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Repost from 12-22-2008: Where are the blessings in today’s economic hardships?

// December 19th, 2009 // Comments Off // Christianity, leadership, life

Well, as a follower of Christ on a journey to start a new church in my city, I get discouraged sometimes at hearing the negativity in the church about finances. Pastors telling other pastors that it’s a bad idea to start a new work in this down economy. Churches shutting their doors because they couldn’t support their ministry when the offerings were down. Programs and pastors being dropped because of lack of funds in the budget. Where does it end? If it truly is God’s church, then how can it be that doors are closing and pastors are being laid off?

However, as children of God won’t we be taken care of? Philippians 4:19 tells us: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Should we be at the mercy of man’s money or God’s provision? What about those that don’t have the knowledge that trust in God will prevail over all other things? You know, those people that are destined for an eternity away from God? Rather than focus on ourselves and what we are lacking–sometimes even pointing the finger at our fellow man and thinking they lack faith because they won’t give sacrificially in these difficult times–why don’t we rally together and find a way to get the message of the gospel out there at a time when people need hope and mercy more than ever?

If we love God above all other things and love our neighbors as ourselves, won’t God in all his glory see to it that his people are taken care of for the sake of others to know that he is God?

Is an out-of-work pastor out of a job? Yes. However, is an out-of-work pastor out of a calling? That answer should be no. We are called to be ministers of the gospel and to somehow dig down deep inside and find the strength to be Jesus for the sake of someone that may never otherwise have a chance to be redeemed. Most of us know by heart Philippians 4:13 in the NKJV that states: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. However, I ask that as you reflect on what you lack and look inwardly at your circumstances, peer into the city outside your doorway and see what Christ sees. See the hurting people that don’t Jesus and what they are going through. We have Christ, while others have nothing. As you consider this, may you meditate on Philippians 4:13, but use the Amplified Bible translation instead, which reads: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
Now more than ever is the time to do all that we can so that hurting people that don’t know where to turn have an opportunity to find Christ and put their trust in him. Be faithful to the calling and God will be faithful in his provision. Now is the time for us to be bold in our faith and show the devil that we will stop at nothing to see others come to know the Lord, even if economic conditions seem to be getting the best of us!

Dear friends, I am praying for each of you by name and pray that those who are going through difficulties will know the blessings of God even if they don’t show up in monetary form. For those of you in your cities having to find the wisdom and strength to help those that are hurting and questioning, may God give you the insight and example of perseverance to cause others to look to the Lord rather than the dollar and put their trust in him.

Church Planting & Philippians 1

// June 15th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // church planting, leadership, ministry, revolution church sacramento, vision

While in prayer today and reflecting on all that has transpired in the past two weeks with Revolution Church Sacramento, I was led to the book of Philippians. I decided to share my thoughts in the hopes that it may benefit someone else as well. Philippians is four chapters and I’ll work through one a day for the rest of the week…

The theme in Philippians seems to be joy and rejoicing. Not joy in fleeting moments, but continual joy regardless of what one’s circumstances happen to be. One of the things that always tends to overwhelm me is the thought of how Paul faced so much persecution and imprisonment in his time of ministry. Even amongst the Apostles, Paul was not always in their favor. He struggles with his own sin while he speaks publicly against it and suffers at times due to what seems like lack of finances. People hear the gospel through him and churches are formed, yet he gets news of their unruly gatherings and idolatry after he has left some of the cities and continues to advance the gospel. Paul is the epitome of the modern-day church planter. He is someone I can really relate with. This is why Philippians is such a great place to be in my devotion time at the moment, because the church in Philippi was the exception.

