ministry

ministry / people — No Comments
7
Jul 09

Just Do It!

During my mini-vacation last weekend I had a chance to visit with my friend Mark Horvath again (you may know him on twitter as @hardlynormal). He always inspires me because he’s been unemployed for something like 18 months, yet keeps drawing attention to the cause of homelessness rather than the individual cause of Mark Horvath. Rather than seek support for himself, he seeks to be a support to others that may not have their voices heard were it not for Mark and his ministry invisiblepeople.tv.

How many times have you said to someone (or yourself) that you wish you could do something to help make a difference? After saying that, how many times have circumstances or excuses come between your thoughts and your actions?

After being asked to partner with Michael Harrison, Steve Harrison and The Community Fellowship in Virginia and then hearing an announcement while attending New Hope South Bay, I felt compelled to join the cause. No more waiting for Mark to get back with me as to what he needs. I’ll trust that he will use the resources in the best way possible and just pledge to give him some financial support. He informed me that as of last Saturday he was still about $8,000 short of meeting all of the expenses for his cross-continental round trip. What I can give won’t even make an impact in that, but if we join together and give a little, combined we may see this need met and a lot of lives impacted through love and dignity. It’s 24 cities and 8,598 miles all in 49 days!

Won’t you join me in supporting Mark Horvath and his invisiblepeople.tv tour across the country?

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18
Jun 09

Church Planting & Philippians 4

The NIV version of Philippians 4:4-7 tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. Not just once, but it is written twice! It reminds us to let our gentleness be apparent to all and to not be anxious about anything. We are instructed to pray about everything and be thankful as the peace of God will take us beyond anything we ever imagined, and guard our hearts and minds as we focus on Christ Jesus.

As I mentioned earlier, the common thread through all of Philippians is the notion of joy and rejoicing. Some days in ministry, especially in church planting, at the end of the day of being beaten down and weary it is difficult to think of rejoicing. Not only are we faced with battling the community as we represent Christ and faith in him to a world that is in opposition to him, but we also face issues within our leadership and people, anger from those hurt by the church in the past, people that feel we are divisive because they think God’s Word excludes them, working without similar financial compensation that we would get in any other workplace, people committing with their lips yet not with their hands, etc. However, if anyone of us looks at these and wishes they were not in ministry I have some simple advice. GET OUT NOW! Paul explains to us and we need to understand that we are called to rejoice in all things. We are on the side of righteousness and eternal life. We are not working for treasures here on earth. If at the end of the day you can’t get yourself to come around and go face the world the next morning, this probably isn’t the time for you to be in ministry. Go do something else and be happy. Ministry is difficult. Church planting is difficult. It takes someone committed to keep working at it for a cause greater than themselves and their personal feelings. I have gotten to some low points and faced the decision of leaving the ministry or giving up on the vision of seeing a transformational community come together here in Sacramento. It’s easy to give up. Sometimes it feels right to want to give up. We need to work through those feelings and jump back into the fire or really make the decision to get out. Otherwise you will crash and burn and be useless to others, probably even useless to yourself. It’s not necessarily the end of your ministry, but quite possibly it may be a well-needed rest to be ready for God’s timing when he calls you to something new.

We are called to pray and give thanks in everything. However, we aren’t always going to be able to. It’s just a fact. No one can really be rejoicing in the face of adversity, pain, heartbreak or loss. How we handle those times will determine how we move forward and if we will ever get to a place of rejoicing after the fire has come and gone. For me, the biggest saving grace in my life are the friends that God has surrounded me with. As an atheist for 37 years before becoming a Christian, you can imagine that most of my friends are worldly and in some instances atheists as well. During the rough times, these friends of mine will typically encourage me to get out and go back to what used to bring me a six figure income, nice cars and travel. To them, my reasoning for going away from that life never quite clicked in their minds. Most of them envied my position and respected me for my worldly credentials and successes. So, I value my new friendships with people that know my struggles and encourage me. I could not be where I am without them. When I look at my friendships, all of them being outside of my city, I revel in God’s favor on my life. My friends aren’t wealthy and can’t jump in and help me setup sound equipment or invite people to connect with our community of faith, but they are always there anytime I call or email. They always listen before speaking. Whether it’s days or months that pass by without contact, or maybe even just a few hours…they are always by my side and praying to God for me. For this I rejoice even though I face difficult days and rejection at times. It is easy to get back on the horse after getting kicked off and stomped when one has friends like I do!

In my study time through Philippians this week, I find that The Message translation of verses 4-7 speak to me in ways that most fill my heart with joy. It is written in a way that encourages and reminds us that we should celebrate the gift of ministering to others that God has given us. With this gift comes great responsibility, but knowing there is nothing else I could do right now than this, it is a sweet and pleasant taste that I want to savor…to know that somewhere, someone is going to know Christ eternally through something that is said or done in the context of living life as followers of him is an amazing thing. So amazing, that I want to share the experience with others and bring them along in this journey. I want to share the love of Christ in my heart with others and let them know his healing power still works, that miracles happen all around us every day, that Satan is fooling and deceiving a lot of people that are clueless to his lies. There is great power in Christ that needs to be manifested through his people. I’m looking for a team of people that believe that and desire to serve under this powerful anointing on Sacramento. Know that the Lord is near and he is coming soon. Consider our time here on earth to be short…how does that make you feel? Does it move you to do more? Is something stirring in your heart when you think about it? I close with Philippians 4:4-7 MSG…it’s time to stand up and celebrate!

    Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

    Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

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church planting / ministry / revolution church sacramento — 2 Comments
16
Jun 09

Church Planting & Philippians 2

There are some truly beautiful things happening at Revolution Church Sacramento right now. We are able to introduce the idea of what a small, organic church plant looks like to some that thought it was going to be like a big grand opening, conversations and relationships are forming, some great word is being spoken, music at an amazing level is being performed and hundreds of people from around the world have personally committed to pray for this new ministry in addition to over 1,800 churches praying with us through our time in the One Prayer series. It really is a special and rewarding time for me!

I feel that there is a great unity amongst us at the moment to give our all and see how God uses this time and who he connects us with. Philippians 1:1-4 describes my feelings about us as a church right now:

    1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I really feel as if we are one in spirit and purpose. Waiting to see how things go forward in regards to our vision for the city. It’s an exciting time to be in ministry!

Continuing on in Philippians 2, Paul talks about humility in verses 3-4:

    3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Humbleness and humility is something we strive for in ministry, yet it is often difficult to find. It is too easy to take pride and credit for giving a great sermon, growing a large church, helping homeless families get placed into homes, etc. That is definitely something I appreciate about our people. We started in a home group setting as a gathering of people that didn’t take pride in our gifts. Even to the point of down-playing them at times. Through a spirit of humbleness, things have come together to work in an amazing way. A lot of things that would need to be spoken of at length in other churches just flows naturally for us. No one is bigger than any other, even to the point of running out to the street and waving our Revolution Church Sacramento signs and letting people know where we are.

Above all else, having a humble spirit and the willingness to do what it takes for the sake of people coming to know Christ Jesus eternally is one trait I would not fluctuate on in assembling a team. Especially our Revolution Team as we seek to connect with those outside of the church and ignorant of the gospel of good news. It has to be about others and not about our own desires. We must love God and love others selflessly.

Some key phrases in the remainder of Philippians 2 are:

  • 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
  • 14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16aas you hold out the word of life
  • 20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2 is a reminder to us that we should imitate Christ’s humility and rejoice always that we are in God’s will who is doing a good work through us for his good purpose. Planting a church, while sometimes tough & challenging can lead to the rewards of knowing that people came forward to share life with us and through God in us came to know Christ on an eternal level. There is no greater reward on this earth than that, which really is only an extension of our faithfulness and perseverance in sharing the gospel with those whose paths we cross through the divine nature of God’s universe.

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church planting / leadership / ministry / revolution church sacramento / vision — 4 Comments
15
Jun 09

Church Planting & Philippians 1

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!

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10
Jun 09

The church’s role in financial freedom

My friend Kenny Jahng recently posted this question to twitter:

@kkcoolj Does the Church have any responsibility to teach its own brothers & sisters 2 treat THEMSELVES w/ financial accountability, responsibility?

From this we engaged in some conversation about the matter via twitter, but 140 character bursts won’t really add clarity to my position. Thus, this blog post was created to reinforce my views.

Kenny and I are on different sides of the fence on this issue. In actuality, he and most other people may be on the other side of the fence from me. However, I feel the church is not a classroom and we put off a lot of people when we plead with the church to listen to messages that have no relevance to them. Let me explain: I believe that the bride of Christ [Revelation 19:7] should be more concerned about matters of the kingdom than about personal shortcomings. I am not interested in programs and classes, instead I want people far from God to come to know that his people are open-minded, big-hearted, compassionate and operating under grace and mercy from above and no one is above the love of Christ or so far away that he won’t draw near to them.

Is being responsible with our finances a biblical principle? Absolutely! Proverbs 22:26-27 and Luke 16:1-4 are a key verse for me in this respect. Should the church share the Word of God in regards to money? Definitely. However, should the church make it a point to minister to people about money assuming that no one knows how to be good stewards of their finances? I don’t think so.

As bad as the economy is right now and with all of the defaults on mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, etc. know that there are still many people out there with perfect credit, stable employment and comfortable homes. Some even have much more in excess of their needs with no worries about making ends meet. Will talking to them at length about managing their finances really help them to know Christ and to be light to others that do not know Jesus eternally? I can’t connect the two. There is a place to talk about finances and money in context of the gospel, but becoming financial professors to the community at large isn’t what I believe the church was intended to do.

As a side note, what does financial freedom really do? In its basic form, it empowers people to know peace without Christ. They get complacent and sometimes even become so thrifty that they fail to help others as they horde their money in fear of losing it. If we as the church teach people to manage their finances better, they feel less need for God and others. They take the information and put it in the bank for safe keeping. In contrast to that, rather than force feed people messages on financial freedom or prosperity, what if we explained that our finances really have God as the source? If we took a biblical view of what money is and how God entrusted us as stewards with hearts of compassion for others that have less. Imagine what the world would be like if we as supposed Christ followers stopped looking to the church as having to meet their personal needs and looked to others as the Bible tells us to in Matthew 25:31-46:

    31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

    34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For 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, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

    37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

    40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

    41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

    44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

    45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

    46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

We as the church need to show others just how much Christ loves them and has a plan for their lives which leads not to peace in this world, but peace on an uncomparable, eternal level with the God of the universe. Let us focus on Jesus, the lover of our soul and less on how we can have happier lives because of a false understanding that God wants us to be happy. God never, ever called on us to be happy. He did, however, call us to be holy!

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