of living water and soul restoration. Are you coasting or are you positioned for character development? What recalibration needs to happen in your life?

Recalibration, Part 1

2011-07-28T18:30:00.001-07:00

Years ago my wife and I established the habit of getting away for two weeks as a family to a quiet place. Part of this vacation was recalibration. We evaluated life together and talked about what changes might be needed. We settled down, got some perspective, bonded as a family in an unplugged environment, and sought God’s guidance for our lives in the coming year. The results were as small as agreeing to stop watching the television news in the evenings as part of our routine and as large as working through major changes in the flow of life. The time to reflect and to evaluate was a lifeline for us.

In his book “In the Name of Jesus,” Pastor and teacher Henri Nouwen offered an evaluation of his own life as he passed fifty years of age. Having just turned the big 5-0, I resonate to his reflections and believe that his words can help lead all of us into some healthy recalibration. Allow me to highlight three areas of personal evaluation:

Performance vs. Personhood.

Nouwen said, “As I entered into my fifties and was able to realize the unlikelihood of doubling my years, I came face to face with the simple question, ‘Did becoming older bring me closer to Jesus?’ After twenty-five years of priesthood, I found myself praying poorly, living somewhat isolated from other people, and very much preoccupied with burning issues” (pp. 9-10).

Isn’t it strange how life can become all about “proving something” instead of developing into a better person? A focus on activities and achievements can supplant the focus on character and faith development. Religious know-how and busyness can become substitutes for a genuine and meaningful relationship with God the Father. As a good Father, He doesn’t look to you for a list of personal accomplishments. He looks to see signs of reciprocated love and indications of a life lived as His redeemed and grateful child.

How can you rediscover your life as a child of God and be rid of the burden of striving for worthiness in the eyes of the world? As you’ve grown older, have you also grown closer to Jesus?

In parts two and three of this blog post, I’ll continue Nouwen’s self-evaluation and look at the areas of Coasting vs. Character development and Resistance vs. Repentance.

Doing Nothing

2011-07-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Former Hootie and the Blowfish lead singer, now country artist, Darius Rucker has a new song out called "Got Nothin'." In the song he details how he has nothing left to offer as a relationship falls apart. It's a sad song, but it reflects an important reality in our relationship with God. We've got nothin'; He's got everything. We're dead in our sins; He makes us alive with Christ (Ephesians 2). We sit around and do nothing; He gives growth to the church.

Wait a minute! That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that we plant and water (1 Cor. 3:6). The Bible says that we are God's fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9). The Bible says that we're sent (Luke 10:2-3, Mark 16:15, etc.). The Bible says that we are to let our light shine (Matthew 5:16). The Bible says that we don't sit around and do nothing.

Recently I was told that challenging believers to action was doctrinally unacceptable. If that's the case, then the Bible is doctrinally unacceptable.

There's a message in the church that is confusing and immobilizing God's people. Instead of allowing grace and faith to flow into the works God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10; the book of James!), the message of grace is being used as an excuse for immobilizing the church. Justification is being used in place of sanctification. The message is: "You, dear people of God, are justified by grace alone! Therefore, you are justified by grace alone." The refrain goes on with the announcement of the free atoning work of Christ. But sanctification is neglected, omitted, and removed from the message. Walking in the newness of life, being a new creation in Christ--His ambassador, living in the power of the resurrection with the knowledge that our labor in the Lord is not in vain is excised from the proclamation of the Good News. Only half the news is given and the church sits on its hands, doing nothin'.

But as the redeemed people of God, we've got somethin'! We are called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified so that we can declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). By His grace, God shares His mission with us. He makes us fellow workers. He entrusts us with His Word and sacraments, not so we can sit in fear that Kingdom action might get messy, but so we can go out into the world with these tools and see the darkness shrink back and the gates of hell buckle in the wild and messy adventure of God's Kingdom action.

If we really stand for truth and purity of doctrine, let's take the gift of a sanctified life seriously. Let's give a voice to faith that works. Let's stop doing nothing.

UnLutheran, Part Two

2011-06-15T18:10:00.001-07:00

Is a layperson or a group of laypeople able to read the account of Daniel and the Lion's Den and not fall into serious theological error? Is it possible to evaluate the account of the Tower of Babel (or any other Bible story, for that matter) without the guidance of a trained theologian?

Bottom line: who can read the Bible safely?

You may recall that, in part one of this blog post, I mentioned a doctrinal reviewer's comment that reading and expressing opinions about Bible stories without a trained theologian present may lead readers into dangerous theological errors. Okay. That may happen. But is it possible that it wouldn't happen? In fact, doesn't the reviewer's opinion push very hard against the Biblical doctrine of the Scriptures? Let's take a look:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone):
• Their efficacy: Being wary about laypeople "messing" with the Scriptures shifts the emphasis of the Word of God from being HIS living Word, powered by the Holy Spirit, to being a Word dependent on human control. True, correct teaching is essential, but the Word is that which contains the power to bring truth, produce faith, and lead someone into correct understanding. Laying down the law that a trained theologian must be present militates against the Scriptures themselves and denies the access to the Scriptures won during the Reformation.

• Their sufficiency: The Bible contains everything needed to make us "wise unto salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15). While the pastoral office is divinely created and essential to God's plan for the church, it is not lord over the Word of God and it doesn't exclude the Scriptural doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. The Bible can do the job God intended it to do.

• Their perspicuity: The Bible is clear enough so that every reader and hearer can understand God's truths. As Edward Koehler said, this teaching is "over and against the view that the Scripture is obscure, waiting for a priest and Pope, theologian and council, to demonstrate its real meaning" (p. 14, A Summary of Christian Doctrine).

Trouble always results when fear and control take the wheel of Christ's Church. Biblical balance gets lost. The doctrine sought to be protected becomes corrupted and denied. When fanaticism takes command, the fanatic creates layers of human-created teaching that eventually obscures and destroys Biblical doctrine.

Making Bible stories off limits to regular laypeople causes the heart of Lutheranism to crumble. Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Sola Scriptura get left in the dust. Suddenly, the voices that cry out for pure Lutheranism become unLutheran.

UnLutheran, Part One

2011-06-11T05:49:00.001-07:00

Recently I received comments about a simple Bible study I submitted for doctrinal review. The Bible Study asked participants to read a specified Bible Story at each gathering, reflect on it, try to find Jesus in it, and discuss what it meant then and in their lives now. The point of the Bible Study was to get people into the Word of God, build their Biblical literacy and understanding, practice applying Scriptural truths to their lives, and reach out to others with the Word of God. Something our society needs these days--or so I thought.

The assertion of the reviewer was that the study wasn't Lutheran because it did not mention Law, Gospel or the sacraments. In addition, the reviewer commented, the study could lead the participants into dangerous errors. Without a trained theologian leading the way, the people studying the Bible stories might not be able to make their way through questions they have.

After reading the comments, I was struck how Lutheranism has become so un-Lutheran. Some of the doctrines that seem to be lost or crumbling are:

Sola Gratia (Grace Alone):
In his book "Here We Stand," Herman Sasse asked the question, "What does it mean to be Lutheran?" To be a Lutheran does not mean to focus on a hero (Luther) or a nation (Germany). It does not mean to be a product of a historical movement (the Reformation) or a cultural shift (the enlightenment). Lutheranism is not simply an expression of morals or knowledge or religious practice or observance of God's law. The heart of Lutheranism is the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. As I observe Lutherans trying to get the "buzzwords" correct, but forgetting to teach and apply those words from the divine source (the Scriptures), I see a pathway leading to works righteousness. The mention of the phrase "word and sacraments" earns the stamp of approval (ex opera operato). These are means of grace, however. They are tools of God. There is a time for the craftsman to talk about his tools, but there is also a time for the craftsman to let the tools do the work. I hear much talk, but do not see a great deal of craftsmanship. I hear the buzzwords, but I don't see a great deal of trust in, or application of, the living Word that empowers them.

Sola Fide (Faith Alone):
It is no surprise that people crumble into a frightened legalism. That, after all, is the nature of the sinful flesh. Command and control usurp walking by faith. I grieve, however, when fear drains faith from the Lord's Church. Fear attaches the label "Law and Gospel" to everything in order to protect the Scriptures. Faith is confident that the Scriptures speak the Law and Gospel because that's what the Scriptures do! We have received that teaching from the Bible; we didn't invent it and unnaturally foist it upon the Bible. Fear keeps people away from studying the Bible without a trained theologian. Faith embraces the priesthood of all believers who are able not only to study the Word of God, but to teach it to others! Fear believes it has to protect God. Faith receives the gifts God gives and stewards those gifts. Are we being stewards or have we killed the son and taken over the vineyard?

The next installment will focus on how the doctrine of the Scriptures (Sola Scriptura) may be crumbling.

Captain Bill's Appeal

2011-05-20T17:20:00.001-07:00

I was at a friend's memorial service recently. He was a prominent figure in the community, so the funeral chapel was packed. In addition to fellow believers, the place was filled with people from virtually every conceivable walk of life. My friend's business and personality connected him with an amazing variety of people. Suits and ties sat next to tattoos and piercings. Conservative Evangelicals spoke words of sympathy alongside adherents of alternative lifestyles.

As someone who craves opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with people, I felt my heart beating fast over the possibility of hearing words that could transform many lives.

After some preliminary levity, some words of introduction, and some kind words from the family, I wondered if the opportunity would be seized. That's when Captain Bill stepped to the microphone.

I wondered who this guy was. He was standing in the back. Clearly, he wasn't a family member. He wasn't the pastor, but he held a Bible and strode purposefully to the podium. He introduced himself as Bill, a charter captain and good friend of the family. Fishing trips for hire had morphed into a close bond between him and my friend.

Bill was a military veteran who suffered chemical poisoning in Vietnam. He almost died a few years ago. My deceased buddy sat by his side and drove him home from the hospital. They had a special bond. Bill went on to talk about the bedrock of that bond. This common man with skin made leathery by the sun and a body gaunt from illness so his suit hung baggily from his body, began to lift up the name of Jesus Christ.

This man had been through the ringer, and with the authority of someone who had been beaten up by the rigors of life, he urged the group to the only hope we have. His Scripture-saturated language carried love and truth without sounding pious or self-righteous. His call to trust in Jesus Christ came across as a testimony to his deceased friend, not as an attempt to put more souls on his scorecard. Captain Bill's appeal captured the moment for Jesus. It was authentic, moving, appropriate, and caring.

As I listened, I realized that two things had happened in this man's life. First, he was discipled very well. Someone had shown him the way to walk with Jesus and let the Word of Christ dwell in him richly. Second, someone had given him permission--perhaps a mandate--to go and share, to make disciples, to never let the Gospel stop with himself.

Captain Bill's appeal showed me that a serious effort to equip and send the saints is of utmost importance. Pastors and professionals will rarely be in the situation to reach people who are far outside the borders of the church. Pastors and professionals will not always be heard as attentively by those outside the borders, either. We need people like Captain Bill. The Kingdom of God needs people like Captain Bill. A lost world needs people like Captain Bill.

Do you think you are here to do it all yourself? Are you saving the great opportunities for you? Or are you letting go of your pride by respecting God's people, equipping them passionately, and sending them urgently to do what Captain Bill did?

Counterintuitivity

2011-05-06T12:47:00.001-07:00

In a thought-provoking book review, Andrew Stark of The Wall Street Journal, reviews John Kay's book "Obliquity." The premise of the book is compelling. Kay asserts: "When it comes to major goals, whether in life or in business, one can pursue them best by deliberately not pursuing them."

Stark summarizes Kay's case studies of a variety of companies and historical figures as the author establishes his premise that "we can attain a desired goal only by pursuing it indirectly." (Thank you to Rev. Robert Holaday for the link to the article which you can read in full here)

This counterintuitive direction offers us some Easter clarity. Jesus was never desperate to build a following, but many followed. Jesus never tried to woo people to a religious system, but many put their faith in Him. Jesus never set out to change the world, yet His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection changed everything.

What does this mean for our Easter existence? It reinforces good old Lutheran counterintuitivity. You know, paradox.

- If you see to save your life, you'll lose it. But if you lose your life for Christ, you'll find it.

- If you pretend your sins don't exist, they'll take on a life of their own and crush you. If you confess your sins and bring them out into the open, you will be completely cleansed and freed.

These are a couple of the beautiful paradoxes of life in Christ.

What does it mean for your ministry?

It means that keeping the main thing the main thing will lead to a God-pleasing and effective ministry. It means that when you live out the reason you've been sent, the details will come together. As Jesus said in Matthew 6, "Seek first the reign of God and His righteousness, and all your needs will be provided to you as well."

You've been sent to spread the reign of God and His righteousness. This mission ("mission" is the Latin word for "sent") flows from the living Word of God that testifies to the risen Christ. If you spread the reign of God to people around you and to your community, much follows:

- people who worship God
- church life
- active prayer
- healthy giving of money for the mission
- orthodox belief
- mutual affirmation and consolation
- justice and righteousness among humanity
- passionate outreach to people who don't know Christ
- persistent multiplication of Christian community

Of course, you rejoice in and fuel these developments. But you pursue one thing: the reign of God.

What might be getting in the way of this counterintuitive pursuit? Your need for self-assurance? Your fear of unorthodoxy? Your hesitance to do more work? Your desire to be in complete control?

What do you need to stop pursuing so you can seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and let God establish the fullness of His reign?

Let It Change You

2011-04-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

My very first grandchild was born last weekend. She's a beautiful little girl, a miracle and gift. I haven't felt feelings like this since my own children were born. Suddenly, everything else pales in importance. Suddenly, life is different.

You may know how it goes:

- You want to tell people. E-mails, photos, videos, texts, tweets, phone calls, and personal conversations multiply as you eagerly share the news.

- Your priorities change. Money, time, your thoughts--everything--becomes oriented to one thing: that new and precious little life.

- You adjust your actions. All at once you become aware of what you're watching on TV, what's on the radio when you drive, what you're eating, the way your speaking, and how you live in front of a new and impressionable life.

- You remember your purpose. Life isn't about acquiring things, being comfortable, or paying the bills. It's about shaping another life, giving her the best, doing all you can to make sure she receives life in its fullness here and forever.

Of course, you can resist the changes new life brings. You can live it for a couple of days or a few weeks, but revert back to the old ways. You can ignore the excitement, the love, and the life-changing wonder of the miraculous spring of water God sent rushing into your wilderness.

Or you can let it change you.

The same is true for churches. Into the life of the church comes the living water of Jesus Christ. Springs of Living Water rinse barren and hopeless souls. New life begins. New hope springs eternal. Suddenly, life is different:

You need to tell people. Your priorities change. You adjust your actions. You remember your purpose.

Of course, you can resist the changes new life brings. You can become inward looking. You can settle into a business as usual mindset. You can focus on paying the bills and keeping insiders happy. You can stay safe and never risk trying something to reach the lost. You can fill your days with attending to e-mail and thinking about theology.

Or you can let it change you. You can think about theology AND put theology into action. You can share the beauty of the Gospel.

Studies show that in established churches it takes 60 people to reach one new person with the Good News of Jesus. In new churches, it only takes 10 people to reach a new person with the Gospel.

Is this because we become so accustomed to the miracle of the resurrection and so caught up in day-to-day distractions that we forget the miraculous new life right under our noses?

If Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead, will you let it change you? Will you let it change your church?

Rob Bell - Love Wins

2011-03-27T13:01:00.001-07:00

Judging by initial reviews, I thought my first response would be to shout, "Heretic!" Or perhaps to start a book burning drive. Or maybe to call for excommunication, boycotts and protests--you know, the things Christians typically do to their own these days.

But after reading Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins," a few different responses welled up in me:

- I could relate to Rob Bell's heartbreak as he wrestles with the extreme suffering and brokenness of precious lives in a chaotic, fouled up, and corrupted world. He hurts for hurting people and he hopes God hurts for hurting people, too.

- I was delighted to see how he emphasizes the expansive grace and love of Christ--love that surpasses knowledge. The love of Jesus always surprises us, always exceeds our expectations, always breaks through the barriers we set up around it. And, unfortunately, we do set up barriers around it.

- I could hear how Rob Bell is struggling with the rationalistic structures of Reformed theology. From decision theology to double predestination and from lists of faith requirements to rationalistic clichés, his reading and study of the Scriptures have pushed him beyond what he's been told, into the uncharted territory of the mysterious and beyond-rationalism God doing things His way.

- I was sad to see that Rob Bell, in some cases, tried to discover the mysteries of God by going beyond what the Bible reveals and teaches, holding on to some magisterial-reason-based Reformed tenets and bending some Biblical themes.

- It delighted me to read an honest dialog about some big eternal questions.

- In a creative way, I could see Rob Bell reaching out to people disillusioned with the church, doubting God's existence, and disgusted with the way Christians behave. He emphasized trust in God and the need for a Savior. He identified that Savior as Jesus and dismissed the inclination of humanity to be all about self.

Was this book perfect? No. Was it perfectly orthodox? No. Was it meant to be? I don't think it was. I think it was meant to stretch the thinking of Christians who are making a mess of Jesus' mission here and now. I think it was meant to help hurting and broken people take another shot at God. I think it was meant to help Rob Bell work through some major doctrinal questions. I think it was meant to get people talking and blogging about what is true and what really matters.

I think it worked.

A Super-model of Mission

2011-03-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I confess: I watch "Celebrity Apprentice." I'm not sure why. I don't like the whining, the trash talk, or the spoiled celebrities. But something about it keeps me coming back. Last Sunday I saw one reason for watching. I saw a picture of what genuine mission is all about.

It all started when supermodel Niki Taylor and her team lost their task competition. What usually follows is a brouhaha in the boardroom with Donald Trump. Accusations fly. Cut-downs dominate. Arguing, crying, and merciless self-justifying assertions saturate the paneled walls of the Donald's inner sanctum of power.

But Sunday night was different. Supermodel Niki Taylor sat composed and confident. She said that her team worked together. Each person pulled her weight in the task. They did the best they could, but did not prevail in the end. With that, she let Donald know that she was the only one who could be held responsible for the loss. She should be fired.

And Donald fired her. The boardroom was quiet. Each member of her team could be heard saying, "What a class act." "That woman is pure class." Donald echoed the same sentiment. Then with head held high, Niki Taylor exited Trump Tower and returned to the life she loved as a hard working wife and mother.

Wow. What if the church behaved like Niki Taylor? What if God's people focused completely and wholeheartedly on the mission? What if it wasn't about arrogance or position or seeking personal status and adoration, but was totally about the sacred mission to reach the lost and broken with the wholeness and hope of Jesus Christ?

We have a problem with that sometimes. As church people, we let pride get in the way too often. We seek attention and adulation through our accomplishments. We try to be Luther-like by stirring up controversy so we can make our personal mark in history. We get arrogant about what is right. We covet power and positions of prominence. It's the dark side of the institutional church. It's sinful.