Philippians 1:3-6 reads:

³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

As we are just two weeks into our preview services at Revolution Church, I am contemplating this passage quite a bit. God has blessed this city and our church with some really gifted people. We are a church that worships & loves God and freely give of our gifts to do so. However, I have to wonder how much of this is based on giving of ourselves in areas we are comfortable and talented rather than stretching ourselves and doing what it takes in partnership with each other and with Christ to see the gospel be made known to those outside of a personal relationship with The Creator of their soul. It’s still early and part of jumping into One Prayer and having preview services was to have a chance to experience a worship environment and engage others to share in the journey with us. While we have financial partners outside of our community that have given sacrificially for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, we have yet to have anyone personally embrace this notion yet.

When Paul talks about the church in Philippi and their partnership with him in the gospel in verse 5 above, the context is in regards to financial gifts. Even though Paul is not with them and in prison at the time of writing the letter to the Philippian church, he is thanking them for their financial support. Paul was a tentmaker and as such he would work in order to offset his personal costs and travel while planting churches and preaching the gospel, however the church was being called to help those with need and Paul was the recipient of such offerings at times. The church in Philippi was faithful in that regard. How will we as a new church come to deal with this as we move forward?

Regardless of whether or not God’s people feel compelled to help us financially in reaching others with God’s love and kindness, I am committed to praying and offering deep, heart-felt thanks to my Lord for connecting us with some fabulous people that have really given of their time and effort to help us launch a new ministry. I truly believe God will provide for us as we continue to trust in him and not in men & women. In him, we will be strong where we are weak and persevere rather than let Satan win over any more souls.

In concluding his opening prayer of thanksgiving, Paul writes in Philippians 1:9-11:

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

A lot of thought and prayer has gone into these 3 verses for me. As a church planter I have an uncontrollable desire to see those far away from Christ to be reconciled through him. To know that their way isn’t the only way and that if they look to God’s way they can find life and live it to the fullest. That they have a purpose here on earth that is far greater than they could possible comprehend. To let them know that through the cross, Christ willingly accepts all of their burdens and makes them his own. It is not for us to worry. As much as I passionately feel called to share the gospel in this manner, at the same time I recognize that there are individuals out in our community that have at one time repented and been baptized, yet question their faith. There are some that feel left alone to work through their Christianity on their own outside of the church because of past hurts or current irrelevance. These people have heard the gospel, but struggle with discerning it in their lives. Should Revolution Church Sacramento be a place for those that know Christ, yet are weary or seeking fellowship? How do we balance between advancing the gospel to those who have never accepted the message of the gospel and those that have heard it, yet struggle with how it bears fruit in their lives?

Again, it’s only been two weeks that we have publicly gathered in a dedicated worship space (as opposed to small groups meeting in homes), but so far it seems as if God is sending us people that have been part of the church in the past. Some are part of a healthy church now, yet came to see what we were all about. It seems that God is showing us early glimpses of what to expect in the future and I’m not quite certain how to respond. I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of person. However, I am feeling as if there needs to be some balance and some patience right now. We need to be open to all people and believe that God is in control and that Christ is at the head of the Church and Revolution Church and that he will bring to us the people he wants us to know and share life with. It’s not about target marketing, zip code sorted postcard drops, or our own personal desires for who we want to see connect with us. It’s about being open to how God leads us and to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.” as in Philippians 1:11.

Church planting has it’s ups-and-downs, consistencies and changes, affirmations and rejections, joy and pain, passion and lethargy, love and dislike, comfort and discomfort…through it all, there has to be a vision from God that drives one to keep at it. There are too many things that make it easy to walk away. If the church becomes all about one man/woman, then it is time to walk away. If it gets bogged down because of money or acts of service or lack of resources–if we look to God and do our best to discern his will for the church we will always make the right choices. Some days we look upon his work in us with worldy eyes that see failure and lack, but everything happens for a reason and we will be good and pleasing in the sight of the Lord as we stay faithful to advancing the gospel in spite of what might seek to bring us down. Let us rejoice for the church as Paul rejoiced for the church! We just have to struggle with getting our feelings hurt or feeling like some doors have closed in our face, yet Paul was tortured and imprisoned and remained a shining example of God’s strength through us in the face of severe diversity and hardship. Don’t make it about yourself! Don’t look to pleasing others instead of God! Don’t give up!