God declared in Isaiah 42:8, "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another." You see, the glory will not be ours. We are the created ones. We are the clay. We are the servants. We were dead, but now are alive because of God's mercy and amazing grace.

With humble and repentant hearts, we are called to live transformed lives--no longer ourselves prevailing, scrapping, and fighting--but Christ alive in us. It's the life of Jesus. It's the life of love. It is patient, kind, not envious, not boasting, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13).

It's what Niki Taylor demonstrated on Sunday night: mission focus, mission humility, mission integrity, mission words, and mission deeds. Oh that each of us could be led by the Holy Spirit to give up our own glory; move away from our self-absorption, fear, and haughtiness; and move forward in the mission that matters. Oh that each of us might emulate this supermodel of mission!

A Deployed Church

2011-03-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Complete and radical change. Being totally uprooted. Sacrificing home and family. Risking life itself. Empowering young leaders. Trusting the people of the church to be the church. Total devotion to God's Word and readiness to sacrifice tradition. Always on the move, bringing Christ to every corner of the community and world.

Those phrases describe the DNA of Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

In 1838, 1,100 Saxon Lutherans left Europe for the United States. They were on a quest for religious freedom, resisting the pressure to compromise Biblical teaching fueled by the Prussian Union. Only 750 of these daring and entrepreneurial immigrants made it to New Orleans. One ship was lost at sea.

After weathering their personal grief, the rigors of a new land, and their leader's corruption and sexual misconduct scandal, the group of believers did not collapse in failure and despondency. They grew stronger. Not yet 30-years-old, C.F.W. Walther became the leader of the group. He helped a Biblical model of church and ministry take hold among this group of Kingdom focused Christians.

What was important to this fledgling church?

Being People in Ministry and Mission: The church saw the danger of the old European hierarchical system. They followed the Biblical model of church and ministry, an active balance of people and pastors reaching out and serving.

Discipleship: Christian and theological education became a cornerstone of its existence.

Kingdom Unity: Walther's vision of a Lutheran Church across the United States resulted in the formation of the LCMS in 1847.

Kingdom Expansion: Loehe's "sent ones" (Sendlinge) set the pace for outreach, beginning with Native Americans and culminating in World Mission efforts of Lutherans that continue today.

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has been a deployed church from the beginning: Sent ones, sending more and more people--both young and old--to share the news of Jesus Christ and equip more missionaries for the Gospel. The LCMS is a deployed church: crossing the ocean and intent on infiltrating every corner of every land with ministry for Jesus Christ.

That's the church I know.

Complete and radical change. Being totally uprooted. Sacrificing home and family. Risking life itself. Empowering young leaders. Trusting the people of the church to be the church. Total devotion to God's Word and readiness to sacrifice tradition. Always on the move, bringing Christ to every corner of the community and world.

How are you doing as you are entrusted with that legacy in your community, for your state and nation, and for the world? How will you deploy your ministry in 2011?

Some churches are bringing church to nursing homes and youth shelters. Some churches are starting preschools in newly populated area. Some churches are implementing multi-site strategies. Some are planting new churches. Some are flooding neighborhoods with missional communities that form relationships and break through the barrier of the anti-institutional post-Christian culture. Ministry at local universities, the raising up of ethnic leaders to create a movement in another culture, Alpha groups that introduce people to the Christian faith--it's the DNA of the LCMS.

Complete and radical change. Being totally uprooted. Sacrificing home and family. Risking life itself. Empowering young leaders. Trusting the people of the church to be the church. Total devotion to God's Word and readiness to sacrifice tradition. Always on the move, bringing Christ to every corner of the community and world.

What's your next step?

What's Our Brand?

2011-03-03T05:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I watched the very first Larry King replacement show hosted by Piers Morgan on CNN. Piers interviewed Oprah Winfrey. While I wasn't wowed by Piers, I was taken by one of his questions. He asked Oprah, "What's your brand?"

Piers Morgan pushed Oprah to respond with words and phrases like: Power, Influence, World Domination, Political Clout, A Network that Controls the World. Oprah wouldn't go for those. After being pushed to summarize her "brand," Oprah responded with one word:

Love.

She went on to describe her heartfelt hope that people feel loved because of who she is and what she offers. She wanted that love to be transmitted to others in an unbroken chain of "paying it forward."

Piers was shocked. He pushed back. But Oprah wouldn't budge. Love it was. That is what would define her to the world.

You probably see where I'm going. What if Piers Morgan asked the church what its brand is these days?

What might outside observers answer?

What might the church itself answer?

I wonder if the word "love" would come up at all?

Jesus made the brand He desired very clear: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

Read John 17 and you'll see Jesus' branding effort all over the place. Review the entire book of 1 John and see the direction the Scriptures send us. Take a look at the book of James and ponder how God wants our faith to be worked out in love.

But is love (Gospel love, the true love of God) really what we're about? Henri Nouwen said, "Power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life" (In the Name of Jesus, p.59).

In "The Divine Conspiracy" Dallas Willard commented that perhaps our outcomes are not in spite of what we do but because of it. Could the stalled and suspect church of the western world be an exact result of what we're making it?

What if the brand spoken of by Jesus took hold in our hearts and actions? What if love prevailed in congregations and communities? What transformation would take place? What new and exciting ministry would result? Who might be rescued from eternal death and live a lifetime of contagious love as they traveled the road to eternal life with Jesus?

Church Seasons and Mission

2010-12-07T15:49:00.001-08:00

What do I mean by "Church Seasons"? I'm referring to particular chunks of time in church history. There are many ways to divide church history, but as I listened to a summary of the three ecumenical creeds recently, I realized that the church has had an interesting historical flow that may relate to mission outreach--and the hesitance to reach out--during our era of church history.

An initial season of church history can be called a season of doctrine. For the first 800 years or so of the Christian Church's existence, teachers asserted ideas that were opposed to Biblical orthodoxy. Marcion didn't like anything Jewish, so he started to slice sections out of the Bible. Montanus advocated adding to the Scriptures through the revelations of his ecstatic prophets. Valentinus promulgated Gnostic teachings. Arianism led to the first ecumenical council in Nicaea in 325 A.D. There are plenty more, but you get the idea. Biblical orthodoxy was being defined in response to unscriptural teachers. Ecumenical councils were convened. Doctrine was being sorted out.

The next season to develop was a season of corruption. The institutional church became a place of power and control. Political and Ecclesiastical lines became blurred. Human traditions and inclinations supplanted Biblical mandates and emphases. The church was a mess. Money, sex, and power became the prevailing themes within the church. It was an ugly season.

The third major season of the church was a season of reformation. While many voices of reformation cried out during the season of corruption, Martin Luther stands out as the person who led a season of reform in the church. Luther sought to bring the church back to the Bible and back to the cross of Christ. It was a season of refocusing on God's will, His ways, and His gifts.

The season of reformation led to another season of doctrine. As the new phenomenon of protestant movements and denominations developed, departures from the historic teaching of the Scriptures came on the scene. The church wrestled with the definition and nature of the sacraments, teachings on millennialism, the nature of church and ministry, and more. Some older heresies resurfaced and caused the church to wrestle anew with ancient issues. Stretching into the 1800's and 1900's everything from Biblical liberalism to the development of false "Christian" groups presented the church with doctrinal challenges.

This second season of doctrine fueled another season of corruption. Religious charlatans, money-focused televangelists, and a sexual scandal laden Roman Catholic priesthood mark our present era. In addition, a desire for fame, power, and control in the church taints and distracts from the Christocentric aim of the body of Christ.

So, as one of my professors used to say, "Cui bono?" In other words, "To whom for good?" "What's the point?"

Here's the bottom line:

- While all these seasons happen to some degree all the time in the church, we are living in a time poised for another season of reformation. Will this mean a recovery of the mission of the church? Will it mean a return to authenticity versus institutionalism? I don't know, but we are moving toward reform.

- When the rumblings of reformation begin to happen, the people caught up in the season of corruption believe that change equals heresy instead of reform. This is very important. Corrupt church leaders try to cast Biblical and Gospel reforms as doctrinal errors. This is done to prevent change and to maintain control. The Roman Catholic Church excommunicated Martin Luther on doctrinal grounds. Instead of adopting a spirit of repentance based on an honest look at the Scriptures, the church in Luther's time did not want to surrender control and, therefore, misinterpreted reform.

It is important that we do not make the same mistake. The big question is: Can we recognize when change is true reformation and welcome it with a spirit of repentance?

What changes in the church today are moving us back to the cross of Christ? What changes are bringing us back to what the church was designed to be by its head, Jesus?

We're running into a season of reformation. We need to watch carefully.

Who's Story?

2010-11-10T12:52:00.001-08:00

Time Magazine's Millennium Edition rated Martin Luther as one of the most significant people in the past 2000 years. We would tend to agree. Why? Was it because of his courageous action? Does it boil down to German pride? Hermann Sasse asked these questions in his book Here We Stand. His conclusion? We don't worship a hero. We don't celebrate heritage. In fact, Luther and the Reformation are not stories of human triumph or theological development. Sasse cited "the profound conviction of Luther that church history is not a history of what human beings have done, but a history of what the living and mighty Word of God has accomplished in its course through the nations of the world" (p.184).

This is all about the Gospel. This is not our story. It is God's story.

In The Message paraphrase of Romans 4, Eugene Peterson expresses the first part of verse three ("What does the Scripture say?") as: "But the story we're given is a God-story."

By God's grace, we are living in His story. This has powerful implications for mission and ministry--implications that follow the pattern of Luther's life.

What does being in God's story do?

Being in God's story creates in us to zeal for the Word of truth versus concern about personal status. Luther gave up his standing in the church and was willing to give up his life because the true Gospel was too important to compromise. Luther was not nitpicking about traditions. He knew that people would be lost eternally if the Gospel was not given free course. He understood that the light of Jesus Christ could not be placed under a bushel. The news of salvation by grace alone could not be blockaded by traditions of men. It could not be diminished into meaninglessness by the distracting and destructive "add-ons" of human tradition and contrivance. The main thing was the Word of life, and the Word of life had to get out into the world. God's story needed to prevail.

Being in God's story also grows in us a sense of servanthood verses a quest for control. As the institutional church sought to crush Luther, the Reformer focused on helping people understand and share the Gospel. Papal pawns worked to reinforce the control of those in command, but Luther continually brought people back to the Word of God. What gifts did God give? What was His calling? What is His mission? How is God dislodging us from our plans and preferences in order to serve Him and His people? Being in God's story leads us to be faithful script followers not commanding playwrights.

Finally, being in God's story leads us to expansive vision versus self-centered shortsightedness. I recently heard two pastors discussing which of them could get a certain church planter for the new missions they wanted to launch. What a refreshing conversation! The "competition" between these churches was all about new outreach. The energy of these pastors was being devoted to Kingdom multiplication. Instead of internal squabbles or a comparison of how each church was doing, an expansive and contagious Kingdom vision was taking hold. Being in God's story means the Church has an exciting future.

Who's story are you living? Through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, you're given the gift of a God-story. Live it well.

How Are You Struggling?

2010-10-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Has my life been perfect? Have my days been problem free?

Because I'm a pastor, some people have thought that my life-journey has been smooth sailing the whole way. It's not true. Just as the world groans, each one of us groans inwardly as we await restoration from the Lord (Romans 8). Life is difficult and challenging.

The question is not whether or not you will struggle. The question is HOW will you struggle. When challenges come calling, when difficulties test your heart and soul, when temptations knock on your door, when life isn't very good, how will you respond?

Will you struggle poorly? Will you give in to the blowing winds of the world? Or will you struggle well? Will you see the new pathways of redemption, grace, and strength Jesus provides?

I've received some very positive feedback about my new book, "Struggle Well." God is using it to reach deeply into the lives of His precious children. The book is being offered at a special discounted price on Amazon.com. If you'd like to order a copy, click the link to the right of this article to access links to purchase the book.

During a season of the year that brings many struggles, get equipped to Struggle Well.

It's Going to Be Okay

2010-09-25T12:17:00.001-07:00

One mission, one message, one people.

Witness, mercy, life together.

Do you see a similarity? The priority is telling what we have seen and heard, being all about God's mission, bearing witness to Jesus. The outward action is connecting people with the Gospel through word and deed, sharing the message, showing and speaking the mercy of God. The solid foundation is the community of faith, the church, God's people, our life together.

When our focus is truly on the mission of God given in the Scriptures, changes in leadership or the tweaking of programs do not move us away from what we are called by God to do.

This is the beauty of a Biblical church.

Personal agendas and axes to grind may be floating around the periphery of the mission. Quests for power or desires to control may simmer beneath the surface of personalities involved. Ministry emphases may be articulated and prioritized in different ways. In the mix of it all, some personalities will be more abrasive than others. But if the Word runs the show, the head of the body, Jesus Christ, will prevail. His Church will move forward.

Of course, we must be good and attentive stewards of the mysteries of God. We are called to unity, kindness, forgiveness, and love. But we do not have to be afraid. As the Bible says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). By God's grace, we are equipped to move forward with strength--even in the midst of change and turbulence. Hebrews 10:39 declares, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

In His grace and mercy, God moves us forward in His mission. With humility and gratitude, we are called to run the race set before us as servants of the risen Savior. We need to be on guard and always be watchful, but we do not have to be afraid.

God's mission is going to be okay.

Discovering Your Faith Language

2010-09-08T15:08:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege of serving at a Christian camp over the weekend. Even though I was there to teach, I learned so much more. As it happens so often, God placed before me the remarkable stories of His work among His people.

As I spoke to these dear and faithful servants of Jesus, I heard them speak about their trials and challenges in a "faith language" that inspired me and led me closer to the Savior. It made me wonder if workers in the harvest field need to discover and develop their "faith language."

I'm not talking about preaching. I'm talking about using language that shows you remember God's work. I'm referring to the natural references you make to your Savior who promised to be with you always. I'm thinking of language that reflects your trust in God who hears your prayers and knows your needs. Over and over the Psalms make reference to declaring to the assembly what God has done: "Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders" (Psalm 107:32).

When people are assembled and you're talking about your life, are you making sure God has his rightful place in the story? Or are you leaving out the most important person?

At camp, I heard men talk about how God walked with them and taught them as they navigated the difficult and stressful world of business. I heard couples talk about Jesus' presence in the midst of cancer diagnoses and treatments. I heard some tough dudes utter statements that told of changed lives and eager ears awaiting the voice and guidance of the Lord. I heard moms talk about how they were eager to make Christ's difference and how this world is nothing compared to the glory of heaven.

It was faith language. It was natural. It was winsome. It communicated a real and present God, a good God, an active and living God. It caused me to want to know Him more.

What if you practiced your faith language this week? What if you made sure to include your Savior in your conversation? What if you let the assembly know who the main character of your story really is?

Just think, instead of figuring out an evangelism technique or getting nervous about sharing a testimony, you could simply speak in faith language that glorified God and showed the people in your life that He's the real deal and that they can know Him too.

Will you try it this week?

The Pretty-Ugly Factor

2010-08-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Honda and Toyota came out with some redesigned vehicles recently. These Japanese automakers used to be lithe and nimble in design, production, and sales. Vehicles were inexpensive and reliable. In fact, they were beautiful. They were pretty automobiles. But since the car companies have grown and expanded, some quality glitches have surfaced. And some of their designs are downright ugly.

The same thing happened to GM, Ford, and Chrysler in the course of their history. For a while, the American automakers churned out some ugly vehicles. Bloated versions of the Ford Thunderbird and Chevy Impala appeared in the '70's and 80's. Cadillacs looked like boats on wheels. Remember the Pontiac Aztek? Yikes!

American automakers seem to be coming back with some sleek designs these days, but what gets into a company to become ugly? Can the church learn anything from this swinging pendulum? Let's try:

First, the car companies took the easy road of tweaking what exists instead of inventing something new. The result can be very ugly. In the church, tweaking routines and old ways can happen for a while, but keeping the old around for too long will result in something that people view as irrelevant and meaningless. Car companies will always make cars, and the church should always reach people with the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ. But never inventing new ways to reach out with the Good News of Jesus adds up to laziness. Never creating innovative ways to communicate the Gospel will hurt the work of the church. It's ugly.

Second, the car companies became out of touch with people. They lived in denial. Instead of considering people's genuine needs and feedback, they plowed ahead as institutions with blinders on. They were big ships that resisted the blowing winds of change. The church must listen to people. True, it can't be blown around by the winds of untruth and relativism, but it has to hear what people are saying. The church must know how people are hurting and where the world is sending them. If the church really listens, it can bring God's truth to peoples lives in a vibrant and powerful way. That's a beautiful thing.

Third, the car companies drifted into valuing survival over service. They let the bottom line of profits erode their focus on people. Once a local church is born, the tendency to focus on survival becomes an enticing false god. Staying in "business" can replace the risk-oriented, life-sacrificing spirit of laying it all on the line for Jesus and His Kingdom. A survival spirit will take the heart and purpose out of an organization. If the church forgets that it is here not to be served, but to serve and give its live as a ransom for many, it will become an ugly, bloated, beast.

Fourth, the car companies lost the joy in their work. They cranked out products. They kept the lines running. But they let the joyful art of automobile design and creation slip from their grasp. All over the Bible, the church is described as the Bride of Christ beautifully adorned. God bestows a crown of beauty on His redeemed. The feet of the one who brings good news are beautiful. God's work is not a joyless grind. Lives are being changed for eternity. If the people of the church lose their joy so the "assembly line" can keep running, something may need to change. Purpose may need to be revisited. The living Word may need to be inwardly digested. Reaching out may need to be rekindled. Why? Because God's Church is a beautiful thing!

(Church Planting Series, Part forty-three)

Hall of Fame

2010-08-10T13:04:00.001-07:00

I watched the Hall of Fame induction speeches on Saturday. The theme of each speech was remarkably similar. Each football player recounted how impossible it seemed for him to one day play in the NFL. Speaker after speaker told of their upbringing in poor, working class neighborhoods; in single-parent, disadvantaged surroundings; in an environment that pulled them toward rebellion or despair; in a situation that systematically told them "you can never have a better life." But there they stood, miracles of human beings. Some gave glory to God and praised Jesus. Others sighed in relief and disbelief that their lives were now being cheered by a throng of fans on a sultry night in Canton, Ohio.

I watched. I listened. I saw a picture of heaven.

As I sat in awe at the athletic accomplishments of these men and as I listened to the ups and downs of their lives, I saw that they were being enshrined in spite of their imperfections and in the face of the walls of impossibility that stood before them. Poverty, bad influences, poor decisions? They were being enshrined. Failures, imperfection, stumbles along the way? They were being enshrined. Good games, bad games, bad press, good press? They were being enshrined. On that evening in that place and at that time, their lives were being lifted up. In that moment, they were all good. Everything was just right. Grace covered the blemishes, and their achievements were bigger than life, projected on the giant screen behind them.

I thought of Jesus' dialogue with believers at the heavenly enshrinement in Matthew 25: "Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

The "sheep" responded: "When did we do all this?" Jesus told them, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

In other words Jesus enshrined a bunch of lowly, disadvantaged, fragile and failing people. He made their lives all good. Everything was just right. Grace covered their blemishes and their achievements were bigger than life. They were now in God's Hall of Fame.

This applies to you, of course. But it also applies to the people you meet and are with. As a servant of Jesus, you will meet many broken, dysfunctional, hard-to-get-along-with, unreliable, vacillating, insecure, poor-decision-making people. You will get frustrated and be tempted to push them all out of your life. You will be tempted to give up all hope when they don't get their acts together in a timely or efficient way. You will be tempted to lash out when they hurt you or let you down.

But remember, these are God's Hall of Famers. One day, on that Great Day, if these hobbled human beings stumbled along with a shred of faith, they will be enshrined. Their lives will be lifted up. Everything will be good. Grace will have covered their blemishes and they will be celebrated by the throngs of heaven.

That's what God's redemptive gift of His Son has accomplished. Sin-cold corpses have been raised up to stand on the victor's podium. A bunch of nothings will be celebrated as the greatest somethings.

When you feel like you're wasting your time on persistent problem people, press on. You're rubbing shoulders with God's Hall of Famers.

(Church Planting Series, Part forty-two)

Genuine Theology

2010-07-28T14:03:00.001-07:00

There's a lot of talk in the church about talking about theology. Theology is a fine subject. Martin Luther elevated theology (the study of God) as the head of all subjects. He said, "Whatever we may do, let us see to it that we do not lose the Bible but read and preach it! When theology flourishes, everything goes on happily; for theology is the head of all branches of knowledge and the arts."

Theology is a worthy pursuit. It is the core of the mission of God and, therefore, the center of the mission of the Church. But there is a danger. Not all conversation claimed as theological is really about theology. Someone may assert that he is discussing theology when, in reality, he is not discussing the things of God, but the things of man.

Jesus rebuked Peter when his theology went the way of man. After Peter confessed Christ as the Messiah, the disciple went on to try to keep Jesus away from suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus responded, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Mark 8:33).

Peter thought he was talking theology. Jesus let him know that theology can easily drift into an anthropological gutter when placed in the shaky hands of sinful men.

Even Luther realized this danger. He said, "The proper subject of theology is man, guilty of sin and lost, and God, who justifies and is the Savior of sinful man. Whatever in theology is sought or argued outside this subject is error and poison."

As you venture into the high calling of bringing lost people the Good News of the Savior, you are immersing yourself in theology. But there will be people around you--even people in the church--who claim that your theology is secondary to the "real" theological issues they want to talk about.

Be on guard against such theological misdirection.

Putting lost humanity and the Savior God on the back burner, servings of pseudo-theology may be placed before you. Debates about music, church adornments, vestments, worship style, ministry titles, structure, hymnals, uniformity in practice, and the like will be served up as theological conversation. But this is not theology. Dare I say that even some debates about communion practice and the pastoral office are not in the realm of genuine theology.

Oh, it can be worthwhile to discuss these subjects. But, too often, human pride can commandeer god-subjects and elevate them even above the cross of Jesus Christ, above real theology. No one would admit this affront to the cross, but if someone spends more time thinking, talking, writing, and debating about anthropological issues, where is his heart?

Paul cautioned believers in Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Why? Because theological misdirection will pull us away from the cross and away from God's mission.

I hear a lot of talk about who's breaking worship rules, how pastors are supposed to dress, how worship services are to be outlined, and why some pastors and congregations are to be looked at with suspicion and disregard. But I don't hear a whole lot of genuine theological conversation. What if we discussed our obedience to the Great Commission? What if we discussed our personal alignment with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5)? What if we talked about our ministry of reconciliation and our adherence to Christ's command to forgive and to love each other? What if we discussed what it means to have a Christ-like attitude in light of Philippians chapter 2? What if we debated how the church can grow and develop as the light of the world (Matthew 5)? What if we discussed how the Word of Christ can dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom (Colossians 3)?

What if we minimized anthropological smokescreens and pride-filled platitudes and started to venture into genuine theology?

(Church Planting Series, Part forty-one)

Struggle Well

2010-07-10T18:47:00.001-07:00

My daughter is teaching third graders over the summer. They're wild, wooly and drama-filled. It's summer vacation. They don't want classrooms, rules, or structure. They want freedom! It's my daughter's job to facilitate some semblance of order in the middle of this chaos.

Recently, she weathered a particularly rambunctious day with the students (read: she wanted to quit). I was proud of the way she handled the behavior cyclone. Instead of blowing up, yelling at the kids, and chucking the whole mess, she assessed the situation. As she navigated the turbulence of 16 rebelling eight-year-olds, she did her best to communicate with them and serve them. She realized that many of them have no foundation of discipline at home. She understood that she still had to get her job done, care for these little human beings, and help them understand what boundaries and good behavior are.

In other words, instead of struggling poorly, she struggled well.

Oh, the temptation to struggle poorly! As you serve Christ and His people, it is so enticing to lash out when they rebel. It feels so natural to give up, become disheartened, and walk away. When hard times hit, you feel weak and weary, disheartened and depressed. It's during those times you want to abandon your calling, tell God to find someone else, and take a permanent vacation. Or you lose your temper. Or you lose yourself in destructive behavior. There are so many ways to struggle poorly.

But Jesus opened a new way through struggle. The Apostle Paul said, "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings" (Romans 5:1-3). Why? How? Because "hope does not disappoint us." Yes, we struggle. But in Christ Jesus, we can struggle well.

Jesus shattered the barrier of hopelessness when He rose from the dead. When grief fills our hearts, when depression envelops our souls, when temptation wracks our bodies, when frustration strains our emotions, we've been given a way through it that brings glory to God and bears witness to His name. In Christ, we struggle well.

Paul captured that divine dynamic in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."

As you serve Jesus, you will be tempted to struggle poorly. You'll be tempted to conform to the behavior of the world. But you are called to something better. The Spirit dwells in you for a greater purpose. You are here to struggle well, and to see that light of Jesus Christ shine in the hearts of those who are lost in darkness.

Read more about struggling well in my new book "Struggle Well: Living Through Life's Storms." Click the link on this page to take a look at the book--complete with study guide.

(Church Planting Series, Part forty)

Should You Invite People to Church?

2010-06-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

When one of my daughters was in high school, she invited me to go to a high school baseball game. The main reason she invited me was that she needed me to drive her there so she could watch her boyfriend play. Needless to say, I wasn't all that excited about attending the game. I could see much better baseball in other venues. The game was being played at an inconvenient time after a long day at work. And I didn't want to cozy up to the boyfriend too much. But I went. I went because I wanted to spend time with my daughter and show my support for her.

During those same high school years, I was invited to attend a meeting of the Principal's Council. This was a group of parents who got together with the principal to hear the latest news and to help shape the direction of the school. This was a worthy cause. My children were in high school. I wanted to help make a difference. I went willingly and with a sense of purpose.

Which scenario is most like an invitation to church?

It may be scenario number one, the ball game. You invite your friend Bob to church. He isn't that enthused about going. He's one of the more than 80% of the people in our culture who doesn't think faith or church attendance is all that important. He can hear better speakers and better music in other venues. The time of the service is in the middle of his restful weekend. And he doesn't want to be pestered by a bunch of religious people. He may go because he cares about you, but he doesn't wake up in the morning with a deep desire to attend a church.

But what if you aimed for scenario number two? What if you didn't invite Bob TO church, but to BE the church? What if your church was so committed to transforming your community that you could invite your friend Bob to help mentor and tutor kids twice each month in a program that meets in the local public school? Bob, like the vast majority of all human beings, wants to make a difference in the world. He wakes up in the morning and wonders why he is here. He wants to leave a legacy and help make people's lives better. So Bob enthusiastically agrees. He's in! As he volunteers, he gets to know you. He asks why you and others are giving their time away like this. He finds out that it's rooted in the self-sacrificial Spirit of Jesus. After a couple months, he is intrigued. He wants to meet more people like you--people who give themselves away to help others. He asks if he could go with you to church.

Do you see the difference? There will be people who are receptive to an invitation to church. But percentages show that most people who don't know Jesus won't want to start there. That means you have to figure out a way to infiltrate the world with Christ's love. You have to show the world how good, right, helpful, and life-changing the Savior is. Once they see the Spirit of Jesus, they won't be able to stay away.

What kind of invitations are you offering? Keep inviting people to church. Keep asking people who are interested in God to hear His life-changing Word. Keep bringing people with you so they can experience the miraculous reach of the Gospel.

But will you also invite people to BE the church with you? Will you help develop your outreach to the lost, lonely, disenfranchised, forgotten, and weak? Will you be a church that cares about your community and makes an effort to lift it up in the name of Jesus? Then, will you invite people who crave purpose to be part of the greatest purpose there could ever be?

It will make church much more than a high school baseball game.
(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-eight)

Mercury and Missions

2010-06-17T08:51:00.001-07:00

The Ford Motor Company recently announced it was shutting down the Mercury line. For over 70 years, Mercury provided a mildly upscale automobile between the Ford and Lincoln brands. Was anyone surprised Mercury was phased out? I don’t think so.

Everybody could see that Mercury had become meaningless. It duplicated Ford models. It offered nothing unique to the public. Buyers of Mercury came from an insider pool—people who would have bought Fords. No vigorous product identity existed. When the announcement of the shutdown was made public, no one expressed shock. I don’t even know if anyone objected.

Can the church learn anything from Mercury? Let's try.

First, a vigorous and unique product identity offered in a vibrant way is essential. Who has a better "product" than the church? The true God, the living Word, the forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, the presence of the Almighty, deep purpose and meaning for life--is there anything better? Can we not help speak of what we've seen and heard (Acts 4:20) or are we bored, listless, and distracted?

Second, appealing only to insiders will destroy you. A dear older lady said to me recently, "I know what I prefer to experience in church, but the church doesn't have to worry about me. I believe in Jesus already. They need to appeal to the people who don't believe!" A focus on preserving the organization, the institution, or the already convinced will slowly destroy the church. In business, that inside focus may be a chosen strategy. In the church, it's a sin. Jesus said to the church leaders of the day, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former" (Matthew 23:23). Maintaining an inside emphasis while neglecting the mission is wrong, hypocritical, and deadly.

Third, a meaningless organization is never mourned. There may be some sentimental farewells to Mercury. We'll probably see photos of the last Mercury as it rolls off the assembly line in the fall. There will be a few people who buy one of the final autos for their car collections. But because losing Mercury is not a loss to many people, not many people will care. Is the church like Mercury? Eighty percent of the population in Texas does not consider faith important and does not attend church with any regularity. More churches are shrinking and closing than are opening and growing. More and more, the culture considers the church irrelevant, hypocritical, snooty, weird, and meaningless. Its decline is not being mourned.

Can we learn from Mercury? Will we become moved and compelled by the miraculous Gospel to lift it up as the light of life in a dying, darkened world? Will you, without shame and with great boldness, bring Jesus to the lost? Will we break the bonds of insider comfortableness and get outside the walls of the church to form relationships and take risks? Will you sacrifice your comfort levels so people of this generation can meet their Savior? Will we serve Christ in such a way that people crave the impact and influence of the church? Will you represent Jesus so clearly that people urge you to stick around--not to go because they need you?

It's happened before. The Samaritans from Sychar urged Jesus to stay with them after they heard what happened to the sinful woman at the well. Jesus hung around for two days. John 4:41 says that "because of his words many more become believers." God's mission plan is much better than Mercury's marketing plan. Which will you follow?

(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-seven)

What Are You Giving Away?

2010-06-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

I was watching television the other day and saw one of those commercials that gave you not one, not two, but three magic vegetable slicers for the price of one. Wow, that company is losing money! They’re giving away their stock. They’re going to close down if they keep that up. Giving things away free will drain them! Or will it?

Clearly, free is not free. The scales still tip to the profit side. The company is a profit-making business. They’re getting something out of all this.

We know this and become skeptical patrons. “What’s the catch?” is the question we’ve learned to ask. Usually, we read the fine print or wait a few minutes to find out that free really isn’t free.

This is the mindset people bring to the Gospel. “What’s the catch?” they wonder. Unfortunately, we can fall into the trap of adding catches to the Gospel. We can scribble fine print below the message of grace. Unintentional “profit-making” attempts can interfere with Christ’s free gift.

We may proclaim salvation by grace alone, but do we express that a person really belongs only when they conform to certain outward habits and appearances?

We may preach the unconditional love and acceptance of God, but do our lives communicate that acceptance has its limits? Certain people are not welcome.

We may talk about the beautiful fellowship in the body of Christ, but do our social and organizational structures show that there is no additional room for anyone else in the club? There are no openings for new friendships.

We may claim flexibility in that which is not commanded—and even use the term “adiaphora,” but, in reality, are we idolizing and giving priority to the “indifferent things”? Is our rigidity based in tradition rather than on enduring truth?

We may wave the banner of grace, the free gift of God, but do we put a collection basket by every coffee pot, at every doorway, and by every resource rack? Are we teaching selling rather than stewardship?

What are you giving away? Is free really free? Are people finding “catches” to your presentation of the Gospel? Could there be better ways for you to reflect the lavish generosity of God so more of His goodness can be given away?

(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-six)

What is Productivity?

2010-05-18T20:04:00.001-07:00

Are you a person who likes to get things done? To cross things of the list? If you don’t accomplish a certain quota of tasks do you get frustrated? Do you feel like a failure? Like your day was wasted? Are you the kind of person who likes to measure progress and see results?

A healthy number of leaders are task oriented. They like to see things get done. Unfortunately, this desire for productivity can lead to creating and living in an illusion of accomplishment. The hunger for productivity can lead to the trap of meaningless busyness.

What is productivity in mission and ministry? Is it simply keeping up and catching up? You know how it goes: you work to keep the e-mail inbox clear; you try to keep up with snail mail and reports, you keep your website up to date, you compose your latest blog, you return phone calls, you scramble to meetings, you outline strategic plans, you make sure worship services are set to go, you communicate with church leaders and staff, you set up for your next event. Work, work, work. Busy, busy, busy.

But is it productive? These are good things, but at the center of mission and ministry are people. The ultimate measure of productivity in the church is redemptive relationships. Who is lost but now is being found? Who is weak, but now is being strengthened? Who is idle, but now is being equipped and sent out? Who is hopeless, but now is being brought to the Shepherd of their souls?

When I was serving a mission church in suburban Chicago, there were stretches of time when all I seemed to do was spend hours on the phone with people, handle walk-ins, go to hospitals and nursing homes, and spend time meeting people in the community. On some days I felt like I got nothing done! But a few years before that season of ministry, I determined that my number one priority in ministry would be people. Even though I felt as if I never kept up with all the tasks, I was going to connect with people. It felt completely unproductive at times, but God showed me otherwise.

Every month I visited a woman who was bedridden because of severe arthritis. Her sister and brother-in-law took care of her. We talked, drank 7-Up, laughed, prayed and celebrated God’s gifts. It took most of the afternoon. I loved this dear lady and her family, but sometimes I wondered if this was a productive use of time. God showed me it was. In addition to caring for a dear and precious child of God who had no other access to Christian fellowship, this sweet lady and her family had a network of family and friends who I got to know gradually. The synergy of our relationship resulted in remarkable opportunities for witness, consolation, and service to the Lord. God showed me that, ultimately, relationships move the Kingdom forward.

I’ll never forget how meeting a homeless man connected me to a Roman Catholic nun, who connected me with a network of community leaders, who ultimately banded together to reach several key high-risk and high-need areas of the community, allowing me to bring Christ to thousands of at-risk young people and disenfranchised adults. What seemed like a distraction from productivity resulted in the most productive Kingdom work ever.

How could I miss this simple truth? How could I think that a list of tasks and an empty e-mail inbox rivaled relationships with others? After all, Jesus spent time with people. He sought relationships. His web of people connections opened the door of new life for thousands. And Jesus still seeks people.

I am in full support of responsible administration and organizational leadership. I hope that every servant of Christ is able to get certain things done in a timely way. But what if you started to measure your productivity in terms of relationships? What if you reserved large chunks of time to see what the synergy of redemptive relationships can accomplish? What if you redefined productivity and reveled in its new freedom and opportunities?

(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-five)

A Life-changing Event

2010-05-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

I was walking in a parking lot in Florida a few weeks ago and saw something I had never seen in my life.

It was early morning. Sprinkler systems had shut off fairly recently and the pavement was puddled but drying. About a foot from the grass was an earthworm. He was stranded on a dry patch of pavement, wiggling slowly. Death was not far away as the sun rose, the temperature grew warmer, and the moisture disappeared.

Suddenly, the worm jumped! Yes, it leaped about an inch off the ground, springing closer to its grassy goal. With a mighty contraction, the worm got some air. Unbelievable.

I’m not sure if the worm made it back to a moist and muddy haven, but this was an unusual action for an earthworm. Trying to free itself from certain shriveling, dehydration, and death, the worm was pushed to go where no earthworm had gone before. It was a catalytic occurrence in the life of that worm. It was a life-changing event.

The church is being ignored more and more. Fewer people are deciding to go to church. The reputation of the church is suffering. By some it is considered boring and irrelevant. By others it is viewed as corrupt and cliquish. The organized church, it seems, is like a worm on drying pavement.

Mind you, the Bride of Christ is alive and well. Christ’s body will advance so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. But the outward organization and expression of the church is hurting. My questions are: Will it jump, and where will it land?

Will the church lay down and die or will it spring into a catalytic, life-changing event that renews its relevance, outreach, and vigor?

Will the church leap from dry outmodedness into the living water of Christ crucified, risen, and reaching a lost world?

What will that jump look like? Where will the church land? Will the church be less building centered and more community saturating? Will the church be more servant focused and less consumer driven? Will the church release people for ministry instead of controlling a group for maximum uniformity? Will the church rejoice in Biblical truth instead of watering down its uniqueness and blending with the culture? Will worship services be means of celebration, refueling, and encouragement as believers are sent to their people and communities instead of being the end point of what a believer is supposed to do?

What will the earthworm bride do? We know that God will preserve His Church no matter what. Will the old worm have to die or will it burst into the air to live another day?

(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-four)

Even Better Than Twitter

2010-04-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

A new communication tool has been unveiled recently. It’s a mass media monster that will transform society. The battery life is endless. It’s in 3-D (no glasses needed). And it truly can change your life. Is it a new gadget? The latest social networking site? No, it’s bigger than that.

It’s conversation.

This is how it works: two or more people meet personally. They boot up their voice boxes and minds—perhaps with some java. Then they talk. With each other, they engage in what has been called a lost art. They exchange ideas and experiences. They express opinions. They share news. They laugh. They may even cry. But after the uploading and downloading, their lives are never the same.

I got to spend the afternoon with my daughter at a “Dads Day” hosted by her sorority. There were lots of dads there with their sweet daughters. We tailgated and went to a baseball game. It was really fun. But it wasn’t the activities that made it fun for me. It was spending time talking with my daughter. She’s a conversationalist. The baseball game lasted for 2 ½ hours. We talked the whole time. After the dad’s day festivities we went out for dinner. For another two hours, we talked. It was great.

But it was great for me, not because of what I was able to say, but because of what I was able to hear. I loved hearing my daughter’s opinions, thoughts, and experiences. I was thrilled to hear how she was growing, what interests she was developing, and what struggles she was facing. We didn’t solve the problems of the world or finish our to-do list, but something very good happened. That’s what conversation does.

This is where relationships begin. This is how you become close to people. This is one of the basic building blocks of sharing Jesus with someone. This is how news spreads best (word of mouth). But this is also one of the greatest challenges you will face.

Conversation requires listening and thinking. Listening requires sacrifice. Thinking calls for engagement. We live in a culture that plays on our need to need. We need stuff. We need attention. We need notoriety. We need to make our mark. We need to be busy and do our stuff. This neediness cuts us off from each other. When all we do is want and take, we will never be available to engage and give. If we’re never available to engage and give, we cut off God’s work through us.

The mission begins with conversation. But you will face barriers—many of them within yourself.

First is the unwillingness or inability to listen. It is so easy to want to talk about yourself. It’s so easy to dive into your life instead of asking about someone else’s life. It is so tempting to speed past someone else’s comments and get to what you want to share. Conversation requires the discipline to be quiet, to think about what another person is saying, and to dig deeper into what that person is sharing and experiencing. A good response to someone in conversation is a question that seeks to understand and find out more. If you listen well, you’ll find out that you end up receiving exactly what you need. Someone will listen to you, too.

Second is being too busy and distracted. You know how it goes: cell phone, TV, computer, newspaper, your thoughts, your agenda coursing through your brain. Conversation requires engagement. Look a person in the eye. Think about them, not you and your stuff. Be with one person in the moment.

Third is being competitive instead of compassionate. You don’t have to prove yourself all the time. You don’t have to trot out your resume and let people know how great you are. In addition, you’re not in competition with the person you’re speaking with. Just be there. Let your care show who you are. Let your selflessness lift the other person up. After all, what is your mission? Do you exist to exalt yourself? Or are you here to bring the presence of Jesus to a hurting and dying world?

How is conversation going in your life?

(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-three)

Your Ministry Finds You

2010-04-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Dr. Zhao Xiao, a leading Chinese economist, was sent to the United States on a mission. The Chinese government asked him to investigate why the American economy was so successful. After several months of study, Dr. Xiao came to a startling conclusion. In an essay entitled "Market Economies with Churches, and Market Economies without Churches," Dr. Xiao stated that the Christian faith and the existence of Christian churches were key to America’s commercial success.

Dr. Zhao Xiao brought this message back to China—along with a newfound Christian faith. His findings persuaded the Communist government to acknowledge the need for the church—even including a new statement about the church in the Communist platform.

How in the world did this happen? Who could have planned such a turn of events?

Not any of us. It’s a perfect example of how the Mission of God (Missio Dei) works. God is in mission. He is sending Himself to redeem the world. Sometimes we identify what He’s doing and join in His work. Other times His work finds us. In fact, I think this is what happens most often.

Look at the Biblical accounts of God’s movements. God called and sent Abraham. God called Moses out of hiding. God sent Jonah to complete a plan Jonah had no desire to be involved with. God sent Jesus to a world of darkness that didn’t accept Him, to disciples who flunked out of Rabbi training who didn’t understand Him, to people who would have never put their lives on the line for the kind of Kingdom God designed.

Look at God’s movements in your life. I can’t tell you how many times my ministry bright ideas weren’t my ideas at all. Usually God sent someone to pester me into implementing some kind of outreach initiative. I ended up being called a wise pastoral leader when I really stumbled into, or was dragged into, the ministry idea in the first place.

That’s the beauty of God’s Kingdom. And that’s a liberating principle of God’s action for everyone who wants to serve Him. The wise theologian Michael Jordan once said, “You’ve got to let the game come to you.” If you say, “Here I am! Send me!” or even if you don’t, God will show you where He is leading you to serve.

For Dr. Zhao Xiao, it was bringing an economic study with surprising conclusions back to his atheistic Communist country—along with a life transformed by the Gospel.

For you, it may be serving your family. Or reaching out to the neighborhood. Or being Christ’s light at work. Or serving the poor. Or helping the lonely and aged in a local nursing home. Or being a witness at school. Or brining Jesus to your hospital room.

If you watch and pray, your ministry will find you!

Dr. Xiao will be speaking live at the Global Leadership Summit. Click here to register for attendance at a Texas venue.

You can watch a two and a half minute clip from a Frontline story about Dr. Xiao and read his groundbreaking essay by clicking here.

(Church Planting Series, Part thirty-two)

Cyrus, Miley

2010-03-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part thirty-one

Isn’t it strange that out of all the people who could rebuild Jerusalem and restore God’s people, God picked Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire?

God decided that he would use a pagan ruler to show the world who the true God really was.

In Ezra 1:2-3 we hear Cyrus decree: “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.”

Cyrus was acquainted with Yahweh. Cyrus heard Yahweh speak. Cyrus obeyed. Cyrus validated the reality of Yahweh.

God used an icon of the culture, a man outside the Israelite in-group, someone who probably didn’t understand all the details about Yahweh, to initiate an exciting and sacred renewal of faith and life in Jerusalem. Go figure.

I heard church commentator Reggie McNeal say recently, “There is a God conversation going on in the culture, but we’re too busy talking about church.”

While we “Israelites” live in the captivity of our worship schedules, programs, and hopes that people will come to our churches, God is doing something bigger.

Consider another Cyrus for 2010: Miley Cyrus. You know, Hannah Montana and lots of pre-teen girls screaming at her concerts. You may have read her article in the recent “Parade” national magazine. She said, “My faith is very important to me. But I don’t necessarily define my faith by going to church every Sunday…I am very spiritual in my own way. Let me make it clear, though—I am a Christian. Jesus is who saved me. He’s what keeps me full and whole.”

Teen Queen Cyrus, as the article describes her, is just one of many interesting indicators of the “God conversation” going on in our culture. While Miley is overtly Christian, other voices of the culture utter God talk in less defined and more imprecise expressions. But like King Cyrus, popular and even pagan voices are out there with God on their lips—even the true God at times. In some very interesting ways, they are initiating an exciting and sacred renewal of faith and life. The true God doesn’t just live in church buildings, so why shouldn’t we expect His Spirit’s work in the nooks and crannies, on the stages and in the studios, on the streets and in the neighborhoods of our world?

What is our response? Should Ezra have rebuked Cyrus as a Pagan no-goodnick who had no right to pretend he had any shred of the truth? Should we condemn all the “outsiders” who stumble around with clumsy God-talk?

Or should we praise God and get into the conversation? Ezra 1:1 says that “the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing.” Yahweh was working in the culture. Two hundred years before Cyrus or Persia were even known, Yahweh formed His plan for the restoration of Israel. In Isaiah 45:13 Yahweh declared: “I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness.”

God uses Cyruses. They’re all over the place. They’re saturating the culture. God is leading the discussion. It’s time for us to get on board. As we worship on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the goal is not to pack our churches. The goal is to send as many people as possible into the world to enter into the conversation that God has started. We are to join the God-conversation, helping to bring the Way and the Truth and the Life to a world that is hungry for food that lasts and thirsty for water that quenches.

Watch for the latest Cyrus. Let the conversation encourage you and inspire you to get out there and to send people out there! If we claim Jesus is alive, let’s not be surprised that He’s doing a lot of talking.

Oscar and Making Heroes

2010-03-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part thirty

It’s Oscar time of year! Yes, you may be a connoisseur of the red carpet, a viewer of the very famous, a watcher of designer outerwear, a groupie of the acting-gifted. Or maybe not.

I’ll be honest, whenever I see Hollywood awards shows, I feel like they’re very self-indulgent. An award extravaganza amounts to actors throwing a big party and patting each other on the back publicly in order to self promote, create more revenue, and position themselves for bigger and better contracts.

But in the midst of the glamorous gowns, the insipid speeches, and the drawn-out demagoguery, could there be a bright spot? Is there a lesson to learn?

Recently, I heard Reggie McNeal speak about apostolic leaders. Addressing what was created to be a living organism, the Church, McNeal commented that the Church needs to celebrate the right things. The living, breathing, changing, on-the-move Church needs to rejoice in the risks it takes. It needs to share success stories of outstretched arms of salvation being brought to the hurting and lost.

McNeal said that apostolic leaders and a truly apostolic Church “make heroes of the right people.”

Could it be that the Oscars are closer to apostolic leadership than the Church?

Think about what the Church does with its risk-takers, change-agents, and new idea people. Too often, it buries them beneath criticism. It shuns them. Even when these on-the-edge entrepreneurs are solidly proclaiming Biblical truth, the Church has responded with complacency or cruelty.

A local pastor may suppress the gifts of a layperson. A denomination may hiss over the newest local church that is growing. Why? It may be that no one wants to risk compromising the glory of God. But I think there’s another reason. I believe that the Church, in part, is imprisoned in unhealthy fear and ungodly egocentricity. Instead of lifting up others for the sake of the Kingdom, the church has fallen into the trap of pushing others down for the sake of itself. It is madness. It is contrary to our calling.

So, as we create enemies, Hollywood makes heroes. As we decline, Hollywood identifies and lifts up its best to increase its market share.

What if we decided to follow Hollywood’s lead? Not in Hollywood style, of course, but in God’s style. What if we made heroes of good and faithful servants? What if we celebrated and learned from missional risk takers? What if we listened to people who had new ideas—-and tried them out! What if we lifted up exceptional Kingdom advancers to increase Jesus’ market share?

How will you lose yourself and make a hero of one of Jesus’ servants this week?

Making Room II

2010-02-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-nine

Is there room for a new generation of leaders in the church? Will we welcome younger leaders with their fresh voices and inexperience? Will we help shape, mentor, and form them in a way that allows them to have a meaningful voice in Christ’s mission?

But what about current leaders? What about experienced voices?

We are living in an in-between time. Technology is changing rapidly, but not everyone has e-mail. Social networking is sweeping the world, but you can’t reach everyone through Facebook. The outcry is, “Let’s do away with paper and go all electronic!” Yet, reams of paper keep coming our way.

It’s an in-between time.

It’s an in-between time for churches. But we’re designed to be really good at this.

As the times started changing in the first century, believers were led by the Holy Spirit to realize that there is room for both old and new—-as long as God was being served and glorified. God gave Peter visions to show him the way. Finally, he was able to say, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-35). In Acts 15 the Jerusalem Council made the declaration: “We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” The council then instructed the Gentiles in some key teachings of Moses that would help lift up the Jewish believers and create unity in the church.

The Church has always been about bringing old and new together, living lives of reconciliation, doing change well, and harnessing everything for the mission of the Gospel.

This remarkable self-sacrifice is rooted in the remarkable action of Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7a).

As redeemed people, this is what we do—-joyfully and willingly, founded on the unchanging Word, for the sake of reaching out with the Good News of eternal life.

Are you willing to make extra sacrifices and expend extra effort in order to reach out during these in-between times? What will it mean?

• Flexibility in communication methods
• Flexibility in how people are involved in church
• Flexibility in mission outreach
• Flexibility in accepting “outsiders”
• Flexibility in listening to and honoring “insiders”
• Flexibility in governance style
• Flexibility in worship methods and tools

You get the idea. As the Church, we have the opportunity during these in-between times to live out the self-sacrifice of Jesus. When everyone gives, everyone will receive. Founded on the truth of God’s Word, how do you need to be flexible to make room for effective ministry?

Making Room

2010-02-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-eight

Where will new Kingdom leaders come from? Are we developing them? Are we making room for their ideas and mistakes? Do they have a significant place around the leadership table? Two observations make this question even more urgent.

Observation #1: I was on a run in Florida recently and saw a group of 70-year-olds whiz by me on road bikes. Each was dressed like Lance Armstrong. These guys were flying.

I turned a corner and saw a man in his eighties dressed in his technical running gear, adjusting his playlist selection on his iPod.

These guys are not like my grandparents were. They’re still center stage, grabbing the gusto, and living life to the full.

The result? A good number from the late Builder generation and early Boomer generation still hold strong places of leadership in the church. They will be actively leading for a long time. The key questions are:

Will they make room for the leadership voices of new generations?

Will they intentionally identify and mentor new leaders?

Observation #2: My older brother is like many in our generation. He and his wife waited to have children. He is now 50-years-old and has a 5-year-old child.

A significant number of people in the U.S. are getting married older, waiting to have children, and having fewer children.

The result? The age gap between parents and children is growing. Instead of 30 or 40-year-olds succeeding their parents’ generation in leadership roles, many 20-year-olds will be in that position. The key questions are:

Will these 20-year-olds have access to a faith-maturing, leadership development process from their parents’ generation?

Will these young leaders be given a chance to reach their generation for Christ in new ways that fit who they are?

If we don’t make room for a new generation of leaders, share leadership and Kingdom lessons with them, and allow them to have a meaningful voice, they may find themselves alienated from the church and ill-equipped to bring Jesus to a broken world.

Are you actively making room?

Next Time: Making Room for the older and younger, together in the church.

Fame or Service?

2010-01-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-seven

My nephew is really good at basketball. He’s in fifth grade and scores most of the points for his team. He’s a good sportsman, has lots of fun, and absolutely loves the game.

I suspect you know, however, what every parent, coach, and observer says to his parents:

“He’s really good. You should sign him up for an AAU team.”

“He’s got talent. He may be able to get a scholarship to a major university.”

“With his skill, he may make you rich one day by playing in the NBA.”

I understand that it’s good to think about goals, plans, and using your gifts. I understand that you need to look ahead. But I also see a great danger in always dwelling on the next step. If my nephew gets too far ahead of himself, he’ll become miserable. He’ll end up hating basketball.

The same issue exists among servants of the church. When using gifts, talents, imagination, and initiative to serve the local church, the devil whispers:

“Hey, you’re really good. This might make you famous.”

“You know, you shouldn’t waste your talent here. You should hit the conference circuit.”

“With abilities like yours, you should stop messing around in your insignificant ministry. You should cash in on your talent.”

The temptation to fame attempts to replace the dedication to service. And if the desire for notoriety takes control, the servant of the church will become miserable, empty, and ineffective. Glorifying God will be replaced by trying to make an impression. Serving people will be replaced by lusting after personal prominence. Transforming lives will be replaced by gaining approval.

It’s a dangerous trap.

The answer? A renewal of faith. Jesus didn’t count equality with God something to hang onto. He made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2). And what happened? His humble, short-term ministry in a little corner of nowhere saved us.

Do you believe that your humble ministry in a little corner of nowhere will bring salvation to people in need? Do you believe that God has you there on purpose for His purpose? Do you believe that your gifts will not be wasted there, that the purpose of your energy and talent is for serving God’s precious people, not for getting your name on a marquee somewhere?

Do you believe in THIS step—-not just the NEXT step?

It’s wonderful when God lifts up servants to reach many people. It’s a blessing when we can reap the benefits of people’s great talents on a large scale. Renown can bring the result of widespread ministry impact. But let’s not miss the here. Let’s not miss the now. Let’s not allow a lust for fame to dilute the high calling of serving God's people in a local ministry that the world may never see…until that day!

When the Earth Shakes

2010-01-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-six

The earth shook. 7.0 on the Richter scale. Haiti is in crisis. What is the response? Walls of self-centeredness have crumbled. People are scrambling to help. People want to help. People are hungry to make a difference.

When the earth shakes, people take notice. People look away from themselves and reach out to help those in need. It’s refreshing, isn’t it? Suddenly we are moved from a culture of consumption to a culture clamoring to care.

Even churches are awakened to the greater need, to think about the reason for their existence, to awake from slumber and move forward with ears that hear, eyes that see, and hearts that are softened by the call of the Holy Spirit.

When the earth shakes, people take notice.

It happened before. As Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross, Matthew 27 tells us, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (vss. 51-54)

The walls of unbelief crumbled. The curtain of separation was removed. The centurion confessed the truth of what he saw. And the world changed forever.

What shakes your world? What shakes your church’s world? What reawakens you to the mission, the core, the purpose of your life in Christ?

People are hungry to make a difference. This is a deep need for unbelievers. It is also a Holy Spirit fueled desire in believers. It is the intersection of all humanity as people yearn for significance. As a church, you can give people real purpose. You can lead people to making an eternal difference in the lives of others. It’s Biblical. It’s God’s deep desire. It’s the reason we are here.

Haiti may help remind you of that. It may help you re-prioritize what’s happening in your church. It may be a reality check. The earth has shaken. Will you and your church take notice?

Incremental Progress

2009-12-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-five

I admit it: I’m goal crazy. I set all kinds of goals. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I’m figuring out goals for physical fitness, spiritual fitness, writing, relationships, and more. I even develop an annual theme for my personal year along with key Bible verses. Yes, I’m goal crazy.

But one thing I know: if I never plan it, it doesn’t get done.

Sure, things can get done without planning. The serendipitous life can be a wonderful thing. Many experiences and accomplishments may happen to happen. I’ll take those with gratitude and joy.

But I know that I will not make intentional progress in key areas of life without setting goals. This is especially true of the challenging areas of life.

If I don’t set a goal for running 20 miles each week, it will be very easy to let my cardio-vascular fitness slide.

If I don’t set a goal to study the book of Daniel, my Bible reading will revert to a lazy approach.

If I don’t set a goal to write another book this year, the hard work of writing will keep me saying, “Maybe tomorrow.”

Goals push me to do what I would not naturally want to do. Goals also help move me to make incremental progress in life’s big challenges.

And incremental progress is a big deal.

I’ve participated in big-picture strategic planning and goal setting meetings. I’ve been facilitated through multiple day brain bending and post-it note posting exercises. I’ve been given voluminous binders filled with plans for the next ten years. But all of that usually ends up in a file drawer or high on a shelf somewhere.

The planning question that has impacted me most has everything to do with incremental progress toward identified priorities that are in line with the big vision (where mission, values and all the “stuff” of your organization are pushing you). The question is this:

“What can you do in the next 90-120 days to make 25% progress in this area?”

In other words, can you think of and actually accomplish one or two things that will move you forward toward a big goal?

This is called incremental progress. It never gets put in a drawer. It’s always doable. It has urgency. It moves you toward the goal. AND it allows you to begin to see more clearly where you are headed.

As you face 2010 in your life and ministry, ask these two questions: “What three to five things do we really need to do?” “What can we do in the next 90-120 days to make 25% progress in those areas?”

Get ready for progress.

Tiger and Integrity

2009-12-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-four

Although our culture cries out, “Anything goes! There is no truth! You have a right to do what you want!”, advertisers aren’t so sure about that.

By now you’ve been inundated with news about Tiger Woods. He is in the difficult position of dealing with his infidelity. He must face his own flaws. He bears the weight of inflicting deep hurt on his wife and family.

Tiger was not exempt from the expectation of integrity and faithfulness. Society’s voice may play fast and loose with morality, but advertisers serve as a social conscience. People won’t buy duplicity. The lack of integrity doesn’t sell. Just ask his sponsors who are ending their relationship with Tiger. The reason? Tiger doesn’t represent the qualities the advertisers are trying to convey.

No one is exempt from integrity.

Church planters, servants of Jesus, missional workers take note!

It may be exciting to ride the challenging and entrepreneurial wave of reaching out for God’s Kingdom. You may enjoy seeing people hang on your every word as you teach and lead. You may revel in the life-change you witness as you serve. But a lack of integrity will make your message hollow. A lack of integrity will destroy God’s work through you. Where do you need to watch carefully for integrity—-an integrated, whole, and truthful life?

Body integrity: This includes sexual purity. It also means you take care of yourself.

Soul integrity: This means you practice what you preach. You’re a person of the Word and prayer.

Heart integrity: You’re called to be a person of peace, kindness, and compassion. You speak the truth—always with a loving spirit. You refrain from being mean.

Thought integrity: What images and ideas are you letting dominate your thinking? You are called to dwell on whatever is pure, right, praiseworthy, etc.

Tongue integrity: You keep promises, don’t tell lies, refrain from gossip, and do not speak profanely.

Family integrity: You honor your wife; you actively parent your children. Family does not get leftovers after ministry.

Communication integrity: You answer phone calls and e-mails. You respond to people as best you can. You don’t ignore people whom God has placed in your life.

Work integrity: You live an industrious life, serving faithfully and going beyond the base expectations of those who entrust you with tasks.

Relationship integrity: You practice impartiality, not playing favorites. You don’t intimidate or abuse your position of authority. You build others up as a mentor and encourager.

What additional areas of integrity are we called to as followers of Christ, redeemed by Him, new creations in Him? Let me know your thoughts.

The Attraction of Mystery

2009-11-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-three

In Luke chapter 7, a centurion sent messengers to ask Jesus to heal a valuable servant. Jesus agreed to pay the centurion a visit. The text says that when Jesus drew close to the centurion’s house, the Roman leader sent friends to say to the Savior, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof…Say the word and my servant will be healed.”

You know how the encounter ended. Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith. The friends returned to the centurion’s house and found the servant well.

Isn’t it interesting that at a time when the centurion could SEE Jesus, during a season of history when Jesus was visibly present, the man asked Jesus NOT to show up?

This strange twist runs counter to what we think we want when it comes to Jesus. We get frustrated with his invisibility. We want to see Him—or at least a lightning bolt from heaven or two. We think that his invisible presence is a handicap to a doubting and straying world.

I wonder if we’re missing something.

The centurion felt he was completely unworthy to have Jesus as a house guest. Do we act sometimes as if Jesus is our “sleepover buddy”? In our efforts to not only be truthful, but to be right about God, do we act as if we know Him inside out? Do we systematize the mystery out of the Holy Lamb of God? Do we act as if God is in our hip pocket, an explainable entity that we dole out to people in need?

What about the unpredictable nature of God? What happened to our fear and trembling? Aren’t there times we need to say, “I have no idea”? The living Word, the awe and mystery of Jesus’ presence in Holy Communion, the mysterious work of the Spirit in baptism, the confounding nature of answered prayer, the absolute grace of sin-dead lives enlivened—-who can really explain any of it?

Of course we need to proclaim what we know, have seen, and have heard. But have we lowered what God wants our expectations of Him to be?

In the state of Texas, only 19.8% of the population believes it is important to go to church. I wonder if the 80% who believe church is an unimportant part of their lives see Jesus as formulaic, boring, and predictable. I wonder if the 80% see NASCAR or the NBA as more exciting and unpredictable than the Lion of Judah. I wonder if the surprising and unimaginable work of God is waiting, yet we are communicating as people of little faith.

What’s the answer?

First, it may be that we need to regain a healthy spirit of unworthiness before Christ. Instead of pretending that we can explain everything, package God neatly, and make ministry happen according to our plans, we may need to echo what the centurion said: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.”

Second, instead of relying on our slick marketing of Christianity, we may need to bow before the Savior and await His mercy. After the centurion incident, Jesus came upon a widow whose son had died. Luke 7:13 tells us, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her.” He then did something nobody planned on. He raised her son. How did the crowd respond? “They were filled with awe and praised God.”

If we really believe Jesus is alive, maybe it’s a good idea to let Him blow us all away with His merciful action. I have a feeling that the response to His mystery just might top 19.8%.

Preventing the Power of Suggestion

2009-11-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-two

When my wife was growing up, her older brother would sometimes get up in the morning and, in an act of brotherly antagonism, look straight at her and call her a “grump.” My wife, who was innocently watching Saturday morning cartoons, couldn’t believe what she just heard. She was most certainly not a grump! She was cheerfully watching cartoons and having a fine morning. But her brother persisted, rubbing the salt of his comment deeply into a developing wound.

After the second or third time, my wife’s ire would grow: “A grump?! I’m no grump. If anyone is grouchy it’s him! I’ll show him who’s out of sorts.”

Then she let loose. She gave him both barrels of sisterly scolding. What did her brother do? With a smirk on his face, he ran to his mother and father, told them how his sister had yelled at him, and turned to her once again and said, “See, you ARE a grump!”

The prophecy was fulfilled. Her day was ruined.

I’ve seen a similar scenario happen to pastors and church leaders. A person with an axe to grind or some emotional hurt to vent or some anger to displace lashes out: “You’re too controlling.” “You’re a weak leader.” “You’re offending everybody.” “Your ideas are too wild.”

You’ve heard it before. And when you hear the comment, the persistent drip, drip, drip, of unconstructive criticism, you get angry. You withdraw. You become depressed. And too often, you can veer into the dangerous territory of becoming exactly what you are accused of being, even though you never were what they said you are!

Be on guard, fellow servants of Christ. The ego-driven, sin-tainted-emotional reflex is a mighty force within. It’s easy to be baited into starting a war. If you have children, you know the drill.

Is there a better way? Jesus said, “To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst…If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life” (Luke 6:27-30, The Message).

Once again, Jesus opens the counter-intuitive New Life to us. Buried and raised with Him, He provides the newness of life and newness of reflex we need. Let badgering bring out the best in you. Use aggravation to practice the servant life.

How do you do this? Practice “prophecy absorption” to prevent the power of suggestion. In other words, just listen. Don’t react. Respond by reflecting what your values are, not what you think you need to fight for. Reply with a humble apology and reinforce your love and care for Jesus and for each of His people, including the person speaking to you.

I remember being lambasted for including an edgy drama in a worship service. Instead of sticking up for my right to be creative in worship and listing all the Bible verses that reinforced my point, I simply responded with an apology to the person who was hurt by the drama. I said, “As a pastor, my hope is that everything I do brings people closer to Jesus. I am very sorry that this sent you away offended and feeling badly. I value your service to the Lord and your feelings as a member of this family of faith. I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”

Some people come to Christians looking for a fight. They’ve struck gold for many years and want to see another “hypocrite” bite the dust. What if you don’t give them a fight? What if, instead, you let antagonism bring the best out of you, not the worst? What if you turn the power of suggestion into the power of transformation?

Time For What You Love

2009-11-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty-one

The most common complaint I hear from people in ministry is: “I wish I had more time for what I love to do.” For some that’s planning for preaching and teaching. For others it’s strategic planning. Some want to free up more time for creating relationships. Still others want to be able to disciple people.

But for some reason these priorities get lost in the shuffle of an ever-moving, high-demand life and ministry. The constant flow of the “urgent” pushes away your constant desire to address the “important.”

I read recently that the typical worker spends 40% of his or her time on e-mail. Where is the time for dreaming, planning, and ordering your life? Will you find it in a typical seven-day week? Will sustained thought about your direction and priorities fit into a busy Tuesday or Wednesday?

It never did for me.

When I was pastoring a fledgling church plant, I had some time during the week, but I felt guilty for using that time for my own thought and planning instead of getting out there to create and sustain relationships. When the church grew in complexity and activity, time for thought and planning disappeared into staff meetings, trouble-shooting, and programmatic efforts.

That’s why I began a simple practice that totally transformed my approach to ministry. I started what I called “worship planning conferences.” Here’s an outline of how they looked:

1. Get away. Twice each year I, along with key leaders, loaded up our computers and planning materials and traveled about an hour and a half to a location where we could work and plan for two and a half days. We drove together so we could talk and prepare for our time away. At first we went to a hotel. Then we borrowed a kind person’s condo. But for Tuesday, Wednesday and half of Thursday in June and October, we changed venues to do some serious work and planning.

2. Work. We had a theme, goal, and plan for our time away. Once we got there, we began our work. The objectives were to plan every sermon series and worship service for the next 6-9 months and to discuss major needs, strategies and Spirit-led developments of ministry at the church.

3. Let God work. We did a lot of study and planning on our own, but we also brainstormed together, ate meals together, laughed together, and had a good time. Each of us also had quiet times to reflect and recharge. The days were long—from early morning to very late at night, but we were focusing on priorities and energized by being able to imagine. God built us together as a team and built Himself within us as we listened to Him.

What were the results of taking this time together?

1. We felt the satisfaction of being able to put first things first for God and His people.

2. We knew that we had a planned venue for serious study, conversation, and strategizing. Day to day demands didn’t get us down because we knew our planning time was coming.

3. We were able to provide worship plans in advance for staff and members. This showed respect for staff as we allowed them adequate time for planning and preparation. It also honored the people of the church by allowing us to publicize plans in advance. People used this information to reach out to others in an intentional and timely way.

4. We had time to do what we love. With much of the groundwork already completed, we were able to avoid the last-minute scramble of preparation. Time was available during the week to meet needs and to do what was truly important.

5. We gained a “big-picture” perspective of ministry. With a foundation of time to hear God’s voice and think about His direction, we were able to develop ministry, not just maintain it.

These two little annual retreats radically changed our ministry and attitude. We were no longer slaves to the moment. We were living in the freedom of doing what we loved.

If you need help or advice to start your own planning retreats, e-mail me at mnewman@txdistlcms.org.

Spiritual Warfare

2009-10-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part twenty

John Maxwell once said that the devil will try to attack you before a Kingdom success, after a Kingdom success, and when you’re tired.

I’ve found this to be true, along with the fact that the devil tries to frustrate you, demoralize you, and foul up your demeanor with a slow but relentless accumulation of small inconveniences.

Recently, after a significant spiritual success in her life, my daughter’s furnace malfunctioned, her computer developed a glitch, her cell phone broke in half, and she acquired a strange kind of flu.

When big issues develop, we’re more apt to fall on our knees in prayer, search the Scriptures, and get some help. When little things crop up, however, we’re more likely to get crabby, to lash out, and to have our light put squarely under a bushel.

I once taught a Bible study called “Angels, Demons, and Major Household Appliances” because that’s the way spiritual warfare happens, isn’t it? You can count on annoyance, a Chinese water torture drip after drip of spiritual poise-breaking testing and temptation.

The devil goes after your morale, your pocketbook, and your kids. He tries to foul up your ministry. He attempts to drag your personal life into a morass of inconsistency and lapses of integrity. He leads you to worry and complaining, to anger and resentment.

We’re in a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Yet, in this spiritual struggle, 2 Corinthians 2:11 gives us the good news that “we are not unaware of [the devil’s] schemes.” The devil is an open book, a known quantity, a limited spiritual being with a finite imagination and habitual pattern of evil. Sure he’s angry. He “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He’s ticked off. As Revelation 12:12 says, “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” But he can only do so much.

What’s our job? The Bible says, “Be self-controlled and alert…Resist him, standing firm in faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9). “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Remember, this resistance and awareness, this self-control, is not by our might or power. It’s by the Spirit of God. Standing firm in faith means standing firm in God doing His doing in your life. It means standing in grace. It means having the Word dwell in your richly. It means living in the shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ—-the One who conquered Satan and made him a short-timer, able to squirm outside the lake of fire only because of God’s patience that is not willing for any of us to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

Be alert. Be on guard. As you make plans to reach out, be ready—-and prepare the people you serve!—-for a spiritual battle. The glitches are no accident. After you experience the mountaintop of God’s movements in your church, be ready. A valley of foul-ups may be coming. When you’re tired, be self-controlled. You’ll want to quit ministry. You’ll feel awful. Don’t make any big decisions when you’re tired. Know the real story. Walk in faith.

The struggle is not in finding volunteers or getting more funding. It’s not in sound system malfunctions or frozen computer programs. The battle is greater and more worthy. Are you taking notice? Are you prepared? Are you letting people know that their awareness of the real battle will keep them close to the One who fights for us?

Revelation as a Resource

2009-10-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part nineteen

John Ortberg once said that in order to get new people in the church, you had to publicize teaching on two topics: sex and the end-times. Then he commented, with tongue in cheek, that a blockbuster series would be “Sex in the End-times.”

Leaving the debate aside about the attractional model for the church, a truth Rev. Dr. Ortberg uttered is the high curiosity factor about the end-times—-especially about the book of Revelation.

People are fascinated with this book of the Bible. Even people outside the Christian faith, the de-churched, and the disillusioned are curious about this mysterious grand finale of the Scriptures.

I’m convinced that, in this strategic vision at the end of the Bible, there is method to God’s madness.

Admit it. People think church is boring. We’ve not always done the greatest job in conveying the awesome sense of a world-creating, Red Sea-splitting, fire from heaven-sending, miraculous Messiah-conceiving, ill and troubled-healing, on the cross-dying, from the dead-rising, sin-forgiving, life-transforming Savior God! In the rush of the day and clutter of the culture, the Almighty God, too often, has been getting lost in the shuffle.

This is where the genius of the book of Revelation comes in. During similar times in the late first century, Jesus appeared to the Apostle John, a reputable witness, in order to encourage suffering and straying believers. Instead of delivering a dry lecture, He gave a Scripture-saturated, eye-opening, mind-blowing vision of the invisible action in the spiritual realms. He proffered a prophetic repast that blew the doors off pagan persecution. God provided the zing that the church needed.

And it’s still zinging. People are drawn to examine this book of the Bible. They are eager to dig into the vision. They want to hear what God is saying. Unfortunately, we’ve let some confused and deceptive teachers get a corner on the market. They twist this final book of the Bible into their personal message of fear, their scheme to get rich quick, or their effort to gain control over others.

Isn’t it time we reclaim the book of Revelation for God’s wonderful purposes? Isn’t it time to remember that this book of the Bible is also one that “is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)?

Revelation can be a great entry point for new believers. It asks the big questions and gives big answers for life. It also draws people in. God keeps the curiosity and wonder factors high in the book of Revelation. If you’d like to check out my new book, “Revelation: What the Last Book of the Bible Really Means,” as a resource for small group or large group study, click here. If you purchase a copy, please enter the discount code: 8N347JTM to receive $2.00 off every book you purchase. My prayer is that this book can help you reach out with Revelation!

Verbosity

2009-09-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part eighteen

During a recent worship experience, I found myself lost in a cascade of words. So many words were coming my way, I couldn’t think anymore. I couldn’t focus. I became distracted. The words droned on. They swirled around me. They ran together and formed a washed out, blank screen. I was in a wilderness of words, a desert where every grain of sand was another noun, verb, participle, or adjective. I lost all focus on God, His will and His Word. There was way too much talking.

Verbosity. Too many words.

I’ve encountered the fire hose blast of verbal overload in a variety of worship settings. Repetitive and overdone liturgies, litanies, and responses have numbed my brain. Droning verbal transitions between praise songs have lulled me into inattentiveness.

I’ve encountered verbosity in small groups and Bible studies. Leaders dominated the agenda, answered their own questions, and prevented any interaction between group members. No relationships could be formed. We were alone in a crowd, insulated from each other by the wash of words from the leader.

This is a problem. Words can get in the way of THE WORD. Jesus highlighted this issue in Matthew 6:7-8, “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” In verse seven, Jesus uses Greek words that paint the picture of verbal overflow: the verb “Battalogeo,” and the noun “polulogia.” Both words sound like a babbling overflow of verbiage. Jesus noted that verbosity is connected with pagan desperation—-a reliance upon self instead of trust in the true God.

Across the centuries, pagans have flooded the culture with word overflow. The Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish, contains over 6000 words in a poetic form. Today’s media-saturated world keep the verbosity flowing steadily into our lives. Contrast that with the Biblical creation account. It is a Hebrew historical narrative of only 786 words. God is the God of few words. Instead of leaving us an encyclopedia of do’s and don’ts, God gave us a book, a short book that we can carry with us, as His Word of life.

Why doesn’t God have to flood us with verbosity? His Word is living and active. His Word has power. His Word works! His Word can tolerate silence, thought and reflection because the Spirit works through the Word, “dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). One Word of God can do what our many words can never accomplish. The Word made flesh, Jesus, gives life.

Please understand me. I’m not speaking against communication. I’m simply asking that we choose words wisely and sparingly. I’m asking that we give God a chance to speak—that we pause enough to let Him get through. Perhaps we need to think about the proliferation of words that we send into the gathering of God’s people. What are we accomplishing? What needs to change? Is there room for the Living Word of God to work in the midst of our many words? Are we overloading people or are we giving a simple, clear, and Christ-centered message?

Less is more. Jesus showed us that. Let’s not let verbosity get in the way of the Word that will not return empty, but will accomplish that for which God sent it.

A New Generation

2009-09-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part seventeen

I was hanging out with some young ministry leaders over the weekend. These college students and recent graduates were fired up in their faith and ready to reach the world for Christ. But they were thinking differently about ministry.

I asked one person what ministry path he was thinking about. He responded, “My life is my ministry.” He is forging ahead to become a math teacher, making every moment of his life outreach for Christ and using every opportunity to serve inside and outside the church.

Another young leader heard me make the comment, “The church is not a building; it’s the people.” He let out a loud “Amen” and proceeded to talk about the small group he is in and how they serve and reach the lost.

A young woman told me how she came to know Jesus and how she started reaching her young classmates who were on the fringes of the mainstream.

My friend told me about his college student daughter who is looking for a church while she’s away at school. One front-runner was a “church under the bridge” that met with and served the homeless.

A seminarian getting ready to graduate told me about his desire to partner with a friend to become “worker-priests” and simply live with inner-city residents to see how Jesus might open doors for life transformation with the Gospel.

There is a new generation of young ministry leaders. This generation is not thinking as much about career in ministry as they are about contributing to the expansion of the Kingdom. These leaders are not thinking as much about mega-church building as they are about making Christ’s difference in the world. These Christ-followers are thinking not as much about stardom as they are about sacrifice. These servants are not thinking as much about charging into the world with a big impact as they are about changing the world one person at a time.

How can we be good stewards of these new generation leaders? Shall we funnel them into old systems of training and church structure? Shall we tell them that they are idealists who need to get real and get with the old, established programs? Or shall we let these leaders soar by giving them permission, training, mentoring, support, and maximum flexibility to allow for a new movement of transformational ministry for Jesus?

Church is moving outside the walls. A new generation of leaders wants to bring Jesus to the world in a powerful way. Can we join them? Can we contribute to this new movement? Can we be part of a decentralized, smaller, servant-oriented, fluid network of faith communities that infiltrate neighborhoods and cities with Jesus? What will that look like? What steps must we take to get there?

What Vantage Point?

2009-08-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part sixteen

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has decided to make it possible “for people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers” (quote from ELCA website).

This decision is sending waves of emotion and debate throughout the Church. But what does it all mean for the way we serve God and seek to grow His Kingdom? One takeaway is this: it requires us to ask the question, “What vantage point do you use for making decisions?”

The ELCA is using the vantage point of human observation and reasoning. To the decision makers, it makes sense to take this step. Society is changing. People have needs.

But is that a sound vantage point? What if we were to ask a few follow-up questions regarding that vantage point and human sexuality? Here goes:

-Have we managed sexuality well as a culture?
-Have we cherished women or demeaned them?
-Have we honored children or injured them?
-Have we veered into more trouble or less trouble in the area of sexuality?

You don’t have to think very long and hard to see that we’ve really messed up human sexuality. We do a terrible job! Trouble is at a high point. Women are treated as objects. Children are injured and abused. Sexual corruption is viral—-spreading as fast as the Internet allows, and as quickly as our sin-stained souls latch on to the immoral.

So, how can anyone really believe that we can get the question of same-gender relationships right when we use the vantage point of human observation and reasoning? It’s the wrong standard. It is flawed.

The only vantage point that brings workable, healthy, and life-giving results is God’s vantage point. God’s Word is His blessing that forms our lives, practices, and very souls. God’s Word is the objective vantage point that will never lead us astray. It rescues us from relying on our corrupt perspective of life. It gives us the mind of Christ. It will lead us home.

The question to ask about every issue in ministry is: What is God’s vantage point?

And the question to ask about human sexuality is: What is God’s vantage point? He’s made it crystal clear: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:31). The gift of human sexuality is meant to reflect the love of God, the groom, for His bride, the Church. It is about self-sacrificial love. It is about creating new life (procreation). It is good. It is healthy.

The Bible isn’t cryptic about this. Sexual sin has been a destructive point of stumbling for humanity for thousands of years. God doesn’t keep us in the dark about what His intentions are, what is good, and what works.

How can a denomination lose its bearings? The same way we all do. We forsake the vantage point of God and His Word. We substitute our own twisted, darkened vantage point of human observation and reasoning.

Let’s learn from this. If you’re really about God’s Kingdom, choose your vantage point carefully and wisely.

Developing a Prayer Reflex

2009-08-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part fifteen

A number of years ago I stood in my little mission church waiting for wedding rehearsal participants to arrive. A groomsman arrived early. He looked like a football player—tall, strong, and a bit menacing. I was surprised when he asked me this question: “Do you mind if I pray?” I told him that I didn’t mind at all. He immediately walked to the front of the worship area, knelt down, bowed his head, and began to pray in earnest.

This was unusual. Strangely enough, not many people used our little church to pray during “off” hours.

After about 20 minutes, he got up and joined some other members of the wedding party. I told him that I really admired the fact that he took time to pray. He replied, “My pastor is a man of prayer. That’s the kind of man I want to be, too. He says that prayer is the foundation of our lives. I want that in my life.”

How many times do you talk about prayer, teach about prayer, assure people of your prayers, laud the power of prayer, create prayer strategies and prayer chains, and add items to your prayer list, but never really get around to praying?

I heard a speaker say recently, “We have lots of strategic planning meetings for mission, but how many prayer meetings do we have?”

The praying man who walked into my church inspired me. I wanted to be a man of prayer—-an example for people I served. I also wanted our church to be a church of prayer—-using the gracious gift God gave us. You can’t read the Bible and not see the precious gift of prayer—and its powerful impact. Pray is the way Jesus started His day. Prayer is what Jesus did before His most intense life and ministry challenges. Do you want workers for the Kingdom harvest? Jesus said to pray for it!

After the wedding rehearsal, I prayed. I asked God to lead us to a foundational and priority ministry of prayer. He answered. He sent eager and dedicated pray-ers to saturate the church with prayer and to lift up an active prayer life to all. Our mission became founded on and laced with prayer. People routinely filled our worship area in “off hours” to pray.

The result? Many were reached with the life-saving message of Christ. Many, many lives were transformed.

I learned to pray first.

You know how it goes. People say, “When all else fails, pray.” “I tried everything I could think of; then I finally prayed.”

What if you practiced and taught a “prayer reflex”? What if prayer was the first action, the default, the automatic response to every mission idea and ministry effort? What if prayer came first? What if prayer happened immediately? What if prayer gatherings and prayers prayed consumed more time than planning meetings? What if you helped cultivate a vibrant ongoing dialog with God that shaped your actions and your decisions?

What if you did this first—-right now—-before anything else? What might God change?

Mere Church Plantery

2009-07-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part fourteen

C.S. Lewis published “Mere Christianity” in 1952. The book was based on radio talks he gave in the 1940’s. These talks outlined the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith.

What if there was a “Mere Church Plantery” book? What essentials of church planting might be included?

PASSION – The starting point is one person with unstoppable passion to share Jesus. Salary or not, the love of Christ must be passed along in deed and word.

GROWTH – Immersion in prayer, a life of worship, and study of the Bible marks every church planter and church planting effort.

TRAINING – Those who plant churches need to be seasoned in the Scriptures, faith, and life. They must be able in relationships, teaching, and the sharing of tasks.

INTEGRITY – Honoring God and His people is essential.

ORGANIZING – The church planter must be able to formulate a plan, form relationships, and help guide others into effective outreach for Christ.

COMMUNITY – Those in ministry must learn to mentor, share, and collaborate. This is not a one-person show. The goal is to create a movement of passionate evangelists.

SERVING – The goal in everything is ultimately to reach out with the Good News of Jesus.

RISK – Never satisfied, the question is always, “What next bold step needs to be taken for the sake of the cross of Jesus Christ?”

Mere Church Plantery isn’t contingent on a building, sound equipment, new computers, or even money! These are secondary to the central task of growing a movement of God’s Spirit of grace in and through people. The secondary tools might become important, but if the first things are taken care of, the secondary items will develop and will serve the primary focus.

What secondary areas might be distracting you? How do you need to get back to Mere Church Plantery?

Public Behavior

2009-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part thirteen

I went to a movie the other day. I actually saw it in a theater. I regretted every moment. Why? Theater behavior has undergone radical changes.

After the lights finally went down thirty minutes into the movie, and after the focus was adjusted at about the same time, the activity in the crowd began. To my left, a woman in her 70’s was texting someone during the movie. To my right, a man and woman narrated their commentary of each scene. In front of me, several people made multiple trips in and out of the theater for a variety of reasons, some which involved large quantities of snacks. Behind me, the person kept tapping the back of my seat with his foot—tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. You get the idea.

It was a circus, a fiasco, a disorderly din of sights, sounds, and smells. I wasn’t able to become lost in the story or engrossed by the compelling plot line. I got annoyed because it felt like I invited 100 restless people into my living room to watch a rented video.

Theater behavior has changed.

When my grandparents and parents went to the movies it was a special occasion. People got dressed up. Ushers seated you. They patrolled the aisles for noise and disruption. People stayed quiet. A hush fell over the theater when the previews began.

Now, after the movie is over, I wouldn’t be surprised if many in attendance would say, “What movie?”

Yes times have changed. Public behavior has changed. Restraint is disappearing. Shame is fading. The veneer that once made lives look civil and orderly is wearing very thin. Real life is showing through.

This fact impacts church. It is a new day with new behavior and a new set of expectations for a church planter. Yes, signs abound reminding people to turn off cell phones. Yes, texting and tweeting are being integrated into some teaching. But there’s a bigger issue. Sin, brokenness, addiction, and dysfunction are very evident in people’s lives. Polite conformity to society is vanishing. This brings about some key challenges for ministry:

First, how will you reach and relate to sinners? Jesus dined with them after Matthew’s conversion. In Luke 5:27-32 He outlined His strategy. How will you uphold the integrity of the Gospel while bringing the Gospel to its prime audience: sinners?

Second, how will you address sin, brokenness, dysfunction, and unholy behavior in a clear and balanced way? How will you bring the living Word that changes lives to lives that really need changing, but do so in a way that doesn’t do damage to the mission of God?

Third, how will you not fall prey to a ministry of power and control in the midst of radically changed public behavior, but, instead, move forward in the love, humility, and truth of Christ?

Answers to these questions will help you truly reach the lost with the saving news of the cross of Jesus. Just don’t expect to eliminate coffee spills and stray Cheerios from your meeting place.

Leaving Legalism Behind

2009-06-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part twelve

I came across a great quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn:

“A society based on the letter of the law and never reaching any higher, fails to take advantage of the full range of human possibilities. The letter of the law is too cold and formal to have a beneficial influence on society. Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes men’s noblest impulses.”

In church planting, legalism is always a temptation. You start something a certain way. You use your gifts to get the ball rolling. You choose the songs. You pick the slide backgrounds. You organize the small group structure. You brainstorm community outreach projects. You design the strategic plan. Then, suddenly, people show up. People get involved. And they have ideas that might change things!

You may be a Gospel preacher, a Gospel servant, a Gospel kind of person. You may never think of yourself as a legalist, a control freak, an in-the-box dude. But suddenly, at the prospect of change, you bristle. You hesitate. You say (or want to say) “No!”

It’s amazing how “that’s not the way we’ve done it before” can surface after one week in a church plant!

We’re creatures of habit. We like our will to be done. We’re legalists at heart.

The result is death. People get discouraged. Imaginations whither. Creativity disappears. Taking risks for the Gospel falls off the radar. The fear of not doing things the way “they” say it should be done takes hold and paralyzes the hearts and minds of all. 2 Corinthians 3:6 sums it up well: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

I’m not talking about an “anything goes” attitude or a departure from God’s Word and ways. I’m talking about the fear-based reduction of all possibilities to one person’s mind, judgment, and rules.

How do you leave “an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes men’s noblest impulses” behind? How do you leave legalism behind and live in the new covenant that gives life?

Building on “the Spirit gives life” proclamation of 2 Corinthians 3:6, Paul sticks with his point of a life of freedom in the Gospel. He says in chapter four, verse five, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” Legalism is left behind when an event that we would have never thought of takes hold of our lives. Legalism is left behind at the cross. His ways ARE higher than our ways. We’re not the only game in town. There’s a body of Christ out there. There are many gifts for the common good. We live by grace, not by our works—-or our brainy plans and strategies.

When we belong to Christ Jesus and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25), people live in the freedom of the Gospel. They are respected and loved. Their Spirit-led imaginations soar. Paralysis is gone. Spiritual mediocrity evaporates. The Kingdom flourishes. We notice and embrace God’s surprises. Mission and ministry become beautiful. A church-plant happens, not a me-plant.

Don't Get Lost

2009-06-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part eleven

Air France flight 447. Judge Sotomayor. Swine Flu. GM goes through bankruptcy. An abortion doctor murdered in a Lutheran Church.

This is what people are thinking about this week. Add to those items a broken relationship, an illness in the family, a special family celebration, financial struggles, some life successes, personal dissatisfaction at work, a vacation that’s coming, the struggle with an addiction, and a boatload of stress, and you have a pretty good idea of where people are at.

The question is: will you meet them there?

Church planting can be very thought and life consuming. It can get to a point where you’re thinking so much about ministry, you begin to think ministry is the whole point, the goal, the end. You talk with your ministry friends. You read ministry books. You plan ministry events. You work with ministry teams.

And you may forget that people aren’t thinking about ministry; they’re thinking about life!

Will you meet people who are living life with the Good News of Jesus Christ for their lives? Will you remember what it feels like to live?

One hazard of church/ministry planting is that a ministry leader can get lost in the church. You can forget to connect with people and take their thoughts captive for Christ.

Do you remember when the exiles were returning from Babylon and they heard the preaching of the Word for the first time? Nehemiah 8:7-8 tells us that the Levites, “Instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”

People need to understand the Gospel for their lives, their ups and downs, their celebrations and hurts, their media-bombarded brains. If you forget to “make it clear and give meaning so that the people could understand,” you’re sending people away to become lost in the world.

You see, that’s the other extreme. People are getting lost in the world—-in the headlines, schedules, bills, and busyness. You shouldn’t be a leader who joins them—-and lets the headlines drive your ministry. But you shouldn’t be a leader who is disjointed from them. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us—-full of grace and truth (John 14:6). God came near. He touched the weak and sick. He laid hands on the children. He looked people in the eye. And He brought life. A blood dripping, screaming Savior joined us in our brokenness and helped us in our pain.

Will you draw near, make the connections, and articulate the fact that Jesus joins people in their real lives? If you’re having a hard time remembering how, get out, take notice, and live a little.

Family

2009-05-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part ten

NFL quarterback and politician Jack Kemp died this month. Columnist Mona Charen, a former speech writer for Mr. Kemp, wrote a wonderful tribute to this accomplished American. At the end of her article she commented: “Though he achieved great things in public life, he managed to do it without neglecting his family. That is a man in full. He will be greatly missed.”

“A man in full.” Why? Because he was a champion football player? No. Because he overcame adversity throughout his life? No. Because he made a name for himself in the political world? No.

He was “a man in full” because he didn’t neglect his wife, his four children and his 17 grandchildren.

Being involved in church planting—-and any ministry for that matter—-can become all consuming. The excitement and constant demands can eat up every hour of the day. The plans for what’s coming next can dominate your thoughts. The needs of other people can pull you away from relationships in your life-—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

The question is: will you let your calling as a servant of Christ make you a “man in part,” an inattentive husband, a distracted father, an absentee family member, a short-fused presence around the house, a one-dimensional shell of a human being—all, allegedly, in the name of Jesus?

As ministry reached a frenzied pace, Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 6:31, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Our Savior who rose early in the morning to pray, who stuck to the outskirts of town to avoid crowds, and who knew when His time hadn’t come and when it had, was all about a healthy rhythm of life. He came to sacrifice His life, but He didn’t come to wreck His relationships. He came to put it all on the line, but He didn’t neglect the people in His life. No, He served them. He ate with them. He conversed with them. He washed their feet. He loved them.

Your primary witness of Christ’s love to the world starts with the people closest to you. It starts with your family. If you want the world to take notice of Jesus in you, it’s not going to be through a sermon or ministry program or church plant. But the world will take a close look at how you love your family, how you allocate your time and attention, and what kind of person you are when you’re not on stage.

Of course, loving your family and living a balanced life isn’t just so the world sees a good guy in action. You love your family because Christ first loved His. You love your family and devote time to them because you’ve made a commitment to do it. Most of all, because it’s joyful and delightful to cherish the gift God gave you in them.

It takes work to carve out dependable time for your spouse and children. It takes persistence and discipline to establish boundaries. As life changes, it takes trial and error to establish a trustworthy rhythm that honors your loved ones and allows you to serve God’s people faithfully. But finding this rhythm reflects the character of our Creator who rested. It also makes God’s self-sacrificial love real and demonstrable in your life.

An experienced pastor friend of mine said, “If you sacrifice your family on the altar of the church, the people of the church will not admire you. They’ll think you’re a fool.” Mona Charen might add that it is a high calling and a great legacy to end your life not as a “man in part,” but as “a man in full.”

Money, Money, Money

2009-05-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part nine

I had a theology professor who never ever talked about money. He was a doctrine guy. He dug deeply into the richness of the person of Christ and mystery of the sacraments. He led us to marvel at the poetic creedal statements of the early church in the Scriptures. He dwelt in the heavenly realms and gave each of his students a glimpse of God’s glory and majesty.

Then one day—I think it was on the very last day of classes—he brought up the subject of money. Seemingly out of the blue he said, “Brothers, remember, there is never a shortage of money in God’s Kingdom. There is only a shortage of vision.”

Wow. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever heard him speak about vision either! But this doctrine guy WAS all about the church of Jesus Christ. He WAS all about the Gospel and the need for every human being to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.

That’s why he brought up money.

We errantly believe that there’s not enough money out there, that money is THE big obstacle for ministry, that lack of money will always hinder Kingdom growth.

Hmmm, I seem to remember that, according to Jesus, even the gates of Hell cannot hinder the advance of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 16:18). So, what do you do about money?

First, DON’T BE AFRAID. As my professor said, there’s never a shortage of it-—even during an economic downturn. The Almighty God, Creator of all things, said in Psalm 50:9-10, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.”

I love that verse. God’s portfolio has not been affected by this economic downturn. He’s got ownership papers for everything. There are no worries when He is in charge. He’s the ultimate creative Kingdom entrepreneur. He opens doors that no one can shut. Pray and trust in Him.

Second, ASK FOR IT. I’ve worked with many capital funding efforts. One lesson I learned early is that while many church leaders lament the shortage of money, not many actually ask for it. They teach ABOUT it, they dance AROUND it, but they never ask. Sometimes you know how much to ask for. Sometimes you have to give options. I remember talking with a couple who expressed the desire to help our ministry efforts by giving a memorial donation. I started by letting them know about the blessing of a $15 hymnal donation. I ended by letting them know about a $100,000 multi-media room they could donate. What did they choose? They donated the room! Who would have thought?

Don’t hide God’s giving opportunities. Some people need to hear what they can give.

Third, CONNECT IT TO THE MISSION. Money is not the goal; ministry is. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is. If the money doesn’t advance the Gospel, you shouldn’t be asking for it. If it does advance sharing the blood-bought gift of Jesus, then make the connection! People want to be part of that which impacts people’s lives for eternity. Share the vision, the dream, the heart of God.