Why should pastors be paid by the church?

// April 7th, 2009 // Comments Off // church planting, leadership

I’ve had a lot of thoughts and discussion on this subject. I’ve changed my mind quite a bit. From the beginning of my church planting journey I have felt like God wanted me to work independently of the church for financial support. However, through conversations with several pastors I have felt at times like this wasn’t the biblical thing to do. Even though the Apostle Paul served as a tentmaker to make ends meet, he did receive offerings from the churches at times. Often-quoted Scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 9:14 where those that preach the gospel should make their living by the gospel have impacted my thought process.

Neil Cole brings up some great points in his blog post from March 16th. One of his points is this:

While it is not a sin for a church to employ someone, I do think it may not be the best investment of kingdom resources.

In particular, Cole is talking about the context of small, organic churches. He affirms, as I do, that in some instances pastors should be paid. Whether they are paid and why they are paid are the issues. If a pastor comes to plant a church and has a nice middle-class salary already covered, how uncomfortable is he or she going to be? I believe this sense of security actually takes away some of the power of God’s kingdom. Coming with nothing and planting a church for the pure reason of seeing God move and work through a community, relying on support from the community, makes it a whole different experience.

Matthew 10 & Luke 10 show Jesus sending out the disciples without anything. They are not to take money or food believing that the Lord’s message will bring them provision as they travel throughout the land. In Luke 9:58 we find even Jesus traveled and at times didn’t know where he would lay his head and sleep. Going out with nothing promised by the church is a very humbling place to be. Being able to rely upon God rather than money to see things through brings about a power that witnesses to others and causes them to know that God has provided, rather than people. In addition, it eliminates a lot of entitlements that people tend to have over the ministry when they know their money is important to the continued function of the church.

In his supplemental blog post on March 17th, Neil Cole references a word from Dallas Willard on the subject:

Dallas Willard was once sharing at a workshop on ministry in a postmodern world on this very passage. He asked the question, “Why would Jesus tell them not to take a purse at first and now tell them to take a purse?” His answer was, “You don’t know how to handle a purse, until you know how to go without one.”

In the end, I know that my opinion and beliefs really speak to me and affirm what I feel God wants to do in my church planting experience right now. It doesn’t necessarily have to apply to anyone else. However, the beauty of what we are doing here in Sacramento allow us to use almost all of our resources towards making the world a better place filled with love for others, compassion, and kindness. We have intentionally launched our church plant with the thought of giving to others rather than providing salaries for staff or office space or any other expenses that are not absolutely necessary. When we meet the world in weakness and humility, we enable God to be seen in a different way. We have a testimony to share that shows we are empowered by God and not by the hand of man. We are in ministry because we are called to serve and have hearts for seeing others come to know Christ’s love without temptation of a paycheck and a secure existence as middle-class or upper-middle class salaried ministers.

Sure, it’s hard to focus on work, family, and ministry. However, Jesus set the example to go out and have faith in the message of the Good News and that he would provide for us. He called his disciples to do his work in this manner for a reason. I feel those reasons are valid today.

If you were called to minister at your church, but your salary was revoked and that money was used instead to help feed and clothe others, how would you respond? What would God be saying to you in that moment? How much would this affect your faith?

What is the greatest threat to the church today?

// April 6th, 2009 // Comments Off // church, church relevance, leadership

Saw a post today by Todd Rhoades over at his blog Monday Morning Insight. It shared a video clip of John MacArthur responding to the question I used as the title of this post: What is the greatest threat to the church today?

MacArthur explains that in his opinion, the biggest threat to the church today is the lack of theology and expository preaching resulting in a watered-down gospel. That great oratory is taking a front seat to sound doctrine and is being widely spread via media so that others will believe it to be true just because it is so prevalent.

Acts 2:42 is a small glimpse into what it was like in the first century church:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Knowing Christ in ones heart is a personal matter. I truly believe that it can be an individual experience devoid of any preacher or church. However, what one chooses to do with their new faith is something that I believe requires others. God calls us to him individually, but wants us to become part of a collective body with Christ at the head. Seeking to know God’s truth through his word, engaging in fellowship with other believers, practicing the ritual of communion in remembrance of Christ, and prayer are all things that should be a extension of ones maturity as they grow in their faith. However, is topical preaching on things relevant to one’s culture such as managing finances, having a health marriage, dealing with stress, etc. the greatest threat to the church today?

Not to sound critical here, but I believe that the church is the greatest threat to the church today. Too often the church becomes driven by human leadership and numerical growth. Environments are created where people are encouraged to come from another church and be recognized by baptism in their new church, even though they have been publicly baptized already. In the church, we are made to feel guilt if we aren’t inviting our friends and co-worker to our church. Acts 2:47 reads:

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

If we as the church love God and love others, then God will do his part and send people to hear the teaching, have fellowship, share in communion, and pray for each other. Numerical growth in the church shouldn’t be worked out in meeting rooms in the church by those deemed to be qualified to discuss such topics. It’s a natural outpouring of God’s love for his people. He will connect them in fellowship with others so they may be encouraged and prayed for and serve together. Acts 2 tells us this.

When the church tries to make formulaic processes the reason for health and growth then I see an error in that. When churches focus on loving God and loving others, they naturally seek to grow and mature and stand firm in truth and be steadfast to keep running the race they were called to. It becomes more about what is read in Ephesians 4:4-6:

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

And less about following a pastor, church creed, or membership bylaws to the exclusion of others.

If we look at where there is explosive growth in the church today, it is in places like China, not the US. In China, the church is mainly underground with people gathering at the risk of persecution because they feel the need to be together corporately and to encourage others to fight the good fight. They are not coming under threat of persecution to see Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman lead worship, nor to see Joel Osteen or Robert Schuller preach. They gather because they are the church! They let the Word of God stand on its own, they sing songs of joy and thanksgiving to One Lord, in one faith, under one baptism for one God who is over all. They rejoice in knowing that others are coming to know this same God throughout the world and it gives them strength and hope. The church is at large and believers are born again every second in China. In the US today, church is more like an institution with rules and regulations. There isn’t the freedom and inspiration of the early church as described in Acts 2 or the resurgence of the church in China. Therefore, it is the church that is the greatest threat to the church in my opinion.

How would you respond to this question. Is the greatest threat different in your mind?

Ever been caught in this lie?

// February 4th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // leadership, prayer

First of all, I don’t mean to make something completely unintentional out to be a lie, but if done repeatedly it becomes a serious lie that should not be overlooked. That lie is agreeing/promising to pray for someone and not being faithful to doing it.

Have you ever done it? Any of us that have agreed to pray for someone else has probably done it. If it’s done once and corrected, it’s a great lesson learned. If it’s done repeatedly, it’s a terrible shame.

I know that your intentions are always good when you agree to pray for others, but we must take prayer more seriously and be committed to praying when we say we will.

Proverbs 12:22 AMP-

Lying lips are extremely disgusting and hateful to the Lord, but they who deal faithfully are His delight.

How can we “deal faithfully” when our schedules are so busy and we get so many requests for prayer? It’s so simple your gonna take your open hand and smack it to your forehead and wonder why you haven’t done this already :) One of the things I learned during my time serving at my first church was a nugget of wisdom from my senior pastor a the time, Dale Borgen. In a leadership meeting he told us that the best thing to do was to simply take a minute and pray on-the-spot with the person requesting prayer. Not only would it allow us to keep our word and pray for that person, but at the same time they can get some immediate comfort by being there during our prayer for them.

Don’t be a person that agrees to pray and then doesn’t do it. There is no better time than the present. Take them aside and pray for them immediately. You, and they, will feel must better for doing so!