Finally, SAY THANK YOU. I don’t mean simply writing a thank you note-—although you should definitely do that. Continue to affirm the Kingdom impact of people’s gifts. If you’ve shared the vision, then keep making the connection. This will lift up true stewardship. Years after the couple donated the multi-media room in memory of their 19-year-old son, I saw that it became a place where hundreds of young people heard about Jesus, brought their friends to hear about Him, and grew in discipleship and outreach together. I was blown away by God’s faithfulness. Look what He did! I jotted a note to the couple about how the dream they shared had born fruit and how many young lives were being brought to Christ in that very room. And I thanked them.

Giving people a chance to give money for God’s eternal cause is worthy and good. Don’t let the devil deceive you into thinking you should avoid the topic. And don’t let a shortage of vision for God’s Kingdom convince you that God’s plans are limited by YOUR checkbook balance.

The Mission Service

2009-04-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part eight

The grandson of a friend of mine became a pastor at a church where his grandfather had served many years before.

Imagine the thrill as the grandson sifted through old files and saw his own grandfather’s handiwork: minutes of board meetings, fliers from ministry initiatives, printed sermons and bible class notes.

As the grandson scanned old worship service bulletins, he kept coming across a calendar item that confused him. Each Sunday in the late afternoon there was a calendar listing called “The Mission Service.” What in the world was “The Mission Service”? The grandson was intrigued. In the worship bulletins after his grandfather left, “The Mission Service” listing disappeared. The church also began to decline.

It took just a few phones calls and personal visits to unravel the mystery. The old-timers remembered what “The Mission Service” was. Every Sunday afternoon the grandfather traveled to a neighboring community to hold a special service. The location of the worship service varied from community to community. Sometimes church members would attend; sometimes the pastor would venture out by himself. But every week the pastor tried something new. Some of the services kept going for months until a person was raised up to take over the worshiping community. Other services never caught on or “fizzled” out due to lack of response. But as an elderly man who grew up under the grandfather’s pastorate said, “Your grandfather taught us that a church should always be reaching new communities.”

This is a true story. This is how the church used to behave. This was NORMAL for the church. Pastors had multiple preaching stations. They tried new things. The congregation not only supported these efforts, they participated in this outreach. Why? Because a church was about reaching new communities.

The goal of a local church was not to become comfortable, or to acquire wealth, or to become the stylish place to be, or to be the “high-tech” church of the area. It was to reach new communities.

For the new pastor’s grandfather, the strategy was “The Mission Service”—-create some relationships in a new area, get people talking, do some publicity, knock on some doors, discover some needs, and go there to do something. Make a “splash” and see what God does with it.

These days we are challenged in two ways. First, we must not overlook the old and simple ways of reaching out. Get out of the office and try something! Bring the living Word of God with you and see what happens.

Second, we need to shatter the notion that a few “expert” paradigms from the last fifty years are the only options we have for church planting and ministry expansion. There are simple and exciting ways to reach meaningfully into communities. We just need to listen, watch, pray, and go to work.

What might make a “splash” for Jesus in an unreached area near you? What will your “Mission Service" look like?

Infiltration

2009-04-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part seven

I read about Cameron Hughes the other day. He’s a Super Fan. He’s a hired gun to fire up crowds at sporting events. Hughes sits in the crowds—-just like any other fan. He blends in. But once the stadium crowd settles in and settles down, Cameron Hughes springs into action. He gets out of his seat. He dances. He urges people to cheer and shout for the home team. He peels off layers of team t-shirts and launches them into the crowd.

The strategy works. The team owners pay Hughes a couple of thousand dollars to do his thing, and it’s worth the investment. Fans enjoy the game. The crowd responds. The home team gets the home-field advantage.

It’s all about paying a price to send someone in so everything can change.

Sound familiar?

God paid the highest price as He sent His only Son into the world so everything could change. Jesus infiltrated the world-—beaten, bleeding, dying, forgiving, rising. He still infiltrates our lives—-the living Word, the water and the Spirit, bread and wine. Because of Jesus everything has changed. Life is new. Life is eternal.

Now you’re the Super Fan. You’re sent to infiltrate the crowd-—the sin-sulking, fad-lulled, hope-drained, reality-blinded crowd.

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter worship are not necessarily your acts of infiltration. You’re equipped and sent at those gatherings. You’re fed and forgiven. You’re renewed and returned to the grace and will of God.

But where’s your infiltration?

I’ve been speaking to church planters and ministry entrepreneurs about infiltration lately. I’ve been calling this infiltration work “splash” events (thank you, Rev. Paul Meyer for the term!). How and where are you “splashing” in your community? A church planter is not as much about meeting in a building as he is about splashing in the community.

For example, you schedule an extra Easter service (on Saturday) in a growing area (or Christmas service—start planning now!). You publicize it and make it as visible as possible. You recruit a core team to attend. Then you watch for the community’s response. Who knows, you may find some servant-leaders who crave getting together as children of God! Infiltrated! A new beginning!

What if you decide to offer four weeks of Christian parenting classes in a local community center? Once again, you publicize, recruit and bring a core group. Splash! Infiltration! What might God do?

What if you offer Bible study time in two area nursing homes? What if you bring your VBS to a neighborhood that needs a church presence? What if you start a Christian young adult gathering in an area of town that is new and growing? What if you reach back into an urban area with a weekday kids ministry or after school program or mother’s day out?

Do you get the idea? Splash! Infiltration! Seeds planted! Something may grow. Momentum has begun. The Spirit is at work.

Planting churches and expanding outreach means that you pay the price to send someone in so everything can change.

It’s the infiltration that God demonstrated in Jesus and shows us so clearly during this Holy Week.

Live Like You're Dying

2009-03-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part six

Have you ever waited for test results from a doctor’s office? Have you ever been faced with the possibility that you may die? Very soon. All done.

Tim McGraw sang a song about this type of experience. It’s called: “Live Like You Were Dying."

Take a look at some of the lyrics:

He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

Priorities change. Risks become worth it. People become more important. Living God’s purpose becomes more urgent.

Every church plant needs to live like it’s dying. It really doesn’t have a choice, does it? When there’s no plan B, no back-up, no cushion money in the church bank account; when your church can die tomorrow, you know that you and your little group of Christ followers better get out there and share the news of eternal life.

A friend of mine was planting churches in Burkina Faso, West Africa. I remember sitting with him in a Muslim village, speaking with the Muslim elders, asking if we could hold literacy classes among their people using parts of the Bible as the reading lessons. Why did my friend ride this “Fu Man Chu Bull” (see the lyrics above)? He was living like he was dying.

Every church—-every Christian needs to live like we’re dying. As followers of Christ we’re supposed to know this. We’re supposed to know that being comfortable is an illusion, that if we eat, drink, and are merry today, our lives may be demanded of us this very evening.

Are you living like you’re dying? Is your church living like it’s dying? When you do, priorities change. Risks become worth it. People become more important. Living God’s purpose becomes more urgent.

What if you got the news that your church, church plant, ministry, or life would be over in six months? How would it change what you’re doing right now? The answer to this question might be the key to your direction in ministry and in life today.

The Real Focus

2009-03-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Church Planting Series, Part five

Shootings have dominated the headlines this week. Those headlines include the shooting of a pastor. What’s going on? Why the violence?

Read Romans 3:10-18 for the answer. From the Psalms and Isaiah, Paul boldly exposes our sinful nature: “There is no one righteous, not even one…Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways.”

This underscores the focus, the real focus of our work on earth. We’re not here to pack out worship services, to fund ministry programs, or to establish an excellent organization. We’re here because people are crumbling, dying, and self-destructing in a sin-broken mire that leads to eternal death. We’re here because Jesus Christ broke the bonds of that mire. By grace, people can be reclaimed from destruction.

At the beginning of every church plant and ministry start-up, the focus is not on the program. It’s on the people. In fact, it’s on one person at a time. Your goal is not to have a worship service. It’s not to crank up a ministry. It’s to bring the miracle of Jesus to a person.

I think this is why most of us get into this business, isn’t it? You’ve experienced the unparalleled new life Christ gives and you want to share it.

So you meet people. You follow the leads that come your way. You take the opportunities God gives. You develop relationships. You mentor people. You become friends. You live and speak the living Word. Then what happens?

It’s a church planting principle: People will follow your pattern.

Suddenly, you’ll be shoulder to shoulder with a growing army of people reaching the people in their lives. Suddenly, many voices will join yours in articulating the life-reconstructing work of Jesus.

A result of this focus on people will usually be worship services and ministries. But those are simply the result of the living Word inside people. Those will serve as resources to contribute to the ongoing outreach. Those will serve as growth and encouragement in the relationship-forming, people-caring process. Those will expand the beauty of being in community with each other and with Jesus.

But they are results of the focus, not the focus itself.

Whether you’re reaching the first person in your church planting or ministry efforts or you’re forming a relationship with the thousandth person you’ve met, your focus is on people. One person at a time.

Why? Because evidence shows that people are falling apart and that Christ is the Rebuilder we need so desperately. Just take a look at the headlines.

The Sweetness of the Cross

2009-02-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part four

How many Ash Wednesdays have you experienced? What has that accumulated repentance worked in you? How have the dust and ashes formed you?

A wise professor said to me, “You can have one year of experience forty times, or you can have forty years of experience.”

Is this a “repeat” Ash Wednesday or are you being led deeper into the presence of Christ and under the shadow of His cross?

I heard Frank Wess play a couple of weeks ago. He’s a jazz flautist and saxophone player. But that description doesn’t do him justice. This 86-year-old musician hobbled onto stage with the help of a cane and a young escort. Mr. Wess steadied himself against a stool. Then he picked up his flute and melted the hearts of everyone in the room with smooth and stirring melodies and improvisation. He moved to the sax and reached inside our souls with sounds smoother and sweeter than grandma’s cake batter. His music—-his presence—-brimmed with the sweet and painful accumulation of what life this side of heaven brings.

Mr. Wess talked about his “buddy” Duke Ellington. Frank Wess had been there. And when he raised his hand to command the Jazz ensemble, the other director floated toward the wings of the stage so the man who had jazz running through his veins could teach the “kids” a thing or two about the soul of music.

You may not be 86-years-old, but is the sweetness of the cross of Christ getting into your circulatory system as you march ahead in life—and not simply appearing on your calendar?

St. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Will the beginning of Lent for you be part of a soul-stirring score brimming with the sweet and painful gifts your Savior earned for you? And will your Gospel voice melt the economic downturned, hopeless feeling, life struggling hearts of everyone in the room?

I’m not talking about whipping up some feelings or manufacturing a load of emotions. I’m talking about the sweetness of the cross in your life. I’m talking about the real impact of Jesus in you over the long haul of years.

The most powerful factor in ministry, in church planting, and in personal witness is the sweetness of the cross of Jesus in you. If it’s all just a job, if you’re simply running through another program year, if you’re in it to build funding, forget about it.

But if no one can hold you back, if you’d hobble out there—pay or no pay, if nothing can stop your determination to bring the sweet melody of redemption to the people God has placed around you, then play on. And watch souls be changed.

“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” (Philippians 3:13-14).

The Knee Factor

2009-02-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part three

A couple of weeks ago I watched and listened to President Obama’s talk at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. It was a good talk. But it wasn’t the main event at, or the main point of, the prayer breakfast.

Most of the focus of the prayer breakfast happens behind the scenes. I got a chance to attend the National Prayer Breakfast a few years ago. The great uncle of a friend of mine is one of the people who, with Doug Coe, helped form “the fellowship,” the organizing “non-organization” that makes the Presidential Prayer Breakfast happen. They insist it isn’t an organization because it’s all about personal relationships and small groups.

What they say is true. I got a chance to sit with Doug Coe and some of his colleagues as they spoke with the president of a Caribbean nation about Jesus Christ. I sat with congressmen and judges as they shared Jesus with invited guests from all over the United States and world. I witnessed citizens and leaders working to bring the blessing of the Savior to others—-including our nation’s President. I saw rooms full of prayer breakfast organizers from every state of the Union praying for the Holy Spirit’s work at this event.

Prayer FOR the president and others is the bedrock of the sound bites you hear on the evening news. There is so much more to the story.

The same should be true of every church plant.

In my ministry experience I’ve found that there is a lot of talk ABOUT prayer. Getting down to business and PRAYING is another story.

I’ll never forget the man who entered the small sanctuary of our mission church to attend a wedding rehearsal. He was early, so he asked me if he could kneel at the front of the church and pray. He said, “My pastor is a man of prayer; my church is a church of prayer; and I want to be a person of prayer, too.” I said yes—-and I learned something.

Starting that day, I contacted a couple of people who were prayer leaders. We talked about how we could make sure our church was a church of prayer. The main takeaway of the meeting was that we needed to stop simply talking around the issue. We needed to start praying.

Many types of prayer efforts followed, but the common thread was that in all prayer events and other gatherings as a church, we took time to pray. Let me emphasize that: we took TIME to pray. In addition to teaching about prayer—-which is very important, we actually prayed.

When there was silence for prayer in a worship service, I made sure there was enough time for people to really pray. I supplied “prayer starters” to people for daily prayer and for leaders at meetings. We grew a team of prayer leaders who kept prayer running through the veins of our life together. We had people on their knees in prayer. We invited people to pray. We modeled prayer. I read John Maxwell’s book “Partners in Prayer,” and I resolved to grow as a man of prayer.

The first New Testament church plant was immersed in the gift of prayer—-the gracious open door of communication with the Lord (Acts 1:14). What's happening behind the scenes as you venture into ministry?

The Trust Factor

2009-02-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

Church Planting Series, Part two

Several years ago I worked with a cluster of congregations to develop a plan for regional outreach to families. We found a perfect venue—centrally located to all the congregations. We settled on a theme: Marriage enrichment. We had teams in place from all the congregations. We then took the step to delegate responsibility. That’s when everything came to a screeching halt.

It turned out that some pastors could not release tasks to laypeople. The pastors couldn’t let go. They couldn’t trust others to carry out ministry tasks.

Church planting cannot travel that pathway.

I was visiting with a church planter recently and listened as he described all the “hats” he had to wear in his start-up venture. My advice: GIVE THE HATS AWAY. Share the hats! After all, you can only wear one at a time.

This takes trust. Of course, you have to train, disciple, mentor, organize, and maintain accountability. You can’t toss hats into the crowd and let anyone do what he or she pleases. But in a responsible, pastoral, God-pleasing way, you must give the hats to servants who are raised up by the Lord.

If Gospel outreach is to happen and if a church is to be formed, you need more than just you.

I remember thanking God for the people He raised up in our church plant setting. In addition to getting the job done, these Christ-filled servants ended up doing MORE than I could ever accomplish or imagine. At the beginning stages of our ministry two men led our little group into assisting another church plant. We had an immediate mission focus! Phyllis and Jan took the initiative to grow music ministry in wonderful ways. Kay made sure every event we had was warm and welcoming with her beautiful decorations. Pam decided that college student outreach needed some motherly touches—including FOOD! Paul decided to research and become well-versed in Biblical stewardship initiatives for our fledgling group. Al stepped forward to visit the sick. Richard gathered small groups. Maryann asked if she could expand care ministry.

I met with, dialogued, supported, trained, and assisted in these efforts as needed. But what if I said “no”? What if I didn’t trust God’s people to do His mission?

I would have been suppressing the spread of the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I would have been hindering the work of God. I would have been selfishly hoarding the message of the cross. The church would be about me and about what I alone could accomplish. Simply because I would not trust the people of God with the work of God.

I like to compare the ministry to scenes in those old Western movies when the horse rider is knocked off his horse and is being dragged behind the steed. The cowboy is holding on for dear life, trying to keep his balance on the bouncy, dusty ride. That’s the ride you’re in for when you trust God and His people. You have a hard time keeping up with the thundering hooves of God’s Kingdom galloping into this world.

God entrusts His mission to us. Will you trust His people to have at it? If you will, you are ready to plant a church and see a ministry grow!

The Miracle of You

2009-01-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

Church planting series, Part One.

I was reading Acts 19:11-12 yesterday: “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”

This was during the establishment of “The Way” in Ephesus and all of Asia. God moved in mighty and miraculous ways to bring the grace and power of Jesus to a lost world.

It got me thinking: In this secular, post-modern, Christ-attacking, Jesus-denouncing, Bible-watering-down, afterthought-spirituality kind of world, how is the Kingdom of God being established?

One reaction to the troubles and barriers of today might be to hunker down and be afraid that God will be pushed out of the picture. You may feel like you need to circle the wagons and try to protect God who is on the edge of extinction.

Another reaction is to remember that “the One enthroned in heaven laughs” as the kings and rulers of the earth take their stand against the Lord (Psalm 2:4). God is still at work. In fact, Jesus told us that the gates of hell cannot prevail against His advancing march (Matthew 16:18).

What does this mean for church planting? It means that Jesus still makes His way into new territory in extraordinary ways—many times through THE MIRACLE OF YOU!

I was visiting with Pastor Mark Seeger recently. He serves the deaf community in Austin, Texas. God is working through him to bring the message of the crucified and risen Christ to children and adults, to people near and far, to people with a wide variety of religious backgrounds, and to many who have never had a chance to hear the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus. Pastor Seeger operates a mission outpost in a world that would otherwise be separated from the Gospel. With Holy Spirit creativity, he faces each challenge from the standpoint of being in mission for Jesus.

As I thought about his ministry and my reading from Acts, I realized that the deaf are truly hearing through the miracle of His humble service. He’s being the miracle of Jesus for many.

As a church planter, it is necessary to trust that you are helping to form a mission outpost in the community. It is essential that you realize the miracle God is working through you as you bear His gifts to the lost world. What does this truth do for a core group? It causes a body of believers to be ever reaching outward, ever infiltrating the community with a clear purpose, ever confident that they have something to offer that is not available anywhere else, ever convinced that their existence in Christ brings miraculous change for eternity in the lives of others.

A key component that fuels church planting is seeing clearly that God works through the MIRACLE OF YOU in a lost and dying world.

MLK Day – A Reminder of the Prophetic Voice

2009-01-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

In his book “Soul Survivor,” Philip Yancey discusses how thirteen mentors impacted his faith life. The book is profound and moving—a worthwhile read.

Yancey begins with Martin Luther King, Jr., highlighting his “prophetic” role that called churches and the nation to awaken from the sinful slumber of racism.

Of course, the prophetic role is rooted in the actual prophets of God in the Old Testament. Yancey’s comments on these prophets remind me of the prophetic legacy we are all called to live. Our voice, as believers, is to be a prophetic voice in a slumbering sinful world. Yancey says:

“The word ‘prophet’ comes to mind because King, like those Old Testament figures, endeavored to change an entire nation through a straightforward moral appeal. The passion and intensity of the biblical prophets has long fascinated me, for most of them faced an audience every bit as stubborn, prejudiced, and cantankerous as I was during my teenage years. With what moral lever can one move a whole nation? Studying the prophets, I note that virtually all of them followed a two-prong approach.”

“First, they gave a short-range view of what God requires now. In the Old Testament, this usually consisted of an exhortation to simple acts of faithfulness. Rebuild the Temple. Purify your marriages. Help the poor. Destroy idols and put God first. The prophets never stopped there, however. They also gave a long-range view to respond to the people’s deepest questions. How can we believe that God loves us in the face of so much suffering? How can we believe in a just God when the world seems ruled by a conspiracy of evil? Prophets answered such questions by reminding the audience of who God is, and by painting a glowing picture of a future kingdom of righteousness” (pp.23-24).

But the clincher of the prophetic power, as King pointed out, was in the cross. In virtually every speech King repeated, “Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear. To be a Christian one must take up his cross, with all its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that very cross leaves its mark upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes only through suffering” (p.25).

Yancey sums up the prophetic voice: “A prophet calls us to daily acts of obedience, regardless of personal cost, regardless of whether we feel successful or rewarded. And a prophet also reminds us that no failure, no suffering, no discouragement, is final for the God who stands within the shadows, keeping watch above his own. A prophet who can convey both those messages with power may just change the world” (p.30).

During a time of economic downturn, political transition, war and violence; at a time when there are rampant attacks on everything Godly, we can grumble and withdraw, or we can voice, and actively live, the heart-changing Word of God.

You can check out or you can speak up. You can retreat into your own world or you can charge ahead with creative, constructive, and compelling service for the people of God.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let us remember that we are called to be prophetic voices.

Where Has All the DNA Gone?

2009-01-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

After several like-minded families moved into a growing suburban area, they decided to start a church. It wasn’t long before the church started to overflow with activity. Families were coming from miles around to worship. Children were being brought to confirmation and youth programs from over 10 miles away. The church members knew they had to do something.

Is this the profile of a modern mega-church? Is this the description of the latest booming ministry attraction in a sprawling suburban neighborhood?

No. This story began in 1837. The church is Zion in Bensenville, Illinois. In the first two decades of existence, the church planted six new congregations. I attended one of those daughter churches (last century, not two centuries ago!). Over its first hundred years, Zion also gave birth to a grade school, a high school, and a university (we now know it as Concordia, Chicago).

Nineteen families, numbering 42 people in all, were sent to start one of the new church plants (where I got my start in the Lutheran church). These families reached out to the community-—many spoke German, but they weren’t all Lutheran-—and went on to plant seven—yes, SEVEN—congregations. Once the congregation grew to 125 people, the planting began. A community of Christ, for Christ, was formed.

This is the DNA of our church.

What has changed? I don’t want to idealize the past, but changes have taken place. Are the following assessments accurate about yesterday and today?

Yesterday: We were convinced about the utmost importance of the Gospel
Today: We shy away from pushing religion

Yesterday: We were locked onto a Biblical worldview
Today: We compartmentalize church life, social life, etc.

Yesterday: We were self-motivated and resourced
Today: We look for others to do the work and to provide

Yesterday: We had a tenacious work ethic
Today: We are distracted and fatigued

Yesterday: We viewed life as a frontier
Today: We look at life from the perspective of fear

Yesterday: We were content to meet needs in small ways
Today: We worrying about growth and “bigness”

Yesterday: The church was about community cohesiveness
Today: The church is a consumer stop-over

Yesterday: We were Word centered
Today: We are financial plan centered

Yesterday: We demonstrated extreme sacrifice
Today: We shy away from discomfort

Yesterday: We were unafraid of small numbers
Today: We would rather hide in a crowd

I understand that Holy Cross, Warda was another powerful mission planting community. Who can comment on how many churches this powerhouse congregation started? What can we learn?

2009: Keep Moving!

2009-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

I never expected to be there. I never would have chosen to go there. If you see some footage of the wild New Year’s Eve bash in downtown San Antonio, you may be able to spot me in the boogying mosh pit in front of the main stage.

Why was I there? Because I’m a dad. My daughter’s boyfriend was playing in the band. It was a great gig and he’s a good guy. I just never anticipated standing in the midst of 250,000 people who were gyrating, drinking, and cussing on New Year’s Eve 2008.

I’m more of the stay-at-home-and-avoid-the-crowds-and-danger type of guy.

As I stood in the throng of screaming teens and swaying adults, decibels of sounds slamming into my torso and thumping my thorax, I began to wonder how many of these people go to church. Yes, I’m a pastor. Those are the things I wonder about.

The statistics tell me that less than 20% of the people there attend worship at least once each month. If worship attendance is an indicator of faith life, roughly 200,000 of those people around me did not know that Jesus walked the earth, went to the cross, and defeated death so they could have certain hope instead of simply a New Year’s wish.

As I stood there, I realized that this is where we need to be. Out here! Out there! Doing something!

A friend of mine, Alex, leads a vibrant ministry in the Chicago area. He was mentored by a go-getter pastor: Juan Martin. Alex was describing his ministry to me and mentioned his mentor’s advice: “Keep moving!” Get out there! Do something! See what the Holy Spirit will do.

It’s great advice. How can you reach the people who will party hardy on New Year’s Eve, but are not inclined to mosey into your church?

One idea may be exactly what you’re planning in these initial weeks of 2009: your summer schedule. You’ve probably already noticed that the community loves Vacation Bible School. Is it because of the Bible teaching, the great songs, and the cool crafts? Probably not. It’s most likely for the free babysitting for a week during the summer! But that’s okay! The people who might not ever darken the door of your church will gladly allow you to tell their kids about Jesus and may even come to an evening family program because you are giving them a break over the summer. Have you ever thought about building on this amazing outreach phenomenon?

As our little mission congregation grew, we added summer camps to our VBS outreach. A woman in our church loved art, so she organized an art camp. She had one-hour sessions for each age group throughout the morning. It was very manageable and didn’t demand too many volunteers. On Thursday evening she had a family art show so the kids could display their creations. Every session taught about Jesus, and the Thursday evening show was Christ-centered with an invitation to all to come back and join us.

We added a basketball camp for Kindergarten through 8th grade, too. We had several age groups rotate in throughout the day. Each session started with devotion and prayer. Friday was family day when parents could stop by, take pictures, and watch their kids compete for some trophies. Once again, it didn’t take too many volunteers, but attracted loads of people who never went to church.

There are many possibilities. The key is to get out there, to keep moving. It’s a matter of life and death!

Living as a Finisher

2008-12-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

I've been recovering from a running injury. I tweaked my knee in early fall, so I'm now in the process of regaining my form, feeling comfortable with my stride, and getting accustomed to the miles. It's not easy. But my greatest struggle doesn't happen at the beginning of the run. Starting out is no problem. It's near the end of a run that I struggle most. When I hit the final hill of my course today, I was physically and mentally beaten. My mind said, "Stop. It's time to walk. Take it easy. You've done enough."

As you get closer to Christmas, your mind may be crying out the same things: "You've worked hard enough. You've done plenty. It's time to lay back. It's time for YOU. Indulge. Moderate preparation will be fine. Take a break from focusing on integrity. Stop."

It's near the end of a spiritual journey that most struggles surface. You may be tempted to fizzle out just days before the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations. You may be tempted to throw in the towel as you enter the second half or final quarter of your ministry. You may feel like you've put in your time as a believer and it's time for others to take over.

As the Apostle Paul entered the home stretch of his ministry and knew he would encounter ever more challenging trials, he summed up his focus this way, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).

Paul wasn't going to stop. It was crunch time and he was going to finish.

How did he do that? Was it because he was so well trained? Was it due to his high energy level? Was he one of those overachievers who is never behind in his e-mail?

Acts 20:28 gives the answer. Paul said, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers."

The key to living as a finisher? The Holy Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 says, "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

In these days before Christmas you need the Spirit saturated Word of God more than ever. In the home stretches of life as a believer, you need the gifts of God in Word and Sacrament. YOU can't finish. But the Savior who died and rose again can finish for you. He is, after all, the finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).

For inspiration, for staying power, for joy, for faithfulness, for new beginnings, for all you need to keep going, the Living Savior will bring you home. Living as a finisher means living in His Spirit and His grace.

Too Small or Too Big to Reach Out?

2008-12-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

The mission church barely had 100 people in worship. Attendance was declining. The pastor had accepted a call and moved on. The community seemed unaware of the church's existence. Now what? How in the world could this dwindling group of people do anything?

That's when Marty, Al, and Richard--leaders in this mission congregation--decided to do something. "We've got to reach out," they said. "We'll die if we don't get outside ourselves."

So they reached out. The congregation decided to help launch a church. They dedicated 2% of their annual income, over and above their tithe to District and Synod missions, to help start Iglesia Luterana La Santisima Trinidad. It was located on the southwest side of Chicago in the "Little Village" neighborhood. Along with their offerings, they began a weekly food collection for a food pantry at the fledgling church. They organized workdays with the core group at La Santisima. They threw themselves into reaching out with time, talent, and treasure.

The result? Two churches started to grow. The focus on missions expanded in both congregations. These days Marty, Al, and Richard help lead a church that is still a mission congregation--even though worship has swelled to nearly 1000 people. The congregation is working to reach 200 nations around the world by 2020 AND is helping to launch two more new church plants. La Santisima Trinidad has sent five young men into pastoral ministry and has transformed countless lives in the city of Chicago. One of those pastors is raising up a new generation of leaders who start new churches and ministries.

Conventional wisdom would have told both of these churches that they were much too small to do anything. Conventional wisdom didn't listen to Jesus talking about mustard seeds.

I was visiting with a pastor who just returned from a meeting with church planters in Argentina. The pastor told me that when a congregation in Argentina reaches 100 in worship, they send a worker to start another church. That worker is supported for about three months until he can find a job. The worker immediately reaches into the community and starts gathering with people in Bible study. He raises up leaders. He seeks the lost. When his groups reaches 100 people in worship, guess what happens? The church has grown up! It's time to send more workers to start more churches--to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified. These pastors are bi-vocational and tri-vocational. Many are strategic about their jobs so they can connect with people in the community. One delivers bread to homes so he can ask the people who live there about the bread of life. Another repairs bicycles and speaks with his customers about The Way.

If in our culture we think that small churches are too small to plant churches and big churches have too many internal ministry commitments to plant churches, how will new churches and ministries ever begin? How will the lost hear about Jesus? Who is telling us that we're too small or too big? It doesn't sound like Jesus.

Ask Marty, Al, and Richard. They'll tell you how faithful God is when you get outside yourself.

How a Gen-X Church Revolutionized an Over 80 Crowd

2008-12-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hilda was nearly 100-years-old and confined to a wheelchair as a double-amputee, but she had a sparkle in her eye and the witness of Jesus on her lips. She showed me a new large-print Bible and a cute stuffed animal.

"They were gifts from my church," she said.

Wait a minute. I thought I was her church! I visited her regularly each month. We had teams of people visiting with her each week. What was this church she was talking about?

"A church in the area comes every Sunday and has worship and Bible study for all of us," Hilda continued. "We sing, hear a sermon, and even have fellowship afterward. I won the stuffed animal in a game. The pastor gave me the Bible as a gift."

The church she referred to was a newer gen-x church in the outskirts of suburban Chicago. It was a "hip" church, "cutting edge," the place to be. What were they doing in a nursing home?

Hilda told me. They were caring for many people who were otherwise forgotten. They were reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus. They were reminding every resident of the nursing home to reach out with Christ. They were making it clear that Hilda and her friends were not alone.

Hilda couldn't get to church anymore. Now church had come to her. "Her church" was now happening in her new home. The gen-x church saw the mission field, became humble servants, and started to reach people who needed Jesus.

Hilda was a pastor's daughter. Her dad was an LC-MS preacher in rural Iowa. Hilda used to regale me with stories of life in a pastor's home in the early 1900's. In his entire career her dad didn't have a telephone. People simply stopped by the house to bring the latest news. A trip to the local hospital meant hitching up a horse to a wagon or sleigh. Her father served this congregation for his entire life--up until the moment he breathed his last breath one Advent morning as he lay beside his wife in bed. There was no Christmas tree in church that year--the first time that ever happened in history. Instead, there was a Christmas funeral.

Hilda loved her dad and loved to serve the Lord. She was an active witness for Christ every day. Her mission field was a tough one. It was a nursing home. In the midst of her own pain and loss she lifted up the name of the Savior. She reached many people. Why shouldn't she have a church nearby? Why shouldn't she be encouraged by the living Word and the power of the Cross? Why shouldn't she be able to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ? Why shouldn't she be united with fellow servants to reach the lost?

An area church decided to become humble and active and launch a satellite where she lived.

Is there a "Hilda" waiting for you and your church?

Next week: Don't Cry for Me, Argentina

The Church Begging to be Started

2008-11-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I visited Elsa at her apartment in a local retirement center. Elsa had moved from out of state and knew not a soul in her new area. She moved to this unfamiliar locale because her niece wanted to have her close by. Elsa wasn't able to go to church so we agreed that I would visit her once each month for a brief time of devotion and fellowship.

After my first visit, Elsa asked if she could invite a friend from the retirement center to join us next time we got together. Of course, I agreed. After that visit, the two friends mentioned that they knew several people who had no opportunity to worship. Could they come too? Why, yes! Invite away! At the third visit we had half a dozen people crowded into a tiny senior apartment. After our worship time one of the newcomers piped up: "I know the activities coordinator. Why don't I arrange for us to use the chapel next time. We can even advertise the gathering at announcement time in the dining room." I told her to go for it.

A movement was afoot! We met in the chapel the next month with nearly 20 worshipers. After the worship service, two ladies volunteered to serve as a worship team--setting up everything needed for our time together. A man said that he would invite two people he knew who played the organ and violin. He was sure they would love to add music to our gathering. Four of the original core group strategized more invitations. Elsa told stories of people she knew who didn't know Christ. Wow! God was at work! We had a new church--a satellite church--a church plant--whatever it was--growing by the Spirit of God through His people.

During the Advent season you may find yourself in a few retirement centers and nursing homes. Christmas carolers will roam the hallways. But what about longer-term outreach into these places where so many are forgotten? How many of these dear people are receiving the soul-care they need?

Studies show that by the year 2030, 25-30% of the U.S. population will be 65 and over. By 2050, 40% of 65-year-olds are likely to reach the age of 90! Our nation is aging. The question is: who will be their church? Who will bring the news of Jesus to so many who never listened in our secular culture, but now need to hear of Him as they falter physically and see that death is near?

There is a hunger for real fellowship and genuine hope among older adults. If you're thinking of starting a church plant or a satellite but you don't know where to begin, perhaps you need to check out your local nursing homes and retirement facilities. It may not seem glamorous, but the harvest is plentiful. Just think, the building is available; activities directors are desperate for programming; gifted people are willing and able; the cost is low to non-existent; and loving hearts are ready to welcome you.

Why not lead the way? Why not deploy a team or two or three to start weekly gatherings?

Next week I'll continue by telling Hilda's story and how a Gen-X church revolutionized an over-80 crowd.

The Un-Thanksgiving Note

2008-11-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

My daughter got a nasty note the other day.

She's been experimenting with some new recipes at college. After carefully researching some new delectable dishes, she cooked a fancy chicken and pasta concoction. She and her boyfriend ate about half of the meal. Feeling generous toward a starving dorm crowd, they put the leftovers in the public refrigerator, knowing a hungry, high metabolic rate, university male would most likely scarf down the leftovers.

That's exactly what happened--except for the note they received in the empty leftover container. Yes, the leftover-eater left a note! He scribbled a short critique of the food, outlining what spices were missing according to his tastes. He recommended the addition of a few ingredients and chastised my daughter for the shoddy cooking job.

My daughter was surprised at the note. In addition to its harsh tone, she noticed that the eater didn't stop with the first "repulsive" bite. He ate half a pan--finished it off. Couldn't have been that awful. The note seemed a bit inauthentic.

What hurt my daughter most was the lack of gratitude. I always taught her: "Be happy about what you have, not unhappy about what you don't have." This guy was unhappy about what he didn't have--even though he ate until he was satisfied.

Okay, this gets me thinking: how many "un-thanksgiving notes" do I send God? How many times am I unhappy about what I don't have instead of being happy and thankful for all the Lord has given me?

Yeah, I'm an "un-thanksgiving" note writer. I complain. I wish for the next best thing. I compare what I've got to all the better stuff everyone else has. And God gets hurt by my ingratitude.

Fortunately, my "note" doesn't have the last word. In the face of the worst life offers--death, Jesus overrode our fallenness with THANKSGIVING. As Jesus stared into His friend Lazarus' tomb, He began His prayer this way: "Father, I thank you that you have heard me" (John 11:41). Then he called Lazarus out of the tomb.

Jesus' thanksgiving echoes through His cross and grave into our lives. We're not dead anymore. We have the gift of new life. Filled with His Spirit, we now say, "Thank you."

And on Thanksgiving Day--and every day--we go back to the blessings God has prepared for us. New life. Another chance.

It's just like cooking at college. My daughter is still putting together some great new recipes. She's also leaving plenty of food in the frig for the starving college students. More blessings. Another chance to say "thank you."

Personal Dumpsters

2008-11-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

I have a personal dumpster. Actually, I have two. The city gave each homeowner a set of gargantuan dumpsters for trash and recycling. These replace reasonable-sized garbage cans and recycling bins. Now the thunderous roll of dumpsters is heard echoing throughout the neighborhood twice each week. An automatic garbage collection truck screeches to a halt outside each home, lowers a claw-like mechanism, snatches the dumpster from the curb, dumps the debris hastily into the truck, and returns the monstrous container akimbo to the curb (sometimes it's akimbo; I just wanted to use that word today).

We neighborhood dwellers then obediently roll our empty personal dumpsters back to their nesting places. I have to open the garage door to put mine back. It doesn't fit through the little side door.

That baby holds a lot of garbage. Not a bad deal, really. I can load it up with some pretty nasty stuff. It all fits inside. When Wednesday comes, it's all gone. Time for a new beginning.

When I read the Bible, I hear that God gives you a personal dumpster! Ephesians 4:31-32 says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

That sounds like some serious dumpster action. Load up Jesus with all the refuse of your life. He carts it away through His action for you--living, suffering, bleeding, dying, and rising. Each day, through Word and Sacrament, you have an empty dumpster, a new beginning, a lightened life.

Why, you can even take some of the trash from others and empty their dumpsters by forgiving them "as in Christ God forgave you."

Sounds like a mission, doesn't it? Sounds like a calling. Sounds like something grateful believers do. Sounds like a reason to reach out into a sin-refuse-cluttered world with what the world needs most.

Let the thunderous roll be heard--as you and all the redeemed people of God make the world a cleaner place with His grace